You Are What You Wear Believe it or not what you wear can affect your training and race performance. Other athletes take a great deal of notice of what you are wearing and so your training and racing kit can give you the edge over your fellow competitor. So take a bit of time in chosing the right clothing for the occasion. Clothes serve three purposes:- a) The provide protection from the weather and environment. b) The hide the bits that you don't want other people to see. c) They make a statement. 1) Shoes These can be the most expensive part of your kit. I go through a pair of trainers every 3 to 4 months (that's 700 -1000 miles). I started running using Dunlop plimsols. They are very cheap but only of any use on grass and soft surfaces. They are no good for road running. They also have very little grip. They fail on criterion a) and c). Going up-market a bit you come to Hi-Tecs ; these are fine for training and racing, but they don't last. I could only get about 500 miles out of them, but that's not too bad at £20 a pair. Other athletes whisper and point at you if you wear stuff at this end of the market. You can however get away with it if you are an above average runner -nobody likes to be beaten by someone wearing something like Silver Shadows.... I find there is not not much to choose between any of the well-known brands. They all wear out after about 3 months -but they've got the brand name, an athlete wearing *insert famous brand name* is one to be reckoned with. If you buy a new pair of shoes for training it is always best to wear them socially for a couple of weeks. There are two main reasons for this. The first is to get them comfortable and to get to know them - athletes must be as one with their training shoes. The second reason is that you get a bit of value out of them before they get muddy and smelly as they will when you actually get round to running in them. After about a week of hard training in the winter they will be totally unrecognisable as £80 trainers and the battle is then on to keep them on the road before forking out another £80. It's a bit like buying a new car - they lose about 50% of their value when you leave the shop. There is not (thankfully) a thriving market for second-hand trainers. ( One careful owner -only used them on Sundays to jog to the paper shop) . I prefer not to spend any more than £50. This can be done by not buying this year's model and keeping an eye on the "designer" sports-wear shops for bargains. If you are very keen you can pay through the nose and buy the latest model with gyro-stabilised soles and self-tying luminous laces -but I bet you won't run any faster. 2) Socks The next item to be considered are socks. I've long pondered the need for socks. In cross-country races I often don't wear socks. There are enthusiasts who shun even shoes in these circumstances, but probably, if they could, they would wear their spikes inside out. Socks have a very short life. Sports socks are white -at least when they are new. After a few races they turn old and grey, They then develop holes and are discarded. That is their usual life-style. that is if they are not lost -so much for "1000 mile" socks if they do a runner after a week. Lost socks are one of life's great mysteries. Most of them, I suspect, get left at races. The rest I think get stuck in the back of the washing machine. This leaves most athletes with the "odd sock syndrome". There is no disgrace in wearing odd socks for training. If it really bothers you do it on your own or at night -just think of the money you're saving. Perhaps the Club could consider a sock-swapping party to match up loose pairs. Another way of prolonging the life of your socks is remembering to cut your toe nails. Did you know there are "specialist socks" ? A well known manager of a running emporium not 5 mins jog from Haymarket was trying to convince me that there are special light-weight track socks. You can also get brand names like Nike for about a tenner a pair. My advice is to buy the bumper bundle of "cheapies". 3) Shorts Shorts fulfil all three criteria depending on the time of year. Shorts should provide unrestricted leg movement and so should use the minimum amount of material consistent with criterion b. They should be enough support in the elastic so that they remain in position even when wet. This is particularly important in cross-country races like the "Lita Allan" when wading a burn used to be an interesting diversion. Had you been wearing heavy duty water-absorbing shorts there was a good chance of losing them; not consistent with a good sprint finish. Baggy shorts are a very useful item. These can be used in races to distract your opponents by their flapping which not only causes visual disorientation but also produce a disconcerting rustling noise. In a following wind they can be used as a sail to lop off more than 10 seconds a mile. In long hill races they can be put to use as a bivuac if you happen to get lost or injured. When temperatures hit sub-zero, it is vital to keep the short- covered region warm. Wind-chill can cause frost-bite, extra underwear is essential. I have occasionally had to resort to Lycra shorts, with conventional ones on the outside as a matter of preserving good taste. For training I stop wearing shorts between October and March. I use tracksters and/or thermals which have the added advantage of not having to wash your legs after a muddy training run. 4) Tops T shirts and vests can be safely worn in the summer months but they must be chosen with care. Don't wear T-thirts with sports connection logos otherwise the public may mistake you for an athlete. The idea behind this is to look like a jogger so that if for any reason you have to slow down stop or walk you blend into the background. Save the designer T-shirts for social use only. In the colder weather the number of top layers goes up. T shirts can be piled on under sweat shirts. In the dark because no-one can see what you are wearing,anything goes. A useful tip is to double your training kit as painting, decorating, gardening clothes -saves on laundry bills. So if you come in from a 20 miler and have to do spot of painting -no need to change. For racing, of course the Club vest is mandatory -it's the modern equivalent of woad (anyone game to try that if we don't get our vests for the next league race ?) I have three (or had three since the passing of ESH) . I tried to use the very worst cotton vest for cross-country since I have a kick-back that can throw mud 30 ft in the air. this leads to an indelible brown streak up the back. HBT have the right idea, a brown vest that won't show the mud. I pensioned of my very worst vest some time ago when the thread holding it together started to perish. My best cotton vest is still respectable - I might be able to sell it to some-one not too fussy in Lochaber AC. 5) Hats Most of the body heat is lost through the head, so a wooly hat is a useful investment. These are almost compulsory in hill races. I however favour the Balaclava. I need something to keep my ears warm and they have the advantage that they cannot get blown away. If it does become warm, They can be slipped down over the neck, leaving both hands free. They can also form part of a useful disguise if you want to do some secret training. 6) Gloves Gloves in the winter are essential. These have similar problems to socks. The develop holes and they become lost. Again there is no shame in wearing odd gloves. There is no point in going through pain for the sake of sartorial elegance. You can even wear two of the same handed-ness. Any-one out there still wearing shell-suits or track-suits ? Next article "A day at the races". Hints for race day. How to out-psych your opponents - playing down a PB - coping with post-race depression.