Category Archives: Gear

Spikes on for cross country

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Run and Jump

After all these years of burning tar, I’ve decided to go off-road and take my running into the fields. This Saturday morning I plan to run in the St Enda’s GAA Eircom CC in Dublin. The race is part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross country, Gear | Tagged | 4 Comments

Women’s and men’s running gear: is skimpy simply better?

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Run and Jump

If you were watching the Commonwealth Games marathons this morning – or indeed, any elite athletics event recently – you might have noticed this; women’s running kit seems to be shorter and tighter than men’s running kit. Even among sprinters, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Top 5 latest essential running accessories

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Run and Jump

I’ve been running for however many years now, but only today did I learn about something called an ‘SPI belt’. It’s got nothing to do with spying or communications technology; apparently a small personal item (SPI) belt is what a … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged | 3 Comments

Treadmill running – going nowhere

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Run and Jump

My bay of Naples run was a hair-raising close encounter with reckless Italian drivers. I didn’t want to repeat that, but I needed another run during my holidays. What was I to do? Well, on a sheltered veranda overlooking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear, Italy, Training | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Foam rolling – easing my legs and my conscience

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Run and Jump

Call it honesty or conscience or the lack of a poker face, but I’m such a hopeless liar that I usually don’t even try. However, there’s one exception. I lie like a complete fraud whenever I’m at the physio. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear, Training | Tagged | 2 Comments

Running in jeans

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Run and Jump

Out on my run last Tuesday night, what did I see? A runner wearing jeans. The rest of this runner’s attire was perfectly normal – proper running shoes, a light hooded tracksuit top, a sports watch. But with all that, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Dry your wet running shoes here!

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Run and Jump

From the same almanac of handy hints as my cure for stitches while you run and my home-made sports drink, here’s a tip for drying your shoes when they’re soaking wet after a run in the rain: Stuff your running … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged , | 5 Comments

My first GPS running watch

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Run and Jump

I’ve been running for ten years, including seven marathons and many other shorter races, without ever feeling the need to get a GPS running watch. My basic retro stopwatch served me fine. Until now. The immediate reason for my belated … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged | 8 Comments

New running shoes: breaking in’s not hard to do

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Run and Jump

At the start of one primary school year, our teacher had a handy hint for anyone with new football boots: “Rub Vaseline all over the leather and leave them overnight; that’ll soften them.” On the next games day, our dazzling … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Earphones while you run – your opinions!

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Run and Jump

Do you listen to music, radio, podcasts or other audio while you run? As someone who doesn’t wear earphones while running, I’ve been curious about whether I’m in a minority or majority. And so I put the above question in … Continue reading →

Posted in Gear | Tagged | 5 Comments