Dressed to Run.

In my previous article, I stressed the importance of shoes in running. While the shoe may be the most important item in your running inventory, it should not be the only one. There are couple of other items that you should pay particular attention in order to have a fun and enjoyable run.

1. Shirt: The shirt play an important role in determining whether your run will be comfortable or not. If you wear cotton shirt, it will get drenched with your sweat which essentially means you are running with wet clothes. Running with sweat-drenched clothes makes you cold and miserable and the sticky clothes makes you feel like ending your run as soon as possible.

What you need is a t-shirt/shirt that is designed for running. These shirts are made from special fabric that pulls moisture from your body - keeping your cool and dry during your run. Also the fabric is light, which makes them less bulky. You will find running t-shirts in sports shops. Though they are expensive, they are worth the investment.

2. Shorts: Wear comfortable shorts. The material of the shorts is not so important because you don't sweat in the lower part of your body. As long as you are comfortable in the shorts, you should be fine.

3. Socks: The sock complements the shoe by adding an extra layer of protection between the hard surface and your body. Always go for thick cotton socks that are made for running.

4. Music: This is especially important if you are running on a treadmill. It helps to manage the monotony of the running so that you focus on the music instead of the run. Compile a playlist with upbeat music with a tempo that matches the tempo of your run.
Playing music while running is advisable only if you are running on a treadmill. Outdoor running with music on can result in dangerous situations since you cannot hear what is going on around you.

5. Sports Bra: For ladies, make sure you wear a proper sports bra.

6. Sports Drink: If you plan to run for less than 30 minutes, you can sip on a bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated during the run. However, if you plan to run longer than that, it is important that you have a sports drink such as Gatorade to replenish not only the fluids that your body loses, but also essential salts. When I run for 1 hour, I can finish a 600ml bottle of Gatorade - taking a sip every 5 minutes.

That's about it. Enjoy your run.