Running gear does not come at bargain prices. The upside is that if you take care of the gear, it can last a long time. However, sometimes it doesn’t work. What to do? (Different gear works for different body types so I’m not naming company names as the same piece may be someone else’s favorite piece of running clothing.)
Two years ago, I needed a new pair of running tights and I bought a solidly built pair for $85. When I tried them on and moved around a little, they seemed fine. Then I went running in them and it all went downhill. I think the company must have made them for a slightly different body type because they don’t stay up particularly well. At $85, I can’t just toss them. And, I just don’t think it’s fair to a potential user to donate them to a thrift store. So, I use them for short easy runs when I’m not with people, or on the treadmill. It saves wear and tear on my other tights and pants and means I can use them.
Several years ago, I bought a running beanie for about $25. It was lightweight and seemed like it would be perfect for running when the temperature was in the high thirties or low forties. However, it’s far too warm for that and yet it’s also not warm enough to wear for substantially cooler temperatures. When running with people, none of us are exuding perfume scents yet some clothes mask sweat better than others. This one amplifies the sweat stench. It’s a perplexing piece of fabric. Similar to the tights, I’ll use it on shorter easy runs, and, because it’s bright neon yellow, if I’m running on my own in the dark.
Socks are one of the easier items to re-purpose. My biggest complaint with most pairs has been that the material is a little too slippery and lets your feet slide around. No fun. If they don’t work for your running, you can use them for around the house socks, or really anything.
For running shirts, I can tell off the rack whether they’ll fit and whether the material will work. It’s a little different with race shirts as I don’t have control over what they’re handing out. Yet, I don’t have a lot of race shirts that I won’t find some use for. If the t-shirt design is not to my liking, I’ll use it as a base layer for winter running. I can also use not-so-stylish shirts for running on our treadmill because the only thing looking at me is a basement wall. But, if I get a race shirt and I don’t feel like it’s going to work in terms of fit or material, I will take these to a thrift store. A twice or thrice-used shirt is much easier to feel okay about donating than running tights.
If you find yourself with gear that doesn’t work, it’s disappointing because you’ve probably dropped a disproportionate amount of cash on it related to other clothing. Yet, there may be ways to use it. You won’t get the full use you’d hoped for, but it’s at least better than trashing it.
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