My Dad’s Two Cents: Then and Now

In honor of his birthday this week, my dad offers an “old-timer’s” perspective on running…then & now. Enjoy! – Sharon 

I have been running for almost 50 years and I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the changes that have occurred over this time period.

When I started running for my high school I wore a cotton tee-shirt, cotton gym shorts, cotton socks (notice a theme?), and high top Keds sneakers. In the beginning I ran without wearing my glasses, but quickly discovered that running cross-country in the late afternoon (uneven surfaces with low lighting levels) was not a good idea as I was likely to trip over holes, tree roots, and have occasional collisions with a tree that jumped out at me.

For the most part I am still wearing cotton tee-shirts, though on occasion I have switched to sleeveless shirts or even mesh type tops. I know that there are more advanced materials out there, but I have never felt a need to purchase a shirt made from one of those materials. I will leave it to others to provide feedback on this item.

I have switched to nylon shorts. I made this switch when I realized that the cotton ones were uncomfortable when they absorbed perspiration or rain. I prefer the length of my shorts to be mid-thigh or slightly higher. I recently went to a store that provides athletic gear for multiple sports. All the shorts I found were down to my knees. When I asked one of the sales associates about my preferred shorts length, she replied that the only demand they have for those length shorts are from older gentlemen. I am not sure what to make of that response. They did have one rack of “old man” shorts. I may have to resort to ordering my shorts online.

For the past number of years I have stopped wearing socks. If your shoes fit right you can get away without socks. Cotton socks get soggy and uncomfortable. For a while I wore socks just to have a place to store my ID and house or car key. (I strongly recommend that whenever you run outdoors that you carry ID. As a minimum it should provide your name and emergency contact name and phone number. If you take prescription medicine or have an allergy, that should also be noted. I carry a copy of my driver’s license and a copy of my health care card.). I would put them in a small ID case and then tuck the case into one of my socks. When I first stopped wearing socks I would put the case in the waist band of my athletic supporter. However, that can get uncomfortable. I now use a Road ID pouch, which is much more comfortable. The biggest downside is that the shoe liner now absorbs the sweat. This can lead to smelly shoes. For that reason my running shoes have been banished to the garage. I suspect that most of the running stores would recommend against running sockless. They have socks made from other materials that will absorb the sweat without getting soggy and prolong the life of your shoes. Feel free to comment on this as well. {Check out my review of Thorlos 84N Runners! – Sharon}

As I noted above, I now (since 1964) wear my glasses when I run. For the longest time I only wore clear glasses. However, I have become one of those people who are constantly changing between clear glasses and sunglasses. If I am running in the daylight I am most likely wearing sunglasses. As Sharon has explained in other posts, sunglasses are essential to protecting your eyes from sun damage. About 10 years ago I added a University of Florida Gator baseball cap to my running attire. The cap has several purposes. The brim provides shade for my eyes and forehead. If it is raining, it partially keeps the rain off my glasses. The main reason is that it protects the skin on the top of my head from sun damage. Every time I went to the dermatologist (annual skin checkups are highly recommended in Florida) she would remove damaged skin from the top of my head. Being folliclly challenged I needed to augment my natural scalp protection (aka hair). Since I started wearing a cap I have not had a problem. Some people claim that wearing a hat makes their head too hot. I have not experienced that problem.

TO BE CONTINUED……The next post will discuss shoes, food, and other topics.

Albert

Have you been running for a long time? What changes have you observed in our sport?

Happy Birthday, Dad!

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Do you want my dad’s two cents on your running question? Contact him at Dad{at}MommyRunsIt{dot}com. And for more great advice and information, be sure to check out his other posts!

Albert is the proud father of Mommy Runs It’s owner Sharon Wilhelm. He has degrees in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Florida and is also certified as a Project Management Professional. He started running as a sophomore in high school (Oct 1964), and never stopped. In high school and college he was a middle of the pack runner. He hit his peak as a runner in the first 10 years after graduating college. Though never achieving a champion performance, he ran some decent times (5K – 16:58, 5 mi – 27:07, 6 mi – 33:00, 10K – 34:58, 13.1 mi – 1:36, 20 mi – 2:20:51, marathon – 3:37:48).  Currently he runs primarily to maintain a level of physical fitness. He hopes that when he retires in a few years he will be able to increase his training and return to competitive running.  His secret (not so secret any more) ambition is to be a high school track coach; not to produce champion runners, but to instill the love of running in these young people and pass on his experience.