# The tradliest jogging outift...



## Nathan Detroit (Oct 12, 2005)

What would it look like? gray sweatshirt, no words or logos on it? white athletic socks, band of color at the top? What kind of pants?


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## wnh (Nov 4, 2006)

Who cares? Wear what's comfortable to jog in. You'll not be docked style points unless you're wearing one of those two-piece nylon numbers in neon purple.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

wnh said:


> Who cares? Wear what's comfortable to jog in. You'll not be docked style points unless you're wearing one of those two-piece nylon numbers in neon purple.


^+1...wearing lyrca shorts/tights might get you bumped off the SS Trad too.

For running, tennis and working out, I am a big fan of the newer wicking fabrics. Though I often wear them to work out, cotton tees get too heavy if you sweat a lot.


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## Nathan Detroit (Oct 12, 2005)

TMMKC said:


> ^+1...wearing lyrca shorts/tights might get you bumped off the SS Trad too.
> 
> For running, tennis and working out, I am a big fan of the newer wicking fabrics. Though I often wear them to work out, cotton tees get too heavy if you sweat a lot.


Thanks, this is as much an historical exercise as anything else... I am asking somebody to draw me a picture.


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## AldenPyle (Oct 8, 2006)

TMMKC said:


> For running, tennis and working out, I am a big fan of the newer wicking fabrics. Though I often wear them to work out, cotton tees get too heavy if you sweat a lot.


Itchy though.


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## fenway (May 2, 2006)

Nathan Detroit said:


> Thanks, this is as much an historical exercise as anything else... I am asking somebody to draw me a picture.




There ya go!


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## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_training_uniform

Those work for me...


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## Runfellow (Jun 9, 2008)

As a runner myself, I can tell you the fewer clothes, the better. Granted, I'm here in Texas, but the fact is that if you're working hard enough, sweatsuits/jogging outfits get heavy and hot far faster than you might imagine. Stick to a simple tank and some shorter (don't go crazy, though) shorts. The fancy wicking materials do work, though I suggest you invest in a good pair of shoes first.

Classic cotton sweatsuits, btw, do very little 'cept make you hot when it's too hot to wear them and not protect you from anything when it's cold.

Oh, and there's always Juicy Couture :icon_smile_wink:


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

Sweat shorts and an old t-shirt.
Try for no logos, unless it's from your alma mater.
Extra points if it's from your school's track team.
And don't worry about the shoes, good running shoes can't be trad.


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## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

> ^+1...wearing lyrca shorts/tights might get you bumped off the SS Trad too.

I'd agree if you're ONLY wearing the lycra. It's useful when you're running in the cold to keep your hamstrings loose as they tend to tense in the cold. I only wore them under running shorts, though, since wearing lycra shorts alone is, IMHO, disgusting.


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## bd79cc (Dec 20, 2006)

Nathan Detroit said:


> What would it look like? gray sweatshirt, no words or logos on it? white athletic socks, band of color at the top? What kind of pants?


Quick-dry T-shirt, some sort of quick-dry running shorts, socks and shoes to your actual running requirements should work fine down to about 50 degrees F. Don't get the shorts too long or too loose or they'll bind between your legs. Cheap runner's trick: wear womens opaque tights under your running shorts on cold days - they're a lot more comfortable than sweat pants and break up the cold air hitting your legs just as effectively. A light inexpensive nylon windbreaker will help in the cold, also. Head, ear, and hand protection in the cold take a bit more trial and error. Everything but the shoes you can do on the cheap without affecting your performance or pleasure.

Will you look Trad outfitted this way? Who cares - you're trying to get a run in!


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

jbmcb said:


> > ^+1...wearing lyrca shorts/tights might get you bumped off the SS Trad too.
> 
> I'd agree if you're ONLY wearing the lycra. It's useful when you're running in the cold to keep your hamstrings loose as they tend to tense in the cold. I only wore them under running shorts, though, since wearing lycra shorts alone is, IMHO, disgusting.


You're right, that's what I meant. I do wear them under long basketball shorts for running when its cold...or and a base layer if attending a frigid football game.

At the club I work out at, there's this guy who's closer to 60 than 50 to regularly wear lycra running tights (with nothing over them) while on the stairmaster...love handles, flabby...err...caboose and all. I snicker at him. My wife wants to vomit. How could he (and countless others) possibly think they look good?

Nathan Detroit, I guess the answer to your original question would probably be plain gray crew neck t-shirt, plain gray cotton draw string Champion shorts and Chuck Taylors....with white crew socks pulled down around the ankles.


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## Topsider (Jul 9, 2005)

+1 for the "Chariots of Fire" photo. That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the OP! :icon_smile_big:


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## Thom Browne's Schooldays (Jul 29, 2007)

My mind thought back to my childhood... older brother's gray High School hooded sweatshirt (with hood cut off), umbro shorts, and white tennis shoes.


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## Falstaff (Oct 18, 2007)

I saw some guy in Charleston this past summer wearing a pink VV polo, a Masters visor, gray gym shorts, and the obligatory New Balances.
He's trying too hard, but I figured it bore mentioning.
Wear whatever.


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## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

Split shorts are the only way to go. Preferably with contrast piping. My favorite non-team issue short is the Nike Pinnacle, which is usually issued in various color combinations each year. This year's was dark grey with green piping. Traditionalists prefer tricot nylon (easy to find for $10/pair), but I usually go for a more modern fabric.

There are plenty of technical t-shirts that look and feel like your classic grey tees from college. If you're not wearing one of these, I'd advocate going shirtless.

The sweatshirt is not very good running apparel, as it easily gets soaked. Old school runners wear a ragged shetland from the Salvation Army, usually one size too small.

As for shoes, there's zero evidence that any running shoe technology has helped to prevent injury. I get a couple of free pairs of New Balance every year, but I don't have much need for them. I do a lot of my training in the Nike Waffle Racer, a $45 cross-country shoe that easily lasts 800 miles.


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

Mr. Knightly said:


> ... I'd advocate going shirtless.


Please. Don't.

See TMMKC's post above. People do not want to see it no matter how convinced one is that they do.


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## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

I'm in the white singlet in the center. I'm wearing it only because I'm required to. The un-sponsored runners are shirtless. The guy to my left is not wearing classic running gear.

Frank Shorter, gold medal in 1972 (silver in '76, behind a confirmed doper):









My friends and I, going for a morning run before watching the Olympic Trials in Eugene:









Going shirtless is more comfortable in warm weather. We don't do it because we think anyone wants to see us. Mostly we get yelled at or, worse, have things thrown at us. Shirtless is _correct_. It's what runners have been doing since high mileage road running came to the states. You wouldn't expect a swim racer to wear board shorts and a rash guard. Speedos are functional and correct, so nobody complains about a guy swimming laps in a revealing suit.


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## Nathan Detroit (Oct 12, 2005)

TMMKC said:


> You're right, that's what I meant. I do wear them under long basketball shorts for running when its cold...or and a base layer if attending a frigid football game.
> 
> At the club I work out at, there's this guy who's closer to 60 than 50 to regularly wear lycra running tights (with nothing over them) while on the stairmaster...love handles, flabby...err...caboose and all. I snicker at him. My wife wants to vomit. How could he (and countless others) possibly think they look good?
> 
> Nathan Detroit, I guess the answer to your original question would probably be plain gray crew neck t-shirt, plain gray cotton draw string Champion shorts and Chuck Taylors....with white crew socks pulled down around the ankles.


Thanks to all, and your last comment, TMMKC, draws it together pretty well. I have to take exception to the posts advocating running shirtless. Rien n'est plus vulgaire--except running in the buff. Greek antiquity trad...


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## GBR (Aug 10, 2005)

The garment would not exist - "jogging" is a modern not trad pastime.


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

Well, I don't want to see anyone in a speedo, either. But if you choose to go to a pool then it won't be a surprise. If I'm driving down the road I don't ask to have someone's naked body jiggling by. Wear clothes in public.


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

Meh, I'm pretty used to it being in a college town. I don't really even give a second look to any guy going shirtless or girl in a sports bra. It's only the human body -- chances are we all have arms, legs, and stomachs in varying degrees of size and fitness, so I don't see the big deal.


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## Mr. Knightly (Sep 1, 2005)

*Who said anything about jiggling?*

As with the story about lycra-man, the jiggling comment suggests more concern for body type than for clothes.

Running shirtless is universal amongst serious runners. It is not a fashion statement. It doesn't matter if you're living in East Los Angeles or the Upper East Side. It cuts across every generation and social group. I run with Caltech PhDs and with undocumented, Central-American wage workers. None of them wear shirts when they run in hot weather. The only reason that something would be so widespread is that it works. It's terribly uncomfortable to run in a shirt when it's hot and humid. Dry fabrics get sopping wet pretty easily, and if you've still got 10 miles to go, you're going to have bloody nipples by the time you get home.

Anyway, the question was about what is trad. As has been noted, jogging hasn't been in the US that long. Bowerman introduced jogging, and the term, to the US after his visit to New Zealand, where Lydiard showed him that everyday people could derive benefits from endurance training. It's only been about 4 decades. Before that, competitive distance running in the US was dominated by low mileage training programs, meaning that people hadn't really been forced to figure out what works. There wasn't even a real shoe designed for running on roads.

The first wave of high mileage runners are the ones that I would consider trad. They wore short-shorts and shirts for races only.

As for other trad running elements:
Singlets with diagonal sashes are pretty classic. The sash designated a runner who had scored points in the Heps meet (basically Ivies). Interestingly, a sash is used in place of a baton for the Ekiden relay in Japan.

Boathouse is without a doubt the most trad brand. They're known for their totally custom gear, especially the classic ripstop nylon jacket with a half-zip, and a chevron pattern. Most of the Ivies and D3 schools still wear Boathouse. The gear is made to last a lifetime.


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