A is for... Aesthetic
Welcome to the AtoZ of running, plus a storytelling event in L.A. and important direction around my book, This is Running.
A is for Aesthetic
In honor of Paris Fashion Week, coming up next week (no, I won’t be there), let’s talk about how we look when we run, and why. A is for Aesthetic.
When you boil it down to its purest essence, it doesn’t matter if it’s road, trail or treadmill, it’s just running. It doesn’t matter if you’re at the start of your running journey or if you’re running the sixth marathon of this calendar year, your pace is your pace, and every pace has a place.
So why could it matter what you’re wearing?
We’re not talking about aerodynamics and moisture-wicking fabrics here. You can think about that technical stuff when you’re looking to hone your marginal gains, but we’re talking about pure fashion here.
If we’re dressing for the job that we want, the modern runner’s outfit is less marathon podium star and more run club winner. All the brands showcasing their wares in Paris at the end of January are banking on you wanting a couple of premium pieces in your outfit. Fit for a Local Legend, right?
If you’re wondering why running brands are even at PFW, it’s just a trade expo. It’s a convenient time for brands to sell their 2026 lines to retailers, but with the proximity of premium catwalks and the verve of Parisian streets as the backdrop. Yes, it’s somewhat more glamorous than a windowless convention center in Texas.
An increasing emphasis is put onto running aesthetics these days. The big brands have been at it for a while, of course, with Adidas’s Y-3 collaboration lasting over two decades, but I suspect that you wouldn’t know this much about running’s attendance at one of the Big Four Fashion Weeks before this single facet of run culture became so poured over.
While I believe that run culture is far, far more than the superficiality of what clothes you run in (imagine if someone told you Japanese culture was just kimonos – you’d think they were dumb as bricks), what you wear does influence much about how you interact with the world.
Dressing the part gives you confidence, especially in a new situation, such as your first time at a run club. Sometimes that’s wearing a Boston Marathon singlet and Vaporflys to flaunt your capabilities, and other times it’s having a sleeve of tattoos to indicate that you’ve got the music recommendations they need. Whatever group you’re aiming for, you simply want to be seen.
With all that said, expressing yourself authentically is key to the above. It’s a sad fact that we’re all constantly being judged by how we look first, before anything else. If you’re using a strong first impression to find your tribe, that non-verbal communication has got to come from the heart. I often run in football shirts and band t-shirts when I go for a group run, for instance. Both are great conversation starters, but you’ve got to have the knowledge to make those conversations great.
If, in 2026, there’s a move towards dressing like a schlub to work out, what does that indicate? Authenticity, again, and there’s nothing realer than following your feelings.
You’re running. You’re putting your body through some effort. It makes sense to be comfortable while you do that, doesn’t it? Yes, that can mean your softest garms, but there’s also pure value in not being uncomfortable, and if you are self-conscious about how you’re dressed, you won’t feel good, and if you don’t feel good, your run will be less enjoyable.
When I’m running on my own, I dip back into more standard technical wear, because that makes my run more comfortable. It makes my run more enjoyable. And this is all about enjoying your run more, right? It’s good to remember that we’re doing this for fun.
Get that chic singlet if it makes you feel good. Accessorize your cap with a heavy metal patch if that is what shows you off. Get the polka dot running shoes. Go have fun.
How far do you go to individualize your running fit? Local club singlet? Do you jump on every new release that’s marketed to you? Old race t-shirts from races you’ve run or older race t-shirts from races in your birth year? Do you have a Pinterest board as an aspirational lookbook? Or do you, like me, wear a 20-year-old pair of black Nike shorts?
The possibilities are endless. Please tell us in a comment why you wear what you wear and when!
Pre-order my book, please!
Hello, friends. It’s less than three months until I can share This is Running with you properly. I’ll be sharing tidbits from what’s inside the book over that time, and I hope you can see from this photo that it’s a beautifully meaty book. It feels good in the hand.
If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, here are the links to help you do that. It’s available in every single country on every platform. (Amazon sadly helps me the most right now.)
USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
goodstory in Los Angeles this weekend
If you remember the storytelling event that I was part of in Brooklyn back in October, one of the organizers Lydia Keating is hosting her run club goodstory in West Hollywood this Sunday 11/18 at 8.30am from the Salomon store.
We’re going to try on some shoes, run 3 miles around WeHo, and then we’ll all tell a story. It can be fictional or true. It can be about running or not. The theme is RISK. It’s fun, I promise.
Lydia and goodstory are the subject of this Thursday’s profile because I think it’s an awesome idea. I’m going to try and send that Thursday story out on Wednesday to paid subscribers, because that’s a cool thing to do. Upgrade if you want that. Here’s a poster.
Last week on Running Sucks
I like to start the year with an important story. 2025 was about ICE (still topical), and 2024 was about the effects of white supremacy (yep).
2026 saw a cool story about the first South Asian running store owner in the USA. People who look like me in leadership positions? Yes, please. Read it, share it, support it. If you really want a more equitable world, that’s how it works.
Where does the creative, dedicated minority go next? Run retail.
It’s possible that Vivek Gowri, the new owner of San Francisco Running Company, is the first South Asian run specialty store owner in the USA. I sadly can’t find the data to check this, so please introduce me to any others that you know of. We’d love to meet them.
About parenting
This isn’t about my parenting per se, but Brendan Leonard has a way with words and manages to distill everything that is good, great, and awful about living with one’s offspring into a delightful and charming rundown. I agree with him.
It’s been a year since the Los Angeles Fires
Back in 2024, I settled into a wonderful mode of occasionally running my longish weekend run in Altadena with my friend Jinghuan Liu Tervalon. She lived there back, but lost her house in the fire. We haven’t run together since, and I miss it.
This interview by Jinghuan with Matt Fitzgerald is a brilliantly tender look at being a caregiver, and the conversation comes back to running frequently. Intertwined themes of endurance and resilience abound.
One of my big regrets (in Running Sucks terms) was not centering my 2023 interview with Matt Fitzgerald around COVID and its effect on runners.
We had a long chat about long COVID, which he was suffering from, but I had been made to feel so insane for my strong position on the virus that I chickened out of writing about it.
I’m very much looking forward to reading his book about his recovery as a runner.
Running Sucks Haiku of the Week
Little one’s ill again
Weekend plans all went to shit
Try again next week
Maybe it’s because he’s in pre-K. Maybe it’s because he got Covid last summer. Either way, he’s a sofa-bound mess and I’ve had a few extra duties on my plate as a result. Being able to run is a luxury of time and resources. We’ll all do well to remember that.
A to Z of running
If you have a request for this A to Z of Running, you can leave your suggestion in this form, and I’ll add it to the list.
Thanks for reading,
Raz x
I am far from being fashionable whilst running and almost always go for practicality over look. I also commit the cardinal sin of buying running shoes regardless of what colour they are.
But that's me. My running club pals have a different take and will happily drop more money than I'd dream of on the right shorts or singlet. It floats their boat and doesn't sink mine! As you say, it's about comfort, and if the right threads make you more likely to get out running then go for it!
Obsessed with this content!