Do normos want to dress like runners?

I have my doubts, but you'd better be sure that us runners are going to try and make fetch happen.

How close to being the new streetwear is running culture?

Is running (or are pesky running industry commentators, at least) trying too hard to force the idea of running become the new streetwear?

When I think of the streetwear subculture, I think of skateboarding. Skaters made wearing less-stuffy everyday clothing the norm because they weren’t changing into 3” split shorts and technical singlets, or 7” tights and carbon-plated shoes to go for a skate. They were wearing jeans and graphic print t-shirts from their wardrobes while doing the aspirationally cool thing of skating.

Other runners certainly want to emulate the better-dressed runners they/we see, and we go buy from the appropriate running brands, but I’m not convinced non-runners are inspired to revamp their wardrobes with running-specific gear after seeing runners hanging around outside cafes in the same way that they are with skateboarders’ fashion.

The running subculture is growing massively, of course, but I think that if running is to stand apart as it merges with mainstream streetwear culture, it’s got to get a little more cool cachet.

What part of running is that nebulous idea of cool going to come from? Heavy metal trail races? 7-marathons-a-year programs? Gen Z run clubs?

If, after that near-nonsensical navel-gazing from a jetlagged husk of a human, you’ve got some ideas, please leave a comment below. Where’s the cool coming from? Inside the house?

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Last week on Running Sucks

I wrote about the trouble of running in a city as a woman. I wrote about men understanding the trouble of running in a city as a woman. It takes a lot, but knowing more is the way of progress. Take a read.

What women think about when they think about running

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Running Sucks when…

…You’re tired. We discussed fatigue in this week’s article, but how does being mentally tired affect the physical act of running?

The idea of the neuromuscular system is that you control your body with your mind. You think about moving a muscle while running, for instance, or adjusting your gait. You might speed up your breathing, or notice you need to drop your shoulders, so you think about doing it, and you make your body do it. Those are neuromuscular actions.

When your brain is tired, those actions will be more difficult. You’ll have noticeably reduced endurance and stamina, as well as lower concentration and energy levels. Importantly, you’ll be more susceptible to injury.

It’s all a result of being tired, whatever the cause. What’s the solution? In lieu of a good night’s sleep, try to take it a little easier than normal on your run (and maybe have a little nap, if you can.)

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1 year ago on Running Sucks

This is the story of Louise Butcher who ran a marathon just six weeks after undergoing a double mastectomy. It’s one of my favorite stories.

She runs marathons topless (it's not what you think)

This was also one of my first attempts at a clickbait headline <author retches uncontrollably>

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When Substack goes IRL

My friend Lali sent me a photo of the beautiful exterior of a new running store I’d told him was opening near him in San Francisco. It’s called Running Wylder and you can find it on 1354 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114.

New running store in SF: Running Wylder at 1354 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114

It’s the running store of

Katherine Douglas

, author of the

running wylder

newsletter - a deliciously honest account of the move from corporate life into a bricks-and-mortar lifestyle-oriented running store via motherhood with the kind of style tips thrown in that you’d expect from someone curating a store like this.

I’m very much looking forward to popping up the I-5 to SF to see both Katharine and Lali, hopefully before the end of 2024, which is somehow rapidly approaching.

Speaking of new running stores, Oakland’s Renegade Running opening a Los Angeles branch this month. I went on a run with them and Good Vibes Track Club, and took a photo of the cool R behind the cash register and half a maple bar. Delicious.

Renegade Running has opened in Los Angeles at 3120 W Sunset Blvd, LA, CA 90026.

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Running Sucks Haiku of the Week

Running in London:
Of course it’s raining a bit,
And it’s windy, too.

I don’t mind the rain at all. My skin is waterproof enough, but I also have a great jacket from Janji (win $50 below) to keep the cold rain off. It’s the sun that I struggle with. Good job I live in LA…

As runners, we’re really in it, aren’t we. Weather, that is. We can have our favorites, but we deal with all ends of the spectrum. Rain, of course, but also 90°F heat at 7am, cold, cold feet, and 100% humidity. All of it. What’s your least favorite weather to run in?

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Housekeeping

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Thanks for reading
- Raz x