A blog about running after finishing a 25 year career in the military. I go over local and regional races, life as a retired Army person, and occasionally review products that would help with running or work-outs.
For the vast
majority of my military career, I would go to the local Post or Base Exchange,
PX for the Army and BX for the Air Force, and just buy the cheapest pair of
running shoes that would fit my feet. I didn’t pay attention to tread, didn’t
know about quality, and definitely only cared about how little they cost. I
knew about brands such as Nike, Reebok, and Adidas and in my younger days
figured that name recognition would take care of quality.I heard all about how to take care of my feet
from the Army’s fitness trainers, serious runners, and teammates who competed
in high school and collegiate sports, but figured that I wouldn’t worry about
my feet and legs unless they started hurting.
New Balance. The first good non-Big Three shoes I would wear.
My thought process
changed about 10 years ago when I realized I was no longer the youthful,
energetic person I was at 17 and that while I had been more fortunate than most
of my military friends when it came to injuries, I need to take care of my body
to keep going.
Brooks. Even more models and colors than I expected
Don’t get me wrong,
there’s nothing wrong with Nike, Reebok, or Adidas, but the local military
exchange used to carry some shoe brands that looked like running shoes but I
never heard of before. And it was about a decade ago, that I noticed the Army
and Air Forces Exchange Service (AAFES) started carrying running shoe brands
that the running world was familiar with. I saw Brooks, noticed Asics, glanced
at New Balance and it was the New Balance shoes that I started using because I
remembered some of the faster runners in my unit wearing them. I also discovered that New Balance wasn’t as
expensive as I thought they would be.
Asics, a very good brand that gets overlooked
These days, the
local Base and Post Exchanges carry a good variety of running shoes. Running
shoes with name brand recognition and a reputation of performing well for
runners.Durability, quality, and
comfort need to be emphasized and the shoe section comes out swinging.
Brooks running shoes a plenty
I recently visited
the local post exchange and saw a various of running shoe brands that would
give your average running store a run for its money, no pun intended.Besides the usual suspects of Nike, Reebok,
and Adidas, I came across Brooks, Mizuno, Saucony, New Balance, Under Armour,
Hoka, and Asics.While I have yet to try
running in Under Armour shoes, I know several cross fitters who swear by them
for their short distance running.In
addition to road running, I also noticed that AAFES carries trail and hiking
shoes by Merrell. I’ve worn their gear before and love the traction.
Salomon. Not a brand I was expecting in AAFES
The one brand that I
did not see, and I absolutely love is the On running shoe company.But to be fair, I’ve only seen three stores
in my city carry them and one of them isn’t known for selling running shoes.
Shoe prices ranged
from 40 dollars (USD) to over 120 dollars, with most shoes hovering around the
80 dollar price mark.Because shoe
companies seem to offset their yearly models from other companies’ schedules,
you can find some shoe brands models on sale or even clearance.While most AAFES employees don’t have
advanced knowledge on the various shoe brands, they are able to help determine
if you need a neutral, stability, or motion control shoe and there are even a
few minimalist shoes as options.I
recommend that if you don’t know what type of shoe you already need, you should
bring along a friend or someone from your unit or group who knows quite a bit
about running shoes to help you.
And the best part of
getting running shoes is that you do not get charged tax, which can save you
even more.
I recently went
through all the shirts I got from races in the past four years.There are quite a few I like, and some I’ll
wear when it’s almost time to do laundry.But I do like them all, even if a few of the non-performance shirts are
pretty thick.
I will however say
that there is an order of precedence when it comes to what kind of shirts a
runner would like to see coming from a race organizer.
After sifting
through my collection of race memorabilia, I created my list of bottom tier to
top of the wish list when it comes to what kind of shirt runners like me would
like to see in our swag bags.
Bottom tier contains
brands such as Gildan and Hanes.I
consider these the mainstream and underwear brands because most people know
those two names has a part of their undergarment wardrobe.
Disco Dash (Gildan Heavy Cotton Blend)
Gildan has several
styles and brands that they use.My Gildan
preference from first to worst are:
Anvil(a nice thin
shirt)
Gildan Dry Blend (not thick, but not thin cotton blend)
Alstyle (feels like Gildan’s Soft Style, but I rank higher
because of a particular race)
Gildan Soft Style (not-so-thick cotton blend)
Gildan Heavy Cotton Blend (thick cotton blend)
811 Run (Gildan Soft Style)
Gildan’s Heavy
Cotton Blend, Soft Style, and by extension Alstyle are a lot thicker than I
would like when it comes to running and cardio training. They aren’t conducive
to dealing with sweat; the tops get a lot heavier the more you perspire.
Stephen Siller Tunner to Towers 5k (Alstyle)
Cooper River Bridge Run (Dry Blend)
Cooper River Bridge Run (Dry Blend)
Gildan’s Dry Blend
is not thin, but it works a lot better than those others when it comes to a sweaty work-out. I
find it noteworthy that the only Dry Blend shirts I’ve gotten come from the
Cooper River Bridge Run.
Anvil, on the other
hand, is a very thin shirt that breathes well and when it becomes full of sweat
or water, doesn’t feel anywhere near as heavy as any of Gildan’s other brands
and styles that I’ve received over the years.
Hanes is also used
quite a bit when it comes to race shirts, but it has not been as plentiful as
Gildan’s variety in the races I’ve done.From Hanes’ line of products, I have received five different types of
shirts to include one line of performance or tech shirt.
Guardians of the Night (Hanes Nano)
Hot Summer's Night (Hanes X-Temp)
As I said earlier,
Hanes and Gildan almost run neck and neck in their availability to race
organizers and the thickness of certain shirts.But Hanes does produce a couple of lines of thinner shirts and the
aforementioned tech shirt.
Mont Kemba (Hanes Comfort Dri)
I’m not a huge fan
of their basic shirt nor their Comfort Soft line, but the Nano and X-Temp are
acceptable in quality, fit, and comfort.The Hanes Comfort Dry technical shirt feels very similar to A4’s thin
tech shirts.
Port and Company Shirt (Red Shoe Run)
I have a set of shirts made by Sport Tek and Port and Company. The Sport Tek shirt is a tech shirt that can easily be mistaken for an A4 performance shirt, while the Port and Company shirts feel very similar to Gildan's Soft Blend.
Delta Apparel Shirt (Governor's Cup)
Delta Dri Shirt (Savannah Bridge Run)
I own two types of
Delta Apparel shirts. The first set is similar in to Gildan’s Soft
Blend.The Delta shirt I own a Delta Dri shirt, and it is a thin running shirt that is smooth feeling
and fits really good on the body.
For performance
shirts, I have received race shirts manufactured by A4, Expert Brand, and
Recover.
Run Hard Lexington (A4 thin)
Run & Ride Carowinds (A4 thick)
My A4 shirts come in
two styles, thin and silky or thicker but sturdy.I really like both since they have moisture
wicking capabilities, but for A4, I honestly prefer A4’s thicker shirts over
their thinner shirts.
Zoom Through the Zoo's Expert Brand Shirt
The one Expert Brand shirt I own is similar in
style to A4’s thicker performance shirts. In fact, the only reason I don’t wear
this shirt more often is because the race logo’s design is a little smaller
than I would have liked. It’s nick-picking, but when you own over 60 race
shirts, more than a dozen regular running shirts, and a plethora of pop culture
t-shirts, there’s just some shirts that don’t get worn much.
The Great Chocolate Race. Great Shirt, Not Great Race.
The one Recover brand
performance shirt is in the same boat at my “Zoom Through the Zoo 5k” shirt by
Expert Brand.I actually love the feel
and comfort of this long sleeved, thin technical shirt, but it is the race that
I’m not happy with, or rather the race organizers, so I don’t want to give them
much publicity by wearing this particular shirt.
But the top two
brand for race shirts goes to Next Level and Tultex, with Tultex being the
champion. Both have a great thin shirt that gives great comfort and style with
little to no sacrifice to quality.
I have yet to be
disappointed by a Tultex shirt and Next Level is an overall great shirt to own.
True to the Brew Half Marathon (Tultex)
Get to the Green (Tultex)
However, if a running shoe company provides a shirt for a race, you can bet that will be the top tier for race swag. I've done races where Mizuno produced the shirts and I've done a run in which New Balance provided a shirt, but I've worn my Nike running shirt the most. Shoe companies definitely know what kind of shirts athletes, everyday runners, and fitness enthusiasts want to wear.
Daybreak 10 Miler (Mizuno Performance Shirt)
New Balance Shirt
My Team RWB shirt by Nike (well worn and washed)
You can check out my
videos showing all my race shirts here:
And you can see the
full shirt review of each brand here:
