This week I have been soaked through and my trainers are unrecognisable from navigating the puddles and mud! So I asked Sporting Feet for recommendations to make our lives more comfortable whilst running in the Common:

• Ideally you need a trail running shoe for this time of year – an off road shoe with better grip and waterproofing. Sporting Feet have a good range of trail shoes in store, from Asics, Brooks, Adidas and Salomon. The most waterproof of all have a Gore-tex upper but they aren’t water-resistant.
• If you are running three times a week, it makes sense to have two pairs of shoes – they will last twice as long so won’t cost any more in the long run.  One pair would be for the roads and when it’s dry on the Common (probably the shoes you have now) and another pair to wear when it’s really wet off road in the winter.
• You can wear trail socks which tend to be darker in colour, sometimes with an element of waterproofing. But regular running socks with trail shoes should be fine.
• You might want to get a thicker, warmer and more waterproof jacket if the weather turns colder and even wetter! Gore-tex is a good option and Sporting Feet have some nice Asics Gore jackets in store for women. They also have some nice winter jackets that aren’t Gore-tex but are warm and very water resistant.
• Thicker, winter running tights are a must, especially for our 9.30am runs as it’s usually much colder than.

Guess where I’m going this week?!