The Arrival of The New Running Gear

So I have been waiting patiently for the last couple of weeks for my new running gear to show up from the States (they actually arrived in Canada over a week again but got hung up in Customs - go figure). Anyway they finally arrived on Thursday of this week, and I was definitely wanting to give them a try on a run. But I am jumping ahead a little, a little background probably would help to explain my decision to try the Running Kilt. And yes, in case you are curious I am Scottish and damn proud of it.

I follow another blog by Jason R. called Barefoot Chronicles (link on the side of this blog), and he has starting running in a Sports Kilt , including the Burning River 100 mile ultra marathon. He has had nothing but great things to say about the kilts performance as well as the freedom (no pun intended). I will also admit the shock value of running down the road barefoot and sporting a kilt was also intreging, thus the decision and the order was made. It was going to be interesting introducing Winnipeg to the running kilt, I am not expecting this to be welcomed with open arms, but it will definitely be a great conversation starter.

The day my kilts arrived, of course I was at work, Nicole called me all excited to let me know, thus I told her to open the package to check them out (she did not need to be asked twice, she was almost as excited as I was to check them out). It would be a long wait till I got home to see them for myself, and to try them out on a run which would happen later that evening. It seemed like it took longer than normal to get to 9:00 that night, my niece was coming over to watch the boys, while Nicole and I met up with Gail for a quick 5+ mile run.

I ordered two diffent kilts, one is the same type that Rob from Barefoot Chronicles has (because there is no sense messing with something that you know works, if he can run 100 miles in it with no chaffing, then I should be able to breeze through a marathon), the Hiker Rusty Red Sport Kilt and the other is the HHH Hunting Kilt. The Hiker Kilt is made of a more light weight material that is perfect for running long distances, the HHH Hunting Kilt is made with a more traditional feel (I will be trying this one out on Monday night with the hashers, I expect a few comments and probably a few down downs). I will say this, the Sport Kilt is very easy to get on, and positions itself perfectly, and damn are they comfortable. I was a little concerned about wearing the kilt up above the navel (this is traditional wearing height of the kilt I am told), but after my run Thursday there is no concerns about that either. The other question is what to wear under the kilt, traditionally you wear nothing, and I am all about the tradition.

I heard a great line for when someone asks you what you are wearing under it, "The same thing as what's on my feet!" That will be my typical response as I do run barefoot.

The only issue that I can see with the kilt is getting used to how to position myself if I need to sit down, this could be interesting, as I could be letting it all hang out. The run went well, I did get some interesting looks, and some cars stayed a little longer at stop signs, etc (could of been the barefeet or the kilt, but more than likely it was the beautiful woman who was running beside me with the bare feet as well). I was quite happy with the performance, honestly felt like I wasn't wearing anything, had to look down a couple of times to make sure I did not loose the kilt. The double velcro fasteners worked great, no slippage at all, and the constant breeze was great because it reduced the sweat and moisture that typically gathers in that area.

Overall the kilt will be a great addition to my running gear, and I can't wait to run a race (Treherne Marathon) utilizing it. I would recommend the kilt to anyone who would like to experience something a little different.

On On,

Now Kilted and Barefoot Bob