[00:00:00] This is the carbon shoe. Everyone says you have to get, and this is the
generic basic all around run, walk, weightlifting shoe that I’ve seen way too many
miles in to even count. In this episode, I’m going to show you why fancy gear
matters, but at the same time, why it’s actually overrated, what you’re going to
learn, why expensive gear won’t magically fix your running, how focusing on 1
percent improvements like technique tweaks and mindset shifts skyrockets your
performance, common gear traps.
[00:00:29] That key runner stuck practical tips to level up your training with minimal
gadgets. And the fifth thing, the long term secret to building consistency and
confidence stick around because by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly which
gear is worth your harder money and your investment in your time and energy and
all the research that you’ll do and how to unlock those tiny, but game changing 1
percent gains to take you from casual jogger all the way to super fast, unstoppable,
best time runner.
[00:00:58] I’m Darren D. Lake, certified running and nutrition coach, sub three hour
marathoner and 10 hour Ironman finisher. Since 1996, I’ve been helping other self
coach runners researching and experimenting on how to better myself 1 percent
each day. And unlike other running brands, we don’t do all those inspirational,
motivational, quick fixes and quotes and all that stuff.
[00:01:16] Instead, The 1 percent Better Runner transforms you with small step by
step daily habit improvements, all so that you can live an amazing run life. Let’s get
into it. Okay, I’m going to jump straight to the end. The running world loves to sell
you gear, shoes that promise 4 percent more efficiency, leggings that wick sweat
faster than it forms on your body.
[00:01:34] And watches that tell you when to eat, breathe, and I don’t know, even
take a pee, but do not get it twisted. Gear does help. I love gear. It’s a great thing. A
good pair of shoes protects your feet and a decent watch keeps you from sprinting
your easy runs way too hard. But what do you actually need? That’s the question.
[00:01:52] You need belief, consistency, and patience. And my hot take on why
running gear is so popular. I think runners obsess over stuff because it feels like
progress. Buying gear is easier than building habits. It’s. Simpler than addressing
the real question. Are you running in a way that aligns with your goals?
[00:02:10] Are you doing the work consistently over time? Shiny gadgets won’t
answer that for you. And only you know, the real fix and this episode. So let’s get to
the first section. Why gear isn’t the solution. All right, let’s talk science for a second.
The thing that actually improves your running is not external.
[00:02:29] It is physiological. internal. Your heart, lungs, muscles, and mind adapt
through stress and recovery. Gear might make the process feel smoother, but it’s
not the catalyst for improvement. You are okay. You see these, these are Saucony
Cohesion, uh, 16, 17. I don’t even know they are going on probably two years old
now.
[00:02:49] And they were, I think 50 or 60 us like 90 Australian. I’m I live in Australia
and I’ve run. Probably, I don’t know about three, 400 miles on them, which isn’t that
much, but they are my go to basic shoe. Not because they’re magic, but because I
ran in them consistently. That’s why I love them. They are probably a bit too high
heel for me, the 12 millimeter, but I make it work them great for recovery.
[00:03:12] They’re kind of like this all around great shoe and hold on.
[00:03:18] And these ultra Escalante threes non race edition zero mil. They’re
already starting to peel in the back. I love them. I don’t even want to get a new pair.
I absolutely love them. And these are amazing. So between these two shoes, they
probably get about 30, 40 percent of all the K’s miles volume that I do.
[00:03:36] I do have super shoes. I do have all that, but these are relatively cheap,
but they just do everything. Run, walk, weightlift, hike, jump around, do whatever.
Amazing. So back to the consistency thing. That’s the secret sauce that no one
wants to talk about. They allow me to be consistent, which leads to the next
section, the smarter way to use your gear.
[00:03:58] All right, let’s break down what you actually need and how to think about
it in a smarter way. So number one, shoes, we’ll go through the list of shoes.
Number one, two run clothes, three smart watches, four hydration system, five run
caps, and six sunglasses. So. Back to number one. Your shoes need to fit well and
feel comfortable.
[00:04:14] That’s it. That’s it. Simple. Forget the marketing hype about carbon plates
unless you’re racing competitively and getting paid and you’re elite. For daily
training, a solid and natural pair of shoes works just fine. Yeah, sure. You can get the
carbon shoes. And I love that Saucony and other brands are doing the race version
of the shoe.
[00:04:29] They’re doing a step down and doing a nylon plate. So it’s not as light,
but it’s actually the same exact technology. Same exact feel. Love that. Fensakne
endorphin speeds are a perfect example. They’re very similar to the pros and very
similar to the elites in the performance that you get. It’s just an all around great
trainer.
[00:04:43] Number two, run clothes. Technical fabrics are helpful for wicking sweat.
This is what I’m wearing here. Kaizen. Kaizen. Go check it out. Link in the show
notes or video description below. But you don’t need premium brands unless you
want them a breathable shirt and shorts from your local store. They can do the job.
[00:04:58] So, you know, the big, big brands, Walmart, Kmart, et cetera, Amazon, if
you want to shop there, they do the job very, very well. All right. Third one,
smartwatch. I’ve got Apple watch and I wear garments for most of my runs. Long
story. Why? I have two different watches. I don’t like it, but I have to do it. They’re
great for tracking effort, but don’t let the data run your life.
[00:05:14] If you’re obsessing over your splits on every single run, leave it at home.
You can use your smartphone. Uh, obviously you can just, you know, time yourself
and then enter it into your journal, your diary, written one, or put into Strava and just
practice running by feel. If you don’t want to do the watch, trust me, it is freeing.
[00:05:31] If you do these things, number four, hydration system. If you’re running
more than an hour, staying hydrated is key, a simple handheld water bottle or a
waist pack, or I think they have those vessels, hydration vests and all that. I don’t, I
don’t do that. But you can do that. They’re very good. And you don’t have to spend
200 on all those sorts of things.
[00:05:48] Unless you’re running an ultra marathon, keep it simple. I knew the ultra
people. Yes. And it’s super hot weather. You’re out there for five, six hours. Yes, yes,
yes. But just keep it really simple in the beginning. The running water bottles have
gotten so much better and fun story. My early one for 15 years ago from when I did
my first half marathon, I got one.
[00:06:05] And once it got like half full, the water was shaking back and forth as I
was running and it was the most. Annoying thing and I just literally threw the bottle
in the trash. I was like, I can’t do this I don’t know how people do this run with water
bottles But the new ones they actually compress shout outs to brenton who i’m
pacing him for a sub three hour marathon shortly, hopefully in the next few months
and He actually has a water bottle that crumples down as it gets smaller kind of like
a gel.
[00:06:29] I was like genius So I’ll probably get one for our Marathon so that I can
make sure and maybe my super long runs when I don’t know if I can get water. Five
run cap, a good cap, not hat cap is clutch for sunny days. These are not for sale. 1
percent better runner has, but let me know if you want one. I’m doing a waiting list,
but yeah, they’re great for sunny days, rain, or just keeping sweat out of my eyes.
[00:06:49] I sweat a lot. I got to have the hat. I’m not a big fan of glasses. It’s glass
in a second, but don’t overthink it. Grab one that fits your style and gets the job
done. I like these flat rims, these runner type caps. There’s a whole bunch out there.
Everyone’s doing a runner cap. Number six. Sunglasses. I’ll admit I do not use
these that much and pretty much at all.
[00:07:06] I don’t like the extra thing of my eyes. I have dark, dark brown eyes, so I
don’t mind the sun and actually like everything being super clear. I don’t like not
being able to see the road or things around me very clearly. Same with cycling. But
for most folks, I know that a solid pair of sports sunglasses is a game changer.
[00:07:22] The sun, they want to look cool, et cetera, whatever you do. You just
don’t buy the 300 pair unless you really love them. And to be honest, They’ll
probably break. So I’m a big fan of the knockoff brands or the cheap kind of like,
you know, 20 to 40 pair. Make sure it feels good. If you want to buy a 300 pair, do it.
[00:07:39] I’m just saying, you know, you don’t have to do it and that’s it. Shoes,
clothes and hydration. If you need it, everything else, it’s optional. Focus less on
gear and more on showing up consistently. Okay. Instead of just focusing on gear,
let’s level this up. To help you better understand all of this and implement it in your
running life.
[00:07:58] I’ve made a free quick start cheat sheet. Yes, that is free of what to look
out for with the six areas of gear that I just went over. When you go to purchase
your items, whatever you want, and a bonus 30 day based training and habits plan
to help you become a running. consistent monster think running therapist that
actually knows what kind of gear you should get scan the QR code here or here go
to the show notes link if you’re listening on your smartphone or the app on your
computer or video description below to get that for free right now you’ll
automatically get signed up for my weekly email newsletter where you’ll get deep
dives into consistency habits and incremental self improvement for all the smart self
coached runners out there oh and make sure you like subscribe and share this out
To all the runners that you know that obsess over gear too much.
[00:08:44] And you’re like, yo, how about you don’t? Cause this guy knows what
he’s talking about. Let’s get back into it. The 1 percent better runner framework for
gear. Okay. Bonus section here. Here’s a sneak peek of how the 1 percent better
runner philosophy reframes this whole gear obsession kind of can help you have a
bit of boundaries and parameters.
[00:09:02] around what you want to do when you go to purchase gear. First, belief.
Believe that running is about you, not your gear. If you show up consistently, your
body will adapt. You don’t need a 300, actually, you don’t need a 1500 watch to tell
you that. Second, consistency. Invest your energy into showing up, not chopping.
[00:09:18] Build a habit of running. Rain or shine, tired or energized that habit will do
more for your progress than any other shoe could. And third patience. Good running
takes time. You can’t hack fitness with new gear, but you can achieve it with months
or years of small, consistent daily steps. So do you think that you still need the
latest super shoes or are you ready to focus on what actually matters?
[00:09:40] Drop a comment below and tell me I’m wrong. I love it. Give it all hate,
love, et cetera. Tell me if your team old shoes, old gear or team. You know, gear
obsession, you need all the technology. I love, I love it all. I want to see. And if
you’re ready to build all the habits to make you a better runner, check out the link in
description for that free download.
[00:09:56] I really appreciate you. Thanks for rocking. Time, time, time. I’m obsessed
with it as it’s the one thing we can’t make more of. But ironically, we as humans, we
made the whole concept of time. Thanks for giving us your time by listening,
watching, or reading this. We love helping runners get 1 percent better each day,
one step at a time, and can only reach more runners by people like you sharing this
out to runners like you.
[00:10:18] As I might’ve mentioned early in the episode, if you haven’t already, you
can get a free step by step 30 day base training and habits guide to getting 1
percent better and running and life. Each day by signing up for our email newsletter,
unlike other running videos and podcasts. We are not about the quick hack and
fluffy motivational quotes.
[00:10:35] Instead, the 1 percent better runner focuses on how small daily habits
ripple into broader life success, helping runners perform better on and off the road
or the trail or track, wherever you want to be doing your workouts all in five minutes
per week. This episode and all this content is produced in Sydney, Australia.
[00:10:53] And I’d like to acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora nation, who are the
traditional indigenous custodians of this land, much, much, much respects. If you
want to contact us about anything, email, talk at DLAKEcreates. com. We’re also on
the socials, mainly Instagram and Strava right now. Just search one better run or
DLAKE runs.
[00:11:12] Small steps now, lifelong impact later. Peace.