I run with my shirt off.  You’re welcome ladies.  I run shirtless any chance I get; 55 degrees is about my threshold.  As you can see from this picture though, I’m shirtless and the spectators are in heavy coats and knitted caps.  It probably was less than 55 degrees that day.  I recently read a blog, Feet Meet Street, about the Shirtless Coalition.  Well, I’m not one to join too many Coalitions, unless of course it’s Coalition Forces (or better known as US Forces) and freeing a country is involved, but the shirtless debate struck a chord with me.  So I’m here to tell you, if you are male, it’s fine.  I do it all the time.  Sorry ladies, but it’s just another one of those double standard things.  Trust me, I would love for you to be able to run shirtless too, it’s great for your running body; however, it’s just not socially acceptable.  Maybe someday we’ll get enough judges in the supreme court to overturn this terrible law, but until then, us men must maximize our right to run shirtless!  We will run shirtless at any chance we get.  So come on men!  Show your body off with pride!  You earned it, whether by running 20 miles or drinking 20 beers, it’s your body and be proud of it!  Do it for the women!  That’s not reason enough?  Well then here are some other reasons to run shirtless:

Running Style: I feel so free when I run shirtless.  I’m able to run in the most natural form possible; minus the whole shorts and shoes thing.  Honestly though, running without a shirt does allow me to concentrate more on the arm pumping portion of my running form.  Most runners ignore the importance of pumping your arms.  If you have forgotten how to pump your arms then I suggest you run shirtless.

Temperature: It’s obviously much cooler (yeah, there’s a double meaning there) to run with your shirt off.  Your body is able to release the heat and cool itself down easier.  Running shirtless is also a great way to leverage the breeze.  That’s right, I leverage things you can’t even see.  Like a boss.

Suntan: You get a great suntan in places you wouldn’t normally tan while out on the golf course or building a house; you know, things men do.  Women are able to sit outside by a pool all day and get an even tan but that is not a socially acceptable way for a man to tan his upper body.  The only acceptable activities for men are running or boating…or running on a boat, that’s acceptable too.  Run that extra mile and get sunburned so you can see what areas of your body you need to work on.  The areas that are most burnt are the ones that stick out the most.  Try to push those areas back in.

Positive Ego boosting: No matter what you look like, girls are going to look at you.  Don’t look at what their reaction is, just know they are looking at you.  That’s how you boost an ego.  At the beginning of this spring I had a very good looking girl take my picture with her camera phone as I ran by shirtless.  However, I later noticed she was standing in front of a High School…with a book bag.  Ego boost or awkward?  Well, I’ve never had an awkward moment in my life.

Overall Fitness: If you are running with your shirt off you are going to start thinking about what your overall body looks like, not just keeping your weight down with running.  Running with your shirt off will make you realize that you need to work on those pecs and maybe do some crunches, leading to an overall fit body.  It’s all about symmetry.

Go for a shirtless run men!  Show your battle scars and lower back tattoo off with pride!

I was hanging out with my little Brother (Big Brother Big Sisters of America) this weekend at the park when he asked me why road bike tires were thinner than mountain bike tires.  Instead of telling him the obvious, simple answer; that the terrain the bike is made for riding on dictates the type of tire, I decided to explain the concept of aerodynamics to him.  I’m not sure if he totally got it.  Maybe the next time it comes up.

Then today I did a 12 mile run, traveling 6 miles out and 6 miles back.  I was feeling fine the whole run, but when I turned around I noticed a somewhat strong wind coming at me.  I never noticed it when it was to my back.  You never really notice the wind until you are going against it.  Why is it that when running fast we attribute our fast speed to ourselves and not the wind; then when we turn around, we  blame the wind for us running slower?  I guess the answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind.  The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

Wind resistance is created when an irregular object breaks the air around it, forcing the air to separate upon hitting the object.  A study was done by Kyle, CR and Caiozzo, VJ named, “The effect of athletic clothing aerodynamics upon running speed” in which they found that it is possible to improve a runner’s aerodynamics anywhere from .5% to 6%.  That could be a substantial amount of improvement.  I know what you are thinking, ‘How can I combat something that I can’t even see?!’  With commitment my friend.

First you need to cut your hair.  Hair gives the most resistance to wind than anything other part of your body.  If you are a male, shave it tight.  If you are a balding male holding on to half a head of hair, then shave it bald, it looks cooler.  If you are a female, then shave it.  Or put it in a ponytail or something.  I don’t know.  I do know that if you are really serious about running you will shave the rest of your body hair as well:  eyebrows, legs, armpits; anything with hair.  No.  You won’t look weird; you’ll look seriously awesome!

Next you need to wear tight fitting clothing.  Men need to be careful doing this.  Not all men are attractive when wearing form fitting clothes.  Consult a friend or relative before attempting to reduce your aerodynamics with clothing if you are a male.  The point is simple though, whether you are male or female, the less baggy clothes you have flopping around, the more wind will flow right past you; not slowing you down a bit.  Wear a “skinsuit” to reduce the most direct friction from the wind.  We don’t want no friction.

Although body hair and clothing are the two main items that give you most wind resistance there are other things you can do while running to combat the wind.  For instance, you can run with your head down, or not move your arms, keeping them within your body.  You can also run sideways.  It’s not as ridiculous as you think.  Kyle and Caiozzo’s study also said that a 2% improved aerodynamics shaved .01 second on 100m and 5.7 seconds for a marathon.  Now that’s substantial science!

No it’s not.  While I’m all for you giving yourself the best equipment and shoes to help you attain your goals, I just personally would rather make up that 5.7 seconds with guts while looking cool doing it.  Probably wearing a seriousrunning.com shirt for optimal coolness.  Then everyone will know you’re a serious runner!

All runners are different.  Some runners concentrate on speed and exact distances while others may focus on building a base by running long distances, with little emphasis on the pace.  Some runners constantly have a scowl on their face while others prefer to smile and waive at the other runners they pass.  I am a waiver, but on my faster paced runs waiving can be difficult.  So I thought about how could express myself when I am on these kind of runs.  I decided that since upper body running gear may be almost any type of clothing that I should use T-shirts to express myself while I run.  After doing some extensive research, here are some of my favorite shirts quotes I found:

“Stop playing with your balls, run.” -contains a picture of a football, basketball, and baseball

“You wouldn’t like me if I didn’t run.”

“Runner’s don’t get rained out, they get rained on.”

“I run like a girl, just try to keep up with me.”

“Never knock on Death’s door…ring the bell and run, he hates that.”

“If I didn’t run I’d feel like you do.”

“In my mind I’m Kenyan.”

“While running is it rude to count the number of people you pass out loud?”

“If I don’t get a Runner’s High, there’s always a plan B.” -with a picture of a draft beer

So express yourself while you run no matter what your mood is.  If you want to express how Serious you are about running, then please go to http://www.cafepress.com/bluesprucev.345056788#.  There are some pretty seriousrunning.com shirts available.