none of the gear and no idea
my running philosophy
Good morning, and welcome to clipboard, a weekly(ish) newsletter about doing your best. This week, we’re chatting about running, gear, and turning off the tracking.
This week, I ticked off week 6 of Couch to 5K. For the uninitiated, Couch to 5K is a running training programme designed to take you from no running at all to running consistently for 30 minutes. It’s an interval-based programme, starting very easily alternating between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking, and eventually getting to the point where you just run the whole way. This is probably my fourth or fifth time doing C25K, and this is by far the furthest I’ve made it through.
It feels like there was a point during the pandemic where suddenly everyone was a runner. My Instagram story feed shifted to feature exclusively Strava and Nike Run Club screenshots, and I got hit with a serious sense of FOMO. I also had a lot of time on my hands (didn’t we all?), so I gave running a try for the first time.
Since then I have tried to build a consistent running habit a couple of times, before abandoning it for various reasons, from minor knee discomfort to the weather getting a bit hot to just forgetting. While I’m still waiting for the habit to truly stick, one thing is definitely true: I feel better when I’ve been for a run recently. So when I was gearing up for the move to London, I started going for short jogs again, and when we arrived I clicked into the NHS’s C25K app.
While I’ve done six weeks worth of runs on the app, I’m probably up to 3 months of going for at least one run a week, and feeling better about it than I ever have before.
What has worked for me this time has been getting really clear about my goals, and crucially, getting rid of the tracking. The reason I run is not to hit a certain pace per kilometre, gear up for a race, lose weight, or get clout online, it’s just because I feel better when I’m active and I want to be fit enough to do an hour of exercise without getting puffed.
With that considered, obsessing over how long or fast my run was only serves as a potential downbuzz if I fall short of whatever I was expecting to achieve. I couldn’t tell you the distance I ran yesterday, nor do I really need to know. It’s the same reason I like to run to podcasts, because you can pick whatever pace you like and you can’t really tell how long you’ve been going.
It’s a cheesy conclusion, but the biggest thing I’m learning in adulthood is to understand my own motivations, and push towards those. That’s why I’m not in a run club and I don’t own one of those Garmin watches, despite the running industrial complex trying to incept me into thinking that’s what I want.
let’s talk gear
In the early days of this newsletter, I wrote about a concept I called “scroggin core,” a more chill version of gorpcore that strips the consumerism out of hobbies and focuses on actually doing the thing. Once you’ve decided if you actually like that activity, then you can go shopping for all the gear.
It’s an approach I’ve taken to my running journey. While everyone else in Victoria Park has an incredibly intense selection of gear, I run in real running shoes, a pair of Our Legacy Workshop running shorts I bought at a closet sale for fashion (not running) reasons, and a rotation of old t shirts. Once I get to the end of Couch to 5K, I’m going to allow myself to spend some money on stuff to improve my running experience, but until then, I’m pretty well set with that.
The world might tell you otherwise, but here is how I categorise running gear if you too want to just get active.
Actual must buys: Good running shoes, recommended to you by a real person at a running shop. That is all. I run in Asics Gel Kayanos, whatever the latest model number was when I bought them a couple of years ago.
Quality of life improvements (worth buying but not essential): Athletic socks, sweatproof headphones, running shorts, sporty sunglasses to keep the sun/dust/pollen out, a running belt if you don’t have anywhere to put your phone, a sweat wicking hat with a dainty little peak, a running tank so you don’t feel the need to take your shirt off
Only buy if you need cool gear to convince you to run, a doctor recommended it or if you’re genuinely a high-performance athlete: Those running vests with the tiny water bottles, a sports watch, compression wear, gels (I will never be convinced these do anything more than a bag of sweets)
Brands to shop if you want to signal that you’re a cool runner: Satisfy, Tracksmith, District Vision, Literary Sport, On (if you’re comfortable with also signalling that you probably work in tech or finance)
clips
Blackbird Spyplane broke down 35 of the best pieces of clothing created in the last 5 years, and it’s a pretty good cool person starter pack. I’m obsessed with the unreleased Tarvas on the list.
I’ve been rewatching all of the Mission Impossible movies in anticipation of the new one, and they still slap. There truly is no more thrilling cinematic experience than watching Tom Cruise one up himself on crazy stuff to do on camera. This behind the scenes of the big stunt from the most recent one is one of my favourite YouTube watches of all time. In fact, I’m watching it again right now.
Talking about YouTube, I subscribed to YouTube Premium Lite this month (or at least got the free trial), and getting rid of the ads on YouTube might be the best subscription money you can spend.
I’ve been keeping a running list of my London celebrity sightings. So far, we’ve spotted Paul Mescal, Tilda Swinton, Casey from Love Island, Alfred Enoch from Harry Potter and How to Get Away With Murder, Romeo Beckham and a bunch of YouTubers. Pretty good stuff.
I’m loving being in the UK for the end of the football season. They really love this stuff here. Huge shout out to Arsenal Women, champions of Europe!
I find summer a near impossible season to dress well for, I always end up feeling like a schoolboy. Permanent Style, a new blog discovery for me that is aimed at a higher tax bracket than mine, has two great pieces that help suggest summer looks for grown ups, one using old moodboard pics and one featuring new pieces.
I haven’t yet been into their store, but Horatio is a brand that really nails the vibe that I want to direct my London wardrobe towards: loafers in interesting fabrications, brightly coloured knitwear and fun ties. I really like their new car coats, although I think I’ll be looking for vintage for that particular style.
Enjoyed this read about what real people are wearing in Notting Hill. People dress in such random ways in 2025, something that certainly merits more coverage!
That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading! I’ll be back in your inbox shortly with more good stuff. Programming note for next week: I’m moving flats at the weekend so depending on how that goes will be skipping or reducing the length of this Sunday’s issue. Let’s see! In the meantime, I’d love it if you could share this newsletter with that friend with the ironic tattoos that always posts their run stats. See you later!