Whatever happened to food mountains? They were all the rage in the 90s but you never hear about them any more. Now a 10 metre tall pile of cheese I could deal with pretty effectively, but the 10 metre tall pile of smelly running kit that’s sitting where my washing basket once was it a real problem. Yes, I’ve got myself a clothes mountain and it’s growing by the second.I have to be honest, I don’t wash my running kit very often. In fact the only reason I enter races is for the clean T-shirts. My theory is that within about a minute of heading out the door I’ll be sweaty and smelly, so I may as well put on yesterday’s kit and start as I mean to go on – ponging of body odour. I also believe that washing kit after ever use is bad for the environment and wear the clothes out faster.
However, with Janathon happening at the moment, my kit is getting a lot smellier a lot quicker – and there’s a lot more of it. So I bit the bullet and piled everything into the washing machine. The good thing about running kit is that most of it is polyester and lycra – not terribly fashionable but it does dry quickly. Last night when I was getting ready to go running, something amazing happened. Putting on my kit wasn’t a chore, it was like putting on normal clothes… it was weird… it was different… it was clean!
I’m a convert to the joys of clean running kit. I won’t be slinging my tights and t-shirt into the washing mashine at the end of ever easy run but, sometimes, as a bit of a treat, I’ll motivate myself with the prospect of wearing clean, fresh smelling kit.
Janathon Day 5
3-mile run down the Thames at lunchtime.
Great post. I was just thinking myself last night that maybe Janathon is just a ruse dreamt up by Persil to make us all do more washing.
I did 2 runs in the space of just over 12 hours and my kit didn’t even get a glance at the basket in between… that said, it did walk to the machine all by itself after my run this morning.
I find running out in the freezing cold wind stops you sweating so much and therefore kit not needing so much cleaning (or I may also just be lazy in the household chores!)
You know, I actually quite like having whiffy kit – it shows I’ve actually done something worthwhile. One tip I learnt from an ultra runner is to put my kit on a plastic hanger and leave it outside for half an hour immediately after stripping it off – the air removes a lot of the whiff and dries out the sweat so that it doesn’t eat into the fabric and make it rotten and crusty. Really prolongs the life of your gear.
I always try and get a couple of days out of my runing kit, but always wear new to the gym or running club.
Who exactly is going to be able to tell I smell when I’m out on my own in the dark on week nights?
….Hopefully no one!
Oops, is it only me who doesn’t wear any item of clothing more than once before washing? Where do you leave your dirty clothes? I wouldn’t want to hang them back up and I wouldn’t want to leave them on the floor, so into the laundry basket they go!
Glad to hear it’s not just me! Thanks for the tip Kay.
Jogblog – I have a pile next to the wash basket which means it’s too smelly to go back with the clean stuff but still has some life in it.
Laura (aka Lazy girl)
I’m not too bad at keeping on top of my running kit – as I don’t have that much that is weather-appropriate, and I run out quickly otherwise! The rest of the washing (and the ironing) is another matter though…
My hubby told me he could smell meat pie at the bottom of the bed yesterday, no guesses to where my stinky kit is 😉
I’ve been wondering about this as well – I thought I was keeping vaguely on top of things with clean leggings every…week, but then I /never/ wash my windbreaker so even with best intentions I whiff. I also think it only matters in company (gym or club). And that a bit of a smell can be an encouraging battle scar. That’s how I rationalise it anyway!
Great post though lazy girl! Enjoy the clean clothes while they last…
great blog… I might just have been converted… I always wash mine immediately, mainly because of what Jogblog said: I have no idea what to do with it. You’re right though, it wears out much quicker, and who’s going to smell me when I’m on my own… hmmmm 🙂
No jobblog i’m like you, i can’t wear my running kit twice. YUCK! I’d put myself off if I had to wear it never mind some poor soul who I happen to run past! Saying that though I am very quickly running out of clothes to wear.