Put away your short shorts (XC races aside) it’s time to dig out the longer tights. Autumn, and soon winter, running is upon us. Lack of running on my part has been eased by wearing new kit. So here’s a round-up of some of my favourite bits.

Some of the items below I bought with my own cash, some were given to me to test. I’ll point out which was which as we go along. Please excuse the awkward pictures where I avoid looking at the camera.

Brooks tights and sweatshirt

These are the Greenlight tights (£65) and Fly-by Sweatshirt (£50). Brooks gave me these a couple of months ago and I’ve been living in the sweatshirt ever since. It’s made from fabric that is ‘runable’. It wasn’t that cold so I’ve been putting it on after a workout, wearing it while coaching (when I get really cold standing around), cycling in it and wearing it to go out for pizza. Luckily it’s reversible so it only looks like I’ve been wearing it half the time I actually have. I wore the tights for a few runs before I got sidelines with an injury. They’re lovely and I’m now wearing them for some yoga. They’re the sort of tights that make you keep stroking your legs. Come on, we all do it.

Misadventures muscle tank

Have I mentioned that I’m not running right now? This means spending more time in the gym working on my guns. I bought this ‘Muscle Tank’ from Misadventures ($20) and it turned up all the way from the US (shipping is a flat rate and cheap) with a lovely handwritten note. Unfortunately muscles weren’t included so I have no option but to wear it to the gym and hope I find some lying around.

Oiselle sweatpants

Again I bought these myself. The LF Sweatpants ($77) might in reality be named after Lauren Fleshman but in my head, the LF stands for Laura Fountain. I wear these for coaching (throwing them on over unflattering bike tights) at the track, and for slobbing around the house. Unfortunately the shipping to the UK is quite pricey but luckily I had a friend to pick them up on a trip over.

SKINS compression tights

Compression wear, until now, has largely been black, black and more black. Which is surprising given the trend for bight patterned running kit. SKINS caught onto this and have released a great range of patterns. They sent me this pair of compression tights (£70) to try out and they feel really nice on. I’ve been wearing them at the gym and they don’t have that ‘falling down’ feeling that a lot of compression tights suffer from where you keep having to hoik the crotch up. The waist also isn’t so tight that you can’t wear them out for pizza. (A mistake I’ve made with other compression wear.)

H&M hoodie

Because a lot of the kit above is pretty spendy, I’m including this hoodie to show that you can pick up some nice bits for a little less. I bought this hoodie from H&M (£24.99) and it comes up a little small but other than that is great. I wear it on the bike when it’s cold and for coaching or after a workout.

If you’re planning on running your first marathon in 2016, check out the marathon workshop I’ll be holding in January.