The Silicon Valley Geek

I don’t run particularly well. At least not compared to a lot of people. But then neither am I an all-show-no-go runner.

So I am not too ashamed to go out running while being decked out with different brands. See the pictures below.

I am really not brand-conscious. However, I value comfort and safety while running. At my age, I am also concerned about short and long term injuries. As a result, I look for equipment, apparel and consumables that will help me run the distance I want to go while keeping away the effects of heat and other bad stuff.

The question is how would I know if a particular piece of equipment is good for what it claims to do? The answer is: the brand. By wearing a Adidas running cap, for example, I am assured that I will be comfortable and not overheat. It sounds really dumb and I agree that I could have gone out to Target and bought a Champion-branded cap. It will probably work equally well, but Champion is an unknown brand. Do I want to take a risk with my health? I have run up to three hours at a stretch in that Adidas cap, sometimes finishing the run at noon. It gets hot in San Jose at noon!

This is something to bear in mind as Under Armour launches a range of athletic shoes which they term as “trainers”. It is not clear if Under Armour is positioning these shoes as running shoes or cross-trainers. One thing I am certain of is that I will not buy them for running. If you were to look at all the articles and forum postings on the choice of running shoes, you will realize that it is difficult to get the right pair of running shoes: something you can run for miles without shinsplints, ITB and other pains. Furthermore, runners tend to be rather loyal to particular models or brands that have worked well for them.

So Under Armour will have a tough time selling running shoes. It is not that other companies have not succeeded. Pearl Izumi launched their running shoes 4-5 years ago and have made inroads.

We will see.