Inspiration Saturday: Active knitwear

Ah, Texas weather.  One day, it's 80 degrees, the next it's below 40.  I prefer the first one myself, but I suppose I can concede that tis the season for me to be freezing all the time.

One slight benefit of the cold is that I don't need to worry about getting up early to get my run in before it's too hot.  So I slept in, and then bundled myself up as much as possible to avoid being too cold before I had a chance to warm up for my seven miles.  I had a hat with earflaps, convertible mittens, and a scarf for the part of my neck left exposed after I had my running hoodie zipped all of the way up.

Which got me thinking about active knitwear I could knit for myself.  The scarf was the only thing I had made, everything else was bought.  I did that on purpose because I knew I was going to end up getting them sweaty so I wanted to make sure I grabbed washable-type things instead of ending up felting some of my own mitts.

I'm going to have to look in my stash for some washable fibers to make some of these patterns:

Runner's Companion by MichelleCanKnit

Photo credit: MichelleCanKnit

I'm not sure I trust a handknit armband not to stretch and become too loose to reliably keep my iPod in place while I'm running, but I like the idea.  I could imagine doing something similar with more of a pocket for keeping keys and other things that you want to keep with you.

Nike+ iPod Shoe Hack by Yarn-A-Go-Go

Photo credit: Yarn-A-Go-Go

I'm about to order a new GPS watch (yay!), but at the moment I'm making due with the little Nike+ footpod.  I happen to have the shoes from Nike that fit the pod in the sole, but this would be a really sure and easy way to enable any pair of running shoes.

Hannah by Blake Ehrlich

Photo credit: Blake Ehrlich

I like that this hat not only has that nifty hole for my ponytail, but it covers the ears as well.  I would love to find some buttons of someone running, that would be cute.

I've also been looking at non-knitting 'equipment' I might need for the big event in February.  Mostly I'm thinking about compression leggings, a new pair of running shoes, and the aforementioned fancy GPS watch, maybe with a heart rate monitor (?).  Of course, I'll make sure to get everything in plenty of time to test it out before the actual marathon, including the various fueling strategies.  It's not just your legs you have to get ready for those 26.2 miles, it's everything!

For more inspiration, go to Woolen Diversions.