I made some progress this week

I completed Week 1 of Couch25K! I’m pretty proud of myself. I have had many false starts, where I do Week 1 Day 1, but then I don’t even complete the first week. I even managed to make myself get up early and run for a change! It’s been a good first week.

But the biggest progress is that I got the Hubby to run with me! Hubs has done 5Ks and 10Ks with me before, but it isn’t his favorite thing. His first race ever was the Kemah Toughest 10K in Kemah, TX, which goes over a rather tall bridge in September, when Houston still feels like an armpit. Not the best choice for a first race experience, I guess, and it’s no surprise he hasn’t done many others since that race.

But he’s running with me again now! I’m proud of him. I’m proud of him anyway, but I love that he’s out here running with me.

Shopping Spree!

Oh, if only. If you haven’t had a husband, you may not know this, but they are some very stubborn people! I get excited about running and buy myself a whole new running outfit, but Hubby? Nah, he’s good with the shorts he has, he likes his current socks, and why does he need a different shirt?

I did get him a couple of presents to help motivate him to run. Of course, gift giving isn’t his love language, so he just gave me a weird look. But hey, I tried!

One thing you should know about my Hubby is that he is a big dude. Like built like a linebacker, fills a doorframe, and can lift a small car kind of dude. This means that finding running gear for him isn’t easy. Add in the fact that he has a very long torso to go on his 6’4” frame, and it’s even more of a challenge!

I don’t know why the running clothing industry hasn’t figured out that big people like to run too. I mean, yes, we look different from the people who grace the cover of Runners World magazine, but we’re still out here, still running, and we want to be comfortable too! I was able to buy a few things to outfit Hubby for his run without him complaining, thankfully. I’m sharing what he’s wearing below. Remember, if you buy a product through an affiliate link, I may receive commission. (Also remember I wouldn’t post it if I didn’t like it, so you know it’s good if it’s on here.)

Hubby’s Preferences

Hubby’s favorite underwear are from MeUndies. He is a manager at a big box store, and his store gets super hot. But even regular MeUndies do a good job of keeping the family jewels comfortable. I wear them as well because they are soft and fit nicely. We are both at the point where our “good” underwear are MeUndies, but we keep the old stuff for times when we don’t want to mess up our favorites.

He also needs good sweat-wicking socks that give his feet support. He regularly gets 15,000 steps from walking around his store, and he has issues with plantar fasciitis if he isn’t careful. He prefers Mission socks. They look professional (black socks with dressy shoes at work, makes sense), but they also wick sweat and provide enough support that his feet stay comfortable. Those same socks work well for a run too!

As for shoes, he’s a typical guy. He has all of 4 pairs of shoes: 1 pair of sandals for the beach, 2 pairs of the exact same dress shoes that he can switch out to extend their life, and 1 pair of running/walking/living athletic shoes. He prefers ASICS for his athletic shoes. They provide plenty of support while he’s on his feet all day, and they are also nice and cushioned for a run.

Getting the Hubs to understand that he really does want something reflective for morning runs was like giving a cat a pill: it didn’t go so well, and I don’t want to do it again. But I finally convinced him, with the condition that it couldn’t be fluorescent yellow. Why the heck is he suddenly worried about fashion?! It’s out of character, but whatever. I relented, as long as what he was wearing was still reflective. We found this shirt, which has options that are fluorescent and come in extended sizes for big dudes. The white is thick enough that I can’t see his nipples through the shirt, but it still shows up when it’s pitch black outside. The material is also sweat-wicking, so Hubby will be at least a little comfortable on our runs.

Getting him into a pair of running shorts is a whole different headache. I get it—most men’s running shorts are, well, short. Like 1986 Dad shorts short. Hubby doesn’t want anyone to see him in them because he doesn’t want to show that much leg. I do understand, so I let him stick with his basketball shorts that he keeps for lounging days. If those start to drive him crazy, we’ll investigate other options, but for now, they will do.

Proud Wife Moment

I’m proud of him for getting out here and running with me! So far we have only gone once, but it was a nice run together. It was not cool out, because Houston is an armpit in the summer, but we had fun chatting and covering miles together. I’m also proud that we didn’t try to compete with each other. We’re both very competitive, and it can be a problem when we are just starting something like running. No guarantees that we won’t suddenly start getting competitive with each other and our morning run dates turn nasty, but at least we’re starting out well!