How to Buy Running Shorts

Forget about those old cotton or nylon running shorts. New technology offers today's runners as many choices with their running shorts as they do with their athletic shoes. Buying the right pair of running shorts can improve your running performance and help you look your best.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Match the fabric of your shorts to the weather, whether that means cold, wetness or heat. Basic running shorts pull the sweat away from your body in order to keep you comfortably dry. Face difficult weather in comfort with specialized water-repellent or insulating shorts.
2. Make certain others see you at night or in poor visibility by buying reflective running shorts.
3. Buy the correct size by taking your measurements, starting with the waist and hips. It's a good idea to stick your finger inside the tape measure during the waist measurement to allow for weight fluctuations. Measure the inseam from your crotch to where you want the bottom of your shorts to end.
4. Check the texture of the fabric and its breathability. You want comfortable running shorts that avoid chafing your skin.
5. Find out about the fabric care instructions. Specialized materials may require hand washing and line drying.
6. Look good in running shorts by making certain the material drapes well on you and resists wrinkles. See if there are special pockets for your keys and iPod.
7. Decide what you're willing to pay for running shorts. With a wide range of prices, some running shorts can stretch your pocketbook.

Tips & Warnings

• Your body has less work in regulating its temperature with running shorts that move the moisture away from your body.
• Runners should layer for weather conditions. Several layers of lightweight clothes work better than one heavy layer that leaves you feeling like a snowman. Some runners swear by leggings like those by Under Armour®.