Whether it’s training for a marathon or just your daily morning run, the right jacket helps to protect you from chilly winds and light drizzles. With the right outerwear, bad weather is no excuse to forego that training session.

For all you guys out there, try the Nike Vapor Running Jacket on your next run. It features Nike’s Dri-FIT™ material to wick away moisture as its water-resistant properties protect you from light rain. This classic windbreaker jacket is designed with the runner in mind; even the hood is designed to keep your view unobstructed.

Nike also has all the lady runners covered with lightweight and performance-minded outerwear. The Nike Phenom Jacket  is a versatile wind and water-resistant  option, not only for working out, but for running around during a busy weekend with the family.  

If you’re looking for a sleeker jacket option, try the lightweight Nike Sport Tech Cover-Up. It also features the Dri-FIT™ technology to keep you dry during those long runs, but its simple, stylish design makes it the perfect jacket to throw on for your pre-yoga stretch or just to grab coffee with friends. This is a perfect everyday jacket for the on-the-go woman.

No matter what your active lifestyle entails, there’s a perfect Nike jacket to suit your needs. Make sure to check out the entire Nike line of clothing, shoes and accessories on Zappos.com!

We all know that Jillian Michaels means business. When she isn’t helping average Americans accomplish their fitness goals on The Biggest Loser, she offers her expert advice to those who are trying to take their fitness to the next level. Jillian Michaels and the team at K-SWISS have started an online video series where Jillian jumpstarts your workout and offers tips for top performance. Before you jump into a new regimen, protect your feet with the revolutionary technology that’s sure to change your approach to running. The Tubes™ Run 100 from K-SWISS® provides an amazingly responsive heel-to-toe transition and features full-length cylinders for excellent flexibility, support and stability. Head over to our Running page to try on a pair of Tubes™ Run 100 and check out this video with Jillian Michaels explaining the importance of upgrading your gear:

Cold weather shouldn’t keep you from getting in your daily jog and the team at Burton have put together a few choices of stylishly warm outerwear for the season. Stay warm,dry and fresh in the stylish Burton Expedition Quarter Zip top. The DRYRIDE Ultrawick™ 360G stretch microfleece will keep you perfectly warm and dry. The stretch 360° will give you unlimited mobility during every workout. The Burton Scoop Hoodie is another great option with its lightweight DRYRIDE Thermex™ grid fleece for quick-drying, breathable warmth. The inventive gingham check design  and contrast full-zip closure makes the Scoop Hoodie a certified winner for your Winter workout style. 

Burton has fueled the growth of adult and children's snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts and its team of top adult, child, and teen snowboarders. Put their expertise to good use on your runs this Winter.

As temperatures drop, many runners get discouraged and hang up their shoes until the Spring, but you don’t have to be one of them. Columbia and Nike are using new technology to help you stay warm and dry during your run, even when the conditions aren’t in your favor.

The Columbia Anytime Half Zip is a lightweight jacket that can be worn solo or used as a layering piece for active days and evenings. This jacket uses Omni-Dry®advanced evaporation to pull moisture away from your body quickly to maintain optimum comfort levels at all times. Fight the sun’s rays with UPF 50 sun protection, great for battling the sun’s reflection off of fresh snow. If you really want to get your run in, regardless of the conditions, the Nike Soft-Hand Long-Sleeve Half-Zip running top is going to be your top of choice when you hit the track on a chilly, rainy day. The Dri-FIT™ fabric helps wick moisture away from the skin to keep you dry and comfortable. Don’t give up on your fitness goals over cold weather. Bundle up and strive for the finish line. Check out the Running Shop for all of your running needs year-round.

People get bored very easily. That is a fact that is about as certain as death and taxes. Think about the high school kid who falls asleep during a forty-minute lecture on the Italian Renaissance or the security guard who drifts off during the graveyard shift. When a person experiences something that spans a long period of time and offers no alterations or adjustments , there exists no possible way for a legitimate focus to occur. As a result, body and mind change course, looking to either rest from exhaustion or re-stimulate itself with something else.

Training for triathlon is no different. While following a detailed, structured workout schedule will give you the format to stay consistent, doing the same routine day after day will result in two situations: a serious loss of mental motivation and a seemingly unbreakable physical plateau.

Mentally, when you continually change your patterns, the brain stays sharp, as it constantly has a new goal to reach. You provide the stimulus your brain requires to keep your body moving in a manner that permits progress. For example, using a swim workout based on stroke count one day, always working to lengthen the body’s reach to reduce the number of strokes it takes to cover a given distance, and the next day swimming against the clock, a place where strokes are less important and time rules, provides you with a different set of challenges. Your brain avoids the patternization that generates boredom and fatigue.

Likewise, physically, if you can repeatedly alter your goals, you can keep your body from reaching those plateaus that stunt growth. Confusing the muscles, making them work similar groups in a variety of ways, dodges the monotony of identical workouts. For example, running an endless string of treadmill workouts will never produce the long-range results you need. Instead, get outside and hit the trails or do a track workout. Try plyometrics or Kenpo. Mix in multiple variations that will strengthen the muscles while keeping them fresh and stimulated.

Overall, you will be a happier triathlete if you mix it up. Failing to do so will not only hurt your performance, but also it will take away the pure joy associated with the sport. Keep yourself mentally and physically excited and vary those workouts as much as possible.

Learn how running shoes evolved throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Having a shoe designed specifically for running seems like a no brainer, however, running shoes really didn’t get their start until the end of the 19th century. They then slowly evolved over the 20th century, leading to the huge explosion of running shoe technology and design options that are currently available. It is hard to believe that if running shoes had not been developed, we would be running in the flat soled tennis shoes.

The Birth of the Running Shoe

Running footwear had been almost non-existent prior to the late 19th century. In fact, many people ran in whatever footwear they had, including boots and sandals. However, in the 1890s the shoe manufacturer JW Foster and Sons, which eventually became the shoe company Reebok , developed the first official modern running shoe. This shoe had a tennis shoe outer with a lacing system and metal spikes attached to the sole of the shoe. The spikes were designed to give the runner traction and to help improve their overall running speed.

The Running Shoe Evolves in the 20th Century

By the early part of the 20th century, vulcanization revolutionized shoe manufacturing. Vulcanization was simply the process of melting rubber and fabric together. This molten mixture was then molded to create a sole for shoes that had a tread design. This design revolution made shoes lightweight, quiet, and flexible. It also provided the wearer with traction. Keds was the first American company to mass distribute the new “sneakers” starting in 1917.

In 1925 a German inventor named Adi Dassler, who founded Adidas , evolved the spiked running shoe design further by creating a series of running shoes. Each shoe design had a special hand forged set of running spikes and each design was made especially for a certain running distance. This was the first time designs were focused on whether the runner was a sprinter or a long-distance runner.

During the 1970s running shoes were designed based not only on the type of running the person did, but the running style the runner had. The three running styles that shoes were designed for included neutral runners, supernation runners and pronation runners. The final advancement that running shoes received during the 1970s was the use of ethylene vinyl acetate, also referred to as EVA. This material added an air cushion to the design of a running shoe providing runners with extra cushion and shock absorption when they ran.

Treadmill running can be a nice change from outside heat and humidity.

One of the best things I bought last year was a treadmill. I’m an avid runner , but live in one of the world’s hottest cities and, sometimes, I just don’t feel like running outside. With heat, humidity and pollution that’ll kill you, there are some days even I can’t muster up enough energy to leave the comfort of my air conditioned apartment. That’s where the treadmill comes in.

On days where the temperature is over 100 degrees and the humidity is unbearable, I’ll occasionally run on the treadmill. It allows me to do an hour of hard running but be in a cool temperature. My treadmill is set up in the bedroom and is right in front of the TV. So I pop in a DVD , turn up the volume and I’m off. An hour whizzes by and I hop off energized and refreshed. If you’re obsessed with running like I am, a treadmill can be the way to go.

I bought a low-end treadmill because I don’t use it every day. I only paid $525 for it, but it has a heart monitor, good speed controls and folds up when I’m finished. It doesn’t have incline controls or any of the fancy interval training controls but, because I only want it for an occasional run, it wasn’t worth paying an extra $500 for these features. If you do want something fancier, they come with all the bells and whistles; workout programs, decline as well as incline controls, chest sensors, fans to keep you cool and a whole lot of other stuff.

What I love about the treadmill is the freedom it gives me. I don’t have to worry about avoiding pedestrians or cars, don’t have to be on the lookout for obstacles I might fall over, and I can watch TV or wear headphones without fear of injury or death. I wouldn’t recommend a treadmill for running every day. I do find a treadmill harder on my feet than running outside. But, for the occasional run in comfort, they’re a great thing to buy. Just make sure, if you buy one, you use it responsibly and don’t overuse it, because that’s when the injuries could start. A run on a treadmill four or five times a month though gives me a break from my regular routine and often leaves me raring to get back outside the following day, less annoyed with the heat and humidity. For only $525, it’s the best money I ever spent.