Do you know the single most important factor that controls whether you’ll have a good or a bad running session? I’m not talking about the weather or the place where you decide to run, I’m talking of course about what you wear! Your running attire should have particular characteristics that will allow you to run comfortably and without feeling weird, hence why you don’t see people running or jogging while wearing a suit. But you know what you will see though? People running in jeans. But why is that? What are exactly the pros and cons of running in jeans? And should you do it?
Although some people prefer running in jeans just for the fun of it and to look unique, it is not a recommended attire for runners since jeans are heavy, uncomfortable, can get wet pretty easily, and rub weirdly against the skin.
In this article, we’ll talk about if you can run with jeans, the pros and cons of doing so, and if it’s weird to do it.
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Can You Run in Jeans?
Before answering this question, I’ll talk about my own personal experience of running in jeans one time.
Jeans have a special place in my heart and I’ve always been obsessed with wearing them, they’re considered my go-to type of pants whenever I’m going out with friends or if I’m too lazy to wear something formal.
I remember one time I was scrolling through social media and saw a weird trend that was happening, people were running in jeans! One video, in particular, caught my eye (I’ll link to it at the end of the article) of a guy running a marathon while wearing skinny jeans.
I remember being baffled when I saw it, my favorite types of pants are finally getting the recognition they deserve! And that’s when I decided to hop on the trend and try it out for myself.
I woke up the next day, wore my jeans, and went on my morning run, and it was definitely an… interesting experience.
It’s true that I was having the time of my life, looked unique, and everybody’s eyes were drawn toward me, however, I was extremely uncomfortable, the fabric of the jeans was rubbing against my legs, and I felt a lot slower than usual since they were pretty heavy, so I definitely don’t recommend it for runners.
Running in Jeans: Pros & Cons
From my experience, here are the pros and cons of running in jeans:
Pros of Running in Jeans
There aren’t really any concrete advantages to running in jeans, but I could name a fun few:
You’ll look unique: If you think about it, everyone around you will be running in shorts, sweatpants, joggers, and tights. It’d be fun to wear something completely different like jeans in order to stand out from the rest. You won’t be comfortable, but at the very least, you’ll be having the time of your life.
You’ll grab everyone’s attention: If you’re an attention-seeker, then you’ll love running in jeans since that will draw the eyes of everyone around you. Because you stand out from the rest, you’ll be obvious from a mile away. But the type of attention that you’ll be getting could go both ways, either people will think that you’re an interesting individual that likes to have fun, or they will think that you’re just weird.
You’ll put a smile on everybody’s face: What else can make you feel good besides making everyone around you smile? With all the negativity out there, making someone’s day with a simple gesture like looking unique and ridiculous by running in jeans is something that you should be proud of.
Cons of Running in Jeans
I could make an entire list of disadvantages on why you shouldn’t run in jeans since it’s really a bad idea (unless you want to have fun), but here are the major ones:
Jeans are heavy: Do you what’s the last thing that you want while running? Adding extra weight that may hinder your ability to run, and jeans will do exactly that! While running, you probably want something that’s light and that will make you feel like you’re not wearing anything at all which is why everyone prefers to run in shorts or tights.
Jeans are uncomfortable: Let’s be honest here, wearing a pair of jeans the entire day isn’t enjoyable at all and nothing beats the feeling of taking them off after a long day and letting your legs breathe. Now imagine the pain if you had a 1-hour running session with them, I’ve personally tried it and it definitely wasn’t pleasant.
Fabric rubs against skin: If you’re a regular runner, you probably know the amount of movement that your legs make and the importance of wearing something that won’t hinder it. Well, we all know how weird denim feels especially if it’s rubbed against the skin. Now imagine that feeling if it was constant throughout your whole run.
Jeans absorb sweat: Obviously, when you run, you’ll be sweating a lot. This sweat is then absorbed by whatever you’re wearing, so having something that can absorb sweat and dry out quickly is crucial when it comes to running attire. Well, jeans do… the opposite of that, they won’t dry out, and they’ll be soaking wet in the first 15 minutes of your running session.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, you should wear whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever makes you enjoy your run to the fullest. If jeans can fulfill that for you, then wear them and be proud about it, especially if you don’t care about their disadvantages when it comes to running.
If you’ve never experienced them and you’re reading this article just to find out whether or not you should do it, I highly recommend giving them a try at least one time. You’ll probably have a blast just like I did and grab the attention of everyone around but you’ll never gonna do it again.
Here is the video that I mentioned in the beginning: