The shocking truth about clothing weight!
The other day I thought I'd check out whether clothes vary in weight much.
First, I put the red singlet I wore for the London Marathon in 2005 on the scales. It came in at about 140 grams, which seemed reasonable. But then I put my new Namban Rengo top on the scales - 53 grams! A saving of 87 grams.
This got me thinking about shorts and socks too. I took pictures of each item as I weighed it - have a look how much extra weight you could be lifting with every step you take.
First, the pictures of the two tops.
The Nike top
The Nike top on the scales
The Namban Rengo (Asics) top
The Namban Rengo (Asics) top on scales
Heavy Nike shorts
The heavy Nike shorts on the scales
Light Nike shorts
The light Nike shorts on the scales
Heavy Nike socks
Light Nike socks
Now for the science bit.
The red Nike top weighs 139 grams. The Namban top weighs 53 grams.
The grey Nike shorts weigh 103 grams. The black Nike shorts weigh 70 grams.
The Nike 'tube' socks weigh 82 grams (41 x 2). The light Nike socks weigh 16 grams (8 x 2).
The total weight saved by the lighter clothes is 185 grams. That's the difference between running in racing flats vs training shoes. Obviously, there's no need to fuss about 180 odd grams if you're 5 kilograms overweight, but for runners who feel like they're already at the optimum weight, I think the hidden weight of clothes is worth pondering - or maybe I just have too much time on my hands!
Labels: running
posted by GKK @ 5:01 pm
4 Comments:
Hilarious! Did you weigh watchs?
Actually, some time ago I must admit I did. It's about 30 grams. I wonder who makes the lightest watch?
I was watching the ekiden and wondering if those titanium necklaces many runners wear are worth more time than the extra weight and distraction of wearing them.
I think the lightest running watsh is Seiko Super Runners.
http://www.seiko-syd.co.jp/stopw/runner/index.html
Many runners love it for its lightness and good function, but I don't like its design so I always use heavy Nike watch...
I might have to track a Seiko Super Runner down. Thanks for the link.
My friend in London called me a nerd for weighing my clothes - but he got a titanium wedding ring so he wouldn' be weighed down by a gold one when he cycles.
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