Our sport doesn’t require much gear, but we runners still manage to accumulate a bunch of clutter. Personally, I’ve struggled to part with dead GPS running watches long gone to Garmin heaven, overflowing dresser drawers of sentimental race tees, and even trainers with 700-plus miles that I “might still wear for just walking around.” Based on conversations with fellow runners, there’s a lot of people like me.
I’ve since taken steps to declutter. I cleared out my favorite race tees and had them made into a quilt. I donated my old running shoes. I even turned my most memorable old race bibs into a giant abstract poster, and recycled the rest that were just collecting dust. Still, I had more junk to consider. Marie Kondo’s decluttering and organizing KonMari method worked for me up to a certain point, but it had some shortcomings. (How the hell am I supposed to know if this roll of nipple tape “sparks joy”?)
Instead, the ideas and principles of Minimalism stuck with me, and I’m not talking about the barefoot running movement. Minimalism’s basic premise is that we’ll be happier and healthier people with less stuff, both material and mental, in our lives.
More From Runner’s World
More Than Just “Spring Cleaning”
The backbone of minimalism is really less about the actual decluttering, throwing out stuff, and letting go of junk. It’s about focusing more energy on the things that really matter to you in life, tangible or not. However, for a lot of us, decluttering is a really practical place to start. Less stuff in your life can mean more space and energy for relationships and passions with fewer distractions. Of course, for minimalist ideas to truly work, an overarching understanding and mindset shift is important, otherwise we’ll just re-accumulate the physical stuff we’ve chucked. I’d argue that cleaning up your running gear—a reflection of a hobby that likely means a great deal to you—is a great first step.
Even if you don’t want to fully embrace the practice of Minimalism, I think we’d all benefit from a good declutter. Life is calmer and easier to navigate without tripping over piles of barely-worn running clothes or knocking over expired protein powder in our pantries. And along the way, you’ll likely put some of your unused gear into the hands of someone who actually needs it.
How to Start Decluttering
It’s a big task and sometimes daunting. In the past, I’ve used my running routine to make it feel more manageable. Postrun, I set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes each day and sort what I can. Just one month of using my piecemeal approach, that adds up to 6 to 12 hours of decluttering efforts. If you’d rather dive right in for a full day of decluttering, go for it. (Sometimes I’ll go for longer. It’s not equivalent to a runner’s high, IMO, but it really does feel good if you’re on a roll.) Do what you can with the time you have each day.
Running socks are my ultimate vice. But I regularly wear all the pairs I’ve kept.=’6×4′
A lot is easy to ditch or dump, but certain stuff is a struggle—especially sentimental items like race medals or gifts from runner friends and teammates. To help me—and you—through overthinking these tough areas, I have some tips. The “rules” below are those that I’ve found most useful after months of research combined with my own personal experience.
- Ask, “Have I used it in the past year?”
- Follow the $20/20 minutes approach.
- Ask, “Would I buy it again?”
- Make yourself wear it now.
- Don’t look back.
The One-Year Rule
I found the common “90-day rule” doesn’t quite work for runners. In the winter, you’ll likely go more than three months without wearing shorts, but you’ll still need them for summer. That’s why I prefer the one-year rule instead. I’d suggest that you start with gear from whichever season has most recently passed since that’s fresh in your mind. Toss or donate right now what you didn’t wear this past season. Chances are, if you barely wore it this winter, you won’t wear it next year either.
There’s one important caveat here: race day stuff. Maybe you haven’t raced since 2020 or you’ve been injured. There’s likely still items in your closet that you’ll need for the start line. (Read: Don’t trash your race spikes just yet.) And, here I’ll echo the words of gear editor Amanda Furrer. Keep an old spare jacket and a pair of sweatpants that you can easily part with when it’s time to de-layer in the race corral. Race officials typically provide collection bins near the course so those items can be donated.
Personally, I think race medal displays are peak running decor.
The 20/20 Rule
If you get stuck on whether to chuck something—for me this was debating whether I needed a backup of something—ask yourself if you could replace it for less than $20 and in under 20 minutes. So, for example, maybe this past winter you were injured and didn’t wear your $150 running tights for super cold weather. Maybe keep those. But if you’ve got a massive jar of rubber bands, paper clips, and safety pins for securing race bibs ad infinitum, it’s probably okay to recycle some of those.
Would I Buy It Again? (Did I Even Buy It the First Time?)
Freebies that come in race day swag bags (like pens, stickers, single-serve drink mix packets, stress balls, keychains) usually fall into this category for me. It’s rare that I’ve ever actually used any of those things; rather they’ve just decorated the inside of my junk drawer. Ask yourself, would I buy this item again? And if you spent literally zero time shopping for it, or you didn’t even buy it yourself, don’t spend any time deciding whether to keep it. Same goes with gifts. If it’s something I’m having trouble parting with for no reason other than because I care about the person who gave it to me, I’ll chuck it. Give your friend a call or make plans for a run together instead.
I have zero skills on the sewing machine. Luckily, there are a few great companies that will spin your tees into a quilt. Here’s mine.
The “Wear It Now” Litmus Test
This tip helped me donate at least half of the running shorts or bras I was holding onto that “might come in handy later” or “will be nice to have if I don’t feel like doing laundry.” For example, I tried on shorts in comparison to a pair that I absolutely loved. That was my litmus test: Anything that wasn’t as comfy had to go. Even if the shorts fit, I was able to tell right away if I was comfortable in them. Usually, I’d know within seconds of putting them on whether they were pairs I’d actually want to run in. If I still couldn’t decide, I made myself wear them for the very next run or around the house the very next day. Even though they were expensive or even if I got compliments on them, if they didn’t make me feel comfortable they were out. The fastest way to make yourself hate a piece of clothing you’ve been keeping in your drawer is to force yourself to wear it all day.
By the end of the evening, you’ll know what stays and what has to go. For me personally, a cute but scratchy pair of split shorts and an expensive but way too snug sports bra hit the donation box darn quick! Anything that doesn’t fit you well or isn’t comfortable while running—just get rid of it.
Local charities and running programs often need gently-used or unworn shoes. I’ve personally spoken with Goodwill employees, and they accept even the most beaten-up pairs. (Whatever does not make it onto shelves is recycled.)
Dump, Donate, Deliver—and Don’t Go Back!
Lastly, I like the idea of physically touching items. Hold it, like Marie says, and consider if it sparks joy, or rather if it’s of purpose to you in some way. If the item is sentimental, but you know it’s time to let go of the item, use that last physical touch as a goodbye. Of course, pass along unworn or still usable gear to fellow running friends who might need them—or even want to swap with you!—and recycle whatever you can. But once an item is in the donation bin, you can’t go back and remove it.
10 Categories of Gear
Maybe you want to tackle your gear in categories. Our test team has a template that we use to keep track of our gear. I’ve found it useful to parse gear out into categories and mentally breakdown items, so I wanted to share it with you. I’ve also used it as a packing list. Pick one category to work through at a time. Or, you can just pick a geographic area of your home. For example, one day is the closet or the dresser. Start even smaller by cleaning out one single drawer or even just one flat surface, like an end table. As a big planner sometimes to a fault, I’ve found I need to start before I have the perfect plan of attack. Go in with a good idea of what you want to accomplish, but it’s okay if your blueprint is a little fuzzy.
- Tops: jackets, hoodies, vests, long sleeves, tanks, tees, singlets, sweatshirts, short-sleeve tops, warm-up tops, windbreakers, sports bras
- Bottoms: tights, shorts, sweatpants, joggers, spandex, pajamas, loungewear, underwear
- Apparel-type accessories: hats, gloves, caps, headwear, earmuffs, headbands
- Sentimental items: medals, bibs, awards, trophies
- Footwear: daily trainers, spikes, racing shoes, recovery sandals, flip flops, socks, compression knee highs, insoles
- Medicine cabinet and nutrition: lotions, tapes, deodorants, muscle rubs, pain medications, gels, drink mixes, powders
- Tech: earbuds, GPS watches, fitness trackers and wearables
- Recovery tools: foam rollers, muscle scrapers, percussion massage devices
- Non-apparel type accessories: headlamps, running lights, visibility gear, sunglasses, water bottles, hydration packs and vests
- Bags: backpacks, running belts, drawstring and tote bags
