My future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades

Sunnies or shades are as important for running, as they are for when you are driving around in your car.

They prevent squinting and premature age lines. They also prevent the development of cataracts in later age, so you would do well to pay attention to your eyes.

Here are some of my favourite sunnies for running, that keep the UV rays from harming my eyes:

Super lightweight – Oakley Radar

These have never come cheap but once you wear a pair you’ll realise that it’s money well spent. The Radar style has been around for years and they are the most comfortable for running. With a wide fit, it does not hit against your face or your cheeks- something I dislike when I an sweating like a b****. They are light and have a nice plastic grip behind the ear, which means they won’t slide down your nose, even if you are facing down, say, doing your pushups after a run.  They don’t fog up, look great, fit so well you forget you are wearing them, and the optics are superb. I also like the surge ports. These are the holes molded into the arms. The ports direct air inside the arms so heat and sweat don’t build up behind the sunglasses and arms.

The cons are of course that they are expensive – You can expect to pay USD$300 to $360 depending upon lens selection.

The All-Weather: Optic Nerve Neurotoxin IC 

The Neurotoxin IC ($79) comes with four easy-to-swap-out lenses—smoke, copper, amber, and clear—that match a variety of running conditions. For instance, the clear lenses shield your eyes during windy, poorly lit evening runs, and the smoke lens blocks out the sun during late morning/evening runs.

Best for small to medium faces, so great for Asian faces!

The Gripper: Adidas Adizero 

This is a great one for folks who sweat buckets. The adjustable temples and nose piece of the Adizero are made of sticky rubber that gets grippier with moisture, meaning you sweat like a horse, but the sunnies stay on your face! Lens options include the rose-tinted LST (shown); the photochromic LST Vario ($210), and the LST polarized ($210).

Best for medium faces.