I can’t wear contacts, so when I head out for training runs, even on overcast days, I opt for prescription sunglasses. But as I slog through the dog days of summer, logging miles in Prospect Park and the streets of New York, I’m consistently surprised by how few runners wear sunglasses, prescription or not. Surely these bare-eyed athletes have enough common sense to know that sunglasses offer UV protection, right?

Just ask Anderson Cooper, who to Portugal in 2012. Cooper was on the water without sunglasses “for an extended period of time” and, as a result, sunburned his eyeballs. Doctors call it ultraviolet keratitis or , which can result in temporary blindness.

Now, if you’re just heading out for a quick morning run, you’re not going to end up like Cooper. But marathon runners and triathletes鈥攅specially those who train near water鈥攃ould put themselves at risk with the hours they spend training under the sun.

“It’s very painful,” says Dr. Anne Sumers, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a practicing ophthalmologist in Ridgewood, New Jersey. “It’s something people will be very happy to not experience a second time.”

Extended exposure to ultraviolet light (we’re looking at you, marathon runners) can lead to and . The majority of sunglasses on the market these days block 100 percent of ultraviolet rays. Shades, especially wraparound models, will also keep gunk and particles in the air out of your eyes. “It will protect you from getting grit in your eyes,” Sumers says, “whether you’re running in New York City or out trail running.”

You don’t have to look like you just finished a stage of the Tour de France, either. I ran in Ray-Ban Wayfarers for years. These days, I wear a pair of Warby Parkers. Companies such as Nike are making functional sunglasses that won’t make you resemble a futuristic police officer at the farmers’ market after your Saturday morning run. “There’s been a trend lately in glasses that don’t look as sporty, like you just got off the bike or finished a marathon,” says Rob Tavakoli, vice president of online retailer . “As far as numbers go, about a dozen glasses have been released in the past year or so that fall into this category. Nike is the leader, but Oakley and Smith have been doing nice ones too.”

Appropriate fit and grip are what transform everyday sunglasses into sportswear. You’re going to be training out there for hours. You don’t want something bouncing off your nose every third step. “Comfort and grip are really the two most important things to consider,” Tavakoli says. “Glasses that have some rubberized grip seem to work the best.”

SportRX offers hundreds of options for prescription鈥攁nd nonprescription鈥攅yewear by designer brands, including our some of our Buyer’s Guide favorites.聽You can shop by sport or by brand at totally competitive prices, if not cheaper. And whether you’re looking for Oakleys with amber lenses for trail running (amber enhances contrast so you can read the terrain quickly) or some Rudy Projects to test out before race day, all you have to do is plug in your prescription and they’re on your doorstep two weeks later.

A pair of Warby Parker shades cost me $150. My old Wayfarers (RIP鈥擨 hope the cab driver has the same ‘scrip as mine) were a little more expensive at $250, but worth every extra penny. If you want something more running-specific like Smiths鈥攚hich are comfortable, functional, and rad鈥攜ou’re looking in the $200 to $300 range, depending on the frame.

And who knows, maybe a pair of shades will help you cruise to a new PR. “Everyone is always looking for ways to do things better and enhance their performance,” Sumers says. “And certainly if you’re seeing sharper and more comfortably, I can’t see how that wouldn’t improve your overall running.”

My fellow bespectacled friends, I cannot recommend prescription shades highly enough.

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I lost my job in December. The writing had been on the wall since the first round of layoffs in July. No one was surprised. The company treated the departed well and ushered us out the doors with severance papers in hand. I鈥檇 been employed since I was 14鈥攖hank you, Stan at the Cottage Caf茅, for giving me my first shot鈥攁nd had no clue what to do, so I just started running.

I鈥檝e been a runner since I was in junior high, so it鈥檚 not like I lost my job and went full I ran my first marathon in October while still employed. (A complete disaster.) Without the constraints of a desk job and with newfound free time on my hands, I ran whenever and for however long I wanted. Gone were the days of squeezing in five miles before work. I sure as hell didn鈥檛 have anywhere else to be.

Turns out I鈥檓 not the only one.

A from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that white-collar workers exercise more when they鈥檙e unemployed. 鈥淔rom an economical jargon, the time cost or opportunity cost is now lower,鈥� said Dhaval Dave, co-author of the study and economics professor at Bentley University. 鈥淪o you should see a lot more people exercising.鈥�

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for New York City, where I live, was 8.8 percent in December 2012, exactly one percentage point higher than the national rate of 7.8, according to the Department of Labor. But how can you tell if some stranger walking down the street is one of your fellow out-of-work citizens? It鈥檚 unlikely you鈥檒l see them in the unemployment line; applying online is remarkably stress-free. Since college, I鈥檇 toiled away at various publications in midtown Manhattan skyscrapers before I joined the ranks of the unemployed. I鈥檇 never explored my neighborhood on a weekday鈥攚ho are all you people?鈥攍et alone gone running in Brooklyn鈥檚 Prospect Park on a Monday afternoon. It was like wandering around a music festival alone, barefoot, and on LSD, staring into the eyes of passerby: Are you unemployed, too, man?

鈥淵our occupation is your identity,鈥� Melanie Greenberg, a clinical psychologist, told me. 鈥淭he social rejection of losing your job can be very difficult. You have too much time for rumination to get lost in your thoughts and worries. So it鈥檚 really important to have a routine.”

Do you remember the last time you had literally nothing to do? The bills were all paid, dishes done, laundry folded, fridge packed with provisions鈥攁ll you had to do was decide between Sportscenter and cartoons? When you lose your job, you lose the structure. You can make all the to-do lists you want, but they鈥檙e completely worthless unless you鈥檙e diligent. (Newsflash: many people are not good with time management.) Acclaimed sports medicine physician Dr. Jordan Metzl emphasized the importance of exercising if you鈥檙e unemployed. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of data that your psychological health鈥攁nxiety, depression, all kinds of things鈥攊s so tremendously impacted [by exercise],鈥� Metzl said. 鈥淭he thing is, is to do it and to do it regularly. Workouts are helpful because they help structure your free time.鈥�

The term funemployment is fundamentally stupid. There鈥檚 nothing fun about being unemployed, even with severance checks. Online job listings are depressing鈥攊n case you haven鈥檛 looked at a newspaper since 2008, there are not many jobs right now鈥攁nd that is without the crushing panic you feel if you spend an afternoon looking at cookware you can鈥檛 afford online instead of applying for jobs. Running, even in the middle of a deep freeze in New York, was my recess. Everything went out the window鈥攔ent, health insurance, bills鈥攁nd the whole world was greener on the other side, if only for nine miles. Maybe I鈥檒l have my own start-up and make a quick million! I鈥檇 think. (No relevant tech experience.) Perhaps I鈥檒l buy a crumbling mansion in Detroit and fix it up! (Not enough money for a down payment.) I鈥檒l write the next great American novel! (Tried that already, turned out poorly.)

Still, it didn鈥檛 matter. On those frigid, sunny afternoons, my head was clear. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the pure endorphins that get released in the brain when we run鈥攚e know how pleasurable that runner鈥檚 high is. That鈥檒l put you in a good mood. I think it can help concentration and creativity,鈥� said Greenberg, whose husband trained for a marathon during the six months he was recently unemployed. He found out in the airport en route to the race that he鈥檇 been hired for a new gig.

鈥淪ome people can go into a downward spiral,鈥� Greenberg said. 鈥淏ut hopefully some sort of exercise will keep you sane.鈥�

I鈥檓 still running, and I haven鈥檛 gone crazy鈥攜et.

Bill Bradley () is a writer living in Brooklyn.

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