When I began running more consistently, I was always looking for gear that could be helpful to me. That is what has inspired me to write this post, so I can share some of my own favorites.
1. Fitness Watch
I feel a fitness watch is one of the most beneficial tools in running as it can track mileage, heart rate, cadence, and many other things to help progress your training. I have used the Garmin Forerunner 735XT and now currently use the Garmin Venu.
Garmin Venu
I wear my Garmin Venu on a daily basis. It can be connected to your smartphone and all notifications are shown through the watch. You do not have the ability to answer or reply to a phone call/text like an Apple Watch, but that is not what I wanted my Garmin for anyways. The Venu is an activity tracking watch with additional smart features. You can use it to track multiple different activities. It gives you the ability to program workouts ahead of time, which is a feature I use for all of my runs. The Venu provides all activity stats and performance stats for you. Garmin has many great options for all kinds of watches that can fit to your need, the Venu just happens to be the one I chose and I’ve had no problems with it.
2. Running Shoes
Finding the right running shoe is crucial when beginning running. The best way to do that is going to your local running store and letting them fit your foot. These stores have very knowledgeable staff members that would love to help find the right shoe for you. Many will have foot scanning software that will assess your feet. They will allow you to try on multiple shoes to see what works best for you and most stores have a treadmill, so you can try them while running. I have tried out several different shoe brands including Hoka One One, Nikes, and Asics.
My Shoe Favorites
For my daily running, I personally like wearing the Hoka Clifton 8’s. For my speed work, I have really been enjoying wearing the Nike Vaporfly Next %’s.
3. Running Socks
Socks can be an important aspect in running when trying to keep from getting blisters. My current personal favorites are Darn Tough and Feetures. They provide good toe and heel support.
4. Open Ear Headphones
Being able to listen to music or a podcast safely while I run is important to me. I like to listen to my favorite playlists or podcasts, but also want to hear what is going on around me. The best way to do this is wearing bone conduction open ear headphones. I found an inexpensive pair on Amazon that have worked out great. You will barely realize that you are wearing headphones because they do not move around at all while running.
5. Handheld Water Bottle
Keeping hydrated while running is important, so a handheld water bottle can help with that. I personally use a Nathan handheld and haven’t had any problems. It fits my hand well and doesn’t cause too much uncomfortableness while running. They have many different options for water bottles depending on how big or little you may want it. Some of them have zipper pockets if you need to carry other items.
I haven’t heard of the Feetures socks or the bone conduction open ear headphones, but will check them out. These sound like good tips for equipment–some of these could probably work well for walkers.
It’s helpful for someone that uses the gear to share their opinions. Having the proper fitness watch, shoes, etc. will help motivate people to be active.
I like using my Fitbit to at least see how many steps i get per day. Then rely on my garmin on my bike as it picks up my mileage speed Heart rate etc and it pairs with a garmin tail light that Beeps when a car is approaching behind me.