They say running is a “free hobby” or at least that it’s the most inexpensive sport. I beg to differ, as will most other avid runners. These race day shoes and race entry fees are over $200, a decent pair of shorts is at least $50, and of course we can’t live without out GPS watches that are anywhere between $300 and $999. Nope, I’m not going to type “$1,000” because it makes me cringe at how pricey these gadgets are!
I’ve been in the marathon scene for over 15 years now, so I’ve tried it all! It’s funny that my favorite daily gear is actually the cheapest products I own. Yes, I do use expensive carbon plated racing shoes, and have some outfits that cost me a pretty penny, but I honestly often go back to my oldest gear that is tried and true and actually never gets old, in my opinion!
Headphones
I’ll start with my top favorite headphones, only because they are the most expensive of my favorite things. And actually they are the least expensive of all the ones I’ve tried and currently own. I’ve yet to find any regular earbuds that won’t fall out of my ears—I’m not sure if my ear holes are too small or too big, but they just don’t stay put while running. So, I can’t live without over the ear bone conduction headphones. I’m beyond grateful these exist! The Philips GO 7607 Open-Ear Bone Conduction Headphones have been my go-to these last couple of years. They are super comfortable and the sound is clear, unlike some other bone conduction pieces I’ve tried in the past. My second favorites are the SHOKZ OpenRun and OpenFit Open-Ear headphones.
Visor
You’ll rarely see me training without a hat. That’s because I’m a stickler for clear skin, thanks to a lifetime of acne and now more recently melasma, so the sun and heat are a major and primary cause of scaring and discoloration. Every single time I share a post with my retractable brim visor, I get dozens of comments and DMs for the link so I’ll share all about it here! I have this one in three colors and plan on purchasing the others soon, because it is the best piece of gear ever created.
Sunscreen
Yes, I’m one of those who goes out with what I call a ‘ghost face’ and not a care in the world. Again, because I’m so strict about skin care is why I don’t care what I look like ha! Thinksport SPF 50 sunscreen is my go-to. I have it on my subscriptions list on Amazon. Not long ago they came out with a Clear Zinc formula, which is great if you’re not into the ghost face look.
Vaseline/Body glide
Vaseline is an absolute life saver! I go through a huge tub of this stuff in no time. The only way it works though, is if you slather huge globs of it anywhere you normally would chafe or blister. I use it all over my feet and on the seams of my shorts and sports bra. I’ve had people compliment my feet and notice I don’t have “runner’s feet”.. you know like missing toenails, blisters, and calluses—this is all thanks to Vaseline! Body glide is a quicker anti-chafe hack—it’s so good for inner thighs!
Sunglasses
Of course my sunnies are in my top 5 😎. My absolute favorites are almost all of Tifosi Optic’s styles. I’m a wide-frame girly, so you will usually catch me in the cycling or baseball styles from their website. THIS LINK has the few I’m currently obsessed with. I tend to use sunglasses a little less often than I’d like because I have a defect in the upper part of my nose—I fell when I was like 10 years old and hit my nasal bone, I assume before my bones hardened fully, so now I live my life with this ridge and get bruised with pain if I wear certain sunglasses for too long. Most of Tifosi’s styles are the only ones that don’t cause this, so I love ‘em!
You can shop all of my products, new and old, on my LTK page! I try my best to update as I find new gear and accessories that I love.