Thinking of upping the miles and looking for a few tips, tricks and ‘Must Have’ accessories? Well you’re in the right place. Here are a few of my personal Running Essentials.
I started running about seven years ago now. To cut a long story short I came back from an epic year travelling and moved house to a completely new location in Dublin. I have always loved living, working and working out in Dublin, but this time I wanted more; this time I wanted a sense of community. The “Sloggers to Joggers” running group in Swords not only provided me with the opportunity and ability to reach 5km and subsequently marathon distance but it has also provided me with some of the best moments, memories and friends of my life! And it still does.
Over the years I have picked up lots of really good advice from fellow runners and running workshops. I have also learned what has worked well for me through trial and error and at times through pain and discomfort! So at a time when everyone is discussing what is and is not ‘essential’ I want to share with you some of my personal running essentials and you can decide for yourself whether they make your ‘essential’ cut!
Vaseline
5kms… grand, 10kms… not a problem, but when I started clocking up the miles during my marathon training I started to get blisters on my toes and friction on the soles of my feet. Now, when I say blisters I mean that my baby toe looked like it had grown an ugly sister! Huge, painful blisters.
So, at first I tried plasters. Long runs generally involve an early morning start and one of the preparatory steps involved embalming my toes in plasters. Did it work? Hell no! Because the more I ran the more the plasters rubbed off each other, unwound and caused friction and rubbing.
End result? More blisters.
Then some angel of mercy suggested Vaseline and well, I haven’t looked back. Instead of embalming my feet in plasters I now quickly lather my toes and the soles of my feet in Vaseline. Result? No friction, hence no blisters.
Good Running Socks
I recently met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in years and, mid-conversation, she asked me if I still wear my socks inside out! I do! But when this comes to hiking or running for miles it’s not an option. SEAMLESS/COMFORT SOCKS are great! And there are some great and affordable seamless socks out there.
I invested in the 1000 Mile socks a while back and, with a double layer to prevent friction, they worked well. However, when my dog Bailey gobbled up the left sock of the 15 Euro pair, I wondered if there might be a cheaper and equally comfortable running sock available in case it happened again!
The answer: Lidl, Aldi and Decathalon. While some of you might be content to bide your time and await a Thursday treat, many of you are probably ready to purchase at the click of a button. In that case I highly recommend trying out these really comfortable socks available in Decathalon where you can bag a bargain with two pairs for a mere five Euro. Very comfortable and affordable. Next time you’re out pounding the pavements you’ll be giving it socks!
Good Runners
So you’ve got your feet blister free and snug in your comfy socks. What next? Well, probably the most important thing after that, is to get your runners right! And by right I mean the right fit, the right support for your foot and the right price for your budget.
Go to the experts! Before I started my DCM marathon training, back in 2017, I went to the Run Hub in Dublin and booked in for a gait analysis. I can’t sing their praises highly enough. They looked at how I ran as I did a few short runs in the shop, recorded the movement of my foot, ankle, body and they were able to tell me whether I would benefit from a neutral or stability runner.
Get the right fit and support! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to advise you to spend a fortune on expensive runners, especially if you are just starting out. But what I do want to advise you is to get the fit and the size right. Remember your feet swell when you start to run longer distances, so you need a bit of space for your feet. I usually go up half a size in my runners, but it depends on the brand so you should always try on the runners first. If you are going to buy online perhaps go into a shop first to get a feel of the runner, especially the toe box (the part of the front) to make sure it’s the right fit for you.
Regarding support, there are neutral and stability runners. Neutral runners help with shock absorption and stability runners help bring your foot back to its natural alignment. They key thing is to find what’s best for you.
Wrist Band
For those of you who are driving to and from your starting point or have a house key to carry then the wrist band is very handy.
If you don’t have pockets and you don’t fancy wearing a running belt then this very inexpensive accessory should be on your shopping list. You don’t even notice it on your arm, it acts as a type of sweat band, it is a safe and secure way to store your keys AND a great place to store you ICE (In case of Emergency) €20 euro in case of injury, fatigue, a wine bar or just poor time management! I use the Karrimor wristband in the picture below.
Visor or Cap
Some people like to wear hats, caps or visors, and some like to go without altogether. Like everything else mentioned here, when it comes down to it, it’s all a matter of personal preference and it is important to try out different things to see and feel what’s right for you.
Personally I like to wear a visor when running during the summer months and a cap during the winter. In sun, wind and rain the peak of the visor or cap offers excellent protection for your face and eyes. In the summer the visor helps to protect your face and eyes from the glare of the sun and UV rays while allowing a degree of breathability that a hat or cap does not. The cap on the other hand is my winter buddy, as it retains the (much needed!) heat in my body while, like the visor, it offers protection against the wind and rain.
Water Bottle or Belt
Hydration is key when adding more miles to your miles! While you are running and training you are going to need to stay hydrated. As you run you should be sipping water every few kilometres and ideally you should be rehydrating with water which has some form of isotonic. This is important for replacing salts and electrolytes lost while running.
I have a great little bottle that I got in TK Maxx years ago and which fits nicely in the palm of my hand. It’s such a perfect fit I don’t even need to hold a tight grip of it while I run.
Alternatively you might like to run with your hands completely free and opt for a running belt with bottles attached and pouch for phone, keys and gels. If you’re going for a trail run then you might opt for a running backpack with water bladder to rehydrate.
Fitness Watch
I’m sure there is a lot more that my Garmin Foreunner 235 can do than I’m even aware. I’m not at all technical. I will willingly leave it to Laura to advise on all things technical including linking your running watch to apps like Strava. Then why is a running watch one of my essentials you might ask? Well when I began running I used my phone to track my route, time and distance. But phones got bigger, heavier and having to take it out of the cover to check it mid run meant that during the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Liverpool in 2016 I found myself scrambling to retrieve the cover, battery and sim card from the ground…and this was mid race!
So I progressed to a fancy Garmin and now I can’t run without it. My running watch is light, comfortable, has little chance of falling off and can assist me in my running at a mere glance. I can keep an eye on my pace and make sure that I’m not starting off too fast at the beginning of a run or a race. It allows me to gauge distance and see how far along on a run I am, when I need to fuel and take another gel or water. It lets me track my heart rate and it shows a trophy emoji and celebrates when I hit a new PB! Essential! A run without my running watch is a run that may not have even happened!
Support
As they say last but certainly not least, where would we be without support? For years I said I ‘couldn’t run’. I’d sprint off, run out of breath and that was me done. It was only when I joined a running group that I began to learn how to gain distance, then speed and most importantly, when I began to enjoy running. I made great friends who have come to support me in my runs both on home turf and through running apps, while running abroad.
My supporters are my ‘Slogger‘ friends who literally ran the extra mile with me in training before the 2017 DCM when I was in horrific pain with my IT band. My supporters were the friends and family who brought tears to my eyes when they cheered me during the DCM as I ran, hobbled and miraculously ran again as I passed the finish line. They are the people who followed me on running apps and whose voices I heard in my mind, encouraging me to keep going during the 2018 marathon in Berlin.
My friends and family have been by my side, physically or in spirit every step, every kilometre and every mile of the way and that, as Robert Frost said, has made all the difference. Running accessories are important but positive self talk and the support of others are perhaps the most essential in fuelling my running and my joy of it.
I hope that you found this helpful and that you might be inclined to try out some of the tips and accessories that I mentioned above. Believe me, I wish I had found out about a lot of this stuff years ago, it might have saved me from blisters, sunburn, broken phones and dehydration!
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