Friday 21 March 2014

Running link up - Running favourites


It's the 21st, which means only one thing, it's runners tell all link up time - hooray! The topic for today is to natter away about your favourite running gear and/or product so here goes.

First up I have to discuss my trainers. If you'd said to me six months ago that I would spend more than thirty pounds on a pair of trainers I'd have literally laughed in your face. I just didn't get the point of expensive or 'special' trainers for running, I was all like 'cheap trainers from the sale, that'll be perfect'. However over Christmas I finally decided to listen to all the people that had told me otherwise and invest in a new pair of trainers and guys everyone was 100% right! My trainers make such a difference. Not only are they super comfy and pink (obvs) but they totally put a spring in my step. As soon as I put them on I was all bouncy on my feet, now I don't really think that they make me any faster but they totally make me feel like I can go faster. Plus, because I went to a decent running shop, the shoes fit my foot, not a generic size 7 foot, but my foot, which clearly means they're better for me. The special soles in the shoe make me run in the best way for my legs and body so I'm doing my feet and body far less harm - which can only be a good thing.


The second thing I can't do without on my runs is the Nike+ app. I love being able to track my runs and seeing the splits for each mile, I'm always surprised by which mile I ran fastest. Seeing the miles clocking up on the app is great for my motivation, when the ticker went over 200 miles that was a pretty good day! The other good thing about the app is that it reminds me how far I've come. When I look back to the first month I used the app I can see that I only ran 10 miles in total and now, just over a year later I'm running loads more. Last month was almost 40 miles and yes that was part of my half marathon but that amount of running still amazes me! Also it's great when you finish a run and a badge appears to tell you you've run your furthest, fastest or longest race or that you've beaten your PB for a distance. When I did my first half marathon a few weeks back I was ecstatic when I finished it and this feeling only improved when I stopped the app and was shown SIX badges: fastest half marathon, fastest 10k, fastest 5k, fastest 1k, longest run and farthest run. Yes the app is one of my favourite running tools!


What about you what's the running item you can't do without?




6 comments:

  1. Good shoes and a tracking app are my essentials too! :)

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  2. Good shoes are critical for sure!! And I love the Nike + app, too. It's so fun to get that audible and visible feedback :)

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  3. Totally agree about the need for good shoes! And congratulations on finishing your first half marathon!!

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  4. I agree that tracking your runs is huge!! I love keeping track of pace, different times for each course, too. And congrats on the race!

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  5. I can't go without my shoes, obviously. They can get expensive, but they're worth it! Glad you found a good pair to use. Thanks so much for linking up!

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  6. I didn't know that Nike app had all those fun features. I had it on my phone but deleted it because I never used it.

    Good shoes are vital to running and I really need to invest in a new pair soon... =)

    Thanks for linking up and for sharing your gear with us.

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