My Toys

It’s been a little quiet in the running world lately. It seems like everyone (myself included) is working hard on getting ready for the first few spring races. So, I thought, I’d share with you today all the different toys I utilize in my running exploits. (Please note that I’m not sponsored or get free schwag from anybody, so this is completely unbiased.)

Shoes
I have separate pairs for road and trail running, even though I sometimes prefer to run in road shoes on non-technical trails. For the road, I have found that Mizuno Wave Riders fit my feet the best. (If you haven’t already, go to your local running store and have them fit you for the right shoe. They know what they’re talking about. The people at Nike Town, Foot Locker, et. al. usually don’t. Plus, everybody should support their local running specialty stores. They are important to each running community in more ways than a lot of people think.)

For the trails, I prefer Salomon XA Comp 3. These are still my first pair of trail shoes, so I’m not sure yet whether they are the perfect pair for me.

Tunes

Unless I’m running with somebody, I’ve got tunes going. I find it difficult to even run a mile without some sort of audio distraction. On longer runs, I listen to Phedippidations podcast by Steve Runner (click here for an interview with Steve).

Other than that, I listen to a lot of Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Phish, Ben Harper, Queen and whatever else I feel like that day. I often use music to pace myself (slow stuff on easy days, more rockin’ tunes on hard days).

Clothes
Like any runner, I prefer technical clothing. I’m not really particular about the brand and find that race expos have great deals. (You can never have enough shirts!) For cold weather, however, Under Armor has GREAT base layers. Their Cold Gear is outstanding.

Water Bottle
Ultimate Direction water bottles are as common among trail runners as those shoes with wheels in them that every seven-year old seems to have nowadays.

Underrated!

Food
Shot blocks (try margarita flavor!), GU, PowerGels…I like all that stuff! For long runs (or even medium long runs in the heat) I use Succeed! S caps to keep up my sodium levels.

Forerunner
I just got the Forerunner 305. It’s scary fun and I haven’t even installed the software. Once I do that I shall be in nerd heaven!

Where I get my stuff: I get most of my stuff at REI (that place is like Disneyland to me), RunningWarehouse.com (great deals on shoes) and Zombierunner (for the ultra stuff).