Long-Distance Running Gear Beginners Should Invest In

Now that the sun is up and stay-at-home orders in most parts of the world have been lifted, many of you are just itching to go for a nice, long run. Surely enough, being cooped up at home has given us a whole new appreciation towards the outdoors.

Running, in general, is a great way to keep us in shape and burn the extra calories we may have gained staying home. If you’re a beginner that plans to start running, there are some running gear that is worth investing in.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what those are and how they can enhance your running experience.

Image by dsandzhiev from Pixabay

Running Shoes

This may be the first thing that comes to mind, but most people aren’t willing to spend the extra time looking for shoes that fit well. When it comes to running, the fit is far more important than what it looks like. Do you have wide feet that require wide toe box running shoes? Do you have flat feet that need arch support?

How your shoes fit will affect your overall running experience and protect your joints in the long run. If you have a limited budget to start with, make shoes your priority!

Anti-Chafe Cream

One of the biggest annoyances people face after a long run isn’t the muscle soreness. I don’t think you would expect anything less. Rather, it’s the blisters you get as your skin chafes against your clothing and other body parts.

Chafing is notoriously common between the thighs, armpits, ankles, and in men, the nipples. This happens when there is constant friction on your skin, resulting in them being sore. When it’s hot and humid, you sweat more, and this sweat evaporates and leaves salt and other residues, making the chafing much worse.

It takes a few days for them to heal, but you can avoid this by rubbing anti-chafe creams onto these chafe-prone parts.

Hydration Belt

If you’re a beginner runner, you don’t need to push yourself to your limits. You don’t realize how quickly your body runs out of water in hot weather and dehydration can be very dangerous, if not fatal.

You can plan your routes so that you can find places to rehydrate such as water fountains, or you could bring a bottle with you. But to be honest, doing the latter is just unappealing. Your best option is to invest in a hydration belt!

Hydration belts are specially equipped to hold water bottles. Some may hold a 20 oz. bottle, while others can hold two to three 6 oz. bottles. They usually have a pocket should you need to keep your phone and spare change.

Running Watch

If you’re serious about tracking your distance and pace, a dedicated GPS running watch is perfect for you. You can use smartwatches and fitness trackers, but they’re not as accurate in tracking your location.

GPS watches pinpoint your location directly from satellite signals, whereas the app on your smartwatch might get an approximation from the nearest cellphone towers. As you run, data is collected from tower to tower and is merely averaged.

Nowadays, you can even download your favorite music on to running watches and pair them with Bluetooth earphones.

Sunglasses

Runners don’t wear sunglasses just to look cool. Sunglasses are important in protecting your eyes against harmful UV rays. They reduce glare so you won’t be squinting throughout your runs especially if you run in the early mornings.

If you plan on running roadside, sunglasses also protect your eyes physically from debris and pollution!