Running Favorites

Everybody has their own favorites when it comes to running. From their favorite shoes or gear to their favorite race or distance.

In most of my blog posts so far, I have shared some stories about my running history as well as some general running tips and my current running plan and goals. 

So, in this post, I thought it would be fun to share what my favorite brands are for shoes and gear as well as some other favorites of mine when it comes to running.

In some of my future posts, I might go in to even more detail on some of these to explain why they are my favorites.

So, here they are – starting with my feet and working my way up:

• Shoes? Hoka One One, specifically Rincon.  Before the past year, I wouldn’t say that I had a favorite brand or shoe because I had liked many different brands.  I’ve had four different pairs of Hoka, but the Rincon were my favorite because they seemed good for different kinds of workouts and lasted a long time.  Another thing that I have liked about Hoka is that they have some less expensive options (relatively speaking) that have been good quality. 
• Socks? Rockay.  Until I started wearing Rockay socks, I never really wore running-specific socks, but these are nice.  They dry quickly, don’t smell and, most importantly, they don’t cause blisters! 
• Shorts/Shirts?  I don’t really have favorites for these.  There are so many brands that seem to offer similar, high quality, lightweight shorts and shirts.  I do think it’s important to get shirts and shorts that are comfortable and fit properly to prevent chafing and things like that.  A few of my favorites though – Legends, Saysky, Under Armour and Odlo.
• Watch? Coros Pace.  Ok, so this might be the only running watch I’ve ever had, but it has everything that I need in a watch and I haven’t had any problems with it at all.  Coros prides itself on having a long battery life between charges, but make sure that you check out the other features and compare to other brands before making this somewhat expensive purchase. 
• Hat?  I know that hats aren’t for everyone either due to look or comfort, but in the past couple of years, I’ve started wearing one on every run.  They help to keep the sun, rain or sweat out of my eyes.  A few of my favorites – Vaga, Runr and Fractel. 

And now for some of my favorites that don’t involve gear:

• Road or Trail? Road. I like the ease of stepping out my door and getting running right away.  That combined with not having many running trails close to my house, means that I don’t have a lot of opportunities to run on trails.  In the future, I would like to add some trails to my running just for a change of scenery, but for now it’s all on the road!
• Inside or Outside? Outside. When I first started running, I did some of my miles on the treadmill at the gym and never really enjoyed that.  So now, no matter what the weather is like, I’ll be running outside.  As long as I am properly dressed and ready for the conditions, there’s usually not any problems.   
• Time of Day to Run? Morning.  Besides the temperature usually being cooler, it’s nice to get the run done first thing as a way to start off the day.  This has been made a lot easier with working from home the last 16 months.
• Weather? Cool/Cold!  The fresh air feels great and, as long as I am dressed with the right layers, I feel like I can run for a long time! 
• Distance? Full Marathon.  I like the half marathon because it can be a little easier to prepare for, but for this same reason I like the full marathon just a bit more!  Part of the allure of the marathon and what I like so much about it, is the challenges that it presents in training and even more so in the race itself.  Finishing any race is an accomplishment and can mean different things to different runners, but to me nothing has compared to finishing a marathon!
• Race/Event?  Munich Marathon.  It’s not just because my personal best time of 3:25:51 was achieved there!  The Munich Marathon is my favorite so far for a few reasons.  First, I was born in Germany so it kind of holds a special place in my heart to be able to go back and race there.  Also, the race course itself gave a great scenic tour of a great city and the finish line was in the Olympic Stadium.  In addition to this, the weather on the day of the race was perfect and the crowds were great!  I’ve done races in a lot of different places and not really had any that I didn’t like, but this one is my favorite so far!

Obviously, all of these are subjective and just my own personal favorites, but I would love to hear if you agree or disagree with any of these!