Blog Update from Running Ambassador Sarah Monte
I know this makes me a minority in sports, but fancy equipment has never really been my thing. I started running long distance in a pair of old Chuck Taylors, but as I ran more often and longer distances I saw the value of a good pair of dedicated running shoes. Over the years I have learned what equipment I think is worth spending good money on.
Sneakers (aka ‘tennis shoes’ here in Tennessee!) are definitely my most coveted and highly priced item. Let me just talk about feet for a bit (sorry). I had horrible bunions most of my running years. I finally had surgery on both of them over two successive years and it is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I have so many more options for sneakers and don’t have excruciating pain during and after my runs. Right now I’m running in New Balance which I’ve grown to love. In the past I’ve run almost exclusively in Asics but they must have changed their design because I was not happy with this past year’s offering. I am also now addicted to Balega socks which I received in a goodie bag for a run I did a couple of years ago.
The second highest price tag in my collection is cold weather gear. I wrote about this in my first blog entry.
Silk underwear, Buff headwear and Smart Wool liner gloves are pricey but worth every penny AND they last many many years!
Throughout the years I have collected random running tops and bottoms. I actually really like the running clothes from Target, they are inexpensive, fit well and last pretty long.
I do have a Garmin watch. This may seem like a strangely put sentence, let me explain. I had an early Garmin many years ago and loved the fact that I could just go out and run and not have to get in my car or on my bike and map out distances (remember those days?). I really got into recording my runs and rides and wouldn’t go out without the watch. I started pushing myself hard and the watch would dictate whether I had a good day or bad based on my performance. I was obsessed with PRs and then it finally lead to injuries … many injuries. After coming back from a particularly long period of recovery, I decided to store away all my ‘tracking’ equipment. I even took the computer off my bike! I went out, ran, listened to my body, pushed when it felt good to push, and backed off when I needed to. That time away from analytical technology taught me a lot. I recently started running with a new Garmin (totally awesome compared to my old one!) and I’m mostly using it to gauge how far I run. I also enjoy seeing how many runs and rides I do in a month and seeing the cool places on a map where I have run. I try to avoid judging my pace and time and remind myself how wonderful it is to be out running!