I find it hard to open Instagram right now without being influenced to purchase something — and don’t get me wrong, I am susceptible. I love good marketing, I love good running gear, and I love things that make my life feel a bit easier. But I can’t be buying something every time I see a post about it. I am typically a slow to purchase type of consumer. I will see 5 posts, click a link, read reviews, come back to it a week later, then a month later, and weigh the pros and cons. Some purchases take me years to make.
This year, I have made 4 running item purchases that I think are worth the hype, so I wanted to share them. None of this was gifted, and none of these are affiliate links or are in any way a form of income for me. I am sharing because I genuinely love them and hope to provide an unbiased review.
# 1: The Free People Runsie
I saw Izzy Seidel wearing her cute Righteous Runsie in Instagram Reels A LOT of times before I purchased my own, but she influenced me. It’s a bit pricey and I wasn’t sure I would like actually running in a one piece, but turns out I do. It is so effortless to pull on and you don’t have to worry about finding a sports bra, tank, and shorts (it’s one thing). I especially loved having this for travel when getting dressed out of a suitcase. 10/10 for cuteness, comfort, and practicality.
# 2: The Coros APEX 2
Okay this was a big one: I changed running watch brands. I have had 4 different Garmin watches in my running career and I loved them all, but my latest one (the fenix 6S) had a lot of problems after 2 years of use. With how expensive these watches are, and how they are marketed to last years and years and years, I was really disappointed. Customer support offered me nothing. And the GPS on the watch was simply not working, which is not ideal for a running watch… so I looked into other brands for the first time. I have seen quite a few professional runners I admire running with Coros and one of my athletes had recently made the switch from Garmin to Coros and was loving it. After a few months of research and considering my options, I ordered the Coros APEX 2. Getting used to the app was an adjustment, and it wasn’t tracking my sleep for the first few weeks, but that sorted itself out and I found their customer support helpful. I have no complaints about the watch and I think it is a much better price point compared to Garmin.
# 3: The Spibelt
I had worn a Flipbelt since probably 2014, and I can say they are built to last. I was curious about the Spibelt because so many of my running friends raved about it. I liked the idea of being able to adjust the tightness around my waist rather than having it always be one size. Spibelt had a booth at the Gold Coast Marathon back in July, so I decided to pick one up. I have to say I do like it, it doesn’t bounce, it fits my phone, and it’s nice to have the adjustable option, BUT I am a little worried about the practicality of taking 6 gels out at different points of a marathon. I have fit 3 gels with my phone for long runs so far, and it doesn’t feel as secure as my Flipbelt did. I really don’t want to be that person dropping gels on the course in a marathon, so I may use my Flipbelt for the race anyways. TBD.
# 4: The Aftershokz Open Run Pro
A fun fact about me: I don’t race with headphones. I always found it a bit of a hassle to deal with and I like feeling as free as I can in a race, plus it’s nice to hear the crowd. I also have really small ears and have never found headphones very comfortable. I visited the Aftershokz website countless times over the years and figured I would like them, but I had a hard time justifying the purchase since I run with headphones so rarely. When they went on sale last month, I decided to get a pair. I LOVE THEM! So much more comfortable than any headphones I’ve worn, you can hear the noises outside and the audio at the same time, and they hold a charge for a while. Maybe I just needed Aftershokz to be a headphones runner. I am training with them a bit now, but I still doubt I’ll race in them — we will see.
Have you made any brand switches this year or found a running product you can’t live without? I’d love to hear about it. Send me a DM, leave a comment, or email me. 🙂
