I totally missed my 10-year anniversary from when I began running — this was such a crazy spring that it just didn’t even register in my mind that I started running that long ago! It seems like just yesterday I was posting about the 5-year anniversary.
The date was May 3, 2010, and I count that as the beginning because that was the day that got me started on a running journey, even if I didn’t know it yet. May 3 was a Monday, which is the typical day to start a diet, right? I had committed in my mind that I was going to start eating healthy and walking that day, keeping track of my food intake and exercise. I wanted my husband to go walking with me, but he was not satisfied with just walking and insisted we at least run a little bit of the time. I wasn’t crazy about this idea, but agreed anyway.
What that started was a very hot and humid summer of us slowly increasing the distance we ran versus the distance we walked each day. We’d go around a 1.3-mile walking path a few times, running about a quarter-mile each lap.
It went up from there, and by the end of the summer I was running 3 miles nonstop. I did my first 5K that fall, and the rest is history — including one 50K, 11 marathons, 18 half marathons and countless 10Ks, 5Ks, and random distance races.
I have never, ever been a super fast or competitive runner — I’ve won or placed in my age group in a few smaller races, but that’s about it. My competition is always with myself. Sometimes I have a time to beat, sometimes I just want to finish.
But in 10 years of running you’re inevitably going to try a lot of different products that make the task better or easier, so I’ve definitely pinpointed some of my favorites over the years. Here are some of my must-have running accessories of all time:
1) Nathan handheld water bottles
For the first few years I rebelled against carrying a water bottle with me when I ran. I was afraid it would be too awkward or mess up my running posture holding one thing in one hand, and so I tried one of those waistband water bottle holders and a CamelBak before just working out a system where I could either loop back to my car for water breaks or hit up a water fountain in the middle of a run. This worked out when we lived in Baton Rouge because the main lakes where I ran had water fountains in convenient locations, and I also parked right in the middle so I could go back to my car frequently for water or Gatorade breaks.
Then we moved to DeRidder and I no longer had this option. I had to get creative with my running routes, and because it gets so hot, I ended up deciding to try out the small Nathan QuickShot handheld in 2014. To my surprise, it was so easy to carry, with the strap fitting snugly over the hand and staying in place. It didn’t even feel like I was carrying anything. It didn’t affect my running posture or the way I held my arm at all, and when I upgraded to an even bigger version of the bottle for longer training runs, the result was the same. I recently recommended this bottle to a first-time marathon trainer this past fall, and he loved it. I have not been without mine this summer as 2+ miles between water breaks just isn’t going to work.
2) Garmin Forerunner
When I first started running, I didn’t care about pace at all and barely cared about distance. After runs I would use Gmap Pedometer to try and figure out how many miles I had actually covered. Then I got a BlackBerry at Christmas 2010, my first ever smart phone, and started using a GPS app on that to track my running. Finally, right before I ran my first half marathon in the early spring of 2011, I got my first Garmin Forerunner. I have not looked back since. I’ve gone through a few different models, but I’ve never had any desire to try another running watch. The battery on my first Forerunner only lasted about a year and a half before it died, so that was not optimal, but I have had the 230 now for almost 3 years and it’s still working great (knock on wood). I sync my activities from the Forerunner to the Garmin Connect app on my phone, and that syncs everything to my Strava. I love being able to look back at my individual lap paces, the map of what I ran, etc. Simply put, it’s always a great investment if you want to keep track of your runs, paces, and progress.
3) Brooks Ravenna shoes
I have had so many pairs of Brooks Ravennas, I’ve lost track (the picture above is from 5 years ago). I have veered away to other shoes here and there, either because of discounts, getting them for free from somewhere, etc., but I always come back to these shoes. They are what an overpronator like me needs for extra support, they are light and comfortable, they are never ugly, and they usually have some fun colors to choose from. The type of running shoe best for each person definitely varies, but these have been a staple of my running life since I first got fitted at a running store in the summer of 2011.
4) Koala Clip
This is my newest find, thanks to reading about them in Runner’s World in the fall of 2019. I have tried a few different ways of carrying my phone and/or iPod during a run. Arm bands are uncomfortable and sometimes slide down my arm. Running belts are good for gels and little things needed like ginger chews or medicine, but my iPhone XR in a belt is usually just a bouncing disaster. With the Koala Clip, I put my phone in the pouch, then clip it inside the back of my sports bra. The pouch does get sweaty on the outside, but it doesn’t soak through the fabric to my phone. It doesn’t irritate or chafe my skin whatsoever, and it doesn’t bounce. It’s also pretty easy to get out and put back in, in the event I need to get my phone out during the run. I ended up getting two this past fall and I just ordered a third one. They are great!
There are so many other items I have purchased, used, hated, loved, through my running journey, but these are some of the accessories that have stood the test of time and/or have made running so much easier!
Deep South Runner 