My Favorite (Affordable) Running Gear

Running is one of my favorite activities. It gives you a great workout and helps keep you healthy.

While I enjoy cross country running, I tend to run longer distances, so I have to make sure that I buy items that will hold up for several miles. In addition, I have to make sure that I find gear that I can afford for when I need to buy new items when the old wear out.

Below are my tried-and-true, favorite items that I can buy on a budget:

• Shoes: My current favorites are my Mizuno Wave Inspire 6, which I can get for around $50 at Running Warehouse. I love these shoes because they are very, very light and comfortable for miles on end.
• Bottoms: I prefer capris because I feel like my legs get really heated when I wear long pants while running. The compression capris help hold everything stable so the leg muscles don’t feel as sore after the race day. My favorites right now are Xersion, which I pick up from JCPenney, because they fit well and don’t fall down (there are strings to tie them at the top, but I don’t use them because the knot feels uncomfortable after a while). They also wick away water when it’s raining. And they were about $20!
• Shirts: I typically prefer shirts that are of a lighter material – like the ones you get for free when you register for a race! Not the cotton T-shirts, but the shirts made of polyester or podium mesh. They keep you cool and feel nice and light. For colder weather, though, I can’t go wrong with UnderArmor. I find mine at the Goodwill!
• Water bottle: I love my Ultimate Direction water bottle with a hand strap so I can hold it without using too much effort. Some people like the belts for balance, but I find them uncomfortable after many miles. It's really easy to switch the bottle from one hand to the other with my strap.
• Energy: I used to use Cytomax, but a local store owner pointed me to nuun and I use it for all of my longer runs! It comes as tablets that you break in half, and one half lasted me at least 18 miles! The whole pack (about 24 servings) was $7.50 for me.