My New Running Gear From Head To Toe

I’ve been on a bit of a shopping spree lately, and thought I’d share some of my recent new running gear purchases with you just in case you need some new earbuds, compression socks, running shoes or a water bottle!

1. Yurbuds®  Back in April my Zippearz earbuds got frayed a few days before the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run. I could not imagine making it through Hains Point without music, so I went to Best Buy and picked up some YurBuds®. While I liked the sound quality, they felt a bit uncomfortable in my ears. I know YurBuds® is active on Twitter, so I Tweeted to them about my issue, and they suggested that I exchange my pair for a smaller size.

I think the whole exchange process was completed in about 10 days, and I ended up with this cool blue color. The new size is much more comfortable, but still snug enough to not fall out. If you are interested in trying Yurbuds® I suggest you look at the sizing information on their website instead of just grabbing a random style from Best Buy like I did!

2. Purist Water Bottle.  I never seem to have enough water bottles, and this one caught my eye with it’s promise of a pure, non-plastic taste. (The cheap water bottles we have from the bike shop have a strong plastic smell and noticeable taste.) It was only a bit more expensive than the cheapest store-brand water bottles and also promised to be BPA-free, so I grabbed one.

I think it lives up to its promise–my water really does taste crisp and clean.

3. Saucony® Fastwitch  After my April races, it was time for new shoes. Through my involvement with Fitfluential I’ve had an opportunity to try several different Saucony® shoes that have less support and stability than my Mizunos. While I only use the Virrata on the treadmill, I’ve taken the Kinvara 4 out on longer runs with no regrets. My Mizunos feel clunky after the light weight Kinvaras, but I felt like I needed something with a bit more support for my longer runs. When the store was out of my size Mizunos, it seemed that fate was telling me it was time for a change. After trying on several different brands and styles, I settled on these bright beauties.

As usual, I first tried them out on a short treadmill run, and they felt great. When I took them out for a long run (9 miles) my feet felt tired at the end, but I realized that I hadn’t switched my Superfeet® insoles over to these shoes. With that extra bit of support, these shoes felt great. On the other hand, that change made them feel a bit snug, so I have to wear thin running socks with these shoes. That made me remember how thin my ProCompression® socks are, so I wore those on my next long run.

Oh that’s bright!

That worked well, but I wasn’t sure how often I could pull off that color combination.

4. Zensah® Compression Socks.  A week ago, Zensah® was sponsoring the #runchat Twitter chat and offering a 20% discount, so I browsed their site for something that might coordinate better. I thought this neon green pair might be a good match.

I think they complement the green accents on my shoes nicely,
but they still are bright!

Have you tried any new running or fitness gear lately?