What's In My Running Basket (Part II)

Here's the link to What's In My Running Basket (Part I) if you missed it. 

I got this Timex heart rate monitor and stopwatch for my birthday a couple years ago. I wanted a heart rate monitor mostly for two reasons. 1.) So I could see how many calories I was burning in different workouts. 2.) So I could monitor my heart rate while working out when pregnant to make sure I stayed in the safe zone. Heart rate monitors are also good for a lot of other training purposes, but so far I've only used it for the calorie burning information. I like the heart rate monitor and the watch, but I have one major complaint about the watch. When I do a race I like to see my mile splits, and my overall time on the same screen. However, with this watch, I can either see my individual mile splits, or my overall time, but not both. It keeps track of both, but I have to scroll to a different screen to see the other. Very annoying. Another reason why I'm excited for the day when I get to run with a fancy Garmin. :) Other than race day, I have no problems with this Timex though. 

I always have a random collection of "runner food" in my running basket. I finished off my shot blocks last Saturday, so right now I just have a mixture of chocolate and vanilla GU's. I've never been a fan of energy supplements, but back in January I decided to give GU another shot. It's not the best tasting stuff ever, but it does give me the energy boost I need when I start to crash. Strawberry Shot bloks taste better, but they're kind of a mouthful to eat.

This iFitness belt is one of my two new favorite running purchases. 

The two things I love most about it are that it stays put (I can barely tell I have it on), and it holds my race number so I don't have to poke holes in my shirts. 

 I know it's a big "no no" to do something new on race day, but I took a chance with this belt and wore it for my very first time at the Boston Marathon this past April. I bought it at the expo because I wanted to be able to have my phone with me during the race in case I couldn't find my husband afterwards. I also bought that pink shirt I'm wearing at the expo and paid more for it than any other shirt I own, so poking a hole in it wasn't exactly something I wanted to do the first time I wore it. I was relieved that the belt was a success and didn't bother me at all. I was also glad I had my phone because it turns out I needed it both during the race and after the race. And my favorite running shirt ever is still hole-free. I definitely recommend one of these belts!

I forgot I even had this mace in my running basket until I dumped everything out to do this post. I never bring it with me because I avoid running at times or in places where I feel unsafe. If I have to run 10 miles on the treadmill to keep myself from running alone in the dark, I will. I guess this is still a good thing to have just in case though.  

These bands are pretty fun. I got this one at the Ogden Marathon expo when I was hoping to qualify for Boston. It's hard to do math when all your energy is focused on surviving 26.2 miles. It's nice to have all the mile markers and times figured out for you so all you have to do is glance at your wrist to see if you're on pace. 

My running basket usually has a bunch of random samplings of things that I get in race packets or at race expos. These titanium discs are one of the samples that I got at the Boston Marathon expo. The last time I used them on a really sore neck they worked magic. You can read more about that here if you're interested. 

This is my second favorite new running purchase. For the longest time I would use the sample Stick at the running store where I started and finished a lot of my long runs. I couldn't bring myself to spend $30 on a stick. My husband didn't understand how this stick could be much better than a rolling pin, and for awhile, I thought he had a good point. After trying both the rolling pin and this Stick a few times, there was no question that the Stick kicks the rolling pin's butt. I finally broke down and bought one, and I don't regret it. I use it all the time. It's better than a rolling pin because it's longer, more flexible, and easier to use to roll out all your sore spots. 

That completes the collection of things in my running basket for now. I'll let you know if I get anything else cool to add to my running basket.  I have my fingers crossed for one of these this Christmas. :) 

What's your favorite energy supplement?

Mine has changed a lot. I've tries sports beans, shot bloks, GU, cliff bars, candy bars, and a million other things. Right now, I guess I like the strawberry shot bloks the best for taste, and GU the best for ease of eating.

Do you choose the treadmill over running alone in the dark?

Yep. I had to do many, many 5:30AM runs on the dang treadmill while I was training for Boston. I wanted to run outside so bad, but it just didn't feel safe. I saw a lot of Saved By the Bell episodes. There's nothing on at that time! Better safe than sorry though right?