I have been running regularly for over 10 years, completed 8 marathons, and a handful of half-marathons. During that time, I went from running a marathon in 4 hours and 20 minutes to 3 hours and 25 minutes. That means I went from running a roughly 10 minute per mile pace in my first marathon to 7 minute 45 second mile pace in my last marathon (if you want more info about running a marathon, check out this post). And you better believe I used a lot of running gear during that time.
Through a lot of trial and even more error, I’ve found products and resources for running that I absolutely love, swear by, and believe have improved my running. These products are amazing whether you’re just getting started or a veteran runner and pretty much any of them would make great gifts for the runner in your life.
I focus primarily on the best running gear to wear in all weather conditions. I then turn to my favorite running fuel, injury-prevention gear, and running-related reading material. Let’s dive in!
The Best Running Gear to Wear
It’s so important that you find good running gear you like to wear. Doing so will make all of your runs from the coldest to the hottest so much more comfortable. Given that, I spend a lot of time discussing things you should look for in running clothes and I include many of my favorites.
Picking Out Running Shoes: Get a Gait Analysis
Perhaps the most important piece of running gear is your running shoes. Unfortunately, it’s hard to offer recommendations in this area because the best running shoes for me may not be the best running shoes for you. We all have different foot structures and running mechanics. The right running shoe will work best for your unique foot and stride.
As an example, I absolutely despise Hoka running shoes. They’re amazing shoes for many people. However, for me they are too narrow, give me blisters, and are all around deeply uncomfortable. Another example is my favorite running shoe, Brooks Ghosts. I love Brooks Ghosts, they’re so comfortable and I wore them for years. Turns out though, they aren’t actually great for my feet. I’m an overpronator (roll my feet out) and these shoes don’t offer enough support to prevent me from doing that.
This all goes to show why it’s a good idea for every new runner (and even veteran runner) to get fitted for running shoes by a professional. A professional can assess your stride and foot structure. They can then recommend the right shoes for both your comfort and running health. And those recommendations likely differ from the ones your friends might give! Make sure to go somewhere that offers a gait analysis so that they can recommend shoes based on your foot structure and how you walk.
Other Running Shoe Features to Keep in Mind
You should keep a few other things in mind when you pick out running shoes. First, pick a shoe that is designed for your preferred running surface. If you mainly run on roads, you’ll want shoes that are designed for road running. And if you live in a rainy area like I do, you’ll want shoes with good traction. In contrast, if you mainly run on trails, you’ll want trail shoes that are designed to handle the rocks, roots, and steepness of trails.
Additionally, it is shocking how often you need to replace running shoes. Most running shoes are only designed to last up to 300-500 miles. You’ll ideally want to replace worn-out shoes after this point. For many years, I kept my shoes far past the point where I should have retired them. This ends up increasing your risk of foot injuries like plantar fasciitis and contributing to poorer running mechanics.
If you want to increase the longevity of your running shoes, try using shoes inserts. Also, save your running shoes for running. Physical therapists recommend that you do not walk or weight train in running shoes. This is because doing so wears the shoe down in ways that do not reflect your running stride. Consequently, your shoes can contribute to worse running form over time if you wear them for other uses.
Features to Look for in Running Gear
While it is not very advisable to give recommendations on running shoes, it’s luckily much safer to give recommendations on running clothes. It’s tempting to just throw on an old t-shirt when you start running. However, doing so is likely not the best idea for a few reasons. First, there’s a good chance your old t-shirts are made primarily from cotton. When cotton gets wet from, say, your sweat it stays wet. In summer months, this can be uncomfortable and quickly lead to stinky clothes. In winter months this can be downright dangerous. Indeed, soaked clothes will quickly chill you.
This is why it’s important to pick running gear made from technical fabrics or fabrics like merino wool that are naturally sweat-wicking and antibacterial. Specifically, look for sweat-wicking material that will shuttle sweat from your body to the clothes themselves and dry out quickly. You also want to look for breathable fabrics. These fabrics allow for air flow so you don’t feel (and smell) like your own personal sauna. Finally, look for clothes with UV protection. This is especially important for running in warmer weather. However, even on cloudy days you’re exposed to UV rays.
Running-specific clothes often check all these boxes. However, make sure to look at tags and online descriptions to make sure you’re getting the right gear for your needs. Clothes with these three qualities will be well-suited to a variety of running and weather conditions.
What to Wear Running in Warm Weather
On hot days, you especially want light, breathable fabrics. If you’re like me, chafing may also be one of the worst things about running in warmer temperature. If this applies to you, look for clothes with minimal seams or rough edges. For this reason, I rarely wear a pair of shorts because the edges seriously chafe my legs. Instead, I prefer light tank tops like this one by Brooks and short spandex pants, like these ones by Baleaf.
Likewise, if you wear a sports bra, look for a supportive sports bra that doesn’t have clasps or seams that rub. The right sports bra will minimize bounce but not cut into your body. I’ve had the most success with sports bras like this one from North Face. I also highly recommend foregoing the running tank top and just wearing a sports bra on warm days. While I felt self-conscious about this for many years, it’s the best way of moderating your body temperature and minimizing sweating on hot days.
Additionally, your feet swell when you run. This is especially the case during hot weather conditions. The last thing you want is major blisters derailing your run. To minimize blisters, look for socks that are moisture wicking. I also find that toe socks help prevent blisters. My personal favorites are Injinji’s toe socks. They’re not fashionable, but they have seriously protected my toes.
Finally, don’t neglect eye protection! Look for sunglasses that don’t slip on your nose and that offer complete UV protection. My favorite sunglasses are made by Goodr. Alternatively (or in addition), I love wearing baseball caps to keep the sun out of my eyes and protect my scalp. My favorite is the Outdoor Research Swift Cap.
Wear Layers for Running in Cold Temperatures
The right running gear for cold weather is somewhat more complex than it is for warm weather. For one thing, your temperature can change dramatically from the beginning to the end of a run in cold weather.
For this reason, I find it helpful to wear good layers that accommodate a wide temperature range. I also like wearing layers that I can easily take off and stow as needed. This is especially important if you are going for a longer run or even running a full marathon. You may have little opportunity to cut your run short if things get uncomfortable. Many runners are likely to find wearing layers more comfortable than wearing heavy fabrics as well. Indeed, the latter are more likely to trap too much body heat and cause lots of sweating.
Because I run hot, I like wearing thin layers. As I’ll describe below, I generally like having a long sleeve shirt or tank top with running sleeves, light, water-resistant running jacket, long tights, light gloves, and sometimes a hat. Depending on your personal preference and the climate you live in, you may find that a different combo works best for you.
The Best Cold Weather Running Shirts and Jackets
My personal favorite running gear for colder temperatures are running sleeves. You can start with a tank top or short sleeve shirt and add these running sleeves to create a long-sleeve shirt. Running sleeves are easy to take off and store in your pocket if you get too hot. And they make it so that you can adapt your summer running clothes to the winter.
If you prefer to wear a long-sleeved shirt, look for the fabric qualities mentioned above. Again, synthetic materials and merino wool are your friends here. You may also want to focus on light-colored clothing that will stand out on early morning and evening runs. Brooks makes running gear specifically designed to be light reflective. You should also check out running vests and lights that help you stand out in low-light conditions. The Tracer 2 Light Up Vest is one option that’s will help you stand out in the dark.
I also love having a lightweight jacket that can combat wind chill and that is waterproof or water-resistant for rainy runs. These jackets can make a great extra layer on cold days. I use the REI Flash Stretch jacket that folds into a running belt if I need to shed it. Look for these kinds of versatile running jackets.
If you think you’ll be consistently running in rainy weather, you may want to opt for a waterproof jacket. Keep in mind that these are generally more expensive and less breathable than water-resistant jackets. Water-resistant jackets keep the water off you for a bit, but they eventually soak through. They’re therefore a good outer layer for short runs or days with light rain or a chance of rain.
The Best Cold Weather Running Gear for Your Lower Body
What about for your lower body? Look for long tights and running pants that are moisture-wicking. If you tend to run cold, you may like fleece-lined running pants.
Additionally, long socks and thermal socks can offer excellent protection on a cold run. They also enable you to wear shorter running pants if you have socks to cover much of the rest of your legs. Merino wool socks are a great option for retaining just enough heat and drying fast in wet conditions. I also love my compression socks for keeping blood flowing when the temperature drops. My top picks for running socks are Darn Tough’s Merino Wool running socks and Physix Compression Running Socks.
Cold Weather Running Accessories
On winter runs, lightweight gloves can be a gamechanger, and they’re easy to forget about. Cold hands can quickly derail a run and make coordination difficult. I have Outdoor Research‘s sun-protective gloves. Funnily enough, Outdoor Research designed these gloves to protect your hands from the sun in high alpine areas. They didn’t design them for running. Nevertheless, these gloves are moisture wicking, comfortable, and have made a huge difference on cold days.
Personally, I prefer wearing my baseball cap in the Winter. However, you may find that a merino wool hat better fits your needs and keeps you warm. As mentioned above, wool is great at absorbing moisture and quickly drying. It’s also naturally antimicrobial. So it’s a great thing for running clothes.
Depending on your personal preference, you may also want to get ear warmers, a face mask, neck gaiter, or hand warmers. Especially if you tend to run cold, this gear may be a god send to help you warm up and stay warm. I personally run too hot and live in a temperate enough area where I haven’t found a need for these. But again, you may have your own specific needs and preferences to make your run an enjoyable experience.
Finally, you may want to invest in a running belt or pack to easily store that extra gear. Many people forget that you can easily become dehydrated in colder weather as well, so continuing to use your hydration pack for your winter runs and using it to store gear can be the best choice for balancing those needs.
The Best Things to Eat/Drink for Running
Now that we’ve discussed running clothes, let’s turn to some of my other favorite gear options briefly.
- Nuun Electrolyte Tablets
- What It Is: Nuun tablets are electrolyte tablets with tasty flavors. The strawberry lemonade flavor is my particular favorite.
- How I Use It: Whenever I start to train for a marathon, I generally experience digestive distress during the first few weeks. Why does this happen? When we run, blood is diverted from our digestive system. Consequently, things take longer to digest. If I have a Nuun tablet before my run and a tablet during my run (added to the handheld water bottle I discuss below), I can often avoid tummy troubles. Slowly ramping up mileage also helps adapt the body.
- Tailwind Recovery Mix
- What It Is: A yummy chocolate drink mix that has electrolytes and a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein (the scientifically proven ideal carb/protein ratio for workout recovery).
- How I Use It: Not going to lie, this mix is expensive. Given that, I save it for long run days during marathon training. Because I rarely have an appetite after long runs, it helps me get in the calories and nutrition I need when I can’t stomach a big snack or meal.
- Nathan Handheld Water Bottle
- What It Is: This water bottle sits comfortably in your hand, fits 12oz of water, and has handy pouches for small items.
- How I Use It: I hate running with belts or vests. Belts bounce annoyingly, at least for the first part of a run, and vests make my already sweaty body even sweatier. This water bottle lets me store key items, encourages me to drink more water during my run, and is a manageable size to hold.
- Want more ideas? Check out my post on eating for recovery!
The Best Injury-Preventing Running Gear
- Body Glide Anti Chafe Moisturizing Balm
- What It Is: A deodorant-like stick that you can use to easily apply a layer of chafe-preventing cream.
- How I Use It: I used to think that chafing was an inevitable part of running. No more! This stuff has prevented chafing every time I’ve used it, including during marathons. And have I mentioned how sweaty I get? I’ve also used Vaseline for a cheaper option. Vaseline is messier but also quite effective.
- Paper Tape
- What It Is: Medical professionals usually use this tape to secure bandages. However, I love it for the uses below.
- How I Use It: I used to have a lot of issues with blisters on my feet, especially before I started using toe socks. During that time, I realized that wrapping the parts of my feet that are at risk of blisters with paper tape did an amazing job of preventing blisters and protecting my feet after blisters had formed. It does a good job of absorbing moisture and coming off easily when you’re done with a run. The trick is to wrap your feet so that you still have mobility and aren’t going to cut off circulation when your feet swell.
- Foam Roller
- What It Is: A cylindrical piece of relatively firm foam that you can use to apply pressure to various body parts
- How I Use It: Foam rolling is an incredible way to release knots and tension and improve bloodflow both before and after a run. Studies have found that it can improve performance when used as a warmup and improve mobility when used as a cooldown. There are a large number of online videos and tutorials for how to use the foam roller. I particularly love Hannah Corbin’s foam roll routines on the Peloton app.
The Best Books and Articles on Running
- Rise and Run and Run Fast Eat Slow cookbooks by Elyse Kopecky and Shalane Flanagan
- What It Is: Cookbooks designed for runners filled with nutrient-packed recipes, nutrition advice, recipes tailored to particular health concerns, and training advice. These books are written by a trained chef/ trail runner and her Olympic marathon runner BFF.
- How I Use It: I turn to these cookbooks pretty much every week. They advise incorporating more healthy fats into your diet and I found that their recipes and nutrition advice helped me solve issues I was having with running and hormones.
- Happy Runner by David and Megan Roche
- What It Is: A hilarious, heartfelt book of running and life advice.
- How I Use It: Any time I feel persistently unmotivated to run I turn to this book and get a huge boost in motivation. Following their advice to run easy 90% of the time and sprinkle in speed workouts each week has also been transformative for my running. This book gets a ton of credit for my Boston Marathon qualifying time. If I know you personally and you’re a runner, there’s a 97% chance I’ve recommended this book to you before.
- Trail Runner magazine
- What It Is: A (now fully online) magazine that has research-backed training advice, profiles of professional runners, and tons of running inspiration.
- How I Use It: I use this mainly for the running advice to inform my training and these articles! I’ve found that a subscription is worth it for how often I read and reference articles.
- This blog! Obviously I’m biased! However, I have included links to running-related articles below.
Final Thoughts on the Best Running Gear
Once you find the best running gear for you, your runs become so much more enjoyable! To paraphrase a Scandinavian saying, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. I hope that the suggestions above allow you to run more comfortably in hot weather, cold conditions, wind, rain, and more. I also hope the gear above helps you recover faster and fuel well.
Is there running gear you love but don’t see here? Let me know in the comments! If you liked this post or think it would be helpful for others, I’d love for you to consider liking, subscribing, or sharing.
Interested in related material? Check out my posts on how to run a marathon, how to get started running, and the role of strength training in running.