I won’t run without….

Today I’m linking up with April from Run the great wide somewhere, Patty from My No-Guilt Life and Erika from MCM Mama Runs for their Tuesdays on the Run link up and the topic is ‘I won’t run without….‘

So what won’t I run without?

• my flipbelt. Absolutely love it and feel lost without it. It securely holds any little bits I need to take with me and doesn’t move, rub or get in my way. And, when it regularly gets thrown in the washing machine, it comes out as fresh and sparkling as it first arrived.
• my phone. I didn’t used to run with my phone but often worried about what I’d do if I rolled my ankle. Or, more likely, had run too far and couldn’t be bothered running home. It fits neatly into my flipbelt and is also frequently popped out for pictures of the gorgeousness where I run.
• my iPod shuffle, yurbuds headphones & awesome playlist. I need music when I run, mostly to mask the gasps and gulps that pass for breathing when I exert myself. My shuffle is perfect because it’s light and unobtrusive and my yurbuds are the best headphones I’ve found so far – they really don’t fall out.
• my Garmin. There’s a phrase often quoted in my running group – ‘If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen’ so my Garmin is a necessary item for me to keep track of when/where/how long I’ve run. And I do love a little statistical analysis while recovering on the couch back at home.

If I’m heading out to parkrun on a Saturday morning I also make sure I’ve got my barcode #dfyb

And that’s it. I’ve got it down to a fine art – all the bits are kept in the same spot so I can grab them on my way out the door.

What won’t you run without?

postscript – my flipbelt is awesome!

For those of you who saw my earlier post, I have just got a flipbelt and was waiting for the weather to cooperate (and cool down) so I could go out for a run and test it out. I got my wish this afternoon and took a 7km run around the neighbourhood.

Not only was my run fantastic, the flipbelt did exactly what it was supposed to – it held stuff in place and kept it safe. I couldn’t believe how comfortable it was – I barely felt that it was there and it didn’t move, jiggle or get in my way (the same can’t be said of other random body parts – I swear I look like a tub of jelly when I run!). Most importantly, my phone was secure and didn’t move at all during my run.

So, to sum up, I’m hugely happy with my purchase and will definitely be adding it to my list of favourite running things. To those who are thinking about it, definitely do it – a great accessory 🙂

my new running toy. on a hot day.

I got a new toy in the post today and was so excited, I simply had to go out for a run to try it out. I had wanted a flipbelt for ages and treated myself to one in the lead up to 2 long runs I’ve got coming up later in the year.

A flipbelt is basically a tube of stretchy, non-abrasive fabric with slots at regular intervals to allow you to carry with you whatever you need on a run. The ‘non-abrasive’ bit is the key for me – I’ve tried running with all sorts of other accessories but always end up with sore bits somewhere as a result. Hence why I was so keen to test this out.

So, time to run. Except it was 33C here this afternoon and I was feeling hot and disgusting after a day of general chaos at school – my energy was also in very short supply. So I walked instead. Although I did break into a sprint when I got to a swarm of midges around the back of the lake.

This is the view I have on one of my running routes and it always makes me smile. I feel really lucky to live where I do and have such beautiful places to run. As the sun was setting, the temperature dropped enough for me to no longer feel hot and disgusting – instead I felt happy and contented. Very zen 🙂

So I may have only walked with the flipbelt but, so far, it’s a definite winner. Didn’t even notice I was wearing it and it easily fitted my phone which is the biggest plus. I prefer to carry my phone when running but haven’t found an easy solution for that before now. Once the temperature drops today, I’ll be out for a run and will continue to my testing – will let you know how it goes!

What’s your favourite new running accessory? How do you carry ‘stuff’ when you run?