I like a lot of outdoor sports – skiing, climbing, running.. and while being a multi sport athlete can be a struggle sometimes (that’s a different topic), trail running may be my favorite of all that activities I partake in! There’s just something about the simplicity of donning a pair of shoes and hitting the trails with minimal effort. There’s no extra gear that climbing requires and no layering conundrums that I sometimes face with skiing.
Now, I’m a relatively young, new runner, having started in college and being a tad inconsistent with it due to injuries and having to choose between all the fun things to do! (There really isn’t enough hours in the day to do it all!)Â Now, I’m not an elite runner by any means nor am I even that good when I think about those just in my community, but I sure do love it and have found a few running pieces during my time on the trails that I definitely could not live without.
Below are a few of my GO-TO pieces when I head out onto the trails! I won’t go into all the technical details, you can find those on the company websites (link’s included below) and will talk more about my user experience with each item!
- Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Vest
I used to run in the UD Jenny Vesta (great name!) but decided to upgrade last year as I started to run longer distances! The PB Adventure Vest is fantastic – Plenty of pockets in the front for smaller water bottles and snacks, and the large main compartments in the back are large enough to carry layers, water filtration system, small first aid kit, and a 2L bladder. In addition to the front and back pockets, there are side pockets down by the Lats which is great to store anything extra I may need on my run, but won’t necessarily need to access regularily, a huge plus in my book.
Overall, the vest is great. No chaffing issues, easy to access pockets, no bounce and lots of room. My only complaint is that with a sweaty body, the inside of vest will collect some condensation, so its important to dry it out before storing it away.
(Note: I have the 2.0 version I think…)
- Ultimate Direction Hand Held
When the vest is a tad too much I’ll grab my UD handheld (I think the one I have is an older model and was unable to find the product name – but UD has some newer, awesome handhelds that should definitely be checked out!) This guy is a 20oz bottle with a small stash pocket for my phone, keys and a just-in-case Gel! I take this thing everywhere – perfect for vacation’s and traveling, to the gym as my main source of water, and on long alpine climbs in the mountains. I’ve had this for about 2 years now and it has held up wonderfully! Right now, as I am doing far more shorter runs than long ones, this lives in my hand basically.
- Arc’Teryx Squamish Hoody
I know, I know..I just reviewed this item as part of my 2017 Summer Favorites but it is slowly becoming just a favorite. Period. I got the Squamish Hoody for climbing adventures, but have been running in it for a little extra warmth during the fall time runs.. It is fantastic for these PNW finicky weather days where it might rain, even though the forecast doesn’t call for it.. It doesn’t leave me too cold, and I don’t get too hot in it and I can store it in my running vest super easy or wrap it around my waist with very little annoyance. I’m definitely excited to take this guy out more during my winter runs for that extra layer of wind protection!
- Salomon SpeedCross (Multiple versions)
I have been running in the Salomon Speed Cross’s for a couple years now and don’t plan on switching to another shoe unless A) they get way too expensive for me afford or B) they stop making them. I LOVE these shoes! I’ve had a variety of the different versions of the shoe (Pro and CS) and none have disappointed. While they are a little warm for the PNW summer months with the thicker upper mesh, the shoe is perfect for the wet spring, fall and winters here in the upper left USA. The lugs on these babies are huge making them perfect for seeking out muddy puddles that plague our trails for 9 months of the year!
The shoe is extremely durable! While I retire my trail runners after about 300-350 miles, the Speed Cross still has a lot of life left in them when i’m done! The shoe drains water well and offers great support for someone like me who has soft feet (where most of my injuries often reside..)
- Honey Stinger Organic Waffle’s and Vanilla Gu’s
Fuel! YUM! Honey Stinger makes some of the best endurance athlete fuel products on the market. While I’m not the biggest fan of all their flavors (some are a tad sweet for me due to the honey base) there are two items that I will not leave for a run without. The Vanilla Organic Gel is my absolute favorite – not too sweet and very tasty. I fueled most of my Crystal Mountain Marathon with this specific Gel and came out with one of the best race finishes I’ve ever had!
The Organic Waffle, Honey flavor is my go-to for any activity.. Running, climbing, skiing… you name it! When running, eventually the Gel’s aren’t going to be enough and I’ll need a little extra energy or something solid in my stomach. This guy hits the spot and is just plain ‘ol delicious. I find it hard to stay away from them as just a simple afternoon snack when i’m not active.
- Suunto Ambit3 Peak
Last but not least, my running watch! The Suunto Ambit3 Peak – I have been a big fan of the Ambit series by Suunto for a long time. I had the Suunto Ambit2 Sport for a long time, but again, upgraded as my miles increased over the years and needed a longer battery life. I’ll refrain from dropping all the technical details about the watch and instead list my favorite parts —
1) The battery life (duh!): This thing will last for a long time before having to re-charge the battery, roughly 1+ week when dropping 1sec GPS for 3-4, 5mi runs a week and wearing it just around.
2) Bluetooth capabilities: Its great not to have to reach into my pack or handheld for my phone every time I get a notification. Text messages and missed calls show up on the watch screen and make it easy for me to determine what can wait and what I need to pay attention to.
3) Color: Because black watches are just so boring!
So there you have it – All my current running favorites and Go-To’s. Let me know if you have any favorites that I should check out for my trail runs!
Stay tuned for more trip reports and gear reviews. Lee and I have our annual Christmas migration north to ski coming up, a hut trip in the spring, and I also signed up for my first trail race in over a year!
IT’S TIME TO SKI!!!
Jen on the Run 