Friday Five:5 Marathon Training MVPs (Most Valuable Products)

How is it already Friday?! I’ve been busy all week due to it being my last few moments of summer and boy did it feel like a long one! Not in a bad way, though! Sadly, I’ve been neglecting my blog lately but I’m hoping with school starting and the beginning of some new routines, I’ll get back into the swing of things quickly! For now, I’ll stick with keeping up with my weekly posts and since I haven’t talked about anything marathon related lately, that’s what I’m doing today. In the sport of running there are many important products. Shoes, clothing, the perfect socks, etc. Sometimes there are products that just don’t get enough attention but we all know they play a huge role in the success of our runs! Today I’ll be sharing with you my personal 5 Most Valuable Products, especially during marathon training.

1. Body Glide
I never thought I’d need this until this summer. With the heat, you all know I’m a fan of running through sprinklers. Well, with sprinklers come wet shorts.. and with wet shorts comes the worst of all: chafing! I keep a small version of Body Glide in my hydration pack pocket and stop to apply it whenever I start to feel the tiniest bit of discomfort. I usually only apply it once and it stays the rest of my run! I couldn’t imagine a sprinkler-filled run without it.

2. KT Tape
If you’ve ever had any pain and never tried KT Tape, TRY IT! I don’t understand the science behind it, but somehow this thin little tape, when stretched and placed the right way, makes the pain (mostly) go away! Magic, amiright?! I use it on my ankle for almost all my long runs and it helps tremendously! KT Tape has gotten me through all my half and full marathons.

3. BioFreeze
This is the answer for all minor pains that I don’t fix with KT Tape. I like to put it on right before a run so as a pain arises, the area is already feeling cool. It helps alleviate any pains I get before, during, and/or after any run. I’ve been using this for years and it’s been my life saver!

4. Nuun
My favorite post-run treat is an iced cold glass of Nuun! I mix it up and put it in the fridge before I leave for my long run so that way when I return, I can sip on it while I stretch and perform any other post-run routines. Even though I hydrate pretty well during my run, it’s nice to have something with flavor while also giving me some more hydration!

5. Momentum Jewelry
This isn’t necessarily something I need for a run, but a momentum wrap really does give me that extra motivation along the way! Mantras really get me through my tougher runs (my newest mantra that I say aloud during the toughest moments of my run is “I am strong!”) so having them on my wrist is an added bonus.