What are the 5 things you need to run?

There isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t run in your local park/neighborhood and see other runners with their latest gadgets on display. Every year there are new advances that are launched with great fanfare that catch the eye of runners. There are the classic tools you need to run, and a few things you never thought of. Here we will give you the run down of the 5 things you absolutely have to have when you hit the streets…

• Headphones: Nearly all runners will listen to music at some point in their run, Whether it’s to push yourself on, run with the beat, catch up with the latest chart toppers or simply to distract you from the burning sensation in your thighs; music is a great complement to your strides. Don’t forget that you can also listen to podcasts about politics, history, film reviews or even your favorite audiobooks. With modern headphones you can great sound and connect wirelessly to avoid getting tangled up during your interval sets.

• Sun glasses/Cap: In Valencia sunglasses are essential, with 300 days a year of sunshine you need to avoid the glare that can happen. Glare is especially bad in the afternoon just before the sun goes down as the sun is much lower and the rays are parallel to the earth. If you are not in Valencia and it rains a lot, we recommend you swap your sunglasses for a waterproof baseball cap! Or…. Come to Valencia and enjoy our temperate climate and blue skies, even in winter!

• A watch: If you are not timing yourself, you are doing it wrong! Don’t get obsessed by individual times but do try to measure your progress over 2 week/month periods. Now you can pick up a watch with a GPS/heart rate monitor for around 200€, this is a wise investment as you can measure yourself and make sure you are not slacking off in the final kilometer.

• Mobile Phone: Going out at 4 am to get a quick 20km in before work? Going to the mountains to do some hill training? What happens if you sprain your ankle alongside a deserted country road or on the top of a 200m mountain? The great thing about smartphones is their ability to be like a Swiss Army knife. On your smartphone you have: music, GPS, tracking/fitness applications… and it could save your life! Or, at least stop your partner from worrying about you when you disappear for 4 hours up a mountain, but you were really in the pub! 😉

• Key Pouch: Do you tie your keys in the chord of your shorts? Do you tuck them in your sock? A quick trip to your local running shop and 5-15 Euros later you will have a running pouch that can be safely fixed to your laces or clipped on to your waistband/ankle; no rattle, no keys jabbing in your hip and no abdominal puncture wounds!