It’s a constant battle in the fitness industry, ignoring all the calls that prey on your insecurities, telling you that you’ll lose more weight, or run faster, or lift more, if you just!! buy!! this!! product!! That said, fitness, and health and wellness is absolutely the area where I am constantly asking myself is this a want or a need? Plus, you can trust this list as I’m not being paid for any of these links!

So, as someone who is a perfectly average (if not below average) runner, who has been running for over ten years now. These are the items I spend money on that I’ve found to be well worth it. These items all either support my safety, performance, or just ability to do the sport. 

1. A good pair of shoes. Currently I’m wearing the Brooks Ghost 14s ($140), but the right shoe for me may not be the right shoe for you. Most running stores provide a free shoe fitting for you based on your gait and wear patterns on old shoes. Good shoes are essential to supporting your overall running. I suggest buying your shoes just as a new model has dropped, so the old model has gone on sale.
2. My Strava Subscription – $80/year – For those unacquainted, Strava is a place where you can track your runs, and also see what your friends are doing too. When I’m regularly running more than one time per week, this is absolutely worth it for me. My favorite features of the paid version are how Strava compares my performance over the long term. Furthermore, I love the segments on Strava that allow me to compete against other runners in my area, as well as myself. I am not fast by any means, but this does bring out my competitive side. I personally track my runs in my Apple Watch, and then upload them to Strava after I’m done. 
3. Shokz Open Move – $80 Listening to music or podcasts is a non negotiable for me when running. That said, I feel much safer being able to hear my surroundings with Shokz open ear technology. They use bone conduction, so you can hear your music, without actually putting something into your ears. I also have a pair of PowerBeats Pro, and I could wear one in one of my ears, but to be frank my ears get too sweaty for that to work for me. The OpenMove is the cheapest version of these headphones, but to be frank I see no reason to need anything fancier. 
4. Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Fanny Pack – $35 I’ve got stuff to carry and no pockets. This is my favorite running pack, I’ve tried fanny packs with elastic waist bands like the Spi Belt, but personally I’ve found the pack to bounce around on my waist too much. My untested theory is that if you don’t have a flat tummy the elastic waistbands will bounce around more. Enter this Patagonia fanny pack, it’s a great size for my phone, keys, pepper spray, dog treats, dog poop bag, and so much more if needed. 
5. Camelbak Quick Grip Chill™ Handheld 21oz – $32 So as I’ve very slowly accumulated my running gear over the years, I’ve gotten the fanny pack and water bottle separately, if I had much foresight I may have gotten a hydration backpack instead. That said, I think this waterbottle is great for when I’m on a long run and don’t have many water options. I love the pouch as well because again, no pockets.
6. Goodr sunglasses – $25 Listen, you can definitely wear any sunglasses while you’re running, but these sunglasses are such a steal and so high quality I love them. They are lightweight, have grippy nosepieces so they don’t slide down when you get sweaty, or while you’re jogging, and they’re polarized. 100% worth it. (that said, I personally wouldn’t order the aviator style again, they make my head look big. I was on a bit of a Top Gun kick at the time)
7. Leggings – This is broad and I’m going to quickly name a few that I like of varying price ranges.
   1. Lululemon Fast and Free – $128 – I try my best to buy these on clearance or “we made too much” in Lululemon speak, and in truth I’ve owned two pairs for the last two years. I couldn’t possibly try to break down their cost per wear because I’ve worn them so many times, so for that alone they are absolutely worth it for me. They were one of the first pairs of leggings I found to stay up so well while running, and they have lasted through countless wears. They have pockets if you want to put your phone in them, but I don’t run like that. These are perfect for running. 
   2. Lululemon Wunder Train – $98 – These are in available in the clearance section far more often and are comparable to the fast and free. They don’t have pockets unfortunately, but I don’t really use them. The main difference between the Fast and Free and the Wunder Train that I’ve noticed (forgive me Lululemon experts as I don’t know the technical differences between fabrics) is that the Wunder Trains are far more compressive, but I don’t mind as it means they’ll stay up while running. 
   3. Nike Pros – $50 These are fine, they wear out a lot faster than the above Lululemon options but I list them because they’re easy to find in excellent condition on resale sites like Poshmark, Depop, or Mercari for much less than $50 and they are very frequently on sale. I recommend sizing down if you’re in between sizes to ensure that these stay up.
8. Sports Bras – Again I have a few in the rotation that I’ve tested out but this is something that is truly more personal, especially if you have a large chest. I’m lucky in that I am not super sensitive to straps pressing on my shoulders, but you might be! So look into that.
   1. Lululemon Energy Bra – $52 – do not pay full price for this bra. This is on clearance all the time. It’s good for shorter runs, but I do experience some chafing on longer runs due to the mesh material there is on the lining. 
   2. I’m not kidding – A three pack of puma sports bras I bought from Costco are another one of my favorites. Not helpful, but a reminder that more money is not always more better.
9. Feetures Socks – $18 They are pricy for socks, but your feet will thank you. I can’t really explain what it is about the sock technology that makes a difference, but my feet do just feel refreshed after this. 
10. Nox Tracer 2 Performance Safety Visibility Vest – $83.25 If you run in the dark, this, or some sort of visibility vest is extremely important to your safety. I found mine on Poshmark for half the price, but the amount I’ve worn mine in the dark, I think I would justify the full price. 

Items that aren’t running specialty items, but ones that help me a ton with running

1. Pepper Spray – You can find Mace for $15 on Amazon. Protecting yourself is so important while running, pepper spray is a deterrent that you can prepare yourself for should you get hit with it, while attackers can turn things like knives on you. 
2. Airtag – 4 Pack for $99 I run with my airtag, along with sharing my location on my phone. If you don’t bring your phone, if you run in an area with other people your airtag will likely still work to share your location with someone else. 
3. Coola Organic Classic Face Sunscreen SPF 50 – $32 This is self explanatory, but I’ve used up and repurchased this sunscreen I don’t even know how many times and it has yet to fail me. 
4. Fairlife Chocolate Protein Shake – this is the best-tasting protein shake you will find. I buy it from Costco. Nutrition is key to recovering from your run. 
5. Bandaids – I recently tripped on a run tore up my pinky. I found myself without a bandaid when I needed one pretty badly. I wouldn’t carry anything more than that as, if I were more badly injured I would probably not be running anymore.  

When there is an item that is more of a want than a need, then I sometimes will set a running based goal to achieve before I purchase it, and this is purely because I want to make sure I will use it before I spend money on it. While I’ve said I’ve been running for 10 years, it’s not been a consistent 10 years, so sometimes I need to ensure there is a gap in my regimen this will fill.