5 Favorite Marathon Training Products #2

Disclaimer: As a Team Nuun member I receive discounted product and as a Feetures! ambassador I receive complimentary socks.  . I was sent a Forerunner 15 watch to test & review from Garmin. I did not, and will not, receive any financial compensation from Nuun, Garmin, or Feetures! As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Even though we're stuck in the thick of winter, I'm holding on to the fact that spring isn't too far away. While I'm under-prepared for my spring race season (oops), it is quickly approaching. Soon everyone will be running, racing, and coming out of hibernation to train. I thought I'd share five of my favorite products from training for my second marathon-the Chicago Marathon, last year. This list is slightly different from my favorite gear list during training for my first marathon.  

Actually all of these products, besides the shoes,  I use all the time no matter the distance I'm training for!

1. Adidas Energy Boost 2

I'm still a Brooks Running lady at heart, but the Adidas Energy Boost 2 shoes were good to me this past marathon training season. I've been spoiled because no shoe I try ever feels as bouncy as these do. I loved the responsiveness and slight cushion of the boost material along with the thinner, slightly stretchy upper. I felt like I definitely had enough support for long runs and the constant pounding of me feet. These also gave me no problems during the actual marathon which is obviously super important. 

2. Garmin Forerunner 15

Also picture is my Road ID which I highly recommend. 

Last summer I was sent a Garmin Forerunner 15 tester to use & review, and I haven't gone back to my Garmin Forerunner 405 since.  Besides this particular Garmin being in one of my favorite colors (it comes in many), I love how much more lightweight it is.  The Forerunner 15 has solid GPS tracking along with step/activity tracking.  It retails at around $140  which is reasonable for a GPS running watch.  I like that the sporty design, clear display, and fairly long battery life.  The setup of the watch is really simple and clear, but you can get more details and features when you sync it online. Even though it can track steps, it doesn't track sleep, so that's why I still like using my FitBit sometimes.  It only displays two data fields at a time (i.e pace and distance) so you have to press a button to flip through them which is sometimes inconvenient. 

However when I'm running I just need a simple watch to help with speed workouts and to track my pace, time, and mileage so this watch does the job. 

3. Fuel: Salted Caramel Gu & Nuun Energy

Clearly as a Team Nuun member for the second year in a row, I love me some Nuun. The tablets are like Alka Seltzer and dissolve in water, leaving me with a slightly effervescent, flavored hydration drink with no sugar and lots of vitamins and electrolytes.  For races I love the Nuun Energy Lemon-Lime flavor. It has the usual electrolyte mix but is boosted with caffeine (about the amount in a cup of coffee, nothing crazy).  Nuun has no carbs though so I always need to fuel during long runs and training. My marathon method of choice this past time was the delicious Salted Caramel Gu every 5-6 miles. I used this throughout training to make sure I felt good with it. Each packet is 100 calories with 22g of carbs and was enough for me during the marathon after doing a pre-race carb-load.  

Hydrating with Nuun as I spectated the 2014 Boston Marathon

4. Pacebands

From the Pacebands Facebook page

I bought two Pacebands before the marathon training started-a 3:30 reach goal, and a 3:35 one. I ended up wearing the 3:35 one during the race, and since I started the race just trying to have fun and run as well as I could, it was nice to focus more on my paceband and less on my Garmin. I used the paceband a couple times during tempo runs to practice with it and make sure I felt good pacing myself. 

I know I've seen stickers or even people writing the paces per mile to reach a certain goal time on their arm, but I liked the idea of a reusable band I could wear on my wrist. They retail for $8.99 and come in a variety of paces for races including half marathons,marathons, 10Ks, and even 5Ks.  

5. Feetures! running socks

 I've mentioned multiple how excited I am to be a Feetures! Ambassador this year. I discovered the running socks brand when I was training for my first marathon 2 years ago and realized how important a good pair of socks was. I mostly use the high performance Feetures! in the light cushion style.  They have just the right amount of cushioning for my feet.  I love how the socks are so soft and comfortable, but also keep my feet blister-free and dry when the mileage creeps up during training. 

What are your favorite race training products?  Do you have any big spring races coming up?

This post was linked up for Friday favorites here, here, and here.