Summer Running Essentials

1. Sunscreen: Admittedly I used to be absolutely terrible about wearing sunscreen until several of my friends had to have pre-cancerous moles removed. Trust me, throwing on a little sunscreen is a lot less of a nuisance than the potential consequences of skin damage. I swear by this product for my most important area, my face. In fact, I wear it every day under my makeup now. It’s so feathery light and smooth you won’t even notice it’s there, plus no melting off and burning your eyes.

2. Hydration: Nothing can make or break a sweat sesh like dehydration-I speak from experience. Hydration is always a key piece of the puzzle but is even more critical during the sweaty summer months. I drop a Nuun tablet in my water during runs and swear by Liquid IV to replenish electrolytes post-run. Use my code “THEPLANEKATE” for 25% off and free shipping on Liquid IV (also amazing to cure hangovers!). When I don’t feel like carrying a heavy Camelbak with water, I swear by this handheld bottle which also has room to stash my keys and nutrition.

3. Sunglasses: I used to HATE running with sunglasses because they’d fall down or bounce around on my head/face. Goodr makes the absolute best/most affordable sunglasses for running and other fitness activities and they’re actually cute too! I’m linking my newest pair here for you.

4. Smart Watch: Following the Boston Marathon, I signed on as a Garmin Ambassador which should tell you just how much I love my watch. It is seriously a running/fitness essential for me all year long. I live for the integrated music feature that allows me to upload my Spotify playlists and leave my phone behind. I also use it to keep me on pace during training runs, track workouts (especially important since I don’t have a track where I currently live), and during every race. I also love that it’s rose gold, so I wear it all day long. Garmin has some options that take things to a new level and they just sent me the Fenix 7s Solar which I can’t wait to use for my upcoming marathon training (stay tuned for a review!). While they have lots of great watches to choose from, I love that the Fenix and Forerunner 255 have a solar charging capability and “recovery time” which tells you when you will have fully recovered from a hard workout and are ready to get after it again. Remember that in the summer it’s particularly important to listen to your body and I often slow down my pace by a minute or more per mile in the summer. If you have any questions about Garmin watches, I’m your girl!

As always, drop any additional questions in the comments here or on Instagram. Wishing you happy roads ahead!