Best Running Gear, Tech and Learnings from 2023
1. Asics Superblast - the do-it-all shoe. Perfect weight, responsiveness, and cushioning. Replaced the need for tempo shoe and a daily trainer. So though at $200, it’s worth every penny. And it lasts. First shoe I’ve taken over 200 miles and still felt great. Training in this shoe has rewarded me y not having too much of a drop nor a plate. So when you throw on the carbon plated Vaporfly or Alphafly for race day—that extra snap feels oh so good.
2. Garmin 965, Stryd Next Gen, GRun (Connect IQ)
If it works, stick with it. Stryd certainly falls into that category. The new Next Gen is the same consistency we all expect.
Now the 965. The screen is amazing. The fit and feel is the best yet. Battery life is fine. Coming from the 955 Solar, it’s been a cautious but a wonderful transition. Best garmin so far. Morning report and HRV? Such great info to add into the training knowledge.
The 3rd piece? Using the perfect in race data screen on the 965 to calculate for marathon distance ETA (pace, required pace and adjusted distance reporting). Enter GRun. There will be other apps and garmin improvements in the future but this Connect IQ app helped me run a perfect sub-3 NYC Marathon this year. I use Stryd for pace and distance reporting but in a marathon, you’ll never run exactly 26.2 and no multi-band watch will be 100% accurate.
4. Training smart. Though this ain’t gear or tech. This comes from experience and understanding that quality training matters more than miles. That also includes sometimes walking during easy runs. Not over training. Sleeping well. Eating well. Practicing hydration and in race nutrition. And finally Staying Consistent! More on this later.
