I’m a marathoner and these 3 running accessories improve my training and make carrying my phone easier — they’re all reduced for Prime Day
I run almost every day and while I’m always testing new running shoes, headphones and watches to review, there are some accessories that I use constantly because they’ve proved so useful in solving common problems other runners and I have.
Right now, three of my favorite accessories are on sale on Amazon, and I think any regular runner should check out these deals just in case the products can be as useful to you as they are for me.
The three products each solve a different problem I have on the run: carrying my phone, carrying fuel and hydration on long runs, and tracking my heart rate accurately. If any of those issues strike a chord with you, you’re going to benefit from jumping on these deals.
The problem: carrying my phone during runs
Some people love to leave their phone behind and bask in the freedom of running free from distractions. I’m not one of those people.
I love to listen to podcasts and music during runs, and need to stay in touch with my family just in case I have to rush home — I have two young kids, and you never know what’s going to happen.
So I need my phone with me, and I don’t want to carry it in my hand, because that's just inconvenient, especially when things get sweaty.
The solution: a running belt
I’ve tried a lot of different ways to carry my phone on the run, and the most convenient is a running belt. They’re easier to adjust and use than armband phone holders, and I find they hold my phone more securely than tucking it into the pockets on a set of shorts.
The SPIbelt running belt is the best I’ve tested, and it’s included in the Amazon sale right now. I wear it almost every day for all types of runs, and it does the job of holding my phone without bouncing perfectly.
The problem: carrying gels and drinks during long runs
I’m almost always marathon training and do a long run most weeks, where I have to carry gels and energy drinks with me, not only to fuel those runs but also to practice my race day nutrition.
I find even the lightest running backpack can be a bit bulky for this purpose, so I prefer to pack everything I need into a pair of high-storage shorts.
The solution: high-storage running shorts
Traditional running shorts famously don’t have many pockets, but there’s a new trend for high storage potions that have multiple pockets and drop-in pouches to hold all your nutrition essentials.
The Flipbelt Compression Shorts with pockets can hold several gels, your phone, plus a couple of 250ml soft flasks comfortably, in my experience, which is all I need to get through my longest marathon training runs.
The problem: heart rate sensors on watches aren’t 100% accurate
The best running watches all offer built-in optical heart rate sensors and these are now pretty reliable in my experience, especially in warm weather.
However, even the best wrist-based sensor is prone to errors, because it’s not a great place to put a heart rate sensor, since your hand moves around so much during runs.
I find that wrist trackers will sometimes lock onto my running cadence rather than heart rate, and optical sensors also struggle to find my heart during the colder months.
The solution: a chest strap heart rate monitor
Chest strap heart rate monitors are the gold standard for accuracy in tracking during exercise. They use electrical signals directly from the heart, and rarely err as a result.
If I’m using heart rate to guide my effort during runs, or using the training analysis on my watch — much of which is based on heart rate during runs — I prefer to rely on a chest strap that links to my watch instead of the built-in sensor.
I’ve used a variety of chest straps over the years and Polar’s H10 sensor is seen as one of the most accurate on the market for a reason. It’s currently reduced by 27% in the Prime Day sales.
