In the world of running, there are sooo many products to consider—from headphones and watches to hair ties and water bottles. Throughout this series, we’ll share some current favorites from our running community. Today’s topic: wearable tech.
What we’re loving: Garmin Forerunner Watch
Why we love it:
- It stores music so you don’t have to bring your phone along for the run—but if you do, it uses Bluetooth to easily sync with your devices
- Its battery can make it through long runs, outlasting our phones and other watches
- It has a reliable and fairly accurate GPS connection
- It goes beyond road-running with tracking options for the treadmill, trail hiking, and more—and it can pace your splits
- It tracks the details, including step count, stress levels, and heart rate (all things we like to monitor during a training run!)
- It saves a history of your runs, suggesting workouts and recoveries based on your previous activity
- It comes in a variety of band colors so you can mix it up to match your style
- It's available in different versions, so you can choose the level that best fits your needs (Middle Trail co-founder Genny runs with the Forerunner 55, and fellow co-founder Kayla runs with the Forerunner 245 Music)
What we’re loving: Shokz Headphones
Why we love them:
- They feature an open-ear design, powered by bone conduction technology, which allows you to hear your music and your surroundings, which helps us feel safe and aware during a run
- They connect to other devices (such as your phone or watch) through Bluetooth, making it easy to toggle from one song to the next, pause, increase volume, etc.
- They have a long-lasting battery so you don't have to worry about running out of juice on a long run
- They come in different sizes so you can find your perfect fit
- They provide great sound quality for your favorite playlists and podcasts
- They wrap securely around the back of your head without an annoying cord swinging in your face
- They’re good for mid-run phone calls (hi, mom!) and eliminate background noise so you can be heard loud and clear
- They come with a nice carrying case and magnetic charger
We hope you love these products as much as we do! Have suggestions for what we should review next? Message us on Instagram: @middletrailrunning