Our Five Favorite Endurance Purchases of 2022

Endurance is a surprisingly expensive sport! Between race registrations and nutrition ... there's often a limited budget leftover for gear. Fortunately, we had a few bucks to spend on some items during 2022 and ranked our top five purchases here. We had several criteria we considered when compiling this list:

• Added Value: how much each item improved our training or recovery routine.
• Purchase Value: the 'bang for our buck' metric. How much we enjoyed each item relative to its costs.
• Safety Benefit: did this help us stay injury free or safe during training? Bonus points!
• Uniqueness: how funky is the item? Most training gear is quite practical, so this was a good metric to break some ties.

Without further ado, here are our five favorite items of 2022:

1. Recovery Sandals. I’ve been casually using these for years, but I recently bought a new pair of OOFOS and have begun wearing them almost all day. I was having some knee discomfort earlier this year and my PT asked what shoes I was wearing throughout the day, to which I replied that I was usually wearing no shoes, given I work from home most days. My PT suggested I try wearing my OOFOS during the day and within a week my knee discomfort subsided.
2. Bone Conducting Headphones. I was always curious about Shockz, but until this year, never tried them. Purchased them blind and immediately fell in love. Sound quality is much better than I would have expected (even for podcasts) and, equally important, I can hear my surroundings. As someone who runs through the city and on commuter paths, this has been a critical improvement to my running experience.
3. Road ID. Road ID is a sleek identification bracelet I wear on my wrist while running or biking outside. While no one ever wants to need one of these, it offers peace of mind to both me and my loved ones when I’m out and about on runs throughout the city. They’re completely customizable with contact information, allergies, blood type and even motivational sayings.
4. Support Insoles. After a run analysis, a PT suggested I purchase a pair of Superfeet insoles for added stability, shock absorption and support. While this recommendation was tailored to me, Superfeet has a wide range of insoles designed to improve your run experience and overall comfort. I would absolutely recommend a run analysis if it’s within your budget. Mine came as a result of some minor discomfort earlier this year, but often these can serve as preventative, performance enhancing experiences.
5. Run Belt. I’ve praised this purchase in the past to friends and family due to the convenience and comfort it offers me on every run. When I leave home, I have my keys, phone, mask and sometimes more. In the past, the bouncing in my pockets was infuriating, until I got my Flip Belt. I’ll slip it on for every run and barely notice it. It keeps my gear snug and secure during my run and offers easy access, if needed.

What are some of your favorite purchases? Let us know or submit your own gear blog for a feature! We'd love to hear what athletes are using out there to maximize training.