Gear Guides
The 7 Essential Items For Beginner Runners
The 7 Essential Items You Need to Start Running
By Michael
Publish Date Sep 24, 2025
• 8 min read
When beginning your journey as a runner, having the right running gear is essential to achieving comfort, motivation, and success. From comfy cushioned footwear and moisture-wicking clothing to tools for enhanced safety and post-run recovery, obtaining the appropriate equipment can let you focus on the joy of running itself. But where should you start?
To help you find your footing in the sport, we have compiled the top 7 essential items you need for running that can elevate your overall comfort and performance.
Essential #1: Running-Specific Shoes
While they may look like running shoes, those gym shoes, or the sneakers that you've cut the grass in for a decade, probably aren't the best shoes to run in.
Running shoes are specifically designed to provide the necessary support, cushioning, and stability needed during the repetitive motion of running. They will improve your form and prevent injuries. Choosing the right pair of running shoes and finding the right size impacts your performance and comfort level significantly. The best running shoes for beginners offer new runners a balance of comfort and responsiveness at budget-friendly price points, allowing you to gain the momentum needed to really hit your stride.
Essential #2: Running Specific Clothing
Breathable and moisture-wicking apparel plays a pivotal role in ensuring comfort and peak performance when running. During a run, moisture from sweat can quickly become uncomfortable and even lead to chafing and blisters. By choosing shirts and bottoms made from moisture-wicking fabrics, such as polyester and nylon blends, sweat can be efficiently drawn away from the skin and evaporated, leaving you dry and cool throughout your workout.
Most top running brands have moisture-wicking fabric technologies, such as Nike Dri-FIT and Under Armour HeatGear, all offering excellent options for staying dry and comfortable. Similarly, breathable running shorts or leggings provide chafe-free comfort and airflow. Additionally, for female runners, choosing the right supportive running bra with moisture-wicking properties is crucial for eliminating discomfort during runs.
When incorporating these essential clothing items into your running gear, you can focus on the feel-good experience of running and achieving your personal best without any distractions getting in your way.
Essential #3: Running Watches
As you get more and more into running, venturing for longer and longer distances, GPS running watches will become one of the most important tools at your disposal. The accurate and real-time tracking of essential metrics, such as distance covered, pace, heart rate, speed, and elevation, offer runners analysis of their body's overall efforts and exertion, helping them monitor their fitness goals. In addition, the built-in GPS offers accurate location tracking, ensuring you can enjoy new running destinations and trails without getting lost, and they come with safety features for alerting your emergency contacts if a run ever goes sideways on you.
All this data empowers runners to track their progress, set new goals, explore different running paths and trails, and tailor training routines to maximize performance and fun.
Essential #4: Running Socks
A protective barrier against blisters and hot spots during your run starts with the right pair of running socks. While some may attribute blisters to ill-fitting shoes, often the culprit is poorly chosen socks. Everyday casual socks, primarily made of cotton with a loose fit, are unsuitable for running. Cotton absorbs sweat instead of wicking it away, causing the friction and discomfort that result in blisters.
In contrast, running socks are designed with quick-drying technical fibers like polyester or nylon, ensuring efficient moisture-wicking properties. Moreover, these socks offer a secure fit to prevent unwanted shifting and slippage, providing the utmost comfort and protection for your feet.
Essential #5: A Water Bottle or Hydration Pack
Staying hydrated during runs is important in maintaining optimal performance and overall health and well-being. Adequate hydration not only sustains your energy levels, but it also aids in regulating your body temperature and preventing heat-related illnesses.
Handheld water bottles and hydration packs provide efficient ways to carry a water supply. Whether you opt for the convenience of handheld bottles or the versatility of hydration packs, prioritizing hydration while running ensures you can go your goal distance safely and confidently.
Essential #6: High-Visibility Gear
The importance of high-visibility gear for running in low-light conditions cannot be overstated. When running during early morning or evening hours, visibility is significantly reduced, increasing the risk of accidents and potential hazards on the road. High-visibility gear, such as reflective vests, clip-on lights, and headlamps, helps to ensure you can see and be seen in dimly-light environments. By incorporating these safety measures, runners can confidently enjoy their workouts, knowing they are well-prepared from dawn to dusk.
Essential #7: Recovery Tools
Investing in a quality foam roller or self-massager helps promote post-run muscle recovery. These recovery tools are invaluable for massaging tough knots and easing soreness throughout your body. Using a foam roller or massager can enhance blood flow, alleviate tightness, and promote relaxation by targeting soft tissue and stretching achy muscles. Even dedicating a quick 10 to 15 minutes for post-run stretches can significantly speed up your recovery time, allowing you to be ready for your next day of running.
The Gear You Need to Stay Comfortable And Motivated
For novice runners, staying comfortable and motivated while building up your endurance requires being equipped with the right tools for success. From head to toe, it's crucial to prioritize key considerations like comfort, fit, durability, and affordability when selecting your running essentials. In addition, we encourage you to try on the gear to ensure the right fit and seek expert advice from our knowledgeable customer service team members. By considering these aspects and making informed choices, beginner runners can optimize their running experience and make each run an exciting adventure.
FAQ
Once geared up, how do I start running?
It sounds strange, but this is one of the most common questions. And the answer really is simple: You just do it!
Get out that door. Go for a single run. Whether the result is a half mile at 20 minute pace, or you turn out to be some prodigy that runs a whole 10k in your first go, either way...you're a runner now!
We do advise that you increase your mileage cautiously, though. For the first few weeks- listen to your body. Give yourself chances to rest when you're aching. Then, as you find your rhythm and you get consistent, try not to increase your weekly mileage more than 10-20% from week to week in order to minimize overdoing it, and injury.
For a more concrete training plan, consider hiring a coach or joining a local run club where experts and advice will be abundant.
Wait...Run Club?
Many local parks, athletic associations, or running specialty stores will have regularly scheduled group runs that you can join. Getting involved in a run club, or otherwise finding friends to run with, is one of the key pieces to making running a habit and sticking with it long term. Having people that you're meeting will increase accountability and will also just make the experience more enjoyable in general, making your more likely hit that alarm clock in the mornings, or to slip those shoes on.
How Do I Train for a 5k/10k/...?
Another great way to stay motivated is to pick, and sign up for a race. There's a wide variety or races that you can train for, from track-based sprints to ultra marathons, and all manner of terrains and distances in between.
Whatever race piques your interest, we have a collection of training guides assembled here which can give you some ideas of timelines and commitments for preparing for each distance.
