How do you decide or prioritise what to spend on?

As a semi-experienced (10 years, 25+ marathons) amateur runner (4hr+ marathon), wanting to improve, I find this a deep dark rabbit hole my wallet is struggling to keep up.

My current expense ratios for this year:

Races: 2xtrail & 1xMarathon ~$175 (35%)

Shoes: 2xshoes ~$175 (35%)

Gear: socks & bottle ~$75 (15%)

Tech: Garmin HRM ~$80 (15%)

Next on my wishlist are

  • road shoes
  • running tights
  • replacing my 3year old Garmin
  • running cap/ sunglasses
  • a coach

As a sole breadwinner still wanting to pursue my passion of running ,any tips or philosophies to share to help a brother out?

  • @BruncvikEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    My two cents on a few of those items:

    • Road shoes: Pick work horses that can last for a while. As you get more into road running and racing, you’ll want to diversify, as the durable shoes tend to be relatively slow, but for a limited budget you want the best bang for the buck. I personally use Brooks Ghost and Mizuno Wave Rider as my go-to training shoes. They last over 600 miles, so per-mile their price is quite low. I also get one pair in a running shop where I test them first, and later stockpile more during online sales.
    • Garmin watch: Three years old isn’t all that old, but there are good watches and not so good ones. I picked a Garmin Fenix 6 very cheaply (Black Friday sale, combined with the release of the Fenix 7), and I don’t need a HR strap with those. If you want the newer model, look at Coros Pace 2 as well - same bells and whistles, but unbeatable price.
    • Coach: After I plateaued, I just took a one-day workshop to fix my running form. You can learn the rest on the cheap, via books (Pfitzinger’s Faster Road Racing is my go-to book) and then Youtube videos for more workout inspirations.
    • Cap, sunglasses, tights: Even the cheap Chinese ones from Amazon last longer than the price would suggest.
    • Additional expenses: As you get more into running, expect additional costs for physio or massage, or at least a massage gun or foam roller. There will be costs for sports glide, hot/cold packs, possibly energy gels or salt caps. Consumables will be a recurring cost, so budget for that as well.
    • @WabbitsmilesOPEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      Shoes: great idea on the training shoes. I’ll go down to the shops to try the fit for a couple, and add them to my favourite e-commerce carts and wait to profit

      Garmin: well, my battery is dying, and I’m a slut for more data. I’ll check out coros, the semi-pros and even pros seem to be enjoying them from podcasts and YTs

      Coach: I haven’t thought about books for coaching, I’ll give it a go. For me YT/podcasts don’t really do as well as there’s little accountability (read: discipline to apply) to myself. Perhaps with books there’ll be that.

      Accessories: yeah I got a bunch of cheap decath/ Chinese gear, but am always swayed by targeted ads or envious of others and their gear. I guess I have to work with what I have

      Additional: haven’t sunk into gels/ consumables much yet, been trying to DIY nutrition. In time this will come, but I guess a $20-30/month shouldn’t be that difficult to carve out.

      • @marvinfreemanEnglish
        3•1 year ago

        I really like my Coros Pace 2. Relatively inexpensive. Great for running and cycling. Breadcrumb navigation. Long battery life.