The Running Thread - 2026

[Zutroy]

Looking for some running belt suggestions. I have been using a Naked Running belt the past couple of years. I loved the space inside the belt, but didn't like that it constantly rolled up and sometimes made it hard to get your fuel out. So looking for something that can hold a phone and up to eight or so gel packs.

Did you get the right size? Have you changed size since you bought it? When ordering, the site really emphasizes measuring your natural waist exactly and not using your pant size. I wear a Naked belt daily and have run a couple of marathons in it. I love it—no bounce, and I’ve never had to adjust it or have it roll up. It’s so comfortable that I don’t even realize I’m wearing it.

 

[FlyingDonut]

I bought a Naked running belt. I thought I followed their instructions on measuring. I got a piece of rope, put it around myself, and measured that with a tape measure. I ended up getting about 2 inches less than my usual pant size.

I got the belt and it's uncomfortably tight on me and feels like it'd roll up. Maybe it would be better on a run (it's tight enough that I've never tried it).

In related news, if anyone at Wine and Dine wants a size 4 naked belt... I might have one.

 

[accm]

I use a combination of shorts with big pockets, and a flipbelt when I need water. I got the flipbelt during the expo, so was able to try it on before buying. It doesn't move at all while I'm running, and I mostly forget I even have it on. I prefer the flipbelt to the handheld bottle, as the handheld ends up causing issues with my shoulder.

 

[jrsharp21]

I bought a Naked running belt. I thought I followed their instructions on measuring. I got a piece of rope, put it around myself, and measured that with a tape measure. I ended up getting about 2 inches less than my usual pant size.

I got the belt and it's uncomfortably tight on me and feels like it'd roll up. Maybe it would be better on a run (it's tight enough that I've never tried it).

In related news, if anyone at Wine and Dine wants a size 4 naked belt... I might have one.

This is why I am searching for a new running belt. The Naked belt keeps rolling up. On my long training run this past Sunday it got really annoying because I kept having to unwind the belt to try to get my gel packs out.

 

[PrincessV]

I know the most recent shoe talk has been in the MW thread, but this felt more appropriate here…

Interesting little blurb I came across today in a CNN article I got sucked into - something about some running coach’s top picks for high-stack shoes. I don’t know why I clicked on it other than morbid curiosity: high stack heights are the bane of my existence lol! But buried deep inside the story was a little side note about oh, but all of those enormous mounds of foam designs are for people who naturally walk/run heel first. If that’s a struggle for you - if you land mid- or forefoot - all that foam is going to cause problems.

Let me say that this is not news to me: it’s been exactly my personal experience as a forefoot runner. But it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone of some level of expertise actually say it. The validation was nice. Believe me, if I could make myself heel strike, I would: there’d be so many more shoe options open to me! But my body just does not do it.

 

[AaronB]

I know the most recent shoe talk has been in the MW thread, but this felt more appropriate here…

Interesting little blurb I came across today in a CNN article I got sucked into - something about some running coach’s top picks for high-stack shoes. I don’t know why I clicked on it other than morbid curiosity: high stack heights are the bane of my existence lol! But buried deep inside the story was a little side note about oh, but all of those enormous mounds of foam designs are for people who naturally walk/run heel first. If that’s a struggle for you - if you land mid- or forefoot - all that foam is going to cause problems.

Let me say that this is not news to me: it’s been exactly my personal experience as a forefoot runner. But it’s the first time I’ve seen anyone of some level of expertise actually say it. The validation was nice. Believe me, if I could make myself heel strike, I would: there’d be so many more shoe options open to me! But my body just does not do it.

Do you still have the link to the article, would be curious as I have never really seen anything regarding stack height and foot strike specifically. I have read plenty of times that recommendations are often to train in different stack heights (am a big fan of the Doctors of Running site and they had this article a while back https://www.doctorsofrunning.com/2025/01/the-monday-shakeout-who-does-best-in.html) Some of the training videos I have watched seem to follow that as well. They are fore/midfoot strikers (also with very effecient running form, heh) running in the high stack super shoes, but have other lower stack trainers they rotate in for other runs.

The other two things I see discussed a lot is drop and the softness/firmness of the foam itself. Obviously the lower the drop the more preferred for fore/midfoot. And then foam wise, the spongy/plush stuff is great for those slow/recovery runs, and then rotatiting in slightly firmer stuff for other runs. Of course you need to be spending money on all these shoes to rotate, but that is the fun part... right...

 

[PrincessV]

Do you still have the link to the article, would be curious as I have never really seen anything regarding stack height and foot strike specifically. I have read plenty of times that recommendations are often to train in different stack heights (am a big fan of the Doctors of Running site and they had this article a while back https://www.doctorsofrunning.com/2025/01/the-monday-shakeout-who-does-best-in.html) Some of the training videos I have watched seem to follow that as well. They are fore/midfoot strikers (also with very effecient running form, heh) running in the high stack super shoes, but have other lower stack trainers they rotate in for other runs.

The other two things I see discussed a lot is drop and the softness/firmness of the foam itself. Obviously the lower the drop the more preferred for fore/midfoot. And then foam wise, the spongy/plush stuff is great for those slow/recovery runs, and then rotatiting in slightly firmer stuff for other runs. Of course you need to be spending money on all these shoes to rotate, but that is the fun part... right...

I don’t have the link, but it was on the homepage, down in the Here Are 5 Things We Tested And You Really Need to Buy! section.

I think there are probably a lot of variables involved, but for me, two stand out:
1. I’m very lightweight (not a flex - I’m also very short!) - more foam doesn’t give me any advantage that I can feel and almost always leaves me feeling inherently unstable for no good reason.
2. Loading a ton of foam into the heel and creating a rocker shape to encourage a foot to roll from heel to toe is literally the opposite of how my mechanics work - I land on the outside balls of my feet, my heels lever downward but rarely make any contact with the ground, and then roll off my toes to spring off. I have very strong feet, ankles, and calves as a lifelong dancer, and my running mechanics use that: when a shoe prevents my feet from flexing as they need to, the load ends up somewhere else and creates pain in knees, quads, hips, back, or even shoulders. And when stack heights are high, the shoes become inflexible - so it’s less that it’s tall, more that all that tallness requires a stiff, rockered motion that’s in opposition to my mechanics.

I’ve run in all sorts of different shoes and the ones that always work best for me are lower stack heights with plenty of flexibility. Even a 12mm drop Ghost back in the day was great - but it was only 17mm in the forefoot and had plenty of flexibility. Conversely, I tried one of Altra’s mega-stack shoes a while ago and though it was a 0mm drop that I’m used to, I couldn’t comfortably run in it because it was too stiff.

I used to buy into the idea of having multiple types of shoes to cycle through, but honestly? I’ve run and felt best sticking to one shoe models, or two that are very similar. I’m not breaking any records and just want to run comfortably in my later years, so I really hope I can continue to find the shoe traits that work for me going forward!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

This is why I am searching for a new running belt. The Naked belt keeps rolling up. On my long training run this past Sunday it got really annoying because I kept having to unwind the belt to try to get my gel packs out.

Any more, a full marathon distance is the only time I need a belt, mostly for carrying an inhaler and fuel. For that, I use a Nathan belt; the pouch part sits in the small of my back, doesn't bounce around, and is barely noticeable. I've been using that for over 4 years now, and for every marathon I've run, plus some halfs and training runs before I found tights with pockets.
I now have (short) running tights that I wear under my shorts for chafing prevention, and for side pockets that don't bounce around like the shorts pockets. Phone goes into one tights pocket and ID, credit card, keys etc go in the other pocket. The only thing in my shorts pockets are light stuff like candies or napkins for my runny nose. Most of my shorts have a pocket in the back, which is also OK for things like an inhaler or car keys that I don't want bouncing around. Side rant: I can no longer pull my ignition/door key for my car off the keyring and tuck it into the little key pocket in my shorts; the keyless fob is this large thing that even by itself won't fit in the little key pocket. Grrrrr. I know, first world problem....

For fuel, I stack them in the belt pouch in the order they will be consumed, so when I'm close to a fueling, I rotate the belt back-to-front, unzip it, pull out the topmost fuel, zip it back shut and rotate it back to where the pouch is to the back.

On an unrelated note: My MW "castle" shoes from Brooks have gotten a lot of comments, not only from people my age, but also from younger people that I would not expect to notice anything of what I wear, since my attire is usually rather blasé.

 

[AaronB]

I don’t have the link, but it was on the homepage, down in the Here Are 5 Things We Tested And You Really Need to Buy! section.

I think there are probably a lot of variables involved, but for me, two stand out:
1. I’m very lightweight (not a flex - I’m also very short!) - more foam doesn’t give me any advantage that I can feel and almost always leaves me feeling inherently unstable for no good reason.
2. Loading a ton of foam into the heel and creating a rocker shape to encourage a foot to roll from heel to toe is literally the opposite of how my mechanics work - I land on the outside balls of my feet, my heels lever downward but rarely make any contact with the ground, and then roll off my toes to spring off. I have very strong feet, ankles, and calves as a lifelong dancer, and my running mechanics use that: when a shoe prevents my feet from flexing as they need to, the load ends up somewhere else and creates pain in knees, quads, hips, back, or even shoulders. And when stack heights are high, the shoes become inflexible - so it’s less that it’s tall, more that all that tallness requires a stiff, rockered motion that’s in opposition to my mechanics.

I’ve run in all sorts of different shoes and the ones that always work best for me are lower stack heights with plenty of flexibility. Even a 12mm drop Ghost back in the day was great - but it was only 17mm in the forefoot and had plenty of flexibility. Conversely, I tried one of Altra’s mega-stack shoes a while ago and though it was a 0mm drop that I’m used to, I couldn’t comfortably run in it because it was too stiff.

I used to buy into the idea of having multiple types of shoes to cycle through, but honestly? I’ve run and felt best sticking to one shoe models, or two that are very similar. I’m not breaking any records and just want to run comfortably in my later years, so I really hope I can continue to find the shoe traits that work for me going forward!

Actually, this also reminds me, another site that is fantastic if anyone is unaware is RunRepeat, https://runrepeat.com/

They do all sorts of measurements/tests on shoes, so it is awesome for comparing shoes. They sometimes even find differences from what the shoe company may state for things like drop (i.e. they mesaure a 6mm drop, even if Nike says 10mm). Also do all sorts of neat tests on flexibility, energy return, etc. It is nice to refer to if you want to compare some shoes you are interested in to see if they have similar stats to whatever your current favorite may be.

 

[PrincessV]

Actually, this also reminds me, another site that is fantastic if anyone is unaware is RunRepeat, https://runrepeat.com/

They do all sorts of measurements/tests on shoes, so it is awesome for comparing shoes. They sometimes even find differences from what the shoe company may state for things like drop (i.e. they mesaure a 6mm drop, even if Nike says 10mm). Also do all sorts of neat tests on flexibility, energy return, etc. It is nice to refer to if you want to compare some shoes you are interested in to see if they have similar stats to whatever your current favorite may be.

Yep, I second that recommendation!