Disclaimer: I received a Gear Vest Pro by Orange Mud to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

I was so flippin’ excited about my trail race last Saturday that I made an annotated infographic on my favorite necessities to take on a trail run 🙌. I explain all 13 items just a bit lower in this post.

Last year, I signed up for the Cactus Flower Trail Series with Race Timers that consists of 6 trail races: 3 in the Spring and 3 in the Fall. Last Saturday, April 20th, was the 1st one of the season, called the Saguaro 7k in the beautiful White Tank Mountains. It’s been a little over 2 years since I raced — or even ran — in the White Tanks park. It’s was a beautiful day and I got to meet up with @sarahfaith327!! As promised, here are my trail running necessities and why:

7️⃣ @balega_international socks because they are the only socks that don’t give me blisters. Even on my 50k with @aravaiparunning, I did not get one blister while wearing these socks.

8️⃣ @altrarunning Olympus 3 are my new trail shoes. They are super supportive and the wide toe box give my toes lots of wiggle room. The color is modern and pretty too.

9️⃣ Sunblock always and I even carry it with me. I sweat a ton while I run and I need to reapply often. Getting sunburned while running isn’t good because the body will take blood from your muscles and send to the skin to help the healing process. I need my blood to stay in my leg muscles so I could run faster!

1️⃣0️⃣ @guenergylabs is easy for me to take on runs and the toasted marshmallow flavor is my favorite! I’ll eat this 15 minutes before I race.

1️⃣1️⃣ @aftershokz Trekz Air will be on my head during the race. Wearing headphones is a controversial subject while on a trail. I get it. You need to hear your surroundings. The cool thing is, #aftershokz lets you hear your surroundings because they apply bone conduction technology. The ear canal is never compromised, no speaker goes in there. I won’t have the volume all the way up as I listen to my running playlist just to be on the extra safe side.

1️⃣2️⃣ @buff_usa is something I keep tucked in my front pocket in case I get sweat in my eyes.

1️⃣3️⃣ A long sleeve! Yeah, I’ll wear a white long sleeve tech shirt today. It helps protect my skin from the sun. Light colors are best to deflect the sun rays too.

1️⃣ @athleta Racer Run 2 in 1 Shorts are great for me because they have extra coverage, yet fantastic ventilation. Also, the Black Olive color seems perfect for a desert surrounding.

2️⃣ @Garmin feñix 5s is the watch I bought over 2 years ago as a birthday/anniversary/Christmas gift LOL. It’s my everyday watch. Pretty enough for work and smart enough for workouts. It will keep my check by monitoring my HR so I don’t overdo it while on the trail.

3️⃣ @Orangemud Gear Vest Pro is a new product I’m testing with @BibRave. I opted in for the Coyote Brown color because it just fits in well with the desert and because it’s subtle and modern color. I love the mesh back to help keep me cool, the built-in whistle on the top chest strap and the abundance of pockets. The Gear Vest Pro makes it easy for me to carry all of my goodies. Also, the 35oz bladder is perfect for shorter distance trail runs. I’ll have enough water and won’t be weighed down by it. BibRave is offering a 15% off all Orange Mud gear with code BIBRAVEGVPRO. Apply it at checkout.

4️⃣ A cell phone is something I always carry with me while I run. Safety first.

5️⃣ @knockaround Fast Lane sunglasses are large enough to completely block the sun from my eyes and in my peripheral vision. I wear regular glasses and what I hate most about glasses is that I can see the frames in my peripherals. There isn’t that problem with the Fast Lanes because they are bigger all around.

6️⃣ Trucker hat because isn’t that what all the trail runner kids wear? Seriously though, I need the mesh back to keep me cool and the hat bill to keep the sun off of my forehead and face.

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Who’s A Trail Racer?

What types of gear to you wear on trail? Are you trail racing this spring and summer? Tell me more! My next race is the Desert Marigold 6k on Saturday, May 11th in the Estrella mountains. I’ll be wearing the gear I have featured above and also thinking about testing out some trail shoe gaiters.