Happy Friday!
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to blog more often, so I am committing to blogging at least twice per week. To help with this, I’m introducing a new weekly segment – #FrugalFridays!
In theory running should be a relatively inexpensive sport. You don’t need special equipment that is required in other sports like football and hockey. Really you only need workout clothes and sneakers, right? Yeah…not so much. Let’s start with the sneakers – you need a GOOD pair of running sneakers which are usually $100 or more. Oh, and the clothes. Well here in the Northeast we have something called WINTER, which requires layers of clothing for outside runs – leggings/pants, long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, running jacket, gloves, hat/earmuffs, etc. I’m a big fan of Under Armour Coldgear items for the winter, and we all know their products can be costly. Once you get into running longer distances, you will also want a GPS watch, hydration belt/vest, and fuel (such a GU gels, chomps, etc). Do you like to race? Those race fees add up…quick! I’m about to start a Kickstarter campaign to pay for my race fees/travel for this years races. If TLC can do it, so can I! So as you can see, running can become an expensive hobby if you don’t look for sales/deals. My hope is that the #FrugalFridays weekly posts can help you save money to feed your running addiction hobby. This week I’m discussing Running Warehouse!
I really love shopping online, primarily because it’s so much easier to get items delivered to your home vs. dealing with crowds at the mall. A few months ago I stumbled upon Running Warehouse. This website is great because they offer great deals on running clothing, accessories and sneakers. They also offer free shipping (no minimum) and have a 90 day “no sweat” return policy (return shipping is free as well). If you’re looking for a specific brand, this website is great because it sells products from SO many different brands – Asics, Brooks, Hoka One, Saucony, etc.
How do I use Running Warehouse?
I primarily use this website to save on running sneakers. I know which brands/series fit my feet the best – Asics GT series and Mizuno Wave Inspire. Last month my sister asked me for Christmas gift ideas and I directed her to this website! She was able to score the Asics GT-2000 for $72.88 (original price $120), a Headsweats visor for $10.88 (original price $20) and a Headsweats race hat for $10.88 (original price $20). In addition, another cool website called Retail Me Not had a coupon code for Running Warehouse to take an addition 15% off clearance items (FYI – The code is still active. Its FB15D) so she saved an additional $14 bucks! A little over $80 for a pair of sneakers and two running hats? I’ll take it! Just a few weeks ago I used the same coupon code for a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 10 sneakers. The price on the website was $57.88 (retail price $115.00) and with the 15% discount I only paid $49. Yup – I paid less than half price for Mizunos!
Source: RunningWarehouse.com |
Running Warehouse is also great to stock up on fuel – gels and chews/bars. If you know what you like and what works best for you, they sell 8, 12 and 24 packs of energy gels. Brands include GU, Honey Stinger, Clif, Hammer, Pocket Fuel, PowerBar, etc. I would only recommend buying in bulk if you have tried the gels before. Nothing is worse than getting stuck with a 24-count case of gels you dislike! (I made this mistake earlier last year and cringed every time I had to use a gel for long runs for a few weeks). Remember, it’s only a good deal if you actually use the product!
On the flip side, I think the website is great for trying new brands when it comes to clothing. For example, I’ve been wanting to try a pair of compression capris or leggings from CW-X. Their products are SUPER expensive so I’m waiting for the current items on the website to go on sale and then I’ll probably purchase the items. If they do not fit properly, I know I can always send back the item for free…WIN-WIN!
Hope you enjoyed my rundown of the Running Warehouse website. If you have never tried the website before, give it a shot! You will be surprised at all the deals currently on the website.
Have you ever purchased running items online? If so, which websites? Let me know in the comments section!
Disclaimer – I was not paid or given any items for this post. I am a big fan of the website and wanted to feature it on #FrugalFridays.
Lora @ Crazy Running Girl says
I love Running Warehouse! They have such good deals. I typically search the name of the shoe and size that I want in Google, click on Shopping, and I'll find a bunch of websites that are selling it and can pick the cheapest price. 🙂
kookyrunner says
I love the Google search option also! Usually when I search for shoes Running Warehouse or Amazon are the top two on the list!
Annmarie L says
Wow- this is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing….running really does add up and I think my hubby is going to kill me if I spend another dime on it in the next month. At least lower prices will soften the blow 😛
kookyrunner says
No problem! Once you start logging more miles, running can get expensive. I wish I knew a way to save on race fees!