Music

If you’re like me, you refuse to run without music. But then that poses another challenge: Will you just hold your iPod in your hand while you run? Strap it to your arm? What about the extra headphone wire flying all over the place in your face?

Or when it accidentally flies out of the case and you shatter your screen (seen it happen!)? I decided early on to run with my iPod nano—not my regular iPhone.

If you have a typical smartphone, it’s probably feels too big to strap on your body. Grab a cheap mp3 player that’s light.

That way, if you spill water on it or drop it, it’s not the end of the world.