How we train, what we eat and when we rest and recover all have a huge impact on our performance. But so does the gear we use every day to be successful. At the end of each month, I share my favorite finds for running, triathlon and general fitness that are helping me train and race happy, motivated and healthy. Here are my favorite finds from March.

1. Embrace the Hill T-shirt
http://runfargirl.com/2014/03/12/embrace-the-hill-t-shirts/
I am in LOVE with these soft and beautiful tees my friend Sarah Canney from Run Far Girl designed in honor of her son Jack who was born with a congenital birth defect that deeply affected her and her family. She sent me one earlier this month (best surprise ever!!!), and I could not be more honored to wear one. The meaning is so profound, and I feel inspired every time I wear my shirt. Sarah’s inspiration for the shirts came from the idea that “life is filled with hills – seemingly insurmountable obstacles that catch us by surprise, lay waste to our resolve, threaten our hope and leave us feeling weak and powerless.” In the midst of what she went through battling her son’s health condition, she believed there really was nowhere to go but up. “Up and over. So you lean into it. You embrace it. The difficulty becomes your new normal and you find joy there. And then you get to the top. You breathe. And you’re stronger for the journey. That’s what ‘Embracing the Hill’ is all about.”

The shirts are $25 each plus shipping and handling, and you can order one here. All proceeds benefit the Children’s Hospital of Dartmouth.

2. The Man by Aloe Blacc
I cannot get enough of Aloe Blacc’s song “The Man.” I have been playing it on repeat on my iPhone, and I swear it makes me run stronger (or at least happier). Hopefully playing it over and over (and over) won’t cause me to get sick of it too quickly.

3. Milestone Pod
http://www.milestonepod.com/
I first learned about these from my pal Elizabeth over at Running For Bling. Although I haven’t tried them yet, I think they are genius and I can’t wait to buy a few pairs. I will never have to worry about wearing shoes that have too many miles on them again (especially since I rotate several different pairs on any given week). These are little “pods” that you lace through your shoelace and keep on your shoes. They collect data on all your workouts, keeping track of how far you have gone. It starts as soon as it senses movement and constantly displays the current total mileage for your shoes so you know when it is time to retire them and get news ones.  They are $19.95 each.

4. Brooks Running Infiniti Support Tank
http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/infiniti-support-tank-a%2Fb/220664400.025.html#q=infinity+support+tank&start=1
As a Run Happy ambassador for Brooks Running, the Brooks team was super thoughtful to send me a new tank to wear during my marathon earlier this month on March 1 (they gave me plenty of time to test it out and break it in prior to the race). I prefer to run in tanks that have a shelf bra to reduce the number of layers I have to wear. Brooks doesn’t make many tanks with built-in bras because they believe sports bras provide stronger support. However, their Infiniti Support Tank is one they offer that has similar support to their Infiniti sports bra. I absolutely love this top. What I like most about it is the relaxed fit from the chest down and that it doesn’t move at all. I actually received a number of compliments at the race, and one woman pulled me aside to ask me where I got this from. If you’re someone like me who likes the built-in running bra and are not heavily endowed, this is a great tank to try. It comes is an A/B and C//D cup size and has odor-resistant fibers, adjustable straps which come in super handy and moisture-wicking technology. It retails at $62.

5. Brooks Running Pure Cadence 3
http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/brooks-purecadence-3/1201541B507.050.html#q=pure+cadence+3&start=2
You guys know I love Brooks Running, and I just couldn’t resist including a second favorite Brooks item to this month’s list. In March, I started running in my second pair of Pure Cadence 3s. If my math is correct, this is my 9^th pair of Pure Cadence since the line launched several years ago. I previously had the pink, white and grey color, but I’m now running in the navy and yellow. For those of you who don’t know much about the PureProject line, they are Brooks’ light weight shoes. The Pure Cadence are designed for mild overpronators. They weigh 6.9 ounces and have a 4 mm drop. They are $120 per pair. Other shoes in the line include one for neutral runners (Pure Flow), trail runners (Pure Grit), and race day shoes (Pure Drift and Pure Connect). Brooks also has a core line that includes more traditional running shoes from neutral to high stability. I personally prefer the lighter-weight Pure Project line to the core line, but there are many great options.

In case you missed it, here are my favorite things from January and February.

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Did you try any new gear in March that you love? If you’ve tried any of these items, what did you think? How do you keep track of how many miles you’ve logged on each pair of running shoes you own?