In the past, most of the posts we’ve done about fitness gear have been in the form in-depth reviews. This is obviously great for the big things like GPS watches, shoes, activity trackers, and the like, but there are a lot of small items we love and use frequently that don’t necessarily need full reviews. So, without further ado, welcome to the first Gear We Love – a series of posts that will highlight the (mostly) small things we can’t live without!
For this first installment of Gear We Love, I want to share something I REALLY love – Goodr sunglasses. Goodrs are an affordable, stylish sunglass option that were originally created for runners by a company built on a foundation of having fun. They offer four styles: the OGs (Wayfarer-style originals), the BFGs (a larger version of the OGs), the Runways (high-fashion, cat-eye shaped), and the Super Flys (double-bridge style). They range in price from $25-35 and come in fun colors and prints, which have clever, often silly, names. Goodrs are lightweight, comfortable, stay on your face well, and are even polarized.
I bought my first pair of Goodrs while training for our triathlon back in spring of 2018 and ended up wearing them for that race. Flash forward to today and I own four pairs – three of the OGs (including the Halloween- and Christmas-themed ones) and one of the Runways. I’m crazy about them and wear them all the time, both when I’m working out and casually, and almost always choose them over my significantly more expensive RayBans and Arnettes. I’ve heard some complaints about them scratching easily via both word of mouth and from browsing reviews, but I haven’t had any problems in that regard, even having dropped my original pair several times. That said, my threshold for what constitutes a real scratch may be higher than others, as mirror finishes on sunglasses tend to get micro-scratches/scuffs on them no matter how careful you are, and those don’t bother me.
Goodr continues to release fun, new patterns and colors, so I expect my collection will grow (those donut-patterned Glazed and Confused ones from the Anti Resolution collection are calling my name right now…). In the future, I’d love to see them expand their options to include children’s sizes and prescription-ready frames so the rest of my family can experience them, as well. For now, I’ll keep brainstorming ways to explain to Steven why I need to buy another pair…
Meagan is a geochemistry research lab manager, runner, Netflix binge-watcher, and Mom to a rescue dog, a bunny, and a human child. She started running in May 2011 and ran her first half marathon in October 2012, followed by her first marathon in October 2013. In July 2018, she joined the triathlon world and completed an Olympic-distance race. After an extended break (pregnancy/maternity leave), she is making a long-overdue return to running and is preparing for a high-elevation half marathon at Crater Lake National Park in August 2020.