A lot of my family members know that I love to run. Some of them know that I like to do triathlons, but really - to them - running a marathon and doing a triathlon are the same thing, crazy. Because I’ve developed an identity as “the runner” it seems that when I get gifts over the holidays from friends or family, it centers around running.
Now I’m not going to ever complain about receiving gifts from someone, but sometimes the gifts I get turn out to be not that useful or convenient. Lately it seems like the easiest thing to do is just give the gift of a gift card - a good and safe choice, but sometimes it says “not much thought”.
I’ve decided to help solve this situation for some non-runners this year by writing a post that describes what a runner’s ”running wish-list” might be and why. These gifts will show that you understand that running and exercise is important to them and it will be something that they can actually use on their next run. These gifts don’t have to be expensive either. I’ll share some ideas that run the spectrum of cost, just to give you options from stocking stuffer to big time givers.
2008 Runner’s Holiday Wish List:
Socks: A runner’s feet is their source of happiness A foot with blisters or aches is going to slow down or take away their favorite activity. A good pair of running socks is something that can help protect those feet from blisters and sores. A couple suggestions to try:
sockguy.com — I have several pairs of socks from the sock guy. In fact, one of the best gifts I’ve received was a pair of Nebraska socks that came from the sock gu y. I enjoy the fit of these socks so much that I almost never cycle without them and use them when I run often too. If you visit the website, you’ll see that they have all kinds of custom made sock options. It allows you to put an even greater personal touch on the gift when you can choose something that is special to them (like Univ. of NE football is for me).
Cost: They typically range from $7 (on sale at an expo I was at) to $15 a pair. (My NE socks linked above are $10)
injinji.com — Nikki received a pair of these socks as a gift not too long ago and she loves them. You probably need to know that the person you are buying them for is open to trying new things, because these socks are like a glove for your feet. Each toe has it’s own little place! I’ve seen and read about ultra runners wearing these things for years, they are suppose to help cut down on blisters. Nikki’s experience has been enough motivation for me to give them a try (hopefully I’ll find a pair in my stocking… wink.wink - Nikki - wink.)
Cost: you can find them at REI for $12 to $16.
Reflective material or lights: this time of year the days are pretty short. This sometimes requires your crazy running friend to be outdoors running while it’s either dark or getting dark - not always a safe situation. Tell your friend or family member that you not only support their madness, but you love them and want them to be safe.
Nathan Reflective Vest or JogALite Band — I’ve never went with the full vest, but there have been many mornings that I’ve run with the Todd’s Road Stumblers that I wish I had. Luckily there are runners out there that are wiser than I am. I have used an ankle reflective band on many occasions, both cycling and running. The band does it’s job by providing the reflective material, but also doesn’t hinder my running at all.
Cost: The vest costs about $20 and the band cost about $5 (over at amazon).
Lights: I bought Nikki a Nathan lighted arm band as a gift a couple years back. It has turned out to be one of the more useful gifts I’ve ever bought her. She not only uses it when it’s dark, but it also has a small pocket that she can use to carry a house key or car key while she’s running.
Cost: $15 at their site, you can also find at: Dick’s Sporting Goods, REI and Amazon.
RoadID: There’s a fear that I have on many occasions that Nikki goes out cycling or running - what if she’s in an accident? When cycling we carry our drivers license, debit card and cell phone, but when I’m running I don’t carry any of those. So what would happen if I was hit by a car? Would the emergency medical services be able to figure out who I was, what would they do?
Take away that fear by giving your loved one a RoadID. Go to roadid.com and you can customize a band that they can wear while running or cycling that has all the necessary information emergency support would need. They even have a service now that allows the emergency support to call and get all the information you provided to RoadID by using the RoadID code on the band.
Cost: Their typical product is around $20
Running Beanie and gloves: The winter is here, but that doesn’t mean that your running friend will stop heading outdoors. A good quality pair of gloves and running beanie will be a necessity as keeping your head and hands warm is key to enjoying a winter run.
I like to use a layered glove approach and currently use a pair of Pearl Izumi Ultra Light Full Fingered gloves as the bottom layer. If I can find them I use a pair of Manzella’s microfiber gloves. When I can’t find them I use an old pair of gardening gloves. The gardening gloves don’t work too well as the only pair of gloves to wear, while the Manzella’s can work alone. When the weather gets into the low 20’s, I layer them up. I figure that I can always take a pair of gloves off, but I hate waiting hours to feel my finger tips again.
I currently use just any old stocking hat for my head although that can often be too warm. So again, when I can find it, I wear my Pearl Izumi Training Hat. While these items are about running, I have tried some cold weather cycling gear from Descente lately (actually got the shoe covers as a Christmas gift!). I will be trying out some their other stuff soon.
Costs: $12 to $50 (depending on how cold of gear you need).
Nike Plus: If you feel that the runner in your life has all the clothing they’ll need and you are comfortable with their safety, how about something to motivate them? The Nike Plus system requires that your runner have an Ipod Nano, but if they do, this is a great tool. Through the Nano they will be told how far they’ve been running, how many minutes (or hours) they’ve been running, they can use training plans and they can connect with other runners online.
The Nike Plus has been around for awhile and I’ve seen all kinds of competitions and motivating tools, check out their site because there’s just too much to learn for the time I have here.
Cost: The Kit runs $29 ( at amazon ), but you’ll also want to buy them some type of shoe adaptor, just in case the runner you buy it for doesn’t have a pair Nike’s that have the shoe slot (like 90% of runners I know). The adaptor runs $4 to $10, depending on the style and option you choose.
Garmin 305: I made a post the other day when I saw that Amazon had a Black Friday sale on the Garmin’s for $149. I have just been searching and see that they are back to $179. I even tried to use the link I posted the other day, hoping that the link was tied to the deal, but it looks like they’ve reset the price for now?
That doesn’t deter my opinion in suggesting that the Garmin 305 is the ultimate in running gifts (and as I mentioned I received mine as a gift). For the completely obssesive - compulsive runner, this is the best training partner to have. I sometimes go a little crazy looking at all the charts and graphs, heart rates and paces. But that is what I enjoy - so let me indulge.
I realize that there is the new Garmin 405, but I’m not convinced that it is better than the 305. In fact, after listening to a few people discuss the pro’s and con’s of the 405, I am still under the impression that the 305 is a better running companion. And it’s cheaper. I even know someone that went back to the 305 after buying the 405?
The one thing that I wish that I had to make the 305 complete is the foot pod. I do an ocassonial workout on the treadmill and the foot pod would be a nice item to have. (hint. hint - Nikki - hint.)
Well those are just some ideas for your running gifts to buy for your running friend or family member. Hopefully it will give you the confidence to make the purchase, knowing that they are “runner endorsed”. Happy Holidays.
A lot of my family members know that I love to run. Some of them know that I like to do triathlons, but really - to them - running a marathon and doing a triathlon are the same thing, crazy. Because I’ve developed an identity as “the runner” it seems that when I get gifts over the holidays from friends or family, it centers around running.
Now I’m not going to ever complain about receiving gifts from someone, but sometimes the gifts I get turn out to be not that useful or convenient. Lately it seems like the easiest thing to do is just give the gift of a gift card - a good and safe choice, but sometimes it says “not much thought”.
I’ve decided to help solve this situation for some non-runners this year by writing a post that describes what a runner’s ”running wish-list” might be and why. These gifts will show that you understand that running and exercise is important to them and it will be something that they can actually use on their next run. These gifts don’t have to be expensive either. I’ll share some ideas that run the spectrum of cost, just to give you options from stocking stuffer to big time givers.
2008 Runner’s Holiday Wish List:
Socks: A runner’s feet is their source of happiness A foot with blisters or aches is going to slow down or take away their favorite activity. A good pair of running socks is something that can help protect those feet from blisters and sores. A couple suggestions to try:
sockguy.com — I have several pairs of socks from the sock guy. In fact, one of the best gifts I’ve received was a pair of Nebraska socks that came from the sock gu y. I enjoy the fit of these socks so much that I almost never cycle without them and use them when I run often too. If you visit the website, you’ll see that they have all kinds of custom made sock options. It allows you to put an even greater personal touch on the gift when you can choose something that is special to them (like Univ. of NE football is for me).
Cost: They typically range from $7 (on sale at an expo I was at) to $15 a pair. (My NE socks linked above are $10)
injinji.com — Nikki received a pair of these socks as a gift not too long ago and she loves them. You probably need to know that the person you are buying them for is open to trying new things, because these socks are like a glove for your feet. Each toe has it’s own little place! I’ve seen and read about ultra runners wearing these things for years, they are suppose to help cut down on blisters. Nikki’s experience has been enough motivation for me to give them a try (hopefully I’ll find a pair in my stocking… wink.wink - Nikki - wink.)
Cost: you can find them at REI for $12 to $16.
Reflective material or lights: this time of year the days are pretty short. This sometimes requires your crazy running friend to be outdoors running while it’s either dark or getting dark - not always a safe situation. Tell your friend or family member that you not only support their madness, but you love them and want them to be safe.
Nathan Reflective Vest or JogALite Band — I’ve never went with the full vest, but there have been many mornings that I’ve run with the Todd’s Road Stumblers that I wish I had. Luckily there are runners out there that are wiser than I am. I have used an ankle reflective band on many occasions, both cycling and running. The band does it’s job by providing the reflective material, but also doesn’t hinder my running at all.
Cost: The vest costs about $20 and the band cost about $5 (over at amazon).
Lights: I bought Nikki a Nathan lighted arm band as a gift a couple years back. It has turned out to be one of the more useful gifts I’ve ever bought her. She not only uses it when it’s dark, but it also has a small pocket that she can use to carry a house key or car key while she’s running.
Cost: $15 at their site, you can also find at: Dick’s Sporting Goods, REI and Amazon.
RoadID: There’s a fear that I have on many occasions that Nikki goes out cycling or running - what if she’s in an accident? When cycling we carry our drivers license, debit card and cell phone, but when I’m running I don’t carry any of those. So what would happen if I was hit by a car? Would the emergency medical services be able to figure out who I was, what would they do?
Take away that fear by giving your loved one a RoadID. Go to roadid.com and you can customize a band that they can wear while running or cycling that has all the necessary information emergency support would need. They even have a service now that allows the emergency support to call and get all the information you provided to RoadID by using the RoadID code on the band.
Cost: Their typical product is around $20
Running Beanie and gloves: The winter is here, but that doesn’t mean that your running friend will stop heading outdoors. A good quality pair of gloves and running beanie will be a necessity as keeping your head and hands warm is key to enjoying a winter run.
I like to use a layered glove approach and currently use a pair of Pearl Izumi Ultra Light Full Fingered gloves as the bottom layer. If I can find them I use a pair of Manzella’s microfiber gloves. When I can’t find them I use an old pair of gardening gloves. The gardening gloves don’t work too well as the only pair of gloves to wear, while the Manzella’s can work alone. When the weather gets into the low 20’s, I layer them up. I figure that I can always take a pair of gloves off, but I hate waiting hours to feel my finger tips again.
I currently use just any old stocking hat for my head although that can often be too warm. So again, when I can find it, I wear my Pearl Izumi Training Hat. While these items are about running, I have tried some cold weather cycling gear from Descente lately (actually got the shoe covers as a Christmas gift!). I will be trying out some their other stuff soon.
Costs: $12 to $50 (depending on how cold of gear you need).
Nike Plus: If you feel that the runner in your life has all the clothing they’ll need and you are comfortable with their safety, how about something to motivate them? The Nike Plus system requires that your runner have an Ipod Nano, but if they do, this is a great tool. Through the Nano they will be told how far they’ve been running, how many minutes (or hours) they’ve been running, they can use training plans and they can connect with other runners online.
The Nike Plus has been around for awhile and I’ve seen all kinds of competitions and motivating tools, check out their site because there’s just too much to learn for the time I have here.
Cost: The Kit runs $29 ( at amazon ), but you’ll also want to buy them some type of shoe adaptor, just in case the runner you buy it for doesn’t have a pair Nike’s that have the shoe slot (like 90% of runners I know). The adaptor runs $4 to $10, depending on the style and option you choose.
Garmin 305: I made a post the other day when I saw that Amazon had a Black Friday sale on the Garmin’s for $149. I have just been searching and see that they are back to $179. I even tried to use the link I posted the other day, hoping that the link was tied to the deal, but it looks like they’ve reset the price for now?
That doesn’t deter my opinion in suggesting that the Garmin 305 is the ultimate in running gifts (and as I mentioned I received mine as a gift). For the completely obssesive - compulsive runner, this is the best training partner to have. I sometimes go a little crazy looking at all the charts and graphs, heart rates and paces. But that is what I enjoy - so let me indulge.
I realize that there is the new Garmin 405, but I’m not convinced that it is better than the 305. In fact, after listening to a few people discuss the pro’s and con’s of the 405, I am still under the impression that the 305 is a better running companion. And it’s cheaper. I even know someone that went back to the 305 after buying the 405?
The one thing that I wish that I had to make the 305 complete is the foot pod. I do an ocassonial workout on the treadmill and the foot pod would be a nice item to have. (hint. hint - Nikki - hint.)
Well those are just some ideas for your running gifts to buy for your running friend or family member. Hopefully it will give you the confidence to make the purchase, knowing that they are “runner endorsed”. Happy Holidays.