Perfect gifts for the runner in your life

Yes, it’s that time of year again! I’ve already been seeing “Black Friday” emails in my inbox. Must be time to figure out what to buy the runner in your life. With our usual perfect timing, today’s Tuesdays on the Run topic is “gift lists”! Tell us what is on yours or share what your favorites from this year are. We all want to know. (OK, maybe I want to go window shopping on your posts so I can tell Beer Geek what I want…)

** Disclaimer: There are affiliate links below which means I make a little bit of money if you buy through them. I’m also an ambassador for several of the products or received some for free, but all opinions are my own.**

Give the Gift of Health

• Gym membership – be sure to make sure it has good child care if the runner in your life needs a place to take the kids. Bonus if it has a decent pool for some good cross training.
• Race entry – Nothing motivates me more than knowing I have a race coming up. I know I’m not alone in that – Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs wouldn’t exist if runners weren’t motivated by races. So buy your runner an entry into their favorite spring race for motivation to keep moving during the long cold winter months.
• New running shoes – Who doesn’t love new running shoes? And not only are new shoes nice to have, they help prevent injury from running in worn out shoes. (I loved getting 3 new pairs of Altra Ones recently – it’s like running on clouds again!)
• Treadmill – OK, this is the mac daddy of holiday gifts, but it’s a totally worthwhile investment if you can afford it and have the space. And, hey, if you buy it for your significant other, chances are you’ll get to run on it too. Win/win. I’m still loving my NordicTrack Commercial 1750 (just in case you were wondering…)

Give the Gift of Safety

• Road ID – Every runner should have one of these, especially if you have a medical condition that EMTs should know about if anything happens. We all like to think running is a safe sport, but not only are cars and bicycles dangerous, it is possible to trip and hurt yourself all on your own. (Let’s not discuss how I know that.)
• Knuckle Lights – I got my first pair of Knuckle Lights a few years ago and they’ve been awesome at Ragnar.  Beer Geek has stolen my old pair and runs with them when we run in the evening. I really want the new ones that are rechargeable! One of my Ragnar teammates had them and they were pretty awesome! 
• Head lamp – I love my inexpensive Yalumi headlamp. It provides enough light for even the darkest roads I ran on at Ragnar, it works well with a running cap, and it’s light weight. For the price, it can’t be beat!
• Reflective gear – I’ll confess that the only reflective wear I own is the Amphipod vest I use for running Ragnar. I probably ought to own more – I don’t run at night, but some winter days are so grey I feel like I can hardly be seen. There are also lots of neat light up options out there that make great stocking stuffers.

Give the Gift of Warmth

• Hats – I wear hats year round and have a huge collection. My favorite is still the very first Nike winter beanie that I bought when I started actually running outside in the winter.
• Gloves – So many options! I love the cheap little gloves you can get from Target for when you need a “throw away” or even just a light weight glove. After that, there are tons of running glove optrel=”nofollow”ions from light to warm. On super cold days, I love my EMS Power Stretch gloves. I very seldom need anything warmer than that, but if you do, check out the Skirt Sports Convertible Safety Mittens – gloves and mittens in one!
• Tights – OK, I’m biased, but the Toasty Tights from Skirt Sports seem pretty awesome for the really cold days. For more reasonable days, I have a nice collection of the Go the Distance Tights.  I confess that I’m hoping Virginia will cool down soon so that I can give them a running trial…
• Jacket – I’ve raved about my Sugoi running jacket for years. Mine’s around 5 years old and still going strong! It’s perfect for the deep winter cold. I also love my Brooks Essential jacket. It’s the perfect layering piece. Looking for something a bit warmer than either of those? Check out the Skirt Sports Double Take Reversible Jacket. It’s never cold enough here to run in it, but it’s my go to jacket for much of our Virginia winter. 

Give the Gift of Recovery

• Massage – I am a lucky girl – two of my runner friends are massage therapists. This occasionally means a quick massage of a recalcitrant muscle right before or after a run. But it also means awesome full massages whenever time allows. I HIGHLY recommend a massage as the perfect gift for your favorite runner.
• Epsom Salts – I love the Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salts! They make the perfect post long run or post race bath. I know people debate ice versus epsom salts all the time, but for me the hot epsom salt bath makes all the difference in how I feel.
• Addaday stick – There are a lot of “instruments of torture” out there, but the Addaday Pro Massage Roller is my absolute favorite. The teeny little red knob will get into all those sore spots that need a little extra attention. The bigger knobs are great for working out a knot in your muscles when you are doing a little bit of rolling for recovery.

What are you hoping you get for the holidays this year? Anything you recommend I put on my list? I’ll be watching for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to share with you all (and I’m hoping to score a few cheaper races that way too…)

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