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Happy Holidays, runners! I’m sitting near my Christmas tree with my dog at my feet and a spreadsheet full of all the holiday gifts I have yet to buy. If you’re like me, you have a few runners on your list. I have recommendations.
An important note: I don’t accept samples, and no one paid for these placements. This list is based on things that I have used and loved, books I’ve read and conversations with folks in the running industry about what they predict will be the hot gifts this year.
Nathan QuickStart 4L Race Vest
This lightweight vest has enough water capacity to make sure you stay hydrated on long runs, but also extra space to stash other stuff like sports drinks, fuel and even a long sleeve shirt or a rain shell if you’re worried about changing weather. I switched to this vest over the summer; it’s far less bulky than my previous one. Just make sure that you (or your runner) don’t wear one to a race without checking to see if they’re allowed. Some race officials consider them backpacks, which are banned in a lot of events.
Race Finisher Gear
Most likely, your runner was given a shirt for running the race, but you can also buy things like mugs, hoodies, tights, and pom-pom hats as other commemorative reminders of the day. Uncommon Goods is also selling 11 different pint glasses with marathon routes etched into them. Another post-marathon gift option: an official race photo. Go to the race’s website — there’s usually a link to where you can search for your runner, and where you can buy pictures that were taken of them along the course.
Place-Specific Running Gear
Because who doesn’t want to show off where they’re from? Or places they’ve liked going? I’ve been wearing a fleece beanie from Mill City Running, a Minneapolis running store I loved so much that I ordered the hat and had it shipped to me in New Jersey. The owner of the Haddonfield Running Company, my local running store, said that anything with Run856 on it (so named after our area code) is selling fast for the holidays.
HotHands
Yes, HotHands. Those little miracle packets of portable heat that keep hands from freezing on cold running days. I carried a pair for all but the last two miles of the Philadelphia Marathon, and they were fingertip savers. You can buy them in pairs at just about any local drugstore, or in 10 packs online and at hardware stores.
Trucker Hat
Headsweats Frosty Christmas Trucker. I have the Bigfoot version of this Headsweats hat, which can be worn while running or, as is often the case for me, after a run or race when my hair is a mess. The blue and white color scheme lets you extend its shelf life beyond Christmas (red and green gear tends to look like leftovers by February).
Massage Tools
I love a good sports massage, but I can’t afford them every week, which is why I rely on self-massage tools to work out some kinks. Two I love: the Sokiss Trigger Point Self Massager and R8 deep tissue massage roller (I bought it as a gift to myself). A warning though: the R8 has become exceedingly popular and sells out quickly when they land in running stores. As I write this, they’re on back-order on the R8 site. For my running aches and pains, I also love the microwaveable Old World Style Cherry Pit Pillow, which I now use instead of a plugged-in heating pad. The cherry pits mold to the shape of whatever muscle needs some heat, and it smells good too.
Running Books
If you read this newsletter, you’ve probably already read the excerpt we ran from Peter Sagal’s “Incomplete Book of Running,” which I liked very much. Other solid choices: “How Bad Do You Want It?” by Matt Fitzgerald, “Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, “Once a Runner” by John L. Parker Jr., “Called Again” by Jennifer Pharr Davis, “Runners of North America” by Mark Remy, “Marathon Woman” by Kathrine Switzer, and “First Marathons” by Gail Waesche Kislevitz. Want some more? O.K. When I asked readers for suggestions this summer, your most popular recommendations were “Let Your Mind Run” by Deena Kastor and Michelle Hamilton and “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami.
Coffee
How is this related to running? Well, most of us use coffee in some sort of fashion (and the marathon I just ran was sponsored by Dunkin) but also because two pairs of professional athletes have teamed up to create their own coffee company: Linden & True. That would be 2018 Boston Marathon champ Des Linden and her professional triathlete husband Ryan Linden, and superstar pro athletes Ben (a runner) and Sarah (a triathlete) True. The buffalo plaid package design makes it look like a holiday gift — and it tastes pretty good, too.
If you’re shopping for nonrunners (or nonrunning items for your runner, because we are also people beyond our running!) check out these gift guides from The New York Times and The Wirecutter.
What are you putting on your holiday list? Let me know — I’m on Twitter @byjenamiller.
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Run Well!
— Jen
Jen A. Miller (@byjenamiller) is the author of “Running: A Love Story.”