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Posts tagged ‘gifts for runners’

Dec 12

Gift idea for a runner: Hand warmers

hothands1

Baby, it’s cold outside.

Not as cold as it could be here in California, but definitely not as warm as it was a couple weeks ago. I’m pulling out more of my long-sleeve shirts and jackets to run in. Though, I’m still not back to running since the marathon thanks to the cold of death I can’t seem to shake.

That’s why I invested in some Hot Hands hand warmers recently. I found a two pack in the $1 bin at the local Target. These little cushions of heat keep the hands warm. There are also some for your feet, but my feet already get hot quickly so I didn’t grab any of those.

A couple packs of these makes a perfect gift for a runner. Why?

Consider that we’re often standing around trying to warm up before runs. Our hands, unless you own a pair of running gloves, tend to get cold fast. Sometimes I’d rather not wear my running gloves because I know I’ll end up taking them off mid run.

The solution is a hand warmer to hold onto while you wait and then throw away at the first water stop, or even before the race begins (in the proper place, of course).

A perfect solution. And the price is right.

Nov 15

Gift idea for a runner: Mini first aid kit

It’s no secret that runners, probably more often than the regular person, get blisters on their feet and other places on the body (hello chafing) as part of our training.

It’s also no secret that, in some cases, there is no way around those blisters.

So we have to suck it up in a lot of cases and hope that our feet and toes don’t get too thrashed in the process.

That’s part of the reason a small first aid kit is always in my gym bag. One that includes something to clean my wounds, and fix my running battle scars up for the ride home.

I found this little kit, with a plastic case and all, on a recent trip to my local 99-cent store. That’s right, for under a $1 I found this kit.

It includes:

– Two hand-cleansing wipes

– Four gauze pads

– Two  regular-sized Band-Aids (name brand, yes)

– Four smaller Band-Aids

– The plastic case

Seriously, all for under a $1.

This is the perfect little stocking-stuffer gift item for a runner, even if, like me, he or she already has a first aid kit in their gym bag. I like this smaller-sized kit because I can also put in my my backpacks or even in my glove compartment just in case.

For the price, too, you can even buy the kit just for the contents, which are definitely worth more than that, and refill a kit you already have.

And, lets face it, a runner will likely always need something to clean up those race war wounds, so it’s bound to be useful.

Nov 5

Gift idea for a runner: The $5 headlamp

I may buy Lululemon running clothes, but I know a bargain when I see one. And, especially with money tight right now, I’m always on the lookout for one. My running buddy Jennie is the same. She has a family, including teenagers. So Jennie often lets me know about great deals (and couponing!).

I’ve written before about running with a headlamp. I love my Princeton Tech headlamp. And while it came with an unconditional REI guarantee, I was a little turned off by the $32 price tag.

I know some people pay a lot more for headlamps. The ones on the REI site run up to $70. I’ve seen them at expos for $50.

My husband, as a poor college student, paid only $14 for his. He now steals mine all the time because it’s much brighter. Believe me, it gets really annoying when I get out to Mountain House for a run and my battery light starts blinking (the advantage of having a premium headlamp).

In any case, during one of my “I-only-came-to-Target-for-my-prescription-and-ended-up-buying-a-bunch-of-other-stuff” trips I found a $5 holiday deal at the end of an aisle.

Next to glass coffee mugs and gimmicky key chains, was a simple headlamp.

Jennie has been in need of a secondary headlamp for our runs, specifically since it’s now darker outside because of the time change. (Though it’s been pretty dark since the beginning of October in general when we run at night.)

I sent her a text with the above photo:

Hey, these are $5 at Target. I’m picking one up for you. Now sure how good it will be, but can’t beat the price, right?

She responded with a thumbs up so I grabbed one.

I prepped it for her since I figured she wouldn’t want to mess with a blister pack when we were trying to set out on a run.

I read the back of the package and knew it was a sign when it suggested use for running. I got it home and used some creative scissor technique to get it out of the plastic.

The best part of the deal? It comes up batteries!

I’m not entirely sure what “Greenergy” batteries are (something environmental?) but they work all the same. I popped them in and checked out the little light.

It has two modes, one using two of the three LEDs and one using all three. It also has a flip down to point the light in whatever direction you want. In our case, that would be the sidewalk. It’s not ridiculously bright, but it adds nicely to a light array with my headlamp.

Plus, it’s really lightweight and has an adjustable head strap.

It’s the perfect little headlamp.

I tested it out in my closest to see how bright it was after initially seeing the vast difference between my headlamp and it. It actually was pretty good.

It works really well and provides a decent amount of light and it’s pretty comfortable. There’s even a little pad that keeps it stable on the forehead.

Plus, it was $27 cheaper than my headlamp. Great in a pinch. And a good deal all around.