Only 10 days till Christmas! And you do not yet have a present for that special runner in your life!! Don’t panic. Get your heart rate back down from the tempo zone. The Runnerd is here to save the day. Actually, if I’m being honest, runners are easy folk to shop for. Here we go:
- Carbs
Buy them carbs. They need carbs. Carbs are great. How about Christmas themed pasta to help you get into the festive spirit? And someone should seriously start making running shoes shaped pasta. Or medal shaped pasta. In the worst case scenario, pop to your local supermarket, buy alphabet pasta and remove all letters except P’s and B’s. To spell PB. Obviously.
- Protein shakes
Carbs are covered, so we can now move onto protein. Protein shakes and recovery shakes are always needed. Stay away from boring vanilla and strawberry. There is a whole protein shake world out there with indulgent flavours like cookie dough, blueberry cheesecake and salted caramel. And vegan options are available!
Edit: Although I already have salted caramel protein powder arriving tomorrow, I didn’t resist and just bought the cookie dough one. Please stop me shopping!
- Running clothes
No runner ever has enough of running clothes. Socks. Gloves. Base layer for cold days. Tops. Vests. Hats. Buffs (to double as a face mask in case of an unexpected need to stop in Starbucks). Shorts and leggings. Christmas themed leggings are popular this year. (I’m trying to resist the urge to buy a pair for myself.)
- Anything fluorescent and reflective
Dark, long nights and grey days require bright and fluorescent gear. Runners L-O-V-E bright colours. Hi-viz vests always come in handy. Or head and body torches for the truly hardcore runners who are courageous enough to go out and conquer the darkness.
But do not feel limited by the obvious fluorescent choices. How about fluorescent underwear or perhaps fluorescent nail polish?
- Free Train vest
This handy running vest holds your phone, keys, bank card, and I manage to shove a gel in as well. It’s way less obtrusive than running belts and arm bands. I personally love it.
- Personalised medal holder
You can never go wrong with anything personalised and a personalised medal holder is one of the coolest presents ever. Just make sure you hurry up ordering it, because personalised items generally take longer to deliver.
- Strava Summit subscription
Did you know that when you give someone Strava Summit subscription, you will receive two months of Strava Summit for yourself? Plus, you can choose the date when the subscription is delivered (via email), so the surprise won’t be spoiled before Christmas Day.
- Garmin Running Dynamics Pod
The pod is an excellent gift for the stats obsessed Garmin user. It accurately provides six different running metrics such as cadence and ground contact time. It’s super light and unobtrusive (unlike a chest strap).
- Books about running
Yes, books about running, because what else would runners do on their rest days than read and think about running? My personal favourite is Lonely Planet’s Epic Runs of the World. It will be a hit with the adventurous runner who loves to travel. Also, the book is a hardcover with lovely high-grammage pages and stunning colourful photos so it has a luxury feel to it.
Okay guys, so hopefully this gives you some ideas. The list of Christmas gift ideas for runners can really be endless, but I got to go now because my other running half is just coming back from a 5K time trial in his brand new carbon-plated shoes. Oh, speaking of supershoes – those would be the ultimate gift for any runner if you have a couple hundred(ish) pounds spare. 🙂 Happy shopping!