It's Black Friday! Get your holiday shopping guide!

The holidays are here and in honor of Black Friday, I've put together a little something special. I know some of you may be shopping for runners in your life, and since you can't very well wrap a new PR and put it under the tree, I've got a few ideas for you. (And if you ARE the runner in your life you can point your friends and family here for HINTS on what you'd like in your moisture-wicking sock...er...stocking!) Either way, here are a few things that are sure to make someone's day merry, especially if they are training for or heading out to a holiday race!

1. Socks. We wear them out. Sometimes monthly. However, we are mostly wildly fanatical about them, so be sure to check the laundry bin (preferably clean to avoid the stink) to be sure what style, brand and size your runner prefers. I happen to be personally crazy about Balega socks. They are awesome, and it doesn't hurt that they have a really cool website.

2. Reflective Gear. During the winter months, lots of us are either up early when it's dark, or running later when it's also dark. Dark plus runner = potential danger from cars that don't see you. Make sure your runner can be seen with reflective clothing, hats and other highly visible gear. For something out of the ordinary, check out the cool iron on reflective transfers from See Me Run. 

3. Road ID. Everyone that knows me knows I'm pretty adamant about the importance of having some form of ID on you when you're running. You never know what can happen out there, and knowing your runner has an ID in case of emergency can provide some peace of mind. Road ID offers comfortable, durable, totally customizable tags on ankle straps, wristbands and dog tags. I have worn both the wrist and ankle versions and have nothing but praise to offer. If you order one soon, you can use the promotional code "pcSAVE15" to get 15% off. I think that's good through November 30th. (Hint: they offer gift certificates too, if you're unsure what style to get!)

4. Shoes. This one can be tricky. If we're fanatical about our socks, we are FREAKS about our shoes. Do NOT even think about going here unless you are absolutely certain you know your runner's heart (and feet!) on shoes. Of course, new running shoes make lots of us froth at the mouth, but if you get them wrong, it'll just be disappointing for everyone. If you are 100% certain of the specifics, including size, brand and style, go for it. If you're the least bit unsure, a gift certificate to a local running store is a safe bet that's sure to bring on an equal amount of mouth frothing appreciation.

5. Race Entry. Seriously, races these days can be pricey. Offer to pick up the tab for one in 2011. DON'T just register your runner before talking to them first, though. Maybe they aren't up for that ET Midnight Marathon or a 50k Mud Run. Give them a card and tell them you'll cover a race of their choice. But be aware of what you're offering...some marathons can be close to $150 or more to enter, though most local, 5k/10k races can be as little at $25 to $30.

6. Recovery. Aaah, massages. Boy, do we need them. And often times, we're not getting them as often as we should (if at all!) Find someplace nearby that offers massage and get your runner a gift certificate for one. If they specialize in sports massage, all the better, but trust me...if they don't, we won't really care. If they don't have a roller for working out knots and tight muscles on their own, I LOVE my TriggerPoint Roller. Another great tool is The Stick. Combine either of those with the topical pain relief of something like BioFreeze, and you've got a gift certain to illicit your runner's gratitude! I will also shamelessly recommend my new top secret recovery...wait, wait...I haven't unveiled that yet. Let's just say, keep watching the blog for more details on something new.

 

7. Tunes. If your runner likes to run with an iPod or MP3 Player, give them an opportunity to add some new tunes to their mix. iTunes has options to gift specific music to someone directly (if you know their account name, and feel some level of comfort that their musical taste matches yours!) or you can send a gift card for music of their choice. If they are still running with a Sony Walkman (or an old model iPod), bring them into the current century with one of the new touch Nanos. I played with one at the Nike Marathon. They are sweet with their touch screens and new easy-to-wear clips, and they do work with Nike+.  Oh, and while we are on the subject of running with music, I simply love these headphones from Auria. They sit on the outside of your ear canal, not stuffed down in there where you can't hear anything but your tunes. When you're running, you very often need to be aware of ambient sound, like a car honking at you or someone telling you to watch out for that giant snake down the trail. These allow you to do that, running safely while still getting to plug in to your tuneage.

8. A Runs On Coffee mug. What could be better than supporting your favorite blogger's favorite charity? Proceeds from the sale of these mugs will go directly to OCIE Team in Training, to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. And everyone loves coffee after a run! Okay, even if they don't, they'll still find a great use for it as a pencil holder. Get yours here.

If you want some great CyberDeals on running gear, I can recommend See Jane Run (use discount code GIFT2010 for 25% off) and Zombie Runner (20% off with code BLACKFRIDAY and free shipping on orders over $25.) Roadrunner Sports has some screaming deals, no codes required, but they really push their VIP Membership. It's worth it if you plan to buy a lot of running gear from them. Don't forget about the RoadID discount code listed above. Now that I've totally hooked you up with some stupendous ideas for that runner on your Christmas list, I'm going out for a run. Enjoy your Black Friday shopping! If you have more suggestions for the shopping list or you find more great deals on running gear, definitely let me know!

A new PR for Thanksgiving!

I am excited to say that I the speedwork I've been doing lately seems to be paying off. I entered a 5k Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving and shaved over a minute off my best time! I came in 19th in my age group...sure it was a small race, but I will totally take that! My knee didn't hurt at all and, in fact, I felt great! Things are looking up for Vegas! I'm saying prayers and keeping everything crossed that my 10-mile training run this weekend goes well. I am ready to cut it short at 8 miles if things don't go well, but really hoping I can pull off the whole 10 miles.

Oh, and just a note, the Plymouth Rock n Run Turkey Trot at Yorba Regional Park is a great little race. I highly recommend it for next year if you're thinking about a Turkey Trot in the OC/IE area. It's small (I'm guessing maybe 1200 people-ish?), but chip timed, and extremely well organized. They had water bottles at the finish, and a food table with bananas, oranges, brownies, cookies, muffins, and more. There was live jazz music and all kinds of nice door prize gift baskets, too. Parking wasn't bad, and traffic was a breeze. This race is definitely going on my to-do list for next year!

Mission Inn and A New Hope

I am thrilled to say that I finished the Mission Inn 10k just a few days ago. Thrilled because, although I did feel some twinges on and off and had to walk a little, overall my knee held up! It SEEMS to be getting better.

Sunday's run was a good test. It was much hillier than I'd expected (a new course from last year), plus hot and windy. Not great racing conditions. I did have to slow to a walk a few times, but overall, the pain was not anything close to as bad as it has been in the past, and the new knee strap I got seemed to help a great deal. Overall, I was about 4 minutes slower on this new course than I was last year at this race, but with keeping it slow and easy on my knee, I was okay with that.

The fact that I was able to complete the race without a huge amount of discomfort gave me some hope that I still might be good for Vegas. I got even more hope from one of my previous Team in Training coaches, who was at the race. He told me that even if I can't get the long 10-12 mile run in before Las Vegas, as long as I'm getting good quality runs in and doing some speedwork, I should be fine. He reminded me that I can't gain a whole lot of strength and stamina in the next two weeks that I don't already have, but what I could do was push too hard and make the knee worse. He suggested cutting back my mileage, icing and resting, and stopping anytime I felt a twinge. His advice plus managing okay at the 10k gave me some of my confidence back that yes, I CAN still do Vegas!!!

Bummed about a Bum Knee

Who knew that a piece of connective tissue could be so problematic??? My knee is still giving me problems. Now it is almost assuredly tendonitis. I have taken myself off my training plan this week and am resting it, icing it, taking NSAIDs, and praying for a speedy recovery. My last 4 miler was wrecked due to knee pain, and I am slowly realizing that a PR in Vegas could be wishful thinking. At this point I might just be lucky to finish. Ugh.

The good news is, I have some strength training exercises and stretches to do doing this time off that will hopefully whip this pesky band of tissue back into shape. I will also try to keep up the cardio on the elliptical trainer and stationary bike so I don't fall too far behind. It makes me crazy to rest this much with the half marathon just a few short weeks away, but I'd rather be able to finish than pull out due to a bum knee. I am going ahead with my 10k on Sunday, but I am planning to pull up short if there is pain.

The most frustrating part of this is that when I'm not running, the knee feels perfectly fine!! No swelling, no pain, nothing. In fact, when I am running and it starts to hurt, the moment I slow to a walk, the pain is relieved. I guess that's a good thing, because it would be rotten to not be able to even WALK at all, but it sure is irritating that the ONLY activity I love is the ONLY thing that causes problems. My Physical Therapist seems to be convinced it's an overtraining issue...I mean, let's face it, I've been training for something pretty much non-stop for going on two years now, so it's definitely conceivable. He thinks if I take some time off after Vegas, I'll be back to good as new. But my version of time off is a few days not running. He says maybe a few weeks?!?! What?!? How will I stay sane??? Stay tuned...we shall see...

Light Up The Sky

Now that the time change has finally happened, we are getting to see the sunrise again during early morning runs. This is one of my favorite things about running early. The last several months, we missed the sunrise by almost an hour because we run so early on the early days that it was still DARK when we got done. Never having been a morning person prior to starting my "running life," sunrises were not something I used to be excited about being awake for. I have learned to love them. The song "Light Up The Sky" by The Afters always goes through my head when I start to see those first pinkish orange hues heralding the coming sunshine. Sunrise is such a renewal, symbolically as well as literally. "A brand new day that's never been touched," as one of my friends likes to say. Being one of the people that gets to glimpse that first hazy, colorful light feels special. And knowing I got to see it AND get my run in feels amazing.

A shout out to my 4 at 5 girls!

I have to gush a little about my "running group." I'm not even sure I can really call it that, because it's sort of just a loose invitation I put out to a group of about 11 girlfriends for a morning run of about 4 or so miles on Wednesdays at 5am. (Hence the name "4 at 5".) I started doing it last summer when I had to go that early because my husband leaves for work at 6:10, and I had to be back before that since the kids were still home in bed! Now that it's fall and they are in school, I could go later in the day, but I've gotten used to this mid-week early morning routine. There are some regulars and some that come and go, but I usually have at least one or two and sometimes as many as 6 show up.

It's hard to get up that early to run, but knowing that other people are waiting on me motivates me to do it anyway. And having that early morning run time to chat with girlfriends is somehow a balm to my spirit. The rest of my day always goes smoother afterwards, and it feels GREAT to know I've finished up 4 miles before most people have even rolled out of their beds. It's empowering...I feel good and strong and self-disciplined. Another bonus to going that early: I get to come home to a nice hot cup of coffee and some quiet time before the kids wake up! Not to mention I actually SEE my husband before he leaves for work.

So thank you to my running girlfriends, who are willing to roll out of bed at such an unreasonable hour, when it's still dark and quiet outside and everyone else is dreaming away. You put on your running shoes and head out the door before most people have yawned and stretched and squinted at their clocks, and you wait for me, ready for whatever hills or loops or crazy new courses I've mapped out for us to try. You make the miles go fast and the mornings go so much better. I am so grateful for you!!