7 Best Gifts for Runners
By Chris Newport, Nutritionist and Head Coach
Wondering what to get your favorite runner this holiday season? Running shoes are way too boring. Here’s our favorite (non-boring) 7 best gifts for runners.
Gotta Get a Garmin
Garmin’s Forerunner line of watches make a great gift for your favorite runner with models to match a variety of price points (while all being packed full of features). All of the Forerunner watches use GPS, have all-day activity tracking (steps and calories), can track sleep, and can connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone to provide notifications. The Forerunner 35, Forerunner 235, and Forerunner 735XT have wrist-based heart rate monitoring so you don’t have to wear a strap. The FR 235, 630, and 735XT also track more run metrics for all the data-thirsty runners out there.
Not sure what your heart rate zones are? No problem, just set up a Training Zones & Fueling Formula VO2 test so you can dial in your Garmin numbers perfectly (or grab a gift card for one!). Plus, Garmin uploads directly to our athlete tracking software Final Surge. Extra bonus? These are available next door at Inside Out Sports.
Foam roller
This is an amazing recovery tool when used correctly. Be sure to buy one that is high density foam (so it doesn’t shrivel up and die in less than a year) like this one, which is great for traveling or storing in small spaces. And guess what? We have some in stock. Just contact us to pick one up. Need to learn more about how to foam roll? Check out out blog here.
Recovery socks
These things are truly awesome. They feel great and have the science to back them up. Try these for men or these for women from CEP, a company that started in medical compression then made their way into the market for athletes. They carry these at Inside Out Sports right next door, so grab a couple pairs there!
Road ID
Road ID is a durable, rugged, athletic, fashionable line of identification gear. This is an essential tool for any runner, especially with medical conditions or someone running by themselves. In fact, I have one for my kids and my dog! They offer tons of options for personalization too.
Race Bib Gift
This is definitely one of the most personalized and clever runner gifts I’ve ever seen. Turn a race bib into a gift like a frame, ornament, pillow, coaster or mug. You’ll be remembered for as the coolest gift giver ever.
Custom Infinit Formula & Sweat Test
Is your favorite runner constantly running to the port-o-john, suffering from cramping, or constantly collecting random sports drinks to try? We have their problems solved! Hook your runner guy or gal up with a gift card from us for sweat testing. Using those results, we can create a completely personalized Infinit formula with their favorite flavor and they’ll be set for their training sans cramping or spontaneous unwanted visits to the loo.
Running Snacks
There’s so many different snacks coming out on a daily basis. Sadly, most of them are junk. But some of them are excellent snacks from great companies. And you’re in luck, since The Feed likely carries them! They have healthy and delicious snacks for pre, during and post workout. Plus, they have some great deals. They always leave a nice thank you note in the box too. It’s the little things that matter, right?
How will you treat your runner well this holiday season? Happy running!
