Gift Guide for Runners

My second gift guide of the season is for anyone who is a runner themselves or has a runner on their shopping list this holiday season.  This list includes a mix of my favorite running gear, that I’ve relied on for years, as well as a few new items I’ve recently discovered. Hopefully these items will make it harder to make excuses due to stress or bad weather. This list includes 10 perfect items for any runner on your list, or even yourself. I did my best to include items across all price points whether you need an small item for someone in your running club or are looking to spend more on your favorite runner.

  • Gift Certificate for a Sports Massage – Last year, my mother-in-law gave me a gift certificate to a local spa and I loved indulging in a sports massage. Even if it isn’t within your budget to gift them a full massage, a gift card can allow you to give money towards a treatment of their choice.
  • Grid Foam Roller – This little guy is the perfect foam roller for everyone. It’s cheaper than others, is small enough to bring on trips but still gets all the knots. Everyone, regardless their fitness or running level, can benefit from foam rolling!
  • GOODR Sunglasses – These lightweight sunglasses will protect your favorite runner’s eyes as well as prevent wrinkles from squinting.  These $25 sunglasses are fun, polarized and stay in place during even the longest of runs!
  • Brooks Cascadia Thermal Vest – While I have so many favorite pieces of running gear from Brooks, this vest is perfect this time of year as it can be a top-layer or can easily have a wind-breaker or waterproof shell thrown on top. The quilting keeps my core warm while the pockets make it easy to carry things with me on the run. If you’re looking for other items, this is a great running jacket for anyone who runs in the dark and these gloves will keep hands coldy during the cold-weather months.
  • Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow cookbook – This cookbook provides more than delicious recipes, perfect for runners. It also includes inspiration and running tips from a pro. I’ve loved every recipe I’ve tried, especially her muffins, soups and side dishes!
  • Sarah Marie Designs – There are so many great items in this shop, including my favorite mug and the coziest sweatshirt. In fact, anytime I share a picture of either of them on social media, I get so many comments asking where I found them! The fun gear says everything so many of us are thinking such as “Kinda wanna go for a run. Kinda wanna stay in bed.” or “Run all the miles drink all the wine.”
  • Erica Sara Designs – Celebrate their love of running with a custom necklace, ring, cufflinks or key chain. Erica’s pieces are beautiful and a special way to commemorate a race PR or their favorite race. I’ve given her necklaces, key rings and cuff links as gifts historically and they are beautifully packaged and wonderful quality.
  • Amphipod Water Bottle – I’ve used this water bottle for five years and still love it! It’s lightweight size and easy-to-hold shape makes it an easy way to enjoy water during runs and providing a spot to keep subway card, keys and more!
  • Running Socks – I don’t know a runner who wouldn’t enjoy a few fresh pairs of running socks. I’ve tried a number of different brands over the years and seem to come back to Bombas or Thorlos.

 

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Favorite Things Gift Guide

Over $100 gift guide

I’m thrilled to share my first gift guide of the season with you all today. You all requested a TON of guides this year and while I won’t be able to grant all of your wishes, since this is not my full-time job, I’m excited to share at least a few with you. Ever since starting my blog, I’ve enjoyed sharing gift guides with readers as I always receive great interaction on social media and comments during the holiday season. Whether it’s sharing that you purchased an item on the list for yourself or someone else or hearing about your favorite items, these are something I look forward to each year. But, you know what I don’t look forward to doing? Comparing my gift guide to other gorgeous, clickable guides that are created by professionals. So, if you are looking for beautiful gift guides, then you’re on the wrong blog. But, if you want a few fun and helpful gift guides to make shopping easier this season, then I hope you’ll join me this holiday season as I have fun curating a few guides for you. Based on the requests, these are the gift guides that I will DEFINITELY create over the coming weeks:

  • Favorite Things
  • Babies and Children Under 18 months
  • Runners
  • Under $25
  • Guys

This gift guide could be titled a number of things, such as the best purchases of 2018, over $100 gift guide or my version of the Oprah’s Favorite Things. These are the items that I use on a daily basis and love. In fact, I wish I could afford to buy everything on this list and send them to my closest friends. Each one has brought me so much joy this year, each for very different reasons.  But, since I’m not Oprah, I’ll instead get to the good part, where I share my list of favorite things and a link to buy.

I had a great time putting together this list and can’t wait to hear about your FAVORITE things.

  • Lake Pajamas – Once upon a time, I wore 20-year old boxers and old t-shirts to sleep every night. But, then I discovered Lake Pajamas. These are the first set of pajamas that made me look forward to changing into pajamas after a long day of work. Furthermore, it turns out that the company was started by two girls from Savannah with whom we want to high school. The Pima cotton material make these the most comfortable pajamas I’ve ever owned. I have two pairs and am asking for a third, long-sleeve version, for my birthday or Christmas.  Whenever I talk about these pajamas on Instagram stories, people ask how they run and whether they are worth the price tag. Considering that I wear them for at least eight hours per night, multiple times a week, I think that they are definitely worth the investment. In regards to the $100 investment, I’ve rotated my two pairs since buying them six months ago and they still look and feel brand new!  Based on the quality, I have no doubt that I’ll have these for years. Also, in regards to sizing information, their website recommends sizing up if you’re in between sizes. Therefore, I ordered a L and am happy with the fit as I would always prefer my pajamas to be a little loose versus tight.
  • Dudley Stephens Fleece Turtleneck – Last year, I remember seeing Julia, Sarah and few of my other favorite bloggers and influencers share their love for Dudley Stephens on blog and Instagram posts. The brand, which was started by two sisters in 2015, features multiple chic items that all share one thing – they are made of cozy fleece material. Two months ago I finally invested in one of their fleece turtlenecks and have already bought two more. It has quickly become my go-to for working from home and hanging in the neighborhood as it is cozy, chic and comfortable. I love that the longer style, Cobble Hill, features pockets and is long enough to cover my hips and backside which makes it perfect to pair with leggings. The shorter version, Park Slope, is perfect with jeans. Since raving about the cozy fleece tops to friends and readers, I’ve had multiple people text and message me saying THANK YOU as they are now loving the fleece tops.  If you’re curious about sizing, I believe they run a little small, so I recommend sizing up. For reference, I wear a large as I prefer my tops a little loose.
  • Dyson Cordless Vacuum – Bo and I first discovered this vacuum at my parents house. After baking cooking last Christmas, there was flour all over my parent’s kitchen floor. I remember gasping when I realized that this vacuum was able to clean the flour up in just seconds. Historically we’ve had a larger vacuum which is more suitable for carpets and rugs but this Dyson was able to replace those and works incredibly well on multiple surfaces throughout our home – kitchen floor, hardwood, rugs, sofa – you name it! We both wish we’d invested in this vacuum years ago as it makes cleaning easy and enjoyable. The cordless design means that we can use it throughout the house without having to constantly unplug and unwrap the cord. Last but not least, we appreciate the wall mount feature since we have such limited closet space.
  • AirPods – When these first came out, I laughed at Bo and others who wore them. The small white buds coming out of people’s ears looked slightly ridiculous. But, then, one day, I was on a video conference call, straining my neck to hold my iPhone and type at the same time. One of the directors on our team immediately recommended that I invest in a pair of AirPods. She swore that after just one conference call I’d email her, saying thank you. She was right. I’ve used these non-stop for the past six months and love them. The sound quality and sensitive speaker means that I can wear these for lengthy conference calls without missing a thing. When I’m not using them for work, I often use them during runs and commutes. Even though I’m one of the sweatiest people you’ll ever meet, these stayed in place for hot runs this summer. The small case makes them easy to carry in my running shorts or in my purse when commuting. The only downside is that I tend to misplace them once a week. So far, I haven’t lost a pair, but I do wish there was a way to find the individual AirPods using the app on my phone.
  • SONOS Play – We love music, especially since welcoming Katie into our home. Whether it’s morning play time when we all wake up for fighting through an evening meltdown, we tend to have music playing non-stop. Our Sonos Play system, which we have in three rooms throughout our home, enables us to enjoy high quality sound with just the touch of a button. The speaker is small enough to hide behind a photo but strong enough to produce impressive sound quality.  We often use it to play relaxing classical music throughout our home, but sometimes, especially on the weekend, Bo may have one song playing in the kitchen while Katie and I are dancing to her favorite Disney song ,Under the Sea, in the living room. You can link the speakers to Alexa or you can use the app to search and play music on any of the music apps like Spotify or Apple Music.

What was your favorite thing that you discovered in 2018? Or, what would you include on your own version of this gift guide? Any gift guide requests in addition to the ones I listed above?

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White Elephant Gift Guide

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Until yesterday, I thought that I was totally done with Christmas shopping.  In fact, I joked with my friend yesterday, while sipping tea and enjoying a cozy, relaxed moment, that I was so ahead of the game in regards to buying, wrapping and mailing gifts and sending Christmas cards! Since so much of my life is chaotic, I knew that doing as much shopping as possible during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend would reduce stress during these final weeks of December.  But, thanks to a last minute addition of a Yankee Swap or White Elephant, yesterday afternoon I was faced with the fun challenge of finding a gift that would meet our family’s swap guidelines.

  • Appropriate for male or female
  • Appropriate for anyone between the ages of 34-75
  • Able to easily be checked or carried on an airplane
  • Under $30

These guidelines immediately intimidated me and left me stressed out and clueless instead of excited to welcome a new family tradition. But, luckily, with a little help from my Instagram friends I have a list of ideas for the swap and, luckily, many of them can still be ordered for Christmas delivery OR purchased in store.  When I asked people on Instagram for help and ideas, many people responded asking me to share the list since they need to buy a similar gift for either an office party or a swap with friends and family.

I hope these tips are as helpful for you as they were for me. In case you’re wondering, the Echo Dot and Google Home Minis were the most frequent suggestions though anything Yeti was a close second.

What is your favorite item to give or receive during a Yankee Swap/White Elephant? 

 

 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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