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Top 12 Holiday Gifts

December is a month of giving. Many parents are stumped when trying to find the perfect gift for the athlete in the family. Here are northrunning.com's top 12 gift suggestions. Links to other sites are merely provided as an illustration of what is available. northrunning.com does not recommend, support or take kickbacks from any of the suppliers below. (although I would if it was offered!)

#12. Reflective vest ($84.00)

Distance runners are always on the go. With limited daylight this time of year, high-mileage runners are on the roads in dim light, from sundown to total darkness. Although they need to be selective about the places they run, you can't stop them completely. So it doesn't hurt to make them a little more visible. Reflective vests are just one way to make them shine during late day running.

#11. New spikes ($20-$100)

This could be listed as the top gift but since some meets are held before vacation it might be important to get these before the holidays. Training shoes can only take you so far. Once an athlete is competitive they need to maximize their advantages. Proper footwear can go a long way. It is important to match the competition shoes to the event. Ask questions. See what other athletes of the same events are wearing. The shoes have to be functional both with and without spikes.

#10. Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook (Less than $15.00)

In 1993 New Balance hosted a Meet the Runner afternoon in Boston. Francie Larreau was one of the Olympians in attendance and she made a point of comparing an elite runner to a racecar. And guess what! They both suck up fuel at incredible rates. It is important to know what to put into your athlete's engine.

Nancy Clark is renowned for her first book, The Athlete's Kitchen. This Boston-based nutritionist has followed that up with the recently released Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Another well-regarded sports nutritionist with helpful books is Liz Applegate.

#9. Under Armor ($$)

No self-respecting warrior would leave home without armor. Under armor helps keep them warm and dry when running on those sub-zero days. If the price tag is too hefty maybe a long sleeve t-shirt could help.

#8. I-Tunes gift certificate (whatever you make it)

Music calms the savage teen. It also gives them a rhythm by which to run. In my days; pre-walkman, it was necessary to provide your own entertainment on a long run. Now there are Walkmans, Discmans (less than $50.00) and I-Pods (20GB @ $300.00). If your athlete already has one you can provide a new tape, disc or I-tune gift certificate.

#7. The Purple Runner

Motivational books are popular, usually at less than $20.00

“The Purple Runner (out of print $40-$70.00) is a hard to find book, but one of the few that focus on a female distance runner. My own copy is well worn and in twenty pieces. If you can't find this (or afford it) you might try one of the classics such as Once a Runner or Running With the Buffalos. There are also recent releases. The sequel to Once a Runner has just hit the stands.

If you don't know which of these to pick you could buy a running diary and let the athlete do her own writing.

#6. Frozen peas   (under $5.00)

When it comes to aches and pains, ice is an athlete's friend. The best thing about a bag of frozen peas is that it conforms to the body. After icing you can either cook the peas or refreeze them. Once you refreeze them it is a good idea to mark the bag “Do Not Eat”! It reminds me of the time the Yale XC team took over my Cape house for their pre-season camp. I stopped over to see how they were doing and one of the athletes was icing with a bag of my Birds-Eye frozen “Mixed Stir Fry Vegetables”.

If you want to spend that much money you can opt for a pliable frozen gel pack available at most drug stores.

#5. YMCA membership  (under $150.00)

Top athletes are a little fanatical. Track practice is only six days a week and they might want something to do on the off day. YMCA's have high-grade fitness equipment and most have a good pool. I've even been known to send my “dinged up” athletes to the Y for individual pool workouts. It can be tremendously theraputic, especially in the winter. Many health clubs such as Bally's offer similar advantages. Or buy a box of Epsom Salts and draw a warm bath.

#4. Iron Man watch ($25-$40)

Runners are now allowed to wear watches during races, although I personally don't feel they should take the time to look at them – I'll yell out splits as needed. But watches are valuable during training runs. When I want to send runners on a thirty-minute run I don't expect them to count, “Thousand-one, thousand-two”. I only have one to lend so investing in a Timex “Iron Man” shouldn't be asking too much.

#3. Garmin Forerunner ($160 but can be found for much less)

There are training gimics galore. One that I own is a Garmin-made GPS watch. It not only tells me the time but also gives me my present pace and elapsed distance. It also frustrates the heck out of me when I lose the satellite signal. It claims to be able to lead me back to where I started but in dense woods or around tall buildings it is often rendered useless. But if you need to dispose of some money it is an interesting toy.

On the subject of training aids, there is a virtually endless supply. Physio-balls (under $30) can help all athletes with core fitness. There are dyna-bands (less than $5.00 each) for strength, flexibility and rehabilitation. Shot putters can use medicine balls (under $25.00) for countless drills. Dumbbells are another multi-purpose fitness aid. All athletes can benefit from a jump rope that can be anything from a piece of clothesline to a fancy weighted one.

#2. Running Gloves ($5-$20.00)

Cold weather practice requires cold weather gear. There are great running gloves available from cheap stretchy ones to the nice white cotton ones that I am constantly misplacing. While you're at it you might as well get a hat. I use one to keep from getting brain-freeze.

#1. Tickets to a track meet

Make an effort to get to meets. Buy your spouse a ticket to a Saturday meet at the Franklin Field House. Your athlete might appreciate a ticket to the Adidas Boston Indoor Games to watch Olympians run on the same Reggie Lewis Center track that they use. If the tickets aren't yet available you can always give them an I.O.U.

The best places to shop.

In North Attleboro the local running store is DB Sports. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount. Many independent shops are happy to give a break to local runners. Then there are the chains such as Olympia Sports, The Sports Authority and Dick's Sporting Goods.

Even Target and Walmart may have some of what you are looking for. If you don't have time to hit the stores you can always shop online.