running – French Fry Runner

Your Fit Valentine: Gift Ideas for Runners and Yogis

This post originally ran on 2-5-2015. It has been updated!

With about two weeks to go until Valentine’s Day, you might be looking for gift ideas for your special someone. Or you might be looking to grab something for yourself to show off just how much you love running or yoga. This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it’ll give you some ideas. (And hopefully it will give the Engineer some ideas too.)

Runners

Runner necklace. I just love this gold one from AbellaBlue. All the jewelry is handmade and gorgeous. Check out her running jewelry here.

Race entry. Surely there’s a Valentine’s Day race in and around your city. What better way to celebrate your love than by sweating together . . . as you’re running. Hold hands the whole time for an extra bonus. JK. 😉
This super cool shirt from GoneforaRun.com. Such a cute design, and it comes in a bunch of different colors. I personally love the gray. They have many other Valentine’s gifts on the site too–earrings, medal racks, necklaces, socks, and so on.
New running shoes! These are always welcome. I’m currently digging the Hoka One One Conquests. They’re certainly keeping my feet happy. Throw in a pair of Balega socks, and you’ll (or your valentine will) have happy feet too!
Favorite fuel (Nuun, Shot Bloks, SportBeans, Clif Bars, GU, Picky Bars, etc.). Who needs chocolate? Okay, chocolate works too. How about a fancy rocky road chocolate bar from Chuao Chocolatier? They also make chocolate-covered bacon, s’mores, potato chip or orange? Delicious.

Yogis

New mat. At some point or another, every yogi needs a new mat. I personally love my PROlite by Manduka, but many other companies make great mats (Jade, Hugger Mugger, and Lululemon, to name a few). Hugger Mugger is offering 20% off mats with the code 2016mats. This is a bit of an investment, but I’ve been using my Manduka for about three years, and it still looks new. Throw in some mat spray, and you’ve got an awesome gift bundle. The companies mentioned sell their own, but there are a ton of tutorials on making your own. The Hippy Homemaker offers 5 different recipes here.

New yoga clothes. What fitness enthusiast doesn’t love new clothes? I personally love Fabletics. Their Salar leggings are the bomb. Athleta, Lululemon, and Soybu also have some great pieces. For more reasonably priced ideas, check out Old Navy.
Yoga blocks, bolsters, straps, mat bags, and other accessories.
Class pass for a new yoga studio. Many studios also have a couples class!

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Anyone

Massage. This is perfect for working out the knots from all those miles and fitness classes. Massage Envy offers a one-hour massage for $49.99. Of course, you might have a place in mind. Make it a date with a couple’s massage!
iTunes gift card. Music is always a great idea.
Class pass for a class your Valentine wants to try. BodyPump or a yoga class to stretch out those tight hamstrings, anyone?
New earbuds (like these Yurbuds). The earbuds that came with the mp3 player only last for so long.
Road ID (see my review here). Better be safe than sorry in any situation. Road ID has cute badges to add to any ID, including some Valentine’s-themed ones: a heart, “love,” “be mine,” etc.
SweatyBands. These truly don’t slip off my head no matter what activity I do. These are a great gift for any active person. I’ve heard good things about Sparkly Soul headbands, Junk headbands, and BondiBands too. Junk and BondiBands are also appropriate for guys. 🙂

2016 Race Plans

Hey, I’m back! Did you miss me? The last half of 2015 was downright crazy–and I moved to Northern California on top of everything else going on! The hard thing about moving is that I haven’t been in the area long enough to get a feel for the running community or find out which races are good. Despite that, I think I’m going along with my various training plans and picking a race that lines up the best with them. In the past I’ve tried to run one race per month to keep myself motivated, but I think having a few bigger races on the schedule will help to alleviate that lack of motivation–not to mention that no race is cheap ’round these parts!

March: St. Patrick’s Day 5K. A local 5K is in order, especially one that will not take place in snowy weather. Did I mention I love it over here?

May: Sonoma Human Race 10K. This lines up with my training plans, is local, and is for a great cause.

July: San Francisco Marathon 5K. I can’t believe this race is local for me! I’m stoked to run along the Bay! This is just to see how I can hold 5K pace–and establish that I have a real 5K pace (#goals).

August: I’m running the Santa Rosa Half Marathon! I’m really excited about this. It’s a run though wine country, which is gorgeous, and there’s a lot of sweet swag. Here’s to hoping I stay healthy this year–or at least through the summer…

September: Disneyland 10K–This has become a tradition for me and my sister, so of course I’m running. Also, we always celebrate our birthdays together during that weekend. What could be a better gift? FYI, registration starts on February 2.

This is what I have so far. I might throw in a few 5Ks to keep the holidays interesting…

What race are you most looking forward to this year? Anyone in Northern California running any of these races?

See my other races/recaps here.

I’m linking up for Wild Workout Wednesday link up with Angelena Marie from Angelena Marie: Happy, Healthy & Balanced , Michelle at Fruition Fitness and Nicole from Fitful Focus!

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June Favorites

Below are five things I’m loving lately for June:

1. Floral design
I have recently done all the flowers for two weddings, which I think turned out great! See my Instagram for photos. 🙂

2. Yoga
Honestly this isn’t surprising, but I’m making progress and it feels great! I hope to have more yoga posts up soon!

3. Fluffy romance novels
I do love to read intense nonfiction and more serious novels, but I also love fluffy YA romances. Currently I’m reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. Have you read it?

4. Training
I’m currently training for the Dumbo Double Dare and a marathon, but I’m being more cautious this time. Slow and steady progress is key for me, and I’m doing great. I’m throwing in swimming, biking, pump, and yoga for cross training, and it’s working out great! …and I’m thinking about doing another triathlon!! What do you like to do for cross training?

5. Ironman YouTube videos
My long-term goal is to complete an Ironman triathlon, so I’ve been pumping myself up by watching the recap videos from this and last year’s race series. I’m also watching videos highlighting the many awesome women in the sport. Super inspiring. I can’t wait for the day when I hear, “You. Are. An. Ironman!”

I’m linking up with Jill for Fitness Friday and Courtney from Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia from You Signed Up for WHAT?!, and Mar from Mar on the Run for Friday Five.

What are you loving lately?

Category: running