A Runner's Christmas List

With Christmas just a week away, I'm currently in the "No-Buy Zone," aka the days and weeks leading up to Christmas where my mom forbids me from shopping, lest I buy something for myself that she's already gotten for me.

I may not be able to shop for myself, but I can browse! These items are all on my Christmas list - Santa, I've been good this year, so pretty pretty please bring me some new running gear!

If you're looking for a gift for that special runner of yours, here's a runner-tested, runner-approved Christmas list to use as your shopping guide! Enjoy!

1) Rundies from Oiselle

Funny and fun, these are the most awesome underwear I've seen! Sorry, Victoria's Secret, I'd rather wear Rundies!

2) Balaclava for those Ohio blizzards

Ok, maybe this is a bit overkill, but I'm anxious about the Ohio winter cold and would rather bundle up than freeze my face off... Laugh if you must, but at least I'll be warm!

3) New Balance 1600 racing flats

I already have a pair of these and I LOVE them - definitely the best New Balance racing flats I've run in. You can always use an extra pair of your favorite flats. Super lightweight and with snazzy colors, they make you feel fast just looking at them!

4) Rundelicious Top from Oiselle

Yup, another Oiselle item... I couldn't help myself. A running top that's both functional and fashionable?! Must have! (hint hint boyfriend!)

5) Garmin

I have the Garmin Forerunner 210 and use it every day except when I'm on the track. Not only does it give you real-time data on your pace (and heart rate, if you use the HR monitor), but after your run you can plug the watch into your computer and download your run data. I find it super helpful for those days when I forget to write in my running log... the Garmin captures every run so you never have to wrack your brain trying to remember exactly how far you ran 2 Sundays ago. It's all saved up in the Garmin!

6) Knuckle Lights

If you're like me and often don't get out the door til it's dark, you need a good running light. I recently heard about Knuckle Lights and am eager to try them out. You wear the lights on your hand while you run, lighting your way and increasing visibility. Added bonus? They come in pink! Mom, please sneak these into my Christmas stocking! 

7) Joy Necklace from Believe I Am

From Believe I Am and created by pro runners Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigin, this necklace is a perfect gift for your favorite joyful runner :)

Best of luck shopping for last minute gifts! Happy holidays!

You can't win 'em all

Saturday's race sucked, plain and simple. There's no point in sugar-coating it - I'm gonna call a spade a spade and tell it like it is: I ran terribly. I got buried at the start, was in 25th place at the mile, and kept going backward from there. The 21 minutes and 40 seconds it took me to cover the muddy, hilly 6 kilometers were pretty torturous. I ended up finishing in 50th place, well back from where I finished in 2011. Oof.

My face says it all - "Where's that damn finish line? Is this over yet?"

What happened? Hard to say. A lot of factors could have contributed to the bad race - a tweaked hamstring, working long hours, getting ready to move across the country... Maybe it's the combination of them all. But whatever the cause, it sure wasn't my mental state. I thought I was ready, I believed I was ready. It wasn't in the cards on Saturday, but I believe I'll be ready again down the road...

I was mad and sad for a little while, but I learned long ago that dwelling on a bad race doesn't do anyone any good - not you, not your teammates, not your support system of friends and family. You can't win 'em all; as sure as the sky is blue, there will be times when things don't go your way. So when it doesn't, you've got to learn to deal with it.

Not a happy camper...

An old, wise coach once counseled me that after a bummer of a race, you can be upset for the length of your cooldown, but once those 15-20 minutes have passed, it's time to pick yourself up and move on. There's a finite amount of time to dwell and to pout. S*** happens; take some time to be pissed, some time to reflect, and then look ahead.

So that's what I did. I shed a few tears, mourned the bad race, and then proceeded to have a hell of a good time in Kentucky!

First step in turning that frown upside down: eat some chocolate!

Step 2 - go to Hugh Jass Burgers (for a good laugh, say that one aloud!) and devour a 10 ounce burger. 

Step 3 - surround yourself with the best of friends and enjoy the moment!

Despite my poor individual performance, I was proud to rep NBSV and toe the line with these ladies. As a team, we finished 8th - not the overall result we'd hoped for, but it was our highest-ever placing at this meet and we were the top California team. We're down, but not out, and I'm confident we'll continue the upward trend in 2013.

And so like my team, I'm looking ahead to 2013 and the exciting opportunities it will bring, both in running and in life. But before that, I've got to move out of my apartment in San Francisco! Off to pack...!