by Tina Lehman

Created on: April 28, 2009

Anyone can take up running for relatively little money. All you need is a pair of shoes to begin. But as one progresses into the sport there are more and more items needed to make runs more efficient, painless, and enjoyable. While there are many gifts you can get for the runner in your life, unless you run it is difficult to know what these are.

Technical clothing- When running long distances it is important to wear material that does not chaff and wicks away moisture. Many companies make wicking shirts, socks and shorts that will fit any budget and make great gifts for runners.

Hydration packs- It is often necessary to carry water on a run. Holding a bottle of water can become cumbersome, so hydration packs that are worn around the waist are very useful. You can purchase a simple water bottle holder, a belt that contains several small bottles (which distributes the weight and gives the runner the option of filling some bottles with water and others with sports drink), or a bladder type pack that contains varying amounts of fluid.

Sports lube- Many runners will chaff after running long distances. Sports lube (Body Glide, Sports Slick, etc) is a substance that runners can apply to their skin anywhere they may chaff.

Racing belt- A racing belt is an elastic belt that runners attach race numbers to and wear around their waist. This eliminates possible damage to technical clothing from pinning a racing number to shirts and shorts.

T-shirt quilt- This is a great gift for a veteran runner. With each race entry comes a racing t-shirt. After running dozens of races, any runner accumulates many more shirts than he can possibly wear. There are companies (and designs for the do-it-yourselfer) that will create quilts from racing shirts you send to them.

Medal display- This is another great gift for long-time runners. Long distance races such as half marathons and marathons usually give out finisher medals. When added to medals won for local races, this can add up to be quite a few. Giving a runner a place to display all her medals is a great gift idea.

Fuel- Runners running long distances need fuel. Sports gels, sports drinks, and even candy formulated to meet the specific needs of a weary runner makes a terrific gift for the runner in your life.

Music- Running for hours on end can become boring, regardless of how much you love running. Listening to music is a great way to pass the time away as you trudge out miles. The gift of an mp3 player, or an iTunes gift card is a thoughtful gift if your runner enjoys listening to music while running.

GPS- Knowing the distance of a running route is important information for a runner. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are available for runners in the form of a large watch. This watch can keep track of distance and elevation as well as time and pace. Some models even come with heart rate monitors attached. Most GPS systems have software associated with them and are useful training tools.

Heart rate monitor- Many runners do not keep track of the distances they run as closely as how long they maintain a particular heart rate. Other runners like to interval train or do fartleks, and knowing heart rate is important. Heart rate monitors consist of straps worn around the chest and a watch that is worn that keeps track of the heart rate.

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