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Gifts Ideas For Runners – Women’s Edition

Elaine — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:41:24 +0000

If you are having a hard time figuring out what to get your female runner friend for Christmas, Birthday or just feel like surprising her with a special gift, I’ve compiled a list of gift ideas you can get her. Surprisingly runners need a lot of gear but carry very little. Most of what I carry while running are gifts from my friends and I love them all. Feel free to add your suggestions!

1. Garmin GPS Forerunner 305 Heart Rate Monitor/ GPS – $299

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. The Garmin Forerunner 305 combines a heartrate monitor, memory chronograph and GPS so she can download her previous times for specific courses and compete against herself for a new personal best. Great for trail runs, adventure races and dedicated outdoor training routines.

Click here to get free shipping on orders $45 or more.

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2. Fuel Belt Helium 2 Bottle Belt – $39.95

This is a great Birthday present for runners. It’s Lightweight helium 3-D ventilated foam pads that provide highest level of breathability, comfort knit elastic with velcro closure. She can carry two 8 oz. bottles, cellphone, money and any essentials in a detachable race pocket. Reflective piping keeps her safe and visible during her night runs.

Click here to get free shipping on orders $75 or more.

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3. Ipod Nano 4th Generation – $153.99

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. The iPod Nano (4th gen) is more attractive and colorful and includes Apple’s new Genius playlist tool. It adds video to your music with the new built-in video camera. She can also have fun with the new pedometer, FM tuner and Voiceover. VoiceOver speaks the names of songs and artists so she can navigate her music without looking at the screen.

Click here to get free shipping. She can also get 25 free downloads for her iPod or any MP3 player.

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4. Salomon Women’s Fast II Jacket – $74.95

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. Lightweight-windproof-breathable softshell with thumb loops to cover her wrists and block out the cold. It has a slim performance fit, a chest pocket keeps an energy gels ready with reflective piping to keep her safe during her night runs.

Click here to get 33% off and get it for only $49.99. Also get free shipping on orders over $45.

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5. Subscription to Runner’s World Magazine – $54 for 12 issues

This is a great Birthday present for runners. Runner’s World magazine will inform, educate and inspire her. Each issue of Runner’s World contains profiles, race coverage, training advice, nutrition information and product reviews.

Get free shipping and Save 62% on her subscription. Get 12 issues for only $20.

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6. Enduring Edge Sunglass by Oakley – $175

This can be a great birthday or Christmas gift for runners. These Oakley sunglasses have high-definition optics for unbeatable clarity and peripheral vision, plus lenses that help her adapt to any light conditions. Hydrophobic lens coating eliminates water sheen and repels dust, skin oils and lotions.

Purchase with your GAP card and get free shipping. Use coupon code: MYCARD

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7. Nike + iPod Sport Kit – $29

This will make a nice little gift for her. Nike+ lets her listen to tunes while she tracks her progress on her iPod nano, fully compatible with all nano generations. She just simply slips the Nike+ sensor into a shoe pocket or any other Nike+ Ready shoe, and head out for her run. She can pick her mix and motivate her runs.

Get free shipping on orders $48.95 and over.

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8. Spa GIft Certificates – Depends on the Package

This is a great Christmas gift for her. Running is really hard on the body and the best thing after a marathon is a spa and massage. It will let her unwind, be pampered and cared for from head to toe. This gift certificate does not expire and has thousands of spas locations worldwide. You can send her an instant email delivery.

Save 10% on WaySpa Gift Certificates

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9. Winter Running Essentials

Nike Women’s Lightweight Running Gloves – $17.95

The cool weather glove is designed specifically for women and has thicker fabric over fingers, but cool mesh palms for maximum ventilation. Get this gift now.

Nike Lightweight Running Skull Cap – $14.95

A sure cure for her cold weather runs. This skull cap insulates her cranium while it wicks moisture away from her skin. Reflective elements improve her visibility to passing motorists during those early morning and evening runs. Get this gift now.

Get free shipping on orders $45 or more.

10. HotMedics Ultra Foot Massager – $49.99

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. It offers counter-rotational massage action to help her relieve worn muscles with true, “Thumb Pressure.” Soothing infrared heat provide relaxing heat therapy for her weary feet.

Get this for only $42.79 (16% off) with free shipping.

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11. Bliss Ultimate Foot Duo – $74

Makes a great gift Christmas gift for runners. The cream creates an instant moisture barrier to help alleviate her dryness and battle the buildup of corns and calluses. Also included is the Bliss Softening Sock Salve, 4.2ozA treatment balm that tenderizes her tough heels and toes. It soothes, smoothes, and softens the skin, leaving with insufferably soft soles.

Get free U.S. shipping on orders over $49 with free samples included with every order.

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12. adiStar Sunglasses – $150

This is a great Christmas or Birthday gift for runners. ClimaCool ventilation for unprecedented levels of anti-fog control and is completely adjustable including 7.5-base wrap around Vision AdvantageTM polycarbonate lenses. Ultra-lightweight and screwless SPXTM material for superior comfort, Traction GripTM for a secure fit. 100% UVA, B, and C protection.

Get free shipping on orders more than $149.

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13. Highland Jacket – $108

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. Give her the warmth of a jacket with the light weight for her next run. This semi-fitted jacket features full core protection from the wind with strategically-placed panels, while the breathable, wicking construction allows total mobility. Two-way front zip with locking slider, 360° reflectivity, two front zip pockets, and one left sleeve zip pocket.

Purchase with your GAP card and get free shipping. Use coupon code: MYCARD

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14. Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor Watch – $99.95

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. This light weight and trim model is designed for the active lifestyle and is ideal for her. It is easy to use and provides all important data regarding her current, average and maximum heart rate. Its adjustable target zone and practical ZonePointer function make sure that her workout stays at the right level of intensity.

Purchase now for only $71.96, save $27.99 (28% Off).

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15. Nike Featherweight Cap – $20

This is a great little gift for runners. If features the Nike logo on the front and a velcro closure at the back. It’s adjustable and dri-fit.

Get free shipping on orders over $50.

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16. Sugoi Invertor Jacket – $149.99

This is a great Christmas gift for runners. Superb cold weather running performance with stretch fit and added ventilation. Has a sleek invisible zip pocket with glo reflective for her safe running at nights. This jacket has a breathable 3 layer 4-way stretch barrier that protects her from the wind, rain and cold Fast Fit means comfortable stretch with a next-to-body friction free fit for less drag.

Get this jacket for only $114.95 (23% Off) with free shipping.

Buy this gift now.

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Nutrition for Female Vegetarian Runners

Elaine — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:25:43 +0000

Vegetarians must be very conscious of their diet. I’m a semi-vegetarian which means I exclude some animal products but not all. I eat eggs, fish and dairy products. I’m not a vegetarian for any cultural or religious reasons, it was just a personal choice made about 10 years ago. If you are a vegetarian as well, you need to pay closer attention to your diet because if you don’t eat the right foods you run the risk of being deficient in omega 3, vitamins b12, calcium, iron, and some amino acids.

Protein

A female vegetarian runner needs all the above essential vitamins plus 150% more protein than non-runners. Protein is one of the 21 essential amino acids your body needs to function and is food for your muscles. This means you and I cannot solely survive on bagels, potatoes and pasta. You need some protein in your diet to help recover and repair small tears in the muscle fibers caused by endurance running. The protein recommendation for runners is .5 to .7 grams per pound of body weight (so a 110-pound female runner should consume about 55 to 77 grams a day).

Eating greens have a lower energy content and lower protein quality than meat proteins. Meat and fish have all the essential amino acids and are high quality proteins. If you restrict those foods from your diet, it is important to eat different plant proteins to get different amino acids to ensure your body has all its requirements.

Some good plant protein to eat are eggs, fish, legumes, peanut butter, milk, nuts, tofu, cheese, and yogurt.

Iron

Iron carries red blood cells to provide oxygen to your body. Meat and fish products are high in iron and vegetarians don’t get the luxury of these products. Therefore most vegetarians are iron deficient. If you don’t get enough iron, there won’t be enough red blood cells carrying oxygen to your body and that’s why after running, vegetarians feel extremely exhausted.

To help female vegetarian runners get more iron, consume vitamin C rich drinks like orange juice with your meals. Try not to drink tea or coffee with meals as they will interfere with iron absorption. You can also take iron supplements, but take as recommended as too much iron can be toxic. Other iron rich foods are soybeans, lentils, spinach, and beans.

B12 – Dairy products and eggs provide you with sufficient amounts of vitamin B12.

Omega 3 – Lots of products like eggs and milk have omega 3. Other foods that are high in omega 3 are fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and lake trout.

I can say that I have lost any weight after become vegetarian because I substitute the foods with others. But the foods I eat are easier to digest, and have lower fat intake which makes my body feel better, cleaner and healthier. Studies have shown that vegetarians have reduced risk of heart diseases, any type of cancer and outlive carnivores by 3 years.

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Calcium For Female Runners

Elaine — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:50:26 +0000

If you are a girl and run a lot of mileage like myself or you probably run more than me, you need to pay special attention to your bones. You run to have a healthier lifestyle and for a stronger heart, but constant pounding directly impacts your bone strength. Runners excrete calcium through sweating and over-training without proper nutrition will lead to irreversible bone loss and stress fractures in the bones of the ankles, feet and lower legs.

Doctors recommend that we consume at least 1,000 – 1,500 mg of calcium a day, a glass of skim milk contains about 300 mg (See below for other foods contain calcium). For best absorption of calcium, it is recommended to consume 500 mg of calcium or less at one time. Most women runners are calcium deficient and consume less than one-half the recommended daily intake putting themselves at risk for serious bone problems such as osteoporosis and muscle cramps.

Although unlikely to get the disease, the risk is slightly higher for female runners than males. Women runners who are over 35 years old, small boned, of Asian or Caucasian decent, smoke, or are calcium deficient have a higher risk of osteoporosis. I know for certain that I don’t get that much calcium in my diet through foods. I take calcium supplements to help me get the recommended intake. There are the calcium chews or calcium pills you can take to supplement your diet. Just be aware not to take more than the recommended daily intake of calcium because that will also lead to other problems.

Lots of calcium rich foods are fattening like cheese, and icecream but you can find lots of foods which are low in fat but also have high calcium content. Consider the following foods which will help fortify your bone strength.

Foods	Calcium Content (mg)
6 oz of Yogurt	350
1 cup of Milk	300
1 cup Calcium-Fortified Orange Juice	300
1/2 cup Tofu	258
3 oz Salmon	180
1 cup Broccoli	178
1/4 cup Almonds	85
1 cup cooked Butternut Squash	84
1 cup Celery	54

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