Friday Favorites. Series.

I thought I would do a themed Friday favorites for the runner in your life or you! Perfect for holiday gift-giving or ideas for keeping your safe, warm and comfortable as winter approaches. Also some of my favorite running bloggers who will inspire you to keep chasing your goals.

|1.| Safety is always key. Perfect for the early morning pre-dawn or late night runners. Headlamps are key to keeping you visible as well as lighting your way so your path safe. Here is a great cost-effective option.

|2.| Reflectivity. I was hit by a car and rolled over the hood 3 years ago. I take reflectivity very seriously. I have a completely reflective jacket I wear in the winter but if you aren’t looking to drop a lot of money this is a great option that you can use all year round. I have this model and love it when a jacket isn’t required.

I wanted to include a pic of how reflective my jacket is for your reference. Many companies make these in various forms. I know Nike just released their Flash collection that includes sneakers to reflective jackets and clothing which you can find here. My jacket is an old Lululemon model.

|3.| I’ve been testing out the new Mizuno Wave Rider 19’s and I have to admit I’m in love. I have worn the 18’s for the past year and was very excited to get my hands on the new version. First, the laces are so much better. Softer and stretchy plus longer. Hallelujah! They are being released in a ton of new colors too. I think they fit a bit more on the narrow side versus the 18’s. If you’re a neutral runner… definitely give these a try. They fit a bit more narrow than the 18’s and the fit is perfect.

Mizuno states these upgrades:
Refined toe-spring delivers a smooth, effortless toe-off
Upgraded premium sock liner provides more rebound and resiliency at every foot strike
New upper design with added durability and shock attenuation.

|4.| I suffer from Raynaud’s Syndrome. If you have it you know how painful it can be. Basically your blood is drawn to your heart and out of your extremities. I have a screw in my middle finger and that turns completely white and hurts so badly. The only thing that I’ve found that works on freezing runs are thick mittens like these. I wear a mitten liner if super cold as a first layer. Temperatures below 25 or so Fahrenheit, I use hand warmers to help keep the heat in as well. I’ve found less expensive versions but wanted to give you an image of the type of mitten I’m talking about. I always size up for layering purposes especially with hand warmers.

|5.| And finally my favorite running watch/fitness tracker EVER is the Garmin Fenix 3. Both my husband and I have this watch and absolutely love it. It tracks pretty much every activity you can think of from Crossfit to running, swimming to skiing and pretty much everything in between. It tracks sleep – REM and light sleep. Calories burned. Steps taken throughout the day. Training heart rate zones, which is perfect for me in my heart rate training efforts. It has been on my wrist since I got it in August. Highly recommend. Oh and you can customize the face of the watch face. So. Much. Fun!

This is the pedometer face. Goal is 10k steps a day and then the actual steps taken with the calorie burn on the bottom left/distance covered on the right.

Here is the black and silver models. You can purchase here.

And some of my favorite running friends who inspire me daily.

Chelsy from Fit & Faithful. This girl may be tiny but man she is one dedicated powerhouse. She has completely transformed her running game and inspires me daily with her dedication and joy.

The Athletarian. Where do I begin with this girl? She is a dynamo. Funny and my favorite running nerd. She covers training, food, race day antics to her favorite sneakers – and trust me she has a heck of a collection! Takes the best running pics ever… seriously. Christina, like Chelsy, shares the ups and downs to training with great candor. Another runner that will inspire you to lace up and hit the pavement.

And lastly, the lovely, always-smiling Carlee McDot. This girl is the energizer bunny. She is always smiling to the point that you can feel her energy through her pics. Her efforts are always solid and honest. She’s the real deal. She believes in making the world a better place by her charitable endeavors and inspires me daily to slap a smile on my face despite whatever is going on. Her neon colored running gear with sneaker wings attached will inspire you on the daily – I promise.

I hope you enjoy these product and blog suggestions. Now bring on the weekend!

Weekly recap:

Sunday: 14 outdoor miles
Monday: 5 treadmill miles/strength/core
Tuesday: 11 treadmill miles
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 20 outdoor miles
Friday: 5.5 treadmill miles/strength/core