I’ve been seeing lots of lists out in internet land. Oh dear, what to get the kid who has
everything? The answer, of course, is a total no-brainer. How about spending time with the little rugrat? Turn
off the smart phone, kill the cable and internet, and talk for a change.
Top one hundred best albums of all time? Yes, Born to Run is
up there and Justin Beiber is not, thank god. And yes I deliberately wrote
album.
Here’s a fun one: Twenty
Christmas foods that will kill your waistline. They’re all creamy, buttery,
deep fried and/ or stuffed with Nutella and every single one has been a part of
my daily diet since Thanksgiving. Om nom nom.
Then there’s this: 26.2
gifts for runners.
That last one I sort of made up, though there are plenty of
running sites and blogs filled with pages of presents for your favorite road
hog.
There’s not much out there that appeals to me. I do enjoy
reading the lists, and get an occasional chuckle from some high-ranking
editor’s idea of what three and four-figure gizmo regular jogging schmoes like
me absolutely positively can’t live without.
I get by quite well with what I have, thank you very much. I
don’t need the latest hi-tech GPS paraphernalia. Like a lot of other oldies and
goodies, I’ve got the mileage and elevation of every run within five miles of
here pretty much memorized. And if by chance I do travel an unfamiliar route, I
always bring a running friend who brings her GPS.
I have plenty of cheap Target gloves so I don’t need the fancy
schamncy ones with built-in warmers or hot chocolate machines, or micro
television screens.
Don’t waste your money
on running socks. I only wear one particular style by one certain manufacturer and
I’m somewhat neurotic about color choice.
And as for clothes, I prefer to buy my own or wear what I
get at races. For me, part of the psych up for a long run includes throwing on reminders
of past triumphs and struggles: my
capris with the Marine Corps Marathon logo at the knee, green Stu’s 30K shirt,
orange Run for Research cap from way back, Boston 2002.
For my long run this past weekend, I ended up inside on the
dreadmill. It wasn’t my intention. I was
ready to go outside and run, all suited up in my yellow Boston Marathon 2009
shirt and that dependable, linty fleece headband I’ve been wearing since my first
marathon training winter. Then a phone
call came and I had to do some driving for a family member. It was nothing
serious, just something necessary enough to delay the run for several
hours.
I didn’t get home until darker in the day. No worries. Life gave me the gift of
flexibility in mind if not in body many decades ago. Instead of running outside, I hit the gym.
I threw on my old Run for Research singlet and shorts from
Boston 2008. I took a swig of water from the commemorative water bottle I got
at my November high school reunion. I plugged in Bruce, set my treadmill pace, and enjoyed my window view of swirling snow
and bending branches while I ran a hot and sweaty twelve miles.
See? I’ve got all the running stuff I need. I am beyond all set.
Though I could maybe use a lint brush. My running pants are black, and I has cats.Very furry cats.
The gift of good health. The best present of all!
Please become part of my support team.
Together, we can make a difference in the lives of thousands.
Visit www.liverteam.org and click on
the DONATE button.
Read my reasons for running Boston 2014 on behalf of the American Liver Foundation.
I'd deeply appreciate your help.
So would some of my dear friends and loved ones.
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