Tower of Terror Training

Can you believe it's June already!? When did that happen?! I am excited that it's finally starting to feel like summer here in New Jersey. Thanks warm weather for finally deciding to show up!

Now that June's here it also means that training for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler starts today. I have to admit that I haven't really done much running since the Nike Women's Half Marathon. During training and the half I developed a HUGE blister on my left foot from my orthotics. So I had to send my orthotics out to be adjusted which gave my blister some time to heal and not look so scary. My orthotics came back at the end of last week, just in time to start up this next round of training-yay!

My goal for this training cycle is to complete the whole thing! In my 2 prior training cycles I haven't stuck to the schedule as well as I should have for various reasons. I know I'm capable of running a better race but I just need to stick to the plan! Since I have been running for more than a year but not so consistently I've decided to follow Jeff Galloway's finish in the upright position plan. Originally I was going to select the time improvement plan, but right now I need to focus on completing a training schedule and feeling strong at the end of a race. My past 2 races I've always lost steam towards the end and want to avoid that this time around. 

The other areas I want to focus on are weight lifting and nutrition. I'd like to work in Body Pump classes as cross training twice a week. I also really need to start eating better to keep my body fueled properly. I'm starting off slowly by tracking meals into MyFitnessPal again but would like to slowly transition over to clean eating. I've been browsing blogs for recipes and meal plans to get some ideas. If anyone has any resources that helped them transition to clean eating, please, let me know! 

QOTD: Are you starting training for Tower of Terror or another fall race? 

Don't forget DVC and Passholder signups for the Star Wars Half-Marathon weekend are tomorrow at noon!

Wear the Cape 5K Race Recap

Last Saturday, I was asked by a family friend to run a local 5K. One of their friends has started this wonderful charity, The Kidkind Foundation, to raise awareness and prevent bullying, while building heroes in our community's youth. It even has a board of students to help spread awareness. It was the first year they were putting on a race and I was happy to participate! 

Wear the Cape

Normally, I scour the race website and read every piece of race literature I can beforehand. This time I was very casual about it and signed up that morning at the race. I was able to rope Bryan into running with me (yay!). He typically won't run anything longer than a 5K with me, and of course if there's a race shirt involved, how can he say no?

The race took place at the municipal fields the next town over from me. So a quick 10 minute drive and we were there. You have to love that race commute. After the race there was a fair with activities and vendors going on all afternoon. Most of them were already there in the morning to get set up. 

I kind of knew that this race was a semi-trail race but I didn't really seem to process that part too much. Mind you, it'd been raining for 2 days straight earlier in the week, so lots of mud would be waiting for us. 

Pre-Race

Just before 8:30 we grouped up around the start line and then the announcer set us all off at once. We started on a pavement road but headed straight for the woods. The path getting through the woods was narrow, you couldn't run more than 2 people across and even that was pushing it. So with a big group trying to move through a small space we were kind of at the mercy of whatever speed the group was moving. 

Just for good measure, there was also tons of mud, big, deep piles of squishy mud. So people were dodging around the mud, off the course, through trees, around branches etc. There were volunteers throughout the entire course pointing out big roots in the path, rocks etc. Trouble spots had also been spray painted the night before to draw attention to them. The organizers did a great job with this, but unfortunately I learned I don't think I like trail races. 

Yum, mud!

Did I also mention that we were going uphill the first half of the race as well? All I could think was, I can't wait to get to the downhill part! But then going downhill through wet, slippery leaves proved to be a problem within itself. 

I don't know if you guys have picked up on this but I'm not the most graceful person. 15 years of dance did nothing for me, I trip up stairs daily, am always spilling things on myself, I'm a mess half the time. Of course, about a quarter of the way through I rolled my ankle going over a rock-OW! I yelled to Bryan to stop and took a quick walk break. Being as stubborn as I am I decided to push on, we had to be coming out of the woods soon, right?

Luckily I was right and we got to a softer, flatter path. Yes, we're almost be done! I saw the mile 2 marker a while back...wait a minute why is there a mile 1 marker there? Does that mean 1 more mile to go? Must be. Through the parking lot back towards the start area, where's the finish? Wait, why is everyone else going back towards the woods? We have to go through the woods AGAIN!?!?!?! 

Guys, I thought I was going to cry. Give me 13.1 miles of flat paved road any day. This trail thing was kicking my butt BIG TIME. The mile 2 marker that I saw early on in the course was correct...if you were on your second lap. I was not a happy camper. Me and my rolled ankle just wanted to finish and not have to dodge more tree roots again. 

I sucked it up though because I'm stubborn and would rather finish slow than not finish at all. We made it through the woods the 2nd time around, back out onto the road (ah familiar territory) and pushed our way to the finish. 

Trying to look smiley while catching my breath!

I was wiped out. Didn't a just run a half marathon the weekend before? How come a 5K was kicking my butt worse than that!? Either way I was happy to finish and happy to have participated for a good cause.

Shortly after the race there was a ceremony for overall and age group winners after that we stuck around for. There was also plenty of water, bananas, and bagels for us post race. I have to say, for this being the race's first year it was run impeccably. 

Unfortunately, I found out that day I'm not the trail racing kind of girl. Bryan on the other hand loved the trail part. To him it was like an obstacle course which kept him more occupied. Once we got to the road he was not loving all the pounding on the pavement. Just another way in which we're complete opposites. I'd take the road over the trail any day!

Made it out of the woods! Now where's my bagel?!

I'm not sure if I would run this race again next year just because of the trail aspect, but maybe volunteer instead since it's such a great cause. 

Lauren

QOTD: What's your experience with trail races? Do you prefer them to traditional road races?

Nike Women's Half Marathon DC - Race Review

Ready for Race Day!

My alarm went off at 5am and I woke up feeling a little nervous. I couldn't believe race day was already here. I ate my pre-race breakfast of a bagel and peanut butter and kept hydrated with water and gatorade. I had laid out "flat Lauren" the night before just to be sure I had everything and wouldn't have to think about it that morning. Right around 6am Bryan and I made our way out of the hotel towards the starting line. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt which was only a few blocks away, a quick 5-10 minute walk. 

One of the 3 gear check areas

I decided not to check a bag and would just have Bryan bring flip flops for me to change into after. If you did have a bag to check the areas were divided into 3 separate locations depending on bib number. Since we had some time to kill we just looked around to see where everything was located and to figure out a good spot to meet up after. Soon enough they were asking everyone to get into their corrals to get ready. Both Shalane Flanagan and Joan Benoit Samuelson were there to kick off the race but unfortunately I couldn't really see or hear them from where I was. Right at 7am the race started with the first wave. There were 3 waves total which started about 5 minutes apart each. I began in the 3rd wave just about 15 minutes after the race start.

The view form my corral

They were AWESOME

We started out heading towards The Capitol and already there was tons of on course support. We passed this bad ass (there's no other way to describe them) all women drum line. They were AMAZING and really got you pumped up. Right after that I passed a spectator with a "may the course be with you sign" dressed up as Princess Lea. The FULL get up people, side buns and all. Bravo Princess, I applaud and thank you for your dedication.

This video doesn't even do justice to how
cool this section was

Around mile 2 we went into "the tunnel" that I've heard about. All I can say is WOW, this was my absolute favorite spot on the course. You go in and immediately you can feel the drums reverberating off the walls and completely engulfing you. It put a HUGE smile on my face and I decided I was going to just enjoy this race. I knew I was under trained so I was just going to enjoy all that the course had to offer me at whatever pace that may be. The "We Run" sign was also here, glowing for photo ops.

The We Run sign made its way into the tunnel 

Just past mile 2 I spotted some port-a-potties that didn't have a completely ridiculous line and jumped in. I waited about 5 minutes but I'm glad I went when I did because the lines were long at pretty much every stop throughout the whole race. It's a women's focused race, we've been hydrating like nobody's business, and we always have to pee all the time, of course bathrooms were in high demand. One thing that I did love that I think all races should incorporate was Nike had flags at each bathroom stop stating how many miles until the next stop- GENIUS! 

Photo: Nike

I quickly got back on the course, kept going past The National Mall, then out and back towards the Arlington Cemetery. I had started my intervals right after my bathroom stop and was feeling pretty good. I was tailing these 2 girls dressed as Aubrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's and loved seeing their outfits the whole time! How had I not thought of that? I love anything Audrey, oh well next time. Right up until Mile 6 the crowd support was phenomenal. There were people cheering everywhere and it kept spirits high. Mile5/6 is usually where I find my groove and was feeling confident at this point. 

I kept trucking on until, uh-oh, my calves were cramping WAY early. Like mile 7 1/2 early. I said some curse words to myself because I knew this was the part of the course where there wasn't as much spectator support. I text Bryan "I think I'm going to walk a lot more than I wanted to." I was really annoyed at first but then I reminded myself, this race is more about the experience than the race. I knew I didn't put the training in to PR and wasn't expecting to. It was an absolutely beautiful day so I was going to walk/run as much as I could and take in as much as possible. 

I would run until I cramped, then switched to walking until that hurt and started cramping, and just kept repeating the vicious cycle. There was this one woman on the course around mile 8 1/2 that was handing out Oreos. Guys, I don't really even like Oreos but I had never been SO HAPPY to eat one in my life. I yelled "thank you" to her and loved every bit of sugar and chocolate that was being soaked up into my body. 

So close!

At this point I just kept telling myself "make it to mile 10 then you only have a 5K left." Once I made it there I felt like the end was in sight. I tried to run/walk as fast as my legs would let me. Around mile 12 the crowd support picked up again and this was what I needed to help push me through. I knew I was getting close so I text Bryan to see which side of the road he would be on. I headed back through the tunnel again, the drumming was not as intense this time since so many racers had already passed through. 

Bookin' it to the chocolate milk & Tiffany's

Outside the tunnel I knew I wasn't that far away. There was a giant screen greeting us by name like at the Expotique with words of encouragement. I was going to wait to see my name but then decided to just push through and get done. I saw Bryan in the crowd, made my way over long enough to yell "my calves hate me!" get a kiss and run off. At this point I could see the finish line in front of me so I took every ounce of energy left, powered through the finish line and threw my hands up in the air with excitement. 

I was exhuasted but so happy to be done. Some sweet woman who finished next to me said "good job!" and put her hand up to give me a high five. Me, still not being completely coherent looked at her like she had five heads, realized she wasn't talking to someone else behind me, realized what a jerk she probably thought I was, and said thank you and high fived her back. Real smooth Lauren. If you high fived me at the finish line THANK YOU and congratulations on your race, sorry I was so spaced out! 

Victory!

My official finish time was 2:52:56, just 9 minutes behind my Wine & Dine time. For how early my calves started cramping, being sick withing the 2 weeks before the race, and how much more I should have trained, I was more than happy with that time. There are plenty of races for me to try and PR in the future, this was not one of them. 

Option 1

Option 2

After the finish line there was a good sized crowd that you unfortunately had to wait with. The first table you had to wait for was where they handed out water in reusable bottles that had the Nike Women's Half and the Whole Foods logo. I thought this was a nice touch and I'm sure helped with water bottle clean up after the race. The next table was food, which I was really disappointed in. We got some dried fruit, some nuts, a mini luna bar, and some other stuff I wasn't really interested in. Honestly, for a race of that size I think you should at least have bananas to offer your runners when they're done. I'm not sure if there was at one point but they ran out by the time I crossed. Either way, volunteers were scrambling to get everything into the bags to hand out to runners. Once we got our food and chocolate milk (YUM!) there was heat sheet distribution which was much needed at this point. 

Can you hear the choir of angels?!

Then, the moment we had all been waiting for-TIFFANY FINISHER NECKLACES! You could either go through a line where the guys just handed the box to you, or you could go to the line where the guys were holding the boxes on silver platters. Since I was feeling worn out and my calves did not want to stand in any more lines I chose the quicker option. 

Finisher area pre-race

There was also a finishers tent with mats and foam rollers-I completely missed this but probably would've taken advantage of it had I know. There was also another tent for finisher merchandise. The lines looked long to get it so I decided to skip it, I had spent enough money on merchandise for one weekend already! I finally located Bryan and my friend Colleen who had come to cheer me on. I switched into my heavenly gel flip flops to slowly stroll around to cool down. I was a happy girl and couldn't wait to celebrate my accomplishment with mimosas at brunch with my friends later!

Photo: Nike
Thanks for making me look so legit! Hopefully I'll be back next year!

Considering this is only Nike's 2nd year in DC, I think they listened to runners last year and made improvements for this year. Hopefully, this will only continue to happen as the race goes on. For a $175 race fee where you get a Tiffany's Necklace as your medal, I think this race is absolutely worth it and I would love to run it again in the future.

QOTD: Have you ever run a Nike Women's race? Would you ever consider running in DC or San Francisco?

Nike Women's Half Marathon DC - Pros & Cons

I'm still waiting for some race photos to come up for my full recaps. Plus it's Friday, who wants to read a huge long post on Friday? So today I will leave you with my Pros & Cons of the Nike Women's Half Marathon DC.

Lets start with what needs improvement.

Cons:

• Expotique Crowding: Fitting 15,000 runners plus their guests into a few tents in Georgetown for the expotique seems like a logistical nightmare. It was so crowded I could barely move to see what was going on.
• Port-a-Pottie Availability/Lines: Lets be honest, women have to go to the bathroom all the time as it is. Make that 15,000 women who have been hydrating for race day? Yikes. 
• On Course Crowding: A wave start was implemented this year but I felt the course didn't really thin out until mile 7. Even then I was still weaving through people.
• Preparedness at Water/Food Stations: At some of the later water stations I filled my own water cup because the volunteers couldn't keep up. After the race the volunteers were having trouble getting all the food bags ready to keep us moving as well.
• Availability of Merchandise: You could pre-purchase a lot of race merchandise online which I thought was great, but if you didn't order right away a lot of it sold out. Luckily most of it was available at the Nike Georgetown store. Things like finisher gear was only available at the finishers tent after the race where I head a lot of gear sold out early. There was also some online, but again, it sold out quickly. If you're a local, you could head back to the Nike store for finisher gear in the days after the race but unfortunately that isn't the case for everyone.

Now onto the good stuff!

Pros:

• A Race Specific App: This is where you can find everything from course info to your race pass to pick up your packet. Later it held your results & finishers photos. 
• Fast/Easy Packet Pick-Up: Scan my race pass from my phone, check all my info on the screen in front of me. Done. Easy.
• Perfect Weather: I know you can't control this one, but it really just made race weekend that much better. Temperatures were beautiful for walking around Georgetown on Saturday then cooled off just enough for the race Sunday. 
• Fast and Flat Course: There was minimal elevation change throughout the course.There weren't any spots that suck out as making me think "OMG I can't make it up this hill." 
• On Course Support/Entertainment: Except for the stretch on the Potomac Golf Course, there were spectators cheering you on everywhere! In addition to the spectators were awesome drum lines along the course to get you pumped up.
• Volunteers: All the volunteers were so helpful and friendly throughout the entire weekend. 
• Water/Fuel: On course fueling and food was fantastic. There was water or Nuun every 2 miles. Whole Foods handed out orange slices and chocolate on the course in addition to there being mini Luna bars and Cliff shot blocks.
• Marketing/Branding of Race Weekend: Nike knows what they're doing people. It was an event not a race. From personalized message boards with your name, to race merchandise I'll actually want to wear again.
• Free on Course Photos: Kudos to Nike on this one. All your photos are delivered directly to you We Run DC app and can be downloaded for FREE from there.
• Finishers Necklace: Come on, did you really think I was going to forget about the best part? The Tiffany's finishers necklace! It's beautiful and I never want to take it off. 

QOTD: Have you run a Nike race either in DC or San Francisco? What do you think is done well or needs work on?

Lauren

Unite 8K Race Recap

Sunday morning I was able to wake up, get ready, and get out the door within 30 minutes. Bryan, being the awesome sport he is, got up early with me to be my cheer squad. The drive to the race was only 30 minutes, so we arrived at Rutgers and parked at the football stadium by 7 am. There were a few lots in which you could park, some closer to the start and some by the finish. There were shuttles running between all the lots and the start/finish as well. We chose to park closer to the start line since the walk back from the finish was only a mile and would be a nice cool down post-race. 

The walk up to the start area was quick and easy to find since it was where packet pick up was the day before. There were plenty of port-a-potties to use before the race as well as water stations, and a DJ. The Rutger's Knight (their mascot) was also wandering around taking pictures and giving out high fives. I was a little chilly waiting for the race to start, but once I got going the temperature was absolutely perfect in the mid-50's.

Waiting to Start!

The half marathon started first at 8am. The half started out in one direction, then 10 minutes later the 8K participants lined up in the opposite direction since our course was the back 5 miles of the half. Everything was very casual and just feel into place wherever you felt comfortable. 

I started off faster than I should have, 9:45/mile, waaaay too fast, I just get too excited! I dropped down to about 10:30 which was still a full minuter faster than I should have been running but more comfortable. I was feeling good and decided to just run and see how I felt. The course started on Rutger's campus, then took you into a local park. There were a few bands along the course from polka to rock. There was more on course support closer to campus but inside the parks was pretty and I just enjoyed the run.

I ran the first 2.5 miles without stopping until I hit the first water stop. I walked through and then started my intervals. I feel into a nice groove just enjoying the scenery and listening to my music. After the park we crossed an overpass bringing us up a slight hill towards another park. 

Yelling to get Bryan's attention, typical.

At mile 3.5, just as I was making my way up to the 2nd park I spotted Bryan making his way to see my at the finish line. It couldn't have worked out any better if we had tried! I yelled "Am I going to beat you to the finish!?" worrying he wouldn't see me.

We were looped through park #2 which was flat and fast like the majority of the course. I was making my way out towards the road to the finish when I spotted the first half marathoners. They were just making their way into the park which was about mile 11 1/2 for them. Those guys are speedy!  

Coming out you had to take on a slight uphill back onto campus. That uphill is not what you want to tackle towards the end of a race. I had tried to open up my shot blocks prior to this but my darn sweaty hands wouldn't let me. I could have used that extra fuel for the last mile! Anyways, I powered up the hill to finish my interval and then took a quick walk break. Just enough time to catch my breath because I knew the finish line was close! 

The nice part about that uphill was the glorious down hill that just propelled you through the finish line. I think all races should finish on a downhill, it was that extra speed and boost I needed to cross the finish! I crossed at 55:16, which I was very happy with! I had predicted I would finish in 55:00-1:00:00 and was happy to be on the lower end of the estimate. Considering I didn't have a goal for the race besides "let's see what happens" I couldn't complain. 

That bad boy is as big as my wine & dine medal!

I crossed through the finishers chute, received my HUGE medal, and then headed towards the tent housing post-race food. Everything was already pre-packaged with volunteers ready to hand them to the runners coming in. Super easy and no wait time. Further down there was also free hot chocolate for finishers but I decided to pass since it had warmed up to the 60's and hot chocolate isn't exactly what you want when you're hot and sweaty. 

SUPER excited about the post-race pretzel

Everything came pre-packed for
easy carrying (minus the pretzel that I inhaled)

I found Bryan shortly after and we headed back towards the finish line to watch the rest of the 8K runners come through and some fast half marathoners! I was ecstatic to find that a SOFT PRETZEL was one of our post race goodies-YUM! Except there was no cheese sauce-oh wait this isn't Disney. I think I'll write RunDisney and let them know they should start including Mickey pretzels in our runner boxes. 

These girls were AWESOME! They had so much energy at mile 11 of the half.
Their signs say "Run now, wine later" and "Punch for power" and the runners would
punch her sign as they ran past

After I had stretched and refueled enough we started our stroll back to the parking lot. It brought us right along the course so we were able to continue cheering on other runners all the way back to the car. As I was cheering and clapping for the half marathoners, they were congratulating me for my race while they were still running! Guys, this is why I love the running community. We're all pretty awesome and supportive if I do say so myself. Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back. 

So for $59 (plus processing) I received a huge medal, a tech shirt in a women's cut (yay for a shirt I can actually wear again!), FREE finisher photos (that'r right, multiple! Any finish line photo is free for you to download), a complimentary coffee mug, packet pick-up was a breeze, parking and transportation were equally as easy & free, the course was fast and flat (except for that last mile uphill!), the volunteers were great (all enthusiastic Rutger's students) and I lucked out with beautiful weather. My only complaint of the whole race was that there was only water on the course, no gatorade/powerade. Even at the finish only water bottles were provided. Luckily I had left some gatorade in the car but I was really wanting it right after I had finished considering it started to get warmed a lot from the start of the race.

Overall, with only 6,000 runners between the half and the 8K the field was big enough but not overwhelming. I would absolutely recommend this race to someone else in the future. Who knows, maybe next year I'll tackle the half instead. 

Lauren

QOTD: What are some of your favorite local races?

Unite Half Marathon and 8K Expo

Yesterday I was able to run the Unite 8K at Rutgers and I really enjoyed it. I'll post a full recap on later this week because we get a free finisher photo-yay!

First, I'll review the expo. This was my first local race that wasn't a 5K, so the whole race atmosphere at home was something new for me. Funny side note first. On the drive down we noticed people walking down the side of the road in full on revolutionary war attire. We must've stumbled upon a reenactment but it was quite the sight.

Did we go back in time?

Anyways, the expo was held at Rutger's rec center which is only about a 30 minute drive for me. Once you got onto campus there were signs that pointed you to the expo, super easy. It was open from 9am to 4pm. I arrived around 1pm and didn't find it crowded at all. The expo itself was small, it looked like it was in a high school gym. A few vendors were there as well as zumba demonstrations, race course explanation, and a cross fit demonstration as well throughout the day. 

The nice thing about it being a small expo is it made packet pick-up a breeze. I got my gear bag, bib and shirt in one spot, then was directed a few tables away to pick up my commemorative mug. I also needed to stock up on fuel which I was able to get done there within minutes. 

Tech Shirt & Bib

Overall the expo wasn't super large or impressive but packet pick-up was seamless and easy. What more could you ask for?! 

Lauren

QOTD: What do you prefer about larger or smaller expos?

Wine & Dine Expo 2013

Sorry Kayla and I have been MIA the past week! Kayla was sick during the time I was away and now we're both playing catch up at work! I'll have some great stuff to share with you guys about my trip in the coming weeks.

Now that Wine and Dine has sold out in record time, we're going to recap our experience from last year. Wine and Dine was our first half and is very special for both of us. So for those of you whose first race will be Wine and Dine 2014 we're here to tell you don't worry! If you put in the training this will be a magical experience!

Kayla and I both arrived in Orlando around 10:30am and decided to meet in front of the Disney Store at the airport. It was that day we learned a very important lesson that there's a Disney store in terminal A and terminal B. After a phone conversation going something like... "I'm in front of the Disney Store, where are you?" "No you're not, I'm in front of the Disney Store I don't see you," we found each other and boarded the Magical Express.

Once we arrived at the Boardwalk we breezed through check-in, dropped our stuff off and grabbed a quick snack. There was a large sign in the lobby with transportation information for race weekend making the buses easy to find. 

We probably didn't get to the expo until 2:00/2:30 and were pleasantly surprised with the lack of crowds. After watching the expo fiasco of the Disneyland Half unfold over social media I was very hesitant to see if any merchandise would be left or if there were huge lines. Luckily neither was the case ; we were able to move around the official race merchandise area very freely where I snagged a tech-t and a sweaty band.

We found our way to the Raw Threads booth which was crowded but we managed to get through pretty quickly because we could pay in cash-score! We had purchased everything on our wish list at that point and wandered around soaking everything about our first expo in. We did feel slightly over stimulated and no idea where to turn next. There was just so much to see and do!

Since we had skipped picking up our bib's first we went over to the HP Field House to do so. That process was painless with only one person in front of me. We had run a 15K a few weeks prior and got moved up 3 corrals at runner relations! Luckily for us this was the last race where you were able to change corrals at the expo. Now that we have a few races under our belts this won't be of a major concern anymore. 

We headed back over to the Josten's Center to pick up our shirts and take photos with our bibs. Overall we had a pretty successful first expo. Next time around it would be great to check out some of the speaker series as well. 

QOTD: When do you think is the best time to hit up the expo?

Valentine's Gift Guide

Valentine's Day is just a week away. If you're anything like me you will procrastinate getting chocolates, cards, flowers, etc. until the night before. You'll find yourself standing in the card aisle with everyone else looking slightly sheepish that you've put so much thought into your loved ones. 

Don't fret, I have come to the rescue and have complied a list of great Valentine's for any runner in your life!

1. Pro Compression Marathon Socks

Source

Show your runner you love them with these aptly themed compression socks. Whoever receives this gift will be reminded of you every time they wear them. They may also come in handy for a race costume down the line (Queen of Hearts anyone?). 

2. Sweaty Bands

Source

For the ladies in your life Sweaty Bands always make a great gift. They do not budge an inch the entire day and look great. Every time I wear a Sweaty Band I'm complimented on it, and what girl doesn't love compliments? It's the gift that's going to keep on giving. 

3. Runnerbox

Source

Who doesn't love getting a package full of surprises on their doorstep? The runnerbox will send your runner samples of various products for them to try. You can give a monthly subscription, a one time gift box, or they even have a special Valentine's Box (it's like they've done all the planning for you already)!

4. Massage

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Regardless of whether your runner has been training non-stop or not, who doesn't love a good massage? I'm sure your runner has a very close relationship with their foam roller, but sometimes the roller just won't cut it. Treat them to some pampering and I can guarantee they will be thankful to have someone work all those knots out of their calves. 

5. Race Entry

Source

Any runner would love free race entry; I'm pretty sure we all not so secretly want to #runalltheraces. If we had money trees and no jobs or obligations we would, but alas, we don't live in this fantasy land. A race entry could be anything for a great themed fun run/5K to a big event like a RunDisney weekend. If you're a fellow runner, join in with them, if not, make sure to be watching from the sidelines with an embarrassing (yet endearing) sign showing your support!

If all else fails and you still let procrastination get the best of you, just remember you can never go wrong with chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. 

Lauren

QOTD: As a runner, what would you like to receive for Valentine's Day?