Ep #225: The Ultimate Runner’s Gift Guide

Welcome to The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you’re a woman who has never felt athletic but you still dream about becoming a runner, you are in the right place. I’m Jill Angie, a certified running and life coach, and I teach women how to start running, feel confident, and change their lives. And now I want to help you.

Hey Rebels, happy December. This year has absolutely flown by. And I know it is super cliche to even say that. But I was watching this incredible show on PBS called The Brain with David Eagleman, and David Eagleman is a neuroscientist.

And the show is basically a deep dive into how the brain works. And one of the topics he covered was our perception of time and how it’s more than just time flies when you’re having fun. That the way the brain processes sensory input and makes memories to construct our reality has a lot to do with our perception of time.

For example, time seems to slow down when we’re in a crisis, maybe we’re in a car accident or something. Because the decisions that we’re making are so critical to survival that the brain pays a lot of attention to them and they become more intense memories than say things you saw on an uneventful drive to work. And that we actually don’t experience time slowing down in the moment, it’s really our memory of the event that gives us that perception that time moved slowly.

And that blows my mind that we’re not perceiving it in the moment, that it’s our memory later on, that time moves–  I just think the brain is so fucking cool. And so anyway, this year went super fast for me. And I’m not sure what that means in terms of how my brain is processing things or making memories but I thought it was super interesting.

And there’s so much fascinating stuff in the show, it’s like six one hour episodes. I highly recommend it and I’m actually going to give you a link to it later in the show, in this episode because I just loved it that much.

Okay, my friend, so December has a lot of gift giving holidays like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Boxing Day, St. Nicholas’s day, winter solstice, and my personal favorite Festivus. And I know, I know, there’s more. I know there’s probably more, I Googled it, I couldn’t find more than just these. But feel free to write into the show if there is a December holiday where you exchange gifts with somebody that I did not mention.

And even if you don’t celebrate any of these holidays, you might have a birthday in December. Or hey, you might just want to celebrate the fuck out of yourself because you exist and you’re awesome. So basically, this episode is for everybody.

And yes, I know that Hanukkah is actually half over when this episode drops. I totally messed up when I was planning it out. I wanted it to be in time for all the holidays. Complete fuck up on my end, hopefully you will forgive me. But late is better than not at all, right? So let’s go.

Now you already know that this is a runner’s gift guide episode, but it’s really more than just a list of stuff. Because I’ve told you a million times that running is at least 80% mental. And you can have the best running shoes in the world, but if your mind isn’t in the right place they’re just going to sit in the back of your closet laughing at you every time you open the door.

So there’s some really cool running here on this gift guide. But also, it’s about everything you need to be a successful runner. So a fair amount of it is going to be stuff that supports you in creating a rock solid mindset that’s going to help you stay consistent. Because you know, when you’re consistent, that’s when you get the results that you want.

And there’s no need for you to be taking notes or anything like that because I’ve taken everything I mention in this episode, I’ve put it all on a web page with links to everything. So all you need to know is the link to that page. And it’s notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts. G-I-F-T-S, plural gifts. It’s hard to enunciate that.

So you can just send that link directly to anybody that you want to make it super easy for them. And for some of these items I’ve even included discount codes that I have. So make sure that you check out my ultimate runners gift guide page, notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts, G-I-F-T-S.

Okay, so the list is broken into three parts and the first is running gear. We’re going to be runners, we want to have the gear. And then training tools for your body and your brain. And then, of course, the third thing on the list is books because you know I’m obsessed with books. I love books, I love to read them, I love to write them, I love to fondle them. I love to go to like Barnes and Noble and just touch all the books. I fucking love books.

And I also want you to know, I’ve used pretty much every single thing on this list and love it. So you’re getting my personal recommendations of like, yep, used this, love it, highly recommend it. Okay? All right.

So we’re going to start out with running gear, and let’s just dive right into hydration because you got to be hydrated to run, am I right? Without water, running gets real hard, real fast. So I have two different flasks that I want to share with you today.

And the first one is for general, everyday hydration. Because yes, it’s important to be hydrated while you’re running. But it’s harder to be properly hydrated while you’re running if your life is devoid of fluids when you’re not running. So there’s a company out there called Healthy Human and they make the most amazing stainless water, they call them stein’s, they’re basically like insulated water bottles, but they’re absolutely gorgeous.

And they’re super functional. They all have interchangeable lids and handles. And seriously, they’re amazing. They have tons of different sizes and styles, I pretty much have one sitting on my desk all the time. I also like to leave them in the car when I’m hiking because then when I get done, my water is still cold. I’ve got like cold water waiting for me even if I’ve been gone several hours.

And we all had these flasks at the Ragnar in Wisconsin this year, and they were perfect. And here’s my favorite part, if you like to put stickers on everything like I do, the coating on these flasks is actually perfect for that. So they take stickers very, very well, which is important to me.

So Healthy Human is the name of the company. Again, there’s going to be a link on the notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts page that will take you right to the site. But these I highly recommend, I mean, first of all, they’re beautiful to look at. They’re super functional, they keep water cold, they keep liquids hot. And they’re just kind of great to have. I have several because I just like them that much.

But if you want to keep yourself in top hydration all the time, you need to be near water. So I would just recommend getting one or two of these to keep, for switching back and forth, one’s getting washed, the other one you can use. And then you could just like keep them with you. Okay, so that’s for your daily hydration.

The next item is for on the go hydration. And this is actually a new to me style of running flask. I’ve never used this kind before this past September, but I’m totally hooked. And the one I’m linking to on our web page is called the Hydropak Ultraflask. And first of all, it’s collapsible. So when it’s full it’s like a regular sized water bottle. When it’s empty it collapses down into just a little small amount of space. And it fits in the front pocket of most hydration backpacks.

So if you’re going to go for a short run and you don’t want to bring two liters of water on your back, you can leave your hydration bladder at home and then just put the pack on and put one or two of these smaller bottles in the front pockets.

And I mean, it’s like I don’t know how I missed that this was a thing. But I saw one of my clients when we were at Ragnar had them and I had brought my own collapsible flask which, of course, broke right before I was supposed to go out for my first run. And I was planning to put Nuun in that flask. And then I had my backpack and everything.

So my flask broke and my client Melissa was like, “Hey, I’ve got this one if you want to borrow it.” And I tried it and I was like, “Oh, this is so much better than what I was using before.” And it fits in the pocket, it’s just amazing. And they have this long straw on them. So you can put them in your pocket and the straw is long enough, it sticks straight up so you can actually sip without taking them out of your pocket.

So I think these are great, I would get a couple of these. They’re easy to clean, they’re around 20 bucks each so they’re not super expensive. And what I like to do is put pure water in my hydration bladder and then have one or two of these smaller Hydroflask Ultraflasks filled with Nuun or Skratch or whatever. And then when they’re empty, they squish down and they can just fit anywhere, they don’t take up much space.

So again, they’re a must have for any runner year round really. So Hydropak Ultraflask. And again, the link is going to be on notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts.

Okay, so let’s talk about the boobies. Let’s talk about the Tatas. My number one recommendation for any of my rebels that have a cup size of C or larger, which is quite a few of you is the Enell Sport. And Enell is a woman owned company and I know the owner personally, she’s amazing. And she created, like she herself needed a bra for larger breasts when she was a volleyball player many years ago and nothing existed in her size, or that had the kind of motion control that she needed.

So she did when any badass does, she went out and she invented her own, started a company, and has been selling them for probably 20 years now. I found out about them when Oprah, remember when Oprah did her marathon like decades ago? And I read an article about oh, this is the bra that I used when I ran my marathon, and it was the Enell Sport. And I’m like, if it’s good enough for Oprah, it’s good enough for me. And I went and I got one and it was a game changer.

So it’s a high impact, low motion bra. It’s incredibly well constructed and comfortable and pretty much indestructible. In the summer, I can run shirtless in this bra and have no worries that one of my boobs is going to escape, the bra has them on lockdown. And I mean, my friends, I’m an H cup, I’m like a 42H, 42G depending on the bra. And I can run in these bras for miles and miles.

And this is one of my favorite things, they have sizes that fit up to around a 56G. This is amazing to me. I’ve never, ever seen another bra company make a high impact sports bra that is this level of inclusive with the sizing.

So if you have been struggling, if you’re like, “Oh, I have to wear two bras when I run because otherwise everything’s bouncing and blah, blah, blah.” Just go check Enell, and again there’s a link. This one I actually have a free shipping code on our notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts website. So go over there, click the link over there and I have a free shipping code for you. But the Enell sports bra is the bra for big boobie girls, it is.

Okay, speaking of women-owned running gear companies, the other one on my list today is Skirt Sports. Now I know you’ve heard me talk about Skirt Sports a lot, I wear a lot of their gear. I even interviewed the founder on this show, Nicole DeBoom, and the current owner, Sarah Ratzlaff. I’ve interviewed both of them on this show because they’re both really amazing women.

But seriously, Skirt Sports, this is a company like no other. They make an amazing selection of workout gear, they go all the way up to a size 3X. And it’s cute, it’s functional, and frankly, sometimes I wear it out and about just because I love it that much.

And what I also love about running skirts, two things. The first is that they add a little fun to your run. And the Skirt Sports stuff there’s lots of patterns and fun colors and different styles to match your personality. But if you’re somebody who’s maybe a little more modest, and I mean I’m not a modest person. I’m like, “This is my ass, look at it. It’s glorious.” But not everybody’s like that and I get it.

So if you’re somebody who’s like, “I really don’t want everybody looking at my glorious ass,” the skirts will give you coverage. They come in different lengths. And so there are lots of options if you’re like, “Hey, I’m all in for spandex, but I really don’t want my ass on display.” I highly recommend going and getting a running skirt.

And also on the site they’ve got lots of tops and accessories and so forth to match the skirts, it’s not all skirts. And they’ve also got plenty that are just tights without skirts. So it’s a beautiful collection of running gear and again, they go up to sizes 3X.

And the sizes are pretty generous too. It’s not like some sites you go onto a 3X and you’re like, “Okay, well I’m an XL everywhere else and the 3X on this site barely fits me, so fuck you.” It’s not like that. Their 3X, I’m a 2X in their gear right now and that is just about the right fit. And at this point in my life I’m about 260 pounds, five foot four. So just to kind of give you an idea, they’re 2X is a true 2X and their 3X is a true 3X.

So I can’t recommend them enough, and again, I’m an affiliate for Skirt Sports as well as Enell, so total honesty, I do get a little something if you buy from them. But I talked about Enell and I talked about Skirt Sports before I was an affiliate because I believe deeply in all of the products.

But if you do go to our notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts site I’ve got a discount code for you for your Skirt Sports order. So make sure that you order through that link and use the discount code and you’ll save some money. Okay? All right.

The next thing on my list, I’m not an affiliate for this, but I talk about it constantly in every winter episode, is Trailheads convertible mittens. And Trailheads, if you’re listening, I love you. Give me a discount code for my people because they love you too.

But these are my favorite running gloves. And why? Well, first of all, because, I don’t know, they fit my hands perfectly, they’re extremely well made. But also they’re convertible. They are basically fingerless gloves that have little mitten covers over them. So you can take the cover off and have them as fingerless gloves.

And the cover is magnetic, so it flips back and it just like magnetizes to the back of your hand. So you can have them as mittens, you can have them as fingerless gloves. So if you’re like me, when you’re running your hands get hot, you don’t have to take off the whole fucking glove and carry it. You can just flip the top off and woo-hoo, your fingers are free and clear to kind of release heat.

Or maybe it’s super cold and you need to do something on your phone and you don’t want to take your entire hand out, you can literally just free one finger without having to take everything else off. And there’s grippers on the palm, there’s reflective stripes on the back. Basically, they’re amazing. Best running gloves ever, highly recommend them. Again, I’ve got a link on our website, notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts, G-I-F-T-S.

Okay, what else? How about a running store gift card? And this is obvious, I think. But seriously, a lot of times people want running shoes for a gift. They’re like, “Okay, what do I want under the Christmas tree this year? I think I want some running shoes.” But if you don’t know the exact model and size that you need, you may not get what’s best for you.

So the best thing to do is get fitted for shoes, and then buy the shoes. And so you can get fitted and tell somebody the exact model and size that you need, although things sell out quickly. Or you could just ask for gift certificate to your favorite running store and then go get fitted after the holiday is over and after all of the hullabaloo has died down, and all of the sales are on, you can use your gift card then.

So you could ask for one to your favorite running store. If you don’t have a running store nearby there’s two online places that I recommend shopping. One is Road Runner Sports and the other is Fleet Feet. Now, Fleet Feet will actually do a virtual shoe fitting for you. Road Runner Sports doesn’t do a true virtual fitting, but they do have a shoe fitter tool.

And then both of these have great return and exchange options. So if you get a shoe that you think is going to work, and then it doesn’t, you can return them and get a different pair. So I love the idea of a running store gift card for a holiday gift. And also they’re super easy to give. If you’re looking for something to give to a runner in your life, this is super easy because it always fits. It always has exactly what everybody wants and you can email them to people, super easy.

Now, this next one is kind of funny, but it’s not funny, I guess. It’s hand cream, because I’ll tell you what, when I run outside my hands get chapped. Because what happens is I’ll start out, it’s cold so I have my gloves on. And then as a warm up, my hands get kind of sweaty, and I take my gloves off. And my hands are a little damp and boom, they get chapped.

So there is this hand cream, and I’m totally going to butcher it, I’ve never heard it said out loud, I’ve just purchased it. Dionis, D-I-O-N-I-S. It’s Dionis Goat Milk Hand Cream. And again, I’ve given you a link to Amazon where you can get it on Amazon. But this hand cream is amazing. It is amazing.

So when my hands get chapped in the winter, I use this like maybe twice a day. Like when I’m sitting at my desk in the morning and then before I go to bed. And it’s not greasy at all, and I’m super sensitive to greasy hand lotions. I fucking hate greasy hand lotions. Like if I get one and it’s greasy the first time, it’s like boom right in the trash.

But this stuff is really really amazing. And it comes in lots of different flavors. They even have a limited pumpkin spice out one right now, I’m just saying. It smells amazing and it really works. And Andy is so sweet, every year for Christmas he gives me a set of little travel sizes and then I can keep them all around the apartment. But they also sell bigger sizes as well. So Dionis Goat Milk Hand Cream, love.

And then the final piece of equipment for running gear, I guess, is a neck gaiter or some people call it a buff. And I think this is a must have piece of equipment for every runner in every season because you can use them as a headband when it’s hot out. You can use them as a face warmer or a neck warm in the winter. They’re thin and they’re light but they’re also wicking. You can even use them as a neck cooling tool in the summer.

So they’re pretty amazing. And a lot of times I’ll start out for a run in the winter and I’ll have it around my face and my neck. And then as I heat up, I just push it up, and I turn it into a headband, and then it catches the sweat on my head.

So they’re super versatile, they’re super cheap. I’ve actually linked to a set on Amazon that are six for $20. High quality, they come in pretty colors. You can also just throw them in the wash after you use them. They don’t require any special treatment, they last forever. So grab yourself a half dozen neck gaiters because you’ll find so many different uses for them. They’re so good.

Okay, so that’s my running gear list. And again, this is not an exhaustive list. I know that there’s tons of stuff that I could have included. I wanted to put some stuff on here that I think maybe not everybody is aware of, or things that have changed my life as a runner. So that’s how I curated this list.

The next part, we’re going to talk about are training tools for both your brain and your body. And so the first on the list is a race fee, and I know this is a little tricky because most races don’t let you buy a gift card. Which shout out to all the race directors that might be listening, if you have a gift option that would be amazing.

And I know maybe you can do it with either active.com or runsignup.com. But then you have to find a race that’s listed on their site. So I just think all races should have an option for somebody to do a gift entry. But that’s neither here nor there. If you know the race that you want, give somebody your information, let them register you.

But I do have a recommendation for a specific race series that I think you will love. It’s a women only, no runner left behind, no time limit, party at the finish line race series. It includes half marathons, so it’s everything from 5K to half marathon. And this series takes place in some really amazing locations.

There’s one in Bermuda, there’s one in Texas wine country, there’s one in Cape Cod, and there’s one on Amelia Island in Florida. So beautiful locations, super fun places. It’s called the ZOOMA Race Series. And again, it’s woman owned and operated and it’s for women only to run. The races don’t have time limits. Each race weekend is like an event, it’s a race-cation. There’s little parties, there’s yoga, there’s just lots of fun stuff going on.

So especially if you’re brand new to half marathon or just racing in general, this is an amazing option for you to dip your toe in and know that you’re going to have a great experience. Okay, so ZOOMA Race series again, this one I’ve got a discount code for you. So if you go to notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts and click that ZOOMA link, there’s a discount code there for you. So if you want to enter one of their races, I got you covered.

Okay, another body tool is a muscle massager. And this is a very important tool to have around especially after a long hard run, or a tough strength session, or really anytime your muscles feel achy. And you’ve probably all heard of Theragun and they make an awesome one. Their Theragun Mini is a fabulous tool. It’s like $300, this is a lot of money.

So I got a knockoff on Amazon for 40 bucks, I shit you not it works equally well. It’s like just as good, has all the attachments, so I’ve linked to that one on the gift list. But I used this one, this particular one after my first Ragnar loop when it was like a seven mile loop through the woods and there was some hills and lots of terrain to navigate.

And when I got done I was like, “Oh my God, my glutes are seizing up.” I really was not comfortable and my butt was hurting. And so Coach Jen, kindly, I just bent over in front of her and I handed it to her and I’m just like, “Please massage my butt.” So she used it on my butt for a few minutes on each cheek.

Everybody was watching and laughing, I’m sure it looked hilarious. I think actually somebody got it on video. So I’m going to have to bribe them to delete that. But anyway, so she did it for a few minutes and then afterwards I legit felt like I had new legs. I was completely ready for the next loop. It was amazing.

So the one that I linked to is not the exact same one, it’s a very similar one. I used another Amazon knockoff at Ragnar that somebody else had brought and I was like, “Ooh, this is a lot cheaper than that Theragun Mini.” So I got another knockoff that’s basically the same thing, and again, 40 bucks. So highly recommend, there’s a link on the notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts page for you.

Okay, another training tool that I think is sort of an unsung hero, at least in my gym is resistance bands. And when people ask me if I could have only one thing in my home gym, what would it be? The answer is always resistance bands. It’s not a Peloton, it’s not a big fancy weight set.

I mean, kettlebells, I love the kettlebells. I have a lot of kettlebells but they’re expensive and if you’re just building out a gym you’re going to get much more bang for your buck with a good set of resistance bands. And they don’t take up much space. I mean you should see, we basically have no dining room anymore, thanks to all of my fucking kettlebells and weights and equipment. Word to the wise, start with resistance bands, go as far as you can with those, because you can actually do quite a bit.

So my favorites set, they actually have handles on them, they come in a set of five that go from 10 pounds up to 50 pounds. And then you can combine them, you can put them all on the handles to get 150 pounds total of resistance. And then you can even buy extras, like I added a 70 pound band to my collection. So now I can have a total of 220 pounds of resistance for some exercises.

So again, the set that I use, it’s on Amazon, I think it’s like 20 bucks. It’s a very cost effective way to add weights to your gym, they travel well and like everything else in this episode, I link to it over at notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts.

Okay, this next one, this is brain training. This is not a physical training, it’s a brain training and it’s really fucking cool. It’s called Aesop, and A-E-S-O-P like the fables. Have you ever wanted to be interviewed to tell your story by a gifted storyteller, somebody who really gets you?

Do you ever watch interviews on TV and the person being interviewed is just like sharing their story so beautifully because there’s a great person asking the right questions? And I’ve always thought I want that to happen to me. And then I would also like that interview to be recorded so I can share it with others. And here’s the deal, you can have this now.

So my friend Nicole DeBoom is that gifted interviewer and she wants to help you tell your amazing story. She’s a really good interviewer, you guys. She’s just, I can’t even. If you listen to her podcast, she has a podcast called Run This World and she also does a podcast with Sarah Ratzlaff called She Runs It. And you can hear how great she is at connecting with the people that she interviews and how she’s great at getting them to really open up and tell their story.

And so she’s got this brand new business that she just opened where she helps you tell your story, records it, edits it professionally so it sounds almost like a TV interview. And then you can share it with people. And I think this will be an amazing thing to do after you finish an epic race to help you remember what it was like. Or maybe even to tell yourself the story of your epic race before it even happens. And then use it as a visualization tool while you’re training. The possibilities are endless.

So you definitely need to check this one out. And again, I’m going to have a link over to the website which is Aesop Nation over at– Or gift guide, notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts.

Okay, next one is a fitness journal. And this is a question I get all the time, what’s the best fitness journal out there? And this is really the best one that I’ve found. It’s called the Commit30 Fitness journal. It has lots of space to track whatever you want to track. Plus, it has areas to dive into your thoughts which is, of course, where the magic lies. So if you’re looking for a fitness journal Commit30 is a really, really good one.

Also if you don’t like a paper journal, they have a digital option that works with, I think it’s the Good Notes app, so that you can do it all right on your tablet or your phone or your laptop.

Okay, the next thing, again, this is a brain training thing. And y’all know that I love my mantras, right? These are the miles I came for. It’s my favorite mantra. Well, Momentum Jewelry has created a line of absolutely stunning bracelets that you can actually wear while you’re running because they’re that comfortable or anytime because they’re that attractive. And you can either choose one of their sayings or customize your own.

It’s called the Motivate Wrap. And it’s like a cloth wrap, like stretchy cloth wrap and then it’s a silver, I don’t even know. I don’t know what you call it, but the thing where they carve or stamp the words that you want is sort of like a silver with black lettering. They’re absolutely beautiful, I have a whole bunch of them. And I, of course, have one that says these are the miles I came for.

But I love these because I think mantras that are meaningful to us, like a thought that we want to think over and over again, it’s helpful to have it written down and you can actually get this put on a bracelet and then take it with you when you run or wherever you go. So I think I have a discount code for this one as well over at the notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts website.

Now, the last training tool I want to talk to you about is, of course, the Rebel Runner Roadmap. No list of runner gifts would be complete without this amazing 30 day start running online class. Now you’ve heard me talk about it over and over on this show because I fucking love the Rebel Runner Roadmap and it gets results, it gets results for all my students.

And now we’ve actually made it possible for somebody to gift you with a spot ahead of time. And the next class starts in January, but if you go to our little gift page, notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts, there is a special link there that you can send to somebody who wants to know what’s on your list this year, and they can buy a gift spot in the class for you right now before it even really opens for registration in January.

So if you have been meaning to take the roadmap in January and you want to ask for it for a holiday gift, we’ve literally created a link so you can do exactly that.

Okay, now the last category that I’m going to roll through here are books and videos, well, books and one video that I think are meaningful and helpful and will help you not just with the physical side of your training, but also the mental side.

The first one is The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life by Amby Burfoot. And this is a short and sweet book, we’re actually doing it as our book club in November in Run Your Best Life. But it’ll help you find meaning in your running, deep meaning. It’s going to inspire you when you’re struggling and just generally restore your faith in humanities.

I highly, highly recommend this book. Again, it’s short and powerful, so just like me. So Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life by Amby Burfoot. And again, I’m going to have links to every single one of these books over on the notyouraveragerunner.com/gifts site. So you don’t need to take notes here.

The next book is A Runner’s High and it’s by Dean Karnazes. And I actually interviewed him on episode 216 of the podcast. He’s an ultra runner, and by ultra runner I mean like he’ll go out and run 300 miles. He’s the Ultra, in fact, I think that is his Instagram handle, just Ultra Runner. He was an ultra runner before it was really a big thing.

But anyway, whether or not you are an ultra runner, this book will resonate with you because first of all, I think he’s going to be 60 next year. And he talks a lot about what it’s like to be a runner and age and find yourself running maybe a little slower than before. And maybe not being able to do as much as before and dealing with the mental side of aging and running. And just the mental side of running in general, like his struggles are our struggles.

So one of the things that delighted me when I read this book was I thought, oh, this is going to be one of those like, yeah, balls to the wall, kind of bro, kind of, you know. You know the type, like, yeah, go hard or go home. And it so wasn’t. It was such a heartfelt book, and it was relatable.

And I was kind of like, “Oh, wow, okay, so you go out and you run 100 miles. I might go out and run 10 miles, but our mental journey, our mental struggles are exactly the same.” And it was really powerful to read, I highly recommend it. And of course, definitely check out the interview that I did with Dean, episode 216 because he’s just a really, really nice guy and really interesting to speak with.

Okay, next book is Running Strong by Dr. Jordan Metzl. This book is a must have, both as an instructional manual and a reference book. So the author is a sports doctor and in this book, he helps you understand why you get injured, what your injury might actually be, and then what you can do about it.

It’s very easy to understand, very easy to follow. There’s lots of diagrams and photographs. Even some really powerful strength routines at the end that can be adapted for all different levels. So Running Strong by Dr. Jordan Metzl, highly recommend.

Next one is by Deena Kastor, and it’s called Let Your Mind Run. And this book, oh my goodness. Deena Kastor is an Olympic medalist and she uses her thoughts to win. It was basically a book about thought work. So if you love the mind work that I teach in this podcast, you are thoroughly going to enjoy reading about how Deena has used that power of her mind throughout her life to achieve what she wants.

It’s very relatable, warm, funny. After I finished reading the book I was like, “Okay, Deena Kastor is my new best friend. I love her.” So highly recommend.

The next one, this is by a local author named Rachel Wyman and it’s called Will Run For Doughnuts. And this is a little bit different. So the author again, Rachel Wyman, she owns the Montclair Bread Company in New Jersey and this book is a collection of her recipes, as well as a memoir of her very amazing and inspirational story, which does involve running. And she has a local running–

So if you’re local to Montclair, New Jersey, she’s got a running club that starts at the Montclair Bread Company, where apparently there are amazing doughnuts. So the book is not just memoir, it’s a whole collection of the recipes that she uses at her company.

And the donuts, I have never been there, I am planning to make a road trip there at some point in 2022 because the photographs of the donuts in this book have my mouth watering. And so there’s lots of recipes in there that are totally amazing, not just donuts, just bread and baked goods in general. But I highly recommend checking this out because it’s a real grit and determination and inspiration story, and there’s donuts. So Will Run For Doughnuts by Rachel Wyman.

The next one is Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is a classic, right? I’ve talked about this book a lot, honestly, most of my clients already own it because we’ve used it a lot in Run Your Best Life. But in case you’re new to my world, this book is full of actual doable advice on how to be consistent and create habits.

And I talk about it consistently on this show is that the key to success is not big grand gestures, but tiny little things that we do over and over again. And so that’s what this book is about. I’ve read it probably four times. Each time I read it, I get more out of it. It’s very, very powerful. It’s kind of a game changer to help shift your thinking into the brain space that’s going to create consistency for you. So again, Atomic Habits by James Clear.

The last book on my list is possibly my favorite, it’s called Big and Bold: Strength Training for the Plus-Size Woman, and it’s by Morit Summers. And y’all know how I’m always talking about strength training being the key to staying injury free, right? Well, this book breaks down strength training in a totally doable way. And it gives all kinds of modifications and guidance for fat girls, for plus-size women. For plus-size people, like the book is geared towards women, but I think all plus-size folks could relate to it.

I guarantee you’ve never read a book like this, because most strength training books are geared either towards men, or straight sized women, right, women that are a size four, or a six, or an eight. And I mean, that’s all good, that’s all fine and good. But when you have a plus-size body, there are certain moves that you need a little bit of a modification, maybe a lot of a modification.

So the models in this book are all larger bodied women so you can see exactly what doing the moves in your body might actually look like. And side note, I need to get this woman on the podcast, she’s amazing. Make sure that you check out her Instagram too, which hopefully we’ll have a link to that in the show notes because I’m completely blanking right now as I’m recording this.

But her name is Morit Summers, M-O-R-I-T, and then Summers S-U-M-M-E-R-S. And the book is called Big and Bold: Strength Training for the Plus-Size Woman, cannot recommend this enough.

And then I want to close with a video. So the video was the one that I kind of mentioned at the very beginning of this show, it’s called The Brain with David Eagleman, very long name. It’s a six part video series, and each video is around an hour.

So it’s like six hours of information on the brain, it is amazing. Just buy it and watch it. The whole series is $14.99 on Amazon or you can sign up for a PBS subscription for like $3.99 a month. Or if you still have cable, I haven’t had cable in, I don’t know, five years at least, maybe more. I’ve forgotten what it’s like.

But if you still have cable, you could probably just watch it for free, it’s on PBS. But either way, whether you get it for free or whether you buy it on Amazon, it’s an amazing investment in yourself because it’s going to help you understand how your brain works, which is going to give you a leg up when you’re trying to get your inner mean girl to shut the fuck up. Okay.

And as an added bonus, it is highly entertaining. It is not dry and boring like you might expect. It’s fun to watch, it’s interesting, it’s engaging. It’s also a book, I have not read the book, full disclosure. I may read the book this year. I probably will because you know me and books, I love books. But I thought the video series was kind of a fun way to engage with this material because there’s a lot of visual representation of what he’s talking about, which I think helps when you are learning about a topic as complicated as the brain.

Okay, wow, that was a lot of information. I hope there was something on this list that caught your ear, and that not only will you ask somebody in your life to give you one of these amazing gifts, but maybe there’s a runner or just a human in your life that could use something here too. So get out there and get to shopping.

All right Rebels, I hope this has been a helpful episode for you. If you liked it, please share it on Instagram, let everybody know. I love you, stay safe, get your ass out there and run not.

Oh, and one last thing, if you enjoyed listening to this episode you have to check out the Rebel Runner Roadmap. It’s a 30 day online program that will teach you exactly how to start running, stick with it, and become the runner you’ve always wanted to be. Head on over to rebelrunnerroadmap.com to join. I’d love to be a part of your journey.