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Gift Guide for Runners

My second gift guide of the season is for anyone who is a runner themselves or has a runner on their shopping list this holiday season.  This list includes a mix of my favorite running gear, that I’ve relied on for years, as well as a few new items I’ve recently discovered. Hopefully these items will make it harder to make excuses due to stress or bad weather. This list includes 10 perfect items for any runner on your list, or even yourself. I did my best to include items across all price points whether you need an small item for someone in your running club or are looking to spend more on your favorite runner.

  • Gift Certificate for a Sports Massage – Last year, my mother-in-law gave me a gift certificate to a local spa and I loved indulging in a sports massage. Even if it isn’t within your budget to gift them a full massage, a gift card can allow you to give money towards a treatment of their choice.
  • Grid Foam Roller – This little guy is the perfect foam roller for everyone. It’s cheaper than others, is small enough to bring on trips but still gets all the knots. Everyone, regardless their fitness or running level, can benefit from foam rolling!
  • GOODR Sunglasses – These lightweight sunglasses will protect your favorite runner’s eyes as well as prevent wrinkles from squinting.  These $25 sunglasses are fun, polarized and stay in place during even the longest of runs!
  • Brooks Cascadia Thermal Vest – While I have so many favorite pieces of running gear from Brooks, this vest is perfect this time of year as it can be a top-layer or can easily have a wind-breaker or waterproof shell thrown on top. The quilting keeps my core warm while the pockets make it easy to carry things with me on the run. If you’re looking for other items, this is a great running jacket for anyone who runs in the dark and these gloves will keep hands coldy during the cold-weather months.
  • Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow cookbook – This cookbook provides more than delicious recipes, perfect for runners. It also includes inspiration and running tips from a pro. I’ve loved every recipe I’ve tried, especially her muffins, soups and side dishes!
  • Sarah Marie Designs – There are so many great items in this shop, including my favorite mug and the coziest sweatshirt. In fact, anytime I share a picture of either of them on social media, I get so many comments asking where I found them! The fun gear says everything so many of us are thinking such as “Kinda wanna go for a run. Kinda wanna stay in bed.” or “Run all the miles drink all the wine.”
  • Erica Sara Designs – Celebrate their love of running with a custom necklace, ring, cufflinks or key chain. Erica’s pieces are beautiful and a special way to commemorate a race PR or their favorite race. I’ve given her necklaces, key rings and cuff links as gifts historically and they are beautifully packaged and wonderful quality.
  • Amphipod Water Bottle – I’ve used this water bottle for five years and still love it! It’s lightweight size and easy-to-hold shape makes it an easy way to enjoy water during runs and providing a spot to keep subway card, keys and more!
  • Running Socks – I don’t know a runner who wouldn’t enjoy a few fresh pairs of running socks. I’ve tried a number of different brands over the years and seem to come back to Bombas or Thorlos.

 

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ashleyd /

Favorite Things Gift Guide

Over $100 gift guide

I’m thrilled to share my first gift guide of the season with you all today. You all requested a TON of guides this year and while I won’t be able to grant all of your wishes, since this is not my full-time job, I’m excited to share at least a few with you. Ever since starting my blog, I’ve enjoyed sharing gift guides with readers as I always receive great interaction on social media and comments during the holiday season. Whether it’s sharing that you purchased an item on the list for yourself or someone else or hearing about your favorite items, these are something I look forward to each year. But, you know what I don’t look forward to doing? Comparing my gift guide to other gorgeous, clickable guides that are created by professionals. So, if you are looking for beautiful gift guides, then you’re on the wrong blog. But, if you want a few fun and helpful gift guides to make shopping easier this season, then I hope you’ll join me this holiday season as I have fun curating a few guides for you. Based on the requests, these are the gift guides that I will DEFINITELY create over the coming weeks:

  • Favorite Things
  • Babies and Children Under 18 months
  • Runners
  • Under $25
  • Guys

This gift guide could be titled a number of things, such as the best purchases of 2018, over $100 gift guide or my version of the Oprah’s Favorite Things. These are the items that I use on a daily basis and love. In fact, I wish I could afford to buy everything on this list and send them to my closest friends. Each one has brought me so much joy this year, each for very different reasons.  But, since I’m not Oprah, I’ll instead get to the good part, where I share my list of favorite things and a link to buy.

I had a great time putting together this list and can’t wait to hear about your FAVORITE things.

  • Lake Pajamas – Once upon a time, I wore 20-year old boxers and old t-shirts to sleep every night. But, then I discovered Lake Pajamas. These are the first set of pajamas that made me look forward to changing into pajamas after a long day of work. Furthermore, it turns out that the company was started by two girls from Savannah with whom we want to high school. The Pima cotton material make these the most comfortable pajamas I’ve ever owned. I have two pairs and am asking for a third, long-sleeve version, for my birthday or Christmas.  Whenever I talk about these pajamas on Instagram stories, people ask how they run and whether they are worth the price tag. Considering that I wear them for at least eight hours per night, multiple times a week, I think that they are definitely worth the investment. In regards to the $100 investment, I’ve rotated my two pairs since buying them six months ago and they still look and feel brand new!  Based on the quality, I have no doubt that I’ll have these for years. Also, in regards to sizing information, their website recommends sizing up if you’re in between sizes. Therefore, I ordered a L and am happy with the fit as I would always prefer my pajamas to be a little loose versus tight.
  • Dudley Stephens Fleece Turtleneck – Last year, I remember seeing Julia, Sarah and few of my other favorite bloggers and influencers share their love for Dudley Stephens on blog and Instagram posts. The brand, which was started by two sisters in 2015, features multiple chic items that all share one thing – they are made of cozy fleece material. Two months ago I finally invested in one of their fleece turtlenecks and have already bought two more. It has quickly become my go-to for working from home and hanging in the neighborhood as it is cozy, chic and comfortable. I love that the longer style, Cobble Hill, features pockets and is long enough to cover my hips and backside which makes it perfect to pair with leggings. The shorter version, Park Slope, is perfect with jeans. Since raving about the cozy fleece tops to friends and readers, I’ve had multiple people text and message me saying THANK YOU as they are now loving the fleece tops.  If you’re curious about sizing, I believe they run a little small, so I recommend sizing up. For reference, I wear a large as I prefer my tops a little loose.
  • Dyson Cordless Vacuum – Bo and I first discovered this vacuum at my parents house. After baking cooking last Christmas, there was flour all over my parent’s kitchen floor. I remember gasping when I realized that this vacuum was able to clean the flour up in just seconds. Historically we’ve had a larger vacuum which is more suitable for carpets and rugs but this Dyson was able to replace those and works incredibly well on multiple surfaces throughout our home – kitchen floor, hardwood, rugs, sofa – you name it! We both wish we’d invested in this vacuum years ago as it makes cleaning easy and enjoyable. The cordless design means that we can use it throughout the house without having to constantly unplug and unwrap the cord. Last but not least, we appreciate the wall mount feature since we have such limited closet space.
  • AirPods – When these first came out, I laughed at Bo and others who wore them. The small white buds coming out of people’s ears looked slightly ridiculous. But, then, one day, I was on a video conference call, straining my neck to hold my iPhone and type at the same time. One of the directors on our team immediately recommended that I invest in a pair of AirPods. She swore that after just one conference call I’d email her, saying thank you. She was right. I’ve used these non-stop for the past six months and love them. The sound quality and sensitive speaker means that I can wear these for lengthy conference calls without missing a thing. When I’m not using them for work, I often use them during runs and commutes. Even though I’m one of the sweatiest people you’ll ever meet, these stayed in place for hot runs this summer. The small case makes them easy to carry in my running shorts or in my purse when commuting. The only downside is that I tend to misplace them once a week. So far, I haven’t lost a pair, but I do wish there was a way to find the individual AirPods using the app on my phone.
  • SONOS Play – We love music, especially since welcoming Katie into our home. Whether it’s morning play time when we all wake up for fighting through an evening meltdown, we tend to have music playing non-stop. Our Sonos Play system, which we have in three rooms throughout our home, enables us to enjoy high quality sound with just the touch of a button. The speaker is small enough to hide behind a photo but strong enough to produce impressive sound quality.  We often use it to play relaxing classical music throughout our home, but sometimes, especially on the weekend, Bo may have one song playing in the kitchen while Katie and I are dancing to her favorite Disney song ,Under the Sea, in the living room. You can link the speakers to Alexa or you can use the app to search and play music on any of the music apps like Spotify or Apple Music.

What was your favorite thing that you discovered in 2018? Or, what would you include on your own version of this gift guide? Any gift guide requests in addition to the ones I listed above?

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Friday Favorites – November 2nd, 2018

Happy Friday! It was a fun, festivity filled week due to Halloween. This weekend isn’t going to be as relaxing as most but for good reason – it’s the NYC Marathon weekend! Each day this weekend I have at least one marathon related event. On Saturday I get to catch up with Charlie and Zoe while we attend the Lindsey Hein and Paula Radcliffe podcast recording together and then on Sunday I’ll be cheering at mile 7.  But, before the NYC Marathon events, Bo and I are enjoying another date night together. This time we’re going to dinner in Manhattan before seeing the new Broadway play, To Kill A Mockingbird. It’s the first time it’s been produced for Broadway and the play was adaptation was written by Aaron Sorkin and the star is Jeff Daniels!  We’ve been waiting to see this for a few months as the tickets were Bo’s birthday gift this year.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites,. This week’s Friday Favorites is different than most as I’m dedicating this one to the J.Crew 40% off sale. When I asked you guys on Instagram if you wanted a round-up, a resounding 93% of you said YES!

Favorite jeans & pants

  • Classic Wash High Rise Jeans and True Black High Rise Jeans –  These fit me better than any other jean I’ve found and they tend to be half the price of the designer brands carried in most department stores.  After loving my classic, dark pair I just bought a pair of jet black jeans in the same high-rise style,
  • Martie Slim Crop –  This is my new favorite work pant. In fact, I loved my black pair so much that I ordered another pair in navy just a few weeks later. High-waist, slim fit and machine wash make these pants a no-brainer in my book!
  • Edie Full Length Trouser – When I want to wear a more classic, full length pant for work, this is my choice. The cut is very flattering, the material is forgiving and they travel well since they don’t seem to wrinkle easily. When I wore my black pair in Cincinnati last week for meetings, three different people asked me for details!

Dresses/Others

  • Jumpsuit – I wore this non-stop this summer and, rumor has it, if I put a turtleneck or blouse under it, I can easily wear it year-round. While I admittedly haven’t tried this look yet, I’ve seen numerous people wearing jumpsuits this fall!

Favorite Outerwear

  • Cocoon Jacket – Since buying this three years ago, it’s been one of my favorite items. I have a navy and white boucle style, that makes it a bit unique, but the coat is the same cozy, over-sized, warm version available again this year. The pockets are larger than normal, pefect for holding winter gloves or a scarf, and the oversized fit allows it to easily be worn over sweaters and winter layers. I wear a size 6, which is smaller than my normal J.Crew size so I definitely recommend sizing down.
  • Puffed Vest – This is a perfect transitional item this time of year and I wore my off white one yesterday over a cotton turtleneck. Many of my friends have these vests in different colors as they can be worn all winter long in the south and up here they are perfect for fall and spring.
  • Ribbed Beanie with Faux Fur Pom-Pom – I wore this hat non-stop last winter! The poof makes it extra fun and the longer length allows me to cover my ears. Last year this sold out quickly so if you’re thinking about it or want to give it as a gift this holiday season, buy it now!

Favorite Shirts

  • Everyday Chambray shirt – I love wearing this shirt with my leopard skirt or black dress pants for a fun weekday outfit.
  • Drapey Faux-Wrap Top – This top is a perfect day to night piece that I’ve worn both for date nights and meetings alike. I have it in navy but love the deep burgundy and black as well.
  • Slim Fit Perfect Shirt – I have this blouse in two different colors – the essential white and blue and white stripe. According to the label, I’ve had the white one for four years and the blue and white stripe for three years. Each sas It’s been a closet staple since I bought the white one back in 2012, according to th

Sweaters

  • Tippi Sweater – I’ve been adding a new color of this sweater to my closet each year since 2010 as it’s a classic, flattering sweater that comes in new colors every season. This year I added emerald green and burgundy to my wardrobe.
  • Sophie Open Front Sweater Blazer – This relaxed blazer can be worn for work and weekend alike, but my favorite aspect is that it’s long enough to wear with leggings! In fact, I threw it on over a turtleneck earlier this week for a video conference call with the customer.
  • Textured Long Cardigan – As soon as I saw this online I ordered it. The texture and colors make it a bit different than anything I own and I know I’ll wear it throughout the year. I’ll most likely pair it first with a black tissue turtleneck since this will make a perfect professional work-from-home look that is comfortable and chic!

Accessories

  • Layered Pearls – I bought these nine years ago to wear with my rehearsal dinner dress.  When I worked in an office, I wore this an average of once a week but these days I only wear it once a month or so. Regardless, it’s a classic piece of jewelry that has held up well and paid out years ago!

Have a great Friday!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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