Running melts worry away, gives me time to think and be creative, and most of a challenges myself to do more than I thought I could. I have been consistently running for 13 years, all the way back to freshman year of high school when I wasn’t quite sure if I could run four miles or be good enough to join the cross – country team. I doubted myself, as I always do, but thankfully it didn’t stop me from jumping in and facing my fears. After running in high school, I made it a priority when I was choosing a college, and that eventually led me to meeting Matt.

I know what you are thinking – and while yes Matt did coach me, we started dating before that. If you ever want to test a relationship try going the coach/athlete route, where one person runs 1000m repeats in the pouring rain and the other person tells them to go faster. It’s not easy, but I am thankful for the time Matt did coach me because he challenged me to push myself farther than I had before. However, once I finished running in college it didn’t seem like a good idea for our relationship to keep the coach/athlete thing going so we put that to rest.

Matt is still coaching, and this time I am by his side as a part time assistant coach. I love it. I love the team and the chance to help them at this point in their lives as athletes & students. I’m sure most runners can relate to the challenges that come when running on your own vs. in a group and I benefit just as much by being able to have people to run with. While it adds another aspect of life to balance and organize I know I would be worse off without it. There are probably more times I need to step away from my desk and go for a run to de-stress, relax, and take a break from the computer! Since it’s getting colder out (I hate to say it) I wanted to round up a few of my favorite pieces of running gear + cold weather items. Here is the list below and feel free to ask questions if you like and I’ll do my best to answer!

1. Brooks Nightlife Jacket: Perfect for fall/winter + afternoon runs that quickly turn dark because of the early sunset
2. Hammer Nutrition: Heed is the perfect energy drink – mix your own – and their gels are the only kind I’ll use. no fructose or sucrose to upset your stomach
3. Newton Lightweight Universal Trainer: After a few years in Brooks (which I love) I feel even more in love with Newtons. Head to their site to see why they are different – and search ebay to buy a pair + try before investing (that’s what I do)
4. Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover: borrowed from Meg, who used to work at a patagonia, I just mailed it back to her and might have to get my own. It’s the perfect layer over a tshirt even on cold days – keeps you warm in freezing weather too, I really love it.
5. 180’s Convertible glove/mitten: the best of both worlds, I love mittens but with running sometimes you need fingers so gloves are the way to go. I’ve worn my pair for 3 years so far
6. Pearl Izumi Tights: I just ordered these to replace my fav pair of tights that are ripping from 4 years of wear, so I’ll let you know how they do. Good running tights with the right fit are hard to find in my opinion – I hope these do the trick!
7. Brooks Infiniti Short III: I love this short and just got it this summer and hardly took it off. It has a good fit + some room for a key or gel but most of all it’s comfy
8. TP Massage: the best in the business when it comes to working on lower leg tightness + flexibility tools. A booklet comes with the set to show you exercises and when you do this a few times a week it makes a huge difference!
9. Smartwool Running Socks: Lightweight, breathable but more odor resistant because they are wool… so a better choice for the fall as well.
10. Athlete’s Guide to Yoga: What’s best about this is that you can customize a routine to fit your needs and work on areas that need the most help. It really is for athletes and not just another yoga dvd that asks you to do impossible things the first time.

So how did I do? Anything I left off that you find essential? It’s fitting that I post this because it just started snowing and I think it’s time to break out some of these cold weather items. Now to just push myself out the door…