Christmas gift suggestions abound for Maine’s `real athletes’

A minister friend of mine once asked me, in the middle of a January volleyball game, if I had had a nice Christmas.

“Oh, it was fine,” I answered, “except for all this religious stuff. It kept getting in the way of the real meaning of Christmas.”

After several days of news stories expressing concerns that people might not be spending themselves bankrupt at the start of this holiday season, here is a list of possible gifts for endurance athletes (what I call “real athletes”) in your family or circle of friends.

These are gifts for men or women, girls or boys, but I want to make a special plea for a little attention to gifts for Dad, who always gets the short stocking. Not in my house, of course. I get lots of hankerchiefs and ties despite gender equality, shopping is still a gal thing.

I am not going to be too specific about brands or mail-order company phone numbers (with a few exceptions), because I believe in patronizing local retailers – the more local the better. And I am thinking of winter endurance activity, which is now upon us, although I am occasionally still running in (red) bare legs.

Runners

– Don’t give shoes, because the fit and the taste are very choosy matters for most runners. Give a gift certificate to a running-shoe store instead. Of course, you could always choose shoes at random to put under the tree as “symbols” that could be exchanged.

– Shorts, singlets, and (excellent for this season) wind pants, windbreakers, polypro gloves, wool or polypro running hats, and tights. All these you can usually get the size right without a problem. All this stuff is not that expensive, unlike running shoes. Most racers have more T-shirts than they will ever need since they are given as enticements to road races, although “wicking” (as opposed to “wicked”) polypro undershirts (they are long underwear tops) are what is needed for winter running.

– Socks. Running socks are specialized. They are not just plain, white, cotton socks. Check and see what your running family member uses. Stuff a sock with socks.

– Memberships in running clubs. The Aroostook Musterds, the Bangor Sub-5 Club, Bangor Y Running Club, Central Maine Striders, and the Maine Track Club have inexpensive annual fees that sometimes entitle the member to discounts on race-application costs. Most of the race applications for next year are not out yet, so it is hard to give more than a certificate you can make up yourself for a favorite race.

Cross-Country Skiers

– Like runners with running shoes, skiers can be pretty particular about skis, boots, bindings, poles, and wax. Gift certificates might come in handy here, too. Even roller skis have to be suited to the skier.

– But if you know your guy is a Small, Medium, or Large, you can get clothes to fit. How about a nifty pair of skiing tights (heavier than running tights)? Or a skier’s pull-over windbreaker called an anorak? Heavy socks (knicker socks are ancient history)? Or polypro inner socks? Or a colorful, wool cross-country skier’s hat? Swix makes some especially fashionable hats.

– Or gloves: Recently I put together a glove “system” at L.L. Bean that will serve me for everything from racing to back-country trips: an expedition-weight $12 polypro inner glove with ribs so you can grip your pole handle. A pair of $6.50 wool mittens (yes, Virginia, there still is wool for us old-timers). And a $30 Gore-Tex shell that tightens around the wrist and keeps out the wet and wind, but is breathable.

– A box of sports bars. Or buy just a few for the stocking. This is obviously a good idea for runners, too, and many other athletes, but I find a heavy cross-country ski workout requires calories like nothing else. Power Bars are standard, but I’ve recently gone to the 40/30/30 bars (carbohydrate/protein/fat ratio) like Bio Zone and Balance bars because the research seems to be showing they’re the best for performance. They are used for before or after a workout or race. I like Balance’s taste.

1-800-678-4246.

– How about a pass at a cross-country ski area? The Maine Lung Association coordinates a special ski pass good at 10 or so ski areas all over the state. Call 1-800-458-6742. At last report, five days’ use at each of the ski areas cost only about $50.

Fitness

– The YMCAs and private fitness centers tell me that gift memberships beginning Jan. 1 are a tradition. Apparently, they are given to non-athletes because they need them most. However, winter is a good time for the compulsive runner to get off his or her knees and vary the routine and help the body by doing so. Gyms often give special seasonal memberships.

– Start your own home gym. Dumbells are relatively inexpensive. The Nordic Track cross-country skiing machine and Concept II rowing machine are for when you are really going to dig into the checkbook, but these two machines (and, specifically, these two brands), as opposed to many of the bicycle and other exercise machines, really work. The easiest for most people to get the hang of is the rower. There even is an international competition on the Concept II. Both these machines work on the whole body. I recommend them highly.

– All runners and many other athletes, if they are aggressive about their workouts, develop aches and pains. A company called TheraP makes several sizes of wrap-around, Velcro-tightened ice packs that are really a wonder. They ice and compress at the same time. I swear by this.

Call 1-800-919-1156, California time.

– A free pass to a therapeutic massage is one of the finest gifts an athlete can receive.