Female marathoners
enhance their training by venturing outside the standard running trails.
Female marathoners are a special type of women. Not content to run merely a few miles, these ladies of endurance routinely jog eight miles a day--and that's just the training for a 26.2-mile competition. You can support the drive and ambition of your favorite female marathoner by giving her a gift that improves the technical or physiological aspect of her running lifestyle.
GPS watch
Female marathon runners cover an inordinate distance, often including back roads and nature trails to enhance training versatility. Help ensure her safe return by giving her a GPS watch. Using a wireless signal, a GPS watch sends information such as her distance, location, route and speed to her home computer in real time. Planning and recording her trainer has never been easier. It also enables someone with access to her account, such as a significant other, to track her current location within several yards. A GPS watch is available at most online running stores or a sporting goods mega-store. The Garmin Forerunner 110 received a "Top Pick" award by the Runner's World editors for $200.
Running Hair
As you can imagine, a woman marathoner doesn't enjoy stopping--especially to fix her hair. Even the tightest ponytail can't keep sweaty hair off her face for 26.2 miles. Consider a runners hair band, which is different from an ordinary sweat band. Look for one with silicone trimming along the edges which helps hold the band in place against her hair. Only purchase hair bands made of wicking fabric, the product will usually mention this somewhere on the label. The wicking material allows the sweat under the band to evaporate rather than remain soaked to her head. These super-secure athletic hair bands come in a variety of fun colors, widths and styles at most major sport good stores for less than $15.
Nutritional Belt
The heart, lungs and muscles of a female marathoner accelerate faster but also recover more quickly than a non-marathon running woman. In order to maintain that 0 to 60 cheetah-like acceleration, she needs to properly refuel even while running. A nutrition belt secures around her waist and can hold up to six small bottles of water and two nutrient gel packs that contain carbohydrates and electrolytes. It may look a little awkward, but few women, or men, can safely run 10 or more miles at a time without properly refueling. Any specialty running store or online running company sells nutrition belts designed specifically for women at a cost of approximately $40.
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