Christmas is about giving... but also, it's about receiving running gear. I've got four new items that I am looking forward to breaking in on the road and the trails in 2010.

A tactically placed hint dropped about dirtygirlgaiters.com worked, and I got a nice pair of "DFL"s in yellow.

I also found a new "premium" heart rate monitor under the tree. I've always been sort of ambivalent about these HRMs. One the one hand, it is very cool to be in total control of your engine RPMs, but on the other hand, I've discovered I can just run by feel, too. Regardless, the normal strap with the big plastic band chafes me when running long distances, and once I actually broke skin, I put the thing away. This model, with a much smaller sensor placed on the breast plate, will hopefully be more comfortable.

Next, I got socks. Lots of socks. Lots and lots of socks: 12 pairs. My dad has problems with scale, and gets carried away when shopping. I also have a tendency to punch holes in my socks, and luckily the brand he got I find really comfortable. I should be covered for the foreseeable future now:

Finally, the real prize is a Nathan hydration pack. It's a two-bottle hip pack that Karl Meltzer recommends, and whatever he does, it seems to be working for him! He claims they "don't move a lick when moving at top speed," but I wonder how much of that is due to his running motion and how much is due to the pack's design.

Conceptually, I like the idea of carrying liquid close to my center of gravity. I get along with the hand-helds, but once I start carrying two of those instead of one, they do bother me. As far as I can tell, the two alternatives are either these hip packs, or the back packs. Who knows, maybe I'll hate the pack, but right now I'm loving the idea of running with it.

In other news, I'm growing a beard to cope with the cold winter weather and keep my face warm while I get some miles in during the mornings. Not that I'm really running much right now, in an effort to let my body recover from 2009. Unfortunately, as I've reduced my mileage, I've developed pain in the outside of my left heel when I run on uneven terrain (trails). I'm like those fish that live deep in the Mariana Trench: they can't leave the depths and the high pressure of the trench or they'll die. I seem to need constant mileage or else I get hurt!

It looks like soon I'll have to drive that mileage up again. I've slipped into the Miwok 100K via the wait list, and the race is a scant 18 weeks away.