Spoils of Black Friday

I love the week after Black Friday and Cyber Monday! Almost every day I can count on coming home to something in the mail since I can never seem to completely ignore the deals. Mostly I shop online because I like to avoid crowds, but I also do so because I love receiving packages. It's just more fun to know you have something waiting for you at home!

this is what I get to walk past on my way to and from the law school now!

Oh and I also love the week after Thanksgiving because it's now perfectly acceptable to have holiday decorations. I'm a sucker for bright colors and twinkly lights, what can I say.

So, what have I been receiving in the mail?

A Garmin!

picture of it before it came out of its package? yes, that's how excited I was for it

I'm extremely psyched about this one. I've been running Garmin-free and using Nike Plus, but as you might have read in my Stanley Park Seawall Race Recap, I realized that Nike Plus was pretty far off on distance tracking. It also wasn't great for checking in on my pace since I'd have to listen to the voice tell me my pace. I feel weird categorizing myself as a "serious runner," but it's a hobby that I'm dedicated to, so having a Garmin should be very helpful. I got the 410 because it was 50% off on Amazon over Black Friday weekend!

A new Sparkly Soul headband

I'm a huge fan of Sparkly Soul headbands

Sparkly Soul had a 20% off sale for Black Friday and I had to snap up this blue and orange headband while it was discounted. But wait, you might wonder -- why did she get NYC Marathon colors when she didn't run the it? Well, orange and blue are also Knicks colors. Since I'm not about to wear my Knicks jersey while getting my fitness on, I can wear this on runs and workouts to show my Knicks pride.

Runner's World

This wasn't a Black Friday deal, actually, but I'd subscribed recently and just received my first issue of Runner's World this week. I was surprised by how useful and informative it was. I stopped subscribing to magazines for a while because I always felt like I was reading the same thing every month, but I've already bookmarked multiple recipes and running tips in this month's issue. There are also some great stories about

New shoes!

shoooooooes

I didn't order these, instead I picked them up at the Jack Rabbit Sports clearance sale over Black Friday weekend. I am CRAZY excited about them! I've been having foot pain for a while and after meeting with Jess for a one-on-one run-coaching session to discuss my form, she advised me to get new shoes because I'd been incorrectly told by Jack Rabbit that I did not pronate (apparently I do -- a lot).

My foot pain was mirroring plantar fasciitis symptoms (suh-weet, totally what I want for Christmas, thanks Santa) so I knew I needed a new pair of shoes. But, um, shoes are expensive and I had gotten my New Balance shoes in early September so I really wasn't sure I could swing another pair. I like to think of the Jack Rabbit clearance sale as Jack Rabbit kind of making up to me the misdiagnosis the first time -- I got a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11's for only $50! The perks of having big feet; they had several options in my size in their $50 shoe sale.

The Brooks have arch support and I haven't had any foot pain in them so far, so fingers crossed the Brooks are the answer to that. Running my first half-marathon with foot pain the entire time kind of sucked. I'd like to not repeat that experience on New Year's Eve, thanks.

Oiselle runfinity scarf and long sleeved run tee

infinity scarves are awesome because you don't have to figure out how to tie it
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Oiselle didn't have a sale on Friday, but they included free shipping and since I'd been wanting to try this brand forever, free shipping was just the tip-over-the-edge I needed. I couldn't get a good picture, but the scarf and top look even better in person than in the online pictures (a rarity, I've found). The runfinity scarf is way too cute -- grey with white stripes made of moisture-wicking material. I'll wear it on runs and with regular clothes!

I love how long the sleeves are! no cold wrists for me :)
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I love a hometown brand. And by hometown I mean home state since they're in Seattle, WA, and I live two hours away from there, but still -- we're basically connected! The top is comfy and cozy and should be a great addition to my winter running gear. I had been waiting on this purchase almost as excitedly as the Garmin since I've heard so many people rave about Oiselle, and I wasn't disappointed. I'm going to wear it in my race on Sunday!

Iman Shumpert Knicks t-shirt for Sourabh

taken from the NBA's website because *someone* doesn't like to model
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We're both Knicks fans and our favorite player is Shumpert (AKA Shump or "21 Shump Street"). He hustles on both sides of the floor and made a huge impact defensively for a rookie last year. Oh, and his twitter is hilarious. When he was injured during the first round of playoffs in May, Sourabh and I were both really upset that our favorite player was out (of course, the Knicks were out soon after that since they had no chance against the 2011-2012 Miami roster).

We've been searching for a Shumpert tee forever, but it was somehow impossible to find one anywhere. When I saw the 20% off sale the NBA Store was having online, I tried to look one more time and realized that I could customize a Knicks tee with any teammate's name and number, so I was extremely psyched to design a t-shirt just for Sourabh. I was hopping up and down when it finally arrived Thursday night and I could give it to him! He loved it and wore it while we watched last night's game.

Magnolia Bakery has the right idea...

In addition to all this, there were also several gifts purchased for friends and family, but those obviously need to remain anonymous until after Christmas! No spoilers here.


How did you spend Black Friday? Do you like to shop in stores or do you prefer to shop online (or not at all)?