Gifts for Yourself

Gift Guide 2023 | Fleet Feet

Updated on

It’s inevitable—you’re shopping for the best gifts for runners and you stumble on something you really need want.

We’ve been there. We get it.

But why not treat yourself?

As we put together our gift lists for this season, we compiled some of the stuff we’d love to unwrap ourselves. From high-performance GPS watches to bounce-free sunglasses, here are the things we’d love to give to ourselves this year.

[This article is part of our 2023 Gift Guide for Runners. See all the best gifts for runners by price, category and more. Can’t make up your mind? No worries. Check out our gift cards for a gift that keeps on giving.]

a laydown of some of the gifts for yourself
Give Yourself the Gift of Data
Garmin Forerunner 265 Thumbnail

Garmin Forerunner 265

$450

The Forerunner 265 is a no-brainer. It delivers all the necessary parts of a premium training watch—and then some.

Garmin fixed the latest Forerunner with built-in GPS, wrist-based heart rate monitoring, storage space for music (compatible with Bluetooth headphones) and notifications. But that’s what we expect from modern smartwatches. So Garmin took it the extra mile.

The 265 tracks your daily resting heart rate, respiration rate, blood oxygen saturation and sleep. It also has a compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and incident detection. Did we mention it’s waterproof? If you’re stuck on what to get yourself this year, make it the Forerunner 265.

Give Yourself the Gift of Comfort
Women's Vuori Performance Jogger Thumbnail

Vuori Performance Joggers

$94

We could wax poetic about these joggers, but instead we’ll just say this: Get a pair.

The Performance Joggers (or Sunday Performance Joggers for men) are soft, stretchy and tapered for a modern silhouette without being tight. An elastic waistband with drawstring helps dial in the fit, and the classic hand pockets give you easy access to cards and keys.

For an early morning warmup or Sunday afternoon on the couch, the Vuori Performance Joggers are the perfect fit.

Give Yourself the Gift of Weatherproofing
Women's On Weather Jacket Thumbnail

On Weather Jacket

$240

Premium fabrics, meticulous design and leading performance make the On Weather Jacket worth gifting yourself.

Weighing under 10 oz, the Weather Jacket shrugs off rain and blocks wind to keep you comfortable when the forecast turns sour. A cap-style hood stays in place when you’re running, and 360-degree ventilation helps dump heat once you get going.

Give Your Feet the Gift of Recovery
Women's OOFOS OOlala Sandal Thumbnail

OOFOS Sandals

$52.5 - $75

Give yourself the gift of recovery this season with a pair of OOFOS Sandals.

OOFOS designed its unique foam to absorb 37 percent more impact than traditional footwear foams, and the patented footbed design further reduces stress on your joints to help you feel better, faster.

Give Yourself the Gift of Coziness
Balega Hidden Comfort Thumbnail

Balega Hidden Comfort

$16

You might not think of socks when you think of buying yourself a gift. But the Balega Hidden Comfort will make you think again.

The Hidden Comfort brings an extra layer of plush cushioning to your footwear while also wicking sweat away to keep you dry. A higher heel tab prevents blisters on your Achilles, and the seamless toe is irritation-free.

Plus, these babies are durable. Some editors at Fleet Feet have had the same pairs for years without signs of wearing out.

Give Yourself the Gift of Hydration
Hydro Flask 32oz Wide Mouth Thumbnail

Hydro Flask 32oz Wide Mouth Bottle

$50

Cold or hot, this Hydro Flask can handle it.

The double-wall stainless steel bottle is vacuum-insulated to keep cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot ones hot for 12 hours. That’s plenty of time to sip your morning pour-over until you’re ready to switch to an iced coffee in the afternoon.

With a wide mouth that makes it easy to add ice (and clean!), we found the 32oz version to hold the right amount of water for the day without being too heavy to haul around (but there's also a 40 oz option for the thirstier among us).

Gift Yourself the Gift of Performance
Women's On Performance-T Thumbnail

On Performance-T

$80

Your old race shirt might get you through a workout, but the On Performance T levels you up with ultralight fabric and high-tech solutions.

The sweat-wicking fabric pulls moisture away from your skin to keep you feeling fresh, and the back is made from a breathable mesh fabric for extra ventilation. Weighing just 3 oz and cut for a race-ready fit, the Performance-T is the closest thing to wearing nothing.

Give the Gift of Massage
Therabody Theragun ELITE G4 Thumbnail

Theragun Elite G4

$399

You could treat yourself to a professional massage. That would be nice. Or you could reward your hard work with a massage that you can use any time.

The 4th generation Theragun Elite puts the relief of a professional massage in your hands thanks to a powerful motor and versatile attachments. The motor delivers deep percussive action to your muscles, while five different head attachments let you find the right tool for the job.

Therabody even updated this model with a quieter-than-ever motor so you can fit your massage in around your favorite TV shows.

Give Yourself the Gift of Shade
goodr Running Sunglasses Thumbnail

goodr Sunglasses

$25

Treating yourself doesn’t have to be expensive. Thankfully, goodr sunglasses are an affordable treat for any occasion.

We love these shades for their fun color combinations and no-slip fit. But they don’t stop there: polarized lenses cut glare and UV protection blocks harmful rays from reaching your eyes.

And they start at just $25. Go ahead, grab two pairs.

More Gifts for Runners

We narrowed down our favorite products by category so whether your runner likes to crush marathons or enjoys the daily stress-relief, these gifts will make your shopping easy.

Why You Should Trust Us

At Fleet Feet one of our core values is that it is a privilege to serve. We take the thought of giving you advice and guiding you to pick out the perfect gift for the runner in your life very seriously and are honored that you chose to read this. Fleet Feet is the No. 1 run specialty store in the country. We serve more than 3 million customers across 250+ locations annually and have completed more than 5 million 3D foot scans (and counting) of different runners and walkers’ feet. Our goal is to help every customer find the correct shoes, apparel and gear for their goals.

We don’t just sell shoes and gear, we run, walk and hike with you in those shoes. We have had hundreds of thousands of runners and walkers participate in our training programs, community runs and events every year. We have locations all over the country running in the snow, desert and everything in between.

We take our sales data and talk with the different shoe companies, designers and our network of runners, walkers and hikers to cultivate this list of the best gifts for runners. We also review shoes and gear ourselves to provide you with the best information possible when making these guides. We update this guide regularly to make sure you have the latest information possible to make the best decision for you when it comes to giving your loved one a gift.

How We Picked the Best Gifts

With more than 45 years of experience, Fleet Feet is the expert in running (and gifting). What makes the perfect gift for a runner comes down to the personal experience, goals, preferences and style of that runner. We use a combination of real-life use, quality of materials, seasonal trends and our own top-seller lists to pick out the best gifts. With all that in mind, we picked gear that lived up to our personal (and professional) expectations. Plus, as people who live and breathe running, we know what we would like to unwrap ourselves.

Standing Behind Our Picks

We picked the best gifts based on what we think will work for the most people in most situations. If you buy a gift from us and you don’t love the way it looks, fits or performs, bring them back within 60 days for a full refund.

Plus, we offer free shipping on all orders over $99 on fleetfeet.com, and we’ll match a lower price from a qualifying retailer. That’s our Happy Fit Guarantee.