Trail Running Season

One hundred or more runners along with some fast hikers will leave the starting line at 8 a.m. on Feb. 1 in Middle Concho Park as they start the first race of the 2014 Trail Running series.

This three-event running series, now in its eighth year, started back in January of 2007 as a Team San Angelo event.

I was the founder and initial race director of the series, working with a “race committee” that consisted of my wife, Pia, my friend Gary Cole, trail running partner Christian Poppeliers, and a few volunteers on mountain bikes to act as course marshals.

There were 11 of us on the start line for the first 10K trail race in 2007, with everyone grinning ear-to-ear about the “perfect” cold, wet, and muddy conditions that waited on the Spillway Hill trails.

Races two and three of the first series also had less-than-perfect weather, with cold rain/sleet, mud and strong winds providing extra challenges for the runners. The second 2007 event in particular (12K distance) was held in fun, slippery mud conditions that made not falling down a bigger challenge than trying to run fast.

Thirty-eight runners competed in one or more of the three trail events that first year, including some longtime San Angelo runners such as Terry Shaner, Lynn Zaruba, Mars Torres, Anthony Wilson, Shane Plymell, Mike Dotson, and Shirl Koeing.

After the small turnout in 2007, participation in the trail series grew rapidly over the next two years with 80-100 runners taking part in each of the 2009 series races. A 5K distance was also added to encourage entry-level runners and hikers to take part.

 The 2007-2009 trail races were low-key and friendly, with post-race traditions that included after-race refreshments such as my wife’s homemade Georgia cornbread and hot chocolate warmed on a camp stove.

Another early tradition was the infamous “Rock Award,” handed out to the person who finished the series with the biggest bruise or scrape after falling on the rough trails.

Fast forward to 2014 and the trail running series now has become a fixture on the local running calendar, with Shannon Medical Center as the event’s title sponsor and races now held on courses in both the Spillway Hill area and in San Angelo State Park.

The 2014 kickoff of the series will be the same as in 2007, with Race 1 using the same general Spillway Hill course that challenged runners during the inaugural event.

Runners will leave the starting line in Middle Concho Park, make their way to the park’s back gate and then on to the rough and rocky Mackenzie Trail that parallels the dirt access road as it winds around the base of Spillway Hill.

The Mackenzie Trail will lead to “The Bowl” where they’ll face a steep rocky uphill that leads to the

winding Big Snake Trail on top of the mesa and then onto a series of four-wheel-drive roads that meander to the top of the hill.

Runners will top out Spillway Hill and have a brief respite as they gaze out over the almost-dry Twin Buttes reservoir, and then descend down a rough track that leads into the Valley Trail.

The Valley Trail will take runners down close to the main dirt access road where they’ll connect with a gradual uphill four-wheel-drive track called “The Autobahn.”

At the top of The Autobahn climb, runners will turn onto a fun and twisty 1-mile section called “Gary’s Trail” and then onto a short rocky four-wheel-drive climb back to the top of Spillway where they’ll reconnect with the outbound course and then follow the same outbound route from the top back down to the finish line.

Gary’s Trail was named for my good friend Gary Cole, who helped me cut many of the trails on Spillway Hill. Gary passed away in 2007 but his spirit still roams the rough and rocky hill where he loved to hike.

The first race of the series will be 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of pure trail running joy and even more fun if it’s cold, wet, and muddy.

The runners and walkers doing the shorter 5K (3.1 mile) route will follow the same course to the turnaround point just past the end of the Big Snake Trail.

Trail running events have grown in popularity both locally and nationwide as more runners recognize the increased “fun factor” of being on trails instead of hard pavement.

The rural scenery is a lot better than what you’ll see in subdivisions, and it’s OK to slow down and take a walking break during a trail run. In fact, the steeper sections of some trails may be best suited to a “fast hike” pace.

Poppeliers, an avid trail runner and former ASU physics professor who participated in the initial 2007 trail series event, says the rise in trail running popularity is because “trail running can take on many flavors ranging from mellow, groomed trails up to gnarly, steep single track and anything in between.”

“Unlike road running, the softer ground is much kinder to the joints and the variable terrain tends to prevent many overuse injuries often seen in road runners. It’s my absolute favorite way to run,” Poppeliers said. “The terrain is interesting, you’re climbing, descending, and jumping over roots or rocks, the miles fly by and it’s actually fun to run.”

For more information on the 2014 Trail Running series, visit the Road Lizards’ website at roadlizards.org/events/2014-trail-race-1.

The 2014 Trail Running series is going to be fun, so come out and join me for a leisurely run/walk at the back of the pack.

Racing the 2014 Cyclocross Nationals

The 2014 Cyclocross National Championships took place January 8-12  in Boulder, Colorado at

  Boulder's Valmont Bike Park.

I joined 1,800 other cyclists from all over the United States (including 17 from Texas) who made the trip north to race during the five-day event.

For those of you not familiar with the sport of cyclocross, a recent article in The Wall Street Journal aptly described it as “what resulted when road biking and mountain biking fell in love and had an awesome baby.”

Organizers of the 2014 championships described their Colorado course as being both “the best CX course in the United States” and also “significantly more difficult” than any of the other recent nationals courses.

The older 60 and above Masters racers from Texas, who raced in frigid 21 degree weather early on Thursday morning, described the course more succinctly as “extremely difficult and downright scary in places.”

“There were several sections that I chose to run down instead of try to ride,” said Waco’s Fred Schmid, a competitor in the 80+ category. "

 “The risk of a hard fall and serious injury on the steep icy sections made dismount-and-run the obvious decision for many of the early-morning racers.”

Texas racer Whitney Fanning of Waco, who raced in the 65-69 category, agreed with Schmid that “the course and weather conditions offered challenges we don’t encounter in Texas races.”

The Valmont Bike Park course included steep descents, never-ending sections of icy off-camber turns and climbs, and steep run-ups. Add packed snow and frozen mud ruts to the already rough terrain, and you have a recipe that significantly escalated the difficulty factor as illustrated in a video posted at cyclingfans.com/node/10490.

Several days before Thursday’s races, a foot of new snow fell on what would have already been a very hard course. Pre-riding by racers on Tuesday and non-championship racing on Wednesday afternoon coupled with daytime snow melt left a tangled web of packed snow and mud ruts that froze solid in the overnight sub-20 degree temperatures.

Short power climbs became unridable frozen run-ups, steep descents became a recipe for bone- and bike-breaking crashes, and off-camber downhill turns morphed into foot-out, try-not-to-crash slides or run-through sections.

On the lower portion of the course, the packed snow ruts and frozen mud made going fast difficult with bumpy low-traction straights linked together with 180 turns and small off-camber ups and downs.

The course started with a fast and flat dirt road that made a right turn and then immediately headed up a moderate double-track climb on packed snow.

After topping out the climb, racers went through a series of flat turns, dropped into a sharply-off-camber left-hand descent, and then turned back uphill into what should have been a short power climb.

With the mud ruts and icy snow, the short climb proved to be the first run-up of the day.
Racers remounted their bikes on top of the hill, rode through a frozen sand pit, and then dropped into a steep downhill through ice-covered mud ruts that lead into an icy right-hand corner at the bottom.

Many of the 60-and-older competitors opted to run down this section instead risking a hard crash on the frozen snow and icy mud ruts.

After completing the downhill, a flat section of frozen trail lead to the base of the 5280 stair run-up where racers shouldered their bikes to run (or walk) up the 24 steps of the double stair section. The top step was placed exactly at an altitude of 5,280 feet.

Competitors remounted their bikes after the stairs and then faced “Pete’s Plunge”, an off-camber twisty descent named for the course designer Pete Webber.

Many racers slid out or crashed on this section to the delight of hecklers who lined the course encouraging racers to go faster in hopes of seeing a spectacular wreck.

After riding (or sliding) through Pete’s Plunge, riders went onto the lower part of the course where more ice and packed snow, 180-degree turns, short off-cambers, and another set of run-up stairs waited for victims.

The most difficult lower-course section featured double uphill barriers followed immediately by a tricky off-camber 180-degree turn that went down and then back up. Many races opted to continue running through the off-camber instead of remounting after the barriers.

The remainder of the lower course proved to be much more difficult than expected as the early morning sun melted the top layer of packed snow leaving a slick wet film on top. Crashes were common in these areas with traction being nonexistent on the fast corners.

The consensus among older Master’s racers from Texas was that both the course and related weather conditions were the most difficult they had ever experienced.

Waco’s Fred Schmid finished 2nd in the Men’s 80-84, Bill Cullins was 12th in the 65-69, and Waco’s Whitney Fanning rolled across the finish line 13th in the 65-69.

The 2015 national cyclocross championships will be held in Texas in Austin’s Zilker Park, with Texas racers hoping that the normally warmer and dryer Austin conditions will provide a better opportunity for Texas racers to place high.

This year’s cyclocross national championships were cold, rough, and snowy, so let’s hope that Austin in 2015 is dry, warm, and fast.

Prepping for Cyclocross Nationals

On Thursday January 9th, assuming a road-closing blizzard or ice storm doesn't shut down highways betweenWest Texas and Colorado, I'll be in Boulder racing the 2014 Cyclocross National Championships for my age category.

The 2014 championships take place over a five-day period from Jan 8 through Jan 12, with male competitors in age groups 60-64, 65-69, and 70+ racing together at 9:00 am on Thursday morning.

I'll be joining 65-70 other old cyclocross racers from across the nation who’ll be competing for the highly coveted national champion's Stars and Stripes jersey in their age group.

Realistically, my goals will be to just keep the fast guys in sight, not get lapped, and - most of all - have fun in the process.

The weather on January 9 is something that all racers will have to contend with.

January mornings on Colorado's Front Range can be dry with nice (comparatively speaking) temperatures in the 30s, but it could also be brutally cold with sub-zero wind chills and snow.

Like all of the cyclists who'll be competing in the various categories, I've trained hard for the event.

My training program for this race started back in early July when I decided that the CX nationals would be my primary goal for the 2nd half of the year.

Simply put, I've spent the last six months preparing for one 40 minute race.

During July and August, the workout objectives were base endurance and strength. I accomplished those by riding a lot of miles on my road bike (including the 3-week, 560 mile Tour de San Angelo), doing twice-weekly strength sessions in the gym, and doing a two-week block of altitude training during August by riding high country mountain roads and trails in Colorado.

In September, the focus shifted to improving my anaerobic threshold (the maximum heart rate I can sustain for 30-60 minutes). These threshold workouts included moderately hard efforts such as two times 30 minute intervals (after a warm-up) at a heart rate that was at or just below my threshold at that time.

The threshold intervals were done both at high pedal cadences of 90-100 RPM to improve pedaling efficiency and also at low 50-60 RPM cadences in a hard gear to build strength.

The training progression continued in October with a shift to specific cyclocross skills, race simulation workouts, and early season races such as the local Wednesday evening cyclocross series.  I also started doing most of my workouts on my cyclocross bike riding mountain bike trails and rough dirt roads.

The local Wednesday evening races provided a real-world environment where I could test my fitness by chasing the younger fast racers, and the race simulation workouts helped improve specific skills such as sprinting up to speed after corners, dismounting and running over barriers while carrying the bike, riding through deep sand, and (when weather conditions allowed) going fast in slippery mud.

During the local races and simulation workouts, I captured heart rate and speed data using a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch. The data was analyzed post-workout to identify improvements from past training sessions and also to determine "how hard is too hard" for future reference.

In November and December, the training program shifted to a combination of shorter but very intense intervals at a heart rate well above my sustainable threshold and also racing selected Texas Cup cyclocross series races.

I also added in twice-weekly sessions of short uphill sprints, bleacher runs in a stadium, and short runs carrying the bike through loose dirt and sand to prepare for the obstacles that the CX Nationals course will have.

My goal of racing four or five Texas Cup events during November and December didn't work out as planned because of family activities and job duties on weekends. To continue building race-specific fitness, I substituted hard 40-60 minute race simulations on each of the missed Texas Cup race dates.

The past two weeks have been spent "sharpening the sword" by doing a short but very intense workout every third day followed by two days of easy recovery rides.

This final phase of preparation is called "tapering" with the objective being to achieve peak fitness by letting the body recover from the previous months of hard training while maintaining a high level of neuromuscular stimulation via the every-third-day hard efforts.

I've also made it a priority to work out early in the mornings on cold days to get used to riding in the cold and to practice dressing for those conditions. The odds are that the early morning race time temperature in Boulder will be in the high 20s, so being ready for winter conditions is a critical aspect of the mental and physical preparation.

Like all of the cyclists who’ll be competing at nationals, I've done the hard work needed to prepare for the event, so on race day it will come down to who has “good legs” that day and who avoids mistakes such as going too hard early in the race or crashing on roughsections of the course.

The weather and altitude (5,500 feet) will both have a significant impact on the race's outcome.  Dry weather and moderate temperatures will dictate a completely different race strategy than bitter cold with snow or ice on the course.Given the higher altitude, it will also be important to avoid going too hard and getting into oxygen debt early in the race.

My expectations for CX Nationals race are realistic, with the goal being to race as hard as I can and hopefully place in the top 25% of my category.  Anything higher than that will be gravy and anything lower will be disappointing.

Stay tuned - next week's post will be a recap and analysis of the race.

Upcoming Events

Feb 14: Funnel Cake 5K, roadlizards.org

Mar 22: Crazy Desert Trail Race, roadlizards.org

2013 A Banner Year for Fitness Events

2013 was a banner year for fitness events in the San Angelo area.

Based on a rough count, there were almost 80 organized cycling, running, multisport or related events during the past 12 months — an impressive average of more than six events per month.

That number doesn’t include the weekly semi-organized activities such as cycling or running groups that meet on a regular schedule for workouts.

The number of organized events is good news for our community. It indicates that more people are taking part in healthy activities and thus becoming fitness ambassadors for other individuals.

Fifty-four of the fitness events this year were run/walk activities with distances ranging from one mile to 100 kilometers (62 miles).

Although the most common run/walk event distance was 5K (3.1 miles), the 2013 events also included trail runs, full and half marathons, several 10K distance races (6.2 miles) and a state championship 8K race.

Cycling accounted for 22 of the events during 2013, including 14 time trials (road or off-road races against the clock), two cycling tours, five cyclocross races and one long distance mountain bike race.

In addition to single-sport cycling and running, there were two swim-bike-run triathlons held locally and one “mud run” (the Down and Dirty Mud Dash), which combined running with negotiating obstacles such as mud pits and other barriers.

There were also some positive indicators regarding the groups that organized local fitness activities.

Six campus groups at Angelo State University organized 12 fitness events at the school, and a San Angelo Team RWB (Red, White and Blue) community was formed with its mission being to engage and support veterans via fitness activities.

On the down side, two long-standing San Angelo events were not held this past year. Striders Duathlon, a run-bike-run event normally held each April, and the Wool Capitol triathlon, held in August, were both canceled and did not take place in 2013.

Other “downers” during the past year included no visible construction activity on the Red Arroyo Trail (supposedly to be completed in 2014), a senseless proposal by a city council member aimed at restricting fitness activities on the highly popular Gun Club Road (KOA) loop, and no significant action related to implementation of the city’s Bike/Pedestrian plan.

These fitness infrastructure items are important because as more local residents embrace fitness as part of a healthier lifestyle, the demand for accessible and safe workout venues will continue to increase.

Given the banner year that fitness events experienced in San Angelo during 2013, what does the future hold during 2014?

We can again expect to see a large number of run/walk events during the coming year as these events continue to increase in popularity.

Trail running will continue to grow as more San Angelo runners discover that “fast hiking” on trails is arguably more fun than running on pavement.

The participation level for cycling during 2014 will remain at about the same level as 2013, but we may see a shift toward more people riding off-road due to increased traffic on area roads.

Off-road cycling events such as cyclocross, dirt road rides (“gravel grinders”) and mountain bike races will increase in popularity as event organizers seek safer, no-traffic alternatives to on-road events.

Twelve of the 22 local cycling events during 2013 were held off-road, and that trend is expected to continue.

The rumor mill also suggests that we may see several new (or reincarnated) events during 2014 to include a large Color Run, an Olympic distance triathlon to replace the former Wool Capitol event, and possibly an off-road run-bike-run duathlon.

Remember — 2013 was a banner fitness year in San Angelo and the prediction is for more of the same in 2014.


Upcoming Events

Jan. 4: Resolution Run, roadlizards.org
Feb. 14: Funnel Cake 5K, roadlizards.org
Mar. 22: Crazy Desert Trail Race, roadlizards.org

2014 Resolution Run

Resolution Runs that celebrate the start of a new fitness year take place all over the world.

Here in San Angelo, we have one that is arguably better than all the others for a number of reasons.

The local Resolution Run will take place on Jan. 4, 2014, at the East Concho Volunteer Fire Department (ECVFD) building located at 777 Abernathy Rd just off of FM 388 (Paint Rock Road).

This will be the 10th annual running of the ECVFD Resolution Run, and — as I alluded to earlier — it’s a very good event for a number of reasons.

Let’s start with the different distances. Unlike most Resolution Runs in other locations, the ECVFD event has three distances that you can choose from — a half marathon (13.1 miles), a 5-mile, or a 1-mile.

Secondly, the courses used are ideal for someone wanting to post a fast time. All of the routes on paved flat to slightly rolling rural roads through the Riverwood Estates area. Cool January weather, flat roads, very few corners, and no traffic all add up to fast times.

The low entry fee also makes this an enjoyable event. Unlike many of the big city races, you can sign up for less than $20 and still get a great event T-shirt if you’re one of the first 50 5-milers or first 50 half marathoners to register.

Entry fees are $2 for the one mile, $12 for the five mile, and $15 for the half marathon if you pre-register early, or $2, $15, and $18 after preregistration ends.

The race organizers don’t skimp on awards the 1-mile race will offer trophies to 1st male/female in age groups 13-19 and 12 & under and medals to top three finishers in male/female age groups 4 and under, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12. 13-15, and 16-19.

Competitors in the five-mile and half-marathon races will be competing for trophies for the top male/female runners in each race and medals to top three male/female finishers in age groups 12 and under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-plus.

In addition to fast courses, low entry fees, and great awards, you’ll also appreciate being inside a warm roomy fire department building for packet pickup, after-race cool-down, and the awards ceremony.

Last but not least, the event is a fundraiser that benefits the East Concho Volunteer Fire Department.

Think back a couple of years to when multiple wildfires around San Angelo burned almost 300,000 acres of rural property.

Like other regional volunteer fire departments, East Concho firefighters and equipment were on the front lines of these fires protecting property and saving lives.

Funds raised during events such as the Resolution Run will help the ECVFD maintain equipment and pay operational expenses.

In fact, even if you don’t race the Resolution Run, you can still support the cause by simply making a donation to the volunteer fire department. Just send donations to the address listed on the race flyer and tell them “thank you” for what they do.

A race flyer with full event information is on-line at roadlizards.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/RR-Flyer-20142.pdf, and you can also sign up online at https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=9760.

Remember - the ECVFD Resolution Run is where you can run fast for a great cause.


Upcoming Events

Jan. 4: Resolution Run, roadlizards.org
Feb. 14: Funnel Cake 5K, roadlizards.org
March 22: Crazy Desert Trail Race, roadlizards.org

Kathy Rakel Is An Up-And-Coming Pro Triathlete

On a frigid December day last week, Kathy Rakel headed outside into 7-degree Boulder, Colo., weather for a running workout.

Although the weather that day was challenging, Rakel is a professional triathlete who knows that the

base period workouts she does in the dead of winter will determine how well she performs next summer during the 2014 triathlon race season.

Remember her name — you’ll hear a lot more about this up-and-coming pro athlete in the months and years to come.

This 29-year-old, 5-foot-6, 126-pound dynamo, originally from San Antonio, has only been a professional since 2010 but already has an impressive multisport resume.

She won the 2013 USAT Elite Duathlon National Championship, was a three-time U.S. Armed Forces National Triathlon Champion and the top American at the 2011 World Military Triathlon Championships, and she was named the 2010 Air Force Female Athlete of the Year.

Her triathlon record also includes age group wins in the highly competitive Buffalo Springs Half Ironman and being a previous record holder for the fastest Ironman by a female Air Force Academy cadet (Ironman Arizona, 2007).

She’s currently sponsored by BH Bicycles, First Endurance Nutrition, HED Cycling, TriPain Relief, Kiwami, XTERRA Wetsuits and Rudy Project.

Rakel is also an Air Force Academy graduate, a veteran and a former San Angelo resident who was assigned to Goodfellow AFB for the Intelligence Officer training course in 2009.

During her time in San Angelo, she made a lasting impression on area athletes by winning tough races such as the 2009 Trail Running Series, hanging with the fast guys during local Loop Group bike rides and doing hard workouts in tough weather conditions.

On one midwinter occasion, she emailed me asking for a route for a long, hilly ride.
I suggested a loop from San Angelo that included Bronte, Robert Lee, Water Valley, Burma Road and Arden Road back to town.

She not only rode that loop, but she did it on a day when the air temperature was around 30 degrees with a stiff northerly wind blowing.

On another occasion, we arranged to meet up for the last part of a hard bike interval workout she had planned (note: I agreed to ride with her only after she was already tired and thus going slower).
It turned out that on the day of that ride, the wind was howling from the south at 25 miles per hour and gusting up to 40.

We hooked up near the south end of Burma Road and headed back along Arden with Rakel being blown all over the road but laughing all the way into town about the fun (terrible) wind conditions.

Although her initial professional focus was Olympic distance triathlons with the goal being to represent the United States in the 2016 Olympics, Rakel recently changed coaches and switched her competitive focus to long course Ironman distance events.

She’s now being coached by former World Champion and Olympian Joanna Zeiger.

“I’ve known all along my body is built for endurance instead of speed, so I finally decided to listen to my body and switched to training for longer distance races,” says Rakel.

“In 2014, I plan to work towards a late season Ironman or two, if all goes well. In the long-term, I’d like to represent the USA at the Ironman World Championships. Although I’m no longer training for the Olympics, my passion to represent my country is still alive and well.”

Rakel’s commitment to hard training and determination to represent the USA reflects her background as an Air Force F-16 intelligence analyst and the core values she learned while in the military — “Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do”

“A typical winter offseason training week right now includes about 16 hours of total training time,” says Rakel. “During the season, I’ll be doing closer to 30 hours per week.”

“In general, for this time of year, I do two strength sessions a week, five runs, three rides and four or five swim workouts.”

When asked what advice she would give other athletes (young or old) about training, nutrition and related issues, Rakel’s response was: “If your nutrition is dialed in, training and racing will be more enjoyable."

“Many athletes tend to ignore how their bodies are feeling. If you want to perform at a higher level, you will discover that ignoring things is a short-term fix and will not help in the long term. This applies to nutrition as well as to training or racing through injuries.”

“Listen to your body. All the high-end equipment in the world does not matter if your body is not working properly.”

If you happen to be cycling or running near Boulder and get passed by a petite young lady with a big smile on her face, just say “Hi,” but don’t try to keep up with her.

It just might be Kathy Rakel hammering through a workout as she works toward that next level as a pro triathlete.

In fact, the best way to ensure that you can keep up with her is by following her online at kathyrakel.com.

Remember — Kathy Rakel is a triathlete you’ll be seeing on the podium.

Christmas Gifts for Athletes

Selecting gifts for the cyclist or runner in your family can be both easy and very difficult.

The easy part is that if the gift keeps them cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, tracks workouts electronically or helps them go faster, they’ll love it.

On the other hand, there are thousands of items on the market to choose from, and to zero in on the perfect gift you may need some professional advice.

To get you that professional help, I reached out to some local bike/run shop owners and also area athletes to get their take on gift ideas at different price points.

Almost everyone responded that in the “Under $20 category”, socks, caps, and gloves are all gifts that would be appreciated.

Debbie Yohman says running socks make a great under-$20 gift. “I like Thorlo socks myself,” says Yohman. “They have cushion in just the right place.”

Long, colorful socks, in particular, seem to be a popular item this year for both cyclists and runners.

Jodi Rector suggests, “for under $20 think about nice water bottles or a protein shaker, and for gifts in the $20-$50 range go with nice workout gloves, ear buds or workout clothing.”

Terry Shaner has a unique gift suggestion, something that was given to him a few years back. “It’s a small hanging rack with multiple clothespins fastened on it,” explained Shaner.

“You use it to hang your sweaty workout clothes outside or in the garage to dry. This keeps the smell of sweaty workout apparel out of the house which makes everyone happy.”

Cindy Simmons suggests one of the small GoPro cameras that mounts on a helmet or handlebars. In her case, she says it would be great “to video when I go onto the wrong trails and fall into cactus like I did recently.”

Randy Rangel, the owner of Randy’s Bike and Run, says “stocking stuffers such as nutrition bars and gels, Halo headbands, shoe pockets, race belts, CO2 cartridges, bike lube and tubes are great low-cost gifts.”

Rangel also suggests “compression apparel such as leg and arm sleeves, socks, shirts and sports bras from $36 to $55, Garmin watches ranging from $130 to $460, lights for biking and running from $11 to $100, winter apparel to include thermal arm warmers, balaclavas, shoe covers, beanies, and gloves that range from $23 to $50.”

“Bike accessories such as phone cases, bike bags, and helmets also make great gifts,” says Rangel.

Justin Smith, store manager at Concho Bike, has some good gift suggestions at different price points.

“Specialized cycling socks range from $10 to $20 and make great gifts,” says Smith. “Other nice ideas would be a Cateye micro wireless cycling computer ($50), specialized cycling jersey ($65-$85), or a Garmin Edge 510 GPS ($330).”

My personal suggestions for athlete Christmas gifts include the following items:

Under $20 — go with a box of energy gels or bars.

In the $20 to $50 price range, buy your favorite runner a pre-paid registration for an upcoming race such as the 2014 Trail Running Series and/or the Crazy Desert Trail Run, or an annual membership in the local cycling or running club.

If you’re spending between $50 and $100, think about a gift certificate for a new pair of cycling or running shoes or possibly a massage for your favorite athlete.

Moving up to the over $100 gift category, a GPS sports watch, GPS bike computer, or a GoPro camera would all be great gifts for the runner or cyclist on your list.

There are several potential categories where gift certificates might be the preferred option.

Shoes for running or cycling and also bicycle seats are highly individual in that what feels good for one person may be terrible for another.

Unless you know exactly what brand, model and size the recipient likes, opt for a gift certificate and let them choose the specific item.

Bicycles need to be treated in much the same manner — just gift-wrap your credit card (or stacks of big denomination bills) together with a “the sky is the limit” note and let the happy cyclist go pick out their new ride from the bike shop display room.

There are two additional gift ideas that might be the best of all for the cyclist, runner or triathlete on your list.

Although many athletes tend to focus on equipment to improve performance, the best “go fast” gift you can give them is a few months or a year of professional coaching.

A simple Google search for cycling, running or multisport coaches in your region will yield a lot of hits for coaches with prices and services listed.

Look for coaches who are experienced athletes and who have certifications in their respective fields such as those provided by USA Cycling, USA triathlon or similar running and swimming organizations.

Most coaches also have plans that enable them to provide coaching serves via the Internet, so they don’t have to be local.

Last of all, the ultimate gift for an aspiring athlete might just be you. “Give yourself” to a friend or family member as a coach, mentor or training partner for the coming year.

That gift just might result in a great 2014 for both the gift recipient and you.

Remember — finding that perfect Christmas gift for an athlete takes some serious thought.

 Upcoming Events

Dec. 7: Christmas in Bronte 5K/10K, fbcbronte.com/funrun/
Dec. 8: Ride Through the Lights,anangelobicycleassociation.com
Dec. 14: Run Rudolph Run, angelo.edu/asufit
Dec. 14-15: Tough CX (Fredericksburg), txbra.org