Santa's Sweat Shop🎅🏻

Hi team!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving full of plenty of good food and company. (And as I mentioned) 0 regrets on the food consumption side, I left my dinner borderline exploding, so naturally I took my sister’s apple pie to go and ate it for breakfast the next morning (pie reveal below) <3

My Thanksgiving was both sad and happy - and sometimes that’s okay. Most of us live in the grey area, especially during the holidays. I noted this in my last newsletter, but it truly is a blessing for your holiday season to be full of joy and the people you love, and it’s important to acknowledge that and share it with others. This season can be really hard for so many, so leading with empathy goes a long way. It's also a great time to reach out and check in on those close to you.

Before I can even catch my breath, Christmas is somehow approaching. There is nothing quite like giving or receiving a thoughtful gift. I don’t find gifting to be superficial at all, and I pride myself on being pretty great at it. For me, good gifts are about noticing the details in the lives of the people who mean the most to you and letting them know they are seen, heard, and appreciated for who they are. I also think gifts can be a welcome distraction from the heavier moments of the season. I keep a running gift list throughout the year for my close family and friends and add to it when someone mentions something they want, or when I think of something for them so I’m not scrambling for the first thing I find when the time comes.

But…not everyone can be like me lol, just kidding - everyone has their own way of giving and receiving love and if gifts are stressful for you and you struggle with finding the right things, I can help! (if the person you are gifting is an endurance athlete that is… which I think most of you reading this fall into that category). Absolutely nothing about being an endurance athlete is cheap, so gifts are always welcome🤣. If you have someone in your life who trains a lot, here are things I use every single day that I would re-purchase again in an instant:

• My Shokz OpenFit2 headphones (these were gifted to me for transparency, but I can’t imagine running without them now)

• My Garmin Forerunner 965 (older versions work great too if you want to save $$)

• Bandit Running anything (literally close your eyes and pick anything from their site and I promise the recipient will be happy haha)

• My Oakley Radar Plate sunglasses (I wear them on every outdoor ride and run basically)

• MAAP anything for cycling (so pricey, but sometimes they have good sales and the quality and style is unbeatable IMO)

I made a gift guide on ShopMy (linked above & in my insta bio) of all of my faves if that’s of interest at all! Another great idea is a race credit/gift card - 70.3 entries usually start around $500 (I know😅) - marathons are trickier to gift. Or get them a class pack: training alone can get super monotonous, and classes are a fun way to mix things up (I loveee Barry’s and Kaia Yoga (but you guys already knew that)).

Looking ahead towards the end of the year, it is absolutely not too late to tackle something on your resolution list - or even create new ones. I actually recently checked one off of mine that I had been putting off all year the other week. I cannot emphasize this enough, you do not need January 1st to start your change. I remember this time last year I really wanted to start a training account on social media to hold myself accountable. I had no idea where to begin, and I had originally set the start date to January 1st to put it off, and then woke up one morning in late November and decided I should just start that day - and I am so glad I did. Who knows if we would even be here if I hadn't. The hardest part is ALWAYS starting, so if you can get anything started before January 1st you will already be in a better place for the new year. Little decisions like that add up, and they shape the direction your year can take🫶🏻.

Shifting gears, as I mentioned on Instagram, the Train Payne Q&A will not be happening this week due to some things outside my control. It’s postponed to next Tuesday, which hopefully gives you all more time to think of questions or topics you want covered. This session will be open to non-members again, so feel free to invite any friends or family who might be interested in endurance racing!

Happy Shopping xx

Caleigh❤️‍🔥