Black Friday. The term usually conjures up images of retail chaos and shoppers sprinting for doorbusters. For us, the running community, it’s just another opportunity to apply our meticulous, race-day mentality to something really important: savings on our favorite gear.
Forget the frantic stampede; we’re using this shopping holiday to smartly invest in our next six months of miles, layers, and tech. It’s time to strategize like you’re planning a marathon nutrition plan. This playbook will ensure you snag the best running deals without draining your entire running budget.
Create A Strategy
You wouldn’t show up to a race without double-checking that you have matching socks and the right shoes, and you shouldn’t show up to Black Friday without a concrete list. This phase is all about honest self-assessment and setting hard boundaries on the things you need and what you are comfortable spending.
Auditing Your Gear: The Inventory Check
Go through your running gear today, not on Thanksgiving night. What’s working, and what’s held together by sheer willpower and wishful thinking? Be brutally honest.
- The Big-Ticket Items: Look for deep discounts on treadmills, shoes, GPS watches, and hydration vests. These are the most expensive pieces of a runner’s toolkit, so the savings are the most significant here.
- Stock Up: The true heroes of Black Friday are running socks (you can never have enough high-quality pairs), gels, nutrition chews, and anti-chafe balm. These small essentials disappear quickly, making bulk buying now the smart, long-term move.
- What’s In Season?: It’s cold outside, or it will be soon! Check your base layers, windbreakers, headlamps, and gloves. Investing in high-visibility gear on sale is both a financial win and a smart safety choice.
Set Your Budget and Be Familiar With The Game
Impulse buying is the quickest way to blow your budget. Give yourself a hard spending limit for each category and stick to it. Remember, a discount is only a deal if you were already planning to buy the item.
As a savvy runner, you should focus on the “Model Rule.” The biggest discounts almost always fall on last year’s model. If a brand has just released the Adrenaline 25, the Adrenaline 24 will be heavily marked down. These shoes often have hundreds of miles of life left in them and are a gold mine for bulk shoe buying. Don’t be too focused on the latest release to miss out on phenomenal value.
Go Digital, Go Early
Avoid the chaos of the physical crowds completely. Most online sales for major running brands (like Nike, Garmin, or Hoka) kick off in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day, or even the entire week before. The best tactic is to sign up for email lists today. Many brands offer exclusive 5 to 10% off codes to subscribers that sometimes stack with the main sale, or they grant access a full day early. Early access is the key to securing the most popular sizes of shoes and watches before the rest of the world wakes up.
Prioritize and Execute: The Final Sprint
Don’t browse when the sale goes live. Have your plan ready:
- Load Carts Now: Create accounts on your target sites and load your virtual cart with the specific items, sizes, and colors from your list.
- Strike First: When the sale hits, start with the items that sell out fastest: specific shoe sizes and high-demand electronics like GPS watches and recovery tools. Your goal is to click “Checkout” with minimal thought and maximum speed.
Don’t Forget Your Four-Legged Friends
While you’re busy buying your gear, remember your favorite running partner. Use the sales to upgrade their comfort and safety. Look for deals on LED collars, reflective harnesses, and hands-free leashes. After all, a safe and happy pup makes for a much more enjoyable jog together.
Crossing The Finish Line
You secured the gear; now the pressure is off!
- Check the Return Clock: Don’t let your new gear sit in the box until Christmas. Check the return policy immediately and put a calendar alert on your phone for a week before the deadline. Try the items on to ensure a perfect fit while you still can.
- Enjoy the Miles: The best part of a successful Black Friday is the peace of mind. Knowing you saved big and have a fresh rotation of high-quality gear means you can now focus on what truly matters: crushing your training cycle and setting new personal records in the months ahead.
Do you create a plan for Black Friday? What do you have your eye on with the holiday sales?
Join us next week —> Holiday Gift Guide For Runners
Link Up With Tuesday Topics
Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts!
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