Indice dei contenuti per Issue 1 2023 in Runner's World

JESS MOVOLD Newbie Gains, P.24 I think the most beautiful part about running is the self-discovery throughout the journey and process. I don’t think anyone could have told me anything that would have changed my path with running. It’s one of those things where I needed to explore it for myself. However, someone could have warned me about chafing. That would have been helpful. ALSO: Oatmeal and banana prerun, gels during, and for the postrun–it’s all about brunch, baby. Poached eggs, pancakes, and maybe a Bloody Mary. I guess if it’s not brunch, let’s do pizza.…

RUNNER’S WORLD+ MEMBER RAMZY LOUTFY, 31 PILOT SYSTEMS ENGINEER & AIR FORCE INSTRUCTOR PILOT /PLANO, TEXAS EMBRACE THE SUCK. KEEP GOING. HOME RUN I live only minutes from the schools I went to growing up in Plano. I love running around the area and having memories come back to me as I pass by the local CVS or donut shop that my friends and I used to go to. Although the weather here is humid, unpredictable, and hot, luckily during the fall and winter, it cools down and feels amazing. RUNNERS+ EARLY RISER → With my hectic schedule nowadays, I usually wakeup around 4 a.m. to get my first workout done. In my opinion, it’s the ideal time to exercise, although I may not always say that at 4:05 a.m.…

RUNNER'S+ It’s easy to scroll past all the perks that come with your Runner’s World+ membership, like exclusive fitness advice, curated training plans, gear deals, and testing opportunities. Here’s what you might have missed lately. (Not a member? Head to runnersworld.com/join.) HARD FACTS Whether you’re training for your first 5K or your 10th marathon, you’d never lace up your shoes if you weren’t up for a challenge—which might have brought you to the trendy program known as 75 Hard. The 2.5-month-long challenge requires adherents to follow a strict nutrition plan, complete two 45-minute workouts daily, and drink a gallon of water a day. In a member-exclusive article, RW contributor Karla Walsh considered whether the viral challenge is worth the effort. Some doctors and nutritionists have criticized 75 Hard for being…

YOU MIGHT THINK of herbs as a garnish or an afterthought, but it’s time to give that rosemary, basil, parsley, cilantro, and any other herb some respect—and a prominent place on your plate. Both fresh and dried herbs pack nutrients, including antioxidants, says Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD, CSSD, a Miami-based board-certified sports dietitian and a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. While fresh herbs might seem supreme, there’s no need to diss dried—especially because they’re often easier and more practical to keep on hand in your spice cabinet (rather than needing to tend to an indoor or outdoor herb garden). Dried varieties are often more budget-friendly and may pack even more benefits, too. “Some dried herbs, like basil, actually tend to be more concentrated in vitamins,…

YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT running through different seasons and across challenging courses. You count down to your annual hometown race, where you always enjoy the best parts of your city. You’ve taken your running journey along many roads and trails in your area—and so have other runners you pass. If you’ve thought about running with others, it’s time to form a running community with local athletes who share some of your experiences and goals. Here’s how to get started. Pick Your Group’s Name / You’re not just naming your new run group—you’re naming your running brand. Think of something that captures the spirit of the community you want to represent, then add your city name, neighborhood, or zip code—now you have a name for your run group. Choose Your Specialty /…

PRICE: $160 | TYPE: Road | WEIGHT: 9.9 oz (M), 8.0 oz (W) | DROP: 8.5 mm ALLBIRDS IS COMMITTED to making a performance running shoe that doesn’t stray from the company’s sustainability commitment. The second shoe in its running line, the Tree Flyer, is slightly lighter and bouncier than the Dasher 2, thanks to a new foam made from castor bean oil, and every component of the shoe suggests that it’s better suited for more serious running. The company designed the Flyer to be more comfortable on longer runs but, of course, comfort is subjective. You won’t mistake the Flyer with the plushness of, say, a Brooks Glycerin. The midsole can still be best described as “quite firm”—sustainable, bio-based materials just haven’t yet proven to deliver the same cushioning…

Can a Mini Massage Aid Your Recovery? Hyperice makes all sorts of recovery devices that vibrate, squeeze, or heat—and some do more than one of those functions at the same time. Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate’s achy muscles see it all, and he says the tiny $150 Venom Go is among the more interesting. It uses a sticky patch to cling to your skin, so the device can heat and shake just a small area. Does it work? Here’s what we know from Jeff’s gear and training log: Friday AM, 10/30/22 Trying this little gadget to work through some lower-leg pain during my biggest block (100-mile weeks) of marathon training. Stepped weirdly and strained a muscle in my leg a few days ago—felt like I’d hit the trails for the first time in…

RON COOPER RW+ Member, P.28 When obstacle races were just coming to the scene about a decade ago, my brother and I did them together. We would travel to the various locations, catch up on life, reminisce about the past, and dream of the future. Then we would go out and run, and we actually did really well, winning and placing in several. The atmosphere was great, with lots of music and a DJ to pump us up. No one really knew yet what they were doing in these events, so we were all like big kids running and playing in mud and obstacles. ALSO: Listen to your body, and don’t be afraid to cross-train your way into fantastic running shape when injured.…

RUNNER’S WORLD+ MEMBER ERICA STEIN, 46 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST /OWINGS MILLS, MARYLAND ONE MILE AT A TIME. RUNNERS+ GROUP OR SOLO RUN? Group. I used to always run alone, but recently I’ve joined training groups and run with friends. My groups keep me accountable and give me an extra push when I need it. Knowing there are others out there with the same goal for the day helps me get through those miles. MY PRERUN ROUTINE → For shorter runs, I roll out of bed, throw on clothes, and head out the door after a few minutes of mobility work. For long runs, I prep the night before by getting together my clothes, accessories, and any fuel I might need during the run. LISTEN TO THIS I like running to rock…

WHEN I ASK runners about how they first started out, they often have special stories. After all, becoming a runner is a turning point in life that most people remember. Running comes with a relationship of its own, one that is special, unique, and personalized. No one has a connection with the sport quite like you do, and that’s something you have to develop, respect, and protect. But just like starting a romantic relationship, if you rush into things too fast, you’ll almost certainly encounter some unexpected bumps in the road. During the early honeymoon phase of running, you’ll experience the thrill of newbie gains—the breakthroughs that make everything so much more thrilling but don’t last. So to avoid falling out of love with running when the honeymoon is over, here’s…

RON COOPER BEGINS every Monday morning with a workout that most people might not be able to fit into a week: 30 push-ups every minute, for 30 minutes, wearing a 20-pound backpack. He grabs his stopwatch, throws the dumbbell-filled pack over his shoulders, and gets to work. Down, up, down, up. Nine-hundred push-ups is child’s play for Cooper, whose nickname in the fitness world—the “pull-up guy”—refers to an entirely different prowess. Discipline and repetition have helped Cooper, a financial advisor by day and father of two, break 29 Guinness World Records in feats of strength, including the five he actively holds: the most chestto-bar chin-ups in one minute (33), push-ups in one minute with a 40-pound pack (84), step-ups in one minute with a 40-pound pack (60), step-ups in one…

PRICE: $130 | TYPE: Trail | WEIGHT: 9.9 oz (M), 8.6 oz (W) | DROP: 6 mm THE PULSAR LINE has become Salomon’s new flagship family, and the Pulsar Trail is the everyday trainer that builds on the technology first seen in the S/Lab Pulsar racing shoes. This model uses the same soft foam found in the Ultra Glide, and adds a TPU plate to enhance the feeling of propulsion as you roll onto your toes. The Pulsar Trail fits quite like the Sense Ride 4, and the two shoes have similar drop and weight—the Pulsar has 2mm less drop and is slightly lighter. The weight savings mostly come from a cutout under the heel, as opposed to the full-coverage rubber outsole of the Sense Ride 4, but the Pulsar…

RUNNERS ARE PRONE to injury; we overtrain by increasing our weekly mileage too fast or sticking to a training plan instead of taking an extra day off. We’re devoted—which isn’t always a good thing. Training for the 2014 Boston Marathon, I had disillusioned myself into thinking that I’d attain a PR by running eight miles a day, five days a week, plus a long run. But it left me feeling like I was walking on broken glass every time I got out of bed. This telltale sign of plantar fasciitis had me turn to orthotics. My quest for pain relief involved testing several insoles, scrunching towels with my toes, and massaging my arches with a bottle of frozen water. The pain eventually disappeared, but the whole experience left an indelible…

Kelly Sidlinger, 32, of San Diego, CA, has her postrun nutrition down to a science. She often drinks a smoothie with collagen, frozen fruit, yogurt, spinach, and almond milk or coconut water. For dinner: a hearty serving of pad thai. Gage Blaschke, 29, of Sioux Falls, SD, believes that runners in the Midwest have it the toughest. “Between the wind, the hills, and the wacky temperatures, we never feel bad about our times being a little slower than [those of] our coastal running buddies,” he says. Rosanna Jenkins, 67, of Denver, CO, believes that society needs to value older runners just as much as younger ones. “There are no limits just because your age is a larger number,” she says. “Sports are for everyone, so let’s show off our older…

JEFF TAN Seven Continents, P.40 Running in a group makes things so much easier. I trained for my first six marathons completely solo, and it wasn’t until moving to Los Angeles that I joined the LA Leggers. It changed everything! And now as president of the group, I find the feedback from members incredibly rewarding. I’ve seen firsthand the power of running to change someone’s life. ALSO: Don’t go too hard too early. Long-distance running is a mindset of discipline and self-restraint.…

HOW TO CHUNK YOUR LONG RUNS Long runs are often harder on your psyche than they are on your legs. Running at an easy, comfortable pace makes all those prescribed miles feel like they’re ticking off at their own leisure—slowly and endlessly. Fortunately, practicing a mental technique called chunking can help you split your interminable long runs into much more manageable fragments. As you’d expect, RW staffers have learned lots of ways to trick themselves into thinking long runs aren’t actually that long. Adapt one or all of these strategies on your next double-digit run. REWARD YOURSELF EVERY FEW MILES During long marathon training runs, I typically take in half of a gel or some gummies about every three miles, so that’s my big reward for a small chunk of…

Runners and other athletes are a key part of the cannabidiol market (better known as CBD) in the U.S.—a market that has quadrupled its sales since 2018. That was when federal law removed hemp, from which CBD is derived, from the list of controlled substances. Sales are expected to hit $16 billion by 2025. Not surprising. After all, what runner wouldn’t want to access claimed CBD benefits such as better sleep, fewer aches and pains, and greater focus? Here’s what you need to know about what CBD is, how it might help your running, and how to buy it. What Is CBD? → Cannabis plants contain more than 100 types of cannabinoids, which are substances in the plants that interact with your body’s endocannabinoid system. (More on this later.) CBD…

I FIRST STARTED running regularly in 2009 for my career as a law enforcement officer. Today, I’m a school resource officer in Colorado, and Rex—my one-and-half-year-old black Labrador retriever—is my K9 partner. He definitely helps to keep me on the move. Rex works as a certified therapy dog and is also certified in black powder scent detection, which includes firearms, ammunition, and pipe bombs. Rex and I do lots of walking and some running in our off-time, as well as lots of training at work to stay active. Rex always loves an opportunity to show off his obedience and play some fetch. We plan to continue to use running to raise awareness regarding the incredible impact a therapy dog can have when paired with a school resource officer. LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS…