Table of contents for Issue 6 2020 in Runner's World

JENNY HITCHINGS RW+ Member p.32 My best performance was running 2:46:10 at the Eugene Marathon at age 47. I learned that age was just a number, and I truly believed that with hard work and dedication, I had a shot at the Olympic Marathon Trials. I was 10 seconds shy… ALSO: Don’t think about how far you have to go, think about how far you’ve already gone. ADDIE BRACY Runners Alliance p.34 I’ve been reminded many times to focus on myself and not get too caught up in the comparison trap—either with others or with previous versions of myself. That can be hard to do in such an objective sport, but I put a lot of effort into appreciating where I’m at right now regardless of where I once was…

JACKSON, MISSIS SIPPI MAKE THE CHOICE AND TAKE THE CHANCE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE RUNNER’S+ MY HARDEST RUN… Consists of a lot of days. With arthritis, times can be tough when my legs are swollen and hard to lift. But I press on, running until the stiffness is out and the swelling subsides. MY STEADY ROUTE My neighborhood. Though the roads are rough (lots of potholes), I love the trees, the view, the crisp air, and the ability to run back home, letting my children see me sweat—and smell the accomplishment of hard work. LOL! FAVORITE PIECE OF RUNNING GEAR My SPIbelt. I try not to hold anything in my hands due to my arthritis. WHAT GETS ME OUT THERE Life motivates me to run, to run more and longer.…

Convincing runners to take time off is always a struggle. But given the state of the world right now—nonstop stress and few (if any) IRL races for the foreseeable future—you’d be forgiven for wanting to hang up your shoes for a little while. Even the elites are doing it. This past summer, Des Linden—2018 Boston Marathon champion! Olympian!—posted on Twitter that she hadn’t run one single step for a full month. When a well-intentioned commenter asked what she’d been doing in the meantime, she responded (with the typical Des wittiness): “Growing a sofa on my ass.” Linden may have been nonchalant about her time off, but for a lot of us, a month feels like a long time. What will happen to your Strava stats? How will this affect your…

While tempo runs are a key staple in the training diet, few people actually know exactly what the recipe calls for and why. This type of workout pops up on many race training plans for a reason: Learning how to incorporate tempo into your running routine can bring you lasting benefits—especially on race day. But executing tempo training incorrectly can compromise its perks. Here’s everything you need to know about the tempo run. What Is a Tempo Run? A true tempo run—also known as a threshold run—is a pace about 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than your current 5K race pace, according to running coach Jack Daniels, Ph.D., who popularized the tempo run in his book Daniels’ Running Formula. Without getting too technical, threshold pace is the most…

WE WANT TO KEEP SPREADING THAT MESSAGE OF COURAGE TO BE YOURSELF AND BE COMFORTABLE IN THAT SPACE. 34, DENVER For Addie Bracy, running is a source of empowerment and community, which was critical for her in the years before she came out as LGBTQ+. “No matter what was going on or how much I felt like I wasn’t being authentic in my life, in running I have always felt like the purest form of myself,” Bracy says. After a frustrating 2016 professional track season, Bracy decided to come out on a public platform for the first time. Now, along with her partner Corey Conner, she helps other LGBTQ+ individuals find empowerment and connection through running. “We want to use our last few years in the sport to make a…

1 / RockMyRun Run to music curated by a team of DJs through an app that adjusts its beats per minute to your current or goal pace and cadence. $8 per month 2 / Nike Run Club Follow guided runs with Headspace, track your progress, and receive in-ear cheers from friends via social media. Free 3 / Zwift Runners from around the world train and race together in Zwift’s virtual worlds via a Bluetooth or ANT+ compatible treadmill, or a foot pod ($40). Free for runners while in beta testing…

1/ Check your ceiling clearance by adding 15 inches to your body height. So, if you are 6'0", you need at least a 7'3" ceiling. Behind the treadmill there should be at least three feet of unobstructed space. 2/ Make sure all four contact points of the treadmill are solidly on the floor and that the floor is stable. Positioning a treadmill close to a wall can increase stability. 3/ If there’s another apartment or bedroom below the treadmill’s room, adding a treadmill mat will significantly deaden the transmitted noise in these situations. 4/ If you’re moving a treadmill into a basement or smaller room, hire experts. But if you insist on DIY, move and install the deck first, followed by the uprights and console. Either way, check the dimensions…

THE YEAR 2020 IS ONE WE’LL REMEMBER FOR A LOT OF THINGS AS RUNNERS: canceled races and derailed training, of course, but also pretty epic feats none of us saw coming. (Think backyard ultras, unprecedented FKT attempts, and quarantined treadmill records.) Despite the unpredictable events, our test team at Runner’s World had the same job as always—pile miles onto the newest gear and tell you whether it’s worth your hard-earned buck. To start the year, we witnessed carbon-fiber plate debates and foam wars, as brands raced to build the fastest shoe on the planet (you’ll find the winner in these pages, by the way). By spring, most runners were shopping for a new piece of essential gear we never thought we’d need. Yep, we found the best-in-class, sweat-ready face mask. August…

BROOKS CARBONITE JACKET / $180 Remember those running jackets that became popular a few years ago for basically being one enormous reflector? This isn’t like that, but counterintuitively can keep you safer on the roads at night. Part of Brooks’s new “Run Visible” collection, the jacket features 3M Scotchlite stripes along the chest, elbows, and shoulders. That smart placement, as you move, makes you easily identifiable as a human to the driver of a car, rather than, say, a roadside sign or traffic cone. The stripes are black, too, so they look more normal in daylight hours. Brooks also ditched the neon-everywhere treatment, opting for high-contrast panels that stand out better as the daylight fades. RABBIT EZ TEE / $45 OK—we admit we’ve spent equal time running and resting in…

PRICE: $150 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 10.7 oz (M); 8.9 oz (W) DROP: 4 mm HOKA’S LIGHTEST TRAINING shoes, like the Rincon, have challenged runners’ perceptions of the brand. But its maximalist reputation is preserved with models like the Bondi 7, a shoe with an enormously cushioned midsole. For many of our testers, myself included, the Bondi is an ideal shoe for all-around comfort. Leave it at home on track day, though; the shoe is even heavier than its predecessor. For those who gravitate toward super-comfortable trainers, the Bondi 7 is a dependable heavily cushioned shoe for long runs and marathon base building. “I am currently training for my next marathon, so testing these shoes was a dream while building up my mileage,” said one tester. A new memory-foam collar secures…

PRICE: $165 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 9.6 oz (M), 7.9 oz (W) DROP: 4 mm EVERYTHING’S GETTING SOFTER in the New Balance line—the 1080v10, the 880v10, and even the extra-thick More v2. This shoe is designed with an extra-thick layer of New Balance’s super-soft Fresh Foam midsole, which makes it look bulky, but we found it surprisingly lightweight and nimble. Below all that cushioning, a 7mm layer of ground-contact foam serves as the outsole. It’s lighter than rubber and more durable than Fresh Foam, and we like how it delivers a quiet, smooth connection with pavement. Four flex grooves in the outsole boost the shoe’s compliance. Some testers favorably compared the More v2 to the Hoka One One Rincon, a similar lightweight, no-frills shoe with a boatload of impact protection. A…

PRICE: $140 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 9.1 oz (M); 7.4 oz (W) DROP: 0 mm THE ORIGINAL TORIN, released in 2013, won us over with its soft foam and lightweight feel. The Torin 4 Plush, launched last year, was even softer—nearly on the same level as the Paradigm, Altra’s most cushioned shoe. As a “point-five” update, this version is mostly similar to its predecessor. It has the same Quantic midsole, the same 28mm stack height, and the same grippy outsole with treads that resemble your foot’s bone structure. What the naked eye can’t detect is a drop in weight. Altra shaved about an ounce off the men’s and women’s shoes so you feel less weighed down on your run. The Torin’s engineered knit upper received the most obvious update—there’s a new…

THE TEMPERATURE IS steadily dropping, priming us for tights season. We love the freedom of wearing shorts, but sometimes our legs need a sleek layer as a shield against the tempestuous elements that come with colder weather. We tested dozens of leggings of varying lengths—capri, cropped, 7/8, and full-length—and chose the best, shown here, for their quick-drying capabilities, stretch, and comfort. What to Look For / The fibers found in tights are usually polyester (or polyamide or polyurethane) for durability and water resistance. Wool is sometimes incorporated into the fabric, too, for warmth; you’ll notice some bottoms meant for the coldest of days have a thicker feel but are not constrictive. This is because elastane is also woven into the fabric for flexion and ease of movement. Besides warmth and…

NEWS & GEAR EDITOR GET OUT THERE PRODUCTS I’M USING RIGHT NOW 1 / Saucony Kinvara 11 $110 You can’t go wrong with the Kinvara: It’s lightweight, soft, and smooth heel-to-toe. This is my third edition. 2 / Balega Enduro Quarter Socks $14 Socks are just as important as shoes. Treat your feet right. 3 / Patagonia Endless Run Shorts $79 A men’s compression short with deep pockets on your glutes that don’t let anything bounce around. Who Inspires Me Michael Wardian. He enjoys running just for the joy of it. He races but also has awesome adventures, like playing Madden on his treadmill and running to every store in his favorite Washington, D.C., franchise, District Taco. And he does these things every weekend. Dude is a legend. CRAZIEST PLACE I’VE…

BOSTON KEEP GOING! RUNNRE’S+ PATIENCE OR PUSH? Patience. When I first started running, I gave myself unrealistic goals and soon realized that, like many things in life, running takes time. I was pushing myself to go for longer distances without properly training. Over the years, reading Runner’s World articles about proper stretching, form, and hydration has helped make me a stronger runner. My Running Style in Three Words ADVENTUROUS, FUN, EASYGOING. Favorite Postrun Fuel Dave’s Killer Bread. I’ll toast a slice of the 21 Whole Grains and Seeds loaf, then spread some crunchy peanut butter and add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. MY RUNNING PARTNER: ELLA THE CHIHUAHUA During our first 5K together—the 2014 Bark in the Park 5K in Media, PA—someone yelled out, “Did a chihuahua really just…

If you think about it too hard, running makes little sense. We are making a choice to suffer, to feel hardship, to sweat and ache and get uncomfortable. It’s no wonder our nonrunning friends think we’re all a little weird. So then why do we do it? For me, it comes down to this: Running trains me how to hurt. The end of a hard workout is a benchmark that tells me how much hurt I can handle. It gives me the confidence to hurt a little more the next time. And a little more, and a little more. A few years ago, I read a story about a man in his 50s who quit his job in IT to start a North Brooklyn pizza shop because he loved cooking…

If you see me on the street, chances are I’ll be wearing running shorts and my hair will still be in a ponytail. I have run nearly every day for the past couple of decades, which means I get asked a lot, “Why do you run?” I look at the question two ways. First, I run because I find joy, solace, and silence in it. I take pride in being healthy and fit. I’ve made wonderful friends. And it comes naturally. But I also run because I’m competitive. Before every race, I ask myself, “Why do I put myself through this?” That answer takes a little more soul-searching. I was very good at a lot of things, but I can’t say I was ever the best student, athlete, cook—you name…

“Consistency is the most important aspect of training, and treadmills are key to having consistency. As a husband, full-time data scientist, professional runner, and father to a 1-year-old, the treadmill gives me the opportunity to get good-quality runs done before the sun comes up.”Tyler McCandless, 33, Boulder, CO “IT HELPED ME BUILD CONFIDENCE TO RUN OUTSIDE. AS A NEW RUNNER, I WAS ABLE TO INCREASE MY STAMINA TO KEEP UP WITH MY RUNNER FRIENDS IN THE PARK. IT CAN ALSO BE THERAPY. THE TREADMILL GOT ME THROUGH A BREAKUP. YOU CAN CRY AND RUN EASIER ON ONE.”Megan Miller, 34, Brooklyn, NY “Treadmill tourism has given me an escape. I have an iFit module that allows me to virtually run down any street, trail, or sidewalk that has a Google Street…

1 MILE 1 / 1-Mile Time Trial Give yourself a 10-minute warmup and 10 minute cooldown. In the middle, gut out the ultimate test for matching speed and endurance. 400 METERS 2 / Climb 400 Meters This takes strategy when choosing your pace and incline to reach a vertical quarter mile. I go for the steepest grade I can run without having to walk. 29,029 VERTICAL FEET 3 / Summit Everest Is racking up 29,029 vertical feet crazy? Of course! Take your time and make this a weeks or months-long goal.…

EARFUN AIR / $60 Lots of wireless earbuds try to emulate the design success of Apple AirPods; few do it well. The EarFun Air is an exception: The connectivity is excellent. We tested it with a phone on an armband and behind our back in a fanny pack (where many headphones cut out) and couldn’t manage to break the Bluetooth signal. With sound that pours in dynamic and crisp, these buds aren’t too shabby for $100 less than the real thing. COROS PACE 2 GPS WATCH / $199 We’ve been fans of Coros for its affordable, long-lasting alternatives to the major players in the GPS watch game. Its new Pace 2 scraps any extra features you’re unlikely to ever use and focuses simply on delivering the lightest, fastest run-tracking experience…

PRICE: $130 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 10.6 oz (M), 8.3 oz (W) DROP: 10 mm AS AN EX-BASKETBALLER, I can’t help but liken the Symmetros to my favorite pair of Air Jordans: The high collar locks in support at the ankle, a durable rubber sole grips even the slickest blacktop, and the wide, flared midsole feels light and bouncy, yet crazy-stable for a neutral shoe. The stability comes from an external heel counter connected to a guidance groove that spans the full length of the outsole, so transitions feel secure as you build up to a propulsive toe-off. Though not quite as responsive as the premium Pebax midsole in the Floatride Run Fast, Reebok’s Floatride Energy foam used in this model feels bouncy, with plenty of cushioning that doesn’t choke when…

PRICE: $110 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 8.5 oz (M), 6.8 oz (W) DROP: 6 mm FOR EVERY CARBON-FIBER plate and teched-out run-tracking midsole, there’s a shoe that shines for exactly the opposite reasons: its simplicity. The EnRoute’s lightweight, low-to-the-ground, and über-flexible ride reminds us of the best parts of a minimalist shoe, but brings cushioning, the missing piece most runners will need to go long. Though not especially plush, the EnRoute has a springy feel underfoot. Rather than adding too many elements to get the shoe’s flexibility just right, Salming delved into the geometry of the midsole. By moving the deepest flex groove of the shoe closer to the middle of the foot and angling it at a slant, the shoe better matches where your foot bends naturally. (That’s the decoded…

PRICE: $120 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 10.4 oz (M), 8.5 oz (W) DROP: 14 mm YOU HAVE TO be a little bit crazy to launch a running shoe company these days. And you have to be out of your mind to do it outside of Asia, where the skilled laborers and manufacturing infrastructure already exist. But that’s just what Kenya-based Enda has done. Following up on its first model, the Iten, a lightweight racer named after the small town in the Rift Valley that’s loaded with distance-running talent, the brand launched this daily trainer. The Lapatet—“running” in some Kalenjin languages—has a compression-molded midsole that’s extremely hard under the heel, an assessment backed up by tests in the RW Shoe Lab. There’s a little more forefoot cushioning, creating a fairly lightweight trainer…

While running, Megan Carroll, 34, of Santa Cruz, CA, saw a woman walking a baby pig. Carroll wanted to stop and say hi, but she had to hit her goal pace. After recovering from an injury, Stan Chaplin, 74, of Phoenix, is working back up to his morning routine: a 6-mile early morning session followed by a late morning 10-miler, both at an easy pace. The septuagenarian is aiming for 100-plus miles a week. Winston Vaughan, 39, of Boston, just bought a pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro for marathon training. “They make me feel like Peter Parker after he got bitten by that spider,” he says. Nate Helming, 37, of San Rafael, CA, had to adapt his training as the wildfire smoke in the Bay Area made running outside…

TEST EDITOR TOO FAST FOR THE KIDS ’ RUN, TOO SLOW FOR BOSTON PRODUCTS I’M USING RIGHT NOW 1 / On Running Mid Socks $20 Guilty of sock doping. The right length and a cool pattern make me feel fast. 2 / Garmin Forerunner 45 $200 I’m a minimalist when it comes to GPS watches. Push to start, push to stop. 3 / New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2 $120 Came for the lightweight bounce, stayed for the wide toebox that loves my flipper feet. MY STEADY ROUTE (WITH SOME COVID-19 EDITS) Before Covid, I’d string together a series of parks and trails in the Lehigh Valley, PA, for a massive weekend long-run route. It was a mix of gravel, road, hills, dirt, and sidewalks that kept things interesting for…

When most normal racing opportunities—from international track meets to major marathons—shuttered in 2020, pro runners embraced a new type of challenge: the time trial. These attempts to run as fast as you can at a given distance, either alone or with only pacers or teammates, became one of the few reliable ways to assess fitness when racing shoulder to shoulder with others was nearly impossible for months. Time trials are a different kind of effort, though. A recent study in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance suggests that running as fast as you can on your own feels much harder than racing against competitors. But if done correctly, time trials can provide structure and give signs of progress in your training—something that can be useful when large, in-person…

The last time professional trail runner Addie Bracy feared for her safety, she was on a run with her girlfriend, Corey Conner. The couple was logging miles together in the dark when they paused at a stoplight, where Bracy gave Conner a hug and a kiss. A woman pulled her car alongside them and gave them the nastiest look Bracy had ever seen. “[It was] just disgust,” Bracy says. “She shook her head at us like she was disappointed.” The encounter left Bracy feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable. She realized she wanted to take action. “Women’s safety is already a big issue,” Bracy says. According to a 2019 Runner’s World survey, 84 percent of women have been harassed while running. “But when you add any kind of extra layer of ‘other,’…

Measure the length of the belt by putting a piece of tape at the back of the treadmill belt. Put a second piece at the front and measure the distance between them. Then rotate the belt until the first piece is on the underside. Place a third piece on the belt beyond the second. Measure the space between. Rotate the belt further and measure the distance from the third to the first piece. Add those three measurements and remove two pieces of tape. Turn on the belt at 5 mph. When the tape reaches the back of the deck, start a timer, stopping after 100 revolutions. Take the time and convert to hours (see Math Cheat Sheet, right). Calculate the distance traveled (100 x length of belt). Convert that to…

1 I have a poster of Grete Waitz crossing the NYC marathon finish line in front of my treadmill. Her arms are up. It inspires me to keep pushing hard. At the end of each mile on the treadmill, I hold my arms up like hers. Meg George, 39, Chicago 2 I stream a series that I only watch while on the treadmill. It not only prevents monotony, but also provides that extra bit of inspiration on days I don’t want to run. Faves: The Umbrella Academy, Supernatural, Grace and Frankie. Jen Crabtree, 52, Seattle 3 I moved my treadmill into my garage, facing out. I open up the garage door and can feel the cool air, the mist when it’s raining, see traffic, hear birds, the neighborhood cats come…

If you’ve been shopping for a treadmill lately, you know that COVID-19 has impacted the availability of machines. Many sold out quickly when stay-at-home orders early in the pandemic limited our ability (and, sometimes, determination) to get outside and run. And while manufacturers are catching up after the huge surge in demand, there’s still a wait for many models. This helped inform our testing process, as we aimed to evaluate models that you would actually be able to buy. Then our testers put hundreds of miles on the machines—after all, they didn’t have anywhere else to go. On these pages are five new models that were top performers. Visit runnersworld.com/best-treadmills for even more recommendations. EDITORS’ CHOICE NordicTrack Commercial 1750 When it comes to bang for your buck, the 1750 has…

REVIEWS & RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EXPERTS IN THE RW TEST ZONE PRICE: $140 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 10.1 oz (M), 9.5 oz (W) DROP: 4 mm COMPARED TO ITS race-worthy siblings, the Endorphin Pro and Speed, the Shift is easy to overlook. It doesn’t have the carbon-fiber plate found in the Pro. And it lacks the trampoline-like PEBA-based midsole foam found in either of those shoes. But its thick, soft sole rolls smoothly from heel to toe, delivering speedy comfort on mid to long-distance runs—that makes it worth a look for marathon training. “These are soft without being too plush,” said one tester who regularly logs 35 miles a week at 8:30 pace. “My legs never felt tired, and I had many runs in these shoes where I just wanted to…

PRICE: $140 TYPE: Trail WEIGHT: 10.5 oz (M), 8.8 oz (W) DROP: 7 mm THE RICH ITALIAN her i tage of Calzoleria Sportiva spans nearly a century, but it’s still crafting purpose-built footwear just as it was when founder Narciso Delladio began cobbling shoes for farmers and lumberjacks in the nestled valleys of the Dolomites. A far cry from those stiff leather boots, the Jackal remains true to its rugged roots as a mountain shoe for ultra distances. To keep the shoe comfy over big, rocky miles, the laces attach to lateral mesh panels, allowing the foot to breathe and expand more easily inside the shoe’s inner bootie. Underfoot, a pair of PU inserts soften the firm EVA midsole and full-length rockplate, and staggered impact-braking lugs dig in while bombing…

PRICE: $150 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 9.4 oz (M), 8.1 oz (W) DROP: 13 mm (M), 14 mm (W) WEIGHING A FULL ounce less than the Nimbus 22, the new Nimbus Lite puts some spring into Asics’s marquee neutral-cushioned shoe. The new FlyteFoam blend has a lower density than traditional FlyteFoam; the midsole is reinforced with cellulose nanofiber, a byproduct of sugarcane waste. There’s also a lot of it: Despite the company’s claim of a 25mm-tall men’s heel (27mm for women), our Shoe Lab found heel heights of 39mm and 40mm, respectively. That thick slab of heel foam registered high-energy return in our mechanical tests, but we immediately could tell that by how the shoes felt underfoot. If anything, the tall, springy midsole gets a bit squirrelly at times, but the…

PRICE: $200 TYPE: Road WEIGHT: 8.8 oz (unisex) DROP: 5 mm THE GO-FAST HOKA One One Carbon X-SPE takes the midsole from the original Carbon X and adds a bootie-like upper with no tongue or noticeable seams. It provides a tighter fit with less slip than the original. Some testers loved the fit, although the shoe isn’t for people with especially wide feet—those testers said their fourth and fifth toes were cramped. And whereas the old shoe had a floppy heel cup that didn’t inspire a locked-in sensation, the new molded heel cup is stiffer and more capable of holding your heel against the footbed. The ProFly midsole has a carbon-fiber plate, but it’s designed for “endurance racing,” not smashing 10K or marathon PRs like the Nike Vaporfly Next% or…