Table of contents for July 2013 in Runner's World

LONGTIME READERS of this page know that one of the traditions of Boston Marathon weekend for Runner’s World and Running Times staffers is to gather (sometimes more than once) at Bukowski Tavern for peanut-butter-and-bacon burgers. So on Friday, April 12, while on a train to Boston, I sent around a meet-you-there e-mail to 16 editors who would be in town to cover the race. A few hours later, a bunch of us were packed around a table in the back, licking grease from our fingers and ordering rounds of Sam Adams 26.2 Brew. That e-mail chain circled back to me unexpectedly on Monday, race day, at 2:59 p.m. I was at North Station, waiting to see what track my 3:15 train would depart from, when I checked my phone. One…

IT TAKES TWO I enjoyed “Fast Frenemies” (May) about Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan. I can relate to their relationship because I have a training partner who is very comparable in speed, distance, and endurance. We hold each other accountable, and take it one step further by actually racing together. I tend to start off at a pace that is a bit quicker than my partner might like, but we typically finish within a second of each other. Both of our times have improved thanks to our partnership. —MIKE WALLACE, Shelbyville, Indiana I used to have training partners like Kara and Shalane. We worked hard, encouraged each other, and were good friends. But when the gun went off, there was no one we wanted to beat more than each other.…

TOUGH “FUN” Stephen Colbert notes that the Boston bombers obviously hadn’t considered the toughness of marathoners—“people who run 26 miles on their day off until their nipples are raw—for fun.” MUSIC THERAPY A Boston Strong benefit concert scheduled for May 30 sells out in five minutes. Performers include: Aerosmith, James Taylor, Boston, Jimmy Buffett, J. Geils Band, Carole King, and New Kids on the Block (Joey McIntyre ran the marathon in 3:57). FENWAY FAVORITE Neil Diamond performs “Sweet Caroline” at a Red Sox game and plans to write a song about the Boston tragedy. He’s also donating money from the skyrocketing sales of “Sweet Caroline” to The One Fund Boston. SPACEY SURPRISE Kevin Spacey jumps into an unsuspecting tourist’s pic while he’s out running in Boston. The actor came to…

The corporate running world is also offering help Nike and New Balance made substantial monetary donations to The One Fund Boston, and other running companies are contributing to the fund in novel ways. ADIDAS The Boston Marathon sponsor is donating all profits from its “Boston Stands as One” T-shirt, which costs $26.20 (adidas.com/bostontribute). ALTRA Proceeds from the shoe company’s $20 technical T, which features a Boston bib number on the front and “Keep Running” on the back, will go to the cause (altrazerodrop.com). BROOKS Brooks joined forces with other companies to create Run Now. The group is selling “Boston 4.15.13” tribute bracelets for $1.99—all proceeds will be donated (runnow.com). HEADSWEATS The hat and visor maker is donating 50 percent of sales of its Boston logo head gear to the fund…

LIBBY JAMES, 76, of Fort Collins, Colorado, ran a world 75-to-79 age-group record of 1:45:52 at the 2013 Walt Disney World Half-Marathon. 1. Work It “I train at a pace I can maintain. So near the end of a race, I don’t slow down, because I’m accustomed to that pace.” 2. Soak It “I swear by a short, daily soak in a hot tub. I jump in right after running. It’s a time when I can completely relax, and I think it loosens up my tight muscles." 3. Forget It “No one knows what suits your body better than you do. So don’t pay too much attention to your running buddies’ advice, because some of it won’t apply.” —BOB COOPER 87% OF RUNNER’S WORLD SUBSCRIBERS TRAVELED AT LEAST ONCE IN…

JUST HOURS AFTER completing a recent marathon, I raised a bittersweet toast to a race I was already eager to forget. Training for it had cost me countless pancake breakfasts with my kids, and attending it nearly emptied my bank account. But instead of basking in the PR I’d promised my running buddies, I flashed back to futile porta-potty stops, wardrobe malfunctions, and a scary midrace bonk. How did I go so wrong? You don’t have to be new to racing to mess up. I’ve run seven marathons and 12 halfs, and I’ve heard many more experienced runners say even they have stepped into the same common pitfalls that ruined races for me. But I’ve had enough. After consulting with good coaches, I now have a game plan to avoid…

Sambazon Unsweetened Acai Smoothie Packs Blend the 70-calorie frozen acai puree packs with milk or coconut water after a sultry run for a hefty dose of inflammation-calming antioxidants. ProYo High-Protein Dutch Chocolate Frozen Yogurt These fro-yo pops pack 20 grams of recovery-friendly protein (along with immune-boosting probiotics) with 160 calories per serving. NadaMoo Java Crunch Coconut milk lends this dairy-free, gluten-free frozen “ice cream” a richly satisfying taste and texture for just 130 calories per serving. It’s certified organic and Fair Trade. Ciao Bella Blood-Orange Sorbet Bars Blood orange juice gives these thirst-quenching 60-calorie bars a citrusy-sweet flavor—plus 20 percent of your daily need for vitamin C.…

LONG RUNS, HILL REPEATS, AND INTERVALS make a runner’s body strong. But to propel you forward, your body relies heavily on a few specific muscles that can become so mighty that they overpower lesser-worked areas like your glutes, back, and certain muscles in your shins and quads. This imbalance can put stress on joints, ligaments, and the muscles themselves, says Kevin Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Florida Running Medicine Clinic. Strengthening these weaker supporting players will keep your muscle groups working in complementary fashion so you can perform your best and ward off injury. The following exercises target common imbalances. Perform the sequence two or three days a week, on either cross-training or easy run days. Bonus: Do them barefoot to give the stabilizing muscles in your…

Within hours of the bombings, the inquiries came pouring in: How can I get on your team for next year’s Boston? “Usually, in early May, we get two or three people interested in running,” says Bill Coulter, coordinator of Cops for Kids with Cancer, a Boston-based charity that assists the families of kids with cancer. “I already have 60 e-mails—it’s a huge increase.” Coulter’s situation is the rule. Four weeks after the tragedy on Boylston, Runner’s World contacted 30 nonprofits affiliated with the Boston Marathon—all reported a distinct surge of interest from runners about next year’s race. The volume of inquiries is two to 13 times what coordinators typically deal with in early spring. Despite the carnage at the finish line, such a response to the bombings was probably not…

WHEN THE SUN ROSE over Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on April 15, you could almost hear a sigh of relief. Unlike last year, when temperatures eventually reached the high 80s, runners waiting in the Athletes’ Village before the Boston Marathon felt no frenzy over the weather report. “It was a perfect day,” says Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., a runner, sports psychology consultant, and professor at Minnesota State University. “Everyone was calm and happy. I knew I was going to have a good race.” She was right—the 37-year-old finished in 3:05, matching the time she ran to win the Omaha Marathon in September. She was far from the only one celebrating. With cool temperatures, light headwinds, and the energy of an entire major metropolitan area on their side, many runners achieved their goals, some…

MONDAY, APRIL 15 1 LIKE TO SAY, “I’m more of a runner than I am a policeman.” In my office, I have all of my medals glassed in two big frames. It’s a big part of my life. I’m out the door by 5 a.m. every day, doing seven to eight miles. On weekends, I do a two-hour long run. Our job, as you know, can be very stressful. As long as I can get my run in every day? I feel like I can handle anything. For this year’s marathon, my 18th Boston, my goal was to be under 3:40. For my age, 54, that was what I needed to qualify for next year. All the way in I felt strong. Coming down Boylston, my wife, Terry, and my…

Olympic champion, 65, Boulder, CO I WAS EXCITED to be back in Boston, working for the Universal Sports Network TV telecast. I was hoping for good showings by the Americans. THE FIRST BOMB went off when I was on Boylston in front of Lord & Taylor, and I knew. I went back in my mind to the ’72 Munich Olympics, when terrorists took Israeli athletes hostage. I remember, 4 a.m., thinking, Those were gunshots. Something happened in the Olympic Village. I GOT INTO the store, and right then, the second bomb went off across the street. Everyone was moving in a brisk but controlled way. I went out the back door, turned left on Exeter, and got back to the TV trucks. YOUR IMPULSE IS, Can I help? But I…

JOHN BRANT After watching the 2013 Boston Marathon from a unique vantage point—the back of the elite women’s press truck—Writer-at-Large Brant spent that afternoon on a six-hour flight back to Portland, Oregon, watching a video loop of marathoner Bill Iffrig falling down over and over again. Brant, who has covered the Boston Marathon since the early 1990s, discovered that Iffrig lives just two hours away from Portland, prompting him to get in touch with the runner, whose image became an iconic representation of the day. One week after the bombings, Brant met with the Everett, Washington, resident for the profile “Back on His Feet” (page 96). “In the TV interviews, Iffrig spoke in a calm, reassuring way, clearly a working guy. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, he’s really a cool figure.’…

START HERE Just getting into running, or know someone who is? Our new beginners’ program, The Starting Line, offers a simple five-step process that will help anyone—even people who’ve never exercised at all before—get off the couch and into a regular running routine. Visit runnersworld.com/the-starting-line to download the Stage 1 training plan for free. THE FAST LIFE If you enjoyed Lauren Fleshman’s piece in the June issue, you’ll want to check out our newest online column, The Fast Life. There, she’ll share snapshots from her life as a new mother and an elite runner, presented with a sense of humor. Read it at runnersworld.com/the-fast-life. ONLINE POLL Did events in Boston this year increase your interest in running that race in the future? Yes 62% No 38% Based on 3,161 respondents…

THE LOWERING SUN cast long shadows and warmed the faces of the 150 runners who gathered at Crissy Field in San Francisco. It was one week since the attack in Boston. Some runners dressed in blue-and-yellow marathon shirts; others wore Red Sox T-shirts and hats. They took off together toward the Golden Gate Bridge on a three-mile loop, with no concern for pace or competition or finish-line rewards. The goal was to show support and solidarity, but even more so, to find comfort in movement—and with each other. It was by then a familiar scene. During the week following the Boston bombings, amid grief and sorrow, in cities all over the world, in groups big and small, runners ran together. “It’s simple,” says Brian Kelley, who organized the San Francisco…

3 WAYS TO POWER THROUGH 1. Kick It In Train your body (and brain) to finish strong at the end of a race with pickups (after easy runs, do three to five short, speedy bursts) and negative-split workouts (run the second half quicker than the first). 2. Get Climbing Hill workouts help improve your form and stride efficiency, which means you can run farther and faster with less effort. Learn more about going vertical at runnersworld.com/hill-training. 3. Sack a Slump Missing your mojo? Meeting up with a training buddy or joining a running club can rekindle your love of running and help you push through tough workouts you’d otherwise be tempted to skip or cut short. THE PULSE What keeps you going when you’re struggling midrace? 45% Focusing on the…

IF YOU FIND YOURSELF in a pool or lake, don’t just float there. Aqua jogging is a great low-impact workout that can boost your fitness and improve your running form. As your legs move through their natural motion, the resistance of the water forces them to find a more efficient path, which can reduce some of the wobbles in your gait when you’re on land. A flotation belt allows you to “run” in deep water, so you can use the same stride as you do on hard ground. Everybody into the pool! GET WET →Wearing a flotation belt, start running at a depth at which your feet lightly touch the bottom; this helps you establish an upright body alignment. Then move into deeper water, maintaining your stride. Run five minutes,…

This 20-week plan, designed by Runner’s World Editor-at-Large Amby Burfoot, allows for a gradual buildup plus cutback weeks for recovery. The first four weeks are low mileage on four runs per week; the final four are higher mileage on four runs per week. The payoff: You’ll stay healthy during training and arrive at the starting line ready to go. To begin this plan, you should’ve been running regularly at least four times a week for three months. For more customizable plans, go to runnersworld.com/plans.…

SIP IT: WATER Plain old water is almost always a good choice. If you’re running for an hour or longer, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests drinking two to four ounces every 15 to 20 minutes. Run shorter and you can drink less or go without (particularly if you’re slower or have a lower sweat rate). The key is to follow your thirst, which will prevent overdrinking. When → On shorter runs, between 30 and 45 minutes. On long runs when combined with carbs for energy. Try → Keep a pitcher in your fridge (you’re more likely to drink it chilled). Freeze a bottle so it stays cold midworkout. SIP IT: ELECTROLYTE MIX These tablets and powders add flavor and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) to water with…

AND HOW WE RESPONDED 4.15.13 It was a perfect day. The temperature was cool, the sun was bright, the spectators were louder than ever. Then everything changed AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE 117th BOSTON MARATHON Edited by Christine Fennessy MONDAY, APRIL 15 6:15 A.M. LOBBY OF COPLEY SQUARE HOTEL Alison Hatfield, 27, consultant, Kansas City, MO, running first Boston: “We all met downstairs in the lobby—my two girlfriends and I were running together. We immediately ran up to each other and were hugging and, you know, ‘I’m so excited, I’m so excited! We get to run Boston today!’” MARRIOTT COPLEY PLACE HOTEL Dave Fortier, 48, businessman, Newburyport, MA, running his first marathon with the Dana-Farber charity team: “When I met up with the team, I was relieved to see that…

ONE WEEK AFTER the 2013 Boston Marathon, where Bill Iffrig literally descended into the national consciousness, he is back home in Lake Stevens, Washington. On this flawless, bright blue morning of high spring, a continent removed from the carnage, Iffrig sits quietly in the living room of the house that he built 49 years ago with his own hands. When the first of the two Boston Marathon bombs detonated on April 15, Iffrig, 78, was knocked off his feet, and the image of his wobbling yet oddly graceful collapse played in a searing, continual loop on video screens around the world. A moment after the first explosion, a Boston Globe photographer snapped a picture of three police officers rearing over Iffrig, who, although obviously stunned, was about to stand and…

MEN’S WINNER Lelisa Desisa 23, Ethiopia, 2:10:22 WOMEN’S WINNER Rita Jeptoo 32, Kenya, 2:26:25 TOP AMERICAN MAN (4TH PLACE) Jason Hartmann 32, Boulder, Colorado, 2:12:12 TOP AMERICAN WOMAN (4TH PLACE) Shalane Flanagan 31, Portland, Oregon, 2:27:08 MEN’S WHEELCHAIR WINNER Hiroyuki Yamamoto 46, Japan, 1:25:32 WOMEN’S WHEELCHAIR WINNER Tatyana McFadden 24, Baltimore, 1:45:24 TOP AMERICAN MAN, MASTERS DIVISION Ulrich Steidl 41, Seattle, 2:22:05 TOP AMERICAN WOMAN, MASTERS DIVISION Sheri Piers 41, Falmouth, Maine, 2:39:25 NEW RECORD Joan Benoit Samuelson 55, Freeport, Maine, fastest marathon by a woman age 55 or older, 2:50:29…

THE FIRST TIME I ran the Boston Marathon, I thought I had discovered Camelot. That changed soon enough. Maybe I grew older and wiser, maybe more cynical. Probably both. But one thing has never waivered: On Marathon Monday, I would rather be in Boston than anywhere else. Anywhere. And nothing that happened on 4/15/13 has altered that feeling. In fact, it has only grown stronger. I was 18 in April, 1965, when my father piloted our Nash Rambler to picturesque Hopkinton. He slowed at the town green and I rolled down the window. Across the street, I saw bright yellow forsythia blooms against perfect white picket fences. “Old John” Kelley warmed up in a maroon Harvard top, while three Japanese runners in Rising Sun uniforms performed calisthenics in unison. (One…

See a slideshow of more tribute runs at runnersworld.com/tributeruns. RAVE RUN LOCATION Berkeley Street, Boston PHOTOGRAPH BY Joshua Simpson RUNNERS Gregory Soutiea (white hat, far right) and the Zoom Multisport team → THE EXPERIENCE On May 1, this triathlon training group took to the streets for a 5.5-mile tribute run that spelled out “Boston” on a map (here they cross the Commonwealth Avenue Mall). “We did it to support the city and each other, especially those in our group who didn’t finish the marathon,” says Soutiea, who ran 2:54 on April 15. FOR DIRECTIONS, RESOURCE INFORMATION, AND DOWNLOADABLE WALLPAPER IMAGES, VISIT RUNNERSWORLD.COM/RAVERUN.…

AMY PALMIERO-WINTERS HAD the same reaction as most people to the bombings that occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon—and to the victims’ loss of limbs: shock, anger, sadness. But she didn’t feel total despair. “When I saw this happen, I knew they were going to be okay,” says Palmiero-Winters, who was working in her Long Island, New York, office when the news broke. “When you’ve been through something like this yourself, you know that.” Since her left leg was amputated three inches below her knee in 1997 as the result of a motorcycle crash, Palmiero-Winters, 40, has been more than okay. She owns the marathon world record for fastest female below-the-knee amputee (3:04) and is the first below-the-knee amputee to complete the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run…

Turn Tragedy into Triumph—Twice ROBBIE BRUCE, 32, SEASON KAMINSKI, 34, AND RYAN GRANEY, 31 (left to right, below), of Nashville, raised more than $42,000 at the St. Jude Country Music Marathon on April 21 for the families of the three victims who died in the Boston Marathon bombings. The trio had started a campaign in December called “26.4.26,” in which they organized a 26.2-mile run in Nashville to raise more than $30,000 for the families of the 26 victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting. They are in the process of turning 26.4.26 into a nonprofit organization. —JENNIFER CHESAK “When people feel helpless, they need an avenue of hope,” says Bruce, a triathlon coach. “There’s nothing you can do to fix these tragedies. So we do the thing we know…

WHO LONGS FOR CRISP autumn air during swimsuit season? Runners with a fall goal, that’s who. While it may be tempting to kick back during the dog days, summer is the time to get serious if you’ve targeted an autumn event. “Staying focused on the big picture is very important,” says Pat Henry, head coach of track and field at Texas A&M University. “It’s consistency over the long term that matters.” Here’s how to work training around vacations and sweltering heat so you can have some fun and still nail a goal, run farther, or take on a trail race. FALL FOCUS: FINISH A MARATHON SUMMER SETUP →Runners aiming for a September through November marathon will do the bulk of their workouts in the summer heat. They are likely to face…

SUMMERTIME, and the training’s not easy. Nor should it be. As the season typically means a lighter racing schedule for competitive runners, consider it an opportunity to experiment with workouts and take advantage of ample recovery time to push harder than usual. Ladder, pyramid, and alternator workouts inject speed into summer that will yield results all through fall. DESCENDING LADDERS The main advantage of descending ladders is mental—as efforts get shorter, it seems the workout is getting easier (which, of course, it isn’t, not if you’re doing it right). Use them to develop your ability to speed up despite mounting fatigue. RUN IT →Perform efforts of 1600 meters, 1200 meters, 800 meters, 400 meters, with a three-minute recovery between each. The goal is to run them fast, increasing your speed…

NO ONE WANTS TO FACE A STOVE before or after a hot run. Thankfully, it’s possible to get all the nutrients you need without raising the temperature in your kitchen a single degree. From chilled soups to ready-to-blend frozen smoothie cups, the options for cool, runner-friendly foods are nearly endless. As a bonus, no-cook dishes are often full of water-rich ingredients—good news for sweaty runners. These five refreshing recipes will help you keep your cool—and keep you hydrated—all summer long. BANANA-CHOCOLATE GRANOLA BOWLS Swap out your usual yogurt-and-granola breakfast for this power-packed upgrade that blends thick and creamy Greek yogurt with frozen bananas. The fruit adds energizing carbs, potassium, and vitamin B6, a nutrient that bolsters brain functioning. Greek yogurt has about twice the protein of traditional versions. “Because it’s…

YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE of a race or workout and suddenly your legs feel heavy, your lungs scream, and all you want to do is stop. What do you do? Some runners ease up, only to beat themselves up later for doing so. But others don’t. They barrel through the pain and survive—legs and lungs intact. What separates those of us who give in from those of us who push on when fatigue and discomfort hit? While there’s lots of data on the mental coping skills of elite athletes, no study has examined the tactics used by recreational runners—until now. Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., director of the Center for Sport and Performance Psychology at the Minnesota State University, Mankato, interviewed marathon finishers, ranging in age from 24 to 59 with finish…

IN MY OFFICE, there’s a small framed photograph of my wife and me. We’re smiling at the camera. My right arm curls around her, while my left hand palms her belly. In the photo, she is seven months pregnant with our first child. Directly behind us is the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It is the day before the race. I’m beaming in that photo for lots of reasons. I’m with my wife, for starters. I’m thrilled that I’ll soon be a dad. I’m healthy and fit and ready to run my sixth Boston the following morning. My wife, along with her best friend, will be joining the crowds on Boylston Street to see me finish. And, of course, there’s the backdrop. That finish line. I’ll never forget the…

The Boston Marathon bombers killed three spectators and left at least 282 wounded—many of them with severe, life-altering injuries. Although there were scores of racers on Boylston Street at the time of the blasts, marathon runners were largely unscathed, and those who were hurt sustained relatively minor injuries, mostly hearing loss. Dave Fortier, 48, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, who was a few yards away from the first explosion, seemed to get the worst of it—shrapnel cuts on his right foot, necessitating seven stitches, and deafening shock waves through his ears. (For more on Fortier’s story, see page 70.) Why weren’t more marathoners bloodied? At both explosion sites, spectators may have shielded runners from harm. “Spectators seemed to take the brunt of the blast,” says Fred Burton, a former counterterrorism agent who…

At the end of a marathon, you get pretty stupid. The question isn’t if you’re going to have a mental meltdown but when. On a good day, you put it off until the 25th mile. On a not-great day, it starts at the halfway mark. The truth is, before our world changed on Monday, April 15, and my individual race became so trivial, I wasn’t having such a great day. So when I made the left turn from Hereford onto Boylston at 2:48, I had one single-minded, tunnel-visioned focus: Get to the finish line. I was having my own little history moment, running Boston for the 10th time, on the 20th anniversary of my first. In the May issue of Runner’s World, I’d written a jokey piece about “squeaking” in,…

Following the 9/11 attacks in New York City, every large road race in the country implemented stronger safety protocols to keep runners and spectators safe. But as the explosions that rocked Boylston proved, safety is not guaranteed. Going forward, runners and spectators will notice some changes at road races large and small in the future. Here’s what you can expect to encounter and how to think about your own safety. RUNNERS Restricted access Many areas will be limited to runners only. “They’ll be more rigidly defined,” says Patrice Matamoros, race director of the Pittsburgh Marathon. “There’ll be the starting line corrals in the morning, but we’ve also cut off side streets and sidewalks and created a runners-only area with no bags.” See-through baggage Only six days after Boston, New York…