Runners
I LOVE THIS PHOTO of my sister, Sarah, and me running together when we were kids. Four decades later, I still remember the moment. I’m 8 and she’s 3, and we’re holding hands, sprinting across the Mall in Washington, D.C., where our family lived for a time. The truth is, I’m pulling her along, faster than she could possibly go on her own. But look at those joyful-jailbreak expressions on our faces. We’re silent-laughing—laughing so hard that no sound comes out. I thought of that photo while reading “My Sister, the Runner?” Writer at Large Steve Friedman’s account of coaxing his younger (and defiantly nonrunning) sister, Ann, into doing a 5-K with him (page 98). I think it’s one of the best stories we’ve ever published. It’s about running the way The Godfather is about the mafia. What it’s really about is family. When it comes to running, Sarah is the anti-Ann. She started in college after deciding on a whim to do a triathlon. She did both all through law school and babies, and now, at 42, she’s the most dedicated and decorated athlete in the family. She’s done four marathons, and although an old knee injury slows her down, she often wins her age group in triathlons and occasionally wins outright. In August, she com- COURTESY OF MARATHONFOTO (RACE) The idea is to work more like siblings, and direct additional time, talent, and resources toward producing more original content for the Web and smartphones— where runners are spending more of their time—while still making great magazines. So look for a Web site redesign and a new mobile app from us early in 2015. Beginning with this double issue, our first, the frequency of Runner’s World will go from 12 issues per year to 11. (Existing subscriptions will be extended by one issue.) We are also integrating the editorial staffs of RW and sibling title Running Times, which speaks exclusively to highly dedicated, competitive, front-of-the-pack runners (that’s the cover of RT’s Jan/ Feb issue below). RT’s frequency will also change, from 10 issues per year to six bimonthly issues. peted in the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships in the sprint division, finishing in 1:19:49. “I never saw myself as someone who could win races,” she says. “But when I turned 40, I decided to really turn it on and see what I could do. I’ve gotten faster each year. We’ll see how long I can keep that up…”
I LOVE THIS PHOTO of my sister, Sarah,
and me running together when
we were kids. Four decades later,
I still remember the moment. I’m
8 and she’s 3, and we’re holding
hands, sprinting across the Mall
in Washington, D.C., where our
family lived for a time. The truth
is, I’m pulling her along, faster
than she could possibly go on her
own. But look at those joyful-jailbreak
expressions on our faces.
We’re silent-laughing—laughing
so hard that no sound comes out.
I thought of that photo while
reading “My Sister, the Runner?”
Writer at Large Steve Friedman’s
account of coaxing his younger
(and defiantly nonrunning) sister,
Ann, into doing a 5-K with
him (page 98). I think it’s one of
the best stories we’ve ever published.
It’s about running the way
The Godfather is about the mafia.
What it’s really about is family.
When it comes to running,
Sarah is the anti-Ann. She started
in college after deciding on a
whim to do a triathlon. She did
both all through law school and
babies, and now, at 42, she’s the
most dedicated and decorated
athlete in the family. She’s done
four marathons, and although an
old knee injury slows her down,
she often wins her age group in
triathlons and occasionally wins
outright. In August, she com-
COURTESY OF MARATHONFOTO (RACE)
The idea is to
work more like
siblings, and
direct additional
time, talent, and
resources toward
producing more
original content
for the Web and
smartphones—
where runners are
spending more of
their time—while
still making great
magazines. So
look for a Web site
redesign and a new
mobile app from
us early in 2015.
Beginning with this
double issue, our
first, the frequency
of Runner’s World
will go from 12
issues per year
to 11. (Existing
subscriptions will
be extended by
one issue.) We are
also integrating the
editorial staffs of
RW and sibling title
Running Times,
which speaks
exclusively to
highly dedicated,
competitive,
front-of-the-pack
runners (that’s the
cover of RT’s Jan/
Feb issue below).
RT’s frequency will
also change, from
10 issues per year
to six bimonthly
issues.
peted in the USA Triathlon Age
Group National Championships
in the sprint division, finishing
in 1:19:49. “I never saw myself as
someone who could win races,”
she says. “But when I turned 40,
I decided to really turn it on and
see what I could do. I’ve gotten
faster each year. We’ll see how
long I can keep that up…”
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2015 MARATHON GUIDE<br />
EPIC CROWDS STUNNING SCENERY HIDDEN GEMS POSTRACE FUN!<br />
RUN LONGER<br />
EAT SMARTER<br />
SLEEP BETTER<br />
12 HABITS OF<br />
HIGHLY MOTIVATED<br />
RUNNERS<br />
NEW<br />
YEAR<br />
6WAYS TO<br />
SLIM DOWN<br />
(AND EAT MORE)<br />
NEW<br />
YOU!<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
RUNNERSWORLD.COM<br />
BEGINNERS<br />
A SIMPLE TRICK TO BEAT FATIGUE<br />
FIT, STRONG & INJURY–FREE<br />
15-MINUTE FULL-BODY WORKOUT<br />
SET THE RIGHT GOAL<br />
AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!<br />
Katie Hoaldridge<br />
of the New Jersey<br />
New York Track Club.<br />
She practices new<br />
habits on page 64.
A 46-mile trip<br />
to watch<br />
your daughter’s<br />
soccer game.<br />
* Hybrid: EPA-estimated rating of 44 city/41 hwy/42 combined mpg. Actual mileage will vary. Gas model: EPA-estimated rating of 22 city/33 hwy/26 combined mpg. Available 2.0L EcoBoost, ® FWD. Actual mileage will vary.
An 86-mile trip<br />
to watch<br />
your son’s<br />
basketball game.<br />
A 123-mile trip<br />
to watch<br />
your other daughter’s<br />
softball game.<br />
A 151-mile trip<br />
to watch<br />
your other son’s<br />
lacrosse game.<br />
A 12-foot walk<br />
to the couch, because<br />
free weekends<br />
don’t come that often.<br />
It’s not about how far you go. It’s about how you go far. *<br />
2015 FUSION + HYBRID.
WARMUP<br />
JANUARY/<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2015<br />
CONTENTS<br />
RAVE RUN<br />
8<br />
EDITOR’S LETTER<br />
10<br />
THE LOOP<br />
12<br />
COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER YANG; STYLING BY SHEA DASPIN; HAIR & MAKEUP BY JESSI BUTTERFIELD FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS; CLOTHING: SUGOI JACKET, SWEATY BETTY LEGGINGS, VOLCOM TOP, ASICS SHOES<br />
THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PURE BLUE DESIGN<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
Marathon Guide .............87<br />
6 Ways to Slim Down .... 46<br />
Run Longer .................... 70<br />
Eat Smarter ................... 67<br />
Sleep Better .................. 70<br />
12 Habits ........................ 64<br />
Beginners ...................... 38<br />
Fit, Strong, Injury-Free ... 94<br />
Set the Right Goal ......... 52<br />
64 NEW YEAR, NEW YOU<br />
HOP ON THE<br />
HABIT TRAIL<br />
Pick goals you can<br />
achieve every day—<br />
like sitting less and<br />
sleeping more—for a<br />
fitter, healthier, and<br />
happier 2015.<br />
BY CINDY KUZMA<br />
75<br />
2015 HEROES OF<br />
RUNNING<br />
A legendary coach. A<br />
rising star. A pioneer.<br />
And three other<br />
runners who blew us<br />
away this year.<br />
94 MIND & BODY SPECIAL<br />
PUMPING...<br />
RUBBER<br />
The key to fitness<br />
is not fancy gear.<br />
Get stronger and<br />
faster—using only<br />
your shoes—with this<br />
15-minute workout.<br />
BY KATIE M. NEITZ<br />
87<br />
YOUR PERFECT<br />
MARATHON<br />
What would thrill you<br />
Stunning scenery Epic crowds<br />
A personal best Let our 2015<br />
calendar be your guide.<br />
BY JEN A. MILLER<br />
98<br />
MY SISTER,<br />
THE RUNNER<br />
A tale of screaming<br />
kids, frayed family ties,<br />
hard labor, and one<br />
unusual 5-K on a Hopi<br />
reservation. What<br />
could go wrong<br />
BY STEVE FRIEDMAN<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 3
CONTENTS<br />
46<br />
58<br />
WE’RE ALWAYS<br />
RUNNING AT<br />
RUNNERSWORLD.COM<br />
TRAINING VIDEO<br />
Warming up before cold,<br />
winter runs helps protect<br />
ligaments and tendons<br />
from tears and inflammation.<br />
Check out the<br />
head-to-toe routine on<br />
page 56, and watch it at<br />
runnersworld.com/<br />
winterprep.<br />
HUMAN RACE<br />
PERSONAL BEST<br />
PRO RESOLUTIONS<br />
15 Runner by the Numbers Adding<br />
up ultrarunner Catra Corbett<br />
16 Social Movement Military wives,<br />
bonding at the helm of strollers<br />
20 Street Style A former pro snowboarder<br />
still nails the look.<br />
22 Holiday Haul Seven nuts attempt<br />
seven marathons in seven days.<br />
24 The Newbie Chronicles<br />
Faster is better. (Almost) always.<br />
BY MARC PARENT<br />
26 Ask Miles Run anything by him.<br />
28 Intersection The crowded crossroads<br />
of running and culture<br />
28 Go You! Two regular runners who<br />
defy the odds<br />
30 Road Scholar Beware the<br />
Blerch—the enemy inside you.<br />
BY PETER SAGAL<br />
31 Talkin’ ’Bout My Resolutions<br />
Elites spill goals—like flossing.<br />
RACES+PLACES<br />
109 Branch Out Want a guaranteed<br />
PR in 2015 Run a weird distance.<br />
111 Trending Frosty wintertime jaunts<br />
I’M A RUNNER<br />
128 Storyboard P You might spot this<br />
street dancer running anywhere in<br />
New York City—very, very early.<br />
Photographer<br />
Amanda Courtney<br />
says the more<br />
than 60 Stroller<br />
Warriors she shot<br />
“all wanted to add<br />
the half-mile they<br />
ran during the<br />
shoot to their ‘Ran<br />
to Afghanistan’<br />
mileage, a virtual<br />
relay that supports<br />
the U.S. military.”<br />
Courtney is a<br />
mother of four and<br />
a Stroller Warrior<br />
herself.<br />
“I was skeptical<br />
about putting<br />
butter in my<br />
coffee,” says RW<br />
video producer<br />
Dave Graf. “But it<br />
tasted like a latte<br />
with more bite.<br />
And when we<br />
poured it from the<br />
blender, it looked<br />
like a Guinness,<br />
with the coffee<br />
settling to the<br />
bottom and the<br />
foam from the<br />
butter rising to the<br />
top. Very cool.”<br />
TRAINING<br />
34 Fiscally Fit Ramp up your training<br />
by investing in the right stuff.<br />
36 Race Prep Never make the same<br />
mistake twice.<br />
38 The Starting Line Walk. A lot. It<br />
makes you a stronger runner.<br />
40 Ask the Experts What slows you<br />
down more, legs or lungs<br />
42 The Fast Lane Race more (and<br />
more and more) for faster finishes.<br />
FUEL<br />
44 The Runner’s Pantry Catch of the<br />
day Canned tuna.<br />
46 Fridge Wisdom You’re not eating<br />
enough. Seriously.<br />
48 Eat Fat, Be Fit Turns out, butter,<br />
beef, and bacon might not be so<br />
bad after all.<br />
MIND+BODY<br />
52 Higher Resolution Use the<br />
science of motivation to set—and<br />
nail—the right goals.<br />
56 The Body Shop A cold run calls<br />
for a good warmup.<br />
58 Should I Try It A focus on fascia<br />
(connective tissue) sets Rolfing<br />
apart from massage.<br />
GEAR<br />
60 Prints Charming Six pairs of<br />
tights that add flair to any run<br />
62 Leaders of the Pack Trendy totes<br />
to stash stuff for a workout—or<br />
for a weekend.<br />
They might have out-ofthis-world<br />
speed, but<br />
elites have some pretty<br />
mortal resolutions. See<br />
who wants to learn Spanish,<br />
garden better, and go<br />
to Worlds on page 31. And<br />
for even more pro goals,<br />
go to runnersworld.com/<br />
resolutions.<br />
I’M A RUNNER<br />
Break it down with<br />
Storyboard P, the<br />
Brooklyn-based street<br />
dancer profiled on page<br />
128. Watch a behind-thescenes<br />
video of his photo<br />
shoot and read the full<br />
Q&A at runnersworld<br />
.com/imarunner.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NICK FERRARI (FOOD STILL); ELENA RAY (ROLFING); MICHAEL GEORGE (STORYBOARD P)<br />
4 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
holy$#*!<br />
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GPS<br />
TRACKING<br />
CONTINUOUS<br />
HEART RATE<br />
MULTI<br />
SPORT<br />
STEPS,<br />
DISTANCE,<br />
CALORIES<br />
BURNED<br />
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ALERTS<br />
MUSIC<br />
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SLEEP SYNC<br />
MONITORING WIRELESSLY
What’s your<br />
2015 running<br />
goal<br />
•<br />
“Finish my 20th<br />
Boston Marathon<br />
on the 50th<br />
anniversary of<br />
my first.”<br />
•<br />
“Run a sub-3:20<br />
marathon.<br />
I’m just over a<br />
minute away!”<br />
•<br />
“Get more<br />
consistent. I’d<br />
like to run 16<br />
miles a week.”<br />
•<br />
“Help my<br />
girlfriend train<br />
for her first<br />
marathon.”<br />
•<br />
“To find a<br />
meaningful goal.”<br />
“I want to<br />
recognize the guy<br />
in the mirror, but<br />
he needs to get a<br />
lot smaller first.”<br />
•<br />
“Run 350-plus<br />
miles.”<br />
•<br />
“I conquered my<br />
first 10-K in 2014,<br />
so it’s on to a half<br />
in 2015! (This<br />
means I have to<br />
do it, right)”<br />
•<br />
Editor-in-Chief DAVID WILLEY<br />
Editor JOHN ATWOOD<br />
Executive Editor TISH HAMILTON<br />
Editor at Large AMBY BURFOOT<br />
Managing Editor SUZANNE PERREAULT<br />
Articles Editors CHRISTINE FENNESSY,<br />
KATRIN MCDONALD NEITZ<br />
Senior Editors JOANNA SAYAGO GOLUB,<br />
MEGHAN G. LOFTUS<br />
Assistant Managing Editor LINDSAY BENDER<br />
Editorial Projects Coordinator LORI ADAMS<br />
Reporter MEGAN HETZEL<br />
Executive Assistant KIRA WRIGHT<br />
ART + PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Design Director BENJAMEN PURVIS<br />
Art Director TAYLOR LE<br />
Associate Photo Editor RENEE KEITH<br />
Assistant Art Director TARA MAIDA<br />
DIGITAL<br />
Deputy Editor CHRIS KRAFT<br />
Executive Producer ROBERT JAMES REESE<br />
Editor/Women ELIZABETH COMEAU<br />
Associate Editor BRIAN DALEK<br />
Associate Multimedia Editor<br />
HANNAH MCGOLDRICK<br />
Designer DANIEL FUEHRER<br />
Senior Multimedia Producer DAVID E. GRAF<br />
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Tablet Production Supervisor<br />
JENNIFER GIANDOMENICO<br />
BRAND DEVELOPMENT<br />
Brand Editor WARREN GREENE<br />
WRITERS AT LARGE<br />
JOHN BRANT, CHARLES BUTLER,<br />
BENJAMIN H. CHEEVER,<br />
SARA CORBETT, STEVE FRIEDMAN,<br />
CYNTHIA GORNEY, MICHAEL HEALD,<br />
KENNY MOORE, MARC PARENT,<br />
MARK REMY, STEPHEN RODRICK,<br />
PETER SAGAL, ROBERT SULLIVAN<br />
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KELSEY ALPAIO (DIGITAL INTERN), LIZ APPLEGATE,<br />
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ADAM BUCKLEY COHEN, BOB COOPER, CALEB DANILOFF,<br />
LAUREN FLESHMAN, JEFF GALLOWAY, PETER GAMBACCINI,<br />
MICHELLE HAMILTON, JOHN HANC, HAL HIGDON,<br />
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DAVID COSTILL, PH.D.; JACK DANIELS, PH.D.;<br />
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RAVE RUN<br />
MIDDLEBURY,<br />
VERMONT<br />
RUNNER<br />
Noah Brautigam<br />
THE EXPERIENCE<br />
This rolling, nearly<br />
four-mile stretch of<br />
road carves through<br />
the valley between<br />
the Green Mountains<br />
to the east and Lake<br />
Champlain to the<br />
west, and runs roughly<br />
the same course as<br />
Otter Creek, one of<br />
the largest rivers in<br />
the state. In winter,<br />
snow muffles all but<br />
the sounds of crunching<br />
gravel and the<br />
occasional farm animal.<br />
“It’s idyllic,” says<br />
Brautigam. “Much<br />
of the Northeast is<br />
enclosed by forests,<br />
so this open, pastoral<br />
landscape is special.”<br />
FAST FACTS<br />
On average, a whopping<br />
70 inches of snow<br />
falls here each winter,<br />
and temps in January<br />
hover around 20ºF.<br />
CROSS-TRAIN<br />
Head to Rikert Nordic<br />
Center southeast of<br />
town for 26 miles of<br />
dreamy cross-country<br />
skiing trails.<br />
LOCAL FARE<br />
Postrun, swing by the<br />
Otter Creek Bakery<br />
for a warm slice of<br />
artisan bread.<br />
RACE NEARBY<br />
Middlebury Maple Run<br />
May 3, 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Chris Milliman<br />
FOR DIRECTIONS,<br />
RESOURCE INFORMATION,<br />
AND DOWNLOADABLE<br />
WALLPAPER IMAGES, VISIT<br />
RUNNERSWORLD.COM/<br />
RAVERUN.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 9
EDITOR’S LETTER<br />
A SIBLING THING<br />
I LOVE THIS PHOTO of my sister, Sarah,<br />
and me running together when<br />
we were kids. Four decades later,<br />
I still remember the moment. I’m<br />
8 and she’s 3, and we’re holding<br />
hands, sprinting across the Mall<br />
in Washington, D.C., where our<br />
family lived for a time. The truth<br />
is, I’m pulling her along, faster<br />
than she could possibly go on her<br />
own. But look at those joyful-jailbreak<br />
expressions on our faces.<br />
We’re silent-laughing—laughing<br />
so hard that no sound comes out.<br />
I thought of that photo while<br />
reading “My Sister, the Runner”<br />
Writer at Large Steve Friedman’s<br />
account of coaxing his younger<br />
(and defiantly nonrunning) sister,<br />
Ann, into doing a 5-K with<br />
him (page 98). I think it’s one of<br />
the best stories we’ve ever published.<br />
It’s about running the way<br />
The Godfather is about the mafia.<br />
What it’s really about is family.<br />
When it comes to running,<br />
Sarah is the anti-Ann. She started<br />
in college after deciding on a<br />
whim to do a triathlon. She did<br />
both all through law school and<br />
babies, and now, at 42, she’s the<br />
most dedicated and decorated<br />
athlete in the family. She’s done<br />
four marathons, and although an<br />
old knee injury slows her down,<br />
she often wins her age group in<br />
triathlons and occasionally wins<br />
outright. In August, she com-<br />
peted in the USA Triathlon Age<br />
Group National Championships<br />
in the sprint division, finishing<br />
in 1:19:49. “I never saw myself as<br />
someone who could win races,”<br />
she says. “But when I turned 40,<br />
I decided to really turn it on and<br />
see what I could do. I’ve gotten<br />
faster each year. We’ll see how<br />
long I can keep that up…”<br />
Like any good big brother,<br />
I’m proud of my sister’s success.<br />
I’m also amazed by her drive. A<br />
few days a week she wakes up before<br />
5 to run with friends in Kalamazoo,<br />
Michigan, because she<br />
has a big job and three kids and<br />
refuses to not be outstanding. For<br />
her first Half Ironman, she trained<br />
through a brutal winter, riding a<br />
trainer in the furnace room from<br />
4 to 8 a.m. every Saturday. She’s<br />
hardcore—but incredibly, enviably<br />
balanced. Her favorite running<br />
memories, she says, are of “People<br />
and places—the mountains<br />
in Colorado, Paris (while Mom<br />
stayed in the hotel fretting I’d<br />
be kidnapped), from our cottage<br />
to the coffee shop with Dad and<br />
Dan [our brother]. On evenings we<br />
aren’t booked with activities, I<br />
run alone with each kid. A few<br />
miles with Ella, then with Anni<br />
for a mile or two, and finally a<br />
sprint with Sam. We are all so<br />
happy for the rest of the night.”<br />
I don’t know how she does it all.<br />
Four years ago, Sarah talked<br />
me into doing my first triathlon<br />
with her, just as Friedman cajoled<br />
Ann into that 5-K. I barely made<br />
it through the swim, but I, too,<br />
am hooked. It’s now our tradition<br />
to do a tri together every summer<br />
during our family vacation in<br />
Michigan. I’m a stronger runner,<br />
but I can’t keep up with her on a<br />
bike or in the water. There simply<br />
is no sibling rivalry, which is why<br />
our most recent race, a sprint in<br />
July, was so surprising.<br />
Sarah’s wave started first, but<br />
Beginning with this<br />
double issue, our<br />
first, the frequency<br />
of Runner’s World<br />
will go from 12<br />
issues per year<br />
to 11. (Existing<br />
subscriptions will<br />
be extended by<br />
one issue.) We are<br />
also integrating the<br />
editorial staffs of<br />
RW and sibling title<br />
Running Times,<br />
which speaks<br />
exclusively to<br />
highly dedicated,<br />
competitive,<br />
front-of-the-pack<br />
runners (that’s the<br />
cover of RT’s Jan/<br />
Feb issue below).<br />
RT’s frequency will<br />
also change, from<br />
10 issues per year<br />
to six bimonthly<br />
issues.<br />
The idea is to<br />
work more like<br />
siblings, and<br />
direct additional<br />
time, talent, and<br />
resources toward<br />
producing more<br />
original content<br />
for the Web and<br />
smartphones—<br />
where runners are<br />
spending more of<br />
their time—while<br />
still making great<br />
magazines. So<br />
look for a Web site<br />
redesign and a new<br />
mobile app from<br />
us early in 2015.<br />
Sarah in the finishing chute at USA<br />
Triathlon Nationals in August.<br />
after swimming well and passing<br />
lots of people on the bike, I spotted<br />
her ahead of me as I set out onto<br />
the loop course for the 5-K run. My<br />
first thought was, Man, I’m having<br />
a good day! My second thought<br />
was, Could I actually beat her<br />
When I told her how surprised I<br />
was to “catch” her, Sarah smiled<br />
and pointed at a guy riding a bike<br />
in front of us. The lead bike. She<br />
was in first place. I had three miles<br />
to go; she had 300 yards. It was the<br />
closest I will ever come to leading<br />
a race, courtesy of my kid sister.<br />
Proud and amazed again, I told her<br />
she looked great, and she turned<br />
into the finishing area alone.<br />
Ours isn’t a family that shies<br />
away from saying, “I love you.”<br />
But because Sarah and I love running<br />
in the same way and for the<br />
same reasons, running together is<br />
a kind of shorthand. It may even<br />
be love itself. So we run together<br />
whenever we can. Of course it’s<br />
different these days, now that<br />
our own kids are the ones holding<br />
hands and tearing across the<br />
lawn at breakneck speed. We’re<br />
more grown-up, so our runs are,<br />
too. We talk about work and various<br />
worries. We’re always pressed<br />
for time. But beneath the sweat<br />
and the serious conversation is<br />
something else. It’s when we run<br />
together that we’re most like kids<br />
again, bonding, playing, surreptitiously<br />
competing, still out on the<br />
Washington Mall. I’m not sure<br />
who is pulling whom.<br />
DAVID WILLEY<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @DWilleyRW<br />
COURTESY OF MARATHONFOTO (RACE)<br />
10 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
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THE INBOX<br />
THE LOOP<br />
SMART MOVE<br />
I think it’s important for elites<br />
to work with sponsors that care<br />
about both their personality and<br />
their athletic performance. I’ve<br />
been following Kara Goucher’s<br />
career for a while, and I think<br />
she made a good decision in<br />
joining Oiselle (“Your Friend,<br />
Kara! [Inc.],” November).<br />
YANA HEMPLER, VIA FACEBOOK<br />
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS<br />
Of the nine factors required to<br />
run a two-hour marathon, two<br />
of them—the need for drafting<br />
and the psychological power<br />
of uniting with others in pursuit<br />
of a common goal—suggest to<br />
me that marathon racing should<br />
morph into a team sport (“What<br />
Will It Take to Run a 2-Hour<br />
Marathon,” November).<br />
SHIRLEY SICILIAN, VIA FACEBOOK<br />
CORRECTION: On page 77 of “2014<br />
RW Cover Contest” (December),<br />
the year of Mo Dixon’s first<br />
marathon after her heart attack<br />
should be 2011, not 2013.<br />
We asked readers<br />
to suggest their<br />
own requirements<br />
for ripping off a<br />
26.2 in two hours:<br />
“A body<br />
transplant.”<br />
—Jacqui Brazil<br />
“Taco Bell before<br />
the race and no<br />
bathroom on<br />
the course.”<br />
—Michael Epstein<br />
“A very, very large<br />
catapult.”<br />
—Mark Cartwright<br />
“One of those<br />
jetpacks the Army<br />
is testing.”<br />
—Michael Gurney<br />
THE LATEST<br />
FROM OUR RECENT COVER GIRL...<br />
Micah Risk (“Street Style,” October)<br />
finished second female<br />
overall in her first ultra, the<br />
TARC Fall Classic 50-K in Carlisle,<br />
Massachusetts, in 5:15:38.<br />
“At mile 14, I fell and smashed<br />
my knee,” Risk says. “It bled for<br />
miles, but I was too focused on<br />
finishing to pay attention to it.”<br />
ABOUT THOSE STREAKERS...<br />
After 38 consecutive Marine<br />
Corps Marathon finishes, two<br />
of the four remaining “Groundpounders”<br />
ended their streak in<br />
October (“The Few. The Proud.<br />
The Indefatigable,” October).<br />
Mel Williams, 76, suffered severe<br />
foot pain, and Matt Jaffe,<br />
73, missed the time cut-off at<br />
mile 21. “I’m sad,” says Jaffe,<br />
“but my plan is to try to run<br />
MCM in 2015.” Williams might<br />
enter the handcrank cycle<br />
category. “Running at this point<br />
is very difficult, but it’s been a<br />
great 40-plus years of roadrace<br />
competition,” he says.<br />
Groundpounder Al Richmond,<br />
75, finished in 5:43:15, and Will<br />
Brown, 68, ran 6:45:51.<br />
ABOUT THE BEER MILE...<br />
“WELL, IT’S BEEN A GREAT 17-YEAR RUN WITH THE<br />
RECORD. NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A MOM OF 6!<br />
#RESPECT. A HEAD TO HEAD RACE WOULD BE FUN,”<br />
tweeted Seanna Robinson, whose women’s world record (“The<br />
Untold History of the Beer Mile,” October) was broken in November<br />
by Chris Kimbrough, 44, of Austin, Texas. Kimbrough ran 6:26.6,<br />
smashing Robinson’s 1997 mark by 13 seconds.<br />
ON NYC MARATHON FINISH TIMES...<br />
THE COVER<br />
As a pro middle-distance<br />
specialist for the New Jersey<br />
New York Track Club (with a<br />
4:45-mile PR), cover runner<br />
Katie Hoaldridge, 23, taps her<br />
past for motivation: “I coached<br />
a kids track camp in college,<br />
and seeing them run was so<br />
refreshing—they just wanted to<br />
try their best. So I keep a photo<br />
in my room of myself at field day<br />
in third grade to remind me why<br />
I started running: I won my race,<br />
and I loved the feeling.”<br />
Cover photo by Peter Yang.<br />
Please send comments and corrections to<br />
letters@runnersworld.com. If published,<br />
you’ll receive an RW T-shirt.<br />
RUNNER’S WORLD reserves the right to<br />
edit readers’ submissions. All readers’<br />
submissions become the sole property of<br />
RUNNER’S WORLD and may be published in any<br />
medium and for any use worldwide.<br />
2:13:18<br />
Meb Keflezighi (“The<br />
Year in Running,” December),<br />
39, finished fourth.<br />
Good thing he didn’t<br />
retire back in 2012.<br />
2:33:18<br />
She’d targeted 2:25 and<br />
top five, but Deena Kastor<br />
(“A Good Long Run,”<br />
October) was 11th overall,<br />
and third American.<br />
2:37:03<br />
“It was just a struggle,”<br />
said Kara Goucher (November),<br />
who missed her<br />
goal of 2:28 after strong<br />
winds and a quick early<br />
pace proved too much.<br />
“I DID IT. THE HARDEST<br />
COURSE ON THE<br />
WINDIEST DAY,”<br />
tweeted John Young (“Big,”<br />
April) after the New York City<br />
Marathon. Young’s time of<br />
5:57:42 qualified him for the<br />
2016 Boston Marathon in the<br />
mobility-impaired division. His<br />
previous two Boston attempts<br />
were thwarted by the bombings<br />
in 2013 and illness in 2014.<br />
COURTESY OF MARATHONFOTO (YOUNG)<br />
12 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
THE QUESTION<br />
WHAT WAS YOUR<br />
FAVORITE MAKE-ME-<br />
FASTER GEAR BUY<br />
THE IMAGE<br />
This month, readers<br />
sent us photos of their<br />
running keepsakes.<br />
We loved the message<br />
in the shot below.<br />
ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAN WOODGER (RUNNER), MATTHEW INMAN (BLERCH);<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY BETTMANN/CORBIS (TESLA)<br />
“A tutu—but that was<br />
to make all of you<br />
faster. No one wants<br />
to lose to a bald, fat<br />
guy in a tutu.”<br />
—Josh Strub<br />
“A divorce.”<br />
—Steve Perkins<br />
“An ElliptiGO. It<br />
works. I run faster!”<br />
—Aimee Midgley<br />
“My BOB stroller.<br />
Pushing my son 10-<br />
plus miles on my 50-<br />
mile-a-week runs.”<br />
—Brandi Vannoy<br />
“I bought some<br />
GoMeb Skechers and<br />
ran just like Meb!”<br />
—Laura O’Reilly<br />
“As a man, when I<br />
first bought tights, I<br />
knew I was destined<br />
for greatness.”<br />
—Sam McFie<br />
THE GOOD DEED<br />
While on a run with Matthew Inman, creator<br />
of The Oatmeal (and The Blerch), our<br />
Road Scholar Peter Sagal learned Inman<br />
is enamored with Nikola Tesla. In the late<br />
1800s, Tesla invented power distribution<br />
systems that used alternating currents;<br />
Inman first heard of him in a film. In 2012,<br />
after learning Tesla’s New York lab would<br />
soon be razed, he drew a comic, “Why<br />
Nikola Tesla Was the Greatest Geek Who<br />
Ever Lived,” set up an Indiegogo fund,<br />
and raised $1.3 million to<br />
save it. Then he got Tesla<br />
Motors’ Elon Musk to donate<br />
$1 million to help turn<br />
it into a museum. (For more<br />
on Inman, see page 30.)<br />
@marathoner_dale “This<br />
shoe charm was given to me<br />
the day before my first marathon<br />
by the girl who inspired<br />
me to run in the first place.”<br />
Next month, show<br />
us the view from<br />
your treadmill. Tag it<br />
#RWTreadmillView.<br />
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7 MARATHONS, 7 DAYS p22 ELITES’ RESOLUTIONS p31<br />
HUMAN(<br />
)RACE<br />
p20<br />
NEWS, TRENDS, and REGULAR RUNNERS doing AMAZING THINGS<br />
RUNNER BY THE NUMBERS<br />
CATRA<br />
CORBETT<br />
50, FREMONT, CALIFORNIA<br />
This tattooed, pierced, skirt-clad ultrarunner<br />
is hard to miss on the trail. But not<br />
just because of her colorful look. Corbett,<br />
a former alcoholic and methamphetamine<br />
addict, has logged more than 100 runs of<br />
100 miles or more. She completed the<br />
John Muir Trail twice (out and back), a<br />
total of 422 miles, and ultimately wants to<br />
complete a 100-mile race in every state.<br />
“People are sometimes surprised that<br />
I do what I do,” says Corbett, who is a<br />
supervisor at a Whole Foods Market in<br />
Cupertino, California. “They look at me<br />
and think I’m a party girl. I’m like, ‘No, I’m<br />
far from that.’” —MCKENZIE MAXSON<br />
FIFTY<br />
Consecutive hours<br />
she will run starting on<br />
December 30 for her<br />
50th birthday<br />
60<br />
Hours she’s<br />
spent in the<br />
tattoo artist’s<br />
chair for her<br />
50 tattoos<br />
10–12<br />
Pounds of fruit the<br />
“fruitarian” eats each<br />
day. On weekends,<br />
adds veggies and raw<br />
nuts to her diet.<br />
36<br />
Running<br />
skirts in her<br />
collection<br />
11/9/12<br />
Date she began<br />
a daily running<br />
streak<br />
224<br />
Highest weekly<br />
mileage ever<br />
logged. Her<br />
weekly minimum<br />
is 80.<br />
25<br />
Piercings<br />
21:20<br />
100-miler PR<br />
79,543<br />
Miles she has logged since<br />
taking up running in 1996<br />
Ultramarathon<br />
(beyond 26.2)<br />
220 races completed<br />
Don’t underestimate Corbett’s<br />
dog TruMan: Dachshunds are<br />
small, but strong and tenacious.<br />
They were bred to hunt badgers.<br />
5<br />
Race medals in<br />
his collection<br />
35–45<br />
Weekly mileage<br />
covered<br />
15<br />
Miles covered<br />
in average<br />
long run (vet<br />
approved)<br />
21<br />
Number of<br />
water and<br />
pee breaks<br />
taken on<br />
longest run<br />
2<br />
Years the<br />
8-year-old<br />
rescue dog has<br />
been running<br />
with Corbett<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW REAMER JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 15
H<br />
R<br />
HOW SHE ROLLS<br />
Stephanie Geraghty<br />
runs behind as much<br />
as 125 pounds of kids<br />
and stroller. Here’s her<br />
motherly advice.<br />
Pack Supplies<br />
Bring snacks, drinks,<br />
and small toys to keep<br />
passenger(s) happy.<br />
Check Your Gear<br />
The quick-release<br />
levers on the wheels<br />
of strollers often get<br />
flipped or loosened<br />
when strollers are<br />
loaded and unloaded<br />
out of cars. This can<br />
cause the wheels<br />
to come off midrun.<br />
Check them before<br />
you hit the road.<br />
SOCIAL<br />
MOVEMENT<br />
FORWARD, PUSH!<br />
Military wives find fitness and friendship behind their wheels.<br />
Go Single-Handedly<br />
Holding on with two<br />
hands can leave<br />
you leaning on the<br />
handle bar, a habit<br />
that may cause you to<br />
slump your shoulders<br />
and hurt your stride.<br />
Instead, push with one<br />
hand at a time and<br />
(if space allows) run<br />
slightly out to the side<br />
of the stroller. Switch<br />
hands and sides often.<br />
Stephanie Geraghty needed<br />
a running partner. One who<br />
wouldn’t mind that her pace was<br />
slowed by the 50-plus pounds of<br />
cargo she pushed in a double stroller.<br />
One who wouldn’t scoff at the<br />
occasional sippy cup refill stop or<br />
the inevitable passenger meltdown.<br />
It was fall 2009 when Geraghty,<br />
a lifelong runner, moved to Marine<br />
Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North<br />
Carolina. Her husband would soon<br />
be deployed to Afghanistan while<br />
she settled in to yet another new<br />
locale with her two young sons. It<br />
was her third move in five years.<br />
“I was going to run either way—<br />
I’m a runner, that’s what I do,” says<br />
Geraghty, 33. “But I also needed<br />
friends. It just seemed to make<br />
sense that those friends be runners.”<br />
Her desire for a sweaty social<br />
network inspired her to start a running<br />
club for military spouses—<br />
strollers encouraged. She put a<br />
call-out in an online forum, and<br />
two women showed up for the<br />
first Stroller Warriors workout in<br />
January 2010. Soon there were six<br />
members, then 15. Five years later,<br />
the predominantly female club has<br />
more than 6,000 global members in<br />
18 chapters, based near U.S. military<br />
bases in four countries and Puerto<br />
Rico. Geraghty, who now has three<br />
children, hosts about 300 regulars<br />
at her home base in North Carolina.<br />
Geraghty says the club’s<br />
Geraghty and her three kids (above);<br />
Stroller Warriors often finish their runs at<br />
parks for core work—and playtime (right).<br />
16 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY AMANDA COURTNEY
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During your next run or race take note of<br />
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WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU:<br />
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To learn more about 2XU’s entire range of run and<br />
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H<br />
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Ramstein, Germany<br />
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii<br />
growth is a testament to the<br />
supportive nature of its members,<br />
who form a surrogate family,<br />
helping each other cope with the<br />
stresses of military life. Geraghty<br />
herself was on the receiving end in<br />
2011, when her then 2-year-old son<br />
was diagnosed with the degenerative<br />
disease spinal muscular atrophy<br />
(SMA) while her husband was<br />
in Afghanistan. “We call our group<br />
a village,” she says. “Everyone is<br />
constantly filling the gaps, and you<br />
don’t even have to ask for it. For us,<br />
running is about more<br />
than fitness. It’s a way<br />
to maintain sanity.”<br />
That sense of<br />
community is what<br />
won over 28-year-old<br />
mother of two Jessica<br />
Anderson. “I didn’t<br />
realize how lonely I<br />
was when we were stationed<br />
in Pearl Harbor<br />
until I made friends at<br />
Stroller Warriors,” says<br />
Anderson, who now<br />
lives near a base in Fairfax<br />
County, Virginia. “I<br />
showed up the first day<br />
and thought, They are<br />
going to laugh me out<br />
of here because I’m not<br />
a runner. I had so much<br />
GOOD WORK<br />
Stroller Warriors<br />
is free to join;<br />
the only cash<br />
collected is in the<br />
form of donations<br />
for charities. Since<br />
2010, the flagship<br />
chapter in North<br />
Carolina has contributed<br />
$60,000<br />
to organizations including<br />
Cure SMA<br />
and the Semper<br />
Fi Fund, a charity<br />
that supports post-<br />
9/11 wounded,<br />
critically ill, and<br />
injured military<br />
members and their<br />
families.<br />
Fort Belvoir, Virginia<br />
Okinawa, Japan<br />
Stroller Warriors who are transfered often<br />
launch chapters in their new locations.<br />
There are currently 18 worldwide.<br />
fun talking to the other ladies. Then<br />
it went from running because I<br />
wanted an excuse to hang out with<br />
them to actually loving running.”<br />
Each chapter has its own schedule,<br />
but generally Stroller Warriors<br />
meet for organized runs twice a<br />
week. Because about 90 percent<br />
of the members run behind a<br />
stroller, the workouts focus on<br />
time (usually 40 minutes) rather<br />
than mileage. Workouts are generally<br />
held near playgrounds, so that<br />
after a run, kids can swing and<br />
climb while parents do<br />
a strength routine or<br />
stretch. Some Stroller<br />
Warriors also meet<br />
up on weekends for<br />
long training runs, and<br />
some spouses join<br />
when they are able.<br />
And if members<br />
need to relocate, they<br />
have a head start on establishing<br />
friendships.<br />
“When they move to a<br />
new station, the first<br />
thing our girls do is<br />
see if there is a club,”<br />
Geraghty says. “Before<br />
they even get there,<br />
they have friends. It’s<br />
an instant connection.”<br />
—AMY BUSHATZ<br />
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF LILIANA TABOAS (GERMANY)
H<br />
R<br />
Morisset runs throughout Human Race.<br />
STREET<br />
STYLE<br />
MARC<br />
MORISSET<br />
43, RUNNER, FORMER PRO<br />
SNOWBOARDER, ATHLETIC<br />
APPAREL DESIGNER IN VANCOUVER<br />
“I run everywhere—<br />
my friends have<br />
made fun of me for<br />
it,” says Morisset,<br />
the cofounder of<br />
Strike Movement<br />
(strikemvmnt.com),<br />
an apparel company<br />
that markets<br />
urban-influenced,<br />
fashionable, functional<br />
gear. “I run to<br />
the coffee shop, to<br />
the gym, to meet<br />
friends. I wanted to<br />
make technically<br />
sound shoes and<br />
apparel that had a<br />
stylish aesthetic.”<br />
During his career as<br />
a pro snowboarder,<br />
he tried out gear on<br />
half-pipes. Today, he<br />
puts his creations to<br />
the test on Vancouver’s<br />
streets and<br />
trails. —KATIE NEITZ<br />
“I love running on trails.<br />
There’s one 2-K from my<br />
house that’s a 12-K loop. I’ll<br />
wear this Mountain Equipment<br />
Co-op pack so I can<br />
stash my jacket. It has<br />
great sternum and waist<br />
straps that cinch it down<br />
so it doesn’t move.”<br />
“I run in underwear<br />
from a<br />
Vancouver<br />
company called<br />
My Pakage.<br />
They have an<br />
‘action series’<br />
that wicks and is<br />
very supportive.”<br />
“This Strike Movement hoody is a<br />
fitted, lightweight fleece that’s<br />
quite thin. I’ll wear it through a<br />
workout without getting too warm.”<br />
“I like this Nike<br />
windbreaker<br />
because it has<br />
a classic, iconic<br />
design. It looks<br />
like it could<br />
be something<br />
launched in the<br />
’80s. I dress in<br />
layers so I can<br />
be warm when<br />
I start, strip<br />
down, and have<br />
a layer to put<br />
back on when<br />
I’m done so I<br />
don’t get cold.”<br />
“I do everything in<br />
these SM shorts.<br />
They are the same<br />
material as the hoody.<br />
It’s a fleece with a<br />
breathable mesh<br />
that reduces the bulk.<br />
It’s not like you’re<br />
wearing old-school<br />
sweats that have<br />
you in three layers<br />
of fleece. These are<br />
light and breathable.”<br />
“These Athletic<br />
Recon tights are a light<br />
compression. I wear them<br />
under shorts because I’m<br />
often running and then<br />
lifting. This brand is similar<br />
to our company in that<br />
they target athletes who<br />
want an urban look.”<br />
“We call these Chill<br />
Pills. I wear them to run,<br />
to the gym, to work, and<br />
out to dinner. The running<br />
shoes I used to buy never<br />
fit my style.”<br />
20 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY GRANT HARDER
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H<br />
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HOLIDAY<br />
HAUL<br />
Seven marathons in seven<br />
days That’s how a group of<br />
diehards close out the year.<br />
On December 26, when most<br />
folks kick back, 23 runners from<br />
eight states will descend on a park in<br />
Ocala, Florida, to circle a 5.24-mile<br />
loop five times. The next day, many<br />
will run the exact same 26.2 miles,<br />
and the next day, and every day<br />
through January 1, in the fifth year of<br />
the Savage Seven Marathons.<br />
The ceremony of repetition is the<br />
brainchild of Chuck Savage, 76, an<br />
architect and serial marathoner, who<br />
came up with the idea in 2010. “I’d<br />
noticed that little business got done<br />
between Christmas and New Year’s,<br />
so I started this to have something to<br />
do,” he says. He invited friends from<br />
the 50 States Marathon Club and<br />
Marathon Maniacs to join him on his<br />
local track in Ocala to run 26.2—<br />
seven days in a row. Five people went<br />
the distance each day that week, and<br />
to Savage’s surprise, they wanted to<br />
do it again. The event attracts emptynesters<br />
and retirees on quixotic<br />
quests for marathon milestones (such<br />
as the seven event regulars at right).<br />
While a few will finish in the threehour<br />
range, most take five-plus hours,<br />
particularly by the end of the week.<br />
“We’ve tried postrun activities, but<br />
everybody’s so tired,” says Cheryl<br />
Murdock, this year’s race director,<br />
one of three runners who rotate that<br />
duty. “I’ve tried to get people to go<br />
to a New Year’s Eve celebration, but<br />
they just want to sleep!” —NICK WELDON<br />
DECEMBER<br />
28 29 30 31 1<br />
26 27<br />
Frank Bartocci, 67<br />
Rochester, Minnesota<br />
617 lifetime marathons, 65<br />
ultras, nine-time 50-stater<br />
Bartocci, who has<br />
completed all seven<br />
Savage marathons<br />
three times, spends<br />
more than 250 days<br />
a year on the road<br />
traveling to races.<br />
He usually crashes in<br />
motels, but occasionally<br />
parks his Nissan<br />
Altima—packed<br />
with an air mattress,<br />
sleeping bag, and 10<br />
running outfits—in<br />
a Walmart lot. “A<br />
lot of us 50-staters<br />
park there together;<br />
they allow overnight<br />
parking.”<br />
Jean Evansmore, 74<br />
Mount Hope, West Virginia<br />
130-plus lifetime marathons,<br />
50-stater<br />
The woman known to<br />
her peers as “Mama<br />
Jean” is the only person<br />
who has run every<br />
Savage Seven Marathon<br />
since the event’s<br />
inception. “My first<br />
year I heard people<br />
debating whether or<br />
not I could do it,” she<br />
says. “That’s incentive<br />
enough to keep<br />
going—my goal is to<br />
prove you wrong.”<br />
Rick Karampatsos, 69<br />
Longwood, Florida<br />
89 lifetime marathons<br />
A series of misfortunes—a<br />
horrific motorcycle<br />
accident as a<br />
teen, a crushed foot<br />
(run over by a truck),<br />
severe osteoarthritis—<br />
should have discouraged<br />
Karampatsos<br />
from running. But<br />
when a friend invited<br />
him to run a 10-K on a<br />
whim in 2001, he went<br />
with it and has tallied<br />
20,000 miles since.<br />
Troy Johnson, 67<br />
Cathie Johnson, 62<br />
Red Boiling Springs,<br />
Tennessee<br />
213 lifetime marathons, both<br />
are two-time 50-staters<br />
This husband-and-wife<br />
team used to run 5-Ks<br />
and 10-Ks separately<br />
until they both signed<br />
up for a 1996 marathon.<br />
They ran it<br />
together—appreciating<br />
the company and<br />
the support—and have<br />
run side-by-side ever<br />
since. “If we sat at<br />
home, he’d read<br />
the newspaper and<br />
I’d watch TV and<br />
neither one of us<br />
would be talking,”<br />
Cathie says. “Running<br />
together helps you<br />
communicate.”<br />
Cheryl Murdock, 64<br />
Pensacola, Florida<br />
307 lifetime marathons,<br />
50-stater<br />
This year’s race director<br />
used to get teased<br />
for her slow pace—she<br />
finishes in the six-hour<br />
range. But Murdock<br />
embraces it and wears<br />
a turtle necklace to<br />
race. “People who are<br />
fast can train for time.<br />
Otherwise, it’s better<br />
to just have fun.”<br />
Chuck Savage, 76<br />
Ocala, Florida<br />
353 lifetime marathons,<br />
three-time 50-stater,<br />
16 ultramarathons<br />
Not one to let an<br />
idle moment pass,<br />
Savage also founded<br />
the Ocala Marathon,<br />
which he directed for<br />
nine years, and in 2013<br />
he launched the New<br />
England Challenge—<br />
a circuit of five marathons<br />
in five states in<br />
five days—which he’ll<br />
oversee again in May.<br />
22 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
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H<br />
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The Newbie Chronicles<br />
BY MARC PARENT<br />
FASTER IS BETTER<br />
You may never catch the front of the pack,<br />
but it’s always worth the effort.<br />
O<br />
ne of my favorite writers, John Steinbeck, used to complete the<br />
signature on some of his letters and books with a stamped<br />
image of something he called a “Pigasus,” a winged pig over<br />
which was written the Latin motto Ad astra per alia porci—<br />
“To the stars on the wings of a pig.” In a letter dated March<br />
1983, Steinbeck’s widow, Elaine, who inherited the stamp,<br />
said the symbol was meant to say, “Man must try to attain<br />
the heavens even though his equipment be meager. Man<br />
must aspire though he be earthbound.” I think about<br />
Steinbeck’s winged pig in all aspects of my life but especially<br />
when I’m running. As I crested a hill during my last race,<br />
I looked into the distance and was overwhelmed by the<br />
sight of a thousand runners dashing out ahead of me. I was grateful and humbled<br />
to be a member of this healthy, sweaty family, this gliding multitude of aspirers.<br />
Then almost immediately my perspective<br />
shifted. Wait, I thought, all of these<br />
people are faster than me. This sea of humanity<br />
I saw from the top of the hill—the<br />
men and women, young and old, black,<br />
white, and brown—all of them were better<br />
runners than I was. For all I knew,<br />
this “family” of mine might glance back<br />
at any moment and laugh and tell me to<br />
eat their dust. I’m just here to make all of<br />
you feel better about yourselves, I thought.<br />
You’re welcome. I felt like thumping my<br />
chest and saying, “Yeah, I know how this<br />
works—you don’t care when you finish the<br />
race as long as you stay ahead of this guy.”<br />
It was there on the hill that I felt the<br />
rattle of my meager equipment and the<br />
weight of Steinbeck’s earthboundedness.<br />
Though I was hammering away at what I<br />
thought was a respectable pace, the mob<br />
ahead of me was a harsh reality check.<br />
I wish I was fast, I thought, trotting down<br />
the hill. And as I pushed harder and runners<br />
passed on either side, I imagined my<br />
own stamp. It was also a pig, but my pig<br />
had wings on his hooves and on either<br />
side of his tiny hat. He was the lesser but<br />
no less determined brother of fleet-footed<br />
Hermes, Pigermes. My pig didn’t shoot<br />
for the stars, he shot for the finish line.<br />
And though he is and will ever be a<br />
pig, he strives to become the quickest pig<br />
he can be. The Latin motto written over<br />
my stamp of Pigermes reads, Velocior est<br />
melior—“faster is better.”<br />
To God and our mothers, we are all<br />
perfect and equal, but to the rest of the<br />
world, there are winners and losers. Some<br />
people do things better. Some do them<br />
worse. Sometimes that doesn’t actually<br />
make the people themselves better or<br />
worse; sometimes it does. My problem as<br />
master of the slow, brief run is this: I believe<br />
that faster is better, longer is better.<br />
How that translates into the real world is<br />
simple. If you are faster than me, you are<br />
better than me. If you can run longer<br />
than me, you are also better than me.<br />
I will always try to become better, but<br />
until I run longer or faster, you are better.<br />
People who run longer and faster<br />
24 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
ILLUSTRATION BY NIGEL BUCHANAN
WE STAY RUNNING<br />
24 HOURS SO<br />
YOU CAN TOO<br />
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H<br />
R<br />
are not necessarily better<br />
spouses, parents, employees,<br />
drivers, dancers, poker<br />
players, or readers of long,<br />
difficult New Yorker articles,<br />
but they are better where it<br />
matters a great deal. For all<br />
that it means on the surface<br />
and all it means at its depth,<br />
they are better runners.<br />
It’s better to be better.<br />
Or—as I’ll say in Latin so that it carries<br />
more weight—Est melius esse melius.<br />
And Velocior est melior. I’ll wear those<br />
on a race shirt and clobber along behind<br />
a thousand runners. I’ll never catch the<br />
front of the pack, but I’ll never stop trying.<br />
Committing to a level you’ll never<br />
attain may sound ridiculous, and it is.<br />
It’s a form of insanity—something also<br />
known as life. Everything moves forward<br />
or dies. Whether or not you actually<br />
move forward is irrelevant. What matters<br />
How will you run<br />
“better” in 2015<br />
Join the conversation on<br />
Twitter using #RW2015<br />
and by following<br />
@Newbiechronicle<br />
there’s always another peak<br />
to crest. But peak is probably<br />
the wrong word because<br />
even the crumbs are worth<br />
reaching for—the seconds<br />
shaved, the few extra steps<br />
taken. There is always a way<br />
to run better.<br />
As much as I’ve wondered<br />
what it would be like to win a<br />
race, I’ve also thought about<br />
what it would be like to “lose” one, how it<br />
would be to have no one ahead of you but<br />
also how it would be with no one behind.<br />
Of the thousands of people in any given<br />
race, only two will occupy those unique<br />
positions, the first who crosses the tape<br />
and the one who crosses last.<br />
At the finish of my last race, I collected<br />
my finisher’s medal and foil cape and<br />
walked over to listen to a band. I met a<br />
couple of friends and we high-fived and<br />
laughed and took pictures of each other.<br />
ASK MILES<br />
He’s been around the<br />
block a few times—and<br />
he’s got answers.<br />
I recently ran a 3:04:53 marathon.<br />
Do I tell people I’m a 3:05<br />
or a 3:04 marathoner<br />
—Jay M., Richmond, Ill.<br />
It doesn’t matter, especially<br />
when conversing with nonrunners.<br />
You could tell someone at<br />
a party, “I’m a 2:09 marathoner,”<br />
and she’d nod politely, then look<br />
over your shoulder for someone<br />
else to talk to. That said, Miles<br />
considers you a 3:04 marathoner.<br />
I think most runners would, too.<br />
Committing to a level you’ll never attain may sound ridiculous,<br />
and it is. It’s a form of insanity, also known as life.<br />
is that you never stop trying.<br />
Moments before I took the first<br />
run of my life, I was struck by the<br />
bacon-wrapped epiphany that I was<br />
growing fat—check that—that I was growing<br />
fatter. I attributed my growing size to<br />
a downward slide, reckless denial, and<br />
an overall lack of discipline. In a panic,<br />
I headed out for a run. I saw a fire and I<br />
grabbed an extinguisher. I wanted to become<br />
a better person, and running seemed<br />
the surest way to get there. I didn’t think<br />
about how short or how slow I’d go. Any<br />
speed and distance was longer and faster<br />
than what I had been doing from a seated<br />
position at my desk. I’d be a better person<br />
from the first stride.<br />
But for those of us who have made ourselves<br />
better than we once were—better<br />
than the person we left behind at his<br />
desk—the improvement shouldn’t stop.<br />
The challenge will always be to keep it<br />
going, but if “just getting out there” is<br />
the only goal, it inevitably becomes corn<br />
and potatoes at every meal—delicious,<br />
nutritious, and eventually nauseating.<br />
The terrible pleasure of running is that<br />
Over an hour later, a roar of applause<br />
rose from the finish line. I ran over and<br />
saw a truck driving down the middle of<br />
the course to shut down the race. Jogging<br />
slowly in front of the truck was a man<br />
only slightly heavier than I was when I<br />
began running. He was red-faced and<br />
beaming, waving to the crowd with both<br />
arms high above his head as he crossed<br />
the finish in last place.<br />
I cheered with the crowd because<br />
it looked like a hard-fought finish and<br />
every hard finish is epic, even if it’s the<br />
last. I cheered because a last-place finish<br />
is worlds faster than everyone else who<br />
chose to sleep in. But I hoped the man<br />
would run another race someday and<br />
that when he did, he’d try to run just a<br />
little faster. Most of us built of relatively<br />
sturdy stuff only get to celebrate a lastplace<br />
finish once. I hoped he’d shoot for<br />
the front of the pack next time because<br />
that’s crazy, because that’s life, because<br />
Velocior est melior—faster is better.<br />
You can find more of the Newbie’s exploits at<br />
runnersworld.com/newbie.<br />
Drivers often yell at me for<br />
running against traffic. Would<br />
it be immature or inappropriate<br />
to flip them the bird<br />
—Katie F., Maplewood, N.J.<br />
It’s both. No one likes to be<br />
yelled at. Especially for doing<br />
the right thing. But answering<br />
rage with rage only makes things<br />
rage-ier. The next time this<br />
happens, stay calm and give the<br />
angry driver a double thumbsup.<br />
It will confuse him and might<br />
make you feel better. Stay safe!<br />
What’s the acceptable amount<br />
of grub to grab at the postrace<br />
bagel table —@hgBosco<br />
One per customer. That goes for<br />
bananas, too. Don’t be greedy.<br />
Have a question for Miles E-mail him at<br />
askmiles@runnersworld.com and follow<br />
@askmiles on Twitter.<br />
26 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDY REMENTER
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H<br />
R<br />
Meteorologist and<br />
marathoner<br />
Al Roker<br />
completes a<br />
marathon...<br />
weather report.<br />
His 34-hour live<br />
broadcast on NBC<br />
sets a Guinness<br />
World Record.<br />
STOP!<br />
THE INTERSECTION<br />
Where running and culture collide<br />
Lance Armstrong<br />
attempts a beer<br />
mile but drops out<br />
after one lap and<br />
one beer, saying,<br />
“That was not what<br />
I expected.”<br />
Howard Stern<br />
quizzes callers to<br />
ID audio as either<br />
chaos from Black<br />
Friday or a terrorist<br />
attack—then airs<br />
a clip from the<br />
Boston Marathon<br />
bombings. Even<br />
Robin Quivers says<br />
she doesn’t like the<br />
game.<br />
Usain Bolt is the<br />
only runner on<br />
Forbes’ 2014 list<br />
of the world’s<br />
highest paid<br />
athletes, ranking<br />
45 out of 100 with<br />
earnings of $23.2<br />
million.<br />
A 6.5-mile<br />
marathon Extra<br />
host Mario Lopez<br />
tweets that he’s<br />
running the R’n’R<br />
Vegas Marathon.<br />
In fact, he ran the<br />
event’s “half of<br />
the half.”<br />
On SNL Chris Rock<br />
also jokes about<br />
the marathon<br />
bombings: “That<br />
was the most<br />
sadistic attack ever.<br />
26 miles! You finally<br />
get to the finish<br />
and somebody<br />
screams, ‘RUN!’”<br />
MOMENTOUS<br />
FRIVOLOUS<br />
A medal from<br />
the first Modern<br />
Olympic Games<br />
in Athens in 1896<br />
sells at auction for<br />
$286,000.<br />
Sean Astin wasn’t<br />
allowed to run during<br />
Lord of the Rings: “I<br />
was supposed to be<br />
fat,” says the actor,<br />
who just ran his 8th<br />
26.2—R’n’R Vegas.<br />
Olympian-turnedescort<br />
Suzy Favor<br />
Hamilton is writing<br />
a memoir, Fast<br />
Girl, Running from<br />
Madness.<br />
Actress Kerry<br />
Washington<br />
reveals her favorite<br />
fashion accessory:<br />
“I’m loving all the<br />
couture running<br />
shoes. I’m a Bronx<br />
girl, so I love a<br />
good sneaker!”<br />
Political cartoonist<br />
Bill Day’s “Jeb<br />
Bush’s Presidential<br />
Running Shoes”<br />
shows a pair of<br />
worn-out trainers<br />
branded “W.”<br />
Boston champ<br />
Meb Keflezighi<br />
is nominated for<br />
Sports Illustrated’s<br />
Sportsman of the<br />
Year, the first time a<br />
runner has been<br />
a candidate since<br />
Kip Keino in 1987.<br />
Ellen Degeneres<br />
rewards two crosscountry<br />
runners—<br />
one carried the<br />
other, an injured<br />
competitor, across<br />
the finish line of a<br />
race—with a trip to<br />
the Bahamas.<br />
Scott Jurek guestteaches<br />
classes<br />
at Soul-Cycleinspired<br />
Mile<br />
High Run Club,<br />
New York’s first<br />
treadmill-running<br />
studio.<br />
Taylor Swift stops<br />
midrun to pose<br />
with young fans<br />
having family<br />
pictures taken in a<br />
Nashville park.<br />
GO!<br />
GO YOU!<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> who inspire us<br />
JOHN<br />
SCHULTZ<br />
Defying the limits<br />
of age<br />
Had he not missed his bus one<br />
day 23 years ago, Schultz may<br />
have never become a runner. He<br />
ran the four-mile commute to<br />
his Wilmington, Delaware,<br />
office. Since then, Schultz, 82,<br />
has averaged nearly 100 races<br />
a year. That brings his total—<br />
which will be outdated by the<br />
time this prints, because he<br />
runs two to five races a week—to<br />
1,800 finishes, including 61 marathons.<br />
At press time, Schultz<br />
planned to run the Philadelphia<br />
Marathon in November for the<br />
12th time. “My philosophy is,<br />
if you enjoy something, don’t<br />
arbitrarily stop doing it because<br />
of age,” he says. —NICK WELDON<br />
BRIAN<br />
REYNOLDS<br />
Finding confidence<br />
through running<br />
When Reynolds was 4, he contracted<br />
meningococcemia, and<br />
his lower legs were amputated.<br />
He was so self-conscious about<br />
his prostheses that for years<br />
he’d only wear pants. In 2011, he<br />
decided to start running—even<br />
though he had only everyday<br />
prostheses, which left him with<br />
torn skin and blisters. He got<br />
running “blades” in December<br />
2013, and ran the 2014 Walt<br />
Disney World Marathon a<br />
month later. Now 26, he plans<br />
to run Disney’s half-marathon<br />
this month—in shorts. “I’m a lot<br />
more confident and happier,”<br />
says the wound-care assistant<br />
from Clifton, New Jersey. “I<br />
realize people don’t care about<br />
my legs.” —BECCA BEDNARZ<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON LAVERIS/GETTY (ROKER); GETTY (COIN); JIM ROGASH/GETTY IMAGES (KEFLEZIGHI); IMAGO/ZUMA WIRE (BOLT); BRYAN STEFFY/GETTY IMAGES (ASTIN); MITCH MANDEL (BEER); ELIZABETH KREUTZ/NEW SPORT/CORBIS<br />
(ARMSTRONG); BRYAN STEFFY/GETTY IMAGES (LOPEZ); SHANNON STAPLETON/REUTERS/CORBIS (STERN); DANA EDELSON/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY IMAGES (ROCK); BILL DAY (CARTOON); BROOKE RAINEY (SWIFT)<br />
28 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
© 2014 POM Wonderful LLC. All Rights Reserved. POM, POM WONDERFUL, the accompanying logos and the Bubble Bottle Design are registered trademarks of POM Wonderful LLC. PJ11724<br />
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H<br />
R<br />
Road Scholar<br />
BY PETER SAGAL<br />
BEWARE THE BLERCH<br />
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of runners<br />
The Oatmeal knows!<br />
T<br />
he first thing I noticed about Matt Inman, as he got out of his<br />
Tesla electric car in the parking lot of Seattle’s Discovery Park, is<br />
that he is not, in fact, a horrifying figure with a shrunken chest<br />
and monstrous thighs twice the width of his hips. I could be<br />
forgiven for being surprised, as that’s how he’s depicted himself<br />
in his popular online comic, The Oatmeal. I don’t read many<br />
online comics, especially ones named after bland foodstuffs,<br />
but sometime in mid-2013, approximately everybody in the<br />
world sent me a link to Matt’s long-form comic “The Terrible<br />
and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances.” It came to<br />
me through Twitter and e-mails and texts, maybe even a telegram—“HAVE<br />
U SEEN THIS STOP AMAZING STOP.” What<br />
was amazing was that most of the people who sent me the comic weren’t runners.<br />
Some were, certainly, but many were people who had never run, or who wanted<br />
to run, or who wondered why anybody<br />
would ever run. They were all sending<br />
me the comic because Matt managed to<br />
accomplish what so many (including me)<br />
have tried to do and failed: explain the<br />
runner’s mind to the nonrunner. So when<br />
I went to Seattle in the fall, I called him<br />
up and invited him for a run.<br />
“When I first got into running about<br />
10 years ago, I could barely run a mile,”<br />
Matt said, as we loped through the park.<br />
“I would always find a waypoint—the<br />
next tree, or corner—and I said to myself,<br />
I am being chased by this unhappy<br />
depressed fat man. And if I don’t reach<br />
that point before he does, he will catch<br />
me, and I will become him.”<br />
The man, he admits readily, was him,<br />
or at least the fat, slovenly kid he says<br />
he was. Running away from him led<br />
him to lose weight and to run countless<br />
half-marathons (with a PR of 1:30), three<br />
marathons, and finally, two 50-mile ultras.<br />
Today, at 32, Matt is good-looking<br />
with a slender runner’s build (his legs are<br />
strong but perfectly normal) and, let’s face<br />
it, none of the pasty vampiric pallor you<br />
associate with either Web designers or<br />
cartoonists, both of which Matt has been.<br />
No wonder he has to draw himself like a<br />
complete freak; otherwise, people might<br />
hate him. As it is, he’s become a hero.<br />
That’s because soon after the first ultra<br />
(because Matt is a cartoonist), he started<br />
to give that pursuing demon a shape, and<br />
(because Matt is a pretty goofy cartoonist<br />
whose specialty is not, to put it delicately,<br />
classical realism) that shape turned out<br />
to be…the Blerch.<br />
The Blerch is a horrible anthropomorphized<br />
white blob, a monster made of<br />
mayonnaise and hatred, who represents<br />
“all forms of gluttony, apathy, and indifference<br />
that plague my life.” He follows<br />
Matt around on tiny wings, whispering<br />
blandishments and temptations, constantly<br />
urging Matt to gorge on Nutella<br />
and “get the cake,” a lovely floating platonic<br />
slice that comes to represent everything<br />
Matt is resisting and running<br />
away from.<br />
But it turns out Matt’s personal demon<br />
wasn’t as personal as he thought.<br />
“I’ve heard from all kinds of people<br />
30 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
ILLUSTRATION BY JESSE LEFKOWITZ
PHOTOGRAPHS BY VICTOR SAILER/PHOTORUN (4); CHAD RILEY (KARNAZES)<br />
The Blerch is a horrible anthropomorphized white blob,<br />
a monster made of mayonnaise and hatred.<br />
who do all kinds of things,” he says, as we<br />
run a hilly route that he does so often he<br />
calls it “my treadmill.” “Mixed martial<br />
arts. Sailing.”<br />
“Sailing”<br />
“Anything that requires a lot of sustained<br />
effort and concentration,” he said.<br />
“A lot people have their own Blerches,<br />
I guess.”<br />
Matt’s own Blerch seems, at least to<br />
me, to have been roundly defeated. Five<br />
years ago, Matt began posting his illustrated<br />
satirical lists (“6 Reasons Bacon Is<br />
Better than True Love”) and comics and<br />
quizzes (“How Long Could You Survive<br />
Chained to a Bunk Bed with a Velociraptor”)<br />
on a site he called<br />
The Oatmeal. It’s quickly<br />
become a small Web-comic<br />
empire, with seven employees<br />
devoted to shipping out<br />
T-shirts and other merchandise.<br />
(His mother runs the<br />
operation out of her house.)<br />
He’s had two collections of<br />
his cartoons on the New York<br />
Times Bestseller list, and a<br />
third, a paperback version of<br />
his running cartoon, made<br />
the list this fall. Oh, and along the way,<br />
he also managed to save Nikola Tesla’s<br />
original laboratory from destruction,<br />
and start a foundation to create a<br />
museum there—with a million dollars<br />
he personally wheedled from Elon Musk,<br />
cofounder of Tesla Motors. (Matt’s own<br />
Tesla Model S retails for $80,000. Parents,<br />
encourage your kids to grow up to<br />
be cartoonists.)<br />
And then, just two days after our casual<br />
run in September, 4,000 perfect<br />
strangers from the Pacific Northwest<br />
and the rest of the country and all over<br />
the world descended on a town east of<br />
Seattle for the first-ever Beat the Blerch<br />
Marathon. It had been planned as<br />
a single-day event that grew into two when<br />
the first day’s races (a 10-K, half-marathon,<br />
and marathon) sold out almost<br />
instantaneously. Matt got the permits,<br />
designed the T-shirts, hired race directors,<br />
corralled volunteers, and enlisted<br />
fast runners to dress as Blerches<br />
What does your<br />
Blerch look like<br />
Join the conversation<br />
on Twitter using<br />
#roadscholar<br />
and by following<br />
@petersagal<br />
to actually chase the paid entrants through<br />
the evergreen woods. He himself ran the<br />
half-marathon distance both days—the<br />
second time, in a full-body, air-conditioned<br />
Blerch suit. He told me, in a phone conversation<br />
after the race, that he loved passing<br />
people as the Blerch and listening to them<br />
shout profanities.<br />
“It’s hard to explain how I felt about<br />
the weekend,” he said. “Seeing the fat<br />
little monster I drew turn into 4,000<br />
people, people who have started running,<br />
who feel better, who are now hanging<br />
around after the race gorging themselves<br />
on cake and Nutella, was amazing.”<br />
But for a man who said just the right<br />
thing to get so many people<br />
running, Matt hasn’t actually<br />
said that much about<br />
running. He encourages<br />
people to be disciplined, to<br />
be patient as they start, and<br />
to wait for the improvement<br />
that will inevitably come.<br />
And he condemns treadmills<br />
(which he hates as much as I<br />
do) in favor of going outside.<br />
That’s about it. He pointedly<br />
makes no promises of great<br />
health benefits or good looks.<br />
What he presents, instead, is a visualization<br />
of doubt, self-hatred, bad habits,<br />
the weight of one’s own sorry past—and<br />
then he offers a way to escape it. The success<br />
of the Blerch as a resonant symbol<br />
for so many people is almost sad—this<br />
successful young man gave shape to his<br />
own doubts and fears, and the world<br />
recognized that shape and said, “Yeah,<br />
me too.” But then they all got up and<br />
started running, or kept running, the<br />
thousands and tens of thousands. Or<br />
sailed their boats or finished their reps<br />
or maybe even finished their novels or<br />
called their estranged friends. The demon<br />
with the funny name Matt Inman<br />
drew has a lot of other shapes, but Matt,<br />
in a way that resonated with everyone,<br />
was able to tell us the one way to escape<br />
it: Outrun the bastard.<br />
Peter Sagal is a 3:09 marathoner and the host of NPR’s<br />
Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me! For more, go to runnersworld<br />
.com/scholar.<br />
TALKIN’ ’BOUT MY<br />
RESOLUTIONS<br />
Elites reflect on 2014 and<br />
reveal plans for 2015—<br />
including oral hygiene<br />
and language lessons.<br />
JULIE CULLEY<br />
5000-METER OLYMPIAN<br />
2014 “I resolved to get<br />
healthy. I spent months<br />
rehabbing a foot injury.”<br />
2015 “To make the<br />
World Championships<br />
team; become a better<br />
gardener; learn to<br />
refinish furniture.”<br />
MOLLY HUDDLE<br />
5000-METER AMERICAN<br />
RECORD HOLDER<br />
2014 “To lift more, so I<br />
put a sweet home gym<br />
in my garage.”<br />
2015 “To travel to international<br />
races with less<br />
whining and embrace<br />
the exotic locations.<br />
And get to the dentist.”<br />
SCOTT JUREK<br />
ULTRARUNNER<br />
2014 “To do the Bob<br />
Graham Round (42<br />
peaks, 66 miles) in 24<br />
hours; I did. To floss<br />
my teeth; I didn’t.”<br />
2015 “Floss. And I want<br />
my American 24-hour<br />
record back.”<br />
DEAN KARNAZES<br />
ULTRARUNNER<br />
2014 “To complete the<br />
153-mile Spartathlon,<br />
which I did. And to stop<br />
drinking coffee, which<br />
I did—for one month.”<br />
2015 “To run a marathon<br />
in every country<br />
and learn Greek.”<br />
DEENA KASTOR<br />
OLYMPIC MARATHONER<br />
2014 “To simplify my<br />
possessions and cut<br />
out obligations that<br />
didn’t excite me.”<br />
2015 “To run a 2:25<br />
marathon and learn<br />
Spanish with my daughter.”<br />
—BECCA BEDNARZ<br />
FOR MORE ON ELITES’ GOALS, SEE RUNNERSWORLD.COM/RESOLUTIONS.<br />
31
34<br />
44 52 60<br />
TRAINING FUEL MIND+BODY GEAR<br />
PERSONAL BEST<br />
GET FIT, EAT SMART, RUN STRONG<br />
HAVE A<br />
BALL!<br />
Stability balls add bounce<br />
to your workouts and your<br />
daily life. Research shows that<br />
crunches atop one of these<br />
brightly colored orbs boosts<br />
activation of abdominal<br />
muscles by 24 to 38 percent.<br />
Pro runners like Mo Farah and<br />
Dathan Ritzenhein use them<br />
to work their entire powergenerating<br />
core with variations<br />
on such exercises as planks,<br />
back extensions, and bridges.<br />
Trade your desk chair for a<br />
stability ball and you’ll engage<br />
more muscles with micro<br />
movements that boost strength<br />
and calorie-burning. Sold<br />
Balls range in size from 55 cm<br />
to 75 cm (you should be able<br />
to sit with your knees at a right<br />
angle), and prices usually start<br />
at $25 (find a nontoxic PVC<br />
option at rodales.com). For<br />
more smart investments in your<br />
training, turn the page.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS MACDONALD<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 33
TRAINING<br />
FISCALLY FIT<br />
Invest in your training to earn major dividends.<br />
BY ADAM BUCKLEY COHEN<br />
RUNNING IS generally easy on the wallet—all it takes is a good<br />
pair of shoes and some wicking apparel to join our community.<br />
Still, a few wise purchases beyond the basics can<br />
help take your performance to the next level. “When you<br />
spend money, you’re often motivated to try to maximize<br />
the return on that investment by using whatever it is you’ve<br />
purchased,” says Eric Anish, M.D., an associate professor<br />
of medicine and orthopedic surgery at the University of<br />
Pittsburgh Medical School. So spend a little cash and reap<br />
big dividends in your running this year.<br />
Spring for a gym<br />
membership and<br />
you’ll gain instant<br />
motivation and noexcuses<br />
workouts.<br />
34 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY IAN COBLE
Low-cost tools like a journal<br />
and strength equipment can<br />
improve your running life.<br />
$$$ GYM MEMBERSHIP<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS MACDONALD (STILL); VICTOR SAILER/PHOTORUN (CANADAY)<br />
$ A TRAINING JOURNAL<br />
Sure, there’s an app for that,<br />
but nothing beats a paper<br />
journal that you’ll have long<br />
after you’ve changed devices.<br />
(Runner’s World makes<br />
one—find it at rwtraining<br />
journal.com.) After each<br />
run, track pace, terrain, and<br />
how you felt. “Not only will<br />
the act of journaling keep<br />
you motivated,” says Janet<br />
Hamilton, an Atlanta-based<br />
running coach and exercise<br />
physiologist, “but it’s a great<br />
tool for analyzing your training<br />
in hindsight.” If you’re<br />
trying to figure out how you<br />
got hurt, check your journal.<br />
Ditto when it’s time to get<br />
back in PR shape.<br />
$ DUMBBELLS AND<br />
A STABILITY BALL<br />
Skipping strength training<br />
can prove shortsighted,<br />
says Anish, as impaired core<br />
stability can lead to injury.<br />
Use a stability ball to work<br />
abdominal, gluteal, hip, and<br />
paraspinal muscles with<br />
exercises like planks and<br />
push-ups with your legs on<br />
the ball. He also suggests<br />
shelling out for dumbbells.<br />
“Strength training can help<br />
improve running economy<br />
and form, and dumbbells<br />
allow runners to perform exercises<br />
that target many different<br />
muscle groups.” (For<br />
an at-home equipment-free<br />
workout, see “Pumping...<br />
Rubber” page 94.)<br />
$$$ RACE REGISTRATION<br />
“<strong>Runners</strong> tend to be goaloriented,”<br />
says Hamilton.<br />
“And nothing says ‘goal’ like<br />
punching in your credit card<br />
number and telling the race<br />
director, ‘I’ll be there.’ ” To<br />
choose the right race, look<br />
at your fitness level and the<br />
time you’ll be able to devote<br />
to training. You can likely<br />
complete a half-marathon<br />
if you’ve averaged 25 miles<br />
per week for at least two<br />
months, or a marathon if<br />
you’ve run 25 to 30 miles per<br />
week for at least six months.<br />
Big-ticket trips can provide months of motivation<br />
DESTINATION RACE<br />
With the purchase of plane<br />
tickets, you’re more likely to<br />
stick to your training. If it’s<br />
your pleasure, go for exotic<br />
locales—hello, Maui Marathon—but<br />
consider terrain,<br />
altitude, and weather when<br />
setting time goals.<br />
RUNNING CAMP<br />
Head to the mountains or<br />
high desert to get away from<br />
everything but running. You’ll<br />
learn about biomechanics,<br />
nutrition, and the newest<br />
training techniques and<br />
philosophies from a team<br />
of experts.<br />
This time of year, daylight is<br />
in short supply, and it may<br />
be cold, icy, or snowy out.<br />
Most gyms have high-tech<br />
treadmills that allow you<br />
to complete your workout<br />
comfortably. Cardio<br />
machines like stationary<br />
bikes, elliptical trainers, and<br />
stair-climbers—as well as<br />
resistance-training equipment—can<br />
also boost your<br />
running. “Those types of<br />
exercises can be valuable on<br />
days that you don’t run or<br />
as supplemental training on<br />
days you do,” says Anish—<br />
and they’re critical if you’re<br />
injured and unable to run.<br />
$$$$ A COACH<br />
When Mike Blake’s marathon<br />
times hit a wall, the<br />
Oklahoma City attorney<br />
hired an online coach. For<br />
$150 a month, Blake’s mentor<br />
built a custom training<br />
plan and tweaked it as his<br />
student progressed. In<br />
less than a year, Blake took<br />
more than 20 minutes off his<br />
PR. The Internet abounds<br />
with coaches, but if you’d<br />
prefer to work with someone<br />
in person, start by asking<br />
your local running club<br />
or store. Either way, look for<br />
a coach who understands<br />
physiology and anatomy,<br />
and don’t be afraid to interview<br />
a few candidates.<br />
DREAM RUN<br />
Don’t want to race Plan a<br />
trip to sacred (to you) running<br />
grounds, whether that’s a loop<br />
of the original New York City<br />
Marathon course in Central<br />
Park, a quest through Copper<br />
Canyon, or a jaunt along Pre’s<br />
Trail in Eugene, Oregon.<br />
FOLLOW THE<br />
LEADER<br />
Advice from<br />
the world’s best<br />
runners<br />
SAGE CANADAY,<br />
29, a 2:16 marathoner<br />
from Boulder,<br />
Colorado, won the<br />
prestigious World<br />
Mountain Running<br />
Challenge in August<br />
at Colorado’s Pikes<br />
Peak Ascent.<br />
PLAY LATER<br />
“Save fartlek—speed<br />
play—for the second<br />
half of long runs.<br />
After halfway I alternate<br />
three-minute<br />
surges at 10-K race<br />
effort with twominute<br />
easy jogs for<br />
30 to 60 minutes.”<br />
CHANGE IT UP<br />
“Don’t follow the<br />
same seven-day<br />
training schedule<br />
year-round. Periodize<br />
your training once a<br />
month by introducing<br />
a new stimulus, such<br />
as higher mileage or<br />
more speedwork.”<br />
THE WORKOUT<br />
“My key hill workout<br />
is 20 to 30 minutes<br />
up a moderate,<br />
five-percent incline—outdoors<br />
or on a treadmill.<br />
Climbing builds leg<br />
strength and speed,<br />
and powers up<br />
your cardiovascular<br />
engine.”<br />
—BOB COOPER<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 35
TRAINING<br />
RACE PREP<br />
OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN<br />
Vow to overcome the problems that marred<br />
your performances in 2014.<br />
By Caitlin Carlson<br />
EATING SPICY FOOD the night before a<br />
long run, washing your shorts<br />
without checking the pockets<br />
for your iPod—some mistakes<br />
you make only once. But when<br />
it comes to racing, we tend to<br />
err in the same ways over and<br />
over. “<strong>Runners</strong> become irrational<br />
beings during race time,” says<br />
Barbara Walker, Ph.D., a sports<br />
psychologist with the Center for<br />
Human Performance in Cincinnati—and<br />
it’s hard to simulate<br />
race-day anxiety and excitement<br />
in training.<br />
While you needn’t dwell on<br />
mistakes, analyzing your performance—in<br />
good races and in<br />
bad—may be the best thing you<br />
can do to improve your times.<br />
Here’s how to handle four common<br />
race-day saboteurs.<br />
I WENT OUT TOO FAST. I GOT A SIDE STITCH. I TOOK IN FUEL AND<br />
FELT SICK; I DIDN’T,<br />
AND I BONKED.<br />
I WAS SO NERVOUS THAT<br />
I RAN POORLY.<br />
THE FIX Sign up for shorter<br />
races in the middle<br />
of your training cycle<br />
and make your only goal<br />
to maintain the pace<br />
you’re hoping to run in<br />
your target race. Race<br />
conditions feel very<br />
different from training<br />
runs—the more you<br />
race, the more similar<br />
they’ll feel and the<br />
easier it will be to stick<br />
to your goal pace. (See<br />
“Speed Into Shape,”<br />
page 40, for more on<br />
why you ought to enter<br />
an event before your<br />
goal race.) Performance<br />
anxiety can also affect<br />
how fast you set out,<br />
says Walker. Try repeating<br />
a mantra like “under<br />
control” in the minutes<br />
leading up to go time.<br />
THE FIX Stitches typically<br />
occur due to a toofast<br />
start or improper<br />
prerace fueling. What<br />
you eat leading up to a<br />
race is just as important<br />
as what you eat during,<br />
says Marni Sumbal,<br />
M.S., R.D., an exercise<br />
physiologist, triathlete,<br />
and owner of Trimarni<br />
Coaching and Nutrition.<br />
If you’re targeting<br />
a race longer than 60<br />
minutes, eat a meal<br />
of at least 300 to 350<br />
calories three to four<br />
hours prerace. Otherwise,<br />
consume a 200- to<br />
250-calorie snack that’s<br />
low in fat and fiber (like<br />
a rice cake with a smear<br />
of nut butter and a small<br />
banana) two hours before<br />
the race. Make at<br />
least two runs in the last<br />
two months of training<br />
dress rehearsals: Wake<br />
up and eat when you<br />
plan to on race day and<br />
start running around the<br />
time the gun will go off.<br />
THE FIX You need to fuel<br />
only during races that<br />
last an hour or longer,<br />
says Sumbal. Consume<br />
30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate<br />
and 12 to 24<br />
ounces of fluid for every<br />
hour of running. “During<br />
your training, include<br />
workouts to practice<br />
nutrition at paces<br />
similar to what you’ll be<br />
running on race day,”<br />
says Sumbal. Something<br />
that works while you’re<br />
running easy may not<br />
work at half-marathon<br />
pace. Better yet, try it<br />
in tune-up races, too:<br />
Those butterflies in your<br />
stomach can mean your<br />
go-to fuel sources won’t<br />
sit as well. If you’re a<br />
nervous runner, stick to<br />
liquid calories (a sports<br />
drink or a gel chased<br />
with water) in frequent<br />
small doses (every 10 to<br />
15 minutes) throughout<br />
the race.<br />
THE FIX Your best strategy<br />
is to minimize prerace<br />
stress. Set everything<br />
out the night before,<br />
have a checklist of what<br />
you need to take with<br />
you, and allow extra<br />
time for commuting.<br />
Drive to the starting line<br />
in advance so you can<br />
time it and check out<br />
the parking situation,<br />
and research the route<br />
to learn where you’ll<br />
find hills, water stops,<br />
and porta-potties. “This<br />
helps you feel as if<br />
you’re doing something<br />
routine on race day,<br />
rather than something<br />
huge and new—and<br />
anxiety-inducing,” says<br />
Walker. Once you’re<br />
on the line, take deep<br />
belly breaths (in for<br />
four counts, out for four<br />
counts), which will help<br />
counteract the stress<br />
response. Try breathing<br />
in time to a short mantra<br />
like “I’m prepared”<br />
or “I’m ready.”<br />
36 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
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TRAINING<br />
THE STARTING LINE<br />
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS FROM AN EASYGOING COACH<br />
BY JEFF GALLOWAY<br />
You Asked Me<br />
Jeff answers<br />
your questions.<br />
GO! THEN SLOW! THEN GO!...<br />
How and why regular walk breaks make running better<br />
Would you like to reduce running-related fatigue<br />
Lower your injury risk Recover from workouts faster<br />
I’ve got the magic prescription: walk breaks. I started<br />
teaching this method in 1974, after running in the 1972<br />
Olympics, and have used it myself since 1978 to stay virtually<br />
injury-free. With walk breaks, you, too, can reap the sport’s<br />
benefits without its more unpleasant side effects.<br />
WHO NEEDS THEM<br />
Every runner, but new<br />
runners especially. Putting<br />
a body that’s used to being<br />
at rest into motion stresses<br />
the legs, feet, and lungs<br />
in a new way, and walk<br />
breaks allow the body to<br />
adapt safely. Walk breaks<br />
also reduce the “out of<br />
breath” feeling all runners<br />
may encounter, making<br />
running more enjoyable.<br />
More-experienced runners<br />
may find that walk breaks<br />
help them extend their runs<br />
farther than if they opted to<br />
skip them.<br />
HOW OFTEN<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> who are doing<br />
no other physical activity<br />
should run for five to 10<br />
seconds, then walk for 50<br />
You’ll enjoy<br />
running more<br />
when you take<br />
time to catch your<br />
breath and rest<br />
your legs.<br />
to 55 seconds. New runners<br />
with exercise experience<br />
can run 15 to 60 seconds,<br />
then walk 15 to 30 seconds.<br />
Beyond that, ratios<br />
are based upon pace per<br />
mile: Faster runners (that<br />
is, nine-minute pace) might<br />
run two minutes, walk 30<br />
seconds, while slower runners<br />
(17- to 18-minute pace)<br />
might run 15 seconds, walk<br />
45 seconds.<br />
WHAT ABOUT RACES<br />
The run-walk-run method<br />
will help you recover faster<br />
and may eliminate the<br />
slowdown many runners<br />
experience near the finish<br />
line. Take early and regular<br />
walk breaks, but skip them<br />
during the last third of a<br />
race. You’ll likely have the<br />
energy to finish strong.<br />
I don’t run with a<br />
watch. How do I<br />
know when to walk<br />
You can count your<br />
steps: 40 to 50 steps<br />
on one foot equals 30<br />
seconds of running,<br />
while 22 to 30 steps<br />
equals 30 seconds of<br />
walking. If that sounds<br />
like a pain, consider<br />
a run-walk-run timer<br />
that beeps or vibrates<br />
when it’s time to<br />
switch. (Or a watch!)<br />
I walk all the way up<br />
hills. Is that okay<br />
Yes, but if you have<br />
trouble starting again<br />
at the top, add short<br />
“run breaks” (five to<br />
15 seconds, every 30<br />
seconds) when you’re<br />
climbing. They’ll help<br />
keep your muscles<br />
warm and primed to<br />
keep going.<br />
Fact or Fiction<br />
One mile of<br />
running burns<br />
more calories<br />
than one mile of<br />
run-walking.<br />
FACT<br />
Yes, you’ll burn five<br />
to 15 calories fewer<br />
per mile run-walking.<br />
However, walk breaks<br />
allow runners to go<br />
farther each day without<br />
as much fatigue,<br />
which often results<br />
in a greater number<br />
of calories burned<br />
throughout the week.<br />
38 JOIN OUR ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR BEGINNERS AT<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY THOMAS MACDONALD<br />
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TRAINING<br />
ASK THE EXPERTS<br />
Determine the<br />
grade of a hill<br />
you will climb in a<br />
race, and practice<br />
on similarly<br />
steep ascents.<br />
How can I calculate a hill’s grade<br />
First, plot the hill on a free mapping site that<br />
shows elevation (like MapMyRun.com) or take<br />
elevation data from your GPS watch. Then,<br />
divide the elevation-feet gained by the distance<br />
covered (in feet) and multiply by 100. Simple!<br />
—Jake Morse, a 4:00 miler in college, is a<br />
marketing manager for MapMyFitness.com.<br />
If I can match my<br />
12-minute-mile<br />
run pace on brisk<br />
walks, why run<br />
Running burns more<br />
calories: It is higher<br />
intensity due to the<br />
stronger push-off<br />
with each stride.<br />
And if you want to<br />
increase your mileage<br />
or get faster,<br />
12-minute-pace running<br />
does more to<br />
condition and prep<br />
the musculoskeletal<br />
and cardiovascular<br />
systems to achieve<br />
those goals than<br />
brisk walking does.<br />
If walk breaks help<br />
you increase your<br />
speed and distance,<br />
take them! (See<br />
how on page 38.)<br />
—Kristin Steadman<br />
is a running coach<br />
and personal trainer<br />
at Empowered<br />
Fitness in Half Moon<br />
Bay, California<br />
(empoweredfit.com).<br />
Will I lose fitness<br />
if I run every third<br />
day instead of<br />
every second day<br />
Not necessarily,<br />
but include intense<br />
workouts—they’ve<br />
been shown to preserve<br />
aerobic fitness<br />
for one to three<br />
months even if you<br />
run less often. Make<br />
one or two weekly<br />
sessions intervals,<br />
fartleks, hill repeats,<br />
or tempo runs. And<br />
every week or two,<br />
to maintain endurance,<br />
run long—up<br />
to three-quarters of<br />
the distance of your<br />
longest peak-season<br />
run. Weekly mileage<br />
should not dip below<br />
half of peak-training<br />
mileage.<br />
—Catherine<br />
Williams-Frank is<br />
an RRCA-certified<br />
coach in Philadelphia<br />
(runwithendurance<br />
coaching.com).<br />
The Explainer<br />
What slows me<br />
down more: my<br />
muscles or my<br />
breathing<br />
Both play a role, although the respiratory system limits your performance most when you’re<br />
sprinting or charging up a steep hill. During this fast-as-you-can-go running, your breathing<br />
and heart rate get close to maxing out, and you’re forced to go “anaerobic” (that is, to produce<br />
energy in the absence of sufficient oxygen). For all other kinds of running, the main limiting<br />
factor is muscle fatigue. “Fatigue begins in the muscles during all aerobic [non-maxing-out]<br />
running as stored muscle glycogen and glucose are gradually depleted,” says Christopher<br />
Minson, Ph.D., a human physiology professor at the University of Oregon. “Your brain will<br />
apply the brakes before too much damage occurs.” In the end, your mind—in concert with<br />
your body—will force you to slow down, no matter how determined you are.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIK ISAKSON<br />
40 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
TRAINING<br />
THE FAST LANE<br />
TRAINING ADVICE FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE<br />
BY ALEX HUTCHINSON<br />
SPEED INTO SHAPE<br />
Frequent racing can make you a better competitor.<br />
Defending champion Shalane Flanagan skipped the<br />
national 10,000-meter championships last June<br />
because she was preparing for a marathon...in September.<br />
Like Flanagan, many top athletes race sparingly,<br />
waiting until their fitness is perfect before toeing the line.<br />
But it wasn’t always that way. In the months leading up to<br />
his American best of 2:09:55 at the 1975 Boston Marathon,<br />
for example, Bill Rodgers raced everything from two miles<br />
on the indoor track to 30-K on the roads.<br />
He enjoyed racing, but he also used minor races as<br />
stepping-stones toward two or three major goal races each<br />
year. This approach has benefits that are hard to replicate<br />
in workouts: Intermediate goals maintain motivation, and<br />
the race atmosphere pushes you to run hard. For those<br />
with prerace jitters, familiarity breeds a more relaxed<br />
approach and prepares you for adversity, says Camille<br />
Herron, a 2:37 marathoner who, inspired by Rodgers, races<br />
15 to 20 times a year (including up to seven marathons).<br />
Still, you shouldn’t just sign up for a race every weekend<br />
and hope for the best. Here’s how to ensure that there’s a<br />
method behind the madness.<br />
RACE TIRED<br />
Rodgers raced 23 times in<br />
1975, but used most as prep<br />
for the Boston and Fukuoka<br />
marathons. When he ran a<br />
three-mile indoor track race<br />
a few months before Boston,<br />
for example, it was part<br />
of a 20-mile day. You don’t<br />
have to go that far (literally),<br />
but resist the urge to be<br />
well-rested for every race.<br />
If you’re racing 10-K or less,<br />
plan an extended warmup<br />
or cooldown—or both.<br />
APPLY IT At secondary races,<br />
aim to run at least three<br />
miles before and after the<br />
race. Once that’s comfortable,<br />
extend the cooldown<br />
to five miles. Give yourself<br />
at least two days to recover<br />
afterward (three days for<br />
races of 10 miles or longer)<br />
before doing another hard<br />
workout.<br />
DIVERSIFY<br />
Practice makes perfect, but<br />
don’t just race the same distance<br />
over and over. “The<br />
shorter, competitive races<br />
are great for learning tactics,<br />
repeated surging, and<br />
hurting in a different way,”<br />
says Herron. “The longer<br />
races are more drawn out,<br />
so you have to have greater<br />
patience and mentally and<br />
physically work through the<br />
highs and lows.”<br />
APPLY IT Find races that<br />
challenge skills you’ll need<br />
in your goal race. If you’re<br />
training for Boston, find a<br />
race with plenty of downhills<br />
to test your quads.<br />
Challenges like early or late<br />
starts, hot or cold weather,<br />
and crowded first miles<br />
can—and should—be<br />
rehearsed at other races.<br />
PACE YOURSELF<br />
When every race is important,<br />
it’s hard to take risks.<br />
Use low-key races to experiment<br />
with pacing, and<br />
don’t worry if the results<br />
aren’t always great. You’ll<br />
develop a better feel for the<br />
differences between “a bit<br />
too slow,” “a bit too fast,”<br />
and “just right”—and you<br />
may discover that a more<br />
conservative (or aggressive)<br />
approach works for you.<br />
APPLY IT Run the first half of<br />
a race five percent slower<br />
than your current race<br />
pace, then finish as fast as<br />
you can, to learn to stay<br />
relaxed in the early miles of<br />
races. Alternately, run the<br />
first half five percent faster<br />
than race pace. It will be<br />
painful, but you’ll be practicing<br />
the hardest and most<br />
essential skill in running:<br />
hanging on.<br />
42 FOR MORE FROM ALEX, VISIT<br />
RUNNERSWORLD.COM/SWEATSCIENCE.<br />
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FUEL<br />
FRIDGE WISDOM<br />
NUTRITION ADVICE FOR HEALTHY, HUNGRY RUNNERS<br />
BY LIZ APPLEGATE, PH.D.<br />
A FRESH WAY TO LOSE<br />
Good news! The latest weight-loss research says you should<br />
stop dieting—and start eating and running more.<br />
IF YOU’RE A RUNNER who’s struggled to lose weight, it’s fair to say<br />
you can blame your genes. Prehistoric genes, that is. Thousands<br />
of years ago—and even as recently as several decades<br />
ago—humans spent much of their days doing hard, physical<br />
work that burned lots of energy. Our ancestors fueled all that<br />
physical labor with a diet rich in whole foods loaded with<br />
fiber, phytonutrients, and live bacteria (not the processed<br />
foods common today). When food (and calories) became<br />
scarce, our ancestors’ bodies kicked into survival mode by<br />
slowing metabolism, storing more calories as body fat, and<br />
becoming more efficient at metabolic and physical activities.<br />
Their bodies did everything possible to prevent weight loss<br />
so they would survive. Unfortunately for modern humans, the<br />
same is true today: When you cut large amounts of calories<br />
from your diet (which is how most runners approach weight<br />
loss), your body reacts by becoming more efficient and<br />
potentially burning fewer calories. In short, our physiology is<br />
designed to hold onto pounds—not lose them.<br />
So what’s a runner who<br />
wants to slim down to do<br />
More and more studies,<br />
including a large review<br />
published in 2013 in US<br />
Endocrinology, show that<br />
the key to losing weight is<br />
keeping your calorie burn<br />
high through plenty of<br />
daily exercise and physical<br />
activity and eating quality<br />
calories to properly fuel that<br />
activity. Whole, minimally<br />
processed foods supply the<br />
energy you need while also<br />
helping regulate your appetite<br />
and reduce hunger levels,<br />
which will spur weight<br />
loss. Obesity researchers<br />
call this approach maintaining<br />
a “high energy flux.”<br />
That scientific term simply<br />
means that runners should<br />
aim to burn a high number<br />
of calories while also eating<br />
a high number of quality<br />
calories. Here’s how you<br />
can amp up your “energy<br />
flux” and kick your weight<br />
loss into high gear.<br />
GO NATURAL<br />
Whole, natural foods, such<br />
as vegetables, fruits, beans,<br />
and whole grains, are high<br />
in fiber. High-fiber foods<br />
take up volume in your<br />
stomach and help you feel<br />
full longer. Soluble fiber<br />
(plentiful in beans and fruit)<br />
slows stomach emptying<br />
and stabilizes blood<br />
sugar, keeping hunger at<br />
bay. High-fiber foods also<br />
contain prebiotics—the<br />
special starches that serve<br />
as food for the probiotics,<br />
or healthy bacteria, in your<br />
GI tract.<br />
SLIM DOWN Eat at least three<br />
cups of vegetables and<br />
three pieces of fruit daily,<br />
along with several servings<br />
of fiber-rich sweet potatoes,<br />
beans, and whole<br />
grains.<br />
EAT MORE BUGS<br />
There are thousands of<br />
bacteria strains (those probiotics<br />
mentioned above)<br />
in your intestines. A large<br />
study review published<br />
in 2013 found that certain<br />
strains influence obesity.<br />
Some bacteria affect the<br />
amount of energy extracted<br />
from food and send signals<br />
46 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK FERRARI
that impact metabolism.<br />
One particular strain,<br />
called bifidobacteria, aids<br />
in weight loss and lessens<br />
symptoms related to<br />
obesity, such as a rise in<br />
inflammatory markers.<br />
Cultured milk, like kefir,<br />
buttermilk, yogurt, and<br />
cheese, are rich in<br />
bifidobacteria.<br />
SLIM DOWN Aim for at least one<br />
serving of cultured dairy<br />
(and other probiotic foods,<br />
such as miso, tempeh, and<br />
even sauerkraut) every day.<br />
a bit by modifying what<br />
you see.<br />
SLIM DOWN Serve chips in a<br />
small bowl (rather than out<br />
of the bag) and use smaller<br />
serving utensils and smaller<br />
plates, which will make<br />
downsized portions appear<br />
larger.<br />
Vegetables, fruits,<br />
whole grains, and<br />
beans contain<br />
nutrients that spur<br />
weight loss while<br />
providing fuel to<br />
run your best.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MITCH MANDEL (BEANS, DUMBBELLS); THOMAS MACDONALD (PLATES, SHOES); ALAMY (SAUERKRAUT, PEPPERS)<br />
BURN CALORIES EATING<br />
Studies show that capsaicin,<br />
a compound in hot chili<br />
peppers, may help boost<br />
calorie burning, reduce<br />
appetite, and aid in weight<br />
control. That makes fresh<br />
or dried peppers, pepper<br />
flakes, and chili powder<br />
a smart addition to your<br />
diet. Green tea, which has<br />
special polyphenols called<br />
catechins, may also help<br />
boost calorie-burning and<br />
reduce hunger levels.<br />
SLIM DOWN Swap your second<br />
cup of coffee for green<br />
tea. Add a sprinkle of red<br />
pepper flakes to soups and<br />
pasta sauce.<br />
DOWNSIZE YOUR PLATE<br />
A new study from Cornell<br />
University shows that 92<br />
percent of people clean<br />
their plates. That’s not so<br />
bad when you’re eating salads,<br />
but could mean calorie<br />
overload when it comes to<br />
ice cream, cookies, chips,<br />
and other indulgent foods.<br />
Don’t deny yourself these<br />
treats—just trick yourself<br />
SWITCH UP WORKOUTS<br />
Keep up your running<br />
mileage, but toss in new<br />
activities. Doing so will use<br />
less-trained muscles and<br />
create adaptive changes on<br />
a microscopic level, such as<br />
building new muscle proteins<br />
and cellular compartments<br />
that help burn more<br />
calories.<br />
SLIM DOWN Winter weather<br />
have you stuck inside<br />
Now’s the perfect time to<br />
try an indoor boot camp<br />
class or indoor swimming.<br />
BOOST “EXTRA”<br />
ACTIVITY<br />
Exercise isn’t the only way<br />
to burn calories. Every day<br />
tasks like walking, standing,<br />
and cleaning can have a big<br />
impact on your total calorie<br />
burn and tip the weightloss<br />
balance in your favor.<br />
Look around your work and<br />
home environments for<br />
ways you can make yourself<br />
more active.<br />
SLIM DOWN Don’t sit for<br />
more than 30 minutes<br />
at a stretch—set a timer<br />
to remind you to get up.<br />
Watch TV while standing up<br />
and folding laundry. If your<br />
employer offers it, get a<br />
standing desk at work, and<br />
take the stairs.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 47
FUEL<br />
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They’re rich in choline,<br />
a nutrient that plays a<br />
key role in memory.<br />
2 g sat. fat per egg<br />
Chicken thigh<br />
Dark meat is high in<br />
immune-boosting zinc.<br />
3 g sat. fat per thigh<br />
Macadamia nuts<br />
One ounce has 60<br />
percent of your daily<br />
quota for manganese.<br />
3 g sat. fat per ounce<br />
EAT FAT, BE FIT<br />
New research suggests butter, beef, and bacon might not be so bad after all.<br />
What’s their place in a healthy runner’s diet<br />
RUNNERS LIKE TO follow the rules.<br />
And for decades, nutrition<br />
rules put a strict limit on<br />
saturated fat. After all, as far<br />
back as the 1960s, experts<br />
have decreed that eating<br />
foods high in saturated fat,<br />
such as eggs, red meat, and<br />
full-fat dairy, will increase<br />
your risk of heart disease. So<br />
runners took heed, all but<br />
banishing those foods from<br />
their diets.<br />
But a string of newsmaking<br />
studies has flipped<br />
that idea on its head. One<br />
of those headline-catchers,<br />
published in the Annals of<br />
Internal Medicine early last<br />
By Jessica Migala<br />
year, reviewed 76 existing<br />
studies and found no association<br />
between saturated<br />
fat and heart disease. Another<br />
earlier study review<br />
published in 2010 came to<br />
a similar conclusion. The<br />
new emerging thought:<br />
“Saturated fat may not be<br />
the demon that it was made<br />
out to be,” says Jeff Volek,<br />
Ph.D., R.D., associate professor<br />
in the department of<br />
kinesiology at the University<br />
of Connecticut.<br />
Before you go celebrate<br />
this news with a round<br />
of bacon cheeseburgers,<br />
there’s a catch. Just because<br />
these study reviews<br />
didn’t find an association<br />
doesn’t mean there isn’t<br />
one. Many of these studies<br />
were observational—meaning,<br />
they were not designed<br />
to find direct cause and<br />
effect. They also rely on<br />
participants to self-report<br />
their diets, and often, these<br />
reports can be inaccurate.<br />
What researchers do<br />
know through randomized,<br />
controlled clinical studies—the<br />
gold standard<br />
of research methods—is<br />
this: “Saturated fat raises<br />
LDL levels,” says Penny<br />
Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D.,<br />
Red meat<br />
It’s a good source of<br />
energy-supplying B 12 .<br />
3 g sat. fat per 3.5<br />
ounces<br />
Whole-milk yogurt<br />
It’s full of probiotics<br />
linked to weight loss.<br />
5 g sat. fat per cup<br />
Cheddar cheese<br />
A slice packs<br />
20 percent of daily<br />
calcium needs.<br />
6 g sat. fat per ounce<br />
Coconut oil<br />
It contains fat that has<br />
the potential to be<br />
burned quickly.<br />
12 g sat. fat per<br />
tablespoon<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALAMY (FOOD STILLS)<br />
48 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK FERRARI
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FUEL<br />
distinguished professor<br />
of nutrition at Penn State<br />
University. Because LDL<br />
can contribute to plaque<br />
deposits in arteries, “it is<br />
one of the two major risk<br />
factors for cardiovascular<br />
disease.” Kris-Etherton goes<br />
on to explain that when you<br />
substitute “good” polyunsaturated<br />
fats (found in fish<br />
and vegetable oils, such as<br />
canola) for saturated fat,<br />
LDL levels go down and so<br />
do incidences of heart disease.<br />
The evidence for this is<br />
found in study after study.<br />
There are other reasons<br />
to avoid going hog-wild<br />
on saturated fat: High-fat<br />
diets have been linked to<br />
some cancers, and processed<br />
meats like bacon<br />
and sausage may increase<br />
diabetes risk. That’s why<br />
the American Heart Association<br />
recently updated its<br />
guidelines—the group recommends<br />
limiting saturated<br />
fat to five or six percent<br />
(down from its previous<br />
target of seven percent)<br />
of total calories—or about<br />
11 to 13 grams a day on a<br />
2,000-calorie diet.<br />
While all that might<br />
seem to squash any hope<br />
of welcoming butter back<br />
into your diet, it’s not all bad<br />
news. Saturated fat actually<br />
boasts some benefits. For<br />
example, certain mediumchain<br />
saturated fats, like lauric<br />
acid (plentiful in coconut<br />
oil), have the potential to<br />
be immediately burned for<br />
energy rather than stored.<br />
Besides, taking out saturated<br />
fat has a strange effect:<br />
It lowers levels of the socalled<br />
“good cholesterol,”<br />
HDL, which sweeps LDL out<br />
of the bloodstream. “What<br />
the research comes down<br />
to is that all foods fit into a<br />
healthy diet—in moderation,”<br />
says sports dietitian<br />
Heather Fink, R.D. “<strong>Runners</strong><br />
are active and health<br />
conscious, so they’re prone<br />
to restricting those foods.<br />
They don’t have to,” she<br />
says. It’s about looking at<br />
the total food versus a single<br />
nutrient. Some foods higher<br />
in saturated fat are really<br />
nutritious—and excluding<br />
them means you miss out.<br />
For example, red meat contains<br />
iron, zinc, and protein.<br />
Whole milk is an excellent<br />
source of bone-building<br />
calcium and vitamin D, two<br />
nutrients many runners fall<br />
short on. Grass-fed beef<br />
and dairy also provide<br />
conjugated linoleic acids,<br />
“What the research comes<br />
down to is that all foods fit into<br />
a healthy diet—in moderation.”<br />
which have been linked to<br />
weight loss. Besides, there’s<br />
a “yumminess” factor (and<br />
yes, that counts for something).<br />
Full-fat foods are<br />
more flavorful and satisfying,<br />
which can reduce your appetite,<br />
says Volek.<br />
A varied diet that incorporates<br />
natural whole foods—<br />
including some sources of<br />
saturated fat—can supply a<br />
range of nutrients that keep<br />
you in top running form and<br />
health. So go ahead. Enjoy<br />
that chicken thigh with the<br />
skin. Spread some butter (the<br />
real stuff!) on your toast. Add<br />
a slice of cheddar to your<br />
sandwich. As long as you’re<br />
first reaching for plenty of<br />
vegetables, fruits, whole<br />
grains, and lean protein,<br />
you’ll be doing your body—<br />
and your running—good.<br />
Butter In<br />
Your Coffee<br />
Athletes are<br />
drinking it.<br />
Should you<br />
The latest trend has<br />
runners blending<br />
butter and oil (such<br />
as coconut) into their<br />
cuppa Joe, a drink often<br />
called “bulletproof<br />
coffee”—so-named after<br />
The Bulletproof Diet<br />
by Dave Asprey (and<br />
published by RW’s parent<br />
company, Rodale).<br />
Fans claim it provides<br />
lasting energy, staves<br />
off hunger, and helps<br />
burn fat efficiently.<br />
Some of those<br />
claims make sense,<br />
says Liz Applegate,<br />
Ph.D., director of<br />
sports nutrition at the<br />
University of California<br />
Davis and RW’s nutrition<br />
columnist: “This<br />
drink can contain more<br />
than 400 calories and<br />
at least 200 milligrams<br />
of caffeine—it’s no<br />
surprise you feel good<br />
after drinking it.” As for<br />
weight-loss or metabolic<br />
benefits, she’s less<br />
convinced. “There’s no<br />
evidence that drinking<br />
this instead of eating<br />
breakfast will change<br />
the way your body<br />
processes energy.” But<br />
if you like it and have<br />
room for the calories,<br />
Applegate says, there’s<br />
nothing wrong with<br />
starting your day with<br />
a cup.<br />
RUNNERS WHO DRINK IT<br />
RYAN HALL<br />
2008 and 2012 U.S.<br />
Olympic Marathoner<br />
“It’s a supercreamy,<br />
frothy, delicious coffee<br />
that will blow your<br />
mind and give you<br />
hours of long-lasting<br />
energy. The fat helps<br />
keep my hormones at<br />
the right levels. I’ve<br />
had fun adding cocoa<br />
or pumpkin-pie spice.”<br />
LUKE ASHTON<br />
2014 winner of the 147-<br />
mile Viking Way Ultra<br />
“It’s my breakfast of<br />
choice on race morning.<br />
I add a sprinkle of<br />
cinnamon and Himalayan<br />
salt. As part of<br />
a high-fat, lower-carb<br />
diet, it helps me run for<br />
many hours.”<br />
ANNA JUDD<br />
Ran across the U.S. in<br />
2014 for veterans<br />
“When I ran across<br />
America, I switched<br />
from a solid breakfast<br />
to bulletproof coffee<br />
on most days because<br />
it took less energy to<br />
digest and didn’t weigh<br />
me down.”<br />
—AMANDA MACMILLAN<br />
50 FOR A VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE BUTTERED COFFEE,<br />
GO TO RUNNERSWORLD.COM/BUTTEREDCOFFEE.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY NICK FERRARI
MIND+BODY<br />
HIGHER RESOLUTION<br />
Set smarter goals this year by understanding the science of motivation.<br />
By A.C. Shilton<br />
IT’S HARD TO FIND a more goaloriented<br />
set of people than<br />
runners. The results from<br />
any marathon offer proof:<br />
Clusters of finishers tend<br />
to stream across the finish<br />
right before the three-, four-,<br />
and five-hour marks. Indeed,<br />
a 2014 study of more than 9<br />
million marathoners showed<br />
that 29.6 percent more people<br />
finish in the minute before<br />
the four-hour mark than<br />
in the minute after it. So in<br />
this season of resolutionmaking,<br />
it’s likely there is a<br />
running-related objective on<br />
your list. To help you hit your<br />
targets, we gathered advice<br />
from researchers who study<br />
motivation and goal-setting.<br />
Their science-backed tips<br />
will set you up for a successful<br />
year of running.<br />
RUN FOR GOOD REASON<br />
“I think the number one<br />
reason people fail at achieving<br />
their goals is because<br />
they’re not committed for<br />
the right reasons,” says<br />
Edwin Locke, Ph.D., a<br />
psychologist who has spent<br />
his career researching goals<br />
and motivation. “To be successful,<br />
a goal needs to align<br />
with one’s personal values.”<br />
DO THIS Whether your goal is<br />
to qualify for Boston, drop<br />
10 pounds, or run 30 minutes<br />
nonstop, spend some<br />
time reflecting on why it’s<br />
important to you. The greater<br />
the emotional connection<br />
you have to it, the stronger<br />
your motivation will be to<br />
work toward it, Locke says.<br />
For instance, it’s better to<br />
strive for improved health<br />
52 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 ILLUSTRATIONS BY ZOHAR LAZAR
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MIND+BODY<br />
It’s tricky to achieve<br />
multiple goals at once.<br />
Rank them to help<br />
you prioritize.<br />
PR<br />
Promotion<br />
Advanced<br />
degree<br />
and greater well-being than<br />
just to compete with a friend<br />
or win a weight-loss bet.<br />
TAKE ACTION<br />
Just setting a goal doesn’t<br />
mean you’ll launch headfirst<br />
into it. In fact, a study published<br />
in the Journal of Consumer<br />
Research found that<br />
people who took only an initial<br />
step toward an exercise<br />
or weight-loss regimen (like<br />
joining a gym) were more<br />
likely to engage in activities<br />
that were counterproductive<br />
(like bingeing on brownies).<br />
Meanwhile, their peers who<br />
took an immediate follow-up<br />
step (working out right after<br />
joining the gym) were more<br />
likely to stick with their plan.<br />
DO THIS If your goal is to do a<br />
new race distance, it’s not<br />
enough to just sign up for a<br />
race and call it a day. Go out<br />
for an initial training run to<br />
cement your commitment,<br />
says George Wu, Ph.D.,<br />
a professor of behavioral<br />
science at the University of<br />
Chicago, who also ran for<br />
Harvard. If you’d like to eat<br />
healthier, don’t put it off<br />
until you have time to fill a<br />
cart at Whole Foods. Start<br />
right away, even if it’s a small<br />
step, like guzzling water.<br />
THINK SHORT-TERM…<br />
It’s great to aim for a big<br />
goal, like running your first<br />
half-marathon or setting a<br />
PR in your third. But that<br />
shouldn’t be your only goal.<br />
“Big goals help early on in<br />
getting you going, but they<br />
may not keep you motivated<br />
on a day-to-day basis,”<br />
says Lisa Ordóñez, Ph.D., a<br />
management and organizations<br />
professor at the<br />
University of Arizona, who<br />
also runs. To reach a distant<br />
goal, you need smaller<br />
process goals.<br />
DO THIS Set daily, weekly, and<br />
monthly mini-goals to keep<br />
yourself on track and give<br />
you mini-victories along the<br />
way, she says.<br />
… AND LONG-TERM<br />
Think beyond 2015. Why<br />
A study tracked 133 young<br />
music students and found<br />
that the kids who said they<br />
wanted to play their instruments<br />
for the rest of their<br />
lives were 400 percent more<br />
successful musicians than<br />
those who didn’t envision<br />
themselves playing for very<br />
long. Long-term perspective<br />
was a bigger predictor of<br />
success than practice time.<br />
DO THIS Thinking about your<br />
lifelong relationship with<br />
the sport and what you’d<br />
ultimately like to accomplish<br />
can help you stick with<br />
your immediate goals, Wu<br />
says. Recognize that your<br />
commitment to the sport<br />
today will lay the groundwork<br />
for future successes.<br />
PRIORITIZE<br />
If your goal list includes a<br />
marathon PR, a promotion<br />
at work, an advanced degree,<br />
and more quality time<br />
with your kids, you may<br />
be setting yourself up for<br />
disappointment. A number<br />
of studies have shown that<br />
people struggle to juggle<br />
multiple challenging goals<br />
at once, says Ordóñez,<br />
who, as a marathoner and<br />
triathlete who also works<br />
full-time and has two kids,<br />
is sympathetic to this plight.<br />
DO THIS Rank your goals so<br />
you know which is most important<br />
and which ones you<br />
will let slide during hectic<br />
periods. And reassess your<br />
list if it begins to feel overwhelming.<br />
Maybe this is the<br />
year to do more fun runs or<br />
try a new distance where<br />
you’ll nab an automatic PR.<br />
LOCK ’EM IN<br />
The closer you are to race<br />
day, the more likely you are<br />
to feel pessimistic about<br />
reaching your goal. In a<br />
forthcoming paper, Wu<br />
reports that two weeks<br />
prior to a race, marathoners<br />
had higher expectations<br />
for themselves than when<br />
they were asked about their<br />
goals at the starting line.<br />
DO THIS Don’t let prerace<br />
jitters make you secondguess<br />
what you’ve been<br />
working toward for weeks<br />
or months. Stick to it, and<br />
don’t scale back because<br />
of anxiety. “We call it<br />
locking in a goal,” Wu says.<br />
Of course, if you are ill or<br />
injured, then, yes, adjust.<br />
DON’T SETTLE<br />
Wu found that marathoners<br />
on pace to squeak in under<br />
3:00, 3:30, and 4:00 ran the<br />
More time<br />
with the kids<br />
fastest final 2.2 kilometers<br />
in the race. Those who<br />
knew they’d hit their goal<br />
with time to spare—say,<br />
those on 3:55 pace—were<br />
much less likely to put in<br />
the same kind of finishing<br />
effort as those who were<br />
running a 3:59 pace.<br />
DO THIS Don’t sell yourself<br />
short. Goals are most effective<br />
when they push you to<br />
strive for your best. If you<br />
reach them with too much<br />
ease, you can lose your<br />
drive, Wu says.<br />
KEEP PERSPECTIVE<br />
In a 2009 paper entitled<br />
“Goals Gone Wild,”<br />
researchers posited that<br />
goal-setting can lead to<br />
risky behavior, and Wu says<br />
runners are not immune.<br />
“Your target is 35 miles a<br />
week,” he says. “It’s the end<br />
of the week. You’re at 25<br />
miles and your ankle hurts.<br />
Some runners will do a<br />
10-miler anyway—even if it<br />
leaves them injured.”<br />
DO THIS Don’t sacrifice a longterm<br />
goal to satisfy an<br />
immediate one, Wu says.<br />
Keeping perspective of<br />
your running life and how<br />
you want to be healthy<br />
enough to run next year<br />
(and the 20 after that)<br />
can help you make smart<br />
choices today.<br />
54 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
MIND+BODY<br />
THE BODY SHOP<br />
WINTER PREP<br />
Sidestep joint pain with this simple prerun routine.<br />
WARMING UP is especially important during winter months. Starting out cold for<br />
a run in chilly conditions can make your joints extra vulnerable to injury, says<br />
Dennis Barker, head coach of Team USA Minnesota. Cold tendons and ligaments<br />
are tight and less elastic, making them more prone to tiny tears and<br />
inflammation. This quick and easy head-to-toe routine will release tension in<br />
your upper body, and improve circulation and promote flexibility in your lower<br />
body. Do it before every run. —K. ALEISHA FETTERS<br />
ARM ROTATIONS<br />
Do 10 arm circles,<br />
moving in a forward<br />
direction (at left). Repeat,<br />
circling your arms<br />
backward. Then, swing<br />
your arms back and<br />
forth across the front<br />
of your body (above).<br />
HEAD ROTATIONS<br />
Lower your head to<br />
your chest. Then slowly<br />
roll your ear toward one<br />
shoulder, and continue<br />
the motion, making a<br />
full circle. Do 10 circles,<br />
then repeat in the opposite<br />
direction.<br />
KNEE CIRCLES<br />
Stand with your feet a<br />
few inches apart and<br />
your knees touching.<br />
Keeping them together,<br />
slowly rotate your knees<br />
in a circle. Complete 10<br />
circles, then repeat in<br />
the opposite direction.<br />
ANKLE ROTATIONS<br />
Raise one foot up onto<br />
tiptoes. Rotate the<br />
other foot’s ankle in a<br />
circle 10 times. Then<br />
repeat in the other<br />
direction.<br />
TRUNK TWISTERS<br />
Standing with your feet<br />
shoulder-width apart,<br />
bend at the waist so that<br />
your upper body is parallel<br />
to the floor. Rotate<br />
your torso in a full circle<br />
10 times, then repeat in<br />
the opposite direction.<br />
LEG SWINGS<br />
Holding a chair for<br />
balance, swing one leg<br />
from side to side (above,<br />
left) and then front to<br />
back (above, right),<br />
completing 10 swings in<br />
each direction. Repeat<br />
on the opposite leg.<br />
Seasonal<br />
Survival Guide<br />
START SLOWLY<br />
Begin all runs with a<br />
five- to 10-minute jog to<br />
boost circulation before<br />
picking up the pace.<br />
GET TRACTION<br />
Slippery surfaces can<br />
force your Achilles tendon<br />
to work extra hard<br />
to stabilize your stride,<br />
says podiatrist Robert<br />
Rinaldi. Run on clean<br />
surfaces and make sure<br />
the bottom of your<br />
shoes have traveled no<br />
more than 400 miles.<br />
SEEK WARM GROUND<br />
The colder the weather,<br />
the harder blacktop is,<br />
and the more likely you<br />
are to suffer impact<br />
injuries, such as shin<br />
splints and stress fractures.<br />
Rinaldi says to run<br />
during the warmest part<br />
of the day—10 a.m. to 2<br />
p.m.—when possible.<br />
56<br />
FOR A VIDEO DEMONSTRATION OF THIS ROUTINE,<br />
GO TO RUNNERSWORLD.COM/WINTERPREP.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MITCH MANDEL
MIND+BODY<br />
SHOULD I TRY IT<br />
AAAAH...<br />
OUCH!<br />
Rolfing has a reputation<br />
for being painful. But the<br />
pressure used is similar<br />
to that of deep-tissue<br />
massage.<br />
ROLFING<br />
WHAT IS IT A soft-tissue manipulation in<br />
which a professional loosens and lengthens<br />
a client’s tight, shortened fascia (connective<br />
tissue that wraps around muscles<br />
and facilitates their movement) to correct<br />
imbalances and restore alignment. The focus<br />
on fascia is what distinguishes it from<br />
massage (usually targets muscles) and<br />
chiropractics (deals mostly with joints).<br />
—K. ALEISHA FETTERS<br />
How It Started<br />
Ida P. Rolf, a biochemist<br />
from New York, created<br />
Rolfing in the 1930s based<br />
on the theory that when an<br />
injury occurs, the fascia<br />
tightens around a muscle<br />
or joint in an attempt to<br />
protect it, like a bandage.<br />
But if the constriction<br />
remains, it can prevent<br />
muscles and joints from<br />
moving freely.<br />
Each session<br />
generally lasts 60<br />
to 90 minutes.<br />
Fan Club<br />
HOW IT HELPS<br />
Purported to ease general<br />
athletic aches and pains<br />
as well as resolve chronic,<br />
nagging injuries, if a structural<br />
imbalance or alignment<br />
issue is the underlying<br />
cause of pain.<br />
WHAT TO EXPECT<br />
A practitioner will analyze<br />
your alignment, then use<br />
his fingers, knuckles, and<br />
elbows to dig into fascia.<br />
He may ask you to perform<br />
range-of-motion movements<br />
to help release tension.<br />
Prices can range<br />
from $120 to $200 per<br />
session, depending on<br />
your location.<br />
TREATMENT PLAN<br />
The typical treatment<br />
regimen is 10 sessions.<br />
Afterward, three to four<br />
sessions per year are<br />
recommended for general<br />
maintenance.<br />
Scott Jurek, Evan Jager,<br />
Amy Yoder-Begley, and Kara<br />
Goucher (for IT-band pain).<br />
HA-HA<br />
Burt Reynolds’s 1977<br />
football comedy Semi-<br />
Tough poked fun at<br />
“Pelfing,” a thinly veiled<br />
reference to Rolfing.<br />
PROVIDERS<br />
Massage therapists,<br />
physical therapists, chiropractors,<br />
athletic trainers,<br />
and strength and conditioning<br />
coaches are sometimes<br />
certified; find a Rolfer at<br />
rolf.org.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ELENA RAY (MAIN IMAGE); WILLIAM JAMES WARREN/SCIENCE FACTION/CORBIS (ROLF); EVERETT COLLECTION (REYNOLDS)<br />
58 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
I AM FOCUSED ON<br />
SAVING LIVES<br />
Patients need cures<br />
and I can help<br />
find them.<br />
Train to run, walk, bike, hike or tri.<br />
join us: teamintraining.org
GEAR<br />
PRINTS<br />
CHARMING<br />
Six tights that add flair to<br />
your lower half (especially if you’re<br />
a woman—sorry, guys)<br />
By Lindsey Emery<br />
2<br />
1<br />
1 / NIKE EPIC LUX CAPRI<br />
Trippy tights that hug all the right places.<br />
The soft, stretchy, quick-drying fabric<br />
has a flattering, wide waistband and a<br />
snug fit for core support. $120, nike.com<br />
2 / LULULEMON SPEED TIGHT II<br />
Silky smooth and breathable, the Speed<br />
Tight has two hidden pockets in the<br />
waistband, a zippered one in the back,<br />
and two on the sides for keys, cash, fuel,<br />
and phones. $108, lululemon.com<br />
3<br />
3 / PEARL IZUMI WOMEN’S<br />
FLASH 3⁄4 TIGHT<br />
Party in the front, business in the<br />
back—there’s breathable mesh behind<br />
the knees and a zippered pocket in the<br />
waistband. $60, pearlizumi.com<br />
4 / OISELLE OFF THE GRID KNICKER<br />
The blended micropoly/Lycra compression<br />
fabric ensures these capris will stay<br />
put. Plus, Oiselle’s signature, made-toflatter<br />
Wing waistband sports a handy,<br />
phone-sized pocket. $68, oiselle.com<br />
4<br />
5 / OAKLEY PRINTED STRENGTH<br />
TIGHT<br />
You will be noticed. With four-way<br />
stretch and a sweat-wicking polyester/<br />
spandex blend, these tights are perfect<br />
for a run, a ride, or a power pose.<br />
$90, oakley.com<br />
6 / CRAFT PR BRILLIANT THERMAL<br />
TIGHTS (MEN’S)<br />
That pop of lower-leg color is no simple<br />
fashion statement—it’s a reflective wrap<br />
that provides 360-degree visibility.<br />
Tights have a thermal liner, zippered<br />
ankles, and a zippered back pocket.<br />
$90, craftsports.us<br />
5<br />
6<br />
60 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS MACDONALD
GEAR<br />
1<br />
LEADERS OF<br />
THE PACK<br />
Great-looking bags to stash your<br />
stuff for a workout—or the week<br />
By Lindsey Emery<br />
1 / NIKE FORMFLUX TOTE<br />
The gym bag is all grown up. This classy,<br />
leather-trimmed carryall has a ripstop<br />
nylon liner, multiple storage pockets, and<br />
a separate wet/dry area to stuff shoes or<br />
other stinky stuff. $175, nike.com<br />
2 / GAIAM EVERYTHING FITS<br />
GYM BAG<br />
This roomy, quilted tote has a vented<br />
exterior pocket for airing out the malodorous,<br />
and straps on the bottom for a<br />
yoga mat. $60, gaiam.com<br />
3 / TIMBUK2 ESPECIAL RAIDER PACK<br />
Weighing in at less than a pound, the<br />
machine-washable Raider commuter bag<br />
has internal pockets for your shoes and<br />
a removable, plastic panel board that<br />
keeps your work stuff in good shape.<br />
$79, timbuk2.com<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4 / ASICS FIT-SANA BAG<br />
Perfectly sized for a weekend away, the<br />
Fit-Sana is made of durable polyester. It<br />
features mesh and zippered pockets for<br />
holding water bottles, keys, phone, and<br />
cash, and a padded, removable shoulder<br />
strap. $65, asicsamerica.com<br />
4<br />
5 / PATAGONIA BLACKHOLE DUFFEL<br />
Get away in any weather. Made of<br />
heavy-duty, water-resistant polyester,<br />
the Blackhole duffel has a spacious<br />
interior, daisy chains along the sides for<br />
clipping your keys or water bottle, and a<br />
storm flap over the top zipper for added<br />
protection against Mother Nature. $99,<br />
patagonia.com<br />
5<br />
6 / OAKLEY LARGE SPORT DUFFEL<br />
At 85 liters, the Sport is big enough to<br />
stash a stowaway—or a week’s worth<br />
of duds. Side pockets store sneaks, a<br />
padded pocket protects glasses, and<br />
easy-to-clean compartments keep life<br />
organized. Comes with a removable<br />
toiletry case. $110, oakley.com<br />
6<br />
62 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS MACDONALD
RUNNING IN<br />
THE MORNING,<br />
STRENGTH<br />
TRAINING,<br />
EATING EXTRA<br />
VEGGIES —<br />
INGRAIN<br />
THESE<br />
ACTIONS<br />
INTO YOUR<br />
“NORMAL”<br />
ROUTINE<br />
TO BECOME<br />
FITTER,<br />
HEALTHIER,<br />
AND HAPPIER.<br />
BY CINDY<br />
KUZMA<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY<br />
PETER YANG<br />
op on the<br />
NEW<br />
YEAR,<br />
NEW<br />
YOU
Katie Hoaldridge<br />
(center) trains with<br />
Travis Mahoney and<br />
Greta Feldman of the<br />
New Jersey New York<br />
Track Club.<br />
R<br />
RUNNERS DREAM BIG. Tackling<br />
a new distance, posting a personal<br />
best, losing 20 pounds—<br />
we embrace grand challenges.<br />
But what happens after you accomplish<br />
your goal, or if your<br />
resolve weakens before you<br />
succeed You risk stalling—<br />
unless you’ve changed your<br />
routines to those of a stronger,<br />
healthier runner. “<strong>Runners</strong><br />
who are consistent with good<br />
habits have the most success,”<br />
says Tom Holland, an exercise<br />
physiologist, sports nutritionist,<br />
coach, and author of The<br />
Marathon Method.<br />
This year, consider resolutions<br />
based on process instead<br />
of outcome. That way, you<br />
can sustain momentum by<br />
celebrating small, frequent<br />
victories. And you’ll avoid the<br />
all-or-nothing thinking that<br />
triggers massive disappointment<br />
if factors beyond your<br />
control interfere along the<br />
way—for instance, if you wake<br />
up to a sweltering race day.<br />
The benefits of healthy habits<br />
spill over into a better life<br />
beyond running, too. Here are<br />
12 healthy habits to embrace<br />
in 2015, with expert advice on<br />
how to make them your own.<br />
HABIT<br />
Become<br />
a morning<br />
runner<br />
> You meant to log<br />
those five miles<br />
today, but between<br />
family, work, and<br />
social obligations, it<br />
just didn’t happen. Or<br />
you find your digestive<br />
system rebelling—or<br />
your sleep<br />
disrupted—courtesy<br />
of evening runs. The<br />
solution: Put running<br />
first on your agenda.<br />
“People who start<br />
to run early in the<br />
morning get hooked<br />
on that feeling of<br />
having accomplished<br />
so much before<br />
others are even<br />
awake, as well as the<br />
extra energy they get<br />
from that morning<br />
rush of endorphins,”<br />
says Lisa Reichmann,<br />
a Maryland-based<br />
running coach.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Test the waters.<br />
Start with one or<br />
two days per week.<br />
Knowing you have<br />
the other five mornings<br />
to snooze makes<br />
getting up early less<br />
painful. And make<br />
Habit Trail
sure you can get to<br />
bed on time the night<br />
before a crack-ofdawn<br />
call, or you risk<br />
skimping on sleep,<br />
Reichmann says.<br />
• Lay it out. Set out<br />
your clothes, shoes,<br />
water bottle, and<br />
reflective gear the<br />
night before to eliminate<br />
excuses and get<br />
out the door quickly.<br />
Set your coffeemaker<br />
on automatic so your<br />
brew is ready when<br />
you wake. And put<br />
your alarm across the<br />
room—jumping out<br />
of bed to turn it off<br />
makes it harder to hit<br />
the snooze button,<br />
Reichmann says.<br />
• Make a date. Nothing<br />
keeps you from<br />
going back to bed<br />
like knowing someone’s<br />
waiting for you.<br />
“Good conversation<br />
with running friends<br />
almost makes you<br />
forget that you are<br />
running at zero dark<br />
thirty on a cold<br />
morning,” says Julie<br />
Sapper, who coaches<br />
with Reichmann at<br />
Run Farther & Faster<br />
in Montgomery<br />
County, Maryland.<br />
• Give it time. All<br />
habits feel awkward<br />
at first. Since it<br />
requires resetting<br />
your body clock,<br />
morning running<br />
may require a little<br />
longer than most—<br />
at least three or four<br />
weeks—to sink in.<br />
Consider trying this<br />
habit in the spring,<br />
when weather and<br />
darkness are less<br />
likely to interfere.<br />
(And morning runs<br />
aren’t right for everyone,<br />
so re-evaluate<br />
after a month or two,<br />
Sapper says.)<br />
HABIT<br />
Strengthtrain<br />
regularly<br />
> Building muscle<br />
improves your health,<br />
reduces injury risk,<br />
and, according to a<br />
review in the journal<br />
Sports Medicine,<br />
improves your running<br />
performance.<br />
Across 26 studies of<br />
endurance athletes,<br />
strength-training<br />
programs (either<br />
plyometrics or heavy<br />
weights) boosted<br />
fitness, increased<br />
efficiency, and<br />
reduced runners’<br />
times in 3-K and 5-K<br />
races. Design your<br />
own program by<br />
picking six exercises:<br />
two for each of your<br />
major muscle groups<br />
(upper body, core,<br />
and lower body),<br />
with one working<br />
the front side (say,<br />
planks) and one the<br />
back side (bridges),<br />
says Rebekah Mayer,<br />
national training<br />
manager at Minneapolis-based<br />
Life Time<br />
Run. Do them two or<br />
three days per week.<br />
And remember that<br />
intense strengthtraining<br />
DVDs or<br />
classes don’t always<br />
pair well with a running<br />
routine, says<br />
Sapper—if you do<br />
them, leave rest days<br />
between hard efforts.<br />
For an equipmentfree<br />
at-home workout,<br />
see “Pumping...<br />
Rubber” page 94.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Build it in. <strong>Runners</strong><br />
that Reichmann and<br />
Sapper coach had<br />
an easier time incorporating<br />
strength<br />
moves when they<br />
penned them into<br />
their training plans.<br />
Now, their schedules<br />
might say: Run three<br />
miles, then do three<br />
sets of 15 one-legged<br />
squats, mountain<br />
climbers, planks, and<br />
push-ups. For best<br />
results, strength-train<br />
later in the same day<br />
as your more intense<br />
or longer running<br />
workouts, allowing a<br />
full day of recovery<br />
in between hard sessions,<br />
Mayer says.<br />
• Break it up. Try<br />
“exercise snacks”—<br />
planks when you get<br />
up in the morning,<br />
push-ups before you<br />
leave for work, lunges<br />
on coffee breaks.<br />
• Take a class. Don’t<br />
want to DIY Choose<br />
a runner-friendly<br />
strengthening class<br />
that sounds fun,<br />
like Pilates, a barre<br />
class, or BodyPump.<br />
It might cost money,<br />
but spending can<br />
increase the odds<br />
you’ll follow through,<br />
Holland says.<br />
• Change it up. In<br />
about a month, your<br />
body will adjust to<br />
the routine. “Make<br />
it harder—whether<br />
it means doing more<br />
repetitions, more<br />
weight, or different<br />
exercises—or you’ll<br />
stop seeing results,”<br />
Mayer says.<br />
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STYLING BY SHEA DASPIN, HAIR & MAKEUP BY JESSI BUTTERFIELD FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS; CLOTHING ON<br />
66 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
CLOTHING PREVIOUS PAGE: ROXY JACKET, SWEATY BETTY LEGGINGS, ASICS SHOES<br />
Do planks two or<br />
three times per week<br />
postrun to build<br />
core strength.<br />
HABIT<br />
Cross-train<br />
regularly<br />
> If you’re struggling<br />
to squeeze three or<br />
four runs per week<br />
into your schedule,<br />
you shouldn’t worry<br />
about adding in other<br />
aerobic activities.<br />
But once you have<br />
a steady running<br />
habit, workouts like<br />
swimming, cycling,<br />
or rowing can boost<br />
your fitness without<br />
the impact stress<br />
of running. And by<br />
engaging different<br />
muscle groups, you<br />
can correct muscle<br />
imbalances and net<br />
a stronger, more<br />
well-rounded body.<br />
“This can increase<br />
your longevity as a<br />
runner,” Mayer says.<br />
If you do get hurt,<br />
you’ll also have a<br />
familiar option for<br />
maintaining fitness.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Stay consistent.<br />
Sticking to a regular<br />
class at the gym is<br />
an easy way to automate<br />
cross-training.<br />
Even if you go solo,<br />
set up a regular date<br />
and location, such as<br />
cycling in your neighborhood<br />
on Monday<br />
mornings—context<br />
cues help habits to<br />
form.<br />
• Be realistic. Don’t<br />
set yourself up for<br />
failure by choosing<br />
a class you’ll have<br />
to rush to attend.<br />
Search for an option<br />
that meshes with<br />
your schedule.<br />
• Choose wisely.<br />
Gunning for a PR<br />
Go with a type of<br />
cross-training that<br />
mimics running, such<br />
as cross-country skiing<br />
or pool running.<br />
If, however, your<br />
goal is overall fitness,<br />
select an activity<br />
that’s very different,<br />
like swimming or<br />
cycling, Mayer says.<br />
• Keep it easy. Treat<br />
cross-training like<br />
an aerobic recovery<br />
day; schedule it after<br />
hard running days<br />
and keep your effort<br />
level low enough to<br />
carry on a conversation,<br />
Mayer says.<br />
(However, if you’re<br />
injured and can’t run,<br />
you can cross-train<br />
harder.) And keep in<br />
mind that boot camp<br />
or fitness classes<br />
that involve treadmill<br />
running or road<br />
sprints don’t count as<br />
cross-training—that’s<br />
a running workout.<br />
HABIT<br />
Eat more<br />
vegetables<br />
> Low-calorie and<br />
packed with nutrients,<br />
veggies should<br />
be a staple in every<br />
runner’s diet. Their<br />
high-quality carbohydrates<br />
power your<br />
workouts, and their<br />
antioxidants help you<br />
recover. “Vegetables<br />
also keep you regular,<br />
and we all know<br />
runners don’t need<br />
any ‘surprises’ while<br />
on a long run,” says<br />
Conni Brownell, who<br />
serves as the Brooks<br />
Running Beastro<br />
Chef (cooking for<br />
employees at the<br />
shoe company). The<br />
benefits last long<br />
after your cooldown:<br />
Each daily serving of<br />
produce (up to five)<br />
reduces your risk of<br />
early death by about<br />
five percent, according<br />
to a new study.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Indulge in your favorites.<br />
Don’t choke<br />
down kale if you hate<br />
it. Pick up produce<br />
you actually want to<br />
eat, even if it’s more<br />
costly or less of a<br />
“superfood.”<br />
• Add them to your<br />
menu. When you buy<br />
a new veggie, know<br />
when you’ll consume<br />
it, says Jennifer Plotnek,<br />
lead behavior<br />
coach at weight-loss<br />
company Retrofit.<br />
Will you cook that<br />
spinach into your<br />
omelet, blend it into<br />
your postworkout<br />
Colorful veggies<br />
provide vitamins A,<br />
C, and K.<br />
67
smoothie, or make a<br />
big dinner salad<br />
• Start on the side.<br />
Dive into the veggies<br />
first to avoid filling<br />
up before you get to<br />
them, says sports nutritionist<br />
and exercise<br />
physiologist Felicia<br />
Stoler, D.C.N., R.D. No<br />
sides (or only French<br />
fries) Ask to swap or<br />
add vegetable soup<br />
or a salad and eat it<br />
first—you might consume<br />
fewer calories<br />
overall, according to<br />
Penn State University<br />
research.<br />
• Snack smarter.<br />
Trade chips or candy<br />
for a produce/protein<br />
pair—carrots and<br />
hummus or tuna on<br />
cucumber slices, for<br />
example—to improve<br />
between-meals eats.<br />
HABIT<br />
Warm up<br />
before a<br />
run; stretch<br />
and foamroll<br />
after<br />
> The repetitive<br />
motion of running<br />
tightens muscles,<br />
increasing your injury<br />
risk. Dynamic stretches<br />
before a run prep<br />
your body for more<br />
intense activities, says<br />
Gary Ditsch, lead<br />
exercise physiologist<br />
for weight-loss<br />
company Retrofit.<br />
Afterward, static<br />
stretching can return<br />
your muscles to their<br />
prerun length, even<br />
if you don’t actually<br />
gain flexibility, Mayer<br />
says. And foam rolling—either<br />
immediately<br />
postrun or later<br />
in the day—loosens<br />
tissue in ways that<br />
stretching alone can’t.<br />
Ditsch advises<br />
a 10- to 15-minute<br />
warmup routine:<br />
Start with leg swings<br />
(first front to back,<br />
then side to side),<br />
then walk, march,<br />
and skip before you<br />
finally run. Postrun,<br />
stretch your hip flexors<br />
and hamstrings<br />
(which tighten during<br />
running and sitting),<br />
calves (to prevent<br />
Achilles tendinitis<br />
and plantar fasciitis),<br />
and your chest and<br />
shoulders. “We don’t<br />
think about using<br />
our arms during our<br />
run, but they can<br />
also get very tight,”<br />
Mayer says. Foamroll<br />
any area that still<br />
feels tight, holding<br />
for a few seconds on<br />
tender points to help<br />
release them.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Start small. Don’t<br />
kick things off with a<br />
30-minute full-body<br />
elongation session.<br />
Start with 10 to 15<br />
seconds of a single<br />
stretch after a run,<br />
then celebrate—the<br />
feeling of declaring<br />
victory each time you<br />
incorporate a habit<br />
strengthens it over<br />
time, Plotnek says.<br />
• Pair it up. Create<br />
a bond between an<br />
activity you’re doing<br />
daily anyway—say,<br />
watching The Daily<br />
Show—and foam<br />
rolling.<br />
• Keep it in sight.<br />
Buy your own foam<br />
roller instead of relying<br />
on your gym or<br />
training buddy. Keep<br />
it in a visible spot<br />
near where you’ll<br />
use it, and have a<br />
massage stick in your<br />
office, Sapper says.<br />
• Factor in the<br />
time. If you have a<br />
45-minute run on<br />
your training plan<br />
and exactly 45 minutes<br />
to do it, chances<br />
are you’ll rush into it<br />
without the dynamic<br />
stretches. Adjust<br />
your schedule so you<br />
have a full hour for<br />
your workout, or consider<br />
decreasing the<br />
mileage to accommodate<br />
the warmup.<br />
SWEATY BETTY SHORTS, OAKLEY SPORTS BRA, NEW BALANCE SHOES<br />
ASICS SHOES; SUPERDRY JACKET, ASICS ORANGE ZIP, NEW BALANCE PANTS, ASICS SHOES;<br />
CLOTHING (LEFT TO RIGHT): NIKE HALF ZIP, LEGGINGS, SHOES; LULULEMON JACKET, SWEATY BETTY LEGGINGS,<br />
68 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
HABIT<br />
Unplug<br />
on the run<br />
once a<br />
week<br />
> For data-obsessed<br />
runners, occasionally<br />
ditching the GPS<br />
reconnects you with<br />
your natural pacing<br />
and rhythms. “You’ll<br />
learn what conversational<br />
pace feels<br />
like and what your<br />
breathing should<br />
sound like at different<br />
intensity levels,”<br />
Mayer says. And<br />
while no one doubts<br />
the motivating power<br />
of music, removing<br />
your earbuds sometimes<br />
offers other<br />
advantages. For one,<br />
Postrun stretching<br />
and foam rolling can<br />
work out tightness<br />
caused by running.<br />
(Plus, it feels good!)<br />
you’ll stay safer in<br />
unfamiliar territory;<br />
plus, you’ll notice<br />
and appreciate your<br />
surroundings more<br />
without auditory<br />
distractions, Mayer<br />
says. And if you’re<br />
planning a race that<br />
forbids tunes, you’ll<br />
line up prepared.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Time it right. Easy<br />
runs, trail runs, and<br />
periods when you’re<br />
coming back from<br />
an injury or recovering<br />
from a race are<br />
prime times to go<br />
gadget-free. “Without<br />
the pressure of<br />
seeing your pace, it<br />
can be easier to take<br />
it easy while you’re<br />
ramping up again,”<br />
Mayer says.<br />
• Remind yourself.<br />
This habit is tricky<br />
because you’re<br />
shifting your routine<br />
on just one day of<br />
the week. You lace<br />
up, slap on your<br />
watch, and grab your<br />
phone—and you’re<br />
out the door with all<br />
the gear you meant<br />
to leave behind. So<br />
choose a consistent<br />
day—say, a tech-free<br />
Tuesday—and set a<br />
recurring phone alert<br />
for before you head<br />
out, Plotnek says.<br />
• Go by time.<br />
Measuring some<br />
runs by time instead<br />
of distance lets you<br />
at least downgrade<br />
from a GPS unit to<br />
an analog watch. If<br />
you feel the need<br />
to note your pace<br />
and mileage at the<br />
end, choose a go-to<br />
route—you’ll at least<br />
avoid continually<br />
checking your pace,<br />
Reichmann says.<br />
• Reset your motivation.<br />
On gadget-free<br />
runs, focus on contemplation,<br />
prayer, or<br />
disconnecting from<br />
the stress of the day.<br />
You might experience<br />
your runs in a new<br />
way and embrace<br />
being unreachable,<br />
Plotnek says.<br />
HABIT<br />
Cook at<br />
home more<br />
often<br />
> Extra calories, fat,<br />
sugar, and sodium<br />
lurk in restaurant<br />
dishes, so dining out<br />
adds extra pounds<br />
that weigh down your<br />
running performance<br />
and your health.<br />
One study in the<br />
journal Public Health<br />
Nutrition found that<br />
two or more restaurant<br />
meals per week<br />
added up to an extra<br />
quarter-pound of<br />
bulk per year on<br />
average. Research<br />
suggests that carrying<br />
just two excess<br />
pounds can add 12.4<br />
seconds to your 5-K<br />
time and one minute,<br />
45 seconds to your<br />
marathon finish.<br />
You don’t have to<br />
transform into a top<br />
chef, but mastering<br />
kitchen basics has<br />
perks beyond weight<br />
control. “Preparing<br />
your own food teaches<br />
you what works<br />
for your fuel needs<br />
and what doesn’t,”<br />
says Brownell.<br />
“You’re in control of<br />
the food choices and<br />
also the cost.”<br />
HOW TO FORM ANY HABIT...<br />
• Follow your “why.” Write<br />
down the benefits you hope to<br />
gain, from a smaller waist to<br />
that half-marathon PR.<br />
• Schedule it in. Whatever<br />
calendar you use, block time<br />
in it for your new behavior.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Get a jumpstart.<br />
Sign up for a cooking<br />
class. Whole Foods<br />
offers courses at<br />
their stores; you can<br />
also seek out local<br />
options or check out<br />
instructional videos<br />
at runnersworld<br />
.com/quickbites.<br />
• Clean up your<br />
kitchen. Ditch or<br />
stow gear you never<br />
use to clear real<br />
estate for daily tools<br />
like a chef’s knife,<br />
a cutting board, a<br />
pot, and a grill pan,<br />
along with common<br />
ingredients like olive<br />
oil, salt, and pepper.<br />
• Re-create your<br />
cravings. Have a<br />
restaurant fave<br />
Google it—you may<br />
find the recipe or<br />
something similar.<br />
Experiment at home<br />
to replicate the flavors<br />
while controlling<br />
the ingredients.<br />
• Plan for flavor.<br />
Take 30 minutes to<br />
an hour each week to<br />
find recipes and go<br />
to the grocery store.<br />
Don’t forget fresh<br />
herbs, which “keep<br />
meals interesting,<br />
and if you are interested,<br />
you are more<br />
likely to eat at home,”<br />
Brownell says.<br />
Habits are your brain’s behavioral shortcuts, says Wendy Wood,<br />
Ph.D., a psychology and business professor and vice dean of<br />
social sciences at the University of Southern California—once<br />
they’re ingrained, they’re automatic. Here’s how to get there.<br />
• Blab about it. Ask family and<br />
running partners to hold you<br />
accountable (or to join you).<br />
• Change your surroundings.<br />
Remove triggers for old habits<br />
and make new ones as easy<br />
and visible as possible.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 69
HABIT<br />
Add a<br />
weekly<br />
long run<br />
> Efforts of an hour<br />
or longer build<br />
endurance, grow<br />
capillaries that carry<br />
nourishing blood<br />
to your muscles,<br />
strengthen bones<br />
and ligaments,<br />
and prepare you<br />
for races of any<br />
distance. Newer or<br />
low-mileage runners<br />
first need to focus<br />
on running regularly<br />
three or four times<br />
per week, then<br />
building up to an<br />
hour on one of those<br />
runs, says Ditsch.<br />
Designate one day<br />
a week as your<br />
long day, even if<br />
that means 20<br />
minutes of run/walk<br />
instead of your usual<br />
15. Then add 10 percent<br />
to your longest<br />
run per week, but<br />
never any more<br />
than a half-mile to<br />
two miles at a time,<br />
Ditsch says.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Plan it out. Write<br />
out your long-run<br />
progression for<br />
the next month or<br />
two in advance,<br />
then sit down each<br />
Sunday night or<br />
Monday morning<br />
and plug your long<br />
run (and the others)<br />
into your schedule.<br />
Be flexible—if you<br />
need to reserve<br />
weekends for family<br />
activities, try early<br />
Friday mornings for<br />
long runs.<br />
• Turn in early. “If<br />
you’re going longer<br />
on Saturday, Friday<br />
night should be a<br />
little more mellow.<br />
Eat and drink appropriately<br />
for what’s<br />
coming up,” says<br />
Mayer.<br />
• Try a new scene.<br />
Drive to a nearby trail<br />
or forest preserve.<br />
Varying your surroundings<br />
will make<br />
the hours or miles<br />
pass more quickly.<br />
• Find some buddies.<br />
A support<br />
system helps any<br />
new habit take root.<br />
But groups provide<br />
added benefits as<br />
the miles add up—<br />
safety, distraction,<br />
and an opportunity to<br />
develop bonds.<br />
HABIT<br />
Get<br />
enough<br />
sleep<br />
> Few habits have as<br />
much of an impact<br />
on your running and<br />
your health. “Everything<br />
is so much<br />
worse when you<br />
don’t have enough<br />
sleep; it not only permeates<br />
your running,<br />
it affects your work<br />
life, your family, your<br />
relationships,” Sapper<br />
says. While you<br />
snooze, your body<br />
and mind recharge,<br />
repairing the damage<br />
done from hard training,<br />
releasing human<br />
growth hormone<br />
to build muscles,<br />
and strengthening<br />
connections between<br />
nerves and muscles.<br />
Regularly shorting<br />
on shut-eye has been<br />
linked to everything<br />
from limits on your<br />
muscle glycogen<br />
storage to injury<br />
risk and moodiness,<br />
weight gain,<br />
diabetes, and heart<br />
disease. Most people<br />
need six to nine hours<br />
per night; if you<br />
regularly feel like you<br />
might nod off during<br />
meetings or if you<br />
conk out immediately<br />
when you hit the<br />
sack, you’re probably<br />
not sleeping enough.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Declare bedtime<br />
sacred. Start<br />
Build up to at least one<br />
hour once per week by<br />
gradually lengthening<br />
your longest run.
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with a month-long<br />
commitment to add<br />
between a half-hour<br />
and an hour more to<br />
your regular sleeping<br />
time. Clear that<br />
block of time plus<br />
an hour beforehand<br />
to wind down. Ask<br />
your friends and<br />
family to nix latenight<br />
calls and texts,<br />
says Shelby Harris,<br />
Psy.D., director of<br />
the Behavioral Sleep<br />
Medicine Program at<br />
Montefiore Medical<br />
Center.<br />
• Unplug. During<br />
that final hour,<br />
shut down all your<br />
screens, including<br />
phones, TVs, tablets,<br />
and computers. The<br />
blue light they emit<br />
dims production of<br />
the sleep hormone<br />
melatonin. Designate<br />
an old running-shoe<br />
box for electronics—at<br />
the appointed<br />
time, plunk your devices<br />
inside and shut<br />
the lid until morning.<br />
Do something<br />
relaxing, like reading<br />
a book or completing<br />
a crossword, instead.<br />
• Watch the caffeine.<br />
Rethink that<br />
late-afternoon latte.<br />
A caffeine jolt as<br />
long as six hours<br />
before bedtime can<br />
disrupt your slumber,<br />
decreasing the restfulness<br />
of your sleep<br />
without you even<br />
realizing it, according<br />
to a study in the Journal<br />
of Clinical Sleep<br />
Medicine.<br />
• Choose sleep over<br />
miles. If you’re an<br />
early morning runner<br />
but can’t seem to hit<br />
the sack early the<br />
night before, cut your<br />
run a few miles short<br />
rather than setting<br />
your alarm earlier,<br />
Sapper says.<br />
HABIT<br />
Apply<br />
sunscreen<br />
before<br />
every run<br />
> An estimated one<br />
in five Americans<br />
will develop skin cancer—and<br />
with long<br />
hours on the roads or<br />
trails, runners face a<br />
particularly high risk.<br />
In fact, an Austrian<br />
study found distance<br />
runners had more<br />
irregular moles and<br />
other cancer risk<br />
factors than nonathletes.<br />
Ultraviolet light<br />
also causes wrinkles,<br />
brown spots,<br />
and other cosmetic<br />
damage, says marathoner<br />
and Boston<br />
dermatologist Robin<br />
Travers, M.D. Fortunately,<br />
sunscreen<br />
protects you from all<br />
these consequences,<br />
provided you use<br />
it properly. While<br />
visible sunlight dims<br />
on cloudy or winter<br />
days and at dawn or<br />
dusk, cancer-causing<br />
UVA rays still shine<br />
through—so unless<br />
your entire run will be<br />
completed with the<br />
aid of a headlamp,<br />
you need to slather<br />
up, she says.<br />
To avoid burning<br />
eyes, put sunscreen on<br />
only the bottom half<br />
of your face. Wear a<br />
hat and sunglasses to<br />
protect the rest.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Go up an SPF. A<br />
sun protection factor<br />
of 15 adequately<br />
protects you from<br />
skin cancer, but<br />
only if you use the<br />
recommended ounce<br />
to cover your body—<br />
and most people,<br />
even dermatologists,<br />
don’t, Travers says. “I<br />
can’t tell you how often<br />
I’ve been on the<br />
Boston Marathon bus<br />
in the morning and I<br />
see people applying<br />
these teeny tiny dabs<br />
of sunscreen to their<br />
faces,” she says. If<br />
you move up to 45<br />
or higher, you’re<br />
more likely to get the<br />
protection you need<br />
even if you skimp.<br />
• Make it last. Most<br />
sunscreens contain<br />
active ingredients<br />
that, paradoxically,<br />
break down after<br />
two to three hours in<br />
ultraviolet light. Look<br />
for ingredients that<br />
say they’re photostabilized,<br />
meaning<br />
they’ll last four to<br />
five hours with one<br />
application. And<br />
make sure the bottle<br />
says “water resistant<br />
for 80 minutes”—<br />
while recent labeling<br />
changes mean no<br />
sunscreen can claim<br />
to be sweatproof,<br />
these formulas resist<br />
moisture the longest,<br />
says American Academy<br />
of Dermatology<br />
spokesman Darrell<br />
Rigel, M.D.<br />
• Stick it in your<br />
shoe. Store the<br />
sunscreen in your<br />
trainers, so you<br />
literally can’t go for a<br />
run without noticing<br />
it, Travers says.<br />
• Avoid the sting.<br />
If burning eyes are<br />
holding you back<br />
from sunscreen<br />
application, try<br />
Travers’s trick: Apply<br />
sunscreen only from<br />
the eyes down, then<br />
protect your eyes<br />
with sunglasses and<br />
your forehead with<br />
a running cap.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 71
HABIT<br />
Eat<br />
breakfast<br />
every day<br />
> Your muscles can<br />
store only about<br />
six to seven hours’<br />
worth of glycogen<br />
for energy, so each<br />
morning you wake up<br />
depleted, says Stoler.<br />
A morning meal offers<br />
you a chance to<br />
replenish them and<br />
also sets the tone for<br />
the rest of your day.<br />
Studies of people<br />
who’ve lost weight<br />
and kept it off show<br />
78 percent of them<br />
eat breakfast on a<br />
regular basis.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Choose something<br />
over nothing. Your<br />
stomach may need to<br />
adjust to eating first<br />
thing. Even a piece<br />
of fruit can get you<br />
started, Plotnek says.<br />
• Balance it out. Add<br />
on until you’re eating<br />
a meal that’s about<br />
300 to 400 calories,<br />
featuring half<br />
produce, one-quarter<br />
whole grains, and<br />
one-quarter lean protein.<br />
If you eat it after<br />
your run, aim for a<br />
4:1 ratio of carbohydrates<br />
to protein to<br />
satisfy you and begin<br />
to repair the muscles<br />
you damaged during<br />
your workout.<br />
• Expand your<br />
definition. You don’t<br />
have to stick with<br />
traditional breakfast<br />
food if you’re not a<br />
fan, says Stoler. Leftovers,<br />
sandwiches,<br />
salad—anything is<br />
fair game.<br />
...AND HOW TO STAY ON TRACK<br />
• Pregame it. Spend<br />
Sundays prepping<br />
a week’s worth of<br />
breakfasts—dole out<br />
cooked oatmeal into<br />
single-serving containers<br />
or boil eggs.<br />
If you’re a smoothie<br />
fan, clean, chop, and<br />
store the fresh ingredients<br />
when you get<br />
home from the store.<br />
You can’t measure habits with a clock or a scale. So set up your<br />
own system—whether it’s checkmarks on a calendar or an app<br />
like Tiny Habits (free in the iOS App Store)—to keep tabs on your<br />
progress. Instead of panicking if you lapse, try this:<br />
• Know you’re not alone. Even<br />
the most successful people<br />
slip up; what’s important is<br />
getting back in the habit.<br />
• Be kind. Beating yourself up<br />
does you no favors. Self-compassion<br />
is better for progress.<br />
• Reframe lapses as data.<br />
Figure out why you didn’t do<br />
what you wanted, and make<br />
the necessary changes to your<br />
goals or your approach.<br />
HABIT<br />
Sit less<br />
> Even runners<br />
spend an average<br />
of 10 hours and 45<br />
minutes per day with<br />
their butts parked in<br />
chairs. As you rest,<br />
your hip flexors and<br />
hamstrings tighten<br />
and your posture<br />
slumps, boosting injury<br />
risk, Ditsch says.<br />
And the research on<br />
the health harms of<br />
sedentary behavior<br />
has grown so alarming<br />
that many experts<br />
call the problem<br />
“sitting disease.” An<br />
exercise habit alone<br />
won’t save you from<br />
consequences like<br />
weight gain and heart<br />
disease, but research<br />
also shows that<br />
standing or walking<br />
breaks can make a<br />
big difference.<br />
A postrun smoothie<br />
can provide a 4:1<br />
carbs-to-protein<br />
ratio. For a recipe, go<br />
to runnersworld.com/<br />
smoothie.<br />
MAKE IT ROUTINE<br />
• Track it. Log<br />
your sitting time or<br />
strap on an activity<br />
monitor—manufacturers<br />
like Polar and<br />
Garmin now make<br />
models that double<br />
as GPS devices. Then<br />
consider this: Six to<br />
seven hours of total<br />
daily sitting time<br />
harms your fitness<br />
about as much as<br />
an hour of running<br />
helps it, according to<br />
a study in the Mayo<br />
Clinic Proceedings.<br />
• Set mini-goals.<br />
Use that tracker to<br />
look beyond your<br />
total daily step<br />
count, which is<br />
skewed by your runs.<br />
Most devices tally<br />
the hours you spend<br />
sedentary; aim never<br />
to log more than two<br />
in a row where you’re<br />
getting fewer than<br />
1,000 steps.<br />
• Remind yourself.<br />
Set two alarms on<br />
your phone, computer,<br />
or fitness tracker<br />
midmorning and two<br />
midafternoon to tell<br />
yourself to move.<br />
• Demand to stand.<br />
Make rules for your<br />
workday: Rise each<br />
time someone comes<br />
into your office, pace<br />
on every call, hover<br />
in the back of the<br />
room during meetings.<br />
Anchor it to<br />
what you’re already<br />
doing and you’ll find<br />
it easier to remember,<br />
and over time,<br />
the first behavior will<br />
become a trigger for<br />
the new habit.<br />
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72 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
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RUNNING<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JONATHAN TORGOVNIK (WANYOIKE), MICHAEL NEMETH (FERRO), CHRIS HINKLE (LAGAT), GARETH PHILLIPS (CHARLES)<br />
HENRY WANYOIKE<br />
DIANE CHARLES<br />
JACK DANIELS<br />
LIZ FERRO<br />
BERNARD LAGAT<br />
On the road, track,<br />
and trail, these six<br />
runners inspire<br />
us with their<br />
determination,<br />
generosity, and<br />
(oh, yeah) speed.<br />
EMMA COBURN<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 75
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT<br />
Jack Daniels<br />
When most people see the name Jack<br />
Daniels, they picture a whiskey bottle.<br />
But runners will think about the renowned<br />
coach and exercise physiologist.<br />
At 81, Daniels has had a bigger influence<br />
on training-for-running than anyone.<br />
Indeed, he might be considered<br />
the Albert Einstein of the sport. His<br />
1998 book, Daniels’ Running Formula,<br />
unlocked the mystery of appropriate<br />
training paces for runners of all abilities.<br />
His philosophy was simple: Do<br />
the minimum amount of work for the<br />
maximum payoff.<br />
Daniels attended Sequoia Union high<br />
school in Redwood City, California, and<br />
found he was drawn to the school’s competitive<br />
fitness programs. After a stint<br />
in the Army, and between two Olympic<br />
medals—silver and bronze—as a member<br />
of the men’s U.S. modern pentathlon<br />
team, he attended a sports-coaching<br />
school in Sweden. He decided to make<br />
exercise physiology his career and returned<br />
to the States to write his Ph.D.<br />
thesis on exercise and altitude.<br />
Thank goodness he did. When it was<br />
announced that Mexico City would<br />
host the 1968 Olympics, the first Summer<br />
Games to be held at altitude—7,350<br />
feet above sea level—American runners<br />
needed a crash course. “Jack was the<br />
only one who knew anything about<br />
the physiology of altitude exercise,” says<br />
the great American miler Jim Ryun.<br />
“Everyone else said the altitude was all<br />
in our heads. Without Jack, we couldn’t<br />
have performed as well as we did.” Ryun<br />
won silver in the 1500 meters.<br />
Years later, Daniels was running a<br />
Nike research lab when a panicked<br />
Joan Benoit showed up. She’d just had<br />
arthroscopic knee surgery, couldn’t put<br />
weight on the leg, and was worried about<br />
losing fitness before the 1984 Olympic<br />
Marathon Trials, just two weeks off.<br />
Daniels told her to lie down on the lab<br />
treadmill, face up. He then suspended<br />
an exercise bike, upside down, from the<br />
ceiling, and told her to pedal it with her<br />
arms. “It didn’t do her legs any good,”<br />
he says, “but it got her heart rate up, and<br />
was mainly for her head.” Benoit recovered<br />
to win both the Olympic Trials and<br />
the first women’s Olympic Marathon.<br />
It was in the 1980s that Daniels began<br />
a 17-year stretch of coaching and teaching<br />
at SUNY Cortland. His athletes won<br />
130 Division III All-American awards.<br />
And while he’s continued working with<br />
elites, working with college kids has<br />
brought him as much or even more satisfaction.<br />
One of his runners, Vicki Mitchell,<br />
began her Cortland career as a 2:39<br />
800-meter runner. By the end, she ran<br />
2:31 for the last 800 of a 10,000-meter<br />
win in 33:01. “<strong>Runners</strong> with less talent<br />
have more room for improvement,” says<br />
Daniels. “How much fun is that” These<br />
days, he teaches online classes for A.T.<br />
Still University and coaches part time<br />
at Wells College in New York.<br />
With his penchant for numbers, you<br />
might think Daniels is an aggressive<br />
taskmaster. Nope. He’s soft-spoken, a<br />
gifted storyteller, and a believer that less<br />
often is more. “My runners are always<br />
telling me they can run faster than the<br />
paces I give them,” he says. “I say, ‘I<br />
know that, but we’re not trying to run<br />
fast workouts. We’re trying to run smart<br />
workouts that lead to fast races.’”<br />
In September, two-time U.S. Olympic<br />
marathoner Ryan Hall announced<br />
he would be coached by Daniels. Hall<br />
hopes to bounce back from several subpar<br />
years. “My dad and I first met Jack<br />
at a Jim Ryun Running Camp in 1999,”<br />
says Hall. “The next year, with our new<br />
training knowledge, I dropped to 4:05<br />
in the mile. I’m confident he can get me<br />
back as a runner.”<br />
How will Daniels do that “The key<br />
is to help Ryan believe he still has the<br />
talent he’s always had. My job is to provide<br />
an environment where we don’t do<br />
anything stupid, and where we bring<br />
Ryan back to his full potential.”<br />
Don’t do anything stupid. Wise words<br />
from running’s Einstein. —AMBY BURFOOT<br />
He’s coached<br />
Olympians, but<br />
Daniels, here with his<br />
runners from Wells<br />
College in New York,<br />
loves working with<br />
student-athletes.<br />
76 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JOHN MILLER
THE VISIONARY<br />
Henry Wanyoike<br />
Like many young Kenyans, Henry Wanyoike<br />
hoped to someday represent his<br />
country on the world stage as a professional<br />
runner. He ran several miles to<br />
and from school and could rip off a 13:50<br />
5-K. But shortly after suffering a mild<br />
stroke at age 21, he awoke one morning<br />
blind. “I’ll remember the day always, the<br />
first of May 1995,” he says. “It was quite<br />
tough, going to bed with good sight and<br />
the next day, you are not able to see.”<br />
Deeply depressed and suicidal, Wanyoike<br />
did little over the next three years.<br />
He eventually attended the Machakos<br />
Technical Institute for the Blind in<br />
Machakos, Kenya, learned braille, and<br />
began knitting scarves and sweaters for<br />
income. When the school’s vice principal<br />
encouraged him to run, he said no.<br />
“I was so afraid,” he says. But with the<br />
guidance of sighted runners, he started<br />
jogging again. He fell a lot, he says, but<br />
“I continued because I saw that something<br />
inside me hadn’t died.”<br />
One year later, in 2000, he practically<br />
pulled his malaria-addled guide through<br />
the final 200 meters to win the 5000<br />
meters at the Sydney Paralympic Games.<br />
His time of 15:46.29 was just three seconds<br />
shy of the world record for a blind<br />
athlete (specifically, a T11 athlete, one<br />
with near total to total blindness; Wanyoike<br />
is 95 percent blind).<br />
Beating the record would require<br />
a more consistent training partner,<br />
so Wanyoike turned to his boyhood<br />
friend, Joseph Kibunja, who wasn’t a<br />
runner—“I walked to school,” he says—<br />
but who couldn’t turn his buddy down.<br />
After 18 months of hard training, the<br />
pair smashed the world record in both<br />
the 5000 and 10,000 meters, running<br />
15:17.75 and 32:34.31, respectively, at<br />
the 2002 World Championships in Lille,<br />
France. They reset those marks two<br />
years later to 15:11.07 and 31:37.25 at the<br />
2004 Paralympic Games. A year after<br />
that, they ran the London Marathon in<br />
2:32:51, a world record for T11 athletes.<br />
The following week (yes, you read that<br />
right, week), the two friends clocked<br />
2:31:31 at the Hamburg Marathon.<br />
Wanyoike’s performances catapulted<br />
him to prominence in Kenya. He became<br />
front-page news and the recipient of two<br />
presidential awards, including the nation’s<br />
highest, the Order of the Golden<br />
Heart. Driven to use his success to improve<br />
the plight of the disabled, who are<br />
often stigmatized in Kenya, he launched<br />
the Henry Wanyoike Foundation in<br />
2005. With donations from individuals<br />
and corporations, the foundation has donated<br />
canes, wheelchairs, and sewing<br />
machines to programs for the disabled;<br />
awarded scholarships to amputees; and<br />
opened a kindergarten. As its primary<br />
fund-raiser, the foundation hosts the<br />
Hope for the Future Run 7.5-K in Kenya,<br />
which drew 18,000 participants last<br />
year. To date, Wanyoike and Kibunja<br />
have traveled to more than 700 schools<br />
across Kenya and Europe, talking to kids<br />
about acceptance and determination.<br />
“Our message is about teamwork,” says<br />
Wanyoike. “I could not be a champion<br />
without it. When we work together, we<br />
can live in harmony and make this world<br />
better than we found it.”<br />
Wanyoike’s call for inclusion has<br />
helped enlighten Kenya to the needs<br />
of people with disabilities. In 2010, the<br />
country modified its constitution to require<br />
all counties to include a representative<br />
from traditionally marginalized<br />
people, including the disabled. In 2013,<br />
Wanyoike was appointed to the Kiambu<br />
county assembly as part of that initiative.<br />
His story of triumph over adversity<br />
is now included in social studies textbooks<br />
for schoolkids.<br />
That story continues. Wanyoike and<br />
Kibunja are looking to break their own<br />
record and run a sub-2:30 marathon in<br />
Rio at the 2016 Paralympic Games. Yes,<br />
heat could be a factor, and, yes, they’ll<br />
be 42 and 41, respectively, but Wanyoike<br />
sees little else standing in their way.<br />
Vision, as he likes to point out, is more<br />
powerful than sight. —MICHELLE HAMILTON<br />
Wanyoike (right)<br />
and his guide, Joseph<br />
Kibunja, train in the<br />
Ngong hills in Kenya.<br />
They are working<br />
to change Kenyans’<br />
attitudes toward the<br />
disabled.<br />
78 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPH BY JONATHAN TORGOVNIK
THE PIONEER<br />
Diane Charles<br />
The story of how women fought their<br />
way into the marathon is often told, but<br />
less is known about those who came<br />
before them, the trailblazers in track<br />
and cross-country. One such runner is<br />
Diane Leather (now Charles), who, on<br />
May 29, 1954, became the first woman to<br />
run sub-five minutes in the mile. Sixty<br />
years on, she is at last being celebrated as<br />
a barrier-breaker for her historic 4:59.6.<br />
Growing up in Streetly, England,<br />
Charles played lacrosse until age 19,<br />
when the 1952 Helsinki Olympics caught<br />
her imagination. She joined the Birchfield<br />
Harriers in Birmingham, where<br />
coach Dorette Nelson-Neal recognized<br />
the young woman’s talent and steered<br />
her to longer events (for women, “long”<br />
meant cross-country, the 880 yards, and<br />
occasionally, the mile). A year later, she<br />
ran 5:02.6 for the mile—a world best.<br />
The lead-up to that first sub-five mile<br />
was dramatic: In 1953, Romania’s Edith<br />
Treybal ran 5:00.3. On May 26, 1954,<br />
Charles also fell a gasp short in a local<br />
race, running 5:00.2. Three days later,<br />
at the women’s track and field championships<br />
in Birmingham, Leather set the<br />
British record for the 880 yards, running<br />
2:14.1. Later that afternoon, she lined up<br />
for the mile. Almost from the start, she<br />
ran alone. Her splits were wildly uneven,<br />
yet with a final surge she dipped under<br />
five minutes, with four-tenths of a second<br />
to spare and half a lap clear of her<br />
closest competitor.<br />
Other than devoted track fans, however,<br />
no one noticed. Women’s track<br />
was well established by 1954 but limited<br />
mainly to sprints and jumps; not until<br />
1960 would women be allowed to race<br />
farther than 200 meters in the Olympics,<br />
and it wasn’t until 1967 that the<br />
International Association of Athletics<br />
Federations (IAAF) recognized women’s<br />
world records in the mile and 1500<br />
meters. (Charles’s time, run in a championship<br />
with qualified timekeepers, is<br />
considered valid by track statisticians.)<br />
By contrast, when Roger Bannister just<br />
23 days earlier became the first man to<br />
break four minutes, he became an instant<br />
legend. “It’s just the way it was,”<br />
says Charles. “I did get a lot of attention<br />
from people who knew what it meant.”<br />
Charles broke the record four more<br />
times, culminating in a 4:45 in 1955. She<br />
set three ratified world records in the<br />
880 yards, and won silver twice in the<br />
800 meters at the European championships.<br />
In one unforgettable 800 in 1957,<br />
the London crowd jubilantly cheered<br />
as she defeated two Russians in a Cold<br />
War Britain versus USSR contest. Four<br />
times, she won the competitive English<br />
cross-country championship.<br />
After retiring at age 27, Charles went<br />
on to teach, do social work, and raise<br />
four children. At age 81, she lives with<br />
her husband of 55 years in a remote<br />
corner of Cornwall, and remains modest<br />
about her role in women’s running,<br />
saying, “I had no idea that I would ever<br />
be called a pioneer.” She prefers to avoid<br />
acclaim, especially from the media.<br />
Despite her reticence, Charles has<br />
gotten more attention of late with the<br />
recent 60th anniversary of her and<br />
Bannister’s performances. Last May,<br />
the two presented the inaugural Diane<br />
Leather and Roger Bannister trophies<br />
at the Bupa Westminster Mile outside<br />
Buckingham Palace. Alison Leonard, 24,<br />
won the women’s race in 4:35. “Meeting<br />
Diane was fantastic,” Leonard wrote RW<br />
in an e-mail. “She was pushing boundaries<br />
in the 1950s, and she’s inspiring us<br />
to push the boundaries today.”<br />
Indeed, the current field of women<br />
1500-meter runners is one of the deepest<br />
and most exciting in memory, with<br />
stars like Jenny Simpson—two-time<br />
world medalist and 2014 Diamond<br />
League Champion—and 18-year-old<br />
prodigy-turned-pro Mary Cain. They<br />
owe their event’s history to the woman<br />
with the silky-smooth stride who, 60<br />
years ago, stuck to the simple advice she<br />
offers athletes today: “Train hard, and<br />
give it all you’ve got.” —ROGER ROBINSON<br />
Charles broke her<br />
historic mile record<br />
four more times. She<br />
did it for the last time<br />
in 1955, running 4:45<br />
in London (above).<br />
80 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GARETH PHILLIPS; REG BURKETT/GETTY (RACE)
THE MASTER<br />
Bernard<br />
Lagat<br />
OLDER ATHLETES did great<br />
things in 2014. Meb Keflezighi,<br />
39, won the Boston<br />
Marathon. Deena Kastor, 41,<br />
set the masters world record<br />
in the half-marathon. But<br />
arguably no one systematically<br />
crushed his younger<br />
competitors quite like Bernard<br />
Lagat, 40. Last February,<br />
for the third consecutive<br />
year, he broke an American<br />
record at the Millrose Games<br />
For Lagat, getting<br />
older means racing<br />
smarter. “I used to be<br />
the lead man behind<br />
the pacemaker. Now<br />
when I go to the front,<br />
I get toasted.”<br />
in New York, this time in the<br />
2000 meters (he now owns<br />
six ARs). At the World Indoor<br />
Championships in March, he<br />
ran second in the 3000 (he<br />
now has 13 world medals). In<br />
June, he outkicked 27-yearold<br />
Andrew Bumbalough<br />
to win the U.S. 5000 meter<br />
championships in Sacramento<br />
(he’s now claimed 12 U.S.<br />
titles since turning 31).<br />
Known as much for his<br />
grace and humility as his<br />
dominance, Lagat is regarded<br />
by his peers with awe and<br />
respect. After getting routed<br />
by the (relative) old-timer in<br />
the 2000 meters at Millrose,<br />
runner-up Cam Levins, 25,<br />
told Runner’s World, “Everyone<br />
wants to get that scalp,<br />
so to speak, to be able to say,<br />
‘I was one of the few athletes<br />
to beat Bernard Lagat’...It’s<br />
an honor to race Bernard.”<br />
Born in Kenya, Lagat became<br />
a U.S. citizen in 2004<br />
after having begun his career<br />
at age 24. He credits his longevity<br />
to his coach, James<br />
Li; his training partners,<br />
including Olympian Abdi<br />
Abdirahman and NCAA<br />
champion Lawi Lalang; and<br />
his wife, Gladys, a registered<br />
dietitian. “When I started<br />
my career in the late ’90s, I<br />
would just eat anything,” he<br />
says, laughing. “I’m no longer<br />
going to Burger King and<br />
eating Whoppers.” He works<br />
out just once a day—“short,<br />
but intense”—and only takes<br />
Sundays off. “Your body has<br />
to be listened to more than<br />
before,” he says. “For us [older<br />
runners], we have to be<br />
smarter in order to perform<br />
well.” As a competitor, he’s<br />
become more patient. Once<br />
a front-runner, he now lurks<br />
in third or fourth position—<br />
waiting to strike with a kick<br />
that is the envy of runners<br />
nearly half his age.<br />
That age gap struck Lagat<br />
once again in September as<br />
he lined up for the 3000 meters<br />
at the Continental Cup in<br />
Marrakech, Morocco. Three<br />
lanes over was 20-year-old<br />
Abrar Osman of Eritrea.<br />
“When he was born, I was<br />
one year younger than he is<br />
now,” says Lagat (who was 39<br />
at that race). “I’m like, Wow,<br />
that’s crazy.” Still, he dusted<br />
the kid and crossed the<br />
line in third. Keenly aware<br />
that his competitive days are<br />
numbered, he turned to an<br />
adoring crowd and bowed.<br />
This time, the honor was<br />
his. —NICK WELDON<br />
82 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS HINKLE
RISING STAR<br />
Emma<br />
Coburn<br />
SHE MADE ONE thing very<br />
clear in 2014: Steeplechase<br />
is mine.<br />
“The goal [for the year]<br />
was just to be healthy, hopefully<br />
PR, and be under 9:20,”<br />
says Emma Coburn, 24. She<br />
did all that, and more. She<br />
won her first race, in Shanghai<br />
in May, in 9:19.8—a PR.<br />
Later that month, she placed<br />
third in 9:17.84 in the Prefontaine<br />
Classic, then won the<br />
national championships in<br />
Sacramento in June. On July<br />
5, she ran 9:14.12 in Paris for<br />
second. Seven days later in<br />
Glasgow, she again finished<br />
second, but her time of<br />
9:11.42 was the third-fastest<br />
in the world for 2014—and an<br />
American record.<br />
Coburn ran her first steeplechase<br />
as a high-school<br />
junior in Crested Butte, Colorado.<br />
She was scheduled to<br />
run the 800 meters at a meet<br />
in Albuquerque, but she says,<br />
“My dad didn’t want to drive<br />
all that way to just watch me<br />
run two laps.” So she signed<br />
up for a 2-K steeplechase.<br />
She won, and qualified for<br />
nationals.<br />
Her fourth-place performance<br />
at nationals helped<br />
net her a scholarship at<br />
the University of Colorado,<br />
where she made nationals as<br />
a freshman, placed second as<br />
a sophomore, and won both<br />
the NCAA and U.S. titles as<br />
a junior. She red-shirted her<br />
senior year to focus on the<br />
2012 Olympics, where she<br />
finished ninth in the steeplechase.<br />
In 2013, she won her<br />
second NCAA title, running<br />
through a lower-back injury<br />
that ended her season early.<br />
Coburn is known for her<br />
fearless, front-running style.<br />
The steeple is a grueling<br />
event—7.5 laps with four 30-<br />
inch barriers and one barrier-plus-water<br />
jump per lap.<br />
“My best chance of winning<br />
doesn’t come in a sit-andkick<br />
race,” she says. “It’s a<br />
bold move to run hard from<br />
the start, and often it leads to<br />
second place but a great time.<br />
But I prefer to run that way.”<br />
Steeplers need<br />
strength, timing,<br />
balance, and nerve.<br />
It’s Coburn’s habit<br />
to take the lead from<br />
the gun, Prefontainestyle.<br />
It’s a gamble that’s put the<br />
world on notice: Watch out<br />
for the Americans. “Running<br />
a full international schedule<br />
this year gave Emma that<br />
high level of competition<br />
to take her racing to the next<br />
level,” says Jenny Simpson,<br />
owner of the previous American<br />
steeple record of 9:12.50<br />
(set in 2009, before she<br />
switched to the 1500 meters).<br />
“I anticipate that the steeple<br />
will continue its steady<br />
rise—it’s already happening<br />
with [three other American<br />
women] all breaking the<br />
9:30 time barrier for the first<br />
time in 2014.”<br />
Coburn agrees, calling<br />
2014 “one of the best years<br />
the women’s steeple has<br />
ever had.” But for this gutsy<br />
runner, it’s just the start. “I<br />
haven’t reached my potential<br />
yet.” —N. W.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 83
THE TEACHER<br />
Liz<br />
Ferro<br />
LIZ FERRO knows all about<br />
abandonment, abuse, and<br />
betrayal. She was adopted<br />
at the age of 2 after being<br />
moved between four foster<br />
homes, then at age 8, a neighbor<br />
sexually abused her. Her<br />
mother pressured her to<br />
remain silent. The experience<br />
erased her self-esteem<br />
and led to bulimia, suicidal<br />
behavior—and a lifetime dependence<br />
on exercise. She<br />
“Once you find<br />
healthy ways to cope<br />
with traumas, you<br />
don’t ever want to<br />
lose that feeling,”<br />
says Ferro, here with<br />
members of<br />
Girls With Sole.<br />
ran her first 5-K in seventh<br />
grade, joined the track team<br />
in high school, and kept running<br />
into adulthood. “I ran to<br />
clear out anger and replace<br />
it with joy,” says Ferro, 45.<br />
As an adult living near<br />
Cleveland, she observed<br />
that there were no volunteer<br />
organizations focused on<br />
helping at-risk girls and girls<br />
who have experienced abuse<br />
of any kind. “Girls in general<br />
have a harder time with<br />
self-esteem and body issues,<br />
and abuse makes those problems<br />
harder to overcome,”<br />
Ferro says. She sold T-shirts<br />
and held a fund-raising fashion<br />
show, and in August 2009<br />
launched Girls With Sole, a<br />
program that combines fitness<br />
with esteem building.<br />
By partnering up with urban<br />
schools, mental-health<br />
treatment centers, and pediatric<br />
wellness initiatives,<br />
Ferro brings the program to<br />
girls ages 9 through 18 for 12<br />
weeks (or longer, depending<br />
on the facility). Weekly sessions<br />
begin with 30 minutes<br />
of physical activity and end<br />
with a feel-good project—like<br />
one in which each girl collects<br />
compliments from the<br />
others in a small bucket they<br />
can save for bad days.<br />
All girls get free running<br />
shoes and apparel, much of<br />
it donated by Second Sole<br />
Rocky River (a local running<br />
store), and entry into<br />
one of two 5-Ks. Many of<br />
those starting the program<br />
claim to hate running, so<br />
Ferro doesn’t force it—she<br />
incorporates it via games and<br />
ball sports. “It’s like pureeing<br />
the vegetables and sneaking<br />
them into the kid’s milkshake,”<br />
she says. Before they<br />
know it, they’re 5-K ready—<br />
and willing. About 800 girls<br />
have completed the program<br />
and run a race.<br />
Girls With Sole is still a<br />
full-time, one-woman operation.<br />
Ferro hopes to expand,<br />
but that requires funding she<br />
doesn’t have—yet. (She has<br />
netted more than $11,000<br />
in donations since October<br />
2013, when she began 50<br />
States for Sole, a mission to<br />
run a marathon in every state<br />
in the name of the program.)<br />
Several cities are interested,<br />
so Ferro is hopeful she can<br />
continue to spread her message:<br />
“Girls With Sole empowers<br />
girls to move forward<br />
with resilience, no matter<br />
what they need to overcome.”<br />
—MEGHAN G. LOFTUS<br />
84 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL NEMETH
2015<br />
Marathon<br />
RCalendar<br />
Whether you love<br />
crowds or crave<br />
solitude, want cool<br />
ocean breezes or<br />
peak fall foliage,<br />
there’s a 26.2 with<br />
your name on it.<br />
By Jen A. Miller<br />
YOUR<br />
PERFECT<br />
MARATHON<br />
LIKE THE SPORT of running itself, the marathon attracts<br />
more and more people each year. According to the latest<br />
Running USA statistics, more than 541,000 runners finished<br />
U.S. marathons in 2013—a 40 percent increase over<br />
the last decade and a 140 percent increase since 1990.<br />
And the number of events is rising, too: <strong>Runners</strong> competed<br />
in 1,100 different U.S. marathons, compared with<br />
only 300 in 2000. With those big numbers come plenty<br />
of options—you can choose a 26.2-miler that is enormous<br />
or tiny, serious or whimsical, flat or mountainous. So<br />
what do you love in a race We’ve done the groundwork<br />
for you, and identified 10 Runner’s World–approved<br />
marathons—some well-known, some less so—that meet<br />
myriad tastes. We’re sure one is just right for you.<br />
Grandma's<br />
Marathon in<br />
Minnesota offers<br />
Lake Superior views<br />
and a mostly flat<br />
course.
If you / ENJOY MUSIC AS MUCH AS YOU ENJOY RUNNING / sign up for<br />
Mississippi Blues<br />
Marathon<br />
January 10 / Jackson, Mississippi<br />
560 marathoners / msbluesmarathon.com<br />
You’ll find blues bands at<br />
the expo, at eight to 10 locations<br />
along the racecourse,<br />
and in the start/finish area,<br />
which doubles as a concert<br />
space—live music starts<br />
playing before the winner<br />
arrives and doesn’t stop until<br />
the final runner crosses<br />
the line. <strong>Runners</strong> receive a<br />
compilation CD of the acts<br />
along the course and a harmonica<br />
in their swag bags,<br />
and the medal is always<br />
music-themed. (This year’s<br />
is a guitar made of blue<br />
stained glass.) If you’re up<br />
for some postrace fun, join<br />
the “Blues Crawl,” a freefor-runners<br />
bar crawl with<br />
transportation.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW Some<br />
50-state marathon runners<br />
take on the “Back2Back<br />
Challenge”—this race<br />
on Saturday followed by<br />
the First Light Marathon<br />
in Mobile, Alabama, on<br />
Sunday. For $40, the truly<br />
hard-core can take a chartered<br />
bus to and from the<br />
Alabama race.<br />
Rolling, Urban, Looped Course<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP John<br />
Noblin, a Jackson native,<br />
designed the course as<br />
a one-day tour of his<br />
hometown. <strong>Runners</strong> pass<br />
the current and former<br />
state capitol buildings, the<br />
Mississippi War Memorial<br />
building, and the Mississippi<br />
Agricultural and<br />
Forestry Museum, and run<br />
through the city’s three<br />
college campuses.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT<br />
This rolling race includes<br />
900 feet of climbing.<br />
Beware the later hills,<br />
says Chris McNeece of<br />
Brandon, Mississippi,<br />
who was the race’s 3:15<br />
pacer last year. “Between<br />
miles 22 and 23.5, you<br />
encounter your first of<br />
two consecutive climbs,”<br />
he says, the first a twopercent<br />
grade for fourtenths<br />
of a mile and<br />
the second slightly less<br />
steep but a half-mile<br />
long. “That can be tough<br />
if your tank is running<br />
on empty.”<br />
This out-and-back race, which takes place in the 306-<br />
square-mile Red Rock Canyon National Conservation<br />
Area, boasts snow-capped peaks, desert flora, and,<br />
of course, plenty of red and orange rock faces. You’ll<br />
mostly be running solo, thanks to the small field, though<br />
you’ll pass 400 half-marathoners, who start at the turnaround<br />
point 45 minutes after the marathoners begin.<br />
Prepare for hills throughout the course, and not the<br />
gentle, rolling variety: Elevations start at about 3,500<br />
feet and max out at 4,771 feet.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW No need to rent a car if you’re staying<br />
on the Las Vegas Strip: The race takes place about<br />
30 miles away, but organizers offer a shuttle ($30 per<br />
person) to take runners and spectators to and from the<br />
start/finish area. The 4:30 a.m. departure time from<br />
Bally’s Las Vegas (for a 6 a.m. start) guarantees some<br />
interesting encounters with partiers who never went to<br />
bed the previous night.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP Enjoy the views from the summit—<br />
which you’ll hit at miles 8.8 and 18.4—but also remember<br />
to look around at miles six and 20. “It’s an area called<br />
Ice Box Canyon, and it’s the closest you will get to the<br />
Red Rock Canyon without getting off the paved road,”<br />
says race director Joyce Forier.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT Spectators might be scant, but<br />
be on the lookout for wildlife, says Nicole Tassone of<br />
Las Vegas, who won the women’s marathon last year.<br />
Possible sightings: wild burros and horses, and the<br />
desert tortoise, which is on the Federal Endangered<br />
Species List.<br />
Look around! This<br />
Nevada race offers<br />
spectacular red rock<br />
views and occasional<br />
wildlife sightings.<br />
If you<br />
/ PREFER SCENERY OVER CROWDS /<br />
sign up for<br />
RED ROCK CANYON MARATHON<br />
March 7 / Las Vegas, Nevada<br />
106 marathoners<br />
calicoracing.squarespace.com<br />
Hilly, Rural, Out-and-Back Course<br />
THIS PAGE (TOP TO BOTTOM): GIB FORD/COURTESY OF MISSISSIPPI BLUES MARATHON (1), FRANK L EZELLE (MUSICIANS, 2); MITCHELL CHAN (RED ROCK CANYON MARATHON), SUE KOLAR/FRIENDS OF RED ROCK CANYON (TORTOISE)<br />
PREVIOUS OPENING SPREAD: PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF FREY & ASSOCIATES/COURTESY OF GRANDMA'S MARATHON;<br />
88 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
If you / SAVOR COOL OCEAN BREEZES / sign up for<br />
New Jersey Marathon<br />
April 26 / Long Branch, New Jersey<br />
2,113 marathoners / njmarathon.org<br />
Flat, Suburban/Waterfront, Looped Course<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> will traverse the<br />
longest stretch of boardwalk<br />
this course has<br />
been able to include since<br />
Hurricane Sandy hit the<br />
Jersey Shore in 2012. High<br />
temperatures on race day<br />
rarely exceed 60 degrees,<br />
and breezes off the Atlantic<br />
generally help keep the<br />
course cool. The race’s first<br />
half winds through neighborhoods<br />
in the city where<br />
Bruce Springsteen was<br />
born, while the second half<br />
runs closer to the ocean.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW Between<br />
miles five and six is “Pork<br />
Roll Alley,” named for the<br />
locally famous processed<br />
breakfast meat that residents<br />
along this stretch<br />
grill up as they cheer from<br />
their lawns. You’ll pass the<br />
Stone Pony, the music venue<br />
in Asbury Park where<br />
The Boss made his bones,<br />
between miles 17 and 18.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP<br />
“Much of the first half is<br />
run on tree-lined streets,<br />
but once you turn south at<br />
about mile 12, there’s less<br />
shade,” says race director<br />
Joe Gigas. Wear sunscreen<br />
and sunglasses.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT<br />
If you’ve never run on<br />
boardwalk, know that it’ll<br />
add some spring to your<br />
step: “The boards have a bit<br />
more give than asphalt,”<br />
says Jeff Lyons of Wynnewood,<br />
Pennsylvania, who<br />
vacations at the Jersey<br />
Shore and has run the race<br />
four times.<br />
TOP TO BOTTOM: LIFE TIME FITNESS/COURTESY OF NEW JERSEY MARATHON (1); COURTESY OF JOHN FLICKINGER/WOW PHOTOGRAPHY (2)<br />
This Denver race<br />
leads you through a<br />
firehouse and around<br />
the field where the<br />
Broncos play.<br />
If you / SEEK ADVENTURE / sign up for<br />
COLFAX MARATHON<br />
May 17 / Denver, Colorado<br />
1,332 marathoners / runcolfax.org<br />
Flat, Urban, Mostly Looped Course<br />
If marathons on highways bore you, try this Denver<br />
race. Between miles three and four, the course passes<br />
through a fire station, where firefighters and police<br />
officers cheer runners. A few miles later, you’ll enter Mile<br />
High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos, where you’ll<br />
run along the perimeter of the field and see yourself on<br />
the JumboTron. (If you forget to look up, no worries:<br />
You’ll go through the stadium again between miles 20<br />
and 21.) Enjoy views of the mountains and downtown<br />
Denver as you circle 177-acre Sloan’s Lake, then pass<br />
through the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design<br />
campus and by Casa Bonita (a Mexican restaurant that<br />
South Park made famous) in the second half.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW A 10-mile race shares the last 10 miles<br />
of the marathon course and begins an hour and a half<br />
later. The nearly 1,000 runners in the 10-miler start one<br />
at a time to avoid swarming the marathoners.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP You’ll be running at elevations between<br />
5,100 and 5,500 feet, so if you’re a flat-lander, adjust<br />
your expectations, says race director Creigh Kelley.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT The four-mile stretch from miles<br />
16 to 20 can be tedious, says Katie Hardy of Fort Collins,<br />
Colorado, who ran the 2014 race. “You feel like you’re<br />
running straight forever and not getting any closer to<br />
the finish,” she says. Crowd support lags there, too.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 89
<strong>Runners</strong> start at the<br />
University of Oregon,<br />
cross the Willamette,<br />
and finish on a<br />
legendary track.<br />
If you<br />
/ ARE A RUNNING SUPERFAN /<br />
sign up for<br />
EUGENE MARATHON<br />
May 10 / Eugene, Oregon<br />
1,361 marathoners / eugenemarathon.com<br />
Flat, Urban/Suburban, Looped Course<br />
If you / WANT TO RUN—AND LOVE—YOUR FIRST MARATHON / sign up for<br />
Grandma’s Marathon<br />
June 20 / Duluth, Minnesota<br />
6,212 marathoners / grandmasmarathon.com<br />
Flat, Waterfront, Point-to-Point Course<br />
Marathoners can expect<br />
weather that’s not too<br />
warm or too cold, a course<br />
that’s neither too flat nor<br />
too hilly, and the company<br />
of other runners without<br />
crowding. Temperatures<br />
are typically in the 50s,<br />
with a breeze off Lake<br />
Superior to keep things<br />
cool. <strong>Runners</strong> start in the<br />
woods and run along the<br />
north shore of the lake on<br />
a rolling course that loses<br />
130 feet from start to finish.<br />
And with about 6,000 total<br />
marathoners, you’ll never<br />
run alone—but you won’t<br />
lack space to run, either.<br />
Crowd support ramps up<br />
when you enter Duluth<br />
around mile 18. The city<br />
rallies behind the event,<br />
and spectators will carry<br />
#RunNerds, this one’s for you. Eugene is the epicenter<br />
of American distance running—it’s where Nike began,<br />
where Steve Prefontaine lived and died, and the home of<br />
the Oregon Track Club (which boasts stars like Ashton<br />
Eaton and Alexi Pappas). You’ll start on the University<br />
of Oregon campus, run through the city of Eugene (also<br />
known as Tracktown, USA), then enjoy 11 miles along<br />
the Willamette River. The grand finale is on the historic<br />
Hayward Field track, where legendary coach and Nike<br />
cofounder Bill Bowerman trained Pre.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW The Oregon Twilight Meet, a University<br />
of Oregon–sponsored track event that includes runners<br />
from middle school all the way up to professional levels,<br />
will be held the Friday night before the marathon.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP You’ll enjoy a fast course, says race<br />
director Richard Maher—more than 20 percent of 2014<br />
finishers qualified for the Boston Marathon. It’s mostly<br />
flat, but there’s a 200-meter hill around mile eight.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT Expect a surge of emotion at<br />
the finish, says Samara Phelps, a Eugene native who<br />
has run the race twice. “Coming in and getting to run<br />
the Bowerman Curve [the final turn on the track, which<br />
passes Bowerman’s statue]—it makes me tear up just<br />
to talk about it,” she says. “It’s a different perspective<br />
to be there on the track.”<br />
you to the finish at Duluth’s<br />
Canal Park.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW The race<br />
takes its name from the<br />
local Grandma’s restaurant<br />
chain, which dishes<br />
up comfort food and has<br />
sponsored the marathon<br />
since 1977. <strong>Runners</strong> might<br />
get a hug or high-five from<br />
“Grandma,” who dances<br />
and cheers at the finish.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP Beware<br />
the short, steep hill<br />
around mile 22—it rises 60<br />
feet in elevation over about<br />
a third of a mile. “It’s not<br />
much of a hill, but it comes<br />
at the end when you’re getting<br />
tired,” says executive<br />
director Jon Carlson.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT<br />
A crowd always gathers<br />
at the easily accessible halfway<br />
point. “I had about 10<br />
family and friends there,<br />
plus there were a ton of<br />
other people,” says Ray<br />
Law of Minneapolis, who<br />
ran the race last year. “It’s<br />
like a second wind.”<br />
TOP TO BOTTOM: PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF PURE BLUE DESIGN (2), MARATHONFOTO (RACE START); JEFF FREY & ASSOCIATES, COURTESY OF GRANDMA'S MARATHON<br />
90 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
If you<br />
/ LOVE A GOOD SUNRISE /<br />
sign up for<br />
TREK SUPPORT<br />
Best sites to<br />
research your<br />
goal race before<br />
you commit<br />
TOP TO BOTTOM: PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BRIGHTROOM/INDIANAPOLIS MARATHON (1); COURTESY OF MIKE MARRERO (3)<br />
SOUTHERNMOST MARATHON<br />
October 10 / Key West, Florida<br />
233 Marathoners / somomarathon.com<br />
Flat, Waterfront, Looped Course<br />
Travel to the farthest reaches of the contiguous United<br />
States for this race, which traverses four of the 1,700<br />
Florida Keys. The bulk of the marathon takes place on<br />
a bike path along the Atlantic, and runners cross four<br />
bridges along the way. This race starts and ends at the<br />
Rum Barrel, which hosts a finish party with food, drinks,<br />
and a DJ from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Still thirsty Five<br />
other bars offer all-day drink specials for race finishers.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW The race, which began in 2013, became<br />
USATF-certified last year. Half-marathoners share the<br />
first eight miles with marathoners, but they start 45 minutes<br />
later, so you’ll have most of the views to yourself.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP The weather will likely be hot. “It<br />
doesn’t matter what time of the year it is down here, it’s<br />
humid,” says race director Elizabeth Love. “Practicing<br />
your hydration is key.” The race starts at 5:30 a.m., and<br />
20 water and sports-drink stops line the course.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT The sunrise happens nearly two<br />
hours after the start, so you’ll see the sky transition from<br />
night to day. “My favorite stretch of the race was going<br />
over the Boca Chica Channel Bridge [between miles nine<br />
and 11],” says Pamela Smith of Sugarloaf, Florida, who<br />
ran the race in 2013. “The sunrise view is amazing, and<br />
the cross-breeze can save your life.” Race organizers<br />
add lighting to early miles to make sure runners can see.<br />
A predawn start<br />
helps runners keep<br />
cool for the first<br />
hours of this<br />
tropical race.<br />
MARATHON<br />
GUIDE.COM<br />
It’s the Yelp.com<br />
of marathoning:<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> who’ve<br />
completed a race<br />
rate its course,<br />
organization, and<br />
fan support on a<br />
one- to five-star<br />
scale and leave<br />
feedback—sometimes<br />
just a few<br />
lines, sometimes<br />
paragraphs. You’ll<br />
find details on the<br />
entire experience,<br />
positive and<br />
negative, that the<br />
race’s Web site<br />
may not mention,<br />
which could help<br />
you better plan<br />
your day.<br />
FINDMY<br />
MARATHON.<br />
COM<br />
This site offers<br />
a tool called<br />
the Marathon<br />
Converter, which<br />
allows you to plug<br />
in your time from<br />
one race to see<br />
what an equivalent<br />
time might<br />
be on a different<br />
course. You’ll also<br />
find elevation<br />
charts and historical<br />
weather data.<br />
Haven’t decided<br />
on a target race<br />
The search tool<br />
is unique in that<br />
it allows you to<br />
narrow down by<br />
average weather<br />
conditions and<br />
course profile<br />
(i.e., downhill,<br />
mostly flat, rolling<br />
hills) in addition to<br />
time of year and<br />
location.<br />
RUNNERS<br />
WORLD.COM/<br />
WATCHDOG<br />
If you’re running<br />
a race that’s not<br />
well-established,<br />
check here to<br />
make sure its<br />
organizers haven’t<br />
fleeced runners in<br />
the past.<br />
If you<br />
/ DELIGHT IN FALL FOLIAGE /<br />
sign up for<br />
Indianapolis<br />
Marathon<br />
October 17<br />
Indianapolis, Indiana<br />
616 marathoners<br />
indianapolismarathon.com<br />
Flat, Rural/Suburban,<br />
Looped Course<br />
Leaf-peep while you run at this<br />
20-year-old event. You’ll pass<br />
through 1,700-acre Fort Harrison<br />
State Park in the first half<br />
of the race, continue through<br />
a 10-mile stretch of Fall Creek<br />
Greenway Corridor Park until<br />
mile 25.5, and finish through<br />
the streets of suburban Indianapolis.<br />
As you run along the<br />
parks’ mostly paved bike paths,<br />
you’ll find far more colorful<br />
trees than cheering spectators,<br />
so expect to be able to hear the<br />
crunching of leaves beneath<br />
your feet.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW The race<br />
starts and ends at the Lawton<br />
Loop, an oval lined with early<br />
20th-century military homes<br />
that have been restored and<br />
converted to private dwellings.<br />
(And yes, the residents come<br />
out to cheer runners.)<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP Be ready<br />
for a final climb, says race director<br />
Joel Sauer. A hill at mile<br />
25 gains 85 feet over a half mile.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT Though<br />
the race is named after its host<br />
city, it’s not urban: Expect<br />
a rural setting with great<br />
scenery, says Michael Smith<br />
of Brownsburg, Indiana.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 91
If you<br />
/ PREFER TO RUN WITH A CROWD /<br />
sign up for<br />
New York<br />
City<br />
Marathon<br />
November 1<br />
New York City<br />
50,546 marathoners<br />
tcsnycmarathon.org<br />
Rolling, Urban,<br />
Point-to-Point Course<br />
The New York City Marathon is<br />
the largest in the world. If you<br />
get in (the lottery is open January<br />
15 to February 15), you’ll<br />
run through all five of the city’s<br />
boroughs, starting on Staten<br />
Island and ending in Manhattan’s<br />
Central Park, to the tune<br />
of more than a million spectators.<br />
Rejected More than 7,000<br />
charity bibs are available.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW The average<br />
wait at the Staten Island start<br />
village is two hours and 15 minutes.<br />
Bring warm clothes, food,<br />
and something dry to sit on.<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP The longest<br />
hill is the first mile, over<br />
the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,<br />
says Mary Wittenberg, president<br />
and CEO of the New York<br />
Road <strong>Runners</strong>. Save energy, she<br />
says. You’ll need it for mile 23, a<br />
gradual uphill and “the toughest<br />
mile on the course.”<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT There's<br />
huge crowd support as you exit<br />
the Queensboro Bridge onto<br />
First Avenue at mile 16, says<br />
Abby Lombardi, who ran the<br />
race in 2013 and 2014. Enjoy it,<br />
but resist the urge to speed up.<br />
SECURE YOUR<br />
SPOT<br />
Popular races are<br />
challenging just<br />
to get into.<br />
CHICAGO<br />
MARATHON<br />
OCTOBER 11<br />
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS<br />
CHICAGOMARATHON.COM<br />
For last year’s<br />
race, the lottery<br />
opened in early<br />
March and closed<br />
after about a<br />
month. Lottery<br />
entrants who had<br />
met qualifying<br />
standards within<br />
the previous two<br />
years—a 3:15<br />
marathon for men<br />
and a 3:45 for<br />
women, regardless<br />
of age—were<br />
guaranteed entry.<br />
MARINE CORPS<br />
MARATHON<br />
OCTOBER 25<br />
WASHINGTON, D.C.<br />
MARINEMARATHON.COM<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> who complete<br />
the Marine<br />
Corps 17.75-K on<br />
March 28 receive<br />
guaranteed entry,<br />
but that race is expected<br />
to sell out<br />
in minutes when<br />
it opens on March<br />
11. (For more info,<br />
see “Branch Out,”<br />
page 109.) Everyone<br />
else must<br />
enter the lottery,<br />
which opens<br />
March 13.<br />
WALT DISNEY<br />
WORLD<br />
MARATHON<br />
JANUARY 10, 2016<br />
ORLANDO, FLORIDA<br />
RUNDISNEY.COM<br />
Race to your<br />
computer when<br />
registration<br />
opens on April<br />
28—this year’s<br />
event sold out<br />
in three weeks,<br />
and the system<br />
is first-come,<br />
first-entered.<br />
ALL THESE RACES<br />
OFFER BIBS THROUGH<br />
CHARITY PARTNERS—<br />
VISIT THEIR WEB SITES<br />
FOR DETAILS.<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> begin their point-to-point tour of Sacramento<br />
near the Folsom Dam and finish in front of the state<br />
capitol building. While the course is net downhill and<br />
known for its speed, it’s no pancake—rolling hills carry<br />
you through the first 18 miles before tapering out, says<br />
race director Eli Asch. The event sells out each year, but<br />
organizers save spots for runners who’ve come within<br />
five minutes of their Boston Marathon qualifying standard—they<br />
can register as late as October 15.<br />
GOOD TO KNOW The race has had different finishing<br />
chutes for men and women—so the first female wouldn't<br />
have to dodge men—since it began in 1983. The 19 pace<br />
groups start at 2:18 (the men’s Olympic Trials “B” qualifying<br />
standard), 2:43 (the women’s Olympic Trials “B”<br />
qualifying standard), and 3:00, then are spaced to match<br />
Boston qualifying times (in five- to 15-minute increments<br />
between 3:05 and 5:25).<br />
RACE-DIRECTOR TIP Though it’s not required, you should<br />
take the free shuttles the race offers to the start, says<br />
Asch. The school buses depart from seven locations (all<br />
near clusters of hotels), and runners can stay on board<br />
until up to 10 minutes before the gun. While race-morning<br />
temperatures are usually in the 40s, they were below<br />
freezing in 2013, and the runners on the heated buses<br />
were much happier than those outside them.<br />
BEEN THERE, RUN THAT Janet Smith of San Jose, who<br />
has run the race six times, recommends watching for<br />
two tricky spots: First is a “sharp turn around mile 10<br />
while running downhill, followed by a relatively long<br />
uphill,” she says. And while the second half of the race<br />
is fairly flat, you’ll climb at mile 22, when you reach the<br />
overpass spanning the American River.<br />
The course loses<br />
340 feet of elevation<br />
from start to capitalcity<br />
finish—perfect<br />
for PR-seekers.<br />
If you<br />
/ WANT TO NAIL A TIME GOAL /<br />
sign up for<br />
CALIFORNIA INTERNATIONAL<br />
MARATHON<br />
December 6 / Sacramento, California<br />
6,238 marathoners / runcim.org<br />
Downhill, Suburban/Urban,<br />
Point-to-Point Course<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS (TOP TO BOTTOM): LUCAS JACKSON/REUTERS/CORBIS; BRIAN BAER/SACRAMENTO BEE/ZUMA PRESS, GETTY IMAGES (SACRAMENTO CAPITOL)<br />
92 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
Kiss Me...<br />
i'm a shamrocker<br />
Sells Out Mid-December So Don’t Miss Out!<br />
Get Your Green On & Register Today at<br />
ShamrockMarathon.com<br />
Yuengling Shamrock<br />
Marathon Weekend 2015<br />
MARCH 20-22 | Virginia Beach, VA<br />
Yuengling Shamrock Marathon<br />
Anthem Half Shamrock Marathon<br />
TowneBank Shamrock 8K<br />
Operation Smile Shamrock Final Mile<br />
#ShamrockOn15<br />
Rates Increase<br />
January 1 st !
PUMPING ...<br />
RUBBER<br />
BY KATIE MCDONALD NEITZ<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS HORNBECKER
MIND+BODY SPECIAL<br />
No gym No equipment No time No problem! This total-body workout<br />
can be done anywhere in just 15 minutes, and the only equipment you need is a<br />
pair of running shoes. (Seriously.) Pascal Dobert, strength coach of the Bowerman<br />
Track Club, designed it to build power, endurance, and speed, and to shore up weak<br />
spots to guard against injury. He leads his Nike athletes through it regularly, and if<br />
you do it twice a week, you, too, will become a better, healthier runner.<br />
It’s that simple. And, yes, it’s harder than it looks.<br />
Olympian Evan Jager<br />
(left) and NCAA<br />
champ Emily Infeld<br />
(right) train out of<br />
the box with strength<br />
coach Pascal Dobert<br />
in Portland, Oregon.<br />
BEFORE YOU START<br />
Dobert suggests<br />
doing this routine in<br />
bare feet (or socks)<br />
to activate the<br />
muscles in your feet.<br />
But if you have foot<br />
issues, wear shoes<br />
for support. For the<br />
arm moves, you can<br />
hold running shoes<br />
for light resistance.<br />
If you want a bigger<br />
challenge, use light<br />
weights instead. Aim<br />
to do the routine two<br />
days a week on offdays<br />
or following an<br />
easy run.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 95
1 2 3 4<br />
SQUAT SERIES<br />
SUMO SERIES<br />
TRUNK ROTATIONS<br />
SUPERMAN<br />
1. Lower down into a slight<br />
squat. Push the palms of your<br />
hands against the outside of<br />
your knees as you push out<br />
with your knees (above, left).<br />
2. Then, while holding the<br />
squat, do each of these<br />
movements 3 times: Move<br />
knees side to side; circle<br />
knees to the left and to the<br />
right (above, right); do figure<br />
eights; move front to back.<br />
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with<br />
a squat that’s slightly deeper.<br />
Repeat again while holding<br />
a full squat position (quads<br />
parallel to the floor).<br />
4. Do 3 full squats with<br />
your toes straight ahead,<br />
3 with toes pointed out, and<br />
3 with toes pointed in.<br />
5<br />
1. Stand with your feet slightly<br />
wider than shoulder-width<br />
apart, toes pointed out a bit.<br />
Squat down and place your<br />
elbows between your knees<br />
and your palms together.<br />
2. Maintaining this position,<br />
squeeze in with your knees<br />
and perform these movements:<br />
Move side to side<br />
3 times; circle left 3 times;<br />
circle right 3 times; do 3<br />
figure-eight motions; move<br />
front to back 3 times.<br />
3. Hold the sumo position for<br />
5 seconds.<br />
4. Holding the sumo position,<br />
bring your feet closer together<br />
by walking your feet in—<br />
move heel, toe, heel, toe.<br />
6<br />
Standing with your feet<br />
shoulder-width apart, twist<br />
your torso at the waist to the<br />
left 10 times. Repeat to the<br />
right 10 times.<br />
You can opt to hold weights instead of<br />
running shoes. But be warned: Dobert<br />
says he’s seen pro football players<br />
fatigue using mere 2-pounders.<br />
Lie facedown with your arms<br />
outstretched above your<br />
head. Keeping limbs straight<br />
and your torso stationary,<br />
simultaneously lift your arms<br />
and legs up off the ground.<br />
Hold for 10 seconds and<br />
release both arms and legs to<br />
the ground. Do 10 times.<br />
FOLLOW ALONG<br />
Watch strength coach<br />
Pascal Dobert guide<br />
Nike athletes Evan<br />
Jager and Emily Infeld<br />
through this routine at<br />
runnersworld.com/<br />
pumpingrubber.<br />
BRIDGE SERIES<br />
PLANK SERIES<br />
Pascal Dobert, a 2000 Olympian,<br />
has been training the Bowerman<br />
Track Club since 2009.<br />
1. Lie on your back with both<br />
feet on the ground, toes<br />
pointed straight ahead. Raise<br />
your hips up and then lower.<br />
Repeat 10 times.<br />
2. While your hips are in the<br />
air, lift one leg off the ground<br />
and extend it out straight.<br />
Hold this one-legged bridge<br />
position for 10 seconds.<br />
Then, while still holding that<br />
leg out, lower and lift your<br />
hips 10 times. Repeat on the<br />
other leg.<br />
3. From the one-legged<br />
bridge position, kick the<br />
extended leg up and bring it<br />
over your head (or as high as<br />
possible). Return the leg back<br />
to the ground. Do this bridge<br />
kick 5 times on each leg.<br />
1. Lie on your side with your<br />
elbow under your shoulder.<br />
Maintaining a straight line<br />
from your feet to knees and<br />
hips to shoulders, lift your<br />
hips up. Hold for 30 seconds;<br />
work up to 1 minute.<br />
2. From the raised position,<br />
lower and raise your hips up<br />
and down 5 to 10 times.<br />
3. From the raised position,<br />
rotate your torso slightly<br />
forward. While maintaining<br />
that lean, lower and raise your<br />
hips again 5 to 10 times.<br />
4. From the raised position,<br />
rotate your torso forward and<br />
back 5 to 10 times.<br />
5. From the raised position,<br />
extend your top arm straight<br />
up into the air. Rotate and<br />
reach your arm under your<br />
waist (above, left). Return<br />
your arm back to the extended<br />
position. Do 5 to 10 times.<br />
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 on the<br />
other side of your body.<br />
7. Lie facedown. Rest your<br />
body weight on your forearms<br />
and toes (above, right).<br />
Your arms should be parallel<br />
to each other, your elbows in<br />
line with your shoulders. Hold<br />
for 1 minute.<br />
8. Then, while holding a<br />
plank, move your entire body<br />
forward and backward on<br />
your toes 10 times. Then,<br />
while holding the plank position,<br />
circle your upper body<br />
right 10 times. Then, circle<br />
left 10 times.<br />
Evan Jager, 25, a 2012<br />
Olympian, holds the American<br />
record in the steeplechase.<br />
Emily Infeld, 24, an NCAA<br />
champion, ran 31:47 in her<br />
debut 10-K in 2013.<br />
96 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
7 8 9<br />
ARM RAISE SERIES<br />
AROUND-THE-WORLDS<br />
OVERHEAD PRESS<br />
1. Stand with feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart with your arms<br />
at your sides, holding shoes<br />
with palms facing in. Lift your<br />
arms out to the side so that<br />
they are extended out and<br />
in line with your shoulders<br />
(above, left). Do 5 reps with<br />
palms in this position. Do 5<br />
more reps with your palms<br />
facing back, behind you. Do<br />
5 more reps with your palms<br />
facing out, away from you.<br />
2. Start from the same position.<br />
With your palms facing<br />
in toward each other, raise<br />
your arms out in front of you<br />
at a 45-degree angle so that<br />
your arms form a “V” (above,<br />
middle). Do 5 reps with palms<br />
facing in, 5 reps with palms<br />
facing back, and 5 reps with<br />
palms facing out.<br />
3. Start from the same<br />
position. With your palms<br />
facing in toward each other,<br />
raise your arms straight out in<br />
front of you so that they are<br />
parallel to each other (above,<br />
right). Do 5 reps with palms<br />
facing in, 5 reps with palms<br />
facing back, and 5 reps with<br />
palms facing out.<br />
Stand with your feet<br />
shoulder-width apart with<br />
your arms hanging straight<br />
down, holding shoes, palms<br />
facing in. Keeping your arms<br />
straight, lift your arms out to<br />
your sides, and then circle<br />
them up above your head.<br />
Have both shoes (or weights),<br />
make contact with each other<br />
above your head on each rep.<br />
Do 5 reps with palms facing<br />
in, 5 reps with palms facing<br />
back, and 5 reps with palms<br />
facing out.<br />
Stand with feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart, palms facing in.<br />
Bend your elbows, and raise<br />
your arms straight overhead<br />
so that both shoes make contact<br />
with each other above<br />
your head. Do 5 reps with<br />
palms facing in, 5 reps with<br />
palms facing back, and 5 reps<br />
with palms facing out.<br />
10 11 12 13<br />
SCARECROWS<br />
FLYS<br />
PULSES<br />
ROWS<br />
ILLUSTRATIONS BY TM DETWILER<br />
Stand with feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart, holding shoes<br />
with your palms facing in.<br />
Bend your elbows and raise<br />
your arms up into a “goalpost”<br />
position, with shoes<br />
(or weights) in line with your<br />
ears. Rotate your arms<br />
down while maintaining a<br />
90-degree angle at your<br />
elbows. Do 5 reps with palms<br />
facing in, 5 reps with palms<br />
facing back, and 5 reps with<br />
palms facing out.<br />
Stand with feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart, holding shoes<br />
with your palms facing in.<br />
Raise your arms directly out in<br />
front of you, keeping a slight<br />
bend in your elbows. Pull your<br />
arms back. Do 5 reps with<br />
palms facing in, 5 reps with<br />
palms facing back, and 5 reps<br />
with palms facing out.<br />
Stand with your feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart, holding shoes<br />
with your palms facing in.<br />
Raise up your arms to your<br />
sides. Maintain this extendedarm<br />
position and do small<br />
pulses, moving up and down.<br />
Do 5 reps with palms facing<br />
in, 5 reps with palms facing<br />
back, and 5 reps with palms<br />
facing out.<br />
Stand with your feet shoulderwidth<br />
apart, holding shoes<br />
with your palms facing in.<br />
Bend slightly forward from the<br />
hips. Extend your arms down<br />
in front of you. Then, bend<br />
your elbows and bring your<br />
hands up toward your chest.<br />
Next, straighten your arms so<br />
that your hands extend out<br />
to your sides. Do 5 reps with<br />
palms facing in, 5 reps with<br />
palms facing back, and 5 reps<br />
with palms facing out.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 97
Author Steve<br />
Friedman (far right)<br />
and his sister, Ann, on<br />
their training ground<br />
in Colorado. Inset: the<br />
two in St. Louis,<br />
circa 1964.<br />
MY<br />
SISTER,<br />
SCREAMING<br />
WEEPING<br />
FRAYED<br />
HARD<br />
WILD<br />
UNUSUAL<br />
98 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
By Steve<br />
Friedman<br />
THE<br />
RUNNER<br />
A tale of<br />
KIDS,<br />
ADULTS,<br />
FAMILY TIES,<br />
LABOR,<br />
ANIMALS, and one<br />
5-K RACE<br />
on a Hopi reservation<br />
in the Arizona<br />
desert, in ten parts<br />
Photographs by Michael Friberg
AUGUST 2014<br />
I’M WORRIED about my<br />
little sister.<br />
Barely half a mile into her first 5-K, and<br />
she’s gasping. Her face is pinched. Her<br />
mouth is twisted in a way that usually<br />
portends cursing, a hissing string<br />
of “Jesus Christs” and/or a lengthy,<br />
jaw-clenching period of silence that I<br />
always suspect is directed at me, because<br />
it usually is. Now, though, she<br />
needs my help.<br />
“You’re doing great, Annerino!” I say.<br />
We’re plodding over flat, dusty ground,<br />
along the ridge of the Second Mesa, just<br />
outside the Hopi village of Shungopavi,<br />
the oldest village on the middle of three<br />
mesas that constitute the Hopi reservation<br />
in Arizona’s northeastern desert.<br />
She wheezes, won’t even acknowledge<br />
me by turning her head. I wave at the<br />
gossamer clouds, at the soft shadows<br />
gliding across the brown and white and<br />
green and red earth stretching below us,<br />
at the loping clots of Native Americans,<br />
ahead and behind—mostly ahead—of us.<br />
Isn’t this fantastic Has she ever seen<br />
anything so beautiful Ann grunts.<br />
For the past three months, I had told<br />
her—in person, over the phone, through<br />
e-mail—about pace, and she had ignored<br />
me. I had spoken at length about leaning<br />
forward, and core strength, and<br />
the importance of visualization,<br />
and she had muttered “Jesus Christ!”<br />
and ordered me to go watch television,<br />
or take a nap, “because that’s<br />
what you do.” At the starting line, in<br />
the gentle light of a chilly pastel sunrise<br />
that would soon shed its seductive costume<br />
and turn to pitiless desert heat, I<br />
had hummed the Rocky theme song for<br />
motivation and because it’s something I<br />
often did when I was feeling cheerful, or<br />
anxious, and she had commanded me to<br />
stop making noise and to leave her alone.<br />
How could I She has had trouble<br />
breathing since she was a teenager.<br />
When she was 19, the summer after her<br />
freshman year in college, she returned<br />
from California and landed in a room at<br />
Barnes Hospital (now Barnes-Jewish<br />
Hospital) in St. Louis, where we grew<br />
up. I was 25 then, soon to be fired from<br />
my first newspaper job in Columbia,<br />
Missouri, recently broken up with my<br />
girlfriend, trying to figure out what to<br />
do with my life, worrying about failure<br />
and death, not sleeping well, suffering<br />
chronic and vague digestive and skin<br />
ailments. But my sister needed me, so<br />
I drove home, two hours east. It was a<br />
bright, washed out Midwestern July day,<br />
but in the hospital room all was cool and<br />
fluorescent and beeping. There was Ann,<br />
in bed, an IV stuck to a yellowing patch<br />
on her ancient-looking wrist, her lips<br />
chapped, her cheek bones poking out,<br />
the piercing blue eyes that had stunned<br />
so many boys into shuffling, stammering<br />
helplessness unfocused and cloudy.<br />
I could hear her ragged gasping, just beneath<br />
some off-key guitar strumming.<br />
The strumming was coming from a guy<br />
sitting in the chair on the window side<br />
of Ann’s bed. He had lank brown hair<br />
to his shoulders; a long, thin nose; and<br />
gray, hungry eyes that reminded me of<br />
Steve, a.k.a. Coach<br />
Butterball, turns a<br />
learned eye to his<br />
sister’s running form<br />
on the Colorado<br />
Trail.<br />
a particularly mangy desert fox. He was<br />
sitting cross-legged, barefoot, and I noticed<br />
the bottoms of his feet were black.<br />
Our mother sat on the other side of the<br />
bed, looking at the guy with a granite<br />
smile and cold marble eyes. “So, dear,<br />
what did you say you did for a living<br />
And what brings you to St. Louis And<br />
do your parents know you’ve been hitchhiking<br />
Could we help with bus fare to<br />
wherever you need to go” The doctors<br />
suspected pleurisy, or a rare fungal infection,<br />
and Ann was in a great deal of<br />
pain, and barely had the strength to say<br />
“water,” but still she managed to focus<br />
and narrow her cloudy eyes upon my<br />
mother, who pretended not to notice.<br />
When Ann was released, our mother<br />
suggested she move home for a little<br />
while and maybe they could go shopping<br />
together for some “nice” shoes,<br />
“because those cowboy boots you wear<br />
all the time must be so uncomfortable.”<br />
Ann declined. Five years later, after she<br />
had graduated college and had moved to<br />
San Francisco and we were both visiting<br />
home, I took Ann out for a hot fudge<br />
sundae at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard<br />
stand and, sitting on the hood of my pale<br />
blue Chevy Caprice on Grand Avenue,<br />
in an island of light in the midst of the<br />
city’s hulking darkness, asked her if she<br />
didn’t think graduate school might not<br />
100 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
e easier than her life in San Francisco’s<br />
Mission District, where she had been<br />
learning pottery and selling flowers<br />
from a wooden cart. A family member<br />
(who has requested that I not identify<br />
him) suggested to Ann, when they were<br />
in line at a grocery store in suburban St.<br />
Louis that, “you get a real job, like this<br />
young lady” (pointing to the grocery<br />
store bagger—“Not the clerk, the friggin’<br />
bagger!” Ann remembers), “rather<br />
than trying to make a living throwing<br />
a bunch of mud around.”<br />
She needed me then. She needs me<br />
now. Of course I can’t leave her alone.<br />
“Maybe you can pick up your knees a<br />
little, rather than shuffling,” I say. We’re<br />
moving at a 13-minute-mile pace. She<br />
cuts me a look, continues shuffling.<br />
Thirty-three years have passed since the<br />
hospital stay (doctors never did figure<br />
out what was wrong). Ann is 52 now. I<br />
am 58, still single and worried, but my<br />
stomach and skin are better. Family resentments<br />
have calcified, then softened,<br />
and chipped and calcified some more.<br />
Were they softening or calcifying here<br />
among the Hopi I wasn’t sure.<br />
“And maybe you could use your<br />
arms a little rather than flopping them<br />
around.” We had started near the front<br />
of about 150 mostly Hopis, with Navajos<br />
and maybe Zunis, too, many of them<br />
lean, muscled, serious-looking, and after<br />
about 20 yards, nearly all had passed us,<br />
the chubby and old among them.<br />
“We’re not really part of the community<br />
this far back,” I mention to Ann.<br />
“I think it might show more respect to<br />
the reservation elders if we got closer<br />
to the middle of the pack.”<br />
“Go!” Ann said. “Just go!” Maybe she<br />
yelled a little.<br />
“No, I’m running with you,” I said.<br />
“We’re in this together. I’m your coach.”<br />
“I’m not running, I’m jogging,” Ann<br />
hissed. “You run how you want to run.<br />
Go run your own race. Leave me alone!”<br />
But how could I<br />
APRIL 2014<br />
ANN AND I share a complicated and occasionally<br />
fractious relationship, marked<br />
by philosophical differences (she believes<br />
in homeopathy and craniosacral<br />
therapy, I like double-meatball pizzas<br />
and Sylvester Stallone movies), dissimilar<br />
appetites for hard labor (she gardens,<br />
farms, chops wood, installs drywall,<br />
and rewires buildings; I enjoy a nice<br />
afternoon nap), and differing views on<br />
optimal child-rearing strategies (“You<br />
are aware that Isaac won’t go upstairs<br />
to his bedroom since you showed him<br />
the trailer for Seed of Chucky, right” she<br />
had screamed at me during a late-night<br />
phone call 10 years ago, shortly after my<br />
nephew had turned 6. “Um,” I had replied.<br />
“What is wrong with you” she<br />
had screamed, even louder).<br />
When my sister e-mailed me in early<br />
springtime that she was planning<br />
to run in the 41st Annual Louis Tewanima<br />
Footrace, she might as well have<br />
announced that she was going to forge<br />
a career in investment banking, register<br />
as a Republican, and move into a Mc-<br />
Mansion. Slender, shapely, a mesmerizer<br />
of men, a great beauty and junior high<br />
school cheerleader, Ann had decided<br />
when she was 16 that she hated all things<br />
that smacked of empty consumerism,<br />
oppressive patriarchy, and lemming-like<br />
adherence to soul-destroying convention<br />
(her words). These things included<br />
professional sports, nine-to-five jobs,<br />
shaving her legs for the next 15 years,<br />
the stock market, much of western medicine,<br />
expensive athletic gear of any sort,<br />
pet dogs acquired anywhere other than a<br />
local pound or rescue center, central air<br />
conditioning, and shoes (other than cowboy<br />
boots, sandals, and Tibetan prayer<br />
slippers). Ann matriculated at the University<br />
of California, Santa Cruz, where<br />
she majored in women’s studies with an<br />
emphasis on psychology and fulfilled<br />
her physical education requirements<br />
with African dance. Now she lives in<br />
Durango, Colorado, a quiet, semi-sleepy<br />
frontier town when she arrived 10 years<br />
ago, and today a preferred destination<br />
for serious river-rafters, world-class<br />
cyclists, mountain-bikers, long-distance<br />
runners, “and just about any rich idiot<br />
willing to spend five godzillion dollars<br />
for Lycra s--t and to devote their lives<br />
to going two seconds faster!”<br />
Ann reads The New Yorker and listens<br />
daily to NPR. She possesses a singular<br />
and wide-ranging sense of style that one<br />
day might involve a bright blue miniskirt<br />
and matching bright blue sandals she<br />
found at a vintage store and another day<br />
showcases red skinny jeans, brown Carhartt<br />
work jacket, and black Mao hat.<br />
She loves jewelry but eschews makeup.<br />
“I’m a minimalist,” she says. “If I put on<br />
nail polish, I feel like I’m suffocating.”<br />
While partial to organic ice cream<br />
and free-trade gourmet coffee, Ann has<br />
also, since she was 3 years old, adored<br />
bologna sandwiches, potato chips (the<br />
cheaper and greasier the better), frozen<br />
pot stickers, and Coca-Cola, and<br />
she treats herself to at least one serving<br />
of each every week, more if she has<br />
encountered a labradoodle or received a<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 101
dinnertime phone call from a marketing<br />
company. When she’s not driving one<br />
of her two children to a cross-country<br />
meet or acting class or ice-skating lesson<br />
or rocket-building workshop, or pulling<br />
a tomato or garlic bulb from her garden,<br />
or walking or feeding the dogs, or<br />
throwing a pot or painting a decorative<br />
plate, or seeing a craniosacral client,<br />
or otherwise “working herself to the<br />
bone,” as our mother laments regularly,<br />
Ann relaxes by spooning gobs<br />
of raw cookie dough into her mouth<br />
and watching episodes of Family<br />
Guy from a DVD she has owned for<br />
a decade. She does this at midnight<br />
as Steve (her husband), and Isaac and<br />
Iris (the children), and Sam and Brinks<br />
(the dogs) sleep. On Sunday mornings,<br />
sipping fancy, freshly brewed coffee in<br />
the backyard, reclining on her chair, ignoring<br />
her kids’ screaming and the dogs’<br />
excited barking, the ringing telephone<br />
and the racket her husband is making<br />
sawing something or hammering something<br />
or drilling something else, she’ll<br />
gaze upward at the thick needles of the<br />
Ponderosa pine that shades the house<br />
and sigh, then speak dreamily of Johnny<br />
Depp. If it’s been a really hard week,<br />
there will be a large bowl of potato chips<br />
within reach.<br />
“I thought you hated organized sports<br />
events,” I e-mailed her. “I thought you<br />
hated organized anything. And I thought<br />
you had insisted, for many years, that<br />
yoga and African dance gave you all the<br />
exercise you needed. Why run now”<br />
She e-mailed me:<br />
To overcome fear of hard things.<br />
To beat my inner “I am a loser”<br />
demons.<br />
To feel powerful in a new way as<br />
my beauty fades.<br />
To prove to my ex-husband that I<br />
am not a fat, lazy slob.<br />
To connect to my obsessive, powerhungry<br />
son.<br />
To give the big F you to all the Durango<br />
crazed athletes...I would do<br />
it without spending five godzillion<br />
dollars on running s--t.<br />
To connect with something bigger<br />
than myself.<br />
To conquer middle-aged oblivion.<br />
To set a good example for my 12-<br />
year-old daughter.<br />
Also, I’ve always liked, been drawn<br />
to, romanticized Native Americans,<br />
so of course the only 5-K I would<br />
ever consider would be on a Hopi<br />
reservation. Also, I think the Hopi<br />
culture is very cool and of course<br />
Little House was my favorite book<br />
Brother and sister<br />
study their shared<br />
history. Opposite, left<br />
to right: with Ann as a<br />
baby, a schoolgirl, and<br />
mom-to-be.<br />
series, and I sided with the Indians<br />
(but they were not Hopis) anyhow...<br />
“Fantastic!” I had e-mailed back. “I’ll<br />
come out and be your coach.”<br />
I offered because over the past decade,<br />
ever since I had to quit basketball because<br />
of chronic injuries, running had<br />
helped me deal with things like stress,<br />
anxiety, weight, and the occasional<br />
certainty that doom was just around<br />
the corner. I could help teach Ann how<br />
running might improve her life.<br />
“I don’t need a coach. I spit on coaches,”<br />
she wrote back.<br />
“C’mon, it’ll be fun. And I’ll take the<br />
kids to movies and stuff.”<br />
“Whatever, Butterball,” she e-mailed<br />
back. Butterball was my nickname as a<br />
toddler. She knows I don’t like it.<br />
JUNE 2014<br />
“I HATE THIS,” Ann says.<br />
“No, you just think you hate it,” I say.<br />
“Relax. We can go as slow as you want.”<br />
Two months after I decided I would<br />
be Ann’s coach, three months before<br />
the event, late afternoon, and we’re<br />
barely shuffling along the red rubberized<br />
surface of Durango’s Miller Middle<br />
School track. We’re at 6,500 feet and I’m<br />
breathing hard. Ann is merely scowling.<br />
As usual, I’m worried about her. “As<br />
slow as I want is walking,” Ann says.<br />
“You can’t go that slow,” I say and<br />
when I see her start to make the bad<br />
face, I quickly add, “but we’re in no<br />
hurry. This isn’t competition.”<br />
I’ve learned over the years that Ann<br />
does not respond well to direct orders.<br />
“All we’re doing is running and talking,<br />
running and talking. Just four and a half<br />
more laps to go and we’ll have a mile.”<br />
Ann grunts. “Tracks are stupid,” she<br />
says. “Jesus Christ!”<br />
“Want to try some visualization exercises”<br />
“No, I don’t want to do some visualization<br />
exercises! God, who invented<br />
tracks What’s wrong with nature Why<br />
are we running on the track, not a trail”<br />
“I wanted to see your form on a neutral<br />
surface,” I lie. The truth is the middle<br />
school is only about 100 yards from<br />
Ann’s house and, in addition to being<br />
lazy, I’m as averse to new things, travel,<br />
adventure, and novelty as my sister is to<br />
lipstick and paying money for purebred<br />
dogs. The track seems simple, and close,<br />
and predictable. I take a great deal of<br />
comfort from routine. The one person<br />
102 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
who has most consistently steered me<br />
away from that is my sister.<br />
“What about what I want” Ann says.<br />
“Well, we agreed that I’m the coach.”<br />
“Well, Coach Butterball, I want to do<br />
what I want.”<br />
“Please don’t call me Butterball.”<br />
“We’re going to the friggin’ trail tomorrow,”<br />
Ann hisses.<br />
“We’ll see,” I say, sanguine, reasonable,<br />
coach-like. “But today we’re going<br />
to discuss negative splits. Also, did you<br />
download the Rocky theme song like I<br />
asked I want to play it for the kids later,<br />
a cup of Joe. “You want to fight with Iris,<br />
be my guest.”) Our mother had arrived<br />
a few hours ago, and was staying at a<br />
rental half a block away. I had listened<br />
to Ann on the phone as she explained<br />
to our mother that no, she didn’t think<br />
Isaac was spending too much time on<br />
homework, and no, she did not think she<br />
would be visiting Portland soon, and no,<br />
she didn’t think Iris was too young to<br />
ride the city trolley alone, and no, she<br />
did not know if there were Internet connections<br />
on the Hopi reservation, and<br />
no, she did not want our mother to bring<br />
them in Europe and everyone can tell<br />
they’re Americans. They’re so aesthetically<br />
wrong!”<br />
I had sighed.<br />
“But then I tried on some running<br />
shoes at the store, and I have to say, they<br />
felt pretty good. But still! A hundred<br />
dollars for a pair of shoes you wouldn’t<br />
even wear that much That could feed<br />
a village in Mozambique for a week!”<br />
Finally, when her husband, Steve (a<br />
captain for Durango Fire and Rescue,<br />
carpenter, contractor, college-educated,<br />
voracious reader, runner, basketball<br />
“A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A PAIR OF RUNNING SHOES YOU<br />
WOULDN’T EVEN WEAR THAT MUCH<br />
THAT COULD FEED A VILLAGE IN MOZAMBIQUE FOR A WEEK!”<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF STEVE FRIEDMAN<br />
to get them emotionally invested in this<br />
great adventure.”<br />
Ann stops, and I shout, “No stopping!<br />
No stopping!” She starts shuffling again.<br />
“Jesus Christ,” she mutters.<br />
It is my second day in Durango. Earlier<br />
I had taken 15-year-old Isaac to a superhero<br />
movie. Superhero movies as well as<br />
hot fudge sundaes seem to ease the kid’s<br />
constant worrying—about high school,<br />
about his relatives, about whether<br />
he’ll be able to fall asleep, about the<br />
science exam next week, about college,<br />
about adulthood. He reminds me of me.<br />
This concerns me. Before that I had enjoyed<br />
morning coffee with 12-year-old<br />
Iris. (“She likes it,” my sister said when<br />
I asked if it was really a good habit for<br />
a 12-year-old to be starting her day with<br />
over “some nice delicious rye bread” to<br />
Ann’s house. I listened from Ann’s living<br />
room couch, where I offered coaching<br />
advice, watched television, and napped.<br />
Whenever I travel, I take a couple days<br />
to acclimate. The altitude here has only<br />
made that need more urgent.<br />
When I was on the couch, Ann told<br />
me that she had already started training.<br />
She had been jogging on a nearby trail<br />
for the past two weeks.<br />
“You finally got some running shoes”<br />
“No, I’ve been jogging in my handmade<br />
Italian leather boots.”<br />
“Why, Ann Why”<br />
“First, because they’re fancy and well<br />
made. And second, because I spit on<br />
running shoes! They’re ugly and they’re<br />
gross. I hate the way Americans wear<br />
player, father of three grown sons, allaround<br />
great guy), suggested that they<br />
could afford running shoes and she<br />
should go ahead and splurge, she had<br />
relented, but not before stating, “You’re<br />
not the captain in this house!”<br />
We are on our fifth and final lap now.<br />
Ann has not stopped bitching about<br />
tracks. I hum the Rocky theme song<br />
until Ann tells me to stop. We’re at a<br />
16-minute-mile pace. I tell her that finishing<br />
strong will make her feel better.<br />
She tells me to shut up. I slow down, let<br />
her get ahead of me, then, with 50 yards<br />
to go, I begin announcing, in the voice<br />
that once upon a time, long ago, when<br />
she was little and adoring, used to make<br />
her giggle: “The great Soviet champion<br />
Svetlana Krushakoff has the American<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 103
novice Friedman in her sights! The Eastern<br />
Bloc champion has been waiting for<br />
this very moment, because now the soft,<br />
entitled, corrupt Westerner will feel the<br />
annihilative power of….”<br />
“Shut up!!” Ann screams, but she<br />
doesn’t run any faster.<br />
“…the annihilative power of the indomitable<br />
Krushakoff and the lazy<br />
Westerner will finally recognize the<br />
limits of flaccid, indulgent American<br />
power. Krushakoff begins her kick. But<br />
what is this The deluded capitalist is<br />
not bending. The indomitable Russian<br />
legend—half human, half horse, one hundred<br />
percentski woman—kicks harder, and<br />
harder still! The Soviet heroine has never<br />
kicked so fiercely, but the American will<br />
not break! What manner of athlete is this<br />
Friedman Krushakoff cannot be….”<br />
“Goddamit! Jesus Christ!” my sister<br />
screams, and stops, dead in the track,<br />
with 15 yards to go. “Will you stop!”<br />
That’s when I know it’s going to be a<br />
long summer.<br />
Out on the trail a<br />
few weeks before the<br />
race, sometime after<br />
the Soviet champion<br />
Krushakoff has been<br />
silenced.<br />
APRIL 2002<br />
“AIEEEEEEE!” Iris screams. “Blaieeeee!!!”<br />
Iris has been screaming since she was<br />
born. She came early, during thick, blanketing<br />
fog and 10-below temps, delivered<br />
by a friend of my sister’s, who took<br />
instructions from Ann’s then-husband,<br />
who received them over the phone from<br />
the midwife (who got stuck in the fog).<br />
Iris came out purple, bug-eyed, silent,<br />
umbilical cord wrapped around her<br />
neck. Ann hemorrhaged, nearly bled to<br />
death. An ambulance had taken Ann to<br />
the hospital. Iris has been screaming for<br />
three months.<br />
“Aieeeeeee!” Iris screams. She is undersized<br />
and scrawny. She looks something<br />
like E.T., but uglier. Her screams<br />
are piercing, large beyond any human<br />
comprehension.<br />
Ann rocks her daughter, sings to her,<br />
asks her what’s wrong. Mother and<br />
daughter sway as one at the kitchen<br />
sink in the house Ann and her husband<br />
built in Silverton, Colorado, during the<br />
summer, when wildflowers bloomed and<br />
they thought their marriage might survive<br />
and when their only direct experience<br />
with babies was Isaac, who had<br />
smiled and cooed and hummed for the<br />
first 10 months of his life, at which point<br />
he started asking odd, baffling questions.<br />
It’s early April, and Isaac is 3 and a<br />
half years old, Iris is 3 months, and snow<br />
has been falling, thick as ash, for the<br />
past five days. The single highway that<br />
connects Silverton to places that possess<br />
pharmacies and doctors and movie<br />
theaters and restaurants that stay open<br />
past 7, one of the most avalanche-prone<br />
stretches of highway in North America,<br />
has been closed for two days. This is<br />
springtime in the mountains.<br />
“Aieeeeeee!” Iris screams. “Blaieeeee!”<br />
Ann is alone with the kids, and she<br />
has been trying to do dishes for the past<br />
hour and a half.<br />
“Mom,” Isaac asks as Ann rocks Iris,<br />
sings to her, rocks her some more, as Iris<br />
continues to scream, “do all criminals<br />
smoke” My nephew (born in a yurt,<br />
midwife made it on time, no complications)<br />
is as pensive and deliberate as his<br />
sister is volcanic. (In this, he continues<br />
an apparently chromosomally linked<br />
temperamental trend in my family,<br />
where the women over the generations<br />
have tended to do things like run in<br />
leather boots and pull vegetables from<br />
rocky soil and slog through the muddy,<br />
cratered fields of Eastern Europe carrying<br />
pots and knives and rocking chairs<br />
and overstuffed couches on their backs<br />
while with their gnarled and calloused<br />
and weary fingers they battle wolves and<br />
anti-Semites; and where we men have<br />
told good jokes and enjoyed nice naps.)<br />
Isaac tends to wrinkle his forehead<br />
and stare into the mid-distance. I suspect<br />
he thinks far more than is good for<br />
him. Since he was 3 weeks old, people<br />
have called him The Professor.<br />
“Shh,” Ann says to Isaac, rocking Iris,<br />
who miraculously seems to be quieting<br />
down. “Not now, Izie. We’ll talk about<br />
criminals later.”<br />
Isaac wrinkles his forehead. Just as<br />
Iris’s screams turn to soft wailing, The<br />
Professor pipes up again.<br />
“Mom. What are the approximate<br />
chances a meteor will fall on our house<br />
tonight while we’re sleeping”<br />
At this, Iris screeches with joy.<br />
“Irie thinks meteors are funny,” The<br />
Professor says. He seems sure of this.<br />
Ann smiles, a wan, nearly hopeful<br />
smile, and then, as Iris’s delight turns to<br />
horribly loud heinous rage, or bottomless<br />
despair, or crushing fatigue (Ann’s<br />
pretty sure it’s not hunger; Iris won’t<br />
take the bottle), Ann begins to weep.<br />
After college, in San Francisco, Ann<br />
104 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
had sold flowers, thrown mud around,<br />
and after an organic farmer and a comedian,<br />
she dated a filmmaker our family<br />
suspected was a methamphetamine<br />
addict, broke up, and then, heartsick,<br />
piled her bags of clay and her wheel<br />
and her vintage dresses and her cowboy<br />
boots and Tibetan prayer slippers<br />
into the trunk of her grimy, dented 1990<br />
Toyota Corolla, and, after buying a book<br />
and circling the top five candidates in a<br />
chapter called “Cool Mountain Towns<br />
of the West,” landed in Silverton, where<br />
she dated a guy who painted surrealistic<br />
landscapes of rocks and bones, drove<br />
a truck for Fed Ex, taught art to kids,<br />
modeled, dug a pit and taught herself<br />
the ancient art of pit-firing pottery,<br />
dated an ambulance driver, scraped<br />
together enough money to buy a 100-<br />
year-old shack into which she, with the<br />
help of a few friends, installed drywall,<br />
grizzly bear and a rhino, a cheetah and a<br />
hyena, a whale shark and an orca. He has<br />
asked me more times than I can count,<br />
sincerely and unsmiling, man to man,<br />
scholar to scholar, natural historian to<br />
natural historian, to once more describe<br />
exactly how the saltwater crocodile kills<br />
its hapless prey by utilizing the fearsome<br />
“death spiral.” I had told him of the<br />
death spiral when he was barely 2, and<br />
he never tires of learning more about it.<br />
We are discussing the respective combat<br />
readiness and fighting prowess of<br />
wolverines and leopard seals, when we<br />
both notice how quiet it is. Iris is asleep.<br />
We can hear Ann snuffling.<br />
“Hey, Ann,” I say, “why don’t you<br />
take mom up on her offer to get you a<br />
dishwasher I really think it might make<br />
things easier around here.”<br />
“My dishes”—which she has made—<br />
“need to be hand-washed,” she says, “but<br />
back to Isaac and me. Iris is starting to<br />
make noise. Happy noise or sad noise,<br />
we will soon discover. Ann’s shoulders<br />
seem to be heaving.<br />
“Mom,” The Professor asks, in a patient,<br />
reasonable tone of voice. “Would<br />
it be okay if Stevie and I had a little<br />
whipped cream Straight from the can,<br />
like real men eat it”<br />
I shake my head at him, wag my finger.<br />
I mouth the words “Not now.” He<br />
wrinkles his forehead, perplexed. What<br />
is his uncle’s problem Ann’s shoulders<br />
shake more, but she says nothing.<br />
“Just to take the edge off,” The Professor<br />
adds. He has learned too well.<br />
Ann spins around, which makes Iris’s<br />
eyes widen with alarm. “Jesus Christ,<br />
Steve!” Ann yells. Of course, Iris bellows<br />
and screams again, louder than ever.<br />
Ann weeps angry, bitter tears. Isaac<br />
and I march upstairs, where we discuss<br />
“I GET TO RUN THE RACE HOWEVER I WANT!” SHE YELLS.<br />
FIERCE WILL, OR LACK OF OXYGEN TO THE BRAIN<br />
WITH MY SISTER, IT’S NEVER BEEN EASY TO TELL.<br />
electricity, and plumbing. She dated an<br />
investment-banker-turned-graphicdesigner-turned-ski-instructor-anditinerant-rock-climber<br />
who was passing<br />
through town, and they bore Isaac, and<br />
they married, and they built a house<br />
together next to the shack, and they<br />
bore Iris, and Ann nearly died, and Iris<br />
started screaming.<br />
Ann and her husband would separate<br />
a year and a half after Iris was born. I<br />
have been visiting for three days, and<br />
at the moment am sitting on the couch<br />
with Isaac, telling him stories about<br />
alien abductions and the greatest prison<br />
breaks in history. Since getting fired<br />
and visiting Ann in the hospital, I had<br />
held four jobs, moved to New York City,<br />
suffered rashes and stomach problems<br />
worse than ever, and spent a lot of time<br />
wondering what would become of me.<br />
But I was more worried about my sister,<br />
so I had flown west. I have spent my<br />
time in Silverton singing to Iris, hauling<br />
the family’s garbage to the town dump,<br />
treating everyone to ice cream, teaching<br />
Isaac how to say “Pizza night with<br />
Uncle Stevie!” and how to eat whipped<br />
cream straight from the container, but<br />
mostly quizzing Isaac on who he thinks<br />
would win in a death match between a<br />
thanks for the input.” She says this in a<br />
tone that makes me think she’s not really<br />
that grateful for the input.<br />
“How about letting me get you some<br />
machine-washable dishes, then” I say.<br />
“You know, then you might have some<br />
time to just relax a little and…”<br />
“Relax” she says. “Relax” Uh-oh.<br />
“You want to help me and the kids,<br />
Steve” she asks. “How about you cook<br />
for a few months, and clean, and change<br />
Iris’s diapers and shop and sell this f---<br />
ing house and do something other than<br />
tell stupid killer bear stories and gorge<br />
yourself sick on Chubby Hubby and<br />
whipped cream!”<br />
“Grizzly bears aren’t stupid, Mom,”<br />
Isaac says. “They’re actually very intelligent.<br />
They even know how to kill<br />
porcupines by flipping them onto their<br />
backs, then scooping out their meaty<br />
bellies with their giant claws and….”<br />
I hear my sister start to snarl. Iris is<br />
awake. I am really worried about Ann.<br />
“Ann, is there anyone in town you can<br />
talk to” I ask. “Like, you know, a professional<br />
I think making an appointment<br />
with someone, and using a dishwasher<br />
and letting me get you some washable<br />
dishes and silverware….”<br />
Ann says nothing. She has turned her<br />
rogue elephants and snow leopards.<br />
“I’m worried about your mom,” I<br />
whisper to Isaac, after he falls asleep.<br />
JUNE 2014<br />
“I’M LOVING THIS,” Ann says, as we jog up the<br />
Colorado Trail, where she had wanted<br />
to go our first day of training. We have<br />
come here the past four days. After the<br />
Miller Middle School track kerfuffle,<br />
I acceded to Ann’s demands, so every<br />
afternoon we drive five minutes, then<br />
run two miles on the Colorado Trail, one<br />
mile up, one mile down. We run along<br />
the banks of Junction Creek. Sunlight<br />
filters through the forest in resinous<br />
patches, and the shade keeps us cool.<br />
The first day it takes 31 minutes.<br />
Yesterday we were down to 26. Ann<br />
made it downhill in 11 minutes. I have<br />
offered nothing but positive reinforcement.<br />
The great Soviet champion Krushakoff<br />
has not joined us, but I did slip<br />
up once and hum the Rocky theme song,<br />
until Ann told me to shut it. She actually<br />
used that phrase, “Shut it.”<br />
On the upside, my plan seems to be<br />
working. A little.<br />
“I’m actually looking forward to runs<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 105
now,” Ann says. “I always feel better<br />
after. And if I can do this—running almost<br />
every day and actually enjoying<br />
it—imagine what else I can do. Maybe<br />
I’ll go to law school!”<br />
The days fall into an easy rhythm.<br />
Ann and Steve and the kids have breakfast,<br />
after which Steve drives to the<br />
fire department and Ann heads out to<br />
give massages and to shop and garden<br />
and cook and clean, and Isaac heads to<br />
off-season cross-country practice. As he<br />
walks out the door, I see his forehead<br />
wrinkle, which makes me worry. I catch<br />
up on sleep, because I’m sensitive to jet<br />
lag and because it’s good for anxiety. Iris<br />
reads after breakfast, then wakes me at<br />
about 9:30 and we walk to a downtown<br />
coffee shop together.<br />
Every day Iris and I spend a few hours<br />
at the coffee shop, talking, reading, discussing<br />
how running has changed Ann.<br />
“She dresses like the other women do<br />
in Durango now,” Iris confides during<br />
one of our mornings together. “Before<br />
there was no way she would go out of the<br />
house before she put on a vintage dress.<br />
and repeats, very slowly, “A cup of coffee,<br />
please.” Sometimes she looks like she<br />
just stepped out of Teen Vogue. Other<br />
times, I worry she’s getting too close to<br />
Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver.<br />
Iris isn’t the only one who’s grown up.<br />
The ex moved down the mountain<br />
to Durango, too, and while he still rock<br />
climbs and skis, he also works full-time,<br />
for good pay, owns a home, has the kids<br />
half the time, cooks for them, and takes<br />
them camping. Isaac has grown into a<br />
15-year-old philosopher who seems to<br />
possess an exquisitely calibrated mechanism<br />
by which he judges himself and<br />
falls short. He frets a lot. A high school<br />
junior, he is worried about where he’ll<br />
go to college and even though his mother<br />
and his father and his stepfather and uncle<br />
tell him to relax, not to put so much<br />
pressure on himself (he’s a straight-A<br />
student, popular, almost six feet tall<br />
and slim and sinewy, blue-eyed like<br />
his mother, unambiguously handsome,<br />
and a proud member of Durango High<br />
School’s powerhouse cross-country<br />
team), he laments that “unless I discover<br />
tormenting myself about outcomes and<br />
to just enjoy myself and do my best,<br />
I discovered some relief. As a bonus, I<br />
performed better.<br />
Does he grasp the subtle Zen trick I’m<br />
suggesting I’m not sure. He so wants<br />
to succeed. He is so hard on himself. I<br />
hope that a no-pressure fun run in the<br />
desert, away from competition and the<br />
juggernaut that is the mighty Durango<br />
High School track team, might relax him<br />
a little bit. That he might find some of<br />
the relief I found in basketball, that I<br />
still find in leisurely runs and afternoon<br />
naps (Isaac is not a napper; I have mixed<br />
feelings about that).<br />
Iris I don’t worry about so much.<br />
She stopped screaming soon after she<br />
learned to talk, unless the family was<br />
at a restaurant and her hamburger was<br />
slow in coming, which is when she<br />
would shriek, “Where’s my meat” Her<br />
favorite phrases starting at age 2, which<br />
she still uses often, are: “I’m very upset!”<br />
and “Seriously!”<br />
“Science quiz!” I yell at my niece one<br />
day in the middle of one of our morning<br />
SHE’S NOT STRAINING UP THE STEPS THAT HAVE REDUCED EVERYONE<br />
TO A STOOPED SCHLEP. SHE’S RUNNING. ALTHOUGH<br />
SHE MIGHT CALL IT JOGGING, BECAUSE SHE’S STUBBORN.<br />
Now she wears tank tops and running<br />
shorts, just like the other jocks. Sometimes<br />
she even puts on her tennis skirt.”<br />
Iris has inherited her mother’s sense<br />
of style. But her taste is different. When<br />
she wakes me, she is already dressed for<br />
morning coffee. One day it’s in a 1940s<br />
vintage red polka-dot shirtwaist dress<br />
with black ankle boots and a vintage<br />
black beaded purse. Another day a black<br />
bolero with a black spaghetti-strap shirt<br />
and high-waisted skirt. Yesterday was a<br />
magenta cashmere sweater with a black<br />
velvet beaded scarf and black leggings.<br />
Today she keeps the scarf and adds<br />
a 1940s-style straw hat and lacy loose<br />
singlet with skinny jeans and white<br />
rimmed sunglasses. My heel-hating,<br />
no-to-nail-polish sister has created a<br />
daughter who wants to wear mascara<br />
in sixth grade (Ann said, “No. No friggin’<br />
way”). When Iris orders her coffee<br />
at the Steaming Bean on Main Avenue,<br />
the woman behind the counter says,<br />
“What do you really want, you wild<br />
thing” and Iris fixes her with a stare,<br />
a cure for cancer, or win a Nobel Prize<br />
in astrophysics, I don’t have a chance at<br />
getting into the schools I want to go to.”<br />
In his forehead-wrinkling distress, he<br />
reminds me of me, so naturally I worry<br />
about him. I tell him that sometimes I<br />
spend time dwelling on stupid decisions<br />
I have made, obsessing about horrible<br />
futures, and his eyes widen. “You do”<br />
he says, and I admit that yes, I do, and<br />
it’s a waste of time and he’s a great kid<br />
and he should enjoy himself and maybe<br />
tomorrow night we’ll go see an action<br />
movie and get sundaes with whipped<br />
cream. And that seems to cheer him up.<br />
So does running. I like to think that<br />
I helped turn him into a runner. Along<br />
with predator tales, I have for years fed<br />
him a steady stream of tortoise/hare,<br />
David/Goliath, nervous-underdogdefeats-gifted-Adonis-and-finds-joyand-peace<br />
stories. I have told him how<br />
I was a nervous, tentative basketball<br />
player when I was 12, that I once was<br />
so rattled I shot at the wrong basket<br />
in a game, but when I learned to stop<br />
coffee sessions, as she’s engrossed in a<br />
fantasy book set in modern-day New<br />
York (she usually can finish at least one<br />
novel during our morning sessions, and<br />
another one before she goes to sleep at<br />
night). “What’s the one thing we get<br />
from the sun that helps us stay healthy.”<br />
“Vitamin D,” Iris says. “That’s easy.”<br />
“Science quiz!” I yell again, because<br />
I want each question to be special, to<br />
encourage learning. “What’s better in<br />
your uncle’s famous cookies, semi-sweet<br />
chocolate chips or milk chocolate And<br />
bonus science quiz question: Refrigerate<br />
the dough the night before, or go<br />
straight to the oven”<br />
“Another easy one. Semi-sweet, no<br />
matter what some people say. And refrigerate,<br />
of course.”<br />
No way will she get the next one.<br />
After Isaac, Ann had given me clear and<br />
explicit orders about what I should and<br />
should not discuss with her daughter.<br />
But she needs to be challenged. Isn’t that<br />
what uncles are for<br />
“Science quiz!” I shout, one final time<br />
106 RUNNER’S WORLD JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JASPER HOWE (RACE COURSE), STEVE FRIEDMAN (POSTRACE (2)<br />
for the day. “How does the mighty and<br />
fearsome saltwater crocodile kill its<br />
hapless prey before eating it”<br />
Iris pauses, blinks her alien-sized,<br />
South Pacific sea-blue eyes, purses her<br />
lips. “Um, I think it’s something called<br />
the death spiral. Isaac told me that.”<br />
I stare at her, overcome with love. For<br />
her, and for The Professor, and for my<br />
sister and her husband and even her ex,<br />
remembering those long-ago winter<br />
nights of shrieking and meteor talk,<br />
forgetting, as I always forget when I<br />
hang out long enough with Ann and<br />
her family, that I’m still single, that<br />
I need to lose weight, that I live in a<br />
too-small, too-expensive studio apartment,<br />
that I’m bald, that my savings are<br />
dwindling, that I still spend too much<br />
time fretting about failure and death.<br />
When I’m with them, I have more<br />
important matters to consider. “Okay,”<br />
I say, “who do you like in a fight between<br />
the croc and a pack of ravenous hyenas”<br />
Iris smiles.<br />
JULY 2014<br />
MIDMONTH, I receive an alarming e-mail in<br />
New York City. It’s from Ann.<br />
“I have not run for five days,” it reads.<br />
A pinched nerve, the chiropractor<br />
had told her. Probably aggravated by the<br />
running, but with origins in hip misalignment<br />
due to Ann carrying Isaac on<br />
her hip for the first two years of his life.<br />
Ann says she won’t be able to run for<br />
the next month. And then, the most disturbing<br />
passage:<br />
I love how I am feeling in my body.<br />
A deep unwinding.<br />
I like the pressure of not having<br />
to run.<br />
I like the relief of not timing myself.<br />
I like the no lungs burning.<br />
I like eating chocolate bars and not<br />
caring if I get fat.<br />
I like not being able to talk about<br />
my running.<br />
I like saying to myself, “I don’t<br />
think I am a runner.” It is kind of<br />
like saying, I don’t think I want to<br />
live in the suburbs, or wear stockings,<br />
or work in an office. Somehow<br />
saying I am not a runner feels true<br />
to my maverick self. Maybe I am a<br />
loser because I do not like to run.<br />
Or maybe I am just not a runner. I<br />
am not a drinker or a smoker either.<br />
Maybe being a runner is kind of like<br />
being a smoker or a drinker or a super<br />
organized person. Maybe there is<br />
Brother and sister<br />
giving it their all at<br />
the Louis Tewanima<br />
Footrace, along with<br />
Mom and niece, and<br />
triumphant<br />
nephew.<br />
a gene that makes you be all of those<br />
things. I know a lot of runners were<br />
smokers etc.…<br />
I don’t know.<br />
I LOVE NOT RUNNING.<br />
Sweating, breathing hard, I quickly<br />
e-mail back: “A few weeks of rest will be<br />
good. Recovery is important. This will<br />
make you faster than ever.”<br />
She replies, “I don’t think I am a runner.<br />
But I will remain open to see what<br />
happens.”<br />
I profess nonchalance about whether<br />
we run or walk or crawl, stressing that<br />
the important thing is that we do it<br />
together, that we move outdoors and<br />
enjoy ourselves and bond. I wonder if<br />
she believes my lies. There’s no way I’m<br />
flying out to Durango, then driving five<br />
hours to the Hopi reservation, to stroll<br />
3.1 miles. I am going to get her to run,<br />
no matter what.<br />
AUGUST 2014<br />
SHE IS RUNNING. Still, I’m worried. Three<br />
miles in, I took her advice, left her alone,<br />
passed about 10 runners and am now ascending<br />
a gentle rise. I look back, squint<br />
at a long, shuffling line. I can’t see my<br />
sister. I’m panting myself. I’m sweating,<br />
too. I continue to scan where Ann should<br />
be. The runners I had passed now pass<br />
me. I take a breath; start running back<br />
toward the starting line.<br />
When I find her, Ann is gasping more<br />
than ever. She is still scowling. I’m worried<br />
about her, and I’m worried about<br />
Isaac, who disappeared from our view<br />
after the first quarter mile. Is he enjoying<br />
himself Is he pushing too hard<br />
Will he take away fond memories of<br />
the day, even when the swiftest Native<br />
Americans, desert veterans familiar<br />
with the terrain, defeat him Or will this<br />
be one more episode to ruminate upon<br />
and worry about I can’t do anything<br />
about The Professor at the moment. I<br />
need to focus on my sister.<br />
“Are you okay” I ask.<br />
“I just had the most incredible epiphanies!”<br />
she gasps.<br />
“Really”<br />
“Yeah, you know how Mom is always<br />
asking questions about how food<br />
is prepared, and reading street signs<br />
aloud whenever we’re driving somewhere<br />
and always interrupting and<br />
asking questions and complaining and<br />
wondering whether there’s Internet<br />
connection on the reservation It’s because<br />
she probably never got her needs<br />
met when she was a little girl and now<br />
needs attention.”<br />
“Hmmm,” I say. I wish Ann would<br />
pick up her feet more. There’s something<br />
so willful and contrarian about<br />
her shuffling.<br />
“Want to hear my other epiphany”<br />
“Sure.”<br />
“You know how much I love it here<br />
And how at home I feel After about two<br />
miles, just the last few minutes, as we’ve<br />
been climbing, I realized something: I<br />
was a Hopi man in another life!”<br />
Should I stay with her the rest of the<br />
race Is she about to collapse from heatstroke<br />
Or might this be her second sight<br />
at work (Once, years earlier, she had<br />
watched gigantic faces of Mayans slide<br />
across the cliffs (Continued on page 125)<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 107
RUNNING<br />
REDEFINED.<br />
WITH 50 + RACES, 500+ MILES, AND 1,000+ OBSTACLES,<br />
YOU’VE GOT NO EXCUSES.<br />
SIGN UP TODAY AT SPARTAN.COM AND TRANSFORM YOURSELF.
RACES+PLACES<br />
TIPS, TRENDS,<br />
and MUST-RUN<br />
EVENTS<br />
5 MILES<br />
17.75-K<br />
CLOCKWISE: PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF THE SPRING LAKE FIVE; MARINE CORPS MARATHON; TERRY GILLIAM/OHIO STATE FOUR-MILER; BOB SIMMER/UTICA BOILERMAKER<br />
15-K<br />
BRANCH OUT<br />
For a good time—and a<br />
new challenge—try an<br />
uncommon race distance.<br />
BY BECCA BEDNARZ<br />
4 MILES<br />
Clockwise from top left: Spring Lake 5-Mile Run, Marine Corps 17.75-K, Ohio State 4-Miler, Boilermaker 15-K<br />
Want an automatic PR this year Run a weird distance. Races like 8-Ks, 12-Ks,<br />
and five-milers may not be as prevalent as 5-Ks and marathons, but they’re<br />
plenty popular—in 2013, 29 of the 100 largest U.S. races (with 8,500 or more<br />
competitors) were atypical distances. Beyond the perk of notching a personal<br />
best, these races help hone pacing skills, as you have to rely on feel rather than<br />
past performances to gauge effort, according to Runner’s World coach Budd<br />
Coates. “You learn more about racing when you run one of these races,” he says.<br />
Get schooled at one of the following crowd-pleasing events.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 109
RACES + PLACES<br />
Marine Corps 17.75-K<br />
Honor the founding of the U.S. Marine<br />
Corps in 1775 (and secure entry to<br />
October’s Marine Corps Marathon)<br />
by completing this roughly 11-mile<br />
ramble through the wooded, 15,000-<br />
acre Prince William Forest Park. At the<br />
finish outside the Marine Corps Base<br />
Quantico in Virginia, Marines award<br />
runners with passes that allow them to<br />
skip the marathon lottery.<br />
March 28, Dumfries, Virginia, marinemarathon.com<br />
Shamrock Shuffle 8-K<br />
As the world’s largest 8-K, this Chicago<br />
event attracts about 40,000 runners<br />
each year. The flat loop works<br />
plenty of Chicago landmarks into its<br />
nearly five miles: It begins and ends at<br />
Grant Park (home of “The Bean”), and<br />
passes the Chicago Theatre and the<br />
Willis Tower. Though the event takes<br />
place two weeks after the city dyes its<br />
river green for St. Patrick’s Day, many<br />
runners dress in festive garb and stay<br />
for the postrace party with its live<br />
band and free beer.<br />
March 29, Chicago, shamrockshuffle.com<br />
Spring Lake 5-Mile Run<br />
Kick off summer by racing with saltwater<br />
breezes at your back (hopefully)<br />
in this Memorial Day Weekend classic.<br />
Miles one and five run parallel to the<br />
Atlantic Ocean, while the middle miles<br />
weave through neighborhoods and<br />
Spring Lake’s small downtown. The<br />
race is New Jersey’s largest—its field<br />
(more than 12,500 annually) dwarfs<br />
Spring Lake’s year-round population<br />
(about 3,000)—and it marks the start<br />
of summer for this shore town.<br />
May 24, Spring Lake, New Jersey, springlake5.org<br />
Bay to Breakers 12-K<br />
Founded in 1912, this 12-K (about<br />
7.46 miles) is the longest consecutively<br />
run annual race in the world.<br />
Long known for its street-party vibe,<br />
the race banned nudity, floats, and<br />
midrace alcohol in 2009. (You’ll still<br />
get to celebrate with a craft beer at<br />
the postrace party, though.) The event<br />
begins blocks from the San Francisco<br />
Bay and reaches its highest point<br />
around mile five after a steep 250-foot<br />
climb. <strong>Runners</strong> then descend to finish<br />
beside the Pacific Ocean. Participants’<br />
From top: Chicago’s Shamrock Shuffle 8-K,<br />
San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers 12-K, Iowa’s Bix 7,<br />
California’s Wharf to Wharf Race<br />
notoriously over-the-top-costumes<br />
include superheroes, giant gorillas,<br />
and salmon that run “upstream” from<br />
the finish to the start.<br />
May 17, San Francisco, baytobreakers.com<br />
Boilermaker 15-K<br />
This upstate New York 15-K (about 9.3<br />
miles) has two maps on its Web site:<br />
one of its rolling course, and one of<br />
its enormous postrace party, which is<br />
open to the nearly 14,000 runners and<br />
their friends and family. Conditions<br />
can be steamy—humidity sometimes<br />
hovers near 100 percent—but finishers<br />
can cool off with popsicles, snow<br />
cones, and craft beer.<br />
July 12, Utica, New York, boilermaker.com<br />
Bix 7<br />
More than 20,000 runners converge<br />
upon eastern Iowa for this sevenmiler,<br />
which began in 1975 and honors<br />
jazz musician and Davenport native<br />
Bix Beiderbecke. The out-and-back<br />
course begins with a nearly mile-long<br />
hill, and midrace temps often climb,<br />
too (as high as 85 degrees). But runners<br />
can find relief at the turnaround,<br />
where one family traditionally sets up<br />
a giant Slip ’n’ Slide in their yard.<br />
July 25, Davenport, Iowa, bix7.com<br />
Wharf to Wharf Race<br />
Entrants in this point-to-point six-miler<br />
begin at the Santa Cruz Wharf and<br />
follow a mostly flat route along the<br />
rugged Pacific coastline to the Capitola<br />
Wharf. Along the way, the race’s<br />
16,000-plus runners pass the Giant<br />
Dipper roller coaster on the Santa<br />
Cruz boardwalk and surfers taking to<br />
the waves.<br />
July 26, Santa Cruz, California, wharftowharf.com<br />
Ohio State 4-Miler<br />
Spirited Buckeyes turn out to cheer as<br />
many as 12,000 runners as they tour<br />
the Ohio State University campus and<br />
finish on its stadium’s 50-yard line.<br />
In true collegiate fashion, there’s<br />
a postrace tailgate party outside the<br />
stadium, complete with free beer and<br />
the company of OSU cheerleaders and<br />
mascot Brutus Buckeye.<br />
September TBD, Columbus, Ohio, ohiostatefourmiler.com<br />
TOP TO BOTTOM: PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF ALEC OZAWA/BANK OF AMERICA SHAMROCK SHUFFLE 8-K; VICTOR SAILER/PHOTORUN; ZUMA PRESS; MARATHONFOTO/COURTESY OF WHARF TO WHARF<br />
110<br />
FOR MORE WEIRD-DISTANCE RACE IDEAS, GO TO<br />
RUNNERSWORLD.COM/ODD-DISTANCES.
CLOCKWISE: PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF RUNNING ROOM; MICHAEL GOULDING/THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/ZUMA PRESS; COURTESY OF RHYTHM & BLUES MARATHON<br />
TRENDING<br />
Winter Whatever!<br />
Hibernating is for<br />
the bears. Embrace<br />
the season at one<br />
of these weatherthemed<br />
races.<br />
WORST DAY OF THE<br />
YEAR 5-K<br />
<strong>Runners</strong> receive leis at this<br />
race held on the rolling<br />
hills of a golf course during<br />
Oregon’s chilliest time of<br />
year. Run in costume—maybe<br />
something warmer than a<br />
grass skirt—and get a free<br />
beer or hot chocolate.<br />
January 31, Troutdale, Oregon,<br />
worstdayrun.com<br />
CEDARS FROSTBITE<br />
HALF-MARATHON<br />
What’s cooler than this<br />
event’s race-day temps—<br />
which hit the high 40s—is<br />
its low registration cost: $20<br />
with long-sleeve tech tee,<br />
$8 without.<br />
February 7, Lebanon, Tennessee,<br />
frostbiterc.org<br />
THE ICE CUBE HALF-<br />
MARATHON/10-K/5-K<br />
Neither ice, nor rain, nor<br />
sleet, nor snow will stop<br />
these races—and runners<br />
have faced it all. Those who<br />
complete the out-and-back<br />
half-marathon course get a<br />
hoodie and a pint glass decorated<br />
with the event’s blue,<br />
ice-cube-headed mascot.<br />
February 15, Mount Pleasant, Michigan,<br />
michiganhalfseries.com<br />
HYPOTHERMIC HALF-<br />
MARATHON SERIES<br />
Race-day temperatures for<br />
these 22 races—21 events in<br />
Canada, one in Minnesota—<br />
are usually about 21 degrees<br />
with wind chill. Organizers<br />
(mercifully) plan to give out<br />
gloves this year.<br />
Multiple dates, multiple locations,<br />
hypothermichalf.com<br />
COOL COURSE<br />
Surf City USA Marathon and Half-Marathon<br />
THE HIGHLIGHT Ocean views for more than half the race<br />
You can take a dip in the Pacific before<br />
and after these SoCal events. Both races<br />
begin a block from the ocean and pass<br />
the 1,400-acre Bolsa Chica Ecological<br />
Reserve, where watchers have spotted<br />
more than 200 bird species. Half-<br />
GREAT GIMMICK<br />
Warm Your Heart 5-K<br />
THE HIGHLIGHT Perfect weather, guaranteed<br />
No matter what’s happening outside, it<br />
will be around 65 degrees, dry, and calm<br />
for this indoor race at McCormick Place,<br />
the nation’s largest convention center.<br />
With 2.6 million square feet of exhibit<br />
halls, the place is so large that one loop<br />
through only a fraction of the available<br />
space equals 3.1 miles.<br />
February 14, Chicago, warmyourheart5k.com<br />
DON’T MISS IT<br />
Erie Marathon at Presque Isle<br />
Attention Boston hopefuls! Registration for<br />
the 2015 running of this race opens on January<br />
1. The flat and fast event usually takes<br />
place the day before all time qualifiers can<br />
apply for the Boston Marathon, making it<br />
popular for last-minute BQ attempts.<br />
September 13, Erie, Pennsylvania, eriemarathon.org<br />
THE PODIUM<br />
marathoners then head south along the<br />
Pacific Coast Highway to the finish, while<br />
marathoners tackle a nearly 10-mile outand-back<br />
on a breezy beachfront path.<br />
February 1, Huntington Beach, California, runsurfcity.com<br />
A+ ENTERTAINMENT<br />
Rhythm and Blues<br />
Half-Marathon, Quarter<br />
Marathon, and 5-K<br />
Up to 10 R&B bands stationed<br />
along these rolling courses<br />
(including a 6.55-mile “quarter<br />
marathon”) help pump up<br />
participants. The finishers’ bling<br />
jibes with the musical theme:<br />
Past medals have featured<br />
trumpets, records, guitars,<br />
microphones, and—in true<br />
southern style—cowboy boots.<br />
February 15 and March 8, Houston and<br />
Dallas, runrhythmandblues.com<br />
Three feats to cheer Alana Hadley, 17, won November’s<br />
Indianapolis Monumental Marathon in 2:38:34, improving her personal<br />
best by more than three minutes and breaking Olympian Colleen De<br />
Reuck’s course record. Cincinnati resident Mike Fremont, 92, finished the Indianapolis<br />
Monumental Half-Marathon in 3:19:40, a single-age world record. North Carolina high<br />
school junior Connor Callihan crawled to complete a regional championship cross-country<br />
race after his right tibia broke in three places a few meters short of the finish line.<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 111
RACE SPOTLIGHT<br />
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
FOR ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT MICHAEL AUSTRY AT 214.674.8126
RACE SPOTLIGHT<br />
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
FOR ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT MICHAEL AUSTRY AT 214.674.8126
RACE SPOTLIGHT<br />
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
FOR ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT MICHAEL AUSTRY AT 214.674.8126
2 3<br />
4<br />
1<br />
GETTING OUR NY ON!<br />
An exciting October for RUNNER’S WORLD<br />
culminated with a week’s worth of events<br />
to celebrate (and participate in) the<br />
2014 TCS NYC Marathon.<br />
First, the International Shoe Summit launched<br />
with RUNNER’S WORLD Editor-in-Chief David<br />
Willey and Publisher Molly O'Keefe welcoming<br />
colleagues from RW's 19 international editions<br />
to Rodale Inc.'s New York City offices. Since<br />
2006, the ISS has brought together RUNNER’S<br />
WORLD global partners with representatives<br />
from leading shoe and apparel manufacturers<br />
to share best practices and get an exclusive look<br />
at future marketing and product plans. This<br />
year, the highlight was a visit from two-time<br />
Olympian Kara Goucher, who met with the<br />
editors over lunch.<br />
When the business of the Shoe Summit ended,<br />
RUNNER’S WORLD switched into entertainment<br />
mode, hosting its annual industry party on<br />
Halloween night. As always, the festivities kicked<br />
off with the International Shoe Awards, where<br />
the Editor's Choice for 2014 went to the<br />
Saucony Kinvara 5. The Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit<br />
was awarded Best Update, Mizuno Wave<br />
Hitogami won Best Debut, and the Skechers<br />
GOrun ride 3 earned Best Buy.<br />
The party welcomed legends Kathrine<br />
Switzer and Amby Burfoot; Olympians Ryan<br />
Hall, Carrie Tollefson, Leo Manzano, Emma<br />
Coburn, and Shayne and Alan Culpepper; as<br />
well as runners who continually inspire us with<br />
their accomplishments: Sarah Reinertsen and<br />
Dean Karnazes.<br />
5<br />
6<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOANNA WILLIAMS<br />
1) A VIP photo op with (left to right): TCS NYC Marathon Race Director Mary Wittenberg;<br />
RUNNER’S WORLD Publisher Molly O’Keefe; Ironman Paratriathlete and marathoner Sarah<br />
Reinertsen; RUNNER’S WORLD Editor-in-Chief David Willey; ABC7 NY Meteorologist and<br />
marathoner Amy Freeze. 2) RUNNER’S WORLD Shoe Editor/RUNNING TIMES Editor-in-Chief<br />
Jonathan Beverly (far left) and RUNNER’S WORLD Brand Editor Warren Greene (far right)<br />
present Saucony Global Technical Running Product Line Manager Andrew Conley (second from left),<br />
Saucony Senior VP/Global Products Pat O’Malley (center), and Saucony VP/Human Performance<br />
Lab Spencer White with the International Editor's Choice Shoe Award for the Saucony Kinvara 5.<br />
3) November Project cofounders Brogan Graham (top) and Bojan Mandaric (bottom) (moved<br />
by the Halloween spirit to dress as SNL’s classic Hanz and Franz characters) anchor the totem pole<br />
formed by O’Keefe and Willey. 4) RUNNER’S WORLD’s Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso, always<br />
the mayor of running, is flanked by Ryan and Sara Hall. 5) Providence, on the west side of<br />
Manhattan, played host to RUNNER’S WORLD’s Halloween night industry party, which began with<br />
the International Shoe Awards. 6) The International Shoe Summit brought RUNNER’S WORLD’s<br />
partners from across the globe to Rodale Inc.’s NYC office. Pictured (left to right): Willey; Kara<br />
Goucher; O'Keefe; Rodale Inc. Senior VP International/Business Development and Partnerships<br />
Rob Novick and RUNNER'S WORLD Brazil Editorial Director Andrea Estevam.<br />
2014 ASME NOMINATION FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE<br />
FOUR-TIME ADWEEK HOT LIST WINNER<br />
14 BEST AMERICAN SPORTS WRITING SELECTIONS<br />
PEOPLE’S CHOICE WEBBY WINNER<br />
AD AGE MEDIA VANGUARD WINNER<br />
for more events + promotions<br />
runnersworld.com/insidetrack
RACING AHEAD<br />
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
EAT FRESH, RUN FRESH<br />
<br />
Fresh 15, 15K, 5K & 1K<br />
MARCH 7, 2015<br />
TYLER, TX<br />
Contact: Ashleigh Endicott<br />
6991 Old Jacksonville Hwy, Tyler, TX<br />
(903) 747-3503 fresh15@brookshires.com<br />
www.fresh15k.com<br />
2015 Zydeco Marathon<br />
and Half Marathon<br />
MARCH 8, 2015<br />
LAFAYETTE, LA<br />
Contact: Michael Howard<br />
PO Box 81303, Lafayette, LA 70598<br />
(337) 962-2678 michael@zydecomarathon.com<br />
www.zydecomarathon.com<br />
RUN WHERE LINCOLN WALKED<br />
Lincoln Presidential<br />
Half Marathon presented<br />
by Prairie Heart Institute<br />
APRIL 4, 2015<br />
SPRINGFIELD, IL<br />
Contact: Brian Reardon<br />
604 Sunny Brook, Springfield, IL 62705<br />
(217) 492-5823<br />
lincolnhalf@gmail.com<br />
www.runabe.com<br />
REGISTER TODAY TO<br />
SECURE YOUR SPOT!<br />
The San Francisco Marathon<br />
JULY 26, 2015<br />
SAN FRANCISCO, CA<br />
Contact: The San Francisco Marathon<br />
P.O. Box 77148, San Francisco, CA 94107<br />
(888) 958-6668 customersupport@thesfmarathon.com<br />
www.thesfmarathon.com<br />
$10 Off Race Registration with Code:<br />
RW10TSFM2015<br />
THE ORIGINAL PIG MARATHON<br />
Fayetteville, Arkansas<br />
39th Annual Hogeye<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon<br />
& Relays<br />
MARCH 29, 2015<br />
FAYETTEVILLE, AR<br />
Contact: Tabby Holmes<br />
P.O. Box 8012, Fayetteville, AR 72703<br />
rd@hogeyemarathon.com<br />
www.hogeyemarathon.com<br />
NORTH ATLANTIC<br />
MAR 29, 2015 - Ocean Drive Marathon,<br />
10M & 5K<br />
Cape May, NJ<br />
Contact: ODRC Inc.,<br />
P.O. Box 1245, Southeastern, PA 19399.<br />
(609) 523-0880<br />
odmracedirector@comcast.net<br />
www.odmarathon.org<br />
APR 11, 2015 - Garden Spot Village<br />
Marathon & Half Marathon<br />
New Holland, PA<br />
Contact: Kelly Sweigart,<br />
433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland, PA 17557.<br />
(717) 355-6000<br />
marathon@gardenspotvillage.org<br />
www.gardenspotvillagemarathon.org<br />
Run in beautiful Amish Country with horse &<br />
buggies and one room schoolhouses! Running<br />
this race makes you eligible for the coveted<br />
“Road Apple Award”!<br />
APR 11-12, 2015 - AmeriHealth NJ<br />
April Fools Half Marathon, 11K & 7K<br />
Atlantic City, NJ<br />
Contact: AC Marathon Race Series,<br />
501 N. Jerome Ave., Margate, NJ 08402.<br />
(609) 822-1167 ext. 141<br />
acmarathon@jccatlantic.org<br />
www.acraceseries.com<br />
APR 24-26, 2015 - Novo Nordisk<br />
New Jersey Marathon, Half Marathon<br />
& Half Marathon Relay<br />
Long Branch, NJ<br />
Contact: Sandra Benedict,<br />
PO Box 306, Monmouth Beach, NJ 07750.<br />
(201) 407-7437<br />
sbenedict@lifetimefitness.com<br />
www.thenewjerseymarathon.com<br />
MAY 3, 2015 - Dick’s Sporting Goods<br />
Pittsburgh Marathon, Marathon Relay,<br />
Half Marathon, 5K, Kids 1-Mile<br />
& Pet Walk<br />
Pittsburgh, PA<br />
Contact: Kelsey Jackson,<br />
810 River Ave., Suite 120, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.<br />
(412) 586-7785<br />
kjackson@pittsburghmarathon.com<br />
www.pittsburghmarathon.com<br />
MAY 24, 2015 - People’s United Bank<br />
Vermont City Marathon & Relay<br />
Burlington, VT<br />
Contact: Jess Cover,<br />
1 Main St., Suite 304, Burlington, VT 05401.<br />
(802) 863-8412<br />
info@runvermont.org<br />
www.runvcm.org<br />
Flat course on the shores of Lake Champlain.<br />
JUN 28, 2015 - Bay of Fundy<br />
International Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon & 10K<br />
Lubec, ME & Campobello Island, NB<br />
Contact: Barbara Frazier,<br />
P.O. Box 101, Lubec, ME 04652. PO Box 801,<br />
Welshpool, NB E5E 1Y3.<br />
(207) 619-1887<br />
info@bayoffundymarathon.com<br />
www.bayoffundymarathon.com<br />
JULY 12, 2015 - Mad Marathon,<br />
3 & 5 Person Relay Teams, Half Marathon,<br />
2 Person Relay Teams & Walkers<br />
Waitsfield, VT<br />
Contact: Dori Ingalls,<br />
P.O. Box 28, Waitsfield, VT 05673.<br />
(802) 363-9863<br />
dori@madmarathon.com<br />
www.madmarathon.com<br />
Presented by Sugarbush Resort and Lenny’s<br />
Shoe & Apparel<br />
JULY 25-26, 2015 - PA Grand Canyon<br />
Half Marathons (one Sat., one Sun.)<br />
Wellsboro, PA<br />
Contact: ACT Sports Management,<br />
P.O. Box 488, Lionville, PA 19353.<br />
(610) 308-3993<br />
info@pagrandcanyonmarathon.com<br />
www.pagrandcanyonmarathon.com<br />
116<br />
FOR ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT JACKIE COKER AT 801.668.6038 or jackiecoker@sbcglobal.net
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
SOUTH ATLANTIC<br />
JAN 18, 2015 - Naples Daily News<br />
Half Marathon<br />
Naples, FL<br />
Contact: Perry Silverman<br />
(678) 777-5622<br />
psilvrman@aol.com<br />
www.napleshalfmarathon.net<br />
Host Hotel: Naples Bay Resort (866) 605-1199<br />
FEB 6-7, 2015 - Critz Tybee Run<br />
Fest 2015, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon,<br />
2.8 Mile Beach Run, 1 Mile=26.2 Miles<br />
Tybee Island, GA<br />
Contact: Robert Espinoza,<br />
3405 Waters Ave., Savannah, GA 31404.<br />
(912) 355-3527<br />
robert@fleetfeetsavannah.com<br />
www.critztybeerun.com<br />
5 Races over 2 Days: Certified 10K and<br />
Half Marathon courses, along with a 5K,<br />
2.8 Mile Beach Run and a 1 Mile Fun Run.<br />
Conquer a one of a kind challenge and run all<br />
5 races for a total distance of 26.2 miles.<br />
The Run Fest offers a distance for every runner<br />
and will put smiles on the kids’ faces too!<br />
FEB 7, 2015 - Hilton Head Island<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon & 5K<br />
Hilton Head, SC<br />
Contact: Bear Foot Sports,<br />
20 Towne Dr., PMB #200, Bluffton, SC 29910.<br />
(843) 757-8520<br />
bfs@hargray.com<br />
www.bearfootsports.com<br />
FEB 8, 2015 - Tallahassee Marathon &<br />
Half Marathon<br />
Tallahassee, FL<br />
Contact: Jay Silvanima<br />
(850) 264-0739<br />
tallahasseemarathon@gmail.com<br />
www.tallahasseemarathon.com<br />
Special Guest Speaker Hal Higdon.<br />
$11,000 Cash Purse, Full Marathon.<br />
FEB 14, 2015 - Myrtlebeach.com<br />
Myrtle Beach Marathon, Half Marathon,<br />
Team Relay, 5K & Fun Run<br />
Myrtle Beach, SC<br />
Contact: Myrtle Beach Marathon,<br />
P.O. Box 8780, Myrtle Beach, SC 29578.<br />
(843) 293-RACE (7223)<br />
mbmarathon@yahoo.com<br />
www.mbmarathon.com<br />
FEB 21-22, 2015 - Publix Gasparilla<br />
Distance Classic Race Weekend<br />
21st - 15K & 5K<br />
22nd - Half Marathon & 8K<br />
Tampa, FL<br />
Contact: Susan Harmeling,<br />
P.O. Box 1881, Tampa, FL 33601.<br />
(813) 254-7866<br />
gdcarun@verizon.net<br />
www.tampabayrun.com<br />
FLAT, FAST, RUNNER & FAMILY FRIENDLY,<br />
THE BEST OF RUNNER “BOOTY”, BEAUTIFUL<br />
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FEB 28, 2015 - Scenic City<br />
Half Marathon, 5K & Charity Challenge<br />
Chattanooga, TN<br />
Contact: Sherilyn Johnson,<br />
P.O. Box 11241, Chattanooga, TN 37401.<br />
(423) 842-6265<br />
schdirector@chattanoogatrackclub.org<br />
www.sceniccityhalfmarathon.com<br />
MAR 7, 2015 - Albany Marathon<br />
& Half Marathon<br />
Albany, GA<br />
Contact: Rashelle Beasley,<br />
112 North Front St., Albany, GA 31701.<br />
(229) 317-4760<br />
rbeasley@albanyga.com<br />
www.albanymarathon.com<br />
MAR 21, 2015 - Seneca’s Half Marathon<br />
& 5K<br />
Seneca, SC<br />
Contact: Riley Johnson,<br />
221 E. North 1st Street, Seneca, SC 29678.<br />
(864) 723-3910<br />
rhjohnson@seneca.sc.us<br />
www.seneca.sc.us<br />
$1000.00 to the Fastest Male & Female Half<br />
Marathon Winner<br />
MAR 21-22, 2015 - Yuengling Shamrock<br />
Marathon Weekend, Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon, 8K & 1M<br />
Virginia Beach, VA<br />
Contact: J&A Racing,<br />
3601 Shore Dr., Virginia Beach, VA 23455.<br />
(757) 412-1056<br />
info@shamrockmarathon.com<br />
www.shamrockmarathon.com<br />
MAR 28, 2015 - Publix Savannah<br />
Women’s Half & 5K<br />
Savannah, GA<br />
Contact: Jonathan Sykes,<br />
101 East Bay St., Savannah, GA 31401.<br />
(912) 644-6452<br />
jsykes@visitsavannah.com<br />
www.savannahwomenshalf.com<br />
MAR 28, 2015 - Ukrop’s Monument<br />
Avenue 10K & 1M Kids Run<br />
Richmond, VA<br />
Contact: Race Director,<br />
100 Avenue of Champions,<br />
Richmond, VA 23230.<br />
(804) 285-9495<br />
info@sportsbackers.org<br />
www.sportsbackers.org<br />
MAR 29, 2015 - Covenant Health<br />
Knoxville Marathon, Half Marathon,<br />
5K & Relay<br />
Knoxville, TN<br />
Contact: Jason Altman,<br />
P.O. Box 53442, Knoxville, TN 37950.<br />
(865) 684-4294<br />
info@knoxvillemarathon.com<br />
www.knoxvillemarathon.com<br />
APR 4, 2015 - 13th Annual Miller Lite<br />
Charlottesville Marathon, Relay,<br />
Half Marathon, 8K & Kids Mile<br />
Charlottesville, VA<br />
Contact: Gill, Race Director,<br />
1884 Westview Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903.<br />
(434) 218-0402<br />
alyssa@badtothebone.biz<br />
www.charlottesvillemarathon.com<br />
Come run “America’s Destination Marathon”! New<br />
Team Relay for 2015! “One of the Best Marathons<br />
in the USA” - <strong>Runners</strong> World Magazine.<br />
APR 12, 2015 - Divas® Half Marathon<br />
& 5K in North Myrtle Beach<br />
North Myrtle Beach, SC<br />
Contact: Continental Event & Sports<br />
Management,<br />
P.O. Box 56-1154, Miami, FL 33256-1154.<br />
info@runlikeadiva.com<br />
www.runlikeadiva.com<br />
Save $10 - Use RWNMBJANFEB15 (Exp. 2/28/15)<br />
APR 25, 2015 - Park to Park<br />
Half Marathon<br />
Waynesboro, VA<br />
Contact: Ben Lancaster<br />
(540) 942-6735<br />
parksandrec@ci.waynesboro.va.us<br />
www.runthevalley.com<br />
Mountain Vistas and Beautiful River Crossings.<br />
SEPT 12, 2015 - Divas® Half Marathon<br />
& 5K in Peachtree City<br />
Peachtree City, GA<br />
Contact: Continental Event & Sports<br />
Management,<br />
P.O. Box 56-1154, Miami, FL 33256-1154.<br />
info@runlikeadiva.com<br />
www.runlikeadiva.com<br />
Save $10 - Use RWPTCJANFEB15 (Exp. 2/28/15)<br />
SEP 19, 2015 - Half Crazy Run for<br />
Ovarian Cancer Half Marathon & 10K<br />
Evans, GA<br />
Contact: Traci Smith,<br />
531 Meldon Road, Evans, GA 30809.<br />
(706) 373-1231<br />
tracismith1231@yahoo.com<br />
www.halfcrazyrunforovariancancer.com<br />
SEPT 25-26, 2015 - Divas®<br />
Half Marathon & 5K in DC’s Wine Country<br />
Loudoun County, VA<br />
Contact: Continental Event & Sports<br />
Management,<br />
P.O. Box 56-1154, Miami, FL 33256-1154.<br />
info@runlikeadiva.com<br />
www.runlikeadiva.com<br />
Save $10 - Use RWDCJANFEB15 (Exp. 2/28/15)<br />
NORTH CENTRAL<br />
APR 18, 2015 - Carmel Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon, Horizon Bank 8K & 5K<br />
Carmel, IN<br />
Contact: Todd Oliver,<br />
3575 Inverness Blvd., Carmel, IN 46032.<br />
(317) 407-8489<br />
todd@carmelmarathon.com<br />
www.carmelmarathon.com<br />
CLOSING DATE FOR THE APRIL 2015 ISSUE IS JANUARY 16, 2015 117
RACING AHEAD<br />
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
APR 24-25, 2015 - Brainerd Jaycees<br />
Run For The Lakes, Marathon, Relay<br />
Marathons, Half Marathon, 10K & 5K<br />
Nisswa, MN<br />
Contact: Jeff Bailiff,<br />
P.O. Box 384, Brainerd, MN 56401.<br />
info@runforthelakes.com<br />
www.runforthelakes.com<br />
APR 25, 2015 - Christie Clinic Illinois<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, 10K,<br />
5K & Youth Run<br />
Champaign/Urbana, IL<br />
Contact: Jan Seeley,<br />
P.O. Box 262, Champaign, IL 61824.<br />
(217) 369-8553<br />
jan@illinoismarathon.com<br />
www.illinoismarathon.com<br />
MAY 2, 2015 - OneAmerica 500 Festival<br />
Mini-Marathon (13.1Miles) & 5K<br />
Indianapolis, IN<br />
Contact: Brett Sanford,<br />
21 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46204.<br />
(317) 927-3378<br />
raceinfo@500festival.com<br />
www.indymini.com<br />
MAY 15-17, 2015 - Cellcom Green Bay<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon, Marathon<br />
Relay, 5K & WPS Kids’ Power Run<br />
Green Bay, WI<br />
Contact: Sean Ryan,<br />
211 N. Broadway St., Suite #104,<br />
Green Bay, WI 54303.<br />
(920) 432-6272<br />
info@cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com<br />
www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com<br />
All Events Run Through Lambeau Field!<br />
MAY 17, 2015 - Divas® Half Marathon<br />
& 5K Midwest at Branson<br />
Branson, MO<br />
Contact: Continental Event & Sports<br />
Management,<br />
P.O. Box 56-1154, Miami, FL 33256-1154.<br />
info@runlikeadiva.com<br />
www.runlikeadiva.com<br />
Save $10 - Use RWMOJANFEB15 (exp.<br />
2/28/2015)<br />
MAY 17, 2015 - Rite Aid Cleveland<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K<br />
& Kids’ Run<br />
Cleveland, OH<br />
Contact: Ralph Staph,<br />
29525 Chagrin Blvd., #215,<br />
Pepper Pike, OH 44122.<br />
(800) 467-3826<br />
info@clevelandmarathon.com<br />
www.clevelandmarathon.com<br />
JUNE 5-6, 2015 - 42nd Annual Hospital<br />
Hill Run, Half Marathon, 10K, UMKC<br />
School of Medicine 5K, 5K/10K Re-RUN,<br />
5K/Half Re-RUN<br />
Kansas City, MO<br />
Contact: Beth Salinger,<br />
P.O. Box 27204, Overland Park, KS 66225.<br />
(312) 925-6067<br />
beth@hospitalhillrun.com<br />
www.hospitalhillrun.com<br />
JUNE 13, 2015 - Summerfest Rock<br />
‘n Sole Run, Half Marathon, Quarter<br />
Marathon & 5K<br />
Milwaukee, WI<br />
Contact: Sandra Chambers,<br />
16851 Southpark Dr., Suite 100,<br />
Westfield, IN 46074.<br />
(317) 354-7796<br />
sandra@visioneventmanagement.com<br />
www.rocknsolerun.com<br />
AUG 22, 2015 - Madison Mini-Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon, 5K & Kids’ Run<br />
Madison, WI<br />
Contact: Sandra Chambers,<br />
16851 Southpark Dr., Suite 100,<br />
Westfield, IN 46074.<br />
(317) 354-7796<br />
sandra@visioneventmanagement.com<br />
www.madisonminimarathon.com<br />
SEPT 19, 2015 - Air Force Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon, 10K & 5K<br />
Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH<br />
Contact: Race Director,<br />
Bldg #219, Room 106, 5030 Patterson Pkwy.,<br />
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433.<br />
(937) 257-4350<br />
usaf.marathon@us.af.mil<br />
www.usafmarathon.com<br />
SOUTH CENTRAL<br />
JAN 25, 2015 - 3M Half Marathon<br />
Austin, TX<br />
Contact: Conley Sports Productions,<br />
P.O. Box 684587, Austin, TX 78768.<br />
(512) 476-7223<br />
3mhalfmarathon@conleysports.com<br />
www.3mhalfmarathon.com<br />
FEB 7, 2015 - 33rd Annual All-America<br />
City 10K Run/Walk & Fun Run<br />
Edinburg, TX<br />
Contact: Doug Erickson, Race Director,<br />
315 E. Palm Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539.<br />
(956) 381-5631<br />
D.erickson@ecisd.us<br />
www.cityofedinburg.com<br />
$30,000 In Cash Prizes<br />
FEB 14, 2015 - Founding Fathers’ 5K<br />
Fun Run & Health Fair<br />
Laredo, TX<br />
Contact: Nino Cardenas,<br />
1700 E. Saunders St., Laredo, TX 78041.<br />
(956) 722-0589<br />
wbca@wbcalaredo.org<br />
www.wbcalaredo.org<br />
FEB 15, 2015 - Austin Marathon<br />
& Half Marathon<br />
Austin, TX<br />
Contact: Stacey Conley,<br />
P.O. Box 684587, Austin, TX 78768.<br />
(512) 476-7223<br />
info@youraustinmarathon.com<br />
www.youraustinmarathon.com<br />
MAR 28, 2015 - Run Bentonville<br />
Half Marathon<br />
Bentonville, AR<br />
Contact: Layne Moore,<br />
305 SW A Street, Bentonville, AR 72712<br />
(479) 464-7275<br />
lmoore@bentonvillear.com<br />
www.runbentonville.com<br />
MAR 29, 2015 - Austin 10/20 -<br />
The Live Music Race in the Live Music<br />
Capital of the World!, Ten Miles<br />
Austin, TX<br />
Contact: Turnkey Operations,<br />
4018 Caven Rd., Austin, TX 78744.<br />
(512) 299-9190<br />
info@austin1020.com<br />
www.austin1020.com<br />
Awesome 10 Mile Distance, 20 Course Bands<br />
Headliner Concert, Big Prize Money Purse,<br />
Fantastic Participant Perks!<br />
MAR 29, 2015 - Hogeye Marathon &<br />
Relays, Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K<br />
& 4-Person Relay<br />
Fayetteville, AR<br />
Contact: Tabby Holmes,<br />
P.O. Box 8012, Fayetteville, AR 72703.<br />
rd@hogeyemarathon.com<br />
www.hogeyemarathon.com<br />
APR 19, 2015 - Divas® Half Marathon<br />
& 5K in Galveston<br />
Galveston, TX<br />
Contact: Continental Event & Sports<br />
Management,<br />
P.O. Box 56-1154, Miami, FL 33256-1154.<br />
info@runlikeadiva.com<br />
www.runlikeadiva.com<br />
Save $10 - Use RWTXJANFEB15 (Exp. 2/28/15)<br />
MOUNTAIN PACIFIC<br />
JAN 18, 2015 - Maui OceanFront<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon, 15K, 10K & 5K<br />
Wailea to Lahaina, Maui, HI<br />
Contact: Les Wright,<br />
P.O. Box 20000, So. Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.<br />
(530) 559-2261<br />
runmaui@gmail.com<br />
www.runmaui.com<br />
FEB 15, 2015 - California 10/20,<br />
10 Miles, 20 Bands in<br />
North San Diego County, CA<br />
Del Mar, CA<br />
Contact: Turnkey Operations,<br />
4018 Caven Rd., Austin, TX 78744.<br />
(888) 981-9190<br />
info@cal1020.com<br />
www.cal1020.com<br />
Great Distance, More Music, Scenic Coastal<br />
Course, Awesome Participant Perks!<br />
MAR 1, 2015 - Lincoln City<br />
Half Marathon & 10K<br />
Lincoln City, OR<br />
Contact: Karl McShane,<br />
2150 NE Oar Place, Lincoln City, OR 97367.<br />
(541) 994-2131<br />
kmcshane@lincolncity.org<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
lincolncityhalfmarathonand10k<br />
Beautiful Central Oregon Coast!<br />
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FOR ADVERTISING RATES CONTACT JACKIE COKER AT AT 801.668.6038 or or jackiecoker@sbcglobal.net
MAR 15, 2015 - Wine Country Runs,<br />
Half Marathon, 5K & Kid’s 1 Mile<br />
Paso Robles, CA<br />
Contact: Mary Ann Burke,<br />
1191 Creston Rd #115, Paso Robles, CA 93446.<br />
winecountryruns@gmail.com<br />
www.winecountryruns.com<br />
APRIL 12, 2015 - Road Runner Sports’<br />
Scottsdale Challenge, Half Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon Challenge,<br />
5K & 5K Challenge<br />
Scottsdale, AZ<br />
Contact: Road Runner Sports,<br />
5549 Copley, Dr., San Diego, CA 92103.<br />
(858) 974-4303<br />
tligett@roadrunnersports.com<br />
www.scottsdalechallenge.com<br />
MAY 2, 2015 - Wild Wild West Marathon,<br />
50K, 10 Mile & 3 Mile Fun Run<br />
Lone Pine, CA<br />
Contact: Kathleen New,<br />
120 S. Main Street, Lone Pine, CA 93545.<br />
(760) 876-4444<br />
info@wildwildwestmarathon.com<br />
www.wildwildwestmarathon.com<br />
MAY 8-10, 2015 - Eugene Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon, 5K & Kids Run<br />
Eugene, OR<br />
Contact: Richard Maher,<br />
541 Willamette St., #212, Eugene, OR 97401.<br />
(541) 345-2230<br />
info@eugenemarathon.com<br />
www.eugenemarathon.com<br />
Finish inside historic Hayward Field!<br />
MAY 17, 2015 - 10th Annual Kaiser<br />
Permanente Colfax Marathon,<br />
Marathon Relay, Half Marathon,<br />
Urban 10 Miler & Marathon Relay<br />
Denver, CO<br />
Contact: Race Crew,<br />
City Park, Denver, CO.<br />
(303) 770-9600<br />
info@runcolfax.org<br />
www.runcolfax.org<br />
Denver’s Ultimate Urban Tour!<br />
MAY 31, 2015 - Divas® Half Marathon<br />
& 5K in San Francisco Bay<br />
Burlingame, CA<br />
Contact: Continental Events & Sports<br />
Management,<br />
P.O. Box 56-1154, Miami, FL 33256-1154.<br />
info@runlikeadiva.com<br />
www.runlikeadiva.com<br />
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JUNE 6, 2015 - Kahakuloa<br />
Half Marathon & Relay<br />
Kahakuloa, Hawaii<br />
Contact: Rudy Huber,<br />
P.O. Box 1024, Wailuku, HI 96793.<br />
808-280-5801<br />
huber_rudy@yahoo.com<br />
www.runnersparadiseinc.com<br />
Best Coastal Views on Maui<br />
ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
JUNE 7, 2015 - Steamboat Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon & 10K<br />
Steamboat Springs, CO<br />
Contact: Lindy Schwanke,<br />
P.O. Box 774408,<br />
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477.<br />
(970) 875-7006<br />
lindy@steamboatchamber.com<br />
www.steamboatmarathon.com<br />
JUN 13, 2015 - Teton Dam Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon, Relay, 10K & 5K<br />
Rexburg, ID<br />
Contact: Tom Anderson,<br />
35 North 1st East, Rexburg, ID 83440.<br />
(208) 359-3020<br />
recreation@rexburg.org<br />
www.dammarathon.com<br />
OCT 9-11, 2015 - Lake Tahoe Marathon<br />
& Half Marathon, 3 Marathons,<br />
3 Half Marathons, 20 Miler, 10K, 5K,<br />
72 Mile Ultra, Double Marathon<br />
& Kids Fun Run<br />
South Lake Tahoe, CA<br />
Contact: Les Wright,<br />
P.O. Box 20000, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.<br />
(530) 559-2261<br />
leswright@sbcglobal.net<br />
www.runtahoe.com<br />
INTERNATIONAL<br />
MAY 1-3, 2015 - Greater Toronto Spring<br />
Marathon/Mississauga Marathon, 42.2K,<br />
21.1K, 10K, 5K, 2K & Relays<br />
Greater Toronto Area, ON, Canada<br />
(905) 949-2931<br />
info@mississaugamarathon.com<br />
www.mississaugamarathon.com<br />
Run Along Beautiful Lake Ontario! Located Near<br />
Toronto International Airport. #TakeBackRunning<br />
MAY 16, 2015 - Great Wall Marathon,<br />
Half Marathon & 8.5K<br />
Huanguyan/Beijing, China<br />
Contact: Kathy Loper Events,<br />
7801 Mission Center Court,<br />
Suite 204, San Diego, CA 92108.<br />
(619) 298-7400<br />
kathy@kathyloperevents.com<br />
www.kathyloperevents.com/gwm<br />
Additional Tours to Xian, Tibet & Shanghai<br />
MAY 24, 2015 - Scotiabank Ottawa<br />
Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, 2K<br />
& Kid’s Marathon<br />
Ottawa, ON, Canada<br />
Contact: John Halvorsen, 5450 Canotek Rd.,<br />
Unit 45, Ottawa, ON K1J 9G2.<br />
(866) RUNOTTA<br />
halvorsen@runottawa.ca<br />
www.runottawa.com<br />
Run With Over 48,000 <strong>Runners</strong> in Canada’s<br />
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NOV 8, 2015 - Athens Marathon, 10K<br />
& 5K, Original Historical Course<br />
Athens, Greece<br />
Contact: Apostolos Greek Tours Inc.,<br />
2685 S. Dayton Way #14, Denver, CO 80231.<br />
(303) 755-2888<br />
www.athensmarathon.com<br />
Various Support Packages.<br />
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• CONTINUED FROM PAGE 107<br />
of the Comb Ridge rock formations near<br />
Bluff, Utah, “like someone was projecting<br />
huge movies or something.” It was about<br />
a decade before scientists released studies<br />
suggesting that Mayans had, in fact,<br />
likely been there. Maybe my little sister<br />
had been a 19th-century warrior. Or medicine<br />
man. Or whatever.) But what if it was<br />
heatstroke<br />
“Cool,” I say, because as her coach I<br />
want her to feel comfortable. “Um, Ann,<br />
remember what I said about how when<br />
you’re going uphill, you should shorten<br />
your stride, because it makes it easier, and<br />
then after you reach the top and start…”<br />
“I get to run the race however I want to<br />
run the race!” she yells. “You don’t get to<br />
decide. I’m the boss of me.”<br />
Fierce will, or lack of oxygen to the<br />
brain With my sister, it’s never been easy<br />
to ascertain.<br />
“Um, Ann, did you just say ‘I’m the boss<br />
of me’”<br />
“Go,” she hisses, “just go.”<br />
“You have such a nice stride,” I lie. “If<br />
you just kind of picked up your...”<br />
“I’m happy,” she says, though she looks<br />
anything but. “Go. Go!”<br />
How can I<br />
“I am fine,” she says. “I’m better than<br />
fine. Just go run your own race.”<br />
So I go. But I worry.<br />
I crest the little hummock, descend,<br />
look up, and half a mile ahead, I see a set of<br />
steps so absurdly steep (they are hundreds<br />
of years old) that everyone walks, rather<br />
than runs, up them. For some reason,<br />
the worry is abating. Ann is running, I’m<br />
running. Isaac is running, far ahead of us,<br />
and I hope that he’ll remember the desert<br />
beauty and not the sun-scorched details<br />
of his late-summer failure. Steve the fire<br />
captain is running, too, in the 10-K. Iris<br />
(purple Converse, cream-colored flowered<br />
shorts, white tank top) and my mom are<br />
walking the mile fun run. I run toward<br />
the steps, and the sky is vast and soft and<br />
the desert stretches forever and the hard,<br />
clean light feels good on my skin, and I<br />
can see the blue corn breakfast burritos<br />
at the Hopi Cultural Center Restaurant &<br />
Inn awaiting me after the race, and I know<br />
that without my adventurous if sometimes<br />
difficult sister, who had invited me West,<br />
as she invites so many people, without her<br />
listening to me complain and telling me to<br />
drink water and to be kind to myself, as<br />
she does with so many people, I would be<br />
in New York City at the moment, alone,<br />
anxious, waiting for some Chan-Do Chicken<br />
to be delivered from Shun Lee West,<br />
staring at episode 29 or 33 of a French<br />
crime drama whose anti-heroine, the redheaded<br />
and morally compromised lawyer<br />
Mademoiselle Karlsson, intrigues me.<br />
What kind of life is that Isn’t it better that<br />
I’m here, in the desert, with people I love<br />
I wheeze, sloth step by sloth step, up the<br />
killer rock stairs and then start another<br />
descent, breathing evenly, smiling, hoping<br />
that my possibly psychic, possibly medically<br />
compromised, definitely spunky little<br />
sister is okay. I think about how happy<br />
I am when I’m with her, even when I’m<br />
worrying about her.<br />
And that’s when I have an epiphany of<br />
my own.<br />
JUNE 1961<br />
I AM 6 AND A HALF YEARS OLD, peering into the crib<br />
at my 6-month-old sister, who has casts<br />
on her legs and feet. She is clicking them<br />
together and gurgling and laughing. I am<br />
an anxious child, afraid of bugs, birds, tomatoes,<br />
fish, mustard, radios, and Wendy<br />
the beagle who lives next door and who<br />
everyone says is friendly. I hum when I’m<br />
eating and blow spit bubbles to soothe myself.<br />
On rainy days I sob and beg my mother<br />
to let me stay home because I know that<br />
worms will be squirming all over the sidewalk<br />
and I might accidentally step on one,<br />
but she refuses.<br />
I reach into the crib and pet the baby’s<br />
head. I worry about the baby because of<br />
the casts, which she got a few weeks ago<br />
because her feet pointed funny. They were<br />
pigeon toed, or like a duck, I can’t remember.<br />
Mommy and Daddy said not to worry,<br />
the baby would be okay and the casts<br />
wouldn’t be on forever, but they always<br />
said not to worry. I still had to go to school<br />
on wormy days. And she was so little, and<br />
the fact that she wasn’t even sad about<br />
the casts—that she was smiling at me and<br />
wriggling and gurgling and laughing and<br />
now squeezing my fat butterballish firstgrade<br />
fingers—made me even more sad.<br />
I spend a lot of time worrying about my<br />
little sister. If I worry about her, I don’t have<br />
to worry about the pink and brown sidewalk<br />
worms, or having to go to the bathroom<br />
at school, or whether I might throw<br />
up in class, which I have done twice already<br />
this, my first-grade year. If I worry about<br />
my baby sister and her sad casts and what<br />
is going to happen to her, I don’t need to be<br />
scared of whether the fifth-grader Jimmy P.<br />
might beat me up for looking at him funny,<br />
and I don’t have to worry about whether<br />
I’ll mess up in kickball again and get in<br />
trouble with Mr. S. the gym teacher who<br />
tells me I’m lazy just because I can’t run<br />
fast and who I saw grab a sixth-grader by<br />
his shirt collar once and lift him up and<br />
scream at him, or whether my first-grade<br />
teacher will be “concerned” when I print<br />
the alphabet wrong again (I leave out the<br />
letters between K and P because I think it’s<br />
a special P, an elemeno P). Worrying about<br />
Ann, I don’t need to worry about whether<br />
Mommy and Daddy will argue at breakfast<br />
over whether the eggs need ketchup<br />
(“You’re going to put ketchup on them before<br />
you’ve even tried them Won’t you at least<br />
try them first”), or about whether I’ll have<br />
the bad dreams about the monsters again,<br />
or whether, when I’m walking in the alley<br />
behind our house, Wendy the beagle who<br />
everyone says is friendly will yawn at me<br />
and show me her big teeth which made me<br />
have an accident once, or whether the fat<br />
boy in the wheelchair on the back porch up<br />
the steep steps at the house across the alley<br />
from Wendy the dog will moan at me and<br />
roll his head, which made me have an accident<br />
another time, and that night Mommy<br />
made me Bonnie Butter Beef hamburgers,<br />
my favorite, but she said I was a big boy now<br />
and I didn’t need to be so scared and then I<br />
cried because I thought I was in trouble for<br />
the accident and I had bad dreams.<br />
I’m a scared little boy, but standing next<br />
to baby Ann’s little crib (Where are our parents<br />
Where is our big brother, Donnie I<br />
have no idea.), I stare at my little sister with<br />
her hard tiny casts and the way she clicks<br />
them together and giggles, and I worry<br />
about Ann and feel sad for her with her<br />
little casts, even though she doesn’t seem<br />
worried at all, and sometimes I tickle her<br />
tiny bulging pink belly and she gurgles<br />
and smiles and then I don’t worry about<br />
anything, even Wendy the beagle or the<br />
fat moaning boy who Mom says was “born<br />
funny and we should all be nice to him<br />
because for that family it’s a cross bear,”<br />
and he doesn’t look like a cross bear but<br />
still, he scares me.<br />
Ann grows up strong and brave and<br />
beautiful, and even when she beats her<br />
boyfriend in the 50-yard dash in sixth<br />
grade and he breaks up with her the next<br />
day, she yells at him but doesn’t mope.<br />
And when her friends in junior high school<br />
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 125
5 K<br />
Your<br />
New Year<br />
Starts Here<br />
REGISTRATION<br />
OPENS JANUARY 1<br />
AT RWHALF.COM<br />
•<br />
1 0 K<br />
OCTOBER 16, 2015<br />
BETHLEHEM, PA<br />
•<br />
R A C E<br />
H A L F - M A R AT H O N • K I D S<br />
Warming up for the<br />
Capital Blue Kids Run<br />
A packed house at Bart Yasso's<br />
My Life on the Run seminar<br />
The dog run on Saturday is<br />
always a crowd favorite
play dress up and draw hearts, she comes<br />
to watch me play basketball and pores over<br />
Our Bodies, Ourselves (my high school girlfriend<br />
gave it to her for her 12th birthday),<br />
and when her fellow high school graduates<br />
join sororities and buy Laura Ashley dresses<br />
and marry accountants, Ann moves to<br />
California and dates shoeless musicians,<br />
then she makes a life in the mountains of<br />
Colorado and takes wild risks and fails<br />
sometimes but keeps taking them, and<br />
whenever I call because I’m worried about<br />
her, our talk usually turns to my anxiety<br />
about a recent girlfriend, or an upcoming<br />
assignment, or money, and Ann asks<br />
whether I’m drinking enough water and<br />
whether I’m doing the downward dog, because<br />
I should really do both and I’ll feel<br />
better, and when I’m really sounding bad,<br />
she’ll say, “Television and ice cream seem<br />
to soothe you, so that’s okay, too. Don’t beat<br />
yourself up too much.”<br />
It always sounds so simple.<br />
AUGUST 2014<br />
“THAT WAS AWESOME!” Ann exclaims. “I loved<br />
that! I want to do more races!” She finished<br />
in 42:27, in 114th place out of 153 runners.<br />
We are descending the Mesa, driving<br />
away from the reservation, toward home.<br />
“I’m so glad to hear that, Ann,” I say.<br />
“As a coach, that is gratifying. Next time,<br />
if we tweak your stride, and concentrate<br />
on negative splits, and…”<br />
“But only races run by Native Americans.<br />
Races that are mellow, where it’s all<br />
about togetherness and people getting out<br />
and exercising together and having fun.”<br />
“Ann, most races are like that, really.<br />
You don’t have to limit yourself to ones<br />
sponsored by Hopis.”<br />
“Yeah, right, Butterball,” Ann says.<br />
“Really After all that”<br />
Her husband, a man of strong deeds (he<br />
finished the 10-K in 1:14:44, 125th out of<br />
173) and few words, speaks up from behind<br />
the wheel. “Your brother is right, Ann.<br />
They’re not like those crazy cyclists, or the<br />
cutthroat triathletes. <strong>Runners</strong> are really<br />
a very mellow bunch. They tend to help<br />
each other at races. You could do almost<br />
a race a week without leaving Colorado.”<br />
“Really” Ann asks. “Wow. Hmmm.”<br />
Alone in the desert, six of us under a<br />
vast, blazing sky, sealed in by glass and<br />
metal, skimming past washes and sand<br />
and dirt. Ann sits behind the driver’s seat,<br />
and she can’t stop smiling. Next to her,<br />
my mother, who mentions, when we pass<br />
a dusty old trailer with a dusty tricycle<br />
squatting in its yard of dirt, “I could never<br />
live like that, Honey,” which prompts Ann<br />
to chuckle and say, “Has anyone asked you<br />
to” I’m in the back seat, still feeling a little<br />
woozy from my final sprint (I finished at<br />
41:35 in 111th place), and on my lap is Iris,<br />
who wants to know when we can stop at<br />
a gas station for some beef jerky, because<br />
she is hungry. Seriously!<br />
Asleep in the front seat, his head against<br />
the passenger window, slumps Isaac. In<br />
his lap he clutches the medal and the<br />
handmade Hopi woven plate he received<br />
for winning the 5-K race. “First,” he told<br />
me, grinning, when I found him at the<br />
finish line. First in the 16- to 19-year-old<br />
age group. First overall. He beat everyone.<br />
He finished in 22:46, more than a minute<br />
ahead of the second-place runner. I lean<br />
forward to gaze upon my sleeping nephew,<br />
my anxious, self-punishing, needs-to-findthe-cure-for-cancer-if-he-has-any-hopeof-gaining-admission-to-the-college-ofhis-dreams<br />
nephew. Did he relax and<br />
enjoy himself Did he run free of imaginary<br />
burdens, with rapture Or did fear<br />
dog his every stride Did bottomless need<br />
fuel him I watch him breathing evenly,<br />
smiling in his sleep. His forehead is smooth<br />
as a river-washed rock.<br />
OCTOBER 2014<br />
ANN CONTINUES TO RUN and Isaac continues to<br />
compete in cross-country and, as far as I<br />
can tell from our phone conversations, continues<br />
to worry about college and meteors.<br />
He and his father pull an enormous tree<br />
trunk from his father’s yard, and together<br />
they build a tool shed. Iris reads 14 books<br />
over the postrace week and a half and then<br />
announces that she’d like to spend a few<br />
days in New York City this winter with<br />
me, and did I think I could get her tickets<br />
to Fashion Week And maybe a tour at Elle<br />
magazine And some theater tickets—she<br />
hears there are some intriguing (her word)<br />
off-Broadway productions opening My<br />
mother returns to Portland, from where<br />
she calls Ann regularly and asks if she has<br />
thought anymore about getting a dishwasher.<br />
Also: “Honey, promise me you’re<br />
not going to move to that reservation.”<br />
I fly home, where in addition to running<br />
four times a week in Central Park, I wear<br />
my pale gray rubber Louis Tewanima Footrace<br />
bracelet and try to drop into every<br />
conversation, no matter the nature of the<br />
topic, ever so casually, that “Oh, yeah, I<br />
ran a 5-K on a Hopi reservation.” Once,<br />
to my horror and shame, I actually say,<br />
“They’re a peaceful people.” I watch too<br />
much television in my studio apartment<br />
while I think of potato chips and sleeping<br />
rescue dogs and science quizzes and my<br />
family in Colorado.<br />
When I’m feeling down—and I still feel<br />
down sometimes, who doesn’t—and a run<br />
doesn’t snap me out of it, I take a nice afternoon<br />
nap and before I sleep I close my eyes<br />
and summon the moment on the edge of<br />
Second Mesa just before I started to sprint<br />
for the finish line, the instant right before I<br />
spent 50 yards battling a 7-year-old girl in<br />
pink shoes (she was finishing the mile fun<br />
run, but we were aiming at the same finish<br />
line and she was booking), defeating her<br />
but almost puking in the process.<br />
The magical, nourishing moment I summon:<br />
my final look back, just before I take<br />
on the 7-year-old. That’s when I see Ann.<br />
She is climbing the steps carved into the<br />
rock. She’s smiling. She’s talking to some<br />
of the other runners. Not only talking, but<br />
passing. She passes at least seven runners.<br />
Is she laughing I’m not sure. What I am<br />
sure of is something even more amazing.<br />
She’s not walking, or straining up the<br />
homicidal steps that have reduced nearly<br />
every runner in this race to a labored,<br />
stooped schlep. She’s running. She might<br />
say jogging, but that’s because she’s stubborn.<br />
That’s because she spits on anyone<br />
categorizing her, on anyone who has ever<br />
categorized her. She’s running up the<br />
brutal steps. She looks so happy. So content.<br />
Maybe I don’t need to worry about<br />
my sister so much. And if I don’t need<br />
to worry about her, maybe I don’t need to<br />
worry so much about my studio apartment<br />
and what an ex said seven years ago about<br />
how much I liked television and the inexorable<br />
passing of time and stupid decisions<br />
I have made and stupid decisions I will<br />
certainly make in the future. In the desert,<br />
under a windless sky and a cleansing sun,<br />
it occurs to me that worrying about my<br />
sister has been a distraction I could finally<br />
let go. It occurs to me that I never needed<br />
to worry about my sister. I watch my sister<br />
run, delighted, unconcerned, and I turn to<br />
run myself, and I think that maybe I never<br />
really needed to worry about anything.<br />
RUNNER’S WORLD (ISSN 0897-1706) IS PUBLISHED 11 TIMES A<br />
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 RUNNER’S WORLD 127
I’M A RUNNER<br />
STORYBOARD P<br />
STREET DANCER, 24, BROOKLYN<br />
Interview by<br />
Yishane Lee<br />
the day, people stop me and ask<br />
for autographs.<br />
I RUN ON main roads, from Eastern<br />
Parkway to Washington to<br />
Atlantic to Flatbush, then across<br />
the Brooklyn Bridge, up Manhattan,<br />
and into the Bronx. In the<br />
Bronx I tap the green subway ball<br />
sign at 161st Street and then run<br />
back. That’s over 20 miles.<br />
AFTER I’M DONE, I eat a lot of sushi.<br />
Spicy tuna is the absolute best.<br />
THERE’S A CERTAIN PAIN that comes<br />
from running. You have to condition<br />
yourself to take the pain<br />
and disguise it as second nature.<br />
I’VE BEEN RUNNING since I was<br />
younger. I was on the track team<br />
in seventh grade, and earlier I<br />
was always running around outside,<br />
playing tag and other games.<br />
“I’d rather run<br />
at night. It just<br />
has a different<br />
energy—it<br />
inspires me.”<br />
WHEN I RUN I create music, sometimes<br />
it’s beat-boxing, in my<br />
head, and as I do, everything<br />
around me becomes animated.<br />
I’LL ALSO RUN in place, using stop<br />
motion. It’s not one fluid motion,<br />
it’s micromovements. Your body<br />
has to be stronger.<br />
SOMETIMES I mix workouts, such<br />
as isometrics and calisthenics,<br />
with a performance character. It<br />
makes it more fun, more playful.<br />
MY DANCE FORM is called mutant.<br />
I mix in yoga, contortion, heavy<br />
contortion, alien-like walks, all<br />
different types of positions.<br />
WHEN I HAVE a performance coming<br />
up and I want to be in shape,<br />
I really start running. I’m very<br />
ambitious, so I might run from<br />
Queens to Yonkers, or Brooklyn<br />
to the Bronx.<br />
FOR MY “Magna Carta Story” performance<br />
set to Jay Z’s music, the<br />
dance was made up on the spot,<br />
all off the top of my head.<br />
FOR TWO OR THREE nights before<br />
a long run, I eat a lot and put on<br />
weight. Then the morning of my<br />
run I have a ginger beer and go.<br />
I’LL LEAVE AT 4 a.m. If I run during<br />
Storyboard P’s<br />
latest dance<br />
performance<br />
is “Pure Panama<br />
Volume 3,”<br />
now playing on<br />
YouTube.<br />
I DO UPSIDE-DOWN diamond pushups<br />
in a handstand. I’ll do eight<br />
stop-motion levels on the pushup.<br />
That helps to build up my<br />
kundalini, my cobra.<br />
A LOT OF DANCERS don’t like<br />
running because they think it’s<br />
painful and that dancing is only<br />
about being graceful. But grace is<br />
acquired strength. You’ve got to<br />
run and work out to get to that.<br />
128<br />
GO TO RUNNERSWORLD.COM/IMARUNNER FOR A<br />
VIDEO INTERVIEW, MORE PHOTOS, AND THE FULL Q&A.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL GEORGE
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO RUN:<br />
Second Helpings<br />
Resolutions<br />
Triumph ISO<br />
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