As you set your goals for the New Year, consider planning beyond your next race or even your next season and choosing an ambitious long-term target. Read the full article in Runner’s World.
running
Be Your Own Coach
Learn mental cues to help you jump higher, run faster, and hold a wall squat longer. Plus, choose tunes that make workouts feel less strenuous and learn how fitness gives you a leg up while job-hunting, in this month’s Fitness Scoop. Read the full page in Women’s Health (pdf).
Decoding Blood Test Results
If there’s one time to brag about being a runner, it’s at the doctor’s office—especially when your appointment includes blood or urine analyses. “Let your physician know if you are exercising heavily, and also how often and how recently you did tough workouts; it can influence how we interpret tests,” says William Roberts, M.D., a family physician and medical director for the Twin Cities Marathon. Read the full article in Runner’s World.
Melt Your Gut for Good
Belly too big? Think small. Choose from our list of easy, expert-approved, research-backed waist reducers and shrink your gut in no time flat. Read the full article in Men’s Health.
Chasing Z’s
The secret to a good night’s sleep may be a good day’s sweat. Also, power your performance with tomato juice, and how exercise boosts your self-discipline, in this month’s Fitness Scoop. Read the full page in Women’s Health (pdf).
How to Train for a Relay Race
Most of the time, running is an individual sport. But the increasing popularity of relay races means more runners are learning how to get into that team spirit. Half-marathons and marathons often offer a relay option in which participants typically run one leg of three to seven miles. Relay-specific single-day or overnight events, like the nationwide series of Ragnar relays, require runners to trade off multiple legs of varying lengths, anywhere from three to 16 miles. Here’s how to tackle training for a relay so that you can run strong and also have fun. Read the full article in Runner’s World.
Run Faster on Any Terrain
Ramp up your running routine. Speedy intervals improve your performance whether you do them uphill or on level ground, finds a new study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. Read the full article in Men’s Health News.
Wins and Losses
I usually post links to my work on this site and let them speak for themselves. This time feels different.
Since I ran the Boston Marathon as well, this article was very personal for me. I can’t share it without expressing tremendous gratitude to everyone who helped me put it together. My editors had the faith to assign me a topic a bit outside my typical realm. The experts took my calls and offered their insights on extremely short notice. And of course, the runners I interviewed trusted me with their deep and sometimes uncomfortable thoughts—a confidence I don’t take lightly. I sincerely hope I did right by them all.
As you’ll know if you read the contributors page of the print issue (or if you know me as a runner and not just a writer)—unlike most of the people I spoke with for this article, I finished Boston but did not have a good race. In part, I blame a developing injury that has since worsened. I haven’t run for almost a month now—a particularly difficult month to spend sidelined.
But having this chance to help tell the story of Boston reminded me of what writing has in common with running, and why both remain so important to me. At times, you struggle and hurt and cry, and you don’t think you can finish. In the end, though, you do. And it is redemptive.
Here’s the full article, in Runner’s World. Thank you for reading.
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(Also, I can’t share this without thanking my amazing husband Matt—who always believes I can finish and helps me do it, whether it’s mile 22 or somewhere around 4 a.m. on deadline.)
Get a Running Start
Running usually elicits a love-it-or-hate-it response. Some women couldn’t imagine doing it unless they were chased, while others eagerly sign up for race after race. But since it’s one of the most efficient, accessible workouts, hitting the road (or treadmill or trail) could be your key to scoring a healthy heart and a lean body. Follow this easy guide–full of expert secrets and tips–to ensure you get the very most out of it. Read the full article in Women’s Health (pdf).
Train on Different Surfaces to Avoid Injury and Boost Performance
Most runners log their miles on neighborhood streets. But roads shouldn’t be your only training ground. “Running on different surfaces changes up the scenery, workout, and effort, giving road runners an often-needed break,” says Jennifer Novak, a running and multisport coach at Kona Fitness in New Orleans. Read the full article in Runner’s World.