Running News Daily

Galen Rupp, Rhonex Kipruto, Molly Seidel and Sara Hall will headline 2022 united airlines NYC Half

The 2022 NYC Half Marathon scheduled for March 20 will boast its most impressive field of professional athletes ever, the New York Road Runners announced Tuesday.

In total, 24 Olympians, eight Paralympians, and six open division athletes who hold national half-marathon records in their respective countries will descend upon the big apple next month in the race’s first running since 2019. The last two years saw the NYC Half Marathon canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The men’s open division will see US Olympic medalist Galen Rupp try his hand in the half marathon. He is the American record-holder in the 10,000 meters while winning the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London at that race. He also has a bronze medal in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. 

Rupp will be racing the NYC Half Marathon for just the second time ever after finishing third in 2011.

“The NYC Half was my debut at the distance, and was only the second road race of my professional career,” Rupp said. “I can’t believe that more than a decade has passed since then. It’s wild that the race will be more than double the size it was when I ran in 2011, and I’ve heard the Brooklyn-to-Manhattan course is challenging, but a great tour of the Big Apple. With the World Championships taking place in my home state of Oregon later this summer, I’m looking for the race to be a great stepping stone to everything else I want to achieve in 2022.”

He’ll have plenty of top-notch competition, however. Rhonex Kipruto of Kenya is the 10K world-record holder while Ben True was the first American man to win the NYC Half Marathon in the open division back in 2018.

Five-time US Olympian Abdi Abdirahman will be making his 10th appearance at this event next month — a stark contrast to US Army officer Elkanah Kibet, who makes his debut at the NYC Half Marathon after finishing in fourth place at the 2021 New York City Marathon back in November.

The women’s opened division is headlined by half-marathon American record holder Sara Hall, who is a two-time defending champion at the New York Mini 10K.

She ran a record 1:07:15 half marathon just last month in Houston.

“My NYC racing career started with my win at the Fifth Avenue Mile way back in 2006 and along the way I’ve broken the tape at… the New York City Marathon weekend and twice won the New York Mini 10K in Central Park,” Hall said. “Until now, though, I’ve never stepped to the line at the NYC Half. Setting the American record over that distance last month gives me a ton of confidence as I train for this new challenge.”

She’ll be joined by Molly Seidel, who won bronze in the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics before setting an American course record in a fourth-place finish at the 2021 NYC Marathon.

Both the women’s and men’s wheelchair division champions from last year’s half marathon return in U.S. Paralympic medalists Tatyana McFadden and Daniel Romanchuk.

Romanchuk is a two-time NYC Marathon winner, including a title in 2018 that saw him become the first American and youngest athlete ever to win the men’s wheelchair division.

McFadden is one of the most decorated Paralympians there is, winning 20 medals over six Games.

“I love this race. We get to run by all the great NYC iconic spots,” McFadden said. “It’s fun seeing all the kids running in Times Square as we go by; it will be great to be back after so long.”

Try this short sprint workout to improve your speed, practice these short 20 to 30-second sprints to get faster

Are you looking to get faster but aren’t sure how to improve your speed? Adding short sprints into your training plan can be effective for all types of runners, as it pushes your boundaries and allows you to take a step outside of your usual comfort zone. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning on sprint training showed greater performance improvements in less time when adding high-intensity sprint training into a weekly schedule.

The workout:

Five to six reps of 20-30 second sprints at 95 per cent all-out pace with two-minute walk or slow jog rest between reps.

This workout is designed to make your body feel comfortable going fast. The two-minute rest allows your heart rate to come down between reps, as it will soar into anaerobic levels as the reps progress. Take the full two minutes to catch your breath and relax your body before the next rep.

Another thing to focus on during this workout is your form. You’ll want to make sure you are not tensing up in the upper body, but staying relaxed and comfortable. Focus on practising the mechanics of keeping your arms straight and engaging your core to keep your posture slightly forward.

Keeping a good sprinting posture will improve your turnover and prevent you from overstriding. Engrave these tips in your mind while doing this workout.

American record-setter Sara Hall sets sights on NYC Half, says U.S. poised to dominate in 2022

Fleet-footed Sara Hall returns to action at the New York City Half next month having claimed the United States half-marathon record last month ahead of what she sees as a banner year for American athletics.

She set the U.S. record of 1:07:15 in Houston last month, beating Molly Huddle's previous best (2018) by 10 seconds, after finishing on the podium at the 2020 London Marathon and at the Chicago Marathon last year.

Joining her at the marquee New York race are Tokyo bronze medalist Molly Seidel, who finished fourth in the New York City Marathon in November, and 2021 Chicago runner-up Emma Bates.

"It's been awesome to see U.S. female marathoners either getting on the podium or being in contention every time out at the highest level every time," Hall told Reuters.

With all eyes on the U.S. when it hosts the World Athletics Championships for the first time this summer, Hall believes the U.S. could dominate at Eugene, Oregon's Hayward Field.

"USA track and field is strong against so many," said Hall. "Every event, we're in medal contention... it's a really exciting time to be a fan of the sport."

She credits her own recent run of success in part to her husband, Ryan Hall, who began coaching her after he retired from professional athletics in 2016. Whereas "tough love" has been widely embraced in athletics coaching for decades, she says his softer approach has made the difference.

Together, they hold the men's and women's American half-marathon records.

"I've had coaches in the past that were like, 'Oh, you just gave up', you know, like that kind of stuff," said Hall.

"That was really detrimental to me because it really made me believe I wasn't mentally tough. And then when you believe that about yourself, it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Hall hopes hers can be an example in what can be achieved with a method not based in "fear," as conversation about mental health and wellbeing dominates the upper echelons of sport.

"I hope that people are seeing what creates longevity," Hall told Reuters. "That win at all costs, tough love approach, that doesn't create longevity in the sport."

The NYC Half will take place on March 20.

Seven Long Run Workouts to Nail Your Goal Pace

How many long runs should a triathlete do each week? What intensity should they be? Should a long run follow a bike session to appropriately simulate race conditions? These are just a few questions triathletes and coaches in our sport ponder.

When training for an IRONMAN 70.3 or IRONMAN race, completing the individual discipline distances during training provides a major psychological boost, before tackling the distance in the event. It can be a huge confidence boost to have covered as much of the distance as possible before the race. While it’s quite likely that you will complete a 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike ride before your IRONMAN race, it’s much trickier to incorporate a full marathon into your training. We need to be much more aware of the effects of a long run due to the higher impact of running relative to swimming and biking. Long runs also require more recovery than a long swim set or long bike session.

How far and how often one should run will depend on the athlete and where they are in their training. How much volume can that individual handle? How much time is available to train and recover? What are the external factors affecting their lives, be it family or work commitments, as well as how well they sleep and manage stress. These are all things that must be considered when planning out training and volume. A coach can help you balance all those elements and prescribe the appropriate plan for you. (Find your perfect coach with the newly-launched IRONMAN CoachMatch.)

We consulted with IRONMAN Hawaii age-group champion, two-time Olympian and coach Chris Hauth for his ideas on long run training. He also shared some sample run workouts to help you prepare for an IRONMAN 70.3 or IRONMAN distance race.

The Aerobic Long Run

Hauth likes to remind triathletes that, unlike runners, they are balancing and combining three sports into a single event, and thus run training should never be viewed in isolation: "While getting ready for a standalone marathon race requires maximizing aerobic capabilities via running, triathletes have the advantage of two other sports to assist with developing their aerobic system," he said. 

Hauth typically recommends an aerobic or "conversational" long run once a week—depending on the athlete, their race plans, and experience. "The goal is to build time on the feet," he states. "Since the triathlete is also gaining aerobic conditioning in the pool and on the bike, the goal of an aerobic long run is as much physiological—to increase the density of mitochondria and increase in capillary beds to improve muscle and tendon strength." This means heading out the door at a low intensity pace. From time to time, he recommends that his athletes mix in a little intensity, as long as they are careful to keep it "all good form and low stress."

Adding short intervals to an aerobic long run:

→ Workout 1: Try 60-90 minutes easy running, with the last 30 minutes alternating between 5 minutes tempo (15-30 seconds faster than race pace), 5 minutes easy. Nothing too fast here, just a little variation.

→ Workout 2: Consider adding some shorter bursts of speed throughout a 90-minute to 2-hour run. For example, you could do some 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 second faster bursts with 1-2 minutes easy between each burst during your run, and repeat this sequence twice through. Again these aren’t 'best efforts,' but just strong, faster efforts with great form.

→ Workout 3: Fartlek-style long run where you run ~30 sec/mile faster than race pace for 2-3 miles and then 30 sec/mile slower than race pace for 2-3 miles, repeated 2-3x through.

Higher Intensity Long Run Workout

Interval training is a great way to add intensity into your training and Hauth prescribes some longer, higher intensity runs for his more experienced athletes. During a run, intervals are typically short at paces faster than your planned race pace, with recovery at race pace or easier. They have a variety of benefits, as they build neuromuscular development and efficiency as well as improving your VO2 max. Hauth points out that a time-crunched athlete can use interval sessions to build fitness as well as endurance, though he still sees value in the aerobic long runs throughout the season and interval work cannot completely replace the long run.

One of Hauth’s favorite run workouts for practicing and testing race pace is to mix speed work with race-pace effort. "The body is switching back and forth between the fat-burning, aerobic system and the glycogen-depleting anaerobic system," he says. "The goal over several weeks is for the athlete to run at the lower intensity race-pace effort following an initial harder effort."

→ Workout 1: After a 20-minute easy warm-up, run 10-20 x 400m (preferably on the track or other flat surface), at a pace slightly higher than your goal race pace. Take 30 seconds recovery between each repeat. After completing the interval work, run 3 to 8 miles at race pace. An athlete might start with 10 x 400 and a 3-mile run after the track intervals and build to 20 x 400 and an 8-mile run after the track intervals during an IRONMAN training build over a couple of months.

Running Off The Bike

In triathlon, we run off the bike, so it makes sense that we should replicate this in training as well. This gets our body and legs used to running tired, and we get familiar with the sensation after a challenging bike ride. Hauth notes that some triathletes simply run well off the bike, despite little practice or experience: "I think it often has a lot to do with their pacing ability and effort on the bike, as well as a good bike fit!" For amateur athletes, the number of times you run after a bike workout will be determined by your personal schedule, but it’s good practice to try and do one or two runs off the bike each week, varying the intensity of the run off the bike.

→ Workout 1: After a harder intensity bike set (perhaps on the trainer), include some shorter interval speed work, for example, 12 x 2 minutes progressive where each 30 seconds of the 2 minutes gets progressively faster.

If your race pace is 8min/mile then try 30sec at 9mins, 30sec at 8.30min, 30sec at 8mins, 30sec at 7.30min pace (or scale accordingly) where the last 30sec is faster than your race pace. Take 2mins easy recovery between.

→ Workout 2: After a longer ride it’s good to add a 30-40 minute steady run off the bike. Hit your race pace (or a little faster) for the first 10 minutes, then relax into an easier, steady state pace for the remaining time. This has the benefit of getting your legs used to hitting the race pace straight off the bike, and settling into good form and rhythm. Be careful not to go too fast for the first 10 minutes, but just try to find that race-pace rhythm.

→ Workout 3: One of Hauth’s favorite workouts is "cruise intervals off the bike" where he completes a long ride (80-90 miles), and then runs mile repeats. He explains further: "after an 80-90 mile ride, I run 6 x 1-mile repeats starting each interval on my goal pace split. That means if I plan to run a 7:30 pace in the race, if I run a mile in 7:00, I have 30 seconds' rest before the next mile repeat."

There are just a few options to change up your running. There are many ways to incorporate your longer run into your training plan and add a little variation into the mix. As well as keeping your mind focused and alert, it will train the body to adapt to the right pace. As mentioned for all of these sessions, remember good posture and good form is always key, regardless of speed, pace, distance, or time.

Six mental tricks to make you a more confident runner, gain mastery over your mind so you can tackle any challenge

If you struggle with confidence, you’re not alone. A lot of runners prepare for weeks or months for their goal race, only to sabotage themselves with negative self-talk and self-doubt. A little confidence can take your race from good to great, so use these tricks as you prepare for your next goal race to strengthen your mind along with your body.

1.- Ditch weak words

Instead of saying “I think I can do it,” say “I know I can do it,” or “I believe I can do it.” Rather than “I’m going to try my best,” say “I’m going to do my best.” Small changes like those remove all doubt from the phrase and put you in the driver’s seat.

2.- Flip your negative assumptions

Maybe you’ve never had an amazing finishing kick, or hills haven’t always been your strong suit. When we come up against something that we struggle with, we tend to immediately file that in the “I’m bad at this” drawer, and that’s that. By pulling those negative assumptions out and flipping them around, you will build confidence and be a better runner. Try saying “I’m going to give it everything I’ve got at the end of the race, no matter how slow or fast that is,” or “I’m going to attack the hill to the best of my ability.” Repeat that over and over again until you believe it.

3.- Picture a time when you succeeded

Bad races or workouts tend to stick in our heads and erode our self-confidence, so as you train for your next goal race, make the effort to picture times when you ran really well. Maybe there was a time when you crushed your kilometre repeats, or maybe on a long run you felt like you could run forever. Focus on the times when you succeeded to remind yourself that you’ve accomplished your goals in the past and you can do so again.

4.- Get off Strava

Have you ever come in from a run you felt really great about, then gone on Strava and saw someone else who ran longer and faster and immediately felt less accomplished? Apps like Strava can be great for connecting with other runners and tracking your progress, but can become negative when you fall into the comparison trap. If this often happens to you, it’s time to set the phone down, ignore what others are doing and bask in the glow of a job well done.

5.- Dress for success

It may sound trivial, or even superficial, but wearing clothes that you feel good in can go a long way toward making you more confident. So put on your favourite running tights, buy your favourite T-shirt in every colour, and look good to feel good.

6.- Trust your training

In the days leading up to their goal race, many runners worry if they’ve done enough or if they could have done more. If you’ve trained consistently and put in the work, you have to trust on race day that you’re ready to go. Repeat phrases like “I’ve worked hard for this and I’m ready,” to remind yourself that you’ve got what it takes to succeed.

Short sprints to improve your VO2 max, adding some very short, high-intensity intervals into your training program can make you a faster runner

For many runners, the words “VO2 max workout” leave them shuddering, imagining themselves running 400m track repeats at their top speed until they puke. While long, hard workouts do have an occasional place in your training plan, new research shows that short-sprint interval training is very effective at improving your VO2 max.

Short sprint interval training

New research, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Sports Science, aimed to find out how short sprint interval training with all-out sprints of about 10 seconds affected runners’ VO2 maxes. They analyzed 18 studies that compared this type of training with other types of high-intensity interval training and continuous training protocols and found that across several different sports (running, cycling, paddling, etc.), and found that short sprint interval training was highly effective at increasing the VO2 max, aerobic and anaerobic performance of young, healthy athletes.

Short sprint workouts

There are plenty of ways you can introduce short sprint workouts into your training program. The key for distance runners who want to get the most benefit from this type of training, however, is not to reduce your weekly running volume by more than 10 to 30 per cent. So, if you’ve got a short sprint workout in your weekly training schedule, make sure to make up at least some of the lost distance (since these workouts tend to be shorter) either in your warmup and cooldown or elsewhere in your week. Check out these workout examples to start including some short sprint training in your program:

Hill sprints

Hill sprints are great for developing strength, speed and power. They can range from 10 seconds up to 20 seconds, and should be performed at your all-out max. The number of hill sprints you do is less important than ensuring each interval is high-quality.

Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jogging, followed by drills and flat strides

Workout: 6-10 x a 10-12 second hill, with 2-3 minutes of easy jogging or walking rest between each

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jogging, followed by light stretching

Flying 30s

These are a bit longer, which brings in an element of speed endurance to the workout, but the long rest allows you to run each interval at your max speed. These can also be done at the end of a longer interval workout or tempo run.

Warmup: 10-15 minute easy jog, followed by drills and strides

Workout: 6-18 x 30s with 2-3 minutes rest

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching

Short sprints

These can also be done following a longer aerobic workout, or as a standalone session. Like the previous two workouts, doing each interval at a very high intensity is more important than doing a large number of intervals.

Warmup: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by drills and strides

Workout: 8-10 x 50-100m with 2-3 minutes rest between each

Cooldown: 10-15 minutes easy jog, followed by light stretching.

Carbs, fats, proteins: what’s the best diet for runners? Researchers say a balanced diet is best for runners looking for better performance

Advice for runners about performance nutrition can be confusing and often contradictory. Should you eat more fat and restrict carbs to increase fat burning? Or should you increase your carbohydrate intake so you always have a quick source of fuel? New research suggests that for most runners, the best diet is one that contains a balance of fat and carbohydrates for optimal performance.

Fat oxidation and performance

When you exercise, your body primarily uses carbohydrates (glucose) and fat for energy. Your body will always use the easiest energy source first, which is usually blood glucose. From there, it will draw upon your glycogen stores to use for fuel, but this process takes a bit longer because you have to convert glycogen to glucose before you can use it.

The problem with glucose and glycogen, however, is that your body only has so much of it, so it needs to be replaced by taking in exogenous carbohydrates (think gels, sports drinks, etc.). Fat, on the other hand, is stored in the body in much greater quantities, and provides more energy per gram than carbohydrates. The problem with fat, unfortunately, is that your body needs oxygen to burn fat for fuel (a process called fat oxidation), which means you have to slow down enough so that you can get the oxygen you need for this process to happen.

This isn’t helpful for short-distance runners like sprinters, or runners competing in races like the 800m or the mile, but fat is a valuable fuel source for long-distance athletes. As long as you can get enough oxygen to use fat, you could presumably run for hours while burning fat for fuel.

Over the years, researchers, coaches and athletes have experimented with high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets during training to “teach” your body to burn fat more efficiently for fuel, but is this really necessary, or effective? That is the question researchers recently attempted to answer.

The study

The authors of the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, had 28 competitively-trained male distance runners (who ran half-marathons, marathons and ultras) complete an incremental exercise test to exhaustion, as well as three three-hour runs, each with a different carbohydrate-feeding protocol. Throughout the experiment, participants were consuming a balanced macronutrient diet of approximately 57 per cent carbohydrates, 21 per cent protein and 22 per cent fat.

After the endurance tests, the researchers found that the participants were able to achieve a high level of fat oxidation despite consuming a mixed macronutrient diet and consuming carbohydrates during their run. They also found that runners who consumed the highest amounts of carbohydrates during their run were the most likely to experience GI distress, highlighting the importance of moderating your mid-run carb intake to maximize performance while minimizing stomach troubles.

The bottom line

If you’re wondering whether you should consider using a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet to maximize your body’s ability to burn fat for fuel, this research says it’s likely not necessary. Runners who consume a diet that has a balance of carbohydrates, fats and protein are able to use fat for fuel efficiently during a long run.

Of course, the runners in this study were well-trained athletes, which means their bodies are able to use all types of fuel very efficiently. So how can less-experienced runners improve their rate of fat oxidation? Simply by training. By training consistently, your body will become more and more efficient at using both carbs and fats for fuel, which will allow you to run faster and longer.

What are the Fastest Marathons in the UK?

The marathon distance is something that many runners aspire to. It’s a lot more taxing than a half marathon and requires serious mental and physical resilience to complete. Most people can run a 5k or 10k without a lot of training. It’s even possible to get around a half marathon on minimal training, although it won’t be a pleasant experience! But if you want to bag a coveted marathon medal, you’ll need to train hard and long.

Chasing a PB

Completing a marathon isn’t enough for some runners, since they are intent on chasing a personal best. If you fall into this category, a fast marathon course is essential. After all, you have zero chance of achieving a PB if you enter the Snowdonia Marathon, which includes 1,685 metres of ascent. You’re also likely to end up with very sore calves and quads!

Luckily, there are a few flat marathons for runners hoping to smash their personal records over a 26.2-mile course. And if you can’t face the idea of all that training, visit OnlineCasinos and find an online casino where you can place a bet on one of the pro athletes who will be out to break a record or two. OnlineCasinos lists casinos with the best welcome bonuses and rates them too.

Read on to discover which marathon races are the flattest, with the best PB potential.

Edinburgh Marathon

Edinburgh has a flat and very fast course and Runners World voted it the fastest marathon in the UK. If you are chasing a PB, this is the race for you.

Edinburgh Marathon is extremely popular, with both casual runners and elite runners. It attracts more than 30,000 runners each year and is the second-largest marathon after London, so it is a good idea to get your entry in early if you want to compete.

One of the great things about Edinburgh is that the support is excellent. Some less popular marathons have large sections with few spectators, which makes it hard for any runners who are struggling. In a typical year, tens of thousands of people line the route to cheer runners on, and it makes a big difference!

Another reason to sign-up for Edinburgh is that the course is very scenic and takes in a lot of the most famous parts of the Old Town. You will pass Greyfriars Bobby, run along the Royal Mile, and go through the Prince’s Street Gardens. It’s a fantastic course!

Manchester Marathon

Manchester Marathon has a fantastic reputation for being fast, flat, and very well supported. This one takes place in the spring and is an excellent race to target if you don’t get a place at London. In 2015, Manchester Marathon was voted the Best Marathon in the UK for the second time, which goes to show just how amazing this race is. It’s also the fourth most popular marathon in Europe, in a strong field that contains the Rome Marathon, Paris Marathon, and Berlin Marathon.

Why is Manchester so popular? Aside from the speed of the course, with no horrific hills to sap your will to live, there is entertainment around the course, with bands and singers there to keep tired legs going. In addition, the race finishes in Man United’s home at Trafford Park, which is sure to appeal to footy fans.

If you do enter Manchester, keep an eye out for Olympians, as the course usually attracts some of the world’s best elite runners.

Blackpool Marathon

The seaside resort town of Blackpool is famous for its promenade light displays, but it is equally famous for the annual Blackpool Marathon. The course is fast and flat, and you can score a PB running down the iconic promenade.

The Blackpool Marathon is a two-lap course, which might not appeal to everyone. But it attracts thousands of runners and there is lots of support along the course. You get to run along the famous Golden Mile, with amusement arcades on one side and the sea on the other. The course then takes runners out to Lytham St Annes, where there is a turnaround point, all the way back through Blackpool to Cleveleys, before heading back into town again.

Enter this race if you fancy making a weekend of it. You can run the marathon while the rest of your family chills on the beach or blow their pocket money in the arcades.

Milton Keynes Marathon

MK Marathon starts in the city centre, but soon winds out into the countryside. It’s a great race for novices new to the marathon distance, but equally, because the course is fast and flat, the Milton Keynes marathon also attracts more experienced runners.

As well as lovely scenery along the route, which takes runners through country parks, woodland, and past lakes, you can look forward to a fantastic stadium finish. The race is limited to 3,000 runners, so the route won’t be too crowded if you dislike having to fight through the crowds, but there is still plenty of atmosphere to keep runners motivated.

This event is also a qualifier for London and Boston if that’s important to you.

Yorkshire Marathon

The Yorkshire Marathon is one of the newer full-distance races on the racing calendar, with the first event taking place in 2013. Not surprisingly, thanks to a fast course, this marathon has proven popular and each year, the event grows bigger and more prestigious.

The route is very scenic. It winds through some historic parts of York before meandering out into the adjacent villages, along pretty country lanes. There is plenty of entertainment and support along the route, which will distract you from the pain of the last six miles.

If the Yorkshire Marathon is on your bucket list, make sure you enter early, as places usually sell out quickly.

Other flat marathons for PB chasers include Chester Marathon, Abingdon Marathon, and the most iconic of them all, London Marathon. And if a marathon is a step too far, why not enter a half-marathon instead?

The Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds Kenyan marathoner's doping ban

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld World Athletics’ Disciplinary Tribunal's decision to ban Kenyan marathon runner Daniel Wanjiru for four years for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation.

CAS President of the Panel Jan Paulsson, who presided over the case, said in the ruling made on February 1, 2022 that the case had no costs, except for the Court Office fee of Swiss Francs 1,000 (Sh124,000) paid by  Wanjiru, which is retained by CAS.

However,  Wanjiru was ordered to pay World Athletics a contribution of CHF 2,000 (Sh248,000) towards its legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with these proceedings.

Wanjiru was represented by Michiel Van Dijk from Utrecht, Netherlands during the seat of arbitration on Lausanne, Switzerland.

Wanjiru, the 2016 Amsterdam and 2017 London Marathon, was flagged down in December 2019, but was provisionally suspended in April 2020 before being banned for four years in October the same year.

World Athletics (WA) charged Wanjiru on October 8, 2020 with an anti-doping rule violation (‘ADRV’) as a result of abnormalities found in his ABP.

The WA Disciplinary Tribunal found him guilty of violating Rule 2.2 of the WA Anti-Doping Rules 2019 (‘WA ADR’).

Wanjiru was swift in lodging an appeal.

However, Wanjiru, expressed his innocence, arguing that the abnormal ABP finding must have been the result of an error in the relevant laboratory’s custodial procedures. He also charged that the doping hypothesis or scenario presented by WA didn’t justify the finding of an ADR.

Wanjiru shot to the limelight when he edged out Ethiopian long-distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele to win the London Marathon in 2017, before finishing eighth in the 2017 London World Championships.

A total of 16 blood samples were taken from Wanjiru between April 20, 2017 and April 29, 2019 of which blood sample 14 was taken on March 9, 2019, a day he got down from altitude in Kenya and flew to London.

He competed in the London Half Marathon (Vitality Big Half) on March 10, 2019 and returned to altitude on March 11, 2019. Sample 15 was taken on March 13, 2019.

Wanjiru had undergone numerous doping controls since early 2014 and all were negative with his level of performance having been stable over the years.

However, at the centre of this dispute was Wanjiru’s hematological passport, specifically a blood sample collected from the athlete on the morning of March 9, 2019, the day before he competed in the London Half Marathon (the ‘Vitality Big Half Marathon’). 

The athlete’s ABP was submitted to a panel of three qualified and experienced experts for anonymous review, Doctor Laura Garvican Lewis, Professor Giuseppe d’Onofrio and Doctor Paulo  Paixao.

The sample, when compared to the rest of the samples in his ABP, was flagged by the Adaptive Model as being an Abnormal Passport Finding. 

WA maintained that the Athlete’s highly abnormal ABP indicated blood doping because it couldn’t be explained by any other pathological or physiological cause, as determined and confirmed by a Joint Expert Panel.

Three substances or methods are well known to be used for blood doping.

First, the administering of recombinant human erythropoietin (by injection to trigger erythropoiesis, the stimulation of red blood cells).

Sir Mo Farah set to return to action at London 10k

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will make his return to competition at the Vitality London 10,000 in May.

The 38-year-old, Britain's most decorated track and field athlete, has not raced since suffering a fractured foot in June last year.

He fell short of the 10,000m selection time for last year's Tokyo Olympics at the British Championships.

Farah, the 5,000m and 10,000m champion at both the London and Rio Games, is a seven-time winner of the London 10,000.

The race, won by Farah in five consecutive years between 2009 and 2013, and again in 2018 and its most recent edition in 2019, will take place on Monday 2 May.

"I've been working hard to get back into shape following my injury last summer and I've got a few more months of hard training ahead of me," said Farah.

"I have great memories of the event. I have won it seven times and racing in central London is something you can never get bored of. The atmosphere among the thousands of participants is always fantastic and I can't wait to be part of it again."

Farah said he would consider his future after failing to qualify for Tokyo, saying: "If I can't compete with the best why bother?"

He later told the BBC he had "been struggling for quite a while" but added he was determined to recover from the injury and finish his career on his own terms.

How to create a runners first aid kit

Most runners are familiar with the term “runner’s high”, which is often used to describe the feeling one gets right before an amazing race. However, this term is also appropriate for describing something entirely different: putting together a first aid kit for runners.

A runner’s first aid kit is commonly neglected because it seems like they’re mostly filled with band-aids and sports creams, but they’re actually brimming with potential injuries that could be common in runners. In this article, let’s share ways to create a first aid kit.

Get an up-to-date first-aid manual

If you are into running, then it is possible that at one point in time or another you may get yourself injured. It’s the nature of the activity, and there isn’t much we can do about it. But what we can do is ensure that if we get injured, we have a way to fix ourselves up without too much fuss. And for this, the best way to ensure that you are covered is to have a first-aid kit around.

The hardest part about creating a first aid kit of your own is getting your hands on some good-quality equipment and supplies. The first step towards building your kit is to get an up-to-date first-aid manual that can provide you with all types of information about how to handle yourself in case of an emergency.

Brace and support supplies

Braces and support supplies like orthopedic tape and Kinesiology Taping (KT Tape) can be really useful in the treatment of running injuries. As a runner, you know how important it is to be able to provide first aid for yourself when you get injured during your run, whether that’s on a trail or on the road.

As a runner, you might have seen orthopedic tape and braces in a drugstore or pharmacy, but did you know what they’re for?

Orthopedic tape is great when it comes to injuries like sprains. It can help keep body parts in place. Simply, orthopedic supplies provide support to weak or sore muscles. It helps decrease pain and swelling when you get injured by providing support to the area of injury. You can use it for everything from preventing blisters, to helping with sprains, strains, and other common running injuries.

Add a list of emergency phone numbers

Adding a list of emergency phone numbers when creating a first aid kit for runners can be helpful in some circumstances. You can start this list with the phone number of the closest hospital or medical center, and then add other numbers based on personal preferences. It is important to keep in mind that runners will be carrying these numbers with them wherever they go while running.

Don’t forget antiseptic wipes

When a runner is training for a race, they may notice soreness and swelling on their feet. It is important to have first aid supplies on hand in case of an injury. A well-stocked first-aid kit for runners includes bandages, antiseptic wipes, and antibiotic ointment. Antibiotic over-the-counter creams such as Neosporin can be purchased at any pharmacy or drugstore.

A simple way to remember what a runner should put in a first aid kit is ‘ABC.’ This means antiseptic wipes, bandages, and antibiotic ointment. Antiseptic wipes are not only useful for cleaning small cuts, but also preventing infection on blisters.

Aids for Prevention of Abdominal Cramps for Runners

When creating a first aid kit for runners, runners should consider including aids for the prevention of abdominal cramps for runners, as well as other items that may be needed during a run.

Most kits also include pain relievers or analgesics such as ibuprofen or aspirin and tape, gauze, and antiseptic wipes to treat minor scrapes and blisters. Adding aids for the prevention of abdominal cramps to a first aid kit may help ensure that there is a relief for this issue during runs.

Abdominal cramps are one of the most common reasons why people stop running in the middle of a run, especially if they ignore them at first, thinking that they will go away.

Painkillers

Running takes it out of the body, and painkillers are important to help control discomfort afterward. While taking them unnecessarily can be harmful to health, they’re vital for recovering safely after a run.

The most common painkillers include ibuprofen and paracetamol. Ibuprofen is better for inflammation but can cause gastrointestinal discomfort in some people. Paracetamol has fewer side effects in general, however, it may not be strong enough to reduce certain types of pain.

There are many first aid supplies that are useful for runners to have on hand when they travel. A well-stocked first-aid kit for runners should include bandages, antiseptic wipes, and antibiotic ointment. It is also important to add a list of emergency phone numbers and lists of dietary supplements and medications.

Megertu and Abderehman break course records in Seville

Alemu Megertu and Asrar Abderehman secured an Ethiopian double at the Zurich Maratón de Sevilla, a World Athletics Elite Label road race, on Sunday (20) with huge world-leading PBs of 2:18:51 and 2:04:43 respectively.

Both men’s and women’s races had strong depth as seven men finished inside 2:07 with the 13th finisher clocking 2:08:30, while nine women went sub-2:26, confirming the course is conducive to fast times.

Perfectly paced by Hassan Aouchar, the women's contest opened at a brisk pace with opening splits of 16:13 (5km) and 32:44 (10km), suggesing a finishing time well inside 2:20, which would smash the course record of 2:23:13. By then the leading quintet was formed by Ethiopians Megertu, the fastest entrant thanks to a 2:21:10 PB, Meseret Gola, runner-up at last November's Barcelona Marathon in a PB of 2:24:09, Kalayu Chekole, Chimdesa Kumsa and Alema Gebremedhin. Behind them, Britain's Jess Piasecki, eager to improve on her marathon best after smashing her half marathon PB with 1:07:20 last month, passed through 10km in 33:24.Megertu and her compatriots went through halfway in 1:09:25, more than a minute ahead of Piasecki.

But Kumsa, then Gebremedhin and finally Chekole lost ground from the heading duo and the race became a two-woman battle between Megertu and Gola, both still following the pacemaker.

The key movement came at 35km when Gola simply could not live with the steady 3:17 pace and began to lose contact. Megertu, meanwhile, metronomically maintained her cadence and reached the finish line in a massive career best of 2:18:51, having ran halves of 1:09:25 and 1:09:26.

Runner-up Gola also set a massive PB of 2:20.50 while Chekole completed an Ethiopian sweep of the podium with a lifetime best of 2:21:17. Kumsa held on for fourth place (2:22:13), while Piasecki overtook Gebremedhin just before 40km and finished fifth in 2:22:27, becoming the second-fastest Briton in history behind former world record-holder Paula Radcliffe.The men's pacemakers, Enock Onchari and Wilfred Kimeli, were asked to maintain a 2:57/km tempo in the hunt for a race record (2:04:46) but they covered the opening 5km in 14:54, a bit slower than expected, closely followed by the main favourites which included Eritrea's 2015 world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, his compatriot Awet Habte and a large Ethiopian contingent led by Abderehman, Adugna Takele and debutante Adeladlew Mamo among others.

The pace heated up over the following kilometres and the leading group reached 10km in 29:39, 15km in 44:22 and the half-way point in 1:02:31, still eight seconds outside the required pace to break the record. By then, 12 men remained in the heading pack. Way back, Spain's 40-year-old Ayad Lamdassem, who finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, was in the chasing group, timed at 1:03:16 by halfway.

The steady pace progressively whittled down the main group and by the time the pacemakers dropped out at 30km, the Ethiopian pair of Abderehman and Mamo took command and opened a sizeable gap on the rest. The leaders took turns at the helm but it was Mamo who made most of the pacing duties with his fellow Ethiopian running alongside.By 35km the lead duo was timed at 1:43:17 with Ghebreslassie and Takele 27 seconds in arrears.

A 35-40km split of 15:26 seemed to ruin the chances of a course record but Abderehman unleashed a devastating kick with some 1200m to go and built a sizeable margin over Mamo to secure the win in 2:04:43, a course record by three seconds and an improvement of more than three minutes on his previous best.

Runner-up Mamo produced a promising 2:05:12 debut, while Ghebreslassie got rid of Takele in the closing stages to complete a classy podium in 2:05:34, a massive PB for the 26-year-old Eritrean. Debutant Habte finished fifth in 2:06.25.

Running negative splits (1:06:17/1:06:08) Lamdassem placed sixth to improve his own national record by 10 seconds (2:06:25). Likewise, Israel’s Maru Teferi dipped under 2:07 for the first time to improve on his national record, while compatriot Tachlowini Gabriyesos, a member of the Athlete Refugee Team at the Tokyo Olympics, clocked a PB of 2:10:09.

Abderehman prevails over debutant Mamo

NYC Marathon Champion Germán Silva Makes Ambitious Run Across Mexico

What do you do when you’ve already won the New York City Marathon (twice), competed in the Olympics multiple times and won a silver medal at the IAFF World Half-Marathon Championship?

For Germán Silva, who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, the answer went far beyond marathons or even ultramarathons. He opted to run across the entirety of Mexico. A new article by Kevin Sieff at The Washington Post documented Silva’s genuinely epic journey.

Sieff notes that the run encompassed 3,134 miles, which Silva — now 54 — estimated would take him four months to complete. (That’s a little over 119 marathons, for those keeping track.) His journey began in Tijuana on November 5, and is slated to end in Tulum later this month.

For the bulk of his journey, he’s been running 30 miles a day. As Sieff — who joined Silva on the road for parts of his journey — writes, Silva’s goal for this run is to alter the public image of Mexico and reveal some of the country’s regions that are less in the spotlight.

His journey is being documented for a film to further this goal. That’s not the only educational component of his run. He’s also had his quadricep biopsied before his run, and will again afterwards, to get a sense of how such a feat changes the human body.

As for what he’s eating on the road, Sieff writes that Silva’s diet is predominantly cacao, ground maize and mineral water. Doesn’t sound like a bad combination at all.

Hodgkinson and Duplantis produced outstanding performances in Birmingham

British teenager produces the fastest indoor 800m for 20 years while pole vault world record-holder comes agonisingly close to reaching new heights at Müller Indoor Grand Prix

Keely Hodgkinson produced a real statement of intent as she brought the house down with another memorable 800m performance at an entertaining and boisterous Müller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday (February 19).

In the final track event of the day, the Olympic silver medallist was roared on by a full house at the Utilita Arena as she began her competitive year with a hugely impressive victory over a quality field in 1:57.20 – not only a British indoor record but also the fastest indoor 800m performance by a woman in 20 years.The 19-year-old will leave her teens behind next month and it so happens that the day she was born – March 3, 2002 – was when the current women’s 800m indoor world record of 1:55.82 was set by Jolanda Čeplak.

While that mark wasn’t expected to come under threat this weekend, for Hodgkinson to have produced the quickest time since that performance from the Slovenian two decades ago speaks volumes.

Her margin of victory was over two seconds, with Australian Catriona Bisset also clocking a national record (1:59.46) while Jamaican Natoye Goule, who had been the world leader going into this event, ran 1:59.85.

“I wrote down the aims for this year and one of them was a British indoor record,” grinned Hodgkinson, now sixth on the all-time indoor lists.“I was 100 per cent in shape for this record and I just wanted to go for it and there were some good girls in that race. I’ve never run in front of a British crowd this big and it was such a comfortable environment.”Another athlete who appears supremely comfortable in the spotlight is Mondo Duplantis and, moments after the dust had settled from Hodgkinson’s run, he was targeting a pole vault world record in the last action of the programme.

Having cleared a world-leading stadium record of 6.05m at the final attempt, the Olympic and European champion immediately set the bar at 6.19m as he looked to surpass the 6.18m he cleared at this meeting in Glasgow two years ago.

His opening two attempts failed but, when it came to the third, for a moment it looked as if he had created history again. The jubilant spectators began to get to their feet in celebration but, just as they did, the bar wobbled and fell. The world record will have to wait – but surely it won’t be long.

“I’ve got mixed emotions,” said Duplantis. “6.05m is a good jump and result but I really wanted that 6.19m. I have expectations of myself and I know there are good conditions indoors so I can break the world record, I want it so badly.

“I appreciated that everyone who stayed and it’s a cool feeling where the attention is just on you.”

Want to Get Better at Pacing? You Need the Progression Run

Learn how to pace yourself—and get faster—with this type of workout.

If you’ve always wanted to finish a race with a negative split or you’re looking for a way to increase your overall speed, progression runs might be the missing link in your training. This type of run also works perfectly for anyone who has started a race too fast and blew up by the end—or halfway through, for that matter. 

A progression run will help you fine-tune your pacing and finish your mileage faster. And it’s a workout that works for any pace, level, or goal. Here, how to make the most of this type of training run.

What is a progression run?

A progression run involves starting at a relatively slow or easy pace and getting progressively faster throughout the run. It’s a pretty broad term, says Jess Heiss, certified run coach and personal trainer in Portland, Oregon, so you have lots of options for how to make it work for you. 

You can base your progression runs on pace or perceived effort—that means either increasing your pace by a very specific speed or going off easy, moderate, and difficult effort. You can also end up with a huge difference in starting and ending pace, or only a moderate increase in speed from start to finish.

That’s the beauty of a progression run: There are no hard and fast rules for how to accomplish it (besides actually starting slower than you end). Plus, run coaches say you can do these types of workouts at any point in your training. Just think of them as a solid option for moderate effort run days—not your easy pace, but not the top-level effort you might put in when doing mile repeats.

“I love using these as kind of the transition between the base-building phase and focused speedwork,” Heiss says. “It’s kind of that middle ground.” Progression runs get you playing with speed and exploring what different efforts and paces feel like, but they aren’t as complex or as physically and mentally taxing as, say, interval sessions.

Danny Mackey, head coach of Brooks Beasts Track Club, also suggests incorporating the progression run into a long run to improve the quality of those longer distances. You start at your easy effort (or easy pace) and then work your way up to more of a push pace/effort.

Mackey also uses them as a bridge workout—for days when you want to get a run in to maintain your aerobic fitness level, but have a hard workout coming up and need to be well-rested. You can also apply it to a tempo run, starting 15 seconds slower than your tempo pace and then working up to your tempo pace or ending even quicker than tempo pace if you’re feeling confident, he says.

No matter how you do it, all you have to do is make sure you’re starting slow and getting faster.

What are the benefits of a progression run?

So, why would you want to do a progression run versus a run where you hold a steady pace or one in which you do actual structured speedwork? There are a handful of benefits to running this way. 

1. It’s less intimidating speedwork

“Sometimes beginner runners are new to or just intimated by the idea of speedwork,” says Alison Staples, certified run coach and physical therapist assistant in Baltimore. Many experienced runners also just dread speed sessions. A progression run can take away some of the anxiety that comes with these fast-paced interval workouts, Heiss says.

Progression runs can also (sometimes) feel gentler on the body than those faster-paced interval sessions. And you don’t have to worry quite so much about recovery time, as you would with harder, faster runs, Staples says.

Speedwork is typically both mentally and physically rough, and you have to give your body time afterward to rest and recover. With a progression run, you’ll likely spend most of your workout at a pace that requires an easy or moderate effort. You may choose to really push the speed at the end (or even just at the very end), but it will be for a shorter portion of the workout as opposed to the entire workout being all about intensity and speed.

At the same time, progression runs do help you tune into your speed and get you more comfortable with pushing the pace, just without taxing your body in the same way a 8x400m workout might.

2. It builds in a warmup

“It’s important to warm up your body before you get into a hard and fast pace, so [a progression run is] a nice way to ease your way into those harder efforts,” Staples says. Think about those first miles or minutes of a progression run as a way to get your body and brain on board for the workout. When it comes time to push the effort and pace a bit more, you’ll be warm and it’ll feel easier—natural, even—to progress things.

3. It teaches you to pace smarter

“Starting a little more conservatively helps make sure you’re keeping the workout in that moderate-to-intense zone,” Mackey says. Figuring out your moderate-effort pace is challenging, especially on a long run. Most of us know what going hard feels like, but “moderate” is harder to figure out, he says. It’s easy to start too quickly out of the gates and suddenly be at a race pace that’s unsustainable (and too taxing) for a long run.

If you’re doing a progression run based on effort level, it can help you stop relying so much on your tracker and get you feeling confident in what different paces feel like, Heiss says. Over time, you’ll learn what easy, moderate, and hard efforts really look and feel like for you pace-wise. And then you can integrate that knowledge into race day, so you start at a pace that leads to a strong finish (without any bonking). 

4. It's mentally refreshing

The mind plays a big role in running. As mentioned, progression runs can seem easier than straight-up speedwork, and that makes them mentally easier to do too, Mackey says. Knowing you get to start off easy and it only gets hard toward the end can make it easier to do than knowing you have to run the whole thing at a challenging pace. “It’s a lot easier mentally to bite off segments of a run,” he says, adding that progression runs are particularly good when you’re gearing up for a hard race and feeling mentally fatigued from the training.

5. It get you more comfortable with pushing at the end of a run

It’s fine to feel totally spent at the finish line of a race, but you don’t want to feel depleted at the end of every long training run, Staples says. Progression runs are great for learning how to conserve energy so that you have some left to give at the end. It’s also a nice mental boost when you find you can successfully speed up at the end of a run instead of feeling like you can’t wait to stop.

5 Ways to Do a Progression Run

Staples, Mackey, and Heiss share six examples of how to structure a progression run.

1. The 80/20 Breakdown

Run 80 percent of the run really easy, and the last 20 percent at tempo pace or a 6 to 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 rate of perceived exertion (RPE). Think of 1 as being on the couch and 10 being your all-out speed.

2. The Thirds Breakdown

For a 45-minute run, run the first 15 minutes at an easy pace (RPE of 2/3), the second 15 minutes at a moderately easy pace (RPE 4/5), and the final 15 minutes at a moderately hard effort (RPE 6/7). “Think about going from a conversational pace to ending at a tempo run pace,” Staples says.

3. The Final Push

Go at an easy or moderately easy pace (RPE around 3 to 5) for 90 percent of the run and do the last 10 percent at all-out effort. That could mean the final two or three minutes, or even the final mile, depending on the length of the run. “This one is good for practicing to finish fast and learning to conserve energy until the end,” Staples says.

4. Play With 10s

Every mile, try to take 10 seconds off your pace. Or every 10 minutes, speed up by taking 10 seconds off your pace.

5. Make It a Game

Mackey sometimes challenges his athletes with a tempo run progression. He tells them to run each mile faster than the previous one. That’s the only rule. “If that means you go really slow first, that’s OK, but if you go really hard you have to pay the price for that,” he says. “You really have to check in with yourself mentally and be aware of how you’re actually feeling and how to pace.”

Exercise May Increase Antibodies After Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines, Study Suggests

New research says you may want to lace up your sneakers following your shots.

Preliminary research shows that 90 minutes of exercise performed after the flu or COVID-19 vaccines can increase antibodies 

Exercise has positive effects on the immune system and many mechanisms may be responsible for the uptick in antibodies

Contrary to what experts have said in the past, exercising immediately following your influenza or COVID-19 vaccine may actually help your immunity. A recent study published in the Journal of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity found that active adults who exercised for 90 minutes post-vaccine had increased serum antibodies, yet no increase in negative side effects after the initial dose of influenza and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

To get to the results, senior author and principal investigator, Marian Kohut, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University, and her team studied groups of participants immediately following their first immunization. They collected blood samples of the COVID-19 group prior to immunization, two weeks after the first dose, and one week after the second dose. In the flu study, the researchers also collected blood samples pre-immunization, and both two and four weeks post jab. 

For the flu vaccine group, researchers asked participants to either exercise for 45 minutes, 90 minutes, or not exercise at all immediately following immunization. The COVID-19 vaccine group exercised for 90 minutes or not at all. 

Based on the blood samples, the researchers found that 90 minutes of exercise outdoors consistently increased serum antibodies (an essential component of your immune system that helps keep you from getting sick from these illnesses) for up to four weeks after immunization.

The majority of participants (78 total) completed the workout (running or walking) at 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate, which also correlated to heart rates of about 120 to 140 beats per minute. “Based on the data we have, it appears that as long as individuals are in the 60 to 70 percent of the age-based estimate of max heart rate, we see the same benefit [of increased antibodies],” Kohut says. 

Researchers also asked participants to record their side effects for three days following the vaccines, and there were no differences in outcomes between exercisers and non-exercisers.

Time and effort matter—not distance

Participants in the study who exercised for 45 minutes post-vaccine did not see an increase in antibodies after two and four weeks—those benefits only showed up in those who worked out for 90 minutes. 

And researchers did not find a significant correlation between distance covered and antibody response in those who exercised for 90 minutes. The distance covered ranged from four to 10 miles, so no matter how far someone ran (or walked), as long as they hit the 90-minute mark, they still experienced an increase in serum antibodies. According to the study, the 45-minute workout wasn’t enough time to increase antibody production. 

“Our finding that just a single session of exercise performed after immunization could significantly impact antibody response to the vaccine was very interesting, and people with a wide range of fitness levels (all regular exercisers) were able to complete the 90 minutes of exercise,” Kohut says.

Though the study was small—42 participants were enrolled in the flu study and 36 in the COVID-19 study—researchers believe it makes a strong case for breaking a sweat after your shot. “Based on the evidence we have to date, sticking with 90 minutes of light-to moderate-intensity exercise commencing shortly after immunization seems to be effective across different vaccine platforms,” Kohut says.

One thing to remember if you’re considering working out after your shot: If you have a fever, experience lightheadedness, or generally don’t feel well, don’t push yourself to start or continue to exercise. Listen to your body and rest when you need it. 

Why does the increase in antibodies occur post-exercise?

A few processes may be at work that affects the immune response from exercise. “It’s not likely to be a single mechanism responsible for the increase in antibodies,” Kohut says. “Exercise for 90 minutes is accompanied by metabolic, neuroendocrine, and circulatory changes, each of which may contribute to altered immune response.” In other words, it appears many changes are happening in the systems that control the metabolism, hormones, and bloodstream during 90 minutes of exercise. 

She adds, “with this understanding, we may learn how to improve vaccine efficacy, define the parameters of exercise that are required to improve immune response, and learn whether other types of health practices (yoga, meditation, massage, for example) could have similar benefits.” 

Previous research also helps to explain how running supports the immune system in both the short and long-term. For example, it encourages a healthy anti-inflammatory environment and increases the number of immune cells out looking to fight infection in the bloodstream. And because of those immune system responses to exercise, older research published in 2014 also supports the idea that those who live an active lifestyle may respond better to vaccines.

More research is still needed

Kohut and her team tested the participants as far as four weeks post-immunization, but she acknowledges the need to understand the long-term benefits of exercise on vaccine effectiveness. 

Whether or not the increase of antibodies will extend six months (the current recommended timeframe for getting your booster) is still unknown. “It would be interesting to understand how the increase in antibody extends to actual protection, although these types of studies typically require quite a large number of participants,” Kohut says. “Although one may assume the higher antibody level would translate to better vaccine efficacy in terms of preventing infection, that remains to be determined. Ongoing studies by many researchers are attempting to define the optimal level of antibodies that results in protection.” 

Finally, Kohut cautions that study participants all exercised regularly prior to the study, and it is not yet known if the same benefit of increased antibodies would apply to non-exercisers. Exercise post-vaccine could potentially pose safety risks for those that lead a sedentary lifestyle.

When asked if exercise alone can improve protection from infection without a vaccine, Kohut says, “It is important to understand that the immune system must ‘see’ the virus components to create immune memory (memory consists of the antibodies, the B cells that make the antibodies and T cells). Exercise alone cannot create this immune memory.”

While this research doesn’t 100 percent confirm that you should clock a 90-minute run right after getting your flu or COVID-19 shot, it does offer more evidence to support lacing up and hitting the pavement to improve your health.

The Man Who's Finished 761 Ultras

Rob Apple ran three ultras in 2020. With only four slated for 2021, he's in trouble. Well, kind of. 

Since 1990, Apple, now 59, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has averaged 24 ultras a year. If that number seems absurd, well, meet Rob Apple. Sucking on a peppermint candy as he bounces along a greenway near Stones River Battlefield, he's the jolliest runner you're likely to meet. With his headlamp on and his buds blaring AC/DC, you'd never imagine this guy was the most prolific ultrarunner in history. 

For starters, he laughs a lot. No, really a lot! "If we knew you did all these ultra runs," his boss once told him, "we would have drug tested you." Apple lets out a chuckling, jocular laugh. It starts deep in his gut and builds up through the chest and echoes out from his wide smile like a megaphone.

He looks more like a hairband rocker from the '80s than a grizzled, sinewy athlete. His bright, glowing eyes and massive head of hair offset an enormous, gleaming smile. Many approach him and ask if his teeth are real. "Never even had braces," he says. "My mom gave me these."

If running ultras is any measure, it's easy to see why Apple is so happy: he has completed a whopping 761 of them. 761! That's over 23,560 miles from trail to road to timed track events lasting days. Add up the totals for Yiannis Kouros, Camille Heron, Courtney Dauwalter and Scott Jurek and you still wouldn't reach half the ultra miles Apple's run. And he's competed in the biggest: Leadville, Western States, Wasatch, Massanutten, Vermont, Catalina and UTMB, most multiple times. He's even run the Boston Marathon. "Yes, I've actually done regular marathons, too," he says, laughing. 

Since 1976, Apple has completed a total of 903 races, including 69 marathons. His seven Western States completions are impressive, but his other race repeats are downright nuts: 18 Mountain Mist 50Ks, 21 Strolling Jims and 28 Howl at the Moon 8-hours. He has run an ultra each year since 1982 and has logged a grand total of 185,310 lifetime miles. Each race and training run is meticulously detailed in a journal he's kept since he was 16. He includes his time, the weather, what he wore and who he talked to. On top of that he loads the data into spreadsheets! An accountant by day, Apple is a numbers freak. 

His biggest enemy now that he's 59, he says, is time. He admits he's getting slower, and DNFs due to missing time cutoffs in longer races have forced him to focus on 50Ks and European events where cutoffs are more manageable. At this point he doesn't care about improving his pace; he just wants to be out there as long as possible. 

"It's not about how fast you go; it's how many pictures you take along the way," he says. But don't think he's lost his ambition. Quite the contrary. He sees himself as an astronaut on the fringe of running. His goal? To become the first in history to reach 1,000 ultra finishes.Known as the Main Street of America, Route 40 stretches from Delaware to Utah and becomes Cumberland Avenue in the tiny village of Lewisburg, Ohio. Rob Apple grew up in a small u-shaped cul-de-sac on its southern side. For him, the great highway was like the mighty Mississippi; it made him dream of taking it as far as it would go.

Something was always off about Lewisburg. A Children of the Corn kind of atmosphere. The local barber that cut his hair also burned crosses in his yard on Friday nights. 

"I always knew I was going to get out of there, somehow, someway," he says.

Ironically, there was little laughter in the Apple home, and affection was rare-no hugging, no kissing. Being an only child in a poor neighborhood, he learned quickly to find his own fun. His earliest adventures were roaming around his mother's flower garden. Intoxicated by the smells and colors, he memorized their names and wrote them down, a habit he continues to this day. (He has spreadsheets for those, too.)

His mother, Ruth Ann, loved seeing people travel through. She often left food out for hoboes. As a result, they marked the telephone pole in front of her house to signal to others that they could get food there. When the famous breatharian, Barbara Moore, walked across the United States in 1960, she followed the marks and wound up at the Apple home. She left behind a food wrapper, which made its way into the family scrapbook along with a picture of Moore walking in her work boots. Ruth Ann idolized women like Moore and Grandma Gateway. She was a homebody but dreamed of someday getting out and exploring the world. According to Apple, it just wasn't in the cards. So, he wanted to do it for her.

By 13 he was the hippie kid with long hair, looking for a way out. His uncle owned a motorbike shop and turned him onto motocross, and perhaps his ticket to a large world. 

"The bikers were a lot like ultrarunners," he says. "They were openminded, free, carried no judgement." 

When a bad spill upended his Honda XR75, his racing career came to an abrupt halt. The gangly teen was distraught and became a roaming figure around the track. He'd show up to watch, desperate to be around it. But it wasn't the same; he needed more. 

Of all the places a running career can start, the local library is an odd one. The year was 1976, and two things captured the young Apple's imagination: the Guinness Book of World Records and a black-and-white copy of a popular running magazine. It was the nation's bicentennial, and the magazine was promoting an unusual campaign. If you ran 285 miles in a year and documented it, you got a certificate. So, Apple set up a three-tenths-of-a-mile circuit around Crescent Drive and did just that. By the time the certificate arrived in the mail, he was hooked. 

He ran track his freshman and sophomore years but wasn't good. His PR in the mile was a meager 5:30. He opted for trade school his junior and senior years, where he learned to draw. After graduation, Apple took a job designing school buses during the day and went to Wright State at night, where he studied accounting. Money was tight. It had always been tight. In the 10 years it took him to graduate, he'd get married, divorced and discover the one thing in life he wanted to do more than anything else: run ultras. 

In another two years, he got his masters in sports physiology. A better paying job in accounting would follow, and weekends became an obsession to travel and race. Though he swore he'd never marry again, he would, and again he'd get divorced, but running would eventually take him, not only out of Lewisburg, but all over the world. In the 1980s, Apple was known as "the heartthrob of ultrarunning," says Gary Cantrell, aka Lazarus Lake. The former Trans-Am race director Jesse Riley likened him to a Greek statue. "He was just so damned good-looking, like he was carved out of marble." 

He was a real chatterbox and a fun guy. Back then, he and Lake enjoyed tapping kegs post-race and watching people go to church. Lake has enough anecdotes about Apple to fill a healthy-sized book. One involves the Oak Mountain 50K, a dodgy motel with one bed, beer, weed and waking up to find trees snapped and patio furniture tossed in every direction. The two had slept through a tornado. 

Lake later introduced Apple to who would become his second wife, Pam Jordan. At "Strolling Jim," she asked, "Who was that man that passed me?" Lake answered before she even finished her sentence: Rob Apple. Running finally took him from Lewisburg to Tennessee where Jordan lived. 

Back then, the slim, six-foot two runner was not only handsome, but he was also fast. 

"Oh, he could move," Lake says, citing a 1989 performance. At Lake's 41.2-mile Strolling Jim race in Wartrace, Tennessee, Todd White was crewing top competitor Dink Taylor when around mile 30 he looked back. "Dink, I don't know who's coming, but he's coming hard," he said. Taylor turned around just in time to see Apple fly past on his way to finishing in 4 hours 58 minutes, making the top 10. In the '80s, Apple recorded a 34-minute 30-second 10K, a 6-hour 26-minute 50-miler and logged 122 miles in 24 hours. In Richmond, Ohio, he got revenge on his high-school nemesis, the mile. In the costume themed race, he ran a 5:06 dressed as Don Johnson from Miami Vice: linen suit, teal tee underneath. 

The ultrarunner and professor Dr. Thomas Mueller says Apple's attitude is everything, "He never met a person that wasn't his friend." After qualifying for Boston with a 3:06, in the race, he stopped at mile 23 to drink a cold one with a talkative spectator. He finished in 4:09. For someone dedicated to numbers, Apple is surprisingly more about the journey. He has developed a simple philosophy toward running long term: speed kills. 

"If you want to be in it for 40 years, you gotta let that go," he says. The realization was sudden. Not like the inevitable giving up the ghost many experience when the body starts rebelling with age, Apple's breakthrough actually came when he was running his fastest times. 

It was fall of 1990 and the 100K World Championship was coming to the Edmond Fitzgerald road race in Michigan. Apple was hyped. Just a few years before, he'd run an 8:28 and was hoping to place in the top 20. At that time, Apple was still an undergrad, and when a midterm was suddenly moved, it prevented him from participating. 

Dejected, he found a closer race on the same Saturday, Virginia's Mountain Masochist 50-miler. Still, Apple couldn't get motivated, couldn't get his mind right but managed to finish feeling OK. So, for the next day, he found another race near Columbus, the Wolfpack 50K. Apple finished again, and fell in love with "weekend doubles." That weekend was a Eureka moment. 

Trail running was just starting to boom, and there were now more racing opportunities than ever. And Apple started ripping them off. The Texas Trail 50K-17 finishes. The Ice Age 50K-17 finishes. The JFK 50-miler-15 finishes. The Rattlesnake 50K-15 finishes. The Vermont 100-seven finishes. Five Massanutten 100s and two Leadville 100s. And the list goes on and on and on. In 2002 alone, he ran a total of 44 ultras. 

Usually a fixture at the back of races, Apple has managed a podium finish. In 2000 he was running Illinois' Howl at the Moon's half-trail/half-road ultra for the eighth time. He didn't feel particularly good starting out and didn't know what to expect. Around the halfway point, things turned around. He was feeling better and surprised that he was only down six minutes to the leader. Apple remembers thinking, "Hey, I've got a shot at this." He made a move, felt more and more energized as his pace increased. Then, he was suddenly in the lead. "I was just hoping to hang on," he says. Nervous at his prospects, he kept repeating to himself, "I want it to be over now!"That was over 20 years ago. Now, his lack of speed is his biggest impediment in reaching 1,000 finishes. In 2013, he had five DNFs, and in 2014 couldn't finish the Mountain Mist 50K, a race he's run 18 times. Apple combats the hard cutoffs of longer races by focusing on 50Ks and trail runs in Europe. While they may be technical and more difficult, the cutoff times tend to be more generous. But it's a gamble. 

In 2018, he made two long trips to Europe, but weather and tough conditions resulted in two DNFs and four non-starts. His yearly output slipped to seven races, and his pocketbook took a big hit. Apple funds these adventures on his own dime. He's never had a sponsor but says he regrets nothing. 

"No car or house could replace what I've spent on running," he says, a solemn tone to his voice. 

Last December, Apple was looking forward to completing ultra #760 at the Bloodrock 50K outside of Birmingham, Alabama. The website describes the UTMB qualifier as "likely the hardest 50K you have ever run." With over 18,400 feet of elevation change, it is renowned as both technical and treacherous. Parts are so steep, they have ropes. 

Apple had a rough go.

"I did the first loop and got back to the aid station and was going to have to do the next one backwards, which meant I would have to go down those ropes in the dark," he says. "I wasn't going to die out there, so I decided to go back to my hotel."

But yet another DNF hasn't gotten him down. Apple is so positive you expect rainbows to shoot from his eyes. He says even if time does eventually catch up with him, he's found a lot more to running trails than just the finish. In the past few years, the most important factor for him in choosing a race is location. His motto: "Never waste good meniscus on a bad view."However, when his runs began taking him to England, France, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland and New Zealand, his second marriage also succumbed to his dedication to racing. And he's not bitter about it. Single and in great shape, he is not currently dating. He says he can't afford it, and it's too much hassle. 

Apple rarely looks back. Of the 903 races he's completed, he doesn't have a single medal on his wall. Instead, he leaves them on his mother's tombstone back in Ohio. When her son would toss his medals into a corner or dump them in the closet, she would take them out and mount them on the wall. "I usually go up there every few years with about 10 pounds of medals," he says. His thick laugh trails off a little quicker. The small cemetery doesn't have anyone to clean off the stones, so Apple's medals form a sizable memorial to his biggest inspiration-the mother that taught him to dream big.

On the cusp of 60, Apple still has a lot to do. He won't say where he's planning his 800thrun, but he doesn't deny it's in Patagonia. At heart, he's an adventurer, in it for the people, the journey and the laughs. But don't tell him the finish line doesn't matter, because everyone knows he's counting. 

"You don't wanna be that guy that dies at 799," he says with a wild howl. "I have fun running ultras, and it's up to me to make the party happen."

Three steps to building mental strength, what to do before, during and after your run to cultivate mental toughness

Runners understand all too well the importance of mental toughness during a hard workout or race, but just like you train your body for your goal race, you also have to train your mind if you want it to be strong. For many, training your mind can seem not as straightforward as physical training, so if you’re not sure where to start, follow these three steps to fortify your mind before, during and after training.

Before your run

Building mental strength starts before you even start your run. As you’re getting yourself ready to head out the door, start going through the workout in your mind. Remind yourself why you’re doing that particular session, and go over how you’re going to get yourself through the tough parts.

For example, you could say something like this: “I’m doing my long run today to build my endurance so my body will be ready to handle my race distance. When I start to feel tired, I’m going to use my running mantra and motivational self-talk to push myself to keep going.”

Think of this as your “mental workout plan,” and keep running through it in your mind as you put on your shoes and make your way to the door.

During your run

This is when the most challenging mental work happens. During your run, especially when you start to get tired, is when you need to draw upon those strategies that you were thinking about before the run started. As we already mentioned, having a running mantra is a really helpful strategy for developing mental strength during a run or workout. Don’t have one already? Follow these tips to create the perfect running mantra that will keep you going.

After your run

The mental strength training doesn’t stop when your run is over. Before you head inside and carry on with your day, take a minute to go over how your run went in your mind, making note of what you did well during that session. Maybe you weren’t as fast as you had hoped, but you didn’t give up when you saw you were behind. Perhaps that run felt hard, but you managed to push through it and stay mentally tough. If your mental game slipped during that run, make a note of what went wrong so you can work on it next time.

Intentional mental work

The key here is that you have to be intentional about working on your mental toughness. Many runners believe that their mental strength will improve passively alongside their physical strength as they train, but this is often not the case. Too often, runners’ mental strength lags behind their physical abilities, holding them back from realizing their full potential. Make a point of working on at least one aspect of your mental game every time you step out the door, and your performance will improve right along with it.

Jacob Kiplimo and Girmawit Gebrzihair break course records in Ras Al Khaimah

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Girmawit Gebrzihair ran course records to win the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on Saturday (19), clocking 57:56 and 1:04:14 respectively during another fast edition of the World Athletics Elite Label road race.

Kiplimo had gone into the race targeting his own world record of 57:31, which he set in Lisbon in November. The 21-year-old world half marathon champion, who finished third in the 10,000m and fifth in the 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics last year, was on blistering pace for much of the race, recording a split of 13:23 for 5km and then going through 10km in 26:56 – on target for a sub-57:00 half marathon. By that point he was 16 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Rodgers Kwemoi, with a group including Kenneth Kiprop Renju, Alexander Mutiso, Daniel Kibet, Amedework Walelegn, Abel Kipchumba, Seifu Tura and Kennedy Kimutai another six seconds back.

Kiplimo’s pace dropped slightly over the next 5km but he still passed 15km in 40:43, a time which beats the world 15km best of 41:05 which had been set by his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei in Nijmegen in 2018. Although the world half marathon record seemed to be moving out of reach, Kiplimo went through the 20km mark in 54:53, 33 seconds ahead of Kwemoi, before crossing the finish line in 57:56 to win by 34 seconds.

The fifth-fastest half marathon in history, it is the third occasion that Kiplimo has broken 58 minutes for the distance, a time that only three other athletes – Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie, Rhonex Kipruto and Mutiso – have ever achieved.

The top six athletes all beat the previous course record of 58:42, which had been set by Bedan Karoki in 2018 and then matched by Stephen Kiprop in 2019. Kenya’s world 10,000m fourth-place finisher Kwemoi was second in 58:30, which moves him to 11th on the world all-time list, while his compatriot Renju was third in 58:35.

Ethiopia’s Tura was one second back in fourth, with his compatriot Walelegn fifth in 58:40 and Kenya’s Kibet sixth in 58:45. Mutiso and Kipchumba also dipped under 60 minutes, running 58:48 and 59:47 respectively.

Gebrzihair wins on debut

Gebrzihair made a successful start to her half marathon career in the women's race, her course record of 1:04:14 being the second-fastest ever women’s debut for the distance behind Letesenbet Gidey’s world record of 1:02:52 run in Valencia in October.

The 20-year-old Gebrzihair, who claimed world U20 5000m bronze in 2018 and recently finished second in the Great Ethiopian Run 10km, was joined by athletes including Kenya’s two-time world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri and Sheila Chepkirui as well as Ethiopia’s Bosena Mulate in an eight-strong group which went through 5km in 15:12. That pack was down to five athletes by the 10km point, which Gebrzihair, Obiri, Mulate, Chepkirui and Kenya’s Judith Jeptum passed in 30:28.

Obiri, Gebrzihair and Chepkirui then broke away and went through 15km together in 45:50, before Chepkirui was dropped and the leaders clocked 1:01:04 through 20km. Gebrzihair kicked over the closing stages to secure success on her debut, eventually winning by eight seconds in 1:04:14 to Obiri’s 1:04:22. Chepkirui was third in 1:04:36 and the top three in Ras Al Khaimah now respectively sit fourth, fifth and seventh on the world all-time list.

Jeptum finished fourth in 1:05:28 and Mulate fifth in 1:05:46. In sixth, Britain’s Eilish McColgan ran 1:06:26 to break Paula Radcliffe's national record of 1:06:47, which had stood since 2001.

Kenya’s Daisy Cherotich, Bahrain’s Eunice Chebichii Chumba and Kenya's Pauline Esikon were all also under 68 minutes, with respective times of 1:06:33, 1:07:22 and 1:07:50. Yeshaneh was also in action but after passing 15km in 46:08, the former world record-holder did not finish the race.

The performance improves on the 1:04:31 course record – then a world record – set by Ababel Yeshaneh the last time the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon was held in 2020.

Struggling With Dry, Itchy Eyes? Go for a Run

Even a single exercise session can help your eye health, according to new research.

If you’re struggling with dry, itchy, burning eyes, aerobic exercise can help, new research shows. 

Exercise plays a role in better blood circulation and reduced inflammation, both of which affects eye health. 

Maybe you stare at small, glowing screens just a little too much every day, or you’re not as hydrated as you could be, or you’re dealing with issues like hormone changes, aging, low humidity, or allergies. No matter what the cause, you might be struggling with dry, itchy, burning eyes. But there could be an easy fix, according to a new study in the journal Experimental Eye Research. Go for a run.

Researchers split 52 participants into two groups: One did exercise sessions on a treadmill five times per week while the other did a single weekly treadmill run. Eye exams were done right before and right after each session, with a focus on changes in what’s called “tear film.”

Quick anatomy refresher: Tear film is produced when we blink, and hydrates the surface of the eye in a thin layer that protects against irritants like dust. When tear film production is reduced, that creates dry spots where those particles can land on the eye’s surface and cause dryness and itching. 

In the recent study, those doing more exercise saw greater consistency in their tear film production, but even participants running only once a week got a boost, according study to co-author Heinz Otchere, Ph.D.(c), a researcher in vision science at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

“This indicates that a single session of exercise can have benefits for your eyes,” he told Runner’s World. “That means if you’re experiencing eye dryness, from an activity like too much screen usage, aerobic exercise can be a great strategy to address it rather than relying on eye drops all the time.”

The effect of exercise is tied to how activity plays a role in better blood circulation, said Otchere, which affects your eyes as much as the rest of your body. He added that exercise has also been linked to lower inflammation in general, which offers another boost to eye heath.

Added to that, previous research indicates exercise has shown to improve what’s called intraocular pressure, which is the measure of how fluid pressure is maintained between the back part and the front part of your eye. Because of that, a 2018 study in the journal Eye suggests exercise can help prevent several eye conditions like glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, which are all associated with lower activity levels.

“The takeaway from our research and previous studies is that exercise can lead to significant improvement in eye health, and the more activity you get, the greater that improvement becomes,” said Otchere. 

Not Surprisingly, Alcohol Isn't Doing You Any Favors When It Comes to Building Muscle

Too much booze is bad news, research shows.

There probably aren’t many people out there who imagine that drinking a case of beer will make you a better athlete. Still, there are lots of people who argue that it doesn’t really matter either way—that training is training and social life is social life, and the two don’t really affect each other. 

The basic idea of the study was straightforward: 

Put volunteers through a rigorous exercise routine (it was a mix of weights, sustained cycling, and high-intensity sprints, designed to simulate the demands of a team-sport match); have them do it three times. After two of the trials, give them the “optimal” post-exercise nutrition: 25 grams of protein immediately after, a carbohydrate-rich meal two hours later, and another 25 grams of protein four hours later. During this recovery period, have them drink a bunch of drinks, either containing placebo or a total of 1.5 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight. In a third trial, give them alcohol, but replace the protein with calorie-equivalent carbohydrate.

What makes this study so good is that the scientists looked right into the muscles to observe what was happening in response. That means each of the three trials involved three muscle biopsies and 17 blood samples—not for the faint of heart! 

There are a lot of outcomes, but the bottom line is muscle protein synthesis: how much muscle is being built to repair damage from the exercise and build bigger/stronger new muscle? 

Here’s what the synthesis rates look like:

Not surprisingly, the pre-exercise (rest) value is the lowest, and the optimal (post-exercise, no booze) value is the highest. In between, you’ve got the two alcohol trials. 

Alcohol plus protein is better than alcohol plus carb, but not as good as protein alone. Note that this has nothing to do with how much rest you’re getting, how hungover you are, or any of that other business. This is simply showing that if you exercise and then drink 1.5 g/kg of alcohol, the signals that would normally tell your body to adapt and get stronger are suppressed immediately.

The results don’t come as a big surprise. For example, scientists at Massey University in New Zealand published a series of studies showing that recovery from delayed-onset muscle soreness is hampered by alcohol.

The big question, of course, is dose. How much is 1.5 grams per kilogram, anyway? Well, in the U.S., a “standard drink” is considered to be 14 grams of alcohol. So for someone who weighs 150 pounds, 1.5 g/kg is 102 grams in total, which translates to 7.3 standard drinks—a fairly big evening for most people. In the New Zealand study, 1.0 g/kg (4.9 drinks for the 150-pound person) hindered recovery, but 0.5 g/kg (2.4 drinks) didn’t.

Again, this should score pretty low on the surprise-o-meter. If you’re downing seven drinks in an evening, you’re presumably prioritizing something other than optimal muscle protein synthesis—and that’s fine, as long as you understand this and are making an informed decision. Just don’t kid yourself.

Strava runner creates incredible drawing to celebrate Lunar New Year

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, the Picasso of Strava, Lenny Maughan, sketched out a tiger by running the streets of his hometown, San Francisco, and it is easily the most intricate piece of Strava art we’ve yet seen.

According to Maughan’s Strava data, it took him 21 and a half hours over four days to draw this 153-kilometre masterpiece, with over 2,690m of elevation gain in one of North America’s hilliest cities. (This run is sensational, even without the detailed Strava art.)

Maughan has sketched many previous doodles, such as a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day, a pig, a footprint and the artist Frida Kahlo. According to his Strava, he tries to run six to eight drawings a year in the north end of San Francisco. 

In a 2019 interview with SFGate, Maughan described the planning that goes into each piece. He prints out a paper map and sketches his route. He usually goes through several different iterations of the map before he sets off on a run. While he’s on his run, he must be very careful to follow the route – if he makes a wrong turn it could ruin the whole piece.

Maughan has established a large following for his GPS art on his Strava page. You can check out more of his sketches here.

Beijing Olympic skier holds record for youngest person to run a marathon on every continent

Most sports fans will recognize Winter Vinecki for representing the United States in the aerials skiing competition in Beijing, but long before she made her Olympic debut, she was a runner. Vinecki began running races when she was just five years old, and as a teenager, she became the youngest person to run a marathon on every continent.

According to usskiandsnowboard.org, Vinecki ran her first 5K when she was five, her first 10K when she was eight and her first 10-miler (16K) when she was only 10. The now-23-year-old from Michigan also competed in triathlons as a kid and has several medals to prove it.

Showing obvious athletic ability from a young age, Vinecki’s purpose behind her athletic pursuits took on a new meaning when she was only nine and her father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. From that moment, she began competing (often alongside her mother, Dawn Estelle) to raise awareness about the disease. Sadly, her father passed away less than a year after his diagnosis. A year after losing her father in 2010, Vinecki won her first IronKids National Triathlon, which she would go on to win for the second time in 2011.

Shortly after her second win, she found out the record for the youngest person to complete a marathon on all seven continents was held by a 27-year-old man, and decided she could easily beat that. Her mother agreed, and at 13, Vinecki got to work. Starting with the Eugene Marathon in Oregon, the Amazing Maasai Marathon in Kenya and the Antarctica Marathon, by the age of 14 she had already checked the first three off her list. Her fourth marathon was the Inca Trail Marathon, considered the toughest marathon in the world, thanks to its steep mountain passes, which the teen ended up winning in nine hours and 18 minutes.

She went on to complete a marathon in Mongolia, New Zealand and finally Athens to complete her trip around the globe. The 14-year-old, who had already qualified for the Junior Freestyle Skiing World Championships but given up her spot to complete her marathon challenge, then returned to the slopes with her eyes on qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. An ACL tear prevented her from competing that year, so her Olympic debut was put off until 2022 in Beijing.

In her first Olympics, Vinecki ended up finishing 13th in her qualifying round and did not make it into the final, but with so much grit and determination, we will no doubt see her on the slopes again.

Matthew Boling snags Dunkin' Donuts' first track sponsorship

TThe popular U.S. doughnut chain Dunkin’ Donuts has signed Georgia sprinter Matthew Boling, as the captain of Team Dunkin’, marking the brand’s first connection to an NCAA athlete.he po

“America runs on Dunkin’,” and now so does Boling, a four-time 2019 U20 Pan-Am Games gold medallist, who is currently competing for the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.

Boling went viral in 2019 when he broke the 10-second barrier for 100m with a wind-aided 9.97 seconds. pular U.S. doughnut chain DunkiMost athletes would only dream of what comes with a coffee and doughnut sponsorship. U.S. 1,500m Olympian Heather MacLean was disgruntled by Dunkin’s decision not to choose her, expressing her displeasure on Twitter.n’ Donuts has signed Georgia sprinter Matthew Boling, as the captain of Team Dunkin’, marking the brand’s first connection to an NCAA athlete.The popular U.S. doughnut chain Dunkin’

She even already has the tracksuit.

Dunkin’ Donuts is headquartered in Canton, Mass. It was founded in 1950Although MacLean is no longer in college, her Dunkin’ tracksuit has hopefully made a strong case for a potential sponsorship in the future. U.S. marathoner Molly Seidel also has a soft spot for Dunkin’. While she was living and training in Boston, Dunkin’ became her donut shop of choice, and she also spoke about her interest in a Dunkin’ sponsorship.Boling will be representing Dunkin’ on and off the track, sharing his exclusive Team Dunkin’ experience and merchandise on social media. Each Team Dunkin’ athlete will be honoured by having their very own Dunkin’ drinks and food featured at a Dunkin’ location in their college town.Donuts has signed Georgia sprinter Matthew Boling, as the captain of Team Dunkin’, marking the brand’s first connection to an NCAA athlete.

Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare receives 10-year doping ban

The Athletics Integrity Unit has handed Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare a 10-year ban for doping violations, which will effectively end her career. The 33-year-old was sent home from the Tokyo Games before the semi-final of the women’s 100m, for which she had qualified automatically before a previous positive test for human growth hormone came to light.

On July 30, Okagbare won her 100m heat in Tokyo, despite having tested positive out-of-competition on July 19.

In October, according to a Reuters report, she was charged with three doping violations, including the use of human growth hormone, a previous positive test for EPO (from June 2021) and refusing to hand over documentation requested by investigators.

According to a report in the Independent, the athlete received five years for using multiple banned substances and five years for refusing to co-operate with an investigation. (The standard doping ban is for four years.)

Okagbare won bronze in the 200m at the 2013 World Championships and is an Olympic and World Championship medalist in the long jump. She holds the Commonwealth Games record in the 100m at 10.85, set in Glasgow in 2014.

World marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich and Lonah Chemtai Salpeter set for Nagoya Women’s Marathon

World marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich and Tokyo Marathon winner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter will be among the athletes racing for victory at the Nagoya Women’s Marathon – a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race – on 13 March.

They are among the four sub-2:24 athletes announced for the event, with Japan’s Yuka Ando and Reia Iwade joining them on the start line.

As well as victory, athletes in Nagoya will be racing for the largest first prize in the world of marathon running: US$250,000. Being the world’s largest women’s marathon, one of the world’s top-level races, and the only women’s race with a World Athletics Platinum Label, the Nagoya Women’s Marathon continues to be a global leader in women’s running.

After winning the world title in Doha in 2019, Kenya’s Chepngetich – who has a PB of 2:17:08 from Dubai in 2019 – went on to finish third in the 2020 London Marathon and then won in Chicago last year after being unable to finish the Olympic marathon in Tokyo.

She will be seeking success on her return to Japan, where she will go up against Israel’s Salpeter, who ran 2:17:45 in Tokyo in 2020 to set a national record and break the course record.

Ando ran her PB of 2:21:36 when finishing second in Nagoya in 2017 and started this year with a half marathon personal best of 1:08:13 in Yamaguchi, while Iwade ran her best marathon time of 2:23:52 in Nagoya in 2019.

They will be joined by athletes including Australia’s Sinead Diver and Japan’s Rie Kawauchi.

Last year’s edition of the Nagoya Women’s Marathon was held as a domestic race, and was won by Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda in 2:21:51.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen breaks indoor 1,500m world record

The Olympic 1,500m gold medalist, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, had a magical return to track on Thursday, setting an indoor 1,500m world record at Le Meeting d’Athlétisme Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin, France. Ingebrigtsen broke Samuel Tefera’s 1,500m record by half a second to win the men’s 1,500m in 3:30.60. 

The pacers took Ingebrigtsen out through 1,100m at world record pace, and he closed the final 200m lap in 27 seconds to come away with the record, beating Tefera by three seconds. This is the 21-year-old’s first senior world record.  

Last month, it was made public that Ingebrigtsen was no longer going to be coached by his father, Gjert Ingebrigtsen. Since then, Jakob’s training has been overseen by his older brother Henrik, 30, who was the European 1,500m champion in 2012. 

Jakob has his eyes on the World Championship double in 2022, which would mean taking home gold in the 1,500m at next month’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, and then 1,500m gold later this summer at the World (outdoor) Championships in Eugene, Ore. 

The world’s fastest man, Italy’s Marcell Lamont Jacobs, continued his winning ways in the 60m in Liévin (6.50).

Jacobs beat a loaded field that featured U.S. sprinter Ronnie Baker, African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala and France’s Jimmy Vicaut. This race was Jacobs’ second straight win to start the season, although he finished 0.01 seconds off his season’s best 6.49.

Eliud kipchoge set to run Tokyo Marathon and he dreams of winning all six world Abbott World Marathon Majors

The marathon world record holder and double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has accepted his invitation to the 2022 Tokyo Marathon, making his return to racing on Mar. 6.

Kipchoge announced via Instagram that he will return to Japan for his Tokyo Marathon debut. “My focus has been on Tokyo from the beginning of my training cycle,” Kipchoge said in his post.  “I am ready to race there.”

The Kenyan holds the marathon world record with a time of 2:01:39, set at the Berlin Marathon in 2018. In 2019, Kipchoge became the first man to break the two-hour barrier at an unofficial race in Austria.

Kipchoge will have his eyes on the course record of 2:03:58, set by Wilson Kipsang in 2017. Kipchoge has mentioned in the past that it is his dream to win all six world marathon majors, a feat no runner has accomplished. He currently has three of six, with multiple world major wins–in London (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019), Berlin (2015, 2017, 2018) and Chicago (2014).

This year will mark the first time the Tokyo Marathon has taken place in person since 2020, due to the pandemic.

How to train your mental muscle, train your mental strength the same way you train your running

As we all know, training toward any goal takes discipline and drive. Anyone who has run has hit some kind of mental wall; sometimes the wall is just getting out the door, and sometimes it can kick in halfway through a run or race. When all you want to do is stop, is bursting through the mental wall the best thing to do?

Previous studies have argued that running is 90 per cent mental, and that training is to prepare your body to knock down the wall. There are plenty of tips on how you can train to improve your speed or endurance, but how do you train your mental muscle? Can you train your mental strength the same way you can train your running?

Training your mental muscle is closely related to building confidence, which will have an impact on your run or race experience. Put yourself in challenging scenarios during training and try to overcome them; for example, if there was a workout that gave you difficulty a few weeks back, try it again a few weeks later, using your previous failures as motivation to get better. Over time, you will remember these moments from training, which you reach back on for a mental push when you’re in another difficult situation.

A tip for hard workouts or long runs is to break down the run into percentages. If you are going for 10 km and are struggling after 5 km, tell yourself you are halfway done. The tip can also apply to a tough speed workout on the track. Push through your inner narrative, and if you have to, tell yourself out loud that you can do it. 

To bolster your mental muscle, you must be consistent with it, like physical training. The moment you let any doubt or uncertainty into your mind, the harder you will hit the mental wall. Always keep your goal front of mind, so when the going gets tough, you remember why you started.

Another thing to think about is what’s at the finish line of every run. For me, it’s a doughnut or a post-run beverage that motivates me in the latter half of a long run. Another thing you can visualize is how great it will feel to be on the couch resting when you’re finished.

Fast Fields Set For The Publix Atlanta Half-Marathon

After a special pandemic edition in 2021 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Publix Atlanta Half-Marathon returns to city streets for the 2022 edition on Sunday, February 27.  The race, part of the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend organized by the Atlanta Track Club (ATC), will feature an elite field, a $17,000 prize money purse, and a $5,000 bonus pool for exceeding the fastest times ever run in the state of Georgia (1:08:29 for women and 1:03:59 for men).

Leading the women’s elite field will be Kenya’s Viola Cheptoo who, when she competed as a middle distance runner for Florida State University in the NCAA system, went by “Viola Lagat.”  The younger sister of two-time Olympic medalist Bernard Lagat will be running her first race since her dramatic marathon debut at the TCS New York City Marathon last November where she finished a close second to compatriot and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir.  Her time of 2:22:44 was the third-fastest time in race history.  She’ll be incorporating the Publix Atlanta Half-Marathon into her Boston Marathon training.

“I am looking forward to it,” said Cheptoo who has never been to Atlanta before.  “I want to do well and build a relationship with the community, as I am aware of all the good work done by Atlanta Track Club.”

Cheptoo, who has a half-marathon best of 1:06:47, will face another strong Kenyan, Dorcas Tuitoek, who has run similarly fast: 1:06:33.  These two woman have an excellent chance of bettering the state record which was set by 2021 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel at last year’s race.

North American athletes will also be represented on the women’s side, including Dakotah Lindwurm of Minnesota Distance Elite (1:09:36 PB), Maegan Krifchin of the Atlanta Track Club (1:09:51), and Canadian Lanni Marchant (1:10:47) a 2016 Olympian and the 2021 Honolulu Marathon champion.

The top entrants on the men’s side are also from Kenya, and both have broken 60 minutes for the half-marathon.  Benard Ngeno (59:07 PB) and Geoffrey Koech (59:36) are the fastest men in the field.  The top North Americans will be Canadian record holder Rory Linkletter (1:01:08 PB), Jonas Hampton of Newtonville, Mass. (1:03:57), and Matthew McDonald of the Boston Athletic Association High Performance team (1:04:48).  McDonald, the tenth place finisher at the 2020 USA Olympic Trials Marathon, formerly trained with the ATC at Georgia Tech.  He now works at MIT in Cambridge, Mass.

The complete elite fields are below with personal best times:

Dorcas Tuitoek, KEN, 1:06:41Viola Cheptoo, KEN, 1:06:47Mary Munanu, KEN, 1:07:54Tsige Haileslase, ETH, 1:08:30Daisy Kimeli, KEN, 1:08:34Dakotah Lindwurm, USA, 1:09:36Maegan Krifchin, USA, 1:09:51Ludwina Chepngetich, KEN, 1:10:34Lanni Marchant, CAN, 1:10:47Leslie Sexton, CAN, 1:11:21Bridget Lyons Belyeu, USA, 1:12:24Grace Kahura, KEN, 1:12:49Janel Blanchett, USA, 1:13:43Anne-Marie Comeau, CAN, 1:14:09Joanna Stephens, USA, 1:14:23

Benard Ngeno, KEN, 59:07Geoffrey Koech, KEN, 59:36Raymond Magut, KEN, 1:00:00Bayelign Teshager, ETH, 1:00:30Bethwell Yegon, KEN, 1:00:57Rory Linkletter, CAN, 1:01:08Mike Cheshire, KEN, 1:03:45Jonas Hampton, USA, 1:03:57Matt McDonald, USA, 1:04:48Chris May, USA, 1:04:50Paul Hogan, USA, 2:15:51 (Marathon)

Five things not to eat before your run, some foods just don't mix with cardio

If you put the right fuel in your body, it will help you get the most out of your run. Eating an hour or two before a run can prevent fatigue and benefit your running performance. The converse is also true–the wrong choice of pre-run snack can give you major problems, whether it was the KitKat you grabbed for fuel five minutes before you left your house or something you ate hours ago. Some foods just don’t mix with cardio.

Here is a list of five foods you should avoid before a run.

1) Sausages or bacon

Sausages and bacon are packed with saturated fat and sodium. Their high-fat content makes them tough to digest, which can result in stomach cramps during exercise.

2) Nachos with cheese

Although nachos are high in simple carbohydrates, these yummy tortilla chips are high in fat, which slows digestion, leading to gastric problems on your run. Cheese has a high-fat content, which can cause you to feel lethargic and increase your stomach’s acidic content. Eating cheese before a workout is a big no-no if you want to avoid feeling extra gassy.

3) Eggs (any)

Eggs are obviously healthy and they make a great post-run snack or meal, but not before your run. Eggs are rich in protein, but just take too long to digest. They are also often cooked with butter, which is high in fat and can slow you down. Instead of eggs and toast, try eating something easier on your stomach, like oatmeal.

4) A salad

While a salad is normally great for your diet, healthy greens can cause some serious discomfort when you’re on a run. Lettuce, broccoli, kale and spinach are super high in fibre, which is guaranteed to cause abdominal gas and can make you feel bloated–or worse.

5) Pastries

No matter how good they look, pastries tend to sit like a brick in your stomach. Doughnuts and scones elevate your blood sugar, which can lead to a mid-run “crash” when your blood sugar suddenly plummets afterward. If you’ve had food high in sugar, try to mix in an easily digestible fruit, like an orange or a banana, that will quickly replenish your energy stores.

2022 Marine Corps Marathon Registration Open for In-Person Race

Calling all runners! Registration is now open for the Marine Corps Marathon, which will be held in person this fall for the first time in two years.

The 47th Marine Corps Marathon, 50K, and 10K will be run live and in-person on Sunday, Oct. 30 as part of the 2022 Marine Corps Marathon weekend, organizers said Wednesday.

The marathon is open to anyone 14 and older and costs $200. The 50K is $220 for people 18 and up. Registration for the 10K will open on April 6 and is $65 for people 7 and up. 

In 2020, marathon organizers offered only virtual events, citing public health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the guidelines of local governments. In 2021, they again found “the opportunity to safely operate and execute a live event [was] just not feasible,” Director Rick Nealis said in a statement.

Runners can participate virtually, with a limited number of virtual entries for both the marathon and ultra.

Runners can also sign up for the Semper Fidelis Challenge, a two-day event including either the Marine Corps Historic Half or the Devil Dog Double on May 22.

2021 Fukuoka Marathon champion Michael Githae will lead a competitive Kenyan field in Tokyo

Michael Githae will be one of the frontrunners for the coveted title having won the Fukuoka event in December in 2:07:51. 

Githae will have Simon Kariuki for the company in the event. Kariuki finished third in the Lake Biwa Marathon last year in a time of 2:07:18. 

Benard Kimani, who finished fourth at the Eindhoven Marathon in 2019 in 2:11:31, and Daniel Kitonyi who has a personal best of 2:14.41 set at the Nagano Marathon two years ago, will be seeking to upset the formbook.

Nicholas Kosimbei, who has a personal best of 1:00.20 in the half marathon, will also make his debut in the full marathon.

Japan will be represented by Kengo Suzuki, who has a PB of 2:04:56 set at the Lake Biwa Marathon alongside Hidekazu Hijikata (PB 2:06:26),  Kyohei Hosoya (PB 2:06:35), and 2020 Fukuoka winner  Yuya Yoshida (2:07:05). 

Seven men with recent times under 2:07, 31 under 2:10, 112 under 2:20, and two debuting sub-61 half marathoners have confirmed participation.

Elsewhere, the Osaka Marathon is slated for February 27 with two Kenyans in the field.

The 2018 Lake Biwa winner Joseph Macharia Ndirangu with a PB of 2:07:53 and James Rungaru (PB 2:08:250 will compete at the event.

6th KATA 10k Time Trial Series continues in Thika

The Kenyan Athletics Training Academy (KATA) 6th edition of the 10K Time-Trials series was held on the 5Km loop course outside KATA in Thika Kenya Feb 16.  

Peter Mwanikie was the winner.

Peter, the winner of last month’s edition, broke away from closest rival Zakari Kirika in the last 20 meters after running shoulder to shoulder most of the ways to finish in 31:39.9

Zakari, who finished 4th in January, clocked 31:44.8 followed by Erick Mutuku in 33:01.6 on the winding and rough course starting and finishing outside the Academy.

The lone lady, Caren Chepkemboi, fresh from High school and a week old in the Academy, did 50:29.4.  The monthly event sponsored by KATA and My Best Runs had 15 participants. 

The date for the 7th edition will be held March 16th.  The series is for athletes training at KATA and for others.  There is no entry fee and no prize money.  "This is a good event to measure your fitness and to see your results published online," says  KATA director and My Best Runs publisher Bob Anderson working from his office in Mountain View California.  

"We run our series on two courses.  This is the tougher one," says head coach Joseph.  "The course record on this course is 29:59.  The course record on the other course 5k from KATA is 29:40."

The results (two lap course by KATA)

1. Peter Mwaniki 24 31:39.9

2. Zakari Kirika 21 31:44.8

3. Erick Mutuku 20 33:01.6

4. Erick Cheruiyot 26 33:50.6

5. Fredrick Kiprotich 23 34:22.2

6. Raphael Gacheru 23 35:07.4

7. Lamech Cheleket 21 36:56.8

8. Paul Ng’ang’a 42 36:59.1

9. Alfred Kamande 24 37:44.2

10. Godfrey Migwi 22 41:32.8

11. Caren Chepkemboi 21 50:29.4

The five goals of base training, building a base will prepare your body for harder work later on in your training

Whether you’re preparing your body to start training for your spring goal race, or you’re coming back from a layoff due to injury, base training is an important part of your training schedule. Just as it sounds, it forms the foundations of running fitness, which will prepare your body for harder, faster workouts later on in your training. When planning your base training, keep the following five goals in mind to ensure you prepare yourself well without overtraining.

Goal #1: build aerobic efficiency

One of the main objectives of base training is to improve your ability to use oxygen. The more efficiently you can use oxygen when you run, the longer you can delay the point at which lactic acid begins to build up (a.k.a. you reach your lactate threshold), and the longer you’ll be able to maintain a faster pace. This means that once you begin doing speedwork, you’ll be able to complete your intervals, fartleks and tempo runs at a faster pace.

How do you do this? By building a mileage base. Exactly how much you run each week will depend on your level of experience and whether you’re coming off of a layoff or not, but the first several weeks (four to 12) consist mainly of steady-state mileage. From there, you can begin to work on leg speed by adding strides into a few of your runs, but these shouldn’t be exhausting workouts. You’re simply preparing your body to do more targeted speedwork later.

Goal #2: improve your body’s durability

Often, runners get injured because their bodies weren’t prepared to handle the demands of training, so the second goal of base training is to make your body more resistant to injuries. This is why the base season is largely made up of steady-state, easy mileage. Because these runs are not too intense, your muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones and fascia have time to adapt to the stress of running and to recover between each run.

Base season is a great time to build strength, both by planning routes that have rolling hills, and by getting in the gym and working on mobility, strength and core stability. Doing all of this will make your entire body stronger and more resilient to injuries, which will allow you to train harder later on without getting injured.

Goal #3: use fuel more efficiently

During base season you teach your body to use oxygen more efficiently, but this is also the time to teach your body to use carbohydrates and fats more efficiently while you’re running. Your body burns both carbohydrates and fat when you run, but since you get more energy when you burn fat, teaching your body to use your fat-burning system more effectively is an important adaptation for distance runners.

Long runs and consistent training are the best way to improve your body’s ability to use fat for fuel, which is why base training always consists of one long run each week, plus one or two other mid-length runs. During these runs, your body also becomes more efficient at using carbohydrates, and both of these adaptations will delay fatigue when you begin doing speed workouts later on.

Goal #4: improve the endurance of your fast-twitch muscle fibres

Distance running relies primarily on your slow-twitch muscle fibres, which make up the bulk of your muscles. Near the end of a long run, however, your slow-twitch muscles will start to fatigue, and your body will call on your fast-twitch fibres to help out. This improves the fatigue-resistance of your fast-twitch fibres which, as you guessed it, will allow you to use these muscles for longer periods of time, which will make you faster.

Goal #5: build up your mental endurance

Finally, the last goal of base season is to make your mind more resistant to fatigue. This will allow you to run longer without your mind telling you to stop. Building up a large base will make you mentally stronger to handle harder, faster running later on in your training.

Nagoya Women announced a massive $250,000 USD payday for 1st place in its 2022 race

Last year the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the first major Japanese race to take a step toward trying to restart the domestic industry, going ahead with its elite race, a limited mass-participation field of 5000, and an accompanying mass-participation half marathon with thousands more. In the fall it announced a massive $250,000 USD payday for 1st place in its 2022 race. Even as other races announce cancelations amid Japan's ongoing omicron wave and the final fate of the Osaka and Tokyo Marathons remains to be seen, Nagoya today announced the elite field for its Mar. 13 race.

The international component is very small, but at least there is one, not an easy thing to put together given Japan's still in-place border restrictions even if the government is making noises that it'll relax them a bit come Mar. 1. At the top of the list are Kenyan-born 2020 Tokyo Marathon course record breaker Lonah Chemtai Salpeter running under the Israeli flag, and 2019 world champion Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya. Given the prize money for 1st it's not a major surprise Salpeter is opting to run here instead of defending in Tokyo. Chepngetich has run 2:17 to match Salpeter's best, but it was back at Dubai in early 2019, and despite her world title and a win in Chicago last fall she hasn't broken 2:22 since then.

That puts her in range of Yuka Ando (Wacoal), holder of the debut marathon NR of 2:21:36 in Nagoya 2017. Ando ran 2:22:41 in Nagoya two years ago and is fresh off a 1:08:13 half marathon PB last weekend at the National Corporate Half, where she said she plans to better teammate Mao Ichiyama's 2:20:29 women-only NR this time out.

Reia Iwade (Adidas), Sinead Diver (Australia) and Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) make up the next tier, with another five women just behind at the 2:26~2:27 level. In Kawauchi's case, she's doubling back off a 2:25:35 PB in Osaka last month in order to try to seal up an early place in the 2024 Olympic trials. Her easiest route to getting there is to run at least 2:30:25, making the grade by having two races within the qualifying window averaging 2:28:00 or better.

The list of first-timers and people coming back to the marathon is deep in numbers and talent. Key people include 1:09:12 half marathoner Kaena Takeyama (Daihatsu), 2019 Napoli World University Games half marathon gold medalist Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.), sub-32 track 10000 m runner Minami Yamanouchi (Raffine), and shoeless Hiromi Katakai (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo).

Elite Field Highlights

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (Israel) - 2:17:45 (Tokyo 2020)

Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) - 2:22:05 (London 2020)

Yuka Ando (Wacoal) - 2:22:41 (Nagoya 2020)

Reia Iwade (Adidas) - 2:23:52 (Nagoya 2019)

Sinead Diver (Australia) - 2:24:11 (London 2019)

Rie Kawauchi (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:25:35 (Osaka Int'l 2022)

Mirai Waku (Universal)- 2:26:30 (Nagoya 2021)

Ai Hosoda (Edion) - 2:26:34 (Nagoya 2020)

Haruka Yamaguchi (AC Kita) - 2:26:35 (Osaka Int'l 2020)

Hanae Tanaka (Daiichi Seimei) - 2:26:49 (Nagoya 2021)

Chiharu Ikeda (Hitachi) - 2:27:39 (Nagoya 2021)

Ayano Ikemitsu (Kagoshima Ginko) - 2:28:26 (Osaka Int'l 2021)

Ikumi Fukura (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 2:28:31 (Nagoya 2021)

Natsuki Omori (Daihatsu) - 2:28:38 (Nagoya 2021)

Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) - 2:28:40 (Nagoya 2021)

Yuma Adachi (Kyocera) - 2:29:00 (Nagoya 2021)

Eloise Wellings (Australia) - 2:29:42 (London 2021)

Anna Matsuda (Denso) - 2:29:52 (Osaka Int'l 2021)

Miharu Shimokado (SID Group) - 2:32:48 (Osaka Int'l 2020)

Madoka Nakano (Iwatani Sangyo) - 2:32:56 (Osaka Int'l 2021)

Nana Sato (Starts) - 2:33:42 (Hofu 2021)

Debut / Do-Over

Kaena Takeyama (Daihatsu) - 1:09:12 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2020)

Momoko Watanabe (Tenmaya) - 1:10:43 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)

Minami Yamanouchi (Raffine) - 1:10:44 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2018)

Kotomi Tsubokura (Wacoal) - 1:11:02 (Sanyo Ladies Half 2021)

Mayu Hirata (Wacoal) - 1:11:15 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2021)

Yuko Kikuchi (Hokuren) - 1:11:32 (Sanyo 2019)

Hikari Onishi (Japan Post) - 1:11:48 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2021)

Hiromi Katakai (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:12:00 (Nat'l Corp. Half 2022)

Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 31:37.88 (Yamaguchi Time Trials 2019)

Kotona Ota (Japan Post) - 32:42.63 (Kyoto Time Trials 2021)

Common Health Problems that will impact your performance

Any type of athletic performance requires physical, mental, and overall health because of the energy demands of each activity.. Athletes are at higher risk of disease, more sensitive to pain, and have an increased chance of getting injured because of their lifestyles. Though most people believe that athletes are just healthy individuals with good genetics, several common health problems impede athletic performance.

Many different things can impact your athletic performance. Whether it is a health problem that you are unaware of or an injury that you are trying to recover from, there are steps that you can take to improve your performance. In this article, we will discuss eight common health problems that can have an impact on your athletic performance.

Test your general health

Everyone comes to a certain period in life when they start thinking about the future.  No matter when this point in your life comes for you, it is always beneficial to have an idea of what health problems may occur down the line. It’s never too early to think about taking care of your body and feeling healthy mentally and physically. With the information on the Health Hub combined with home tests for food intolerance, vitamin D deficiency, etc., you can start early on testing your general health. One of the most important things that everyone should consider doing at least once every year is undergoing a general checkup with their doctor to see how they can improve their lifestyle choices. Make sure that you get blood work done so that any underlying conditions such as diabetes or even more serious diseases can be discovered.

Stress levels 

When you are stressed, your body demands more energy than it normally would. If you experience prolonged stress, your body is stressed 24/7 which means that it is constantly demanding calories regardless of the activity that you do daily. This constant need for energy can result in weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, poor concentration, high blood pressure (hypertension), etc., all of which will impact your athletic performance if left untreated. Make sure to try and combat this issue first by setting a specific time in a day when you will be devoted to yourself, during which you can assess your impressions and emotions. There is a rise of new sleep disorder patterns caused by the increased numbers of daily activities, and people need their alone time. Taking it during nighttime when you are supposed to be sleeping can severely impact your biorhythm.

Food intolerance

One of the best ways to remedy this situation is to keep track of what type of foods make you feel bloated or cause cramps after eating them. Some people find certain dairy products or gluten-containing grains like wheat to be very difficult to digest. Keeping a food journal is one of the best ways to keep track of what types of foods you are eating and how they make you feel. Nutritional support can also help relieve some irritations in your gut that may be causing bloating, indigestion, etc., after consuming certain types of food items.

Nutritional deficiencies

As athletes, it is important to make sure that you are getting the correct amount of nutrients in your body to perform at optimal levels. There are different levels in which one can be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, but it is safe to say that every athlete should take a multivitamin daily. Making sure that you get enough protein, iron, calcium, etc. can all contribute to your athletic performance because these nutrients provide energy when necessary. 

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies that can impact athletic performance. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, which means that there are fewer healthy red blood cells than normal to carry oxygen throughout your body. When you experience chronic fatigue, loss of breath when working out, etc., this could be the culprit behind the problems that you are experiencing. Women who go through their menstrual cycle monthly also have a greater chance of suffering from iron deficiency because they lose so much blood during their periods.

Shortness of breath

If shortness of breath is something that you deal with regularly, there may be certain health concerns behind this issue. Shortness of breath could mean that your heart isn’t pumping enough blood throughout your body, or that there is a lack of oxygen in your blood. This could be caused by poor circulation, having low levels of iron in your body, smoking, etc. The best way to test if this is an issue for you is to do a breathing test.

High cholesterol/high blood pressure

These two issues are among the most common health concerns that many people suffer from daily. High cholesterol and high blood pressure can both impact your athletic performance because they increase the chances of suffering from cardiovascular disease. Having either of these conditions will decrease the amount of oxygen that flows throughout your body which means that you won’t have as much energy to get through tough workouts or competitions. 

General fatigue 

It’s normal to feel tired after performing some strenuous activity, but feeling excessively fatigued throughout your day is something that shouldn’t be ignored. If you are constantly exhausted despite getting a good night’s rest, it could be because your body isn’t getting the right amount of nutrients (vitamin deficiencies) or oxygen (low iron). 

To combat fatigue, first, try to get some proper rest and address any nutritional or oxygen deficiencies you may have. If these methods don’t work, it’s best to see a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment of the underlying issue. Sometimes stress is the main cause of fatigue, so taking some time to relax or meditate can also help alleviate the problem.

Ringing in the ears

Tinnitus, which is more commonly known as ringing in your ears, can be caused by certain medications (like aspirin), high blood pressure that causes damage to the inner ear, anemia, etc. Tinnitus can be very bothersome because it causes a constant noise that interrupts your day-to-day activities; some people claim that this condition is what prevents them from getting a full night’s rest. If you’re suffering from tinnitus and it’s affecting your athletic performance, try consulting a doctor for treatment options.

No one is immune to health problems, and these eight are just a few that can impact your athletic performance. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, it’s important to get checked out by a doctor to determine the underlying cause. Once you know what the issue is, you can start working on a treatment plan with your physician so that you can get back to performing at your best.

Rock N’ Roll Marathon Returns this year to Las Vegas with night run On strip

For 37 years, the Las Vegas International Marathon ran from Jean to Sunset Park. Somewhere between 500 and 2,000 made the 13 or 26-mile trek. Each of the last ten years of the Las Vegas International Marathon someone would ask why it was not run on the Strip. At the time only one event warranted the obstruction and impact on the hotels caused by closing the Strip – New Year’s Eve. It was a non-starter. Until 2005.

I must admit, when Elite Racing approached LVE about producing a marathon on the Strip I was skeptical about our prospects, but they had done their homework. They talked to the hotel operators, proposing the race be run early Sunday morning. Commissioner Rory Reid championed their cause and LVE supported it. The first year the race drew 13,425 for both a half and full marathon. That was a good start!

Elite Racing founder Tim Murphy, while running the lonely miles of the Heart of San Diego Marathon, pondered how he could bring some excitement to a marathon. The first Rock n’ Roll Marathon took place in 1998, drew over 20,000 runners and culminated with a concert featuring Huey Lewis and the News, Pat Benatar and the Lovin’ Spoonful. The brand and experience of the race continued to evolve.

In 2007, Falconhead Capital purchased the Rock n’ Roll Marathon from Murphy. The company that managed the series was Competitor Group. They grew it from five races to 34 including six in Europe. In 2009, Competitor Group capitalized on the new brand and marketing Vegas to all of the races in the series and doubled the number of runners to 27,765.

Dale Eeles, LVE’s vice president of event development, ran the half each year. He wondered out loud why we didn’t run the race at night. I wondered out loud how we could get the hotels to support a night race. Turns out they were appreciative of the strong visitation, agreed it would be a better experience and would draw more runners. And that’s what it did.

In 2011 the Rock n’ Roll Marathon used the simple tagline “Run the Strip at Night” with the name of their race. More than 40,000 runners made the Vegas trip and another 20,000+ of their friends joined them in Las Vegas to root them on. Pre-race concerts began with acts like Cheap Trick, Macklemore, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Kesha, and Capital Cities.

After a COVID break the Rock n’ Roll Running Series returns February 26-27, with a refurbished experience. The full marathon has been eliminated. Anyone that ran the full race will recall the maze downtown and dark and suspicious stretches. The race is partnering with Resorts World who will host the Health and Fitness Expo and stream a live feed of the race on their 100,000 square foot LED display on the West Tower.

The 5K will take place downtown giving fans a tour of Fremont Street East and the Saturday night party at the Downtown Events Center will feature a 32-piece Symphonic Rock Show. This is a treat itself. The orchestra and band covers the likes of Pink Floyd, Elton John, ELO and The Who.

LVE’s charge is to secure events that bring visitors and then work with producers to grow each event. The runners that participate in Rock n’ Roll Running Series are affluent spenders and more than 75% of the runners each year are new to the experience.

The race in Vegas showcases the most iconic stretch of real estate in the world and provides a backdrop for a one-of-a-kind running experience. Since the first night race in 2011, Las Vegas has prospered from more than 569,000 runners and their friends participating in the most unique running experience in the world.

The new owners of the Rock n’ Roll Marathon – Ironman – have developed a plan to substantially grow runners. It isn’t more advertising or Google ads. It is the experience. Runners will be pleasantly surprised about what Ironman has planned for their Night Run of the Strip and the entire weekend.

Laura Muir will miss the indoor athletics season due to a back injury

The Olympic silver medallist, 28, withdrew from last Saturday's DNA Athletics event in Glasgow, and is now set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines.

She had hoped to set a new 1,000m indoor record at the Grand Prix event in Birmingham this weekend.

"I am sad to announce I am not going to be able to compete," Muir said.

"After further investigation on Friday into an injury I sustained a few weeks ago, I have to take some time off running to recover.

"This means my indoor season will not happen this year. I am gutted to miss the Muller Indoor Grand Prix especially as I have such fond memories of the event from previous years."

2022 Osaka Marathon Will Cut Mass-Participation Field of 20,000 due to the pandemic

On Feb. 15, Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura indicated that the mass-participation field of 20,000 for the Osaka Marathon's 10th running on Feb. 27 is to be cut and that the race will go ahead with only its elite field of 300. The race is jointly organized by the Osaka metropolitan and prefectural governments. 

In response to a question from a reporter, Governor Yoshimura stated, "The final decision is to be made by the organizing committee, but I believe that the mass-participation component of the Osaka Marathon will be canceled. I'd like to express my regret to all the amateur runners who had prepared for this race with anticipation, but given the current reality of the pandemic numbers, from the perspective of combatting further spread of the virus I ask for your understanding of the decision to cancel."

With regard to refunding entry fees, the governor said, "That is a decision to be made by the organizers, but I think refunds should be given to those who want them. There will also be those who want to roll their entries over to next year, so I think that a system must be put in place to accommodate individual choices."

This year the Osaka Marathon is set to expand its elite field, incorporating the organization of the now-defunct elite men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon. The elite race plays a key role in international competition. As part of the JAAF's new Japan Marathon Championships series it helps determine national teams for both this year's Oregon World Championships and Hangzhou Asian Games.

It is also a crucial part of qualification for the Marathon Grand Championship 2024 Olympic marathon trials. Governor Yoshimura expressed his support for the elite race going ahead, saying, "The level of competition is very high, and it is part of national team selection."

Four rules for setting up your weekly mileage, follow these guidelines for smarter training

Your weekly mileage total is an important number to keep track of to ensure you’re managing volume to improve performance while preventing injuries. Perhaps just as important, however, is the way you spread that total number out over your training week. Follow these four guidelines to schedule your mileage evenly to maximize your training week.

Spread the love

Many runners tend to front-load or back-load their training weeks, running the majority of their kilometers on the weekends or over the course of two or three days. For example, they may do a long tempo on Saturday, their long run on Sunday and another recovery run on Monday, then cut back on their mileage as the work week picks up.

While it makes sense you want to save non-work days for your longest runs, remember that you have seven days in a week across which you can (and should) spread your mileage. Doing so will dramatically reduce your injury risk, and will allow you to perform better in your key workouts. And if seven days isn’t enough, don’t be afraid to try a 10-day training week to give your body more time to recover between big runs and workouts.

Build around your key workouts

If you’re looking to improve performance, it’s important that you consistently hit your key workouts each week, including your long run, a faster workout (like intervals or a fartlek) and a longer workout like a tempo run. When planning out your training week, schedule these runs first and plan your recovery runs around them to ensure you don’t miss them.

Keep your hard days hard

When planning out your training week, don’t forget the other aspects of your training that might influence when you fit in those key workouts we mentioned earlier, like your strength sessions, mobility work and whatever else you do to keep yourself strong and healthy. As much as possible, plan to do your strength workouts on the same day as your hard workouts, so that you can keep your recovery days easy to give your body the best possible chance to rest before your next big day. At the very least, don’t plan to do a heavy gym workout the day before one of your key workouts, so you don’t have sore or tired muscles heading into your important sessions. Again, if you’re having trouble fitting everything into seven days, don’t be afraid to spread your training out over 10 days instead.

Give yourself a rest day

While some may run seven days a week, most runners benefit from a full day off. Having one planned rest day in your schedule gives your body a chance to absorb the week’s training, gives you a mental break to help you stay engaged in your training and can prevent overtraining and injuries.

Three steps to safely increase your mileage, follow these guidelines to run more while avoiding injuries

Whether you’re training for a longer race or simply trying to bump up your mileage to snag a new personal best, increasing your weekly running volume without over-training or getting injured can often be a challenge. If you’re trying to increase your mileage, follow these guidelines to ensure you do so safely.

Determine your starting point

Before you start adding mileage to your weekly total, first determine your starting point. This should be an amount of running that you know you’re comfortable with — it shouldn’t be too easy, but it shouldn’t challenge you, either. 

To determine this total, ask yourself a few questions: what’s the number of kilometers that I can run in a day that doesn’t leave me wiped out? How many days off do I need so that I get to the end of the week still feeling good? Can I add a long run? Keep in mind that this is base mileage, so this is an amount you can comfortably run at a steady pace, without any speedwork thrown into the mix. Another easy way to figure out your starting point is to look back into your training over the last several months and find the weeks that were comfortable for you.

Once you’ve determined that number, how quickly you increase your mileage depends on where you’re at currently. If you’re building up to your starting point, you can add mileage more aggressively, but once you surpass that number, you should be much more conservative. Adding between five and 10 per cent every other week is a good way to build gradually while decreasing your risk for injuries.

Repeat your training

It takes time for your body to adapt to higher mileage or bigger workouts, so one way to give yourself more time to adapt is simply to repeat a week of training. This is especially helpful for injury-prone runners who need more time for their bodies to get used to increases in volume or intensity.

Yes, this means doing word-for-word, kilometer-for-kilometer  the same week as the one prior. Same workouts, same long run, same recovery runs. You may not need to do this if you’re building up to your starting point, but once you’re over your comfortable level of mileage, this is a very useful tool to build safely.

Add in taper weeks

As you’re building toward a goal race, plan your training so you can include a mini-taper week every four to six weeks. This gives your body a chance to absorb the training you’ve been doing and decreases the load to give your body a chance to recover and prepare to resume your training program the following week. Depending on your experience level or your injury history, you should decrease your training during these weeks by 10 to 25 per cent. 

This means that if you’re running 50km per week, you should decrease your weekly total by five to 12 kilometers. If you’re running 60km, you should decrease your total by six to 15 kilometers. Keep in mind that this decrease should be spread across the entire week — don’t just shorten your long run and call it a day. All of your runs and workouts should reflect the decrease in mileage.

Following these guidelines will take some patience, but will help you increase your weekly mileage in a safe and controlled way. Remember, you should never rush yourself into fitness, especially when you’re training for a new, longer distance. Give yourself time to build up slowly so you can get to the start line healthy.

Joyce Chepkemoi and Samuel Chebolei victorious at Agnes Tirop Memorial Cross Country

The inaugural Memorial Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Tour Gold event became a huge success as fans turned out in large numbers to witness the exciting action at the Lobo Village in Eldoret on Saturday (12).

Several of the world’s best distance runners battled against each other in the Kenyan city on a warm, sunny and sometimes cloudy day. Combined with the tough course, the victories were earned the hard way by the runners.

The senior women’s race was almost a repeat of the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, though this time Joyce Chepkemoi won the race with a bigger margin than the one-second gap from Margaret Chelimo last month.

With about two laps of the 2km course remaining, Chepkemoi had made a surge and continued to create a gap on Chelimo. She did a solo front run in the last lap, eventually crossing the finish line in a time of 34:02 with Chelimo coming seven seconds later in 34:09. Nespine Jepleting was a distant third in 34:22.

Samuel Chebolei also repeated what he achieved here three weeks ago on the same course in the senior men’s 10km race. In an exciting last lap, Chebolei held off a determined chase from Nicholas Kimeli to emerge victorious in 29:46. Kimeli came in second at 30:00, while Michael Kibet completed the podium in 30:10.

After what looked like a wrong timing of breaking away too early in the race, disappointment followed for Pamela Kosgei, who had won both the Kenyan Championships and at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country events in the U18 women’s 5km race. She would eventually finish here in third place after being passed by Joyline Jepkemoi who won it in 18:05 and Jepkoech Maurine who was second in 18:14.

As they approached the last 2km in the 6K U18 men’s race, Ismael Kurui made a move and broke away from his two companions at the leading pack. He managed to hold off Vincent Maiyo in the last 200 meters as the latter was rapidly closing in on him. He edged him by a second as he crossed the finish line in 18:15 against Maiyo’s 18:16. Charles Rotich was a distant third in 18:21.

The U20 women’s was won by Purity Chepkirui in 20:49 improving her position at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships by one place. Lucy Nduta finished second in 21:09 while Faith Cherotich finished third in 21:18.

Shadrack Chirchir won the competitive U20 men’s 8km race that saw the race favorite, Benson Kiplangat dropped out with one and half laps to go, in 23:55. Gideon Rono followed in 24:02 ahead of Dennis Kipkirui in 24:10.

Ten incredible Health Benefits of a morning run

It’s no secret that running is an incredibly popular way to exercise, whether you go for a morning run, after work, or in the evening. In fact, tens of millions of people do it each year. From light jogs around town to die-hard marathon runners and everyone in between, there seems to be a type of running that satisfies everyone’s needs.

Not only is running accessible, but it’s also effective. Regular running is linked to a myriad of health benefits, can help people lose weight, and improve mood and self-esteem.

Fabulous has a training program that can help you build a consistent morning exercise routine.

Anyone who runs regularly knows that the experience can be quite spiritual, especially when running early in the morning. There’s something magical about being up before the rest of the world, taking special time for yourself to boost your health and energize yourself for the day ahead.

Below are 10 benefits of a morning run:

1. Running burns more calories than most exercisesRunning is a high-impact, high-intensity workout that requires multiple muscle groups and works them hard. And, not only does running burn more calories up front, high-intensity workouts continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours after you exercise!

2. Running is inexpensive compared to other forms of exerciseForget expensive gym memberships, equipment, and all those other bells and whistles. Just get a good pair of running shoes. Plus, outside is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. Running can lower stress and improve moodAny kind of exercise will release endorphins, which make you feel happy and good. But they don’t call it a “runner’s high” for nothing! High-intensity workouts flood your body with feel-good chemicals, which will certainly come in handy when you’re getting the kids to school or rushing to meet a deadline at work.

4. A morning run is a much easier commitmentWe are really good at convincing ourselves not to do things when we’re tired. After a long day at work or in school, the last thing we want to worry about is working more. If you go for a run in the morning, however, you “get it out of the way,” freeing up your evenings for much-needed relaxation. It’s also something you can do consistently.

Fabulous team members have shared ideas on how they are building daily exercise routine.

5. Nature is at its finest in the morningIf you can run outside in the morning, you’ll notice two things: Fewer people and more nature. So you can listen to the calming sounds of birds and other animals while on your run.

6. Mornings are rarely too dark or too hotPerhaps the main disadvantage of running outside is that you are at the mercy of Mother Nature. It can be too hot to run later in the day, or too dark when the sun sets sooner. Plus, running in the morning reduces the need for sunscreen.

7. Running can give you an early-morning energy buzzHigh-intensity workouts flood your body with endorphins and adrenaline, both of which make you feel more focused and alert. Mornings can be a particularly frantic time, so an energy boost can really come in handy!

8. It can also make your nights betterRunning at any time of day will help you sleep better, but exercising later in the day, especially before bed, can leave some people too restless to fall asleep easily. If you exercise in the morning, however, that energy boost is long gone by the time you’re ready to hit the sheets.

9. It’s good for your self-esteemWho’s going to have anything bad to say about someone so disciplined that they wake up extra early just to go out for a run? Plus, posting those #morningworkout selfies and beautiful sunrises on Instagram may hold you accountable to keep up the habit!

10. You can “program” your brain to run in the morningIt’s as simple as running every morning consistently. This kind of conditioning will actually make getting out of bed easier; your body will expect you to need energy shortly after waking so you can run and will provide accordingly.

Are runners at greater risk for dental erosion?

Engaging in regular physical activity is good for your mental and physical health, but is it bad for your teeth? New research published in the journal Applied Sciences has found a link between physical activity and dental erosion, especially when paired with regular consumption of sports drinks. Dental erosion is an irreversible condition, so runners, especially those who regularly consume sports drinks, should beware of their dental health and take steps to protect their teeth.

Physical activity and dental health

Dental erosion occurs when your tooth enamel and dentine are chemically dissolved by acids. According to the researchers, sources of these acids can be split into two groups: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic factors may include frequent or regular vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux or other chronic gastrointestinal disorders. Extrinsic factors come from external sources like your diet (regular consumption of acidic beverages like fruit juices, isotonic or energy drinks or wine), regular consumption of certain medications or other environmental factors. There are also biological factors that could increase your rate of dental erosion, including your salivary flow rate.

The connection between dental erosion and physical activity is two-fold. The first is your saliva quality and quantity. Saliva protects your teeth from acids and dental erosion and when you have less of it (when you’re dehydrated, for example), your teeth are more exposed. Runners, especially when running in hot conditions, are more likely to get dehydrated, which can put their teeth at risk.

The second, and more significant of the two, are sports drinks. According to the researchers, sports drinks are very acidic, with pH values that generally range from 3.16 to 3.70. Any beverage with a pH less than 5.5 can have a negative effect on tooth enamel and dentine. In fact, through their literature review, the researchers found that physically active people who regularly consumed sports drinks had a 2.5 times greater risk of experiencing dental lesions than those who were not physically active and who didn’t consume sports drinks.

This caused them to conclude: “Regular physical activity is associated with an increased risk of erosive lesions, especially under the influence of the frequent consumption of sports drinks. Based on our review, approximately half of the studied athletes manifested dental erosion.”

How to protect your teeth

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should stop exercising or stop consuming sports drinks to get you through long, hot runs. Runners should just pay particular attention to their dental health, and take the following steps to keep their teeth healthy:

After drinking a sports drink, swish your mouth out with water.

Use a straw (preferably reusable) when drinking sports drinks, to prevent the drink from actually coming in contact with your teeth.

Stay hydrated and avoid having dry mouth.

Use a soft toothbrush, don’t brush too hard, and wait at least an hour after you’ve eaten acidic foods or beverages, because they soften the enamel and make it more susceptible to damage from your toothbrush.

Use a toothpaste with fluoride to strengthen your teeth.

Is running a good idea for your first date?

One perk of running on the first date is that if it ends up going poorly, it's easier to run away

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you might be looking for some date ideas to spice up your love life. Your training could also use a boost, and you’re thinking of inviting your crush to go for a run on your first date. You’ve been on running dates before, but is running a good idea for a first date?

According to a study done by dating site PlentyOfFish, almost 75 per cent of users go for coffee or dinner on their first date. The run date is a non-traditional-style date, which presents many parties with a change of scenery and a chance to bond over their mutual love for the sport. 

What’s attractive about running on a first date is the chance to chat while facing straight ahead (for the most part), and the fun of exploring a new route together. (Chances are, you don’t run the same routes, so it’ll be new for at least one of you.) Running is a great way to see something new while showing your date a cool spot they didn’t know about.

One perk of running on the first date is that if it ends up going poorly, you can cut it short. There’s no need to wait for a check on a run; if the date is going badly, it’s easy to make an Irish exit. 

First dates can get expensive, especially if you are going on a lot of them. Running is typically inexpensive, plus you’re getting some exercise. 

But before you propose a run for the first date, here are some caveats. First and foremost, plan to eat after the run, not before. The last thing you want on a first date is to be gassy, or to have to make an emergency pit stop because you had Indian food two hours before. 

Second, find out what pace and distance your date is accustomed to running, and plan a route accordingly. The last thing you want is to get lost and to see your 8 km run turn into 18 km. And agreeing on a pre-set pace at which both of you can run comfortably will be crucial in securing that second date if things go well. Remember – the date is not a race. There’s no need to start ripping three-minute kilometres (and if you do, you probably won’t see your date again). 

Last, bring a change of clothes, a towel and maybe a stick of deodorant to clean up afterward, especially if you’re planning to hang out together for dinner or coffee.

Grant Fisher (12:53.73) DESTROYS US 5,000 Record in Boston, Moh Ahmed (12:56.87) and Marc Scott (12:57.08) Break Canadian and British Records

As the runners were getting ready for the elite section of the men’s 5000 meters at the 2022 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Saturday evening, we should have known we were in for a treat. After all, the slow heat had just been won in 13:05.

It’s crazy, when you think of it: Bowerman Track Club coach Jerry Schumacher had decided Woody Kincaid, the reigning US 10,000-meter champion, was not quite ready to mix it up with his BTC teammates in the fast section and Kincaid wound up running 13:05.56, at the time the second-fastest indoor 5,000m ever by an American. 

Just as crazy: Schumacher was kind of right. Because what we saw in the fast heat was the deepest 5,000-meter race ever contested on US soil, indoors or out.

Grant Fisher, a former high school phenom who won two Foot Locker titles and broke 4:00 in the mile while balancing soccer with running, delivered on his immense promise and ran 12:53.73 to win the race, smash Galen Rupp’s American indoor record of 13:01.26, and come within a whisker of Bernard Lagat’s American outdoor record of 12:53.60. He is now the fifth-fastest human ever at 5,000 meters indoors, one spot ahead of a guy by the name of Eliud Kipchoge.

Fisher’s Bowerman teammate Moh Ahmed, the Olympic silver medalist last year, was next across, running 12:56.87 to break his own Canadian indoor record of 13:04.60. Marc Scott completed the BTC national record sweep in third, and like Ahmed, Scott lowered his own European indoor record, taking it from 13:08.87 to 12:57.08.

In the process, Scott became the first man born in the United Kingdom – and just the third born in Europe – to break 13:00, indoors or out. The race marked the first time that three men broke 13:00 in the same race indoors (only once before had even two done it in the same race).

The times were so fast up front that would-be historic performances were relegated to also-ran status. Emmanuel Bor ran the second-fastest time in US 

indoor history (under Rupp’s previous AR) but was only 4th (13:00.48). Sam Atkin of Great Britain and Jonas Raess of Switzerland both ran faster than the previous European indoor record but had to settle for 5th (Atkin in 13:03.64) and 6th (Raess in 13:07.95).

Florida State’s Adriaan Wildschutt of South Africa ran the second-fastest NCAA time ever indoors and third-fastest under any conditions – 13:09.20 – setting a national indoor record in the process and he was only 5th – in the B heat. Notre Dame’s Dylan Jacobs ran 13:14.04, #4 on the NCAA all-time indoor list and an American indoor collegiate record.

It was sheer madness.

In the main race, the early pacing was good, with 2020 US indoor 1500 champ Josh Thompson and 27:20 man Zouhair Talbi of Morocco taking the field through 3k in 7:53.51, but the real racing didn’t get going until just under a mile to go, when Atkin signaled for Fisher to pass him, knowing he could no longer hold the pace Fisher wanted to run.

From there, Fisher conducted a symphony of pain on the BU track, stretching the field out until Atkin, Scott, Ahmed, and finally Bor had dropped, leaving Fisher all alone for the final 400 as the crowd roared him into the history books. His last four 400m splits: 60.00, 58.95,  59.91, 58.74, good for an otherworldly 3:57.56 final 1600.

Fisher’s performance, just like almost every elite distance performance in the year 2022, must be placed into the context of its era. Earlier in the day on the same track, Notre Dame’s Yared Nuguse, the Olympian and 2019 NCAA 1500 champ, broke Alistair Cragg’s 7:38.59 indoor collegiate record which had stood since 2004. And last night, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford and Elise Cranny set dueling Canadian/American records, Cranny taking 14 seconds off Shalane Flanagan’s 14:47.62 AR.

Fisher and Cranny’s talents have long been known, and they are undoubtedly great runners. Yet between them, they own a grand total of one NCAA and one US title. That they could annihilate national records established by two of the greatest distance runners in American history is yet more evidence that we have entered a new age of distance running ushered in by super shoes, one in which the standards must be (and are being) adjusted.

You Know You Have to Get Comfortable With the Uncomfortable on Tough Runs—Here's How

All runners can benefit from learning these simple thought techniques.

Olympic medalist and champion marathoner Meb Keflezighi thought about dropping out of every marathon he ran—even the three he won.

So if you’ve had those thoughts, it’s certainly not just you. All runners have rough patches when pushing themselves, whether in a race, during a hard workout, or on a long run. Experts use the phrase “psychological crisis” to describe when your body’s signals dominate your attention and you think about slowing or stopping.

These moments often occur two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through a workout or race. Speaking about the Ursuline Academy runners she coaches in Dallas, elite runner Becky Wade says: “They’re deep enough into the race that they’re hurting, but not close enough to the finish line yet to get excited or start kicking. It’s easy to doubt whether they’ll be able to hang on, and they back off a bit as a protective mechanism.”

What separates Keflezighi, Wade, and other successful runners from some of us is that they know these rough patches will come, and they have mental strength techniques for dealing with them.

These techniques are quite simple. Even better, they can be learned, and then honed, so that you persevere despite the internal voice telling you to back off or drop out. Here are six elite-endorsed ways to build mental strength when the going gets tough.

1. Know Why You’re Doing This

Good goals not only guide your training. They can also fortify you during difficult stretches.

Know the purpose of a given workout or race, and how it will help you meet a personally meaningful goal, says Olympian Roisin McGettigan, a sport psychology coach who holds the Irish record in the steeplechase.

For example, “if it was a long workout, I would remind myself that this is the time to work on my strength and endurance,” McGettigan says. “If it was an early-season race, the purpose might be ‘to see where I’m at’ or ‘blow off the cobwebs.’”

These why-am-I-doing-this thoughts can occur not just when you’re acutely suffering, but also when you’re bored or apathetic. McGettigan says to remind yourself why you’re out there in those situations as well. Think of how easy running will help you recover for your next key workout, or how an hour alone on the roads provides a calming antidote to the message-a-minute pace of modern life.

If thoughts alone don’t do the job for you, McGettigan recommends using visual cues. “I often drew a smiley face or heart on my hand to remind me that I really loved what I was doing and I was saying ‘yes’ to this experience,” she says.

2. Enlist Family and Friends

Telling a few key people about your race or hard workout adds accountability. When a moment of crisis occurs, picture yourself recounting the run to them. Will you be proud to tell them how you handled the challenge?

Keflezighi was in 21st place halfway through the 2012 Olympic Marathon. Bothered by stomach and foot pain, he pondered dropping out. Then he thought about his family, who were waiting for him at the finish line. What kind of example would dropping out set for his daughters, he asked himself. He committed to finishing no matter what, and wound up crossing the line in fourth place.

You can also enlist others in practical terms. As McGettigan notes, most elite runners train with others, in part to be pulled through hard efforts when they’re struggling and might otherwise slack off. Wade tells the high schoolers she coaches to latch on to a teammate or competitor if their resolve falters during a race. Doing so can shift your attention from how much you’re hurting to the more straightforward task of maintaining contact.

3. Visualize Success

To reiterate: Successful racers know one or more psychological crises are likely to occur when they’re pushing themselves. One way they prepare for the challenge is to play the race through their head before they get to the starting line. As Wade, a 2:30 marathoner, puts it, “I envision myself in a race atmosphere, down to the course, competition, and atmosphere.”

A key benefit of doing so is that, when the urge to slow or stop strikes, you have a counter-narrative ready—that vision you implanted and watched several times of yourself rising to the challenge and continuing to run strong.

“I think having visualized the race going well in my head many times allowed me to stay engaged, because I had already told myself I was going to have a good race,” says Mark Coogan, whose long elite career was highlighted by a spot on the 1996 Olympic marathon team. “Knowing what I was going to do in the race allowed me to be more aware of how I was running physically, so I could stay loose and smooth.”

Coogan is now the coach of New Balance Boston, which includes on its roster Olympians Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Heather MacLean. He encourages his athletes to spend 10 to 15 minutes a day visualizing in the week leading up to a big race.

“I tell them to visualize seeing themselves running well,” Coogan says. “Visualize the race you want to happen.”

4. Focus on Your Body—But Not Excessively

Experts used to believe that experienced runners focus on bodily sensations (known as associating) and that less experienced runners focus on anything but their body (known as dissociating). Thanks in part to research by Noel Brick, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Ulster and co-author of The Genius of Athletes, it’s now known that that old dichotomy is too simplistic.

Brick has shown that a Goldilocks-level of bodily awareness leads to lower perceived exertion. “Focusing excessively on bodily sensations, like breathing or feelings of discomfort, can be harmful to our performance,” Brick says. Focusing solely on these sensations can negatively affect performance by increasing how hard the work feels and making the run feel more unpleasant. This then leads to slowing down.

A better approach? Check in periodically, notice what your body is telling you, and then focus elsewhere. When racing a 10K, for example, Coogan would do a body check about once a mile. He’d make sure his shoulders were low and level, that his hands were cupped loosely, that he wasn’t overstriding, and so on. Now as a coach, he periodically yells “body check” to his runners to remind them to do a quick scan.

Consider running form cues when doing your own body scan, making sure you’re running relaxed but strong—after you make adjustments, take your thoughts elsewhere.

5. Chunk Your Miles

If, a few strides into a marathon you think, “Oof, 26.2 miles to go,” you likely have a long day ahead of you.

Successful runners avoid getting overwhelmed by what they’re attempting with a technique known as chunking. “I mentally break the effort down into manageable bites, and focus only on getting through the bit I’m in,” Wade says. “This often means completing a loop, making it to my water bottle, or getting through a specific stretch of road or distance.” Or, as U.S. half marathon record-holder Ryan Hall put it in his book title, run the mile you’re in.

Notice that Wade’s examples of chunking are specific tasks. Psychologists call these process goals—step-by-step actions that contribute to performing well in the short term. Focusing on process goals has two key payoffs. First, they keep you from overthinking the run’s outcome, such as what your time will be. Research has shown that thinking too much about outcome goals can induce anxiety and cause distraction.

Chunking via process goals also encourages actions that directly improve your performance. One of Coogan’s main focuses when marathoning was making sure he got his bottle every 5K, and then taking the time to drink adequately from the bottle. Doing so ensured that he stayed hydrated and fueled, and therefore didn’t falter in the final miles. Similarly, Wade’s focus on the next stretch of a road race, or her next split in a track race, leads to running that section of the race as well as possible.

Chunking is also helpful during interval workouts. Wade encourages the high schoolers she coaches to focus on just the current repeat or set, and reminds them that a recovery jog and chance to regroup is never more than a few minutes away.

6. Talk to Yourself Like You’re Your Coach

We all talk to ourselves when we run. (If you doubt that, monitor your mind on your next outing.) What matters here is the nature of that talk.

A study published in Psychophysiology found that people rated running at a given speed harder when they talked to themselves negatively compared to when their self-talk was positive. The runners also produced more cortisol, a hormone associated with emotional stress, when their self-talk was negative.

During a tough patch, Brick advises, “you might say to yourself, ‘my legs feel tired, but I can push through this.’ Research has shown that using simple statements like this can help us maintain our performance, despite how tired we feel.”

Coogan would repeat a few go-to phrases to himself, such as “you’re okay, Mark,” during races and hard workouts. And research supports Coogan’s tendency to speak to himself in the second person—using “you” rather than “I.”

In a study with cyclists, the participants did separate 10K time trials in which they used two versions of positive self-talk phrases. The phrases were identical except that in one they addressed themselves as “I,” and in the other they addressed themselves as “you.” Although the cyclists rated the time trials as feeling equally hard, when they spoke to themselves in the second person, they rode 2.2 percent faster. If that seems like an insignificant difference, consider that a 24:30 5K is 2 percent faster than a 25:00 5K. Which would you rather run?

Psychologists say this distinction works because addressing yourself as “you” provides emotional distance from the duress you’re under. In this set-up, you’re talking to yourself more like a coach would talk to you. And a good coach would never say, “you stink—drop out.” They would find a simple phrase or two that would help you weather the crisis and push through for a strong finish. With this simple switch in your thinking, you can provide that mental push for yourself.

On launches new Kenya-based trail running team

Swiss running company On has tapped into a new market with the launch of The Milimani Runners, an elite trail running team based out of Iten, Kenya.

Kenyan runners are among the elites at most major international road races, but the story isn’t the same at trail races. Trail running has grown in popularity with the rise in global competitions and funding behind the events.

Most Kenyan runners have the goal of standing on top of the Olympic podium or following the footsteps of Eliud Kipchoge. A 2020 study from the ITRA found that almost 65 per cent of trail runners are from Europe or North America, lacking the star-power and diversity that African runners bring to races.

The On-sponsored Milimani Runners group was founded to shake things up on the trails and have currently been training on the expansive Iten trails to prepare for their debut this summer’s Sierre-Zinal and Ultra-Trail Monte Rosa races.

“For Kenyan runners to make it to the big European races, they need to be sponsored to make the trip,” says Milimani Runners coach Julien Lyon. “Our project could open the doors to undiscovered talent and give more opportunities to East African runners.”

The team is loaded with talent who have already recorded some impressive performances on the roads. The men’s team is led by Mark Kangogo, who smashed the course record at the 2018 Luxembourg Marathon with a 2:12:12 finish. The veteran talent of Rose Jepchumba leads the women’s team. Her career has been set back by injuries, she was ninth at the World Cross Country Championships in 2005 and ran a 2:29 marathon in 2016.

Why training doesn’t stop after your run

Under Armour’s approach to training is different from its competitors. The company believes that performance doesn’t just come from training, it comes from a holistic approach to running which includes considering emotional, psychological, physiological and nutritional strategies. They call this approach 360 Performance – it means that running doesn’t stop when your watch does and highlights the ways in which training really is all-encompassing. This approach to running may seem daunting, but actually, it’s geared towards balance.

For Aisha Praught-Leer, a UA athlete and 1,500m Olympian, 360 Performance is how she lives her life. “Showing up on race day is such a small part of my existence. Everything else, the getting there, happens in the quiet moments.”

Georgia Ellenwood, Ashley Taylor, Patrick Casey and Aisha Praught-Leer are all professional UA athletes. However, when they talk about 360 performance, they talk about things beyond the nuts and bolts of training. To them, 360 means taking care of your entire being and improving yourself in every way. 

Michael Watts, Under Armour’s Director of Global Athlete Performance, feels that 360 Performance is what sets UA apart. “Every minute and every hour matters in the life of an athlete, if they are not training or competing then they are in a perpetual state of recovery. How they optimize their recovery depends on their own circumstances and journey. We want athletes to become more knowledgeable about themselves and how best to optimize their performance based on their data. Why does it matter? Because the best athletes in the world sweat the details, they are on a constant journey to master their mind, body and craft. We just help guide them.”

Believe in yourself

Ellenwood, a Canadian heptathlete, saw a difference in her results when she began to believe in herself. She says 360 Performance means so much more than training – it means emotional, psychological and physiological harmony. Under Armour helped her find this. “I’m a real perfectionist,” Ellenwood says. “I used to be so worried about taking risks in practice, because I didn’t want to look dumb or to fail. But I think sometimes you need to hit a hurdle hard or you need to fall. Do the ugly stuff in training.” Ellenwood says she’s made way more progress after allowing herself to make mistakes and becoming process-oriented, as opposed to obsessing over results. 

When it comes to practically preparing for her day, Ellenwood needs to get her body physically and mentally prepared. “Before I even leave the house I do pre-hab, so that means getting my feet ready, I warm up my legs with a heat pack, I have an hour of exercises before I even start practice.” 

From there, Ellenwood will train for six to eight hours. In order to maintain that level of activity, she says she takes comfort in her routine and allows rest when needed. “Running is my full-time job and I love it, but sometimes it becomes a lot. If I need to stop for a moment if I’m becoming overwhelmed by the load, I let myself. I’ve learned that stepping away from the track for a minute, to regroup, is ok.”

Be patient

Taylor, a Canadian 800m runner, echoes this statement. She says that she, too, used to place a big emphasis on results, but she feels supported by an organization that sees her as more than a runner. “UA gives us a lot of sport-specific support. But they support us beyond that. They help remind me to love myself through the process and to be patient.” With her goals for 2020 entirely changed, patience has been key. 

Casey might be the most patient of the four UA athletes. The American miler has been looking forward to the 2020 Olympic Trials for nearly eight years. After being sidelined due to injury in 2016, he had his sights firmly set on qualifying this July. However, like everyone else, Casey’s plans have changed. He said he’s coping quite well with the new training, and feels like he’ll be ready when the time comes to line up again. “I used to think of running as the two or three hours I’d actually be training everyday. Now I think of it as what I’m doing when I’m not running. How I’m recovering, how I’m preparing myself – because you can only do so much physically in a day.”

It’s a lifestyle

All of the athletes feel that thinking about training in this new way, as a lifestyle as opposed to one aspect of their day, has made them better runners. Aisha Praught-Leer, a 1,500m runner and Olympian, feels like she places more of an emphasis on overall happiness now, which has in turn, made her a better runner. 

“Showing up on race day and running a fast time is just a miniscule part of my existence. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Training is how I’m sleeping, how I’m eating and how I’m keeping myself happy as a person.” Praught-Leer says while she’s a social person at practice, she’s an introvert at heart. For her, she unwinds with a solo run or a self-care routine that she’s perfected. While painting her nails doesn’t seem like training, it helps her unwind. She feels like the better she’s feeling about her life overall, the faster she will run. “My job is high pressure, so it’s imperative to take care of the below-the-surface stuff, to be able to run fast times on race day.”

Praught-Leer has learned that taking care of the below-the-surface stuff needs to be a priority. “Like Under Armour encourages, I really take a holistic approach to my training. It’s not my couple hours a day when I’m training. It’s how I recover, it’s how I’m sleeping, how I’m eating, how I’m hydrating and how I’m keeping myself happy and sane and motivated.”

360 Performance isn’t just about running – it’s actually about everything else outside of training that allows you to enjoy your sport. For the athletes above, running is their job, and they still ensure they’re loving what they do. If running is your leisure activity, enjoyment is even more important. A happy runner is a fast runner, and that’s what Under Armour wants to see in those they support.