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HOW TO GET BACK FROM INJURY... FAST! P58

T WO O C E A N S S P E C I A L

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MASTER THE LONG RUN RACE-DAY NUTRITION...

SORTED! THE PERFECT WALK-RUN PLAN PLUS

When The Going Gets Tough...

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Lessons From The World's Greatest Marathoner 04303

MARCH/APRIL 2020

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HELPFUL TIPS, E X P E R T A DV I C E , S M A R T TA K E S & PROFOUND ( I F S L I G H T LY OV E R - O B S E S S I V E ) RUNNING WISDOM

// P.6 Rave Run: Winter in München // P.18 Shoes + Stuff: Jenna Unpacked // P.20 Fake Meat – Real Nutrition?

RACE CRAFT TWO OCEANS 2020

// P.22 When The Going Gets Tough, Gratitude Keeps You Going.

// P.42 Hit The Off Switch... and Relax.

Wait, slouching is good for you?!

48

2 Oceans 2020

Everything you need to know about the world’s most beautiful ultra. And more.

BY RW STA FF

58

A New Spin On Recovery

Rest is best. Or is it? Here’s the latest thinking.

BY SAM MUR PHY

80

// P.24 Break Barriers Just Like Kipchoge.

// P.48

The Fight To Build The World’s Fastest Shoe

Pebax, EVA, TPU... the Shoe Wars are real.

Who’s winning?

BY JOE LINDSEY

88

Race-Day Gear

Going for gold?

Silver? Bronze? Here are the Two Oceans must-haves that will take you there.

BY RYAN SCOTT

// P.26 VO2 Max – Boost It In The Gym To Feel Better On The Road.

95

Gear Goes Undercover

// P.30 PBs? Bah! I’m Chasing a PV. // P.37 Human Race: Having It All – Jenna Challenor

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GALLO IMAGES

Maximum pain, maximum achievement. Get ready for Oceans 2020.

Not all running shorts have built-in jocks. The answer?

Runderwear for everyone!

BY RYAN SCOTT

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 3

BECOME A BETTER RUNNER WITH

SHOES THAT COACH YOU

Munich WORDS & IMAGES: Ryan Scott RUNNERS: Tom Bedford and Ingrid Baumeier

6 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

COBBLES, BRIDGES, PARKS AND WAVES Munich streets are wide, and perfect for running – perhaps because of the extensive bombing in WWII that necessitated a rebuild for much of this Bavarian city, or perhaps the 14th-century city planners designed the streets to match the scale of the huge buildings, such as the Residenz and Frauenkirche.

Whatever the origins of these spacious, often cobbled streets, running in the old city between Gothic, Baroque, and Rococo-period buildings is the perfect way to travel from your accommodation, via the river paths and bridges, to the Englischer Garten.

Even in winter, you’ll always have the company of others for morning or evening runs, and on weekends these parts of the city are almost taken over by runners out to get their fresh-air fix.

But it’s not crowded; there are so many route choices, with bridges criss-crossing the rivers, riverside paths joining the city streets, and the paths of the Englischer Garten casting a veritable web over the large city park.

It’s this flat 3.7km2 public park that you should make the main target of your run. Enjoy getting there by following your nose; it’s difficult to get lost. If you ask for directions, ‘geradeaus’ is usually the answer – ‘straight ahead’.

The Englischer Garten is a sublime place to run freely on wide paths cutting through lush green grass, and often alongside freshly flowing water. Don’t miss the Eisbach, one of the most astounding city sights freely available to locals and tourists alike – a standing wave at the edge of the park, thanks to streams converging and pushing up against the mini ‘reef’ of an old slab of concrete. It provides tremendous entertainment; surfers don thick wetsuits and ride the wave, in temperatures hovering around freezing.

BEST RUN/SIGHTSEEING COMBO A one-day train ticket for €13 (or €24 for a group of five) gets you a trip from and back to the airport, as well as all-day inner-city train access. Pack a towel, and use the Müllersches Volksbad as your base. Finish your run with a sauna, steam bath or swim – locker and key provided.

GETTING THERE Munich airport is a 45-minute train ride from the Central Station, conveniently situated at the perimeter of the old city – the perfect place to begin a run. Most of the hotels or Airbnbs are in close proximity to the old city, river paths and parks.

PL ANNING A RUN-CATION? FOR MORE INSPIRING PL ACES TO RUN, VISIT RUNNERSWORLD.CO.ZA / TRAVEL.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 9

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Wears Sports bra by CW-X Shorts by Cotopaxi Shoes by Salomon Styling Olga Kotova Make-up Danielle van Cuyck Photograph by Sean Laurenz

Mike Finch Editor-in-Chief @MikeFinchSA

years ago that the construction of the humble running takkie would turn into a global controversy that may change the face of running?

It all started with Nike. In 2016, in the build-up to the Rio Olympics, the makers of Swoosh made a shoe for their elite runners that actually made them at least 4% faster.

At first, it was only their own scientists who stood by this number, while others rejected it as a marketing ploy. But then independent researchers confirmed Nike’s claims, and the Nike Vaporfly officially became the first shoe guaranteed to make you a significantly faster runner.

Fast forward to 2020, and we now have the Nike Alphafly Next% – a shoe that could hold such an advantage at the sharp end of the field that if you’re not wearing it, you may as well not turn up.

But that’s not good news for running.

If running is the purest form of human endeavour, then why should a shoe decide the winner, rather than the performance of the best runner? Since the arrival of the Vaporfly – and the subsequent Alphafly – world marathon records have tumbled, and last year Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier for the 42.2 (albeit in a contrived time trial).

The evidence is clear: the shoe is the difference.

Can you blame Nike for pushing the limits of tech? No. But should World Athletics have taken stronger action than just drawing up some rather belated guidelines, released in February this year? Yes. Will running ever be the same?

No. The Shoe Wars are on, and you can expect to see some radical new developments as the other runningshoe brands fight back. (To read more about the Shoe Wars, turn to ‘The Fight To Build The World’s Fastest Shoe’, p80)

12 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

THIS YEAR’S TWO OCEANS MARATHON

has had its fair share of controversy, with accusations of financial mismanagement being levelled at the current board. At the time of going to print, many of the questions being asked had not yet been answered; but perhaps the biggest one concerns the organisation of the race in its 51st year.

For a start, the event will be run without any significant sponsors. And although the race can be funded by entry fees and reserves alone, the sponsorless model is not sustainable.

Oceans remains one of the bastions of the sport in South Africa. Its half marathon almost single-handedly changed the face of SA running, from ultra-centric pastime to a more inclusive sport, elevating the status of the humble half marathon until it became the most popular distance in South Africa.

It is a race that has huge economic impact in the Western Cape, and on the health of the sport nationally. Success is critical for attracting new sponsors in 2021, and for keeping this grand old race as one of the premium sporting events in SA.

OCEANS REMAINS ONE OF THE BASTIONS OF THE SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA.

P H O T O G R A P H S BY T R E V O R R A A B (S H O E S) ; G A L LO I M A G E S (O M T O M )

THE SHOE WARS ARE OFFICIALLY ON. Who could have imagined a few

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Inside

Knowled e

R U N N E R S & C O N T R I B U T O R S S H A R E A F AV O U R I T E T I P

GEKEYA PINDER ‘HOOKED ON RUNNING’

One of my running leaders always told me that “you’re a good runner, you just need to get out of your head.”

She would always tell me that after a practice or a race.

And every time I run, I think about what she told me.

Also: when a run gets tough for me, I always tell myself to not rush and just breathe. I always remind myself what I’ve already achieved, so I know that I can do it.

14 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

PHOTOGRAPH BY HANNAH YOON

GEORGE ETZWEILER ‘CAN’T STOP RUNNING’

I don’t feel unmotivated to run, and I don’t have many tough days because I run with my friends.

If I was out there alone, I’d be giving up early, but I don’t run into that because I don’t run without company. Also: stay hydrated. One year I let myself get dehydrated and took longer than I hoped during a race. The next year, I made sure to stay hydrated – with homemade lemonade – and I did quite well.

The recipe: 350ml water, ½ lemon, 2 tsp. sea salt, 2 Tbsp. honey or syrup.

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRETT CARLSEN

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 15

The Test Zone NOTES, OPINIONS, USEFUL TIPS, AND THE COOLEST GEAR FROM INSIDE THE WORLD’S MOST RIGOROUS SHOE LAB.

ONE P R O D U C T, TWO RUNNERS Runderwear Support Running Bra / R699 A common problem with sports bras is that the support offered isn’t always equal across different sizes. To try out this proclaimed ‘support’ model from Runderwear, I tested it over a 10km race this summer, and enlisted the help of running buddy Jennifer Leman, running in the 5K, to test whether the bra offered her the same in her size.

In short: it did. I was nervous about trying the bra for the first time in a race – I’ve worn ones during marathons that made my boobs ache five kays in. But the Support Running Bra felt as comfortable as a jersey, yet as supportive as an underwire – without the wire or compression. It was also surprisingly easy to clasp in the back, and to take off.

But if you’re not careful when putting it on, the removable cups can fold over.

I didn’t notice until after a run, when I looked at a mirror and saw my left breast looked deformed. And Leman, who went up two sizes from her usual band measurement, said the bra still felt tight.

Though overall, she’d recommend it. “It’s incredibly soft, so there’s no chafing here.” – Amanda Furrer

16 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

PHOTOGRAPH BY LAKOTA GAMBILL

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stuff

My mileage is lower than that of my competitors... but I also cross-train.

Jenna Unpacked

TH E W E A R , W H Y A N D HOW OF J ENNA CH A LLENOR .

BY RYA N S C OT T P H O TO S : K A R E N M AC K R I D G E

W H AT T H E Y ’ R E W E A R I N G

from a major stress fracture.

arm-strap heart-rate monitor, for accuracy. I hate the chest strap, so this is an amazing alternative.

I train at the Prime Human Performance Institute in Durban.

It’s my second home, and my family are pretty much part of the furniture there – especially Tao, my little one.

Everyone adores her.

RW: WHAT SHOES DO YOU USE FOR DIFFERENT DISTANCES?

RUNNER’S WORLD: WHAT DISTANCES DO YOU TRAIN FOR? AND WHEN YOU’RE TRAINING, WHAT MILEAGE DO YOU RUN?

I’ve trained for all distances, over the years. I never came from the track, though – in KZN, track wasn’t (and still isn’t) very big, sadly; so I never got that foundation, and I’ve had to work hard on my speed.

Currently, I’m training for marathons and ultras. I don’t do big mileage at all – my mileage is way under that of all my competitors, but I prefer to cross-train too.

Believe it or not, I ran my Comrades debut on an average of 70km a week – I’m not lying. I wasn’t allowed any more mileage, as I was coming back JENNA CHALLENOR:

JC: I prefer running in a lightweight shoe, as opposed to the thicker, chunkier ones.

Luckily for me, adidas has quite a few options. I love the Bostons – they are (and will always be) my go-to training shoe and racing shoe for marathons and ultras.

On the track I use a racing flat, the Adios 4; I‘ll race 5, 10 and 21km in them. Though I have also raced marathons in them. For my long runs, I try and wear a shoe that’s a little heavier, for extra cushioning over the extra distance.

RW: WHAT ARE YOUR STRATEGIES FOR RECOVERY AFTER TRAINING?

I spend a lot of time on recovery.

I’m older now, and I’ve found I need more recovery than I used to. I use Rapid Recover compression pants.

I also have cryotherapy in Umhlanga, I take daily Sunlife vitamins, I steal Sharks Sport massage therapist John Hooper a lot, ha ha!

Lucky me! I go to physio and chiro for regular maintenance. And I try to sleep if I can... hashtag wishful thinking!

JC:

RW: WHAT DEVICES AND TRAINING TOOLS DO YOU USE TO COMPLEMENT YOUR RUNNING?

I use a Polar GPS watch called the Vantage V – I absolutely love it.

There are so many awesome features; including a sleep tracker, which I think is so beneficial for me, to be able to aid my recovery.

It has an optical heart-rate monitor in the strap, but I also use the OH1 JC:

RW: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW TECHNOLOGY COMING INTO RUNNING? IS IT POSSIBLE TO KEEP THE PLAYING FIELD LEVEL?

Sjoe… this is a tough one. I do think there is clearly a huge advantage in the new technology that’s in the shoes, and the stats have shown it too – it’s very evident in the records being broken all over. There’s no doubt that the athlete still has to train and perform; but yes, it’s an advantage.

Right now, I believe, the athletes with the technology are the ones benefiting – so no, it’s not a fair playing field. But maybe once every brand is on board, it could become one again?

How far it will go is another topic.

Like the swimsuits [all body-length swimsuits have been banned from FINA competitions]. But I guess time will tell.

JC:

LEFT I have to work hard on my speed.

RW: WHERE’S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO RACE? P H OTO G R A P H S B Y K A R E N M AC K R I D G E

JC: Locally, it’s definitely Cape Town – I love it, and I love racing in the Mother City. You‘ll never hear me say no to a race in CT! Internationally, I would have to say Japan – it’s amazing, they treat runners like royalty. The people are so friendly, and running is massive there.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 19

N ATA L I E R I Z ZO, DIETICIAN CREDENTIAL S M A S T E R ’ S I N SCIENCE IN NUTRITION AND EXERCISE P H Y S I O L O G Y, & R E G I S T E R E D D I E T I C I A N HARDE ST RUN E VER T H E N Y C M A R AT H O N ( M Y F I R S T 4 2 . 2 ! ) BE S T RUN E VER T H E N Y C M A R A T H O N (IT WAS HARD BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT )

GO -TO SHOE S NEW BALANCE 880

FAVOURITE PIECE OF GEAR M Y FLIPBELT RUNNING BAND (NE VER LE AVE HOME WITHOUT IT)

RUNNING PHILOSOPHY I R U N BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL STRONG, ACCOMPLISHED, AND OVERALL A HAPPIER PERSON.

SAGE CANADAY, a long-distance runner

Fake Meat Is Getting Scary Real – But Is It Actually Healthy?

20 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

for Hoka One One and plant-based athlete, eats meat alternatives about once a week.

He finds them more accessible on the road than other plant-based foods such as tofu or tempeh. “When I’m travelling and eat out at restaurants, or even fast food, these are always great options for me,” he says.

New options, like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, have made this easier for vegetarian runners. You can’t miss the Burger King commercials showing off how people can’t believe the “Impossible Whopper” isn’t made from meat. Even McDonald’s is testing a Beyond Meat burger in Canadian markets, and KFC experimented with vegan fried chicken, which sold out in less than five hours at one location.

While faux meats are easier than ever to find, it does leave you wondering: are plants that are manipulated into fake burgers, chicken, and even prawns even nutritious?

That question is up for debate.

What we do know is what’s in them and what they taste like. If you were to compare an Impossible Burger and a beef burger side by side, chances are you wouldn’t be able to

tell the difference just by looking at or even tasting them.

The way producers make meat alternatives taste so similar to the real thing is different for each product: Impossible Foods, for example, uses soya leghaemoglobin, a protein found in plants that carries haeme (an iron-containing molecule) to give the burger a ‘meaty’ taste and the ability to ‘bleed’ like real meat.

Beyond Meat utilises a combination of heating, cooling, pressurising, and layering in plant-based fats, binders, flavours and colours to create the texture of meat.

In terms of ingredients, the Impossible Burger’s list is long, but soya protein concentrate, sunflower oil and coconut oil make up the majority of the patty. Soya leghaemoglobin is the protein that adds the flavour, and fillers and binders include cultured dextrose and food starch. Beyond Burger is made with a mixture of pea, mung bean and rice to deliver a complete protein with a meaty texture, and the company proudly boasts that no GMOs, soya or gluten are used in its products.

These complicated ingredients and processes are a far departure from

L A KOTA G A M B I L L ( B U R G E R S ); CO U R T E SY N ATA L I E R I Z ZO ( H E A D S H OT )

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traditional veggie burgers made with counteract these detrimental efffe ts; beans, grains and veggies. Not to mention yet Sims says this isn’t necess arily that those burgers don’t look, taste, or bleed true. “The EPA has noted that like beef. agriculture contributes nine per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions – with But just because these new alternatives are plant-based doesn’t mean they’re good only one-third of that attributab to for you. “The purpose of a plant-based livestock – in the United States, w while diet is to consume more plants, not faux transportation contributes almost 29 per cent,” says Sims. She also notess that meats that are highly processed foods,” says dietician Angie Asche, owner of Eleat while no quantifiable environmeental data exists on the development of these t Sports Nutrition. Plus, research from the US National Institutes of Health links processed new products, it’s unlikely that they have food consumption with weight ain and zero environmental footprint. In other o excess kilojoule intake. words, eating a plant-based meat alternative may help While plant-based foods are usually lower in kilojoules reduce only the three per and fats, the nutrition stats cent of greenhouse gases of alt meat don’t differ that attributable to meat much from those of the real production, if even that THE much. thing. For example, 120-gram PURPOSE OF servings of Impossible meat The bottom line is that A PLANTand Beyond Burger have fake meat products are BASED comparable kilojoules and made to look, feel, taste, and d DIET IS TO saturated fats as a 120-gram cook like meat in an attemp pt to serving of lean beef, thanks persuade carnivores, omnivo ores, CONSUME to the alt meats’ coconut and and flexitarians to eat less l MORE sunflower oils. Where they animal-based food. (In fact, PLANTS, do differ is in sodium and some of our vegan testers were w NOT FAUX cholesterol, containing much grossed out by the realism off the MEATS. ‘bloodiness’.) So while the jury more salt but no harmful cholesterol. is still out on whether or not Regardless, the real reason these products are better for th you find these alternatives on menus and planet, they aren’t necessarily better for you. y in the meat section of the supermarket That said, if you’re curious, there’s no harm in giving these products a try. But B is not because they’re health heroes, or because they’re for vegetarians and vegans do so (surprise, surprise!) in moderation. to enjoy more meatlike products. Rather, Not sold? You can always eat more go ood old-fashioned plants. Canaday attributees a manufacturers hope to entice meat eaters into eating more plants in an effort to protect 20-year athletic career to his plant-bassed the environment. lifestyle. “I’ve never had an overuse inju ury Both Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat for more than two weeks, and I think thaat’s claim to have created their products to help from eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and solve environmental problems associated whole grains,” he says. “I get the essential with livestock. Research suggests that vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants m meat production contributes to harmful body needs to recover from high mileage ge and hard workouts.” environmental practices, such as methane emissions and the conversion of land to agriculture. Tamika Sims, PhD, director of food technology communications at the International Food Information Council IMPOSSIBLE BURGER / HOW THESE Foundation, says, “All human activity – 120-gram serving: BURGERS including agriculture, which includes meat STACK UP production and crop development [edible 1 004 kilojoules crops and those used for animals, textiles, 8g of saturated fat and energy] – impacts climate change.”

19g of protein In theory, eating more plants and 370mg of sodium 0mg of cholesterol less meat seems like a viable option to

BEYOND BURGER / 120-gram serving: 1 046 kilojoules 6g of saturated fat 20g of protein 390mg of sodium 0mg of cholesterol

BEEF BURGER / 120-gram, 85% lean serving: 1 004 kilojoules 6g of saturated fat 21g of protein 75mg of sodium 75mg of cholesterol

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 21

M AT T H E W M E Y E R CREDENTIAL S C E R T I F I E D P E R S O N A L TRAINER, RRCA RUNNING COACH, AND F U L L-T I M E C O A C H A T M I L E H I G H R U N C L U B HARDE S T RUN E VER R U N N I N G ACROS S DE ATH VA LLE Y ON MULT IPL E S T R E S S F R AC T URE S. (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.) BE S T RUN E VER 2019 NYC MAR ATHON

GO -TO SHOES HOKA CLIFTON

When the Going Gets Tough, Gratitude Keeps You Going I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY no one ever

embarks on a long distance running event intending to be negative about it.

But as my friend Peter always says, “The marathon is too far and too fickle to be tamed by your intentions.”

If you’ve already covered 42.2 (or Oceans or Comrades), then you’ve probably a lready conf ronted t hat moment when it feels like everything is crashing down around you and that voice in your head is saying, “I want to stop now.” If you’re about to embark on your first marathon, then be prepared

22 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

for that moment to come.

I went to that dark place around kilometre 26 of my last marathon. I’d played it smart during the first half, but after training through a heavy winter, the weather wasn’t working for me. The heat and humidit y were unexpected curveballs, and I was unprepared. It started with some tightness in my left hamstring; I could feel a cramp threatening to take

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(ABOVE) MEYER AT 32KM, BEFORE THE FINAL HILL: “IT LOOKS LIKE I’M HAVING A BL AST, BUT WHAT YOU DON’T SEE IS THAT I’M KNEE-DEEP IN THE PAIN CAVE, THE WHEELS HAVE ALREADY COME OFF, AND EVERY STEP FEELS LIKE A KILOMETRE. I DEPENDED ON THAT SMILE TO CARRY ME UP AND OVER THE HILL AND HOLD IT TOGETHER ALL THE WAY TO THE FINISH.” Be like Eliud Kipchoge and make the hard moments feel easier with a smile. Research in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that runners who smiled used less oxygen, ran more economically, and had a lower perceived rate of exertion than those who frowned and those in the control group.

RUNNING PHILOSOPHY R U N N I N G BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN THE PERSON I AM AND THE PERSON I WANT TO BE. – AARON DINZEO

hold. That triggered a tidal wave of thoughts: “Of course this is happening.

Why did you think you could reach this goal? You’re going to let down everyone who helped you get here.”

Once you let a l it t le bit of t h is negativity in, the door seems to blow wide open. But here’s a little secret: this happens to everyone. The key is knowing that you don’t have to stay there. The ability to exit this dark place is what can make or break you on race day.

One of my favourite runners and greatest inspirations, Deena Kastor, is the champion of this. Steering your mind away from that endless loop of negativity and drawing from a well of positivity instead completely changed her as an athlete and allowed her to push her performances beyond what she thought possible. Before every big race, I reread

PHOTOGRAPH BY ULLA KAPRELYANTS

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R E B E CCA G R E E N F I E L D ( H E A D S H OT )

the parts of her book that are especially poignant for me. That day at my marathon, I told myself, “Find a thought that serves you better.”

So that’s what I did at kilometre 26.

As waves of fatigue and lactic acid rolled through my legs, I started whispering a Kastor-inspired quote I hold onto when I’m in a rough patch: ‘optimism and gratitude, optimism and gratitude’. It sounds wild, but when I shifted from focusing on the pain to thinking about the people I cared about and the gift of this race, the cramps went away for a few moments.

This strategy is nothing new. When we asked runners via Instagram for tips on getting through a tough long run, one of the most popular responses cited was the concept of the ‘Gratitude Kay’. Taking a kilometre to think about what you are thankful for helps you shift your mindset and get past a mid-run slump.

“It’s easy to focus too much on pace, times, a nd cha sing t he next PB. The Gratitude Kay helps you find yourself again, and appreciate the fact that you’re able to run at all,” says Melissa Emery, a Runner’s World reader. “I begin by simply taking notice and appreciating the simple things along my run.”

Focusing on what you’re grateful for is more than just an anecdotal training hack.

Science backs it up: a study in the journal Clinical Psychological Science found that people who engaged in positive self-talk felt more energised than those with a negative mindset. They also had lower heart rate and sweat response (how much you sweat in response to distress), which triggered a feeling of relaxation.

“Psychologists will tell you that positive thoughts lead to positive emotions, and that often leads to positive outcomes,” says running coach Janet Hamilton, owner of the Running Strong training business. “I often tell my athletes to practise using a positive mantra during long runs.”

Just like with your endura nce, it ’s something you have to practise. While running, you’re not only building your

GEAR THAT ENCOURAGES GRATITUDE

LET YOUR MIND RUN: A MEMOIR OF THINKING MY WAY TO VICTORY,

BY DEENA KASTOR / This book is a game changer, especially if you’ve reached some mental roadblocks in your running. Kastor’s writing will help.

fitness but also sharpening your mental fortitude; so that when you come to that hard spot on race day, you know what to do.

Prepare something you can focus on before you even go out on the run, and use it when you get into those challenging spots.

We get opportunities to practise positivity like this every day, not just on the run.

Someone cuts you off in traffic? Remember that this is a tiny blip in the grand scheme of things. You have a huge work presentation?

Be grateful that someone cares about what you have to say. By actively cultivating this attitude in small moments, you’ll be able to utilise it better during a race or run.

For me, every time I have the opportunity

MOLESKINE JOURNAL / Coach Matt uses this daily journal to track his training and progress, and to note his feelings about a run or his day in general.

He always includes one thing each day that he’s grateful for.

APPLE AIRPODS PRO + SPOTIFY SUBSCRIPTION / Music, podcasts, and guided meditations are all great ways to get your head in the right place.

Play them via Bluetooth headphones that stay put in your ears.

to ask more of myself, I choose positivity. Yes, whenever you’re taking on a challenge, things are going to get tough. Chances are, your mind will turn toward that dark place. But more than avoiding it, the ability to overcome it and keep moving forward is what matters.

I ended up running 2:39:43 in my marathon, earning a shiny new PB on a tough course.

But it wasn’t the time I was most proud of: it was the way I raced. I had every opportunity to drown in negativity, but I gutted it out and steered that voice in my head back towards gratitude and positivity to serve me better.

And the beauty is that no matter what level of runner you are, each and every one of us has the same opportunity to change.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 23

Break Barriers Just Like Eliud Kipchoge A UT H O R

CREDENTIAL S 2 2 M A R AT HONS, INCLUDING SE V EN BO S TON M A R AT HONS

C I N DY KU Z M A

24 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

HARDE ST RUN E VER A HIGHA LT I T UDE R ACE IN T HE SNOW

LAST OCTOBER, the running world held

its collective breath as the world’s most dominant marathoner, Eliud Kipchoge, staged his second attempt at running 42.2 kilometres in under two hours.

After coming so close the first time in 2017 – falling just 26 seconds shy on a track in Monza, Italy – Kipchoge broke the elusive barrier by clocking a time of 1:59:40.2 through the Prater, a park in Vienna.

While Kipchoge’s time doesn’t count as an official world record for a number of reasons – like multiple sets of rotating pacers – his sub-2 accomplishment should serve as an inspiration to help you attain whatever goals you’ve set for yourself in the new decade.

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• Set Big Goals – and Believe Before Monza, the leap from Kipchoge’s previous personal best of 2:03:05 felt large and intimidating, he admitted later.

In the days before Vienna, though, he expressed complete confidence.

“Once we did Breaking2, he knew this was possible. He needed to knock off half a second per kilometre, and he knew he could do that,” says Philip Skiba, PhD, a sports medicine physician and exercise physiologist who consulted on Nike’s Breaking2 Project.

And then there was his purpose: “It’s like the first man to go to the moon,” Kipchoge had said beforehand. That drive to break new ground for humanity likely helped him keep pushing when it hurt during his run.

To fuel your own self-belief, first reflect on your own ‘why’. Then review your past performances, suggests Adrienne Langelier, a sport psychology consultant based in Texas. If you’ve fallen short before, consider those races not as failures but as data points. Analyse what went well during your last few races – and what didn’t – to continue getting better for the future.

• Find the Right Climate When the INEOS team sought out a spot for the attempt, they knew they

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R E U T ERS / L I S I N I E S N E R ( K IP C H O G E ) ; J A M E S W I R T H / C O U R T ESY C IN D Y K U Z M A ( K U Z M A )

Even those marathoners who lack a team of sport scientists, the ability to log 225km training weeks, or access to heralded prototype shoes from Nike to blast past their own moonshots can still learn from his effort. Here’s how, with help from running experts – many involved in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

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M O L LY R I T T E R B E C K CREDENTIAL S C E R T I F I E D P E R S O N A L T R A INER, F I T NE S S A ND HE A LT H DIR EC TOR FOR RUNNER’S WORLD US HARDE S T RUN E VER 2 4 K M TRAIL RUN, WITH PITCHES SO S T E E P, I H A D T O R U N B A C K W A R D S BE S T RUN E VER E V E R Y S I N G L E RUN AFTER BREAKING MY ANKLE AND BEING TOLD I’D NEVER RUN AGAIN (16 YEARS AGO!)

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Boost Your VO2 Max in the Gym so Kays Feel Easier on the Road E L I U D K I P C H O G E’ S V O2 max is

estimated to be near 90; sub-three-hour marathoners average 65.5; and threeplus-hour marathoners are around 58.7.

The average untrained adult lands at about 40.

These numbers represent the maximum amount of oxygen a runner can consume in millilitres per kilogram of body weight in one minute (ml/kg/ min). Sounds complicated, but simply put, VO2 max is a measurement of how efficiently your body uses oxygen – a key marker of cardio fitness.

If you don’t know your own VO2 max measurement, you’re not alone. Ahead of my max test, I asked nearly every runner I encountered – elites to recreational – if they knew their VO2 max. Only a handful of the most competitive runners I know had been tested. And even they had all

26 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

forgotten their exact scores.

What no one could forget, though, was how horrendous the test felt. During it, you have to push yourself to the absolute limit. Imagine the hardest effort you’ve ever put in, multiply that by two, add a claustrophobic, Bane-like mask, and then push for one minute longer than you think you can until you’re cross-eyed and gasping for air.

Why, then, would you, me, or anyone at all subject themselves to such brutal punishment? Because when you know what your VO2 max is, you can use that number as a precise guide to improve it. And if you can raise it, you’ll run further, faster, and longer with less effort and fatigue.

Think of it like the efficiency of your own internal engine: “A high VO2 max is like a car with a bigger engine. A car with a smaller engine has to work harder to go

RUNNING PHILOSOPHY R U N N I N G ISN’ T AN OBLIG ATION; IT ’S A PRIVILEGE. (BUT SE X Y PACE IS THE BEST PACE.)

as fast as the big engine,” says Matthew Luke Meyer, certified running coach for the Mile High Run Club.

While VO2 max is a great marker to know – understanding and tracking your cardio fitness can help you set appropriate goals and evaluate your training – no plan or coach would ever suggest heading out on a run at, say, 80 per cent of your VO2 max. Instead, your VO2 max is used to identify more useful parameters: your heart rate zones and anaerobic threshold, says Silvano Zanuso, PhD, director of the medical and scientific department at Technogym. In this way, the test provides you with the most accurate zones and thresholds to plan your training around, he says.

The results of my own test revealed a hole in my training: the need to build out the lower end of my cardio fitness (i.e. #sexypace, easy runs and recovery efforts). Because I was consistently training at a higher heart rate, my watch was overestimating my HR zones. As a result, the ranges were slightly too high; because that was my norm, even if it

HOW TO ESTIMATE YOUR VO2 MAX

You can have your maximum capacity tested at performance labs, physical therapy facilities, and medical centres, but because it’s so uncomfortable and costly, many opt for a sub-max test or a formula such as the one here instead. Calculate yours using your age, resting

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P H OTO G R A P H S B Y P E T E F O G D E N ( R U N N E R ); T R E VO R R A A B ( P O L A R, G A R M I N ); L A KOTA G A M B I L L ( A P P L E ); CO U R T E S Y (CO R O S )

wasn’t appropriate for me. So taking that extra step with the VO2 max test gave me more personalised results, and the ability to analyse them (with the help of a coach) in order to identify areas of improvement.

No matter what the specific numbers say, to actually move the needle and improve your VO2 max, study after study shows that high-intensity interval training or HIIT is your best bet. This is because HIIT forces you to reach or temporarily surpass your anaerobic threshold before returning to a lower, aerobic, intensity. This type of overload causes your heart and lungs to adapt to the demands you’re imposing on them.

On the road or track, you’ll have to push your limits with tempo runs and intervals at threshold, but since 70 to 80 per cent of your run training should be done easy, you can get the most bang for your buck by incorporating high-intensity interval cross-training into your gym or home routine. “You want to do something that will force variation in your heart rate – spike it straight up and drop it back down,” says Greg Laraia, a certified athletic trainer and performance specialist running coach at Custom Performance.

This means total-body exercises such as sled pushes, ball tosses, plyometric jumping, ladder drills – “basically, anything that’s

CARDIOBOOSTING HIIT CIRCUIT

Perform as many reps as possible of the moves listed on the right in 30 seconds, resting for 10 seconds between each. After you’ve completed all 5 exercises,

heart rate, and maximum heart rate: VO2 max = 15.3 x (MHR/RHR) You could also try one of these watches on the right that includes a VO2 max estimation feature.

The more you wear the watch, the more accurate your number will be.

Generally, they tend to

underestimate, because we very rarely hit the top end of our capacity while working out. That said, they all use your heart rate during certain workouts, while also taking into account other factors – such as distance or altitude – to provide a fuller picture of your VO2 max.

going to exert more energy than a simple bench press,” he says.

As far as reps and sets go, Laraia suggests starting with the basic 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps for bodyweight moves to keep your heart rate up and maintain proper form. Or you can try a time-based scheme like the one below, with 30 seconds of work plus 10 seconds of rest between exercises, and 1 minute of rest between rounds. If you’re doing a heavier, weight-based training cycle, Laraia says, stick to 4 to 5 sets of 6 reps per move.

Of course, you don’t need to know your specific VO2 max measurement to crosstrain with intervals and reap the benefits of better cardio capacity. Still, “the one thing it teaches you is how to become a better athlete,” says Laraia. “If you want to take your performance to the next level, or if you’re stuck in a rut and trying to work out what you’re doing wrong, a VO2 max test will teach you how to customise your training to break out of that rut area.”

And while we’re all capable of improving our VO2 max with increased, specified training, there is a genetic ceiling to our potential. So unless you were born a Kipchoge, no amount of training in the world will push you to a VO2 max of 90ml/kg/min.

rest for 1 minute before repeating the entire circuit again.

Complete 4 rounds total. Once you master this, add 10 seconds of work until you reach 60 seconds

total to improve your VO2 max.

• Jump Squat • Mountain Climber • High Knees • Burpee • Alternating Plyo Lunge

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2

3

MAX WATCHES 1 / APPLE WATCH SERIES 5 / FROM R7 999 2 / COROS APEX / FROM R5 495 3 / POLAR VANTAGE V / R8 999 4 / GARMIN FORERUNNER 945 / R10 999

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This Year, I’m Not Chasing a PB. I’m Chasing a PV.

BY J E S S M OVO L D, R U N N E R ’ S W O R LD C OAC H

FOR THE PAST DECADE, I’ve set a running goal at the start of each year, and each year the goal has been identical: to achieve a personal best (PB) in the marathon. The time I aim for has shifted as I’ve improved – from breaking four hours in 2009 to qualifying for Boston in 2010 to breaking 3:15 in 2018 – but the sentiment behind the goal hasn’t.

I’m a certified PB-chaser.

Which is why, at the start of 2019, whenever anyone asked me about my year’s running goal, it felt natural to say “Breaking three”. I planned to do it on 29 September, at the Berlin Marathon. The training was mapped out for me. The numbers were there, as if it were a formula for success that required just a hard push of a button and a helmet for safety. Each workout was carefully constructed with goal paces and target mileage. For months,

A UT H O R JESS MOVOLD

CREDENTIAL S RUNNER’S WORLD COACH, STRENGTH COACH, OVERALL BADASS

30 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

I envisioned 2:59:59 on my stopwatch.

Then race day came. I missed my goal. In fact, I didn’t even break my PB of 3:13:29.

As a coach, I see the power and allure of the PB with runners of all abilities. It’s the main motivation for practically all my athletes. It’s the difference between a satisfying race and a soul-crushing one. That’s why I shocked myself at the finish line in Berlin. I didn’t feel sad or angry. I walked away with a finishing time that was considerably off my original goal, but I still felt satisfied. Happy,

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even. Why? Because I decided to feel that way. I shifted my mindset.

Upon reflecting on my running accomplishments in 2019, I realised I had built a damaging relationship with personal bests.

As a r unning coach, I want to make sure my athletes are happy, healthy, and successful. That means I need to be the same.

Which also means that I had to rewire my brain when it was time to set my running goals for 2020. I am not shooting for PBs this year. I am changing the definition.

SOUL ROUTE A G R AV E L L O O P B A C K H O ME , W HE R E M Y D A D TA U G H T ME T O L O V E R UNNIN G

RUNNING PHILOSOPHY ON A GRE AT DAY, ON A TOUGH DAY – T HE K AY S A LWAY S UNDERS TA ND A ND M A K E US S T RONGER

→

I am chasing PVs: Personal Victories.

A Personal Victory broadens the definition of the running accomplishments you want to chase. Yes, it could be attached to a time. But it can also have nothing to do with time. Maybe you want to participate in your first race, or join a running group. Maybe you want to try trail running. My 2020 Personal Victory? I want to organise a run in my hometown to honour my mom and raise money for families dealing with cancer.

I want to challenge you to do the same – set your own PV this year. To do it, I want you to keep in mind five key essentials for a successful PV. • Clarity Don’t rush to set your PV. You need both time and space to figure out what you really want to chase.

One of my favourite things about running is that it’s so insanely personal. The truth is, there will always be someone faster than you.

There will always be someone who can run further than you. But there is truly no one who knows the deep inner workings of your purpose.

Only you can know that. So let your mind clear before you decide what you really want to accomplish this year. The best place to do this? On a run, of course.

P H OTO G R A P H B Y G E T T Y I M AG E S ( B E R L I N M A R AT H O N )

• Flexibility In running, I like to remind myself that our problem-solving skills and the ability to be flexible should be no different from how we approach obstacles in our everyday life. And yet, for some reason, we often throw all rational thinking out when things don’t go as planned in our running and training. To stay healthy with a sound mind and a sound body, we must be flexible. This does not create space for excuses; instead, it creates space for a higher level of understanding of our own capabilities, and a new opportunity to define ourselves. Being

flexible means not tying your success to a clock, but allowing for satisfaction in other ways.

• Support When navigating your personal victories, remember you are not alone, and that it’s okay to be unsure sometimes. If you belong to a local running community or team, talk to them and share your PV! Create enthusiasm around your passions and build a network for support.

• Reflection In order to move forward, take a quick look back. As we take time to recognise past accomplishments, we continue to develop a sense of understanding and awareness of our potential. I learned a lot in that first race, and when I took a moment to recognise that, I realised the multitude of things I could do better the next time. I looked within myself and realised that I was not only capable of improving, I was hungry for it. These moments to think back and recognise how far we have come can be brief and should be often.

• Joy The things we go after and the goals we’re passionate about should ultimately bring us joy. When things start to feel extra-complicated, frustrating, and overwhelming, it’s a strong indicator that the joy is gone. Sure, there are days in training when we feel doomed with doubt and bogged down with defeat. Dark days in our running should brighten just as quickly as they dim, and they should be few and far between. When the joy’s gone, it’s time to pause, reflect, and reset. Even at the peak of our training, when mileage builds and our bodies experience heightened fatigue, we should still feel an underlying sense of satisfaction, as we know the hard work we’re putting in is a self-chosen and joyful attempt to reach our goal.

What’s Your PV? Coach Jess (@runnersworldcoach) asked Instagram to share their 2020 goals.

“My 2020 PV will be recovering fully and toeing the start of a race.” @ M E L I S S AT VA L E N T E

“This past October, I celebrated one year of sobriety and working towards many more. Oh, and I am still running. I can’t wait for my next half marathon this spring.” @A L LY B A R B E R

“Making it to the starting line of my first postpartum marathon strong and healthy!” @ K AT E M I C H E L L E 1 4

“My future #PV is to go on a run with my mom and dad. I know they run on a treadmill, but I am taking them OUTSIDE one day!” @ RU N N I N G X T I N A

“The New York Marathon and I both turn 50 in 2020, and I would love to run it again.” @PHILIPMUELLER

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 31

How Cancer Changed the Reasons I Love Running

BY P H I L C R E W S

I STARTED RUNNING, like many people,

to lose weight. I weighed 136kg in 2004, then shed 59kg and have kept it off since.

Yes, the weight loss was life changing; but I didn’t expect that it isn’t even close to my favourite thing about running. That’s been the connections with people I’ve made during my journey.

Not long after starting, I decided to run a marathon. I was nervous, but my main memory of the race was how supportive and encouraging the other runners were (especially the really fast ones!). Running led me to volunteer as a cross-country coach at a local school. I’ve watched my pupils matriculate, graduate from university, begin careers, marry and start families.

About three years ago I was diagnosed with incurable cancer. I’m fortunate to have a wife who is an oncologist and makes sure I receive fantastic care. Initially, I was so sick that running was just about out of the question. One of the members of my care team is an accomplished runner, and she

NAME PHIL CREWS AGE 5 8 R U N N E R ’S W O R L D R E A DE R

32 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

“WHEN I STARTED RUNNING, I HOPED IT WOULD MAKE ME HEALTHIER. IT DID THAT. AND SO MUCH MORE.”

immediately understood how disruptive it was to not be able to run. My treatment is going well, and with the support of my team, I’m now training for a marathon.

But if I look at my running pictures on social media taken right after my diagnosis, I have a scowl, and most of the time I’m making rude gestures. I was angry that my life had been upended by cancer, and that my old life was gone. Since then, I’ve met lots of patients at the cancer centre. I’m constantly amazed at their grace and uplifting attitudes. I’ve made deeper connections with family and friends, and have come to appreciate how fortunate I am. Now if you look at my running pictures, I have a big

WHAT I RUN I HAVE T WO PIECES O F F A V O U R I T E R U N N I N G K I T: M Y BROOKS GHOST 12 SHOES AND MY B R O O K S R U N H A P P Y H A T, W H I C H REMINDS ME WHY I’M RUNNING AND HOW LUCKY I AM.

smile, I’m flashing a peace sign, and I tag posts with #RunHappy.

My attitude changed because of the connections I’ve made with other runners. I have built a support group. I met professional runner Gabe Grunewald, and we shared stories as fellow cancer patients.

When we lost her this year, I gave thanks for her inspiration. Once, I crossed paths and shook hands with Olympian Des Linden while just out for a morning run. These interactions, both big and small, are the most valuable part of my running journey.

When I started running, I hoped it would make me healthier. It did that. And so much more.

WHY I RUN BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD AND BECAUSE I’M THANKFUL I STILL CAN. CANCER CAUSES ME TO HAVE JOINT PAIN, BUT WHEN I’M RUNNING, I AM G L O R I O U S LY P A I N F R E E !

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Running Commentary

What’s Your ‘Why’?

M A RCH IS A FA NTASTIC MONTH FOR ME. NOT ONLY IS IT M Y BIRTHDAY MONTH, IT’S A LSO INTER NATIONA L WOMEN’S DAY, A ND HUM A N R IGHTS DAY IN SOUTH A FR ICA – TWO THEMES A BOUT W HICH I A M FIERCELY PASSIONATE.

BY D R P H AT H O Z O N D I

This relates intimately to my ‘why’: I believe I exist to create a world in which my two daughters (four and two years old) and other young females can thrive, despite their gender or the colour of their skin.

I earnestly believe that everyone needs to understand their ‘why’ – their reason for

Twitter: @phatho_z

discriminate. Most of us are running our own race, and are focused on achieving personal bests – more mileage, a better pace, improved splits.

For social runners, there is no ethnicity advantage, and men are often annihilated by women (yes!). It is liberating and empowering every time you reach a personal milestone, and each time it reminds us that we are capable and we can do whatever we set our minds to. We all run with a different ‘why’ in our hearts, but in running we have found a hobby and a language that connect us and compel us.

The reality, however, is that the issues of gender parity, transformation and inclusion are bigger than running. Jan Boxill writes: “Sport is a microcosm of society; and because sport is a microcosm of society, it dramatises the social order. Sport mirrors society, its virtues and vices. It reflects back on society; and its reflection affects what it is a reflection of.”

As I see it, therefore, sport offers two options for creating social change: either we can accept that sport mirrors society, and therefore we must work to create a better, equal, and inclusive society that will be reflected in sport; or, we can harness the power of sport to influence society.

We can create in sport an ecosystem that is just, and reflects what we would like society to be. Sport should be better used as an instrument of change. There is much work to be done, but many of us are here for

I WAS RAISED TO BELIEVE I could do

34 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

“IT IS LIBERATING AND EMPOWERING EVERY TIME YOU REACH A PERSONAL MILESTONE...” being. The context being that if you have a clear ‘why’ that resonates deeply with you, then it will serve as a powerful motivator to realise your full potential, and it will anchor you in the most testing circumstances.

Common Ground

What does all this have to do with running, you may ask? Well, truthfully, nothing – and everything. It has everything to do with running because in running, many of us have found a common ground that overlooks race, gender and social stereotypes.

On the road or the trails, we are all capable, and the same rules apply. The roads do not

it, and we’recommitted to the bigger cause.

As you take to the roads and trails in March, here’s wishing you clarity of thought, peace of mind, and the ability to harness a compelling ‘why’. A ‘why’ for your running goals, and for your life in general. May you draw on this ‘why’ as you continue to reach for new heights – and take others with you as you do so.

Dr Phatho Zondi is the CEO of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, a sportsexercise medicine physician, a public speaker and a passionate runner.

P H OTO G R A P H S S I S A

anything and be anything my mind could imagine. There were no boundaries in my parents’ eyes – and therefore my eyes – so I grew up believing this without question; but also without arrogance.

It came as a startling surprise, therefore, when I began to realise that the world didn’t have the same faith in me; and not because of my lack of competence, but rather due to a preconceived notion.

In retaliation, it became my drive to excel despite the circumstances, long before I was able to articulate what these circumstances represented: gender inequality and racism.

This is why March stirs me, ignites me, and excites me! I was born in a month in which, nationally, South Africa affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality, and freedom; and globally, we celebrate the social, cultural and political achievements of women and also loudly proclaim a call to action to accelerate gender parity.

WE ARE IN AN ERA OF ESCAPISM

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human r NEWS, TR ENDS, AND R EGULAR RUNNERS DOING

MAZING THINGS

Having It All

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MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORLD 37

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the varsity-life thing – had fun, and kept running socially just to keep fit.

Although I ran a few PBs between having children, it was only in 2012 – after my third daughter, Tao, was born – that I felt complete, and said: “Babies done... it’s time to run!”

And that’s when I moved to the next level in training, racing and focus. I went on an Endurocad camp with Elana Meyer, and was lucky enough to be accepted into the programme. And that’s where I met my coach, Ernie Gruhn, who is still coaching me.

INJURY WITH PURPOSE

LEFT Being a mother gives me purpose.

BELOW I am loving my journey!

anyone else to see; but I etched them in my heart, and I knew one day I would achieve them. I’m not scared of working hard. I’m very dedicated, driven and committed, when I put my mind to something.

I knew I’d have a shot.

PBS AND BABIES

I was a young mum, and having three kids puts you out [of running] for a good period of time. I did run throughout all my pregnancies, but never raced after the first trimester, as I didn’t want to risk anything; and I always wore a heart-rate monitor.

After school I went on to study a B.Ed foundation phase degree. I took a bit of a break from running, and did

“My long-term goal is a podium finish in the Comrades marathon, one day – and on the right day, possibly even a win, with some luck.”

All was well until I picked up a major injury in 2018, which forced me to stop running for six months and reassess everything. I changed a lot, and now I feel like a new athlete.

I ask for help now. I schedule in recovery, I focus on nutrition, and my sessions are so much more constructive. My injury was a blessing I can honestly say I’m so grateful for.

At the time I was also wondering if I was too old for this level of competitive racing, and if maybe it was time to retire. Well, my injury reignited a flame that is burning brighter than ever – it reminded me how much I absolutely love running, and what a huge part of my world it is. I’m definitely not ready to hang up my shoes now.

I’m loving the journey – especially the process, and the training.

I believe being a mother complements my goals. I have purpose – I run for my daughters, to teach them by example, by showing them how to dream big.

And how to be extremely committed and dedicated, and how to train and work hard to achieve these dreams. They see the highs and the lows, the obstacles I’ve had to overcome as well as the victories and incredible opportunities that have come with that.

I love that they are part of my journey; they inspire me not to give up. They are my biggest fans, along with my husband Brett, and I wouldn’t change my path now for anything.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 39

T

T-T

NN the prestigious event you attended wasn’t even in your own dull, boring country).

…TILL YOU ACE IT. HOW TO M A K E PEOPLE TH IN K YOU’R E A RUNN ER , EV EN IF YOU’R E A TOTA L SLUG.

BY DAV E B U C H A N A N

THIS MAY SOUND OBVIOUS, but running

isn’t easy.

Or maybe it is. One of the first things you’ll notice when you take your initial faltering steps is that other runners are generous with their advice – and most of it is completely contradictory.

“Take it easy,” the first will say. “It’s a long, hard road, and you have to build up slowly.”

“Just get out there and do it!” says the next.

“You only have to walk out the door!”

Ja, well. Maybe they’re both right. But one thing’s for sure: if you want the do-gooders to stop giving you advice, you have to make them think you’ve already joined the in-crowd.

Okay, you’ve spotted the flaw in my argument. Nothing will stop a runner giving advice. But as with the lion and the herd of impala, you don’t have to be the best runner; you just have to look less in need of guidance than the guy next to you.

With that in mind, here’s my guide to fooling the veterans (and the general public) into believing you’re a veteran yourself.

40 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

THE LOOK: Real runners never, ever buy

their own gear. Every item of running kit you own must display the name of a prestigious event (indicating you received it free when you participated). Or the name of a specialist/niche running-apparel manufacturer (indicating you received it free at an obscure pop-up ‘happening’ that only seasoned runners would be invited to). Or the name of a respected running magazine (indicating you work almost for free for said magazine, ahem). Bonus points if there’s something written on it in foreign (indicating

There are other shortcuts. You have to smell right (wintergreen, sweat, culturally inappropriate takeaway the night before).

You have to adopt the vocabulary (‘junk miles’, ‘negative splits’, ’dreadmill’, LSD, ITB, DNF, WTF…). But the three steps above will fool even an expert runner.

And before you know it, you’ll be an expert too...

“ONE THING YOU’LL NOTICE IS THAT OTHER RUNNERS ARE GENEROUS WITH THEIR ADVICE – AND MOST OF IT IS COMPLETELY CONTRADICTORY.”

* THIS IS GOOD ADVICE WHETHER YOU’RE TRYING TO PROJECT AN IMAGE OR NOT.

Fake it…

THE RUN: Start slowly.* If you have to walk for a bit, and you will, the way you stop running is of vital importance. Do not stop completely, bend over, put your hands on your thighs and sob miserably while dragging in great lungcrippling draughts of air. This tells fellow runners (who are never at all judgemental, unless they are) that you’re a hopeless sack of lard who will never amount to anything and you probably cheat on your tax returns. Instead, let out a stifled gasp as though heroically masking sudden unbearable pain, put your hand to your hamstring just for a moment and then slow to a walk, with the barest hint of a limp. This tells your audience that you’re bravely running through a crippling marathon injury, probably suffered at a prestigious yet exclusive event in a foreign country.

ILLUSTRATION BY GET T Y/GALLO IMAGES & MARK ARENDSE.

THE ATTITUDE: Do everything in a slow, calm and deliberate manner. Don’t say much.

Besides mysteriously indicating that no one knows the suffering you’ve endured, this has the added benefit that it reduces the chances of you saying something dof about running, and throwing your name away. Never look closely at anything; the thousand-yard stare is a vital component in the fake runner’s toolkit.

Taking off your glasses may help in this regard, but be careful – walking into things tends to undermine the image you’re trying to create. At the start line, perform some understated stretches, and then grimace slightly. This says not only that no one knows the suffering you’ve endured, but that even you can’t hide it completely. So it must have been really big suffering.

From posture experts telling you to sit up straight at your desk, to coaches urging you to brace your core, we’re forever being told to squeeze, tense and hold. But is this advice doing our muscles and body a disservice?

t f ssw tch t isit physiotherapist Freddie Murray at his private clinic, Remedy, in plush London hotel The Ned, and you’ll find a man with drooping shoulders and crossed legs, slouching forward as he quizzes his patients, trying to get to the bottom of the aches, niggles, pains or injuries from which they are suffering.

It’s surprising – there are few people you’d expect to personify perfect posture better than the man tasked with honing the bodies of elite athletes (Premier League players) and celebrities (Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl credits Murray with transforming his body after a

42 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

leg injury). But this embodiment of relaxation, according to Murray, is exactly what you should be looking to emulate for most of your day.

“Muscles are like light switches: they should be either on, or off, and neither state will cause the body problems,” he says. “But if they’re constantly working away in the background – like a dimmer switch – when you’re essentially at rest, they’ll quickly fatigue, leading to increased tension, muscle stiffness and the sensation of pain.” Indeed, many experts now believe walking around in a state of stress that has you wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box, coupled with training schedules that focus on activating and strengthening muscle •

Perform this quick test to check if your body is in fight-or-flight mode Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest and breathe naturally. If the hand on your chest rises first, you’re using your neck and

respiratory muscles to breathe, not your diaphragm.

Taking a minute to practise deepbelly breathing is an immediate muscle-relaxing remedy.

â&#x20AC;¦AND RELAX

groups, is giving rise to an increase in muscle injuries. Think bruxism, the unconscious clenching of the jaw muscles that can lead to chronic pain, tension headaches and dental problems. Or the creeping – often debilitating – lower back pain, tight shoulders and stiff neck that can develop whenever the wheels start coming off at work or home. If only you could flip the switch and turn them all off.

All Wound Up

This constant stress on our bodies doesn’t just affect our running; it can also spell problems for our health. In the UK, for example, musculoskeletal issues, including back pain, neck tightness and upper-limb problems are the secondmost common cause of sick days, costing the Brits 30.8 million working days in 2016 alone, according to their Office for National Statistics, and accounting for around one in five GP appointments.

The issue is that it seems easier to try to correct imbalances or strengthen weak muscles through exercise regimes than to tackle the root causes: a fixation on flawless posture, a desire to look as sculpted as possible, and a high-stress existence.

“Society doesn’t advocate people slouching and relaxing their stomachs – it doesn’t make for a good look on Instagram,” explains Murray. “But it’s not a sin to relax, to slouch and release your stomach muscles.”

Letting it all hang out, he insists, is actually normal and healthy, if only

44 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

because it encourages the body to switch from the sympathetic nervous system (which powers your fight-orflight response) to the parasympathetic system, known to conserve energy, slow the heart rate and relax your body.

Peter O’Sullivan, professor of musculoskeletal physiotherapy at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, is also attempting to re-educate the masses on how to treat and prevent muscular pain. He believes that a large part of the problem is the belief that strong abs are the holy grail of fitness.

He explains that 15 years ago, almost all the research being published directed experts to prescribe sufferers of persistent back pain with corestrengthening moves. Patients were told to brace their abs and target the transverse abdominis (the deepest of the abdominals) with static planks – which worked for some, but for many, actually perpetuated the problem.

In recent years, O’Sullivan has challenged the evidence and identified the issue. “Increased activation of the abdominal muscles increases the activation of the back muscles, creating a bracing effect on the spine,” explains Murray. As a result, everything seizes up.

WO R D S : S A M R I D E R. I L LU S T R AT I O N S : A S I L LO. E X E R C I S E I L L U S T R AT I O N S : B E N M O U N S E Y-WO O D

→

O’Sullivan’s work also sparked a re-evaluation of the importance of ‘good’ posture. “To date, no research has found any relationship between posture and musculoskeletal injuries, damage or the development of pain conditions,” says Dr Eyal Lederman, an osteopath and honorary senior lecturer at University College London’s Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science. “If you’re experiencing pain, what position or posture you sit or stand in is unlikely to be the cause.”

It turns out that there’s no such thing as perfect posture. Indeed, a study published in Manual Therapy, in which 295 physiotherapists were quizzed on what they believed to constitute a neutral spine or good sitting posture, showed that only a sitting posture that “matches the natural shape of the spine and appears comfortable and/or relaxed without excessive muscle tone” was recognised by all as beneficial. Murray adds that by pushing the idea of bracing your muscles, you’re failing to appreciate your body’s natural strength.

“Most acute back pain tends to get better on its own after six to eight weeks, because the spine is so strong.

Sucking in your stomach or holding yourself upright isn’t necessary, at best – and at worst, it’s damaging.”

Then there’s the issue of stress and anxiety, whether situational or chronic, which causes the body to tense. Lederman explains that despite extensive research, the reason tense muscles lead to pain still isn’t known.

A potential theory is the notion of

…AND RELAX sensitisation: that pain is created within the central nervous system – in a state of stress itself – and that triggers the illusion that the muscle or muscles residing in the particularly stressed area are painful. “Because the experience of pain resides within your nervous system, it’s readily influenced by your emotions and moods,” says Lederman. “This could explain why relaxation, which is also a central nervous system process, can bring about an alleviation of pain.”

Use these simple but effective drills to power down when you feel your muscles tightening up.

Core Values BELLY BREATHING “Take two minutes a few times a day to reset your breath,” says Freddie Murray.

“Place a hand above your pubic bone and breathe in through your nose, low into your belly.

Watch your

BODY SCAN hand rise and fall for feedback. Take deep breaths, then move on to lateral thoracic breathing. Put your hand on your lower ribcage and breath deeply into your lower ribcage and back.”

SHOULDER BOXES “To relieve tension while seated, imagine drawing a box shape with your shoulders,” says Lynne Robinson.

“Slide both shoulders forward a little as if along the

“Take 20 seconds to scan your body for areas of tension,” says Dr Eyal Lederman.

“Imagine the area’s heavy, soft or melting.

Next, feel the weight of your feet on the floor, of your

thighs and pelvis on the chair, of your torso against the backrest.

Feel your arms heavy, your neck soft.

Repeat during the day when you feel tension or aches increasing.”

FIGURE OF EIGHT bottom of two boxes, then up along the front.

Slide them back along the top of the boxes, then release them down the back of the boxes.

Repeat five times, with your spine lengthened.”

“If you find your neck becoming tense while working at a desk, imagine a figure of eight lying on its side in front of your nose,” says Robinson.

“Trace the curves of the eight with your

nose, allowing your head to move, too. Start in the middle and finish back in the middle.

Go both ways several times. It releases the small muscles at the top of the neck.”

It’s much better, the experts say, to focus on using the muscles you actually need for movement, rather than overrecruiting all the time. “A lot of people think they’re using their deep core muscles correctly, but are in fact over-recruiting them,” explains Lynne Robinson, founder of subscription channel and app Body Control Pilates.

“To move well, you need muscles working at their ideal length and strength, recruited in the correct order with the right degree of activation by a healthy nervous system. Well-aligned joints will have good range of movement, be stable and have ligaments of a perfect length and tension, and a fascia framework that has just the right amount of give and tautness.”

How to achieve this is a more complicated story. “This is the aim of Pilates,” adds Robinson. “You’re training your body to stand, sit and move well with ease, so this becomes automatic, never conscious.”

As for Murray, he’s interested in moving away from the idea of constant muscle activation, and towards a more holistic approach,in the hope of reducing stress. “Everyone will experience tight muscles and pain at some point; but now we know the body, including the back, is inherently robust,” he says. “However, if your sleep and exercise are compromised and your stress is elevated, your chances of tightening up and feeling pain increase. I’ve learned to value sleep more than ever: I have a hot bath every evening to relax, and I mix up my exercise sessions, because variety of movement is so beneficial.

“Getting your lifestyle in order is a great tonic for your physical and mental state,” adds Murray. So give yourself a break, and take a load off.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 45

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EXPERT ND A G N I N I A R T L A N O I T I R T U N ADVICE

ACE

RAF

Performing your best on a big race day like the

Two Oceans Half or Ultra is about training sensibly, tapering, and getting your race tactics right.

Here’s the perfect plan, from our

leading race experts.

COMPILED BY MIKE FINCH, RUNNER’S WORLD EDITOR

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 49

Training Follow these pre-race training tips to get you in top condition come race day, whether for an ultra or a half marathon.

GO SLOW You want to do nearly all your runs at a comfortable, conversational pace, and finish each run feeling like you have the energy – and the desire – to run another kilometre. The biggest mistake first-timers make is running too many kays, too fast, too soon, and that’s a recipe for injury and burnout.

“If at the end of your run you’re gasping for air, in pain, then you’re going too fast,” says Janet Hamilton, coach and exercise physiologist.

“I see too many people get too carried away in the beginning,” says Runner’s World Minister of Running, Bart Yasso.

“Then they get hurt, and end up watching the race instead of running it.”

GET OFF THE TREADMILL A treadmill will help you build fitness and get a workout in when it’s blazing hot in summer. But since your race will take place outside, you’ll need to train there, too.

Start with one run outside each week, on a safe route, and build from

50 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

there; add another run outside every two weeks, until you’re doing all of your runs outside.

HIT THE HILLS Hills build leg and lung power – plus, they’ll prepare you for the climbs and descents that you’ll face

in the race.

Start by incorporating hills that take 60 seconds to climb, says Hamilton.

As you train and those 60-second hills become easier, challenge yourself with steeper and longer hills.

Try to find ascents that mimic the race course, such as Chapman’s Peak.

Or better yet, train on the course itself.

•

Getting quality shut-eye has been proven to correlate directly to your running performance. If you’re struggling to achieve the winning eight-hour formula, here are some tips to winding down early and taking yourself to bed.

1 . R U N … In a poll from the US National Sleep Foundation released recently, active people were more likely to report good sleep than inactive people (65% versus 39%). To guarantee an extragreat slumber, try completing a speed or tempo workout – vigorous exercisers were twice as likely as non-exercisers to report good sleep.

2 . … B U T T I M E I T R I G H T. The same poll didn’t find any difference in sleep quality between morning, afternoon and evening exercisers, but another study published this year did. Subjects reported fewer middle-of-the-night wakings when they exercised at 7am than when they exercised at 1pm or 7pm.

P H OTO G R A P H S B Y G E T T Y I M AG E S ( S L E E P, WATC H )

3 . L I M I T N O N - S L E E P I N G T I M E I N B E D . (Unless you’re, well… being intimate.) Reading, writing, eating, texting, talking on the phone, surfing the web and the like should take place outside the bedroom, so your body associates your bed with rest.

4 . U N P L U G … Thirty minutes before going to sleep, turn off your TV, silence your cell phone, and shut down your computer. Bright screens can stop your body from producing the hormones that help you fall asleep. Try reading an old-fashioned paper book – or a print copy of this magazine!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GALLO IMAGES

5 . … A N D D I M T H E L I G H T S . Bright lights screw with your falling-asleep hormones, too.

Light can also wake you, so make sure you have thick drapes covering your windows, or a snug but comfortable lightshielding eye mask.

6 . K E E P I T Q U I E T. Do what you can to prevent noises from interrupting your slumber. If you live on a noisy street, keep your windows closed. If you have a noisy pet, keep him or her in a part of the house away from your bedroom. If you have a noisy bedmate, invest in some earplugs.

7. A V O I D A L C O H O L , P R O B A B LY. Studies have concluded that alcohol, in any amount, can help you doze off, and can increase the time you spend sleeping deeply. However, it inhibits your REM sleep – the kind that helps with memory and concentration the next day – and its positive effects wear off after a few hours.

GOOD GEAR Ditch the cotton T’s, ASAP. The money you invest in a few bare essentials – such as shirts, shorts, socks and sports bras (for women) that wick away moisture – will pay off in hundreds of chafe-free kays.

Most importantly, get good new shoes. Go to a speciality running-shoe shop to get help finding a pair that fits your needs.

FILL ’ER UP If you run on empty, you won’t be able to run very far, says dietician Pamela Nisevich Bede. About an hour before long runs, you need at least 800 to 900 kilojoules. In each meal, about 60 per cent of your kilojoules should come from carbs, 25 per cent from protein, and 15 per cent from unsaturated fats.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY A little muscle soreness goes along with pushing your body further or faster, particularly in the calves, quads and hamstrings, says Adam St. Pierre, an exercise physiologist. Expect two days to recover from hard workouts. If you’re sore on the third day, rest again. Soreness beyond four or five days should be checked out by a doc.

Normal sleepers should avoid alcohol to get their best sleep. If you have lots of trouble falling asleep, a nightcap may help; but if it’s a consistent problem, talk to your doctor.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 51

Race Day You’ve clocked the time and put in the kays. Now it’s time to deliver.

D

ON’T STOP… EVER! Make yourself a promise on race morning: once you’ve lost time from crossing the start line (on average, that’s four to eight minutes), don’t stop moving. Every step, whether you’re walking or running, will be a step closer to the finish.

Every stop, whether at a water point, to chat to a friend, or to have a massage, means the clock keeps ticking – and that will stop you from getting closer to your goal.

REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE THERE For every ultra runner, there will come a point in the race when you're faced with the question: why am I here?, says Comrades coach Lindsey Parry.

This point can make or break your race.

You must decide: will I dig deep, and reach my goal; or will I slow down, and finish?

Many wonder if they’ll finish at all.

To achieve your goal at Oceans, you need to be mentally ready for this point.

Your training will get you to the 30- or 40-kilometre marker; your head must

take you the rest of the way.

STAY CALM We all experience some level of race anxiety, no matter how long we’ve been racing. The first step to dealing with race anxiety is acknowledging it: simply recognising that it’s a perfectly normal part of racing is reassuring.

To some degree race anxiety is a good thing, because it helps prepare us for peak performance. So it’s not all bad! But race anxiety can sometimes lead us to doubt our training and ourselves, so knowing how to manage it is key.

VISUALISATION Think ahead and create race day in your mind. Visualise getting up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, going to the race, running, taking run nutrition/ hydration, crossing the finish line, and receiving your medal.

Next, visualise post-race, collecting your gear bag, changing clothes, and meeting up with family and friends. Imagine all your

Practise your nutrition during training, and get to the starting line prepared. By Pamela Nisevich Bede NOTHING NEW! How many times do we have to say it?! You’ve heard it before, but we’ll say it again: don’t try anything on race day that you haven’t practised during training. Test different mid-race fuel options, amounts, and timing on your long runs, and take note of what works.

Once you find nutrition that works for you, be sure to bring it to the starting line. Research the race: if it carries your brand and flavour at its fuel stops, great!

If not, move along.

the course of 56km, your body will not be able to propel you forward without fuelling every 30 to 45 minutes. It’s better to have a little extra nutrition stowed away than not enough.

YOU WILL NEED MID-RUN FUEL Maybe you got by on a few long runs without refuelling (tsk! tsk!), but over

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY While you’re practising your fuelling during long runs, pay attention to how

52 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TIMING For runs longer than 60 minutes (your long runs and your race), start with 30 grams of carbs every 30 to 45 minutes.

Your stomach can absorb up to 60 grams of carbs per hour when diluted with water.

you feel towards the end and once you finish. If you finish feeling good, you probably have a great nutrition plan in place.

If you’re totally wiped out, try adding 15 grams of carbs per hour. If you finish feeling energised but with GI distress, you probably ate too much, didn’t drink enough water, or need to experiment with other fuel sources.

READ THE LABELS

> G E L S In order to dilute the high sugar content, chase with a few sips of water. Try taking gels when you’re approaching a water stop. It may also be helpful to consume a gel slowly, over the course of a few minutes. > C H E W S Like gels, chase with water.

Split packs of six chews into two fuelling stops to avoid consuming too much sugar. > S P O R T S D R I N K S These drinks provide about 15 grams of carbs per 250ml, but

choosing a brand that has less sugar – six to 12 grams per 500ml – can keep your stomach settled. Try alternating water and sports drink at each fluid stop, drinking to meet your thirst.

TOP UP THE TANK Mid-run fuelling will help maintain your energy levels over the course of an ultra, but your pre-run meals are crucial. For the two to three meals before your race, choose high-carb, moderate-protein, and low-fat and -fibre options.

Try Pasta Primavera with chicken for a pre-run dinner, and a bagel or white toast topped with scoop of peanut butter and a banana for a pre-run breakfast.

FUELLING CONTINUES AFTER YOUR RUN Within 30 minutes to an hour post-run, refuel with 15 to 30 grams of protein to prevent further muscle breakdown and kick-start recovery. It’s also important to replenish your glycogen stores,

product and coat everything, including t highs, undera rms, jog bra area, and feet.

Coat your feet, then turn your sock inside out and apply lubricant directly to the fabric, then turn the sock right side out and slide it on.

NEGATIVE SPLITS Running negative splits mea n s st a r t ing out slowly and gradually increasing your pace so each kilometre becomes faster and faster. Ideally, the second half of your race will be faster than the first half.

Don’t waste energy weaving in and out of the crowds when the race starts.

Place yourself appropriately at the start, whether by pace per kilometre if designated, or by reporting to your assigned batch.

Starting ‘slowly’ means a pace that is slightly slower than your goal race pace by approximately 30 to 45 seconds per kilometre. This allows your body time to relax and warm up. Focus on how you feel and your breathing. Let the race come to you; don’t force the pace.

Once you find your running rhythm, gradually begin picking up the pace.

and the harder the workout, the more you’ll need. When in doubt, aim for 60 to 120 grams of carbohydrate in addition to your protein postworkout.

DON’T OVER-DRINK Over-hydration is a serious complication, says ultra coach Lindsey Parry. It can lead to death.

There is a growing prevalence of nausea in long-distance running.

Recent research suggests that there is also a growing trend of earlyonset hypernatremia; or in layman’s terms, overhydration.

A rule of thumb: if you’re thirsty, drink more; and if you’re not thirsty, skip the drinks at the water table.

• needs for the entire day as you go through the visualisation process.

Visualisation accomplishes many things; but especially important is that it helps calm and prepare you for race day.

Also, picturing the day helps you think through everything you might need – pre-race, race, and post-race.

LUBRICATE EVERYTHING Even if you’ve never experienced chaf ing while training, racing can bring it on. Perhaps the added intensity quickens our stride just enough to create rubbing where there was no rubbing before, or perhaps anxiety increases sweat production and leads to chafing.

Whatever the reason, it seems chafing is much more common on race day.

Purchase some type of anti-chafing

LACK OF SLEEP Don’t worry about not sleeping well the night before the race. Fortunately, research has shown that this lack of sleep before a race does not impact performance.

But try to get adequate sleep during the week leading up to the race. Then you can catch up on any lost sleep after the race!

Set your alarm clock, allow plenty of time to get up, eat, and get to the race early. You might even want to have a back-up alarm set, just in case!

MAKE A RECOVERY PLAN You had a training plan, and now you need a recovery plan. A recovery plan can help you return to running safely after a race. Give yourself one to three days off – completely off – from running, after the race; sleep in, relax and enjoy.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 53

Here’s when to consider the run-walk, and how to make it work.

Walk To Get Faster

The right walking strategy, over any distance, can make you a faster runner.

By Janne Iivonen

R

REBEKAH MAYER COMPLETED

her first marathon in a speedy three hours and 14 minutes. Still, she hesitated to claim she ‘ran’ the entire race, because she walked a bit after kilometre 35.

Like many runners, Mayer once considered breaking stride during a distance race as an admission of defeat. “There’s this culture of ‘If you’re going to run a marathon, by God, you run the marathon’,” says running coach Bobby McGee. “Walking is seen as a sign of weakness.”

But McGee and Mayer are among a

54 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

growing number of coaches who advise even experienced runners to consider the run-walk approach, especially for half and full marathons.

Brief respites from race pace can keep your heart rate controlled, help fuel go down smoothly, and make racing more fun, they say. In fact, a German study found that four-hour marathoners who took walk breaks sustained less muscle damage and finished in about the same time as those who didn’t – and McGee believes most runners with marathon times of more than three hours would finish faster.

YOU’RE UNDERTRAINED When Olympic triathlete Barb Lindquist (who placed ninth in Athens in 2004) lined up for Ironman Hawaii in 2000, her training was largely focused on Olympicdistance events with 10K runs. So she walked the aid stations – en route to a 3:40:39 marathon-leg split and a 19th-place elite finish.

Now a running coach, Lindquist recommends the approach to other triathletes stepping up in distance. Walk breaks can also help you cover a half or an ultra marathon more comfortably if life events or an injury caused you to miss some of your planned training, says Jeff Gaudette, owner and head coach of RunnersConnect. m a k e it wor k: Walk the aid stations, or set a predetermined run-walk interval. McGee typically starts athletes with nine minutes of running and one of walking, and suggests

It’s a Cape Town race, so you won’t know the race day weather until... well, race day itself. It’s a good idea to have all options on standby. By Ryan Scott

tinkering to see what works best for you. Just keep walk breaks brief: most of the benefits accrue within 30 seconds to one minute, Mayer says.

YOUR COURSE ASCENDS Super-steep hills are an obvious spot to change your gait; a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found it more efficient to walk inclines of 16 degrees or greater than to run them.

But in a long race, even slighter slopes might be worth hiking, McGee says. Otherwise, your rising heart rate can push you above your lactate threshold, the point at which the by-products of running that cause you to slow accumulate in your blood faster than your body can clear and metabolise them.

“You’re paying an amount of interest you’re never going to get back again,” McGee says. make it work: study the elevation map and determine where you can align walk breaks with uphills, McGee says. Or throw in a 30-second walk break every time your breathing becomes laboured and choppy on an incline. Don’t push harder than your usual race effort on the downhill, Gaudette says: the advantages come later in the race, when your muscles aren’t as fatigued from climbing.

IT’S SWELTERING When race day dawns warm, the

challenge of a long race increases exponentially, along with your core temp, McGee says. Heat can also trigger gastrointestinal distress, as blood flow heads away from your digestive system and towards the surface of your skin to help cool you.

This makes it hard to replace what you’re sweating out. Walking can stave off exhaustion by offering opportunities to fuel and cool. make it work: stick with a preplanned run-walk interval, with flexibility. For instance, if you hit a shady spot, walk to take advantage of it, Mayer says. If possible, take in some cool fluid and wipe yourself down with a wet sponge as you stride.

YOU CAN’T HOLD BACK Call it the first law of long-distance physiology: go out too fast in a half or full, and you’ll pay for it later in the race when your muscles fatigue from the effort. Even if you’ve run smack into this wall before, cheering crowds and race-day adrenaline can make a slower start difficult.

The solution: early, regular walk periods. “The walking acts as a braking mechanism, and as a reminder to keep it slow and under control,” Gaudette says. make it work: use a pre-determined run-walk plan for the first half of the race. Once you hit the halfway point, evaluate. If you feel good, move to a continuous run; if you’re fatigued or just comfortable in the run-walk rhythm, stick with it.

RAIN Under Armour Storm Jacket R2 000 Thin and light, but still rain repellent, including a subtle hoodie which packs away under and into the collar.

WIND New Balance Light Packable Jacket R1 499 Soft, eggshell-like fabric for wind resistance, with a neck zip that extends higher than normal for complete insulation. Packs away neatly into a back pocket.

WEATHER Puma Biomotion Under Layer R899 Dry cell technology keeps you warm or cool depending on the weather.

Thin mesh insets at the neck and forearms assure freedom of movement.

WEATHER New Balance Pull Over Hoodie R900 Essential pre- and post-race hoodie to stay warm, with a casual, loose fit.

WEATHER Chuckable Long Sleeve Top It’s a good idea to have an old top to keep you warm for the first few kilometres, and which you can then discard at the side of the road. Two Oceans collects the tops for the first few kays and donates them to charity.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 55

If You Only Run Once, You Have To Run Oceans

To get the most out of the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, you need to run it once – and then never again. Just put your feet up afterwards, and savour the memory.

WORDS: David Moseley

I

It was four-ish in the morning.

Could have been five-ish. I’m sure there was a hint of a sunrise over the Helderberg mountains, sneaking onto Stellenbosch and soon to hit the permanently sleepy locals of Muizenberg.

I was driving over Ou Kaapse Weg, in the direction of Tokai. You can figure out for yourself why I was driving home at that time of the morning.

Passing the entrance to Silvermine Dam, I noticed men and women in highvisibility vests fiddling with tables and wobbly bags on the side of the road.

“Bloody fools,” I thought. “What on earth are these ‘nanas doing up at this hour?”

Later that day – much later – in fact, much much later – I received a text message (yes, this was a time before WhatsApp groups) from a friend: “I did it! I did it! I did the Two Oceans!”

Not entirely sure what he was so

56 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

thrilled about, at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday (it must have been about 2pm by then), I called back (yes, this was a time when people still phoned each other).

“What did you do in the ocean?”

“No, Dave. I ran the Oceans. The Two Oceans!”

“Of course, of course,” I said. “The marathon thing, with Chapman’s Peak.”

“Yes, yes, but not this year. This year we ran over Ou Kaapse Weg. And it’s not a marathon, it’s an ultra-marathon.”

“Okay. Er, well done. Yes, Ou Kaapse.

I saw some runners there this morning, I think…”

An hour after that call I was sitting in the Foresters Arms, home base of the unofficial Two Oceans after-party, surrounded by men and women in funny string vests and tiny shorts. The atmosphere was intoxicating (as was the smell, I might add).

And a year later, I was back in the

↑

Already run the Two Oceans Half?

Maybe it's time to do the 'full Oceans'... even if it's just once!

Foresters Arms – this time, wearing my own funny string vest, tiny shorts, and a medal around my neck.

And intoxicated; from the triumph, the pong, and perhaps the pints.

After his 56km triumph the year before, my friend had convinced me – a nonrunner – to at least try the 21km Two Oceans. I tried it – and I loved it. Immensely.

The start-pen chatter (which back then featured only a few thousand runners, lamenting their lack of time to train). The daft supporters, loitering in dark side-streets that they would never normally step into at that time of day. The cheers up Southern Cross Drive,

It all ended in a flood – of water at UCT, and tears down my face.”

• the grassy UCT finish, the unforgettable euphoria of a momentous ‘first time’. It was addictive.

So addictive that I went back to the 21km another eight times – despite my friend pleading, year after year, that it was time for the 56km.

GLORY AND AGONY And eventually, it was time. I could take his persuasions no more. Though I wanted to knock 10 Two Oceans Half Marathons out the park first, I also felt it would leave me with a unique race number on race day: 9 Half Marathons, 0 Ultra Marathons. That quirky labelling appealed to me.

In my mind, I would do the one Ultra; then return for my 10th Half; then call it a day. For me, only one ultra-marathon was necessary, and ‘only’ 56km was just fine. No need to extend the glory (or the agony, or the training, or the agony – I

think I mentioned that) to any distance nearing 90km.

The wait was worth it.

You can only train so much for a 56km run; so on race day, you’re stepping – quite literally – into uncharted territory. An invigorating proposition.

I’d done the prescribed training marathons (the preOceans favourites in Cape Town being the Peninsula, and Red Hill), and slathered on three tubs of Vaseline at 3am, prior to the run. I mean, what else can you really do in preparation for 56km?

It was sublime. It was silly.

It was sopping wet (my ‘one’ was the ‘wet one’, where runners finished free of footwear because the hungry mud of UCT was shlurping shoes down into the bowels of the main field).

Along the route, the crowds cheered. The scenery flew by – “There goes Muizenberg! There goes Kalk Bay! Goodness, are we at Chappies already? What a blast!”

Of course, as all veteran Oceans runners know, that’s where the run starts.

You have to run 28km to get to the start line of the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon.

They don’t tell you that in the brochure.

But Chappies is the challenge, up and down; and cresting Constantia Nek, you realise you’re about to reach road-running Nirvana (in your own mind, of course).

The meanly-cambered Rhodes Drive is still to come, and so too the last devilish hill up the M3, and into UCT. But with Chappies and the Nek behind you, it’s a rip-roaring stagger to the end.

It all ended in a flood – of water at UCT, and tears down my face. Another momentous first time; ticked off, never to be repeated.

Why bother, when the one and only time you try it is such punishing perfection?

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 57

WO R D S : SA M M U R P H Y I L L U S T R AT I O N S : P E T E R C R OW T H E R

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORLD 59

OT A NIGGLY KNEE, a

tetchy tendon or a bad back? For decades, the accepted wisdom has been that rest is best.

But research and clinical experience are showing that not only is rest – doing nothing – ineffective; it could actually make things worse.

In 2004, a review of 49 studies compared the necessary,” says Silbernagel. effects of rest versus early mobilisation on Ten years later, Canadian research on acute limb injuries. Not a single one found running and knee pain published in the that rest worked better, and the reported British Journal of Sports Medicine came to a benefits of mobilisation included a reduction similar conclusion. Runners suffering with in pain, swelling and stiffness, and a greater knee pain were advised how to modify their preserved range of joint motion. “Rest running to keep it within acceptable pain appears to be overused as a treatment,” levels, while also performing either strength wrote the researchers from the University of exercises or gait retraining. They gained as Queensland, Australia. much symptom relief and Then, in 2007, Karin functional improvement Silbernagel, an associate over an eight-week period Ready to run? professor at the University as those who were just of Delaware, US, led a given the gait retraining or Physio Tom Goom landmark study challenging strength exercises. recommends you ensure the idea that injured But old habits die hard. you can tick all these athletes must stop their The NHS website still boxes before you run sport during healing. For recommends rest – two to the study, published in the three weeks of it (as well as There is minimal ice and stretching, two American Journal of Sports pain or no pain other questionable Medicine, athletes with during daily activities. therapies) – for a range of Achilles tendinopathy were running injuries including divided into two groups.

A 30-minute shin pain, heel pain, One group followed a walk feels fine.

Achilles pain and runner’s strength-based rehab knee. As for muscle strains, programme for the Achilles You can jog on it says: “The time taken for and calf muscles but did not the spot for one a muscle strain to heal and train, while the other group minute without pain. for you to start running followed the rehab again varies from two programme and continued If the above are true, go for weeks to around six their sport, even if it a run. “There is always trial months, depending on involved tendon-loading and error involved in trying how severe the muscle activities such as running to find the appropriate strain is.” Yet a recent and jumping. The rules amount of running to do,” Portuguese study found were that their pain should says Goom. “Start low and that loading damaged not exceed a score of five build up. If your symptoms muscle tissue increased out of 10 (see How Much kick in, note where you are muscle stem-cell activity, Pain Is OK?, p45) and time- or distance-wise, and which is vital for muscle should have settled by the call it a day. Then wait to repair and regeneration. next morning. After six see how it responds the Tom Goom, a chartered weeks, improvement in next day. If the pain settles, physiotherapist who function and reduction in you can run again, but stop specialises in running pain level were the same in a little before the point (running-physio.com), both groups. “Our study when symptoms occurred believes there is still far too suggested that resting from previously. So if pain much reliance on rest sporting activities – started at 6km, run 5km and among many health including running and build gradually from there.” professionals when it jumping – may not be

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comes to the treatment of sports injuries.

“The go-to advice that runners so often receive is to stop running. However, this doesn’t take into consideration the risks involved with that.”

Such as? “On a physical level, a loss of cardiovascular fitness, tissue deconditioning and weight gain. We lose the adaptations we’ve gained from regular running,” says Goom. “And the longer we’re out for, the lower the level we need to go back to when we restart. If we don’t, we risk re-injury.”

The downsides of stopping running aren’t just physical, either. ‘There could be a loss of

fractures and those requiring surgical procedures, there is a healing process that must be respected,” says Goom. “We’d be looking for minimal pain, good range of motion and minimal swelling before re-introducing running. But the majority of running injuries don’t fall into this category. A runner is getting pain in a particular area, but it’s been given a scary label, like ‘patellofemoral syndrome’, or ‘plantar fasciitis’. Terms such as ‘degenerative’, ‘wear and tear’ and ‘damage’ are often used, which simply add to the negative and alarming mental image. No wonder people feel as if overnight, running has become damaging to their body – and that any form of movement is going to damage it more!”

Prescribing rest misses a critical point: that the injury itself is a signal the tissues were not strong enough to deal with the load they were being placed under. “Removing the load might stop the pain, but it also further lowers the tissue’s capacity to cope, by allowing it to decondition,” says Goom.

Silbernagel agrees. “We do harm by being afraid of doing too much,” she says. “All tissues – tendons, bone, muscles – need load to be healthy. No load is just as problematic as overload. It creates stagnation, like water in a pond with no movement. You’re not going to heal in that environment, you’re going to get disorganised tissue and a slow decline in tissue health.”

In other words, doing nothing isn’t the passive strategy it might seem – it’s detrimental. “When you return to your sport, the same problem (weakness or inefficiency) exists, but now your body is in a worse position to deal with it because you’ve reduced blood flow – which brings oxygen

ON THE BALL Movement is medicine.

‘MOVEMENT A LWAYS identity, social isolation, and a negative impact on mental health and mood. We need to recognise just how important running is to people, and the impact of stopping. Of the injured runners I see in my clinic, I aim to keep around 80 per cent of them running.’

Paul Hobrough, a physiotherapist and author of Running Free of Injuries (Bloomsbury), agrees. “I vehemently oppose patients being told simply to rest,” he says. “It makes movement seem scary, and takes all that person’s power away. Movement is the best therapy. There is always a way to keep a patient active – it’s about how you adapt their

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training so that it doesn’t make things worse.”

In the case of an Achilles problem, for example, that could mean avoiding faster running, softer surfaces and hills. “I might advise a patient to run only on the flat, and take 48 hours between each run to check that the pain level isn’t escalating,” says Hobrough.

“At the same time, we’ll identify where their biomechanical inefficiency or weakness is so that we can work on that too.”

But surely avoiding running altogether wouldn’t be a bad thing – allowing the overstressed tissues some time to recover?

“With some injuries, such as stress

T H ER A PY. A

PAT IEN T

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and removes metabolic waste – reduced range of motion, and allowed the body as a whole to decondition,” adds Hobrough.

S M A R T M OV E S

So how does movement actually help – other than keeping us from going mad – while we overcome injuries and niggles?

It’s a complex process with a reassuringly scientific name – mechanotransduction.

This refers to the actual physical deformation of tissue by mechanical load – say, the shortening of the calf muscles as you rise onto your toes. “Mechanical

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 61

loading prompts cellular responses that promote structural change to strengthen the healing tissue,” explains sports physiotherapist Samuel Dunn (livelyphysiotherapy.com.au). What’s more, load helps these newly forming muscle cells align in neat parallel lines; picture hair that has been combed, compared to tangled, knotty strands.

“When we tear a muscle, inflammatory cells flood the area to seal it off and clean away dead tissue,” says Dunn. “Then cells called fibroblasts lay down scar tissue to mend the muscle. But this scar tissue is disorganised – loading helps to align it in a parallel fashion in the appropriate direction of pull for maximal tensile strength, making it less likely to re-tear.”

The term ‘mechanotherapy’ is now being used to describe movement specifically prescribed to treat injuries.

For a regular exerciser, continued activity can also help to maintain ‘normality’ for the musculoskeletal system. “The body hates change,” says Hobrough. “Tendons in

‘ Y O U ’ R E PA I N

I S

A L L O W E D N O T

The acronym RICE was first put forward in the 1970s as a protocol for dealing with sports injuries. But opinions have shifted regarding the value of its four components – rest, ice, compression and elevation – in aiding the healing process.

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particular are like your most boring friend. If they’re accustomed to loading through running, then being able to maintain that to an appropriate degree is much more beneficial than stopping.”

We have as much to lose in terms of mental well-being as we do in terms of physical health, as runner Lorna Watts found when she developed a hamstring injury while she was training for a major marathon last year.

“I was told to stop running until I was ‘better’,” she says. “And I was given about an hour’s worth of strengthening exercises to do

Initial Response

every day – it was unrealistic and exhausting, and most of the exercises made the pain worse. Within a couple of weeks of stopping running, I had a new pain, which the physiotherapist diagnosed as sciatica. Driving and sitting at home was agony. I was then given a different set of exercises to do. This was a mental blow – I had been expecting improvements, but instead I was going backwards. Depression started to take hold, affecting my work and personal relationships.

Over the weeks that followed, my condition did not improve. I was in pain, depression was ruling my life; and yet I was being told not to do the one thing I knew would help. I was told that if I ran, I would make my recovery take even longer.

“After six weeks I reached a tipping point with my mental health – sorting my head out felt more important than my physical health. I started with two kays. Yes, it hurt, but I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Over the next few weeks I slowly increased my distance and found both the original pain and the sciatica starting to improve. I changed

S O M E

W I T H

physios, this time to someone who had a completely different diagnosis and recovery plan, and who never once told me not to run. I am now almost back to where I was, and my depression is back in its box!”

PA I N T H R E S H O L D

We runners can be a single-minded and passionate bunch, and there’s a danger that some reading this feature may view it as a green light to limp on in the face of injury.

However, stresses Goom, the shift in approach shouldn’t be from resting to blindly ignoring pain: “It’s from rest to modifying

P A I N .

D A M A G E ’ your training to a level that preserves physical and mental health, does not worsen your injury, and increases your capacity to cope with the load that brought you down so that the injury doesn’t recur.”

In Silbernagel’s study, patients used a numerical pain scale – where zero denoted no pain at all and 10 represented the worst pain imaginable. Athletes were allowed to continue with their sport as long as it did not exceed five on this scale. “This rating was used during the activity itself, immediately afterwards and the following morning,” she says. The researchers also applied another

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Dr Gabe Mirkin recommends RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) in his book The Sports Medicine Book.

Dr Phil Wharton and Dr Jim Wharton

The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine’s guidelines for musculoskeletal injuries: PRICE – Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

Chris Bleakley from the University of Ulster and colleagues suggest a change from PRICE to POLICE, replacing rest with ‘Optimal Loading’ (rehab with early activity).

A new alternative to RICE. MEAT means ‘Movement, Exercise, Analgesics and Treatment.’ (Nonsteroidal antiinflammatories are not advised, as they may hinder healing.)

R.I.C.E

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M.I.C.E recommend MICE (Movement replaces Rest). “Once fracture or catastrophic injury is excluded, movement, not rest, is best, to treat an injury.”

P.R.I.C.E

P.O.L.I.C.E

M.E.A.T

How much pain is OK?

FITTER PILLS Running may be the perfect prescription.

scale that many runners head out, run your will be familiar with – symptoms through the When to push on the Borg Scale. This is and when to stop Ready to Run? checklist on normally used to rate p42. Bear in mind that the perception of effort. path to recovery isn’t 0-2 “We asked the athletes always smooth. “Any return Safe to apply the Borg Scale to running after injury is Zone specifically to their likely to suffer the odd Achilles,” explains setback,” says Goom. “But a Silbernagel. “What was resurgence of symptoms Acceptable the intensity of the doesn’t mean you’re back at Zone effort in that area? They square one.” were allowed to With so much evidence perform activity that felt to support the idea of Excessive ‘light’ daily, but activity continuing to train within a Zone that they rated as manageable window of medium intensity pain, why are runners still The pain can score up to 5 required two recovery being told by doctors, on the Numerical Pain days, and activity they osteopaths, physios and Rating Scale (NPRS) during rated as high intensity sports massagers to take the activity. But, says required three recovery time off? “It’s the path of Hobrough, be wary of days.” This combined least resistance in a litigious escalating pain. “If pain self-analysis tool has society,” says Hobrough. begins at 1 but creeps up to since been used Silbernagel believes that 2, 3, 4… you need to stop; 4 successfully with it stems from a historic might still be within the everyone from one-size-fits-all approach acceptable limits, but it’s recreational runners to to injuries. “There’s a big pain that is increasing.” elite marathoners difference between an Post-run pain can reach 5, managing Achilles acute injury – you fracture a once it settles in 24 hours. tendon injuries. bone, rupture a tendon – Any pain and/or stiffness Goom uses the term and an overuse injury of the you’re feeling should not ‘run tolerance’ to type that most runners are increase from week to week. describe the level of more familiar with. They training a patient can should not be treated the achieve during same way.” rehabilitation with no detrimental That said, it’s becoming increasingly effects. “There’s nearly always a level of evident that appropriate loading is better running that can be tolerated,” he says. ‘It than complete rest, even in the case of acute might not be as far or as fast, but it’s injuries. A review of 46 studies on ankle something. For example, say you go for a sprains, published in The British Journal of run and your symptoms flare up after 20 Sports Medicine, found strong evidence to minutes. Next time, stop at 15 minutes. If support early mobilisation (movement). that’s okay, you try upping it to 17. It’s Even Dr Gabe Mirkin, the sports medicine easiest to do this with a health doctor who coined the RICE acronym (for professional, but the problem is that Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) in 1978, practitioners often don’t want people to now says that rest should not be the first port run at all if they have a perceived injury.” of call. “It appears that both complete rest That’s why Silbernagel feels using the and ice may delay healing, instead of numerical pain scale is so helpful. “It gives helping,” he says. “Don’t increase your pain, the patient some control over what is too but you want to move as soon as you can.” much or too little,” she says. “And pain For Hobrough, the worst-case scenario is science has taught us how important to tell a patient to stop doing what they love having that control and empowerment is. doing. “I might be very prescriptive about You’re allowed to have some pain. Pain is how a runner trains while we manage their not synonymous with damage.” In fact, injury, but it’s very unlikely I’ll tell them to one study on rehab exercises found those rest,” he says. “Sure, I’ll modify your training that caused a bit of pain were more load; but the likelihood is you will still be able effective than those that were pain-free. to maintain the activity you love, while we There are times, however, when you work on identifying and strengthening the shouldn’t try to run. “You need to be area your body ‘told you about’ via the injury. sensible,” cautions Hobrough. “If you can’t There’s every chance you’ll come back better walk without pain, don’t run.” Before you than before.”

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P.E.A.C.E & L.O.V.E

Protect, Elevate, Avoid

(anti-inflammatories), Compress and Educate; and Load, Optimism (mindset) Vascularisation (aerobic activity) and Exercise.

2020

L.O.A.D Chartered physiotherapist Tom Goom throws his own acronym into the mix: LOAD (Load Optimally, Avoid Deconditioning).

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B Y

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YAO MIAO HAD NO COACH, NO SPONSOR, AND NO HOPE OF BREAKING OUT

YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE NEVER HEARD OF

OF POVERTY IN RURAL CHINA. HER TENACITY CHANGED EVERYTHING.

WAVING THE CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG ABOVE HER HEAD, FACE ECSTATIC, YAO MIAO SPRINTS

Despite a race infamous for its high-altitude passages and gruelling weather, Yao Miao’s stride and posture betray no signs of fatigue; she runs full speed through the finish line, almost as if she wants to barge through the line of photographers and run right back into the Alps. As she slows to a stop, she gives a timid wave.

The French crowd loves her. This virtually unknown Chinese runner has won in brutal style, taking the lead in the first seconds of the women’s race and ultimately beating the female Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix course record by nearly 20 minutes. She misses out on overall top 10 placement among men by a little more than five.

Two months later, Yao Miao will top the Ultra Trail World Tour rankings, an amazing feat for a newcomer. But now, at starting lines, elites from around the world know and respect her. The Salomon International Team rushed to sign her to its pro team, luring her with a generous salary and racing opportunities worldwide.

Only three years ago, travelling to and winning the world’s biggest trail races seemed like a fantasy for Yao Miao. She was broke, working as a trainee at her sister’s beauty parlour in eastern China. She had no coach, no sponsors, and no clear path to train for a local road race, much less a prestigious trail ultra. But the slight, shy Yao Miao knew one thing: she could run. What she hadn’t discovered yet was that she could dominate the sport.

THROUGH THICK, CHEERING CROWDS LINING THE STREETS OF CHAMONIX, FRANCE. IT’S 31

AUGUST 2018, AND THE 23-YEAR-OLD RUNNER IS ABOUT TO WIN ONE OF THE WORLD’S PREMIER

MOUNTAIN ULTRAS – THE 100KM, CCC DIVISION OF THE ULTRA-TRAIL DU MONT-BLANC (UTMB).

SHE CROSSES THE FINISH LINE IN 11 HOURS,

57 MINUTES, AND 46 SECONDS. THE SECONDPLACED WOMAN, AMERICAN KATIE SCHIDE, IS MORE THAN 30 MINUTES BEHIND HER.

Y A O M I A O W A S born in 1996 in a remote village in the mountains of Guizhou, one of China’s poorest provinces, the youngest of six.

As a child, her after-school hours were spent helping the family work their small plot of land. Running was never on her radar, but when she was 16, all the student athletes in her class were taken to a compulsory 6.5km running trial set up by the ti yu ti zhi, China’s state sports system.

The Chinese ti yu ti zhi is a nationwide programme that selects athletically talented children and breeds them into champions at sports boarding schools. The children do little but train and compete; classes and exams are a formality. The system exercises stifling control over its athletes – criticism or disagreement with coaches is unthinkable.

Sixteen-year-old Yao Miao stood out in the trials. Despite an average finishing time, she had a lithe runner’s frame, and she was shipped off to a ti xiao, a sports boarding school, in the provincial capital of Guiyang. “I was not popular with other kids; there was nothing special about me,” says Yao Miao. As a kid, she says, she

66 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

© U T M B ®/ L A U R E N T S A L IN O

was introverted and quiet. She felt like she had no academic or sport successes, and no endearing personality traits or conventional beauty. She says the boarding school had one thing going for it: “It was still better than making a living as a peasant in a village.”

At school, Yao Miao ran the 5 000m and 10 000m, under orders from her ti xiao coaches, but says by their standards she was “very slow”. The best she could do was an 18-minute 5K and 38-minute 10K, so she was bumped up to the marathon.

There she hit a 2:59 personal best – laudable, but far from the 2:40-ish benchmark she says she needed to progress to the next stage in the ti yu ti zhi hierarchy – zhuanye dui, the professional team. Making it to zhuanye dui is like being an athlete at a top university.

“No zhuanye dui wanted me, and I did not have money to go to university,” Yao Miao remembers. “I had no future. I felt useless. I’d received no education, had no skills and no money, no way to earn a good living. I felt that I already failed, even though I was only 20.”

In China, most young women in Yao Miao’s situation end up doing low-paid manual work in the cities, but one of Yao Miao’s sisters owned a beauty parlour in Shangrao, a town in Zhejiang province. She took her in so Yao Miao could learn the trade.

Yao Miao had no interest in attaching fake eyelashes and polishing nails, though. Despite being told she was too slow for zhuanye dui, she was convinced that running was her best shot to make something of herself.

Yao Miao was lucky. In 2016, the Chinese ultra-running scene was exploding. The government organised state-

sponsored races that lured runners with prize money equivalent to R90 000 – more than a year’s income back in rural Guizhou. The new scene meant a lack of depth in the female division, and Yao Miao, with her ti xiao background, had the skill set to break into the sport.

“I would wake up at 5am and run before work,” she says.

“I had no coach. I just did the marathon training we did in ti xiao.”

For Yao Miao’s first ultra foray, she set her sights on a high-altitude 100-kilometre race in Zhangye, at the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The winner would take home nearly R60 000.

Yao Miao spent her last bit of money on the cheapest train ticket to Zhangye, a 33-hour trip, but she didn’t allow for time to adjust to the region’s thinner air; the average altitude of the race course was well above 3 000m. Unacclimated, Yao Miao suffered from altitude sickness and diarrhoea during the race, and had to pull out.

“I returned home and felt even more useless,” she says.

But she kept running. “I just did not have any other choice.

I was running to live, to make a living.”

She took another gamble – an even harder ultra, the 2016 Gongga 100. Gongga is punishing. The course, with altitudes ranging between 1 500m and 4 000m, is often submerged in freezing fog. Snow covers the trail on the high passes. The combined elevation gain and loss over the 100 kilometres is 11 600m. Yao Miao felt her nerves kick in before the gun: “I was not sure if I could complete the distance; I had never run that far.”

The race was an all-out battle, and again Yao Miao suffered

↑ Yao Miao celebrates after winning the UTMB CCC race in 2018. ← Yao Miao

hadn’t been outside mainland China until January 2018. That same year, she competed in the UTMB CCC (pictured here at the race’s start).

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 67

→

I HAD NO FUTURE. I FELT USELESS. I’D RECEIVED NO EDUCATION, HAD NO SKILLS, NO MONEY, AND NO WAY TO EARN A LIVING. I FELT THAT I HAD ALREADY FAILED, EVEN THOUGH I WAS ONLY 20. I WAS RUNNING TO LIVE. I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.

68 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

altitude sickness in the thin air. She says completing the course felt like life and death, but she endured and won, taking home the R60 000.

Filled with new confidence, Yao Miao began dominating Chinese ultras, racing as many as she could. “I won every race I entered in China after that, apart from one second place when I was sick – seven wins, I think, in less than a year.”

Yao Miao left her sister’s beauty parlour and moved to Guiyang, the capital of her home province of Guizhou, to share an apartment with four other ti yu ti zhi–produced athletes.

In late 2016, at a 40km race in her native Guizhou, she met another Chinese runner, Qi Min. The 26-year-old was a charismatic, handsome 2:16 marathoner, also from a small mountain village. He had just escaped the state sports school system himself, for the freedom of the trails. Like Yao Miao, he was blitzing his way through the Chinese ultra-running scene, racking up wins and prize money.

Qi Min quickly won Yao Miao over, becoming her boyfriend, training partner, and coach. When asked what drew her to him, Yao Miao blushes. “It’s not because he is a fast runner or goodlooking,” she says. “He seemed like a good person.”

In 2017 the pair moved to Dali, a small, ancient town in southwest China near the 4 000m Cangshan mountain range.

With a base altitude around 2 000m, the local subtropical climate spares people both the excessive heat of summer and the cold of winter, creating a near-perfect training environment.

Life became good, if not ideal, for the new first couple of Chinese trail running. They were flush with prize money, sponsored by Garmin and The North Face, training for foreign races paid for by sponsors. They saved all their winnings, aware that one injury could wipe out their sole source of income.

→

↑ Yao Miao

and Qi Min in the Italian Dolomites. They say the rocky terrain was different to what they were used to in China. → Yao Miao

and Qi Min take a break while training in the Dolemites.

I N J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 the couple competed in the Hong Kong 100, one of Asia’s most competitive mountain ultras. Yao Miao won, smashing the women’s course record by 40 minutes and finishing ninth overall. “Scary,” Qi Min says of her performance – she ran the first 50km faster than the course’s male record holder at the time, French superstar Francois D’haene.

Yet instead of earning her recognition, Yao Miao’s win was met with scepticism from the ultra community. Trail running is extremely popular in mountainous Hong Kong, and many locals took to social media to accuse Yao Miao and Qi Min, who also won and set the course’s new male record, of doping.

“China can go straight to hell and nobody should trust any records they break,” wrote one Facebook commenter. “[The Chinese] are simply testing the latest doping technology in a non-Olympic sport to see what they can [get] away with,” wrote another.

Yao Miao denies the charges and took the hostility in her stride.

“I got angry, but what could I do about it?” she says with a shrug.

Aside from doping accusations, there was some criticism of Yao Miao’s win that seemed to hold a kernel of truth. “In my opinion, the Chinese want quick results,” Lithuanian ultra-runner Gediminas Grinius, who races regularly in China, told the South China Morning Post. “Their main problem is they lack experience, and they don’t know how to prepare yet.”

Grinius isn’t wrong. In June 2018, at the 120km Lavaredo Ultra

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Trail in Italy, Yao Miao broke into a commanding lead early, but problems arose fast. She hadn’t eaten anything along the course, hardly drank at the checkpoints, and crucially, wasn’t wearing sunglasses to protect her eyes from the harsh sun.

“I started losing vision at the sixth checkpoint. I could not see the surface of the trail. I wanted to pull out, but I thought about how much the sponsors paid to send me to this race, and I carried on,” she remembers. “On the final descent I was almost blind. A girl overtook me, but I was not even sure then if it was a guy or a girl.” Yao Miao finished second behind American Kelly Wolf.

After running in the lead, Qi Min blew up at 80 kilometres and dropped out of the race. He didn’t eat at the checkpoints either.

There was no denying the pair were fast. But the running community viewed Yao Miao and Qi Min as mass-produced road runners. Critics said they lacked pedigree, and didn’t properly appreciate the mountains or the sport.

“It’s true we did not understand a lot about trail running.

We didn’t adapt,” says Yao Miao. “But you just run more, and you learn.”

A M O N T H B E F O R E September 2018’s CCC, Yao Miao and Qi Min went to Chamonix to fill in gaps in their trail-running knowledge.

They purchased hiking poles and practiced using them on descents and ascents. (In China, Yao Miao’s trademark was relying on a

single wooden stick that she picked up along the trail.) The pair also worked to condition their palates to gels and energy bars.

(This type of sugary fuel is still a struggle for their stomachs.)

To cap it all, Yao Miao ran the entire CCC course three times in preparation.

On the day of the race, both Yao Miao and Qi Min launched ferocious attacks from the first kilometre. This time they didn’t blow up. Yao Miao crushed the women’s field and Qi Min finished second, overtaken only in the final few kays.

Afterwards, the usually reserved Yao Miao allowed her emotion to break through in an email to her friend, China-based photographer Kyle Obermann: “People didn’t believe that the Chinese could make it to the podium of top ultra-running races.

When you improve, they think you have taken the shortcut.

Me winning this race shut up everyone who thought that way.”

Obermann, a runner himself, has been documenting Yao Miao’s career from the beginning. “She has got to where she is because mentally, she is so tough,” he says. “She knows how to fight with everything she has. Her grit is incredible.”

The dominant CCC win at UTMB in 2018 silenced the doubts about Yao Miao’s credentials. Salomon, the leader in European mountain sports, rushed to sign both Yao Miao and Qi Min to the brand’s international pro team.

Soon, ti yu ti zhi, the Chinese sports system, came calling. Yao Miao, the runner who was once discarded for being too slow, was

invited back. No conditions were attached – all she had to do was travel at China’s expense and race major Chinese marathons as an elite athlete. She accepted, and is now in contention for the Chinese national team.

Last year, Yao Miao stepped up to the 160km distance for the first time at UTMB. She held an impressive lead for the first half, but was forced to drop out after 100km with vision trouble.

Asked what her goals were before the race, she said simply that she “just wants to be able to finish a 100-miler”. False modesty is considered good etiquette in China.

Qi Min wastes no time on etiquette: “Her goals are to win UTMB in a new course record, and then in the following years to set course records for all four UTMB distances. And be selected for the national team for the marathon.”

Watching Yao Miao during a fast 16km run in the mountains, it’s easy to see why she progressed so quickly. Qi Min is blisteringly quick, and every training run is a battle to keep up with him. Yao Miao and Qi Min always run together, and their weekly mileage stands at some 210km, including long runs in the mountains and on the road, plus intense speedwork on the track, distributed between two or three daily workouts. Any time left over is spent on recovery, mainly sleep.

Yao Miao is still a girl from a mountain village. She speaks loudly, as if shouting across terraced fields. Her regional accent is as strong as ever. Her answers to questions are clipped, her emotions veiled. She doesn’t understand all the fuss around her rise to the top of ultra-running. Why would anyone, let alone a foreign running magazine, want to know how she felt about racing?

For Yao Miao, running is a way out of a life she didn’t want to live. If you ask her if she loves the sport, confusion crosses her face. “Long-distance running is very hard, miserable,” she says.

“It is my work. Everyone has to go to work.”

But is it only work, a means to an end? Does she enjoy it at all?

Yao Miao thinks for a second, then smiles.

“I do like it,” she says. “Running has given me the feeling of having accomplished something.”

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 71

[ PA R T N E R C O N T E N T ]

THE SCIENCE OF SOFT

NEW BALANCE’S UPGRADED FRESH FOAM X DELIVERS SOFTNESS AND ENERGY REBOUND – TO HONOUR EVERY STEP OF EVERY RUN BUILDING ON THE LAUNCH OF NEW BALANCE’S HUGELY SUCCESSFUL FRESH FOAM, THE BOSTONBASED BRAND HAVE LAUNCHED A FURTHER UPGRADE WTIH FRESH FOAM X, OFFERING EVEN BETTER PERFORMANCE AND COMFORT IN A WIDE RANGE OF SHOE CHOICES. USING DATA COLLECTED FROM THOUSANDS OF RUNNERS, NEW BALANCE HAVE DEVELOPED A LIGHTWEIGHT CUSHIONING SYSTEM THAT CUSHIONS JUST IN THE RIGHT SPOT

72 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 020

THE FRESH FOAM X COLLECTION IS BUILT SMARTLY, TO COVER EVERY TRAIL, EVERY STEP, EVERY KILOMETRE WITH THESE SIX MODELS:

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FOR M O R E ON TH E FR E S H FOAM X COLLEC TION AN D IN DIVIDUAL ST YLE S , VI S IT W W W. N E W BA L A N C E .CO. Z A /F R E S H - FOA M -X

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DATA-DRIVEN GEOMETRIES AND CRUCIAL FOREFOOT FLEXIBILITY HAVE RESULTED IN A SU PORTIVE SHOE BUILT FOR THE LO G RUN. 256G | R2 399 HYPOKNIT UPPER: ENGINEERED FLAT KNIT WITH

FRESH FOAM X MEETS THE LONGTIME FAVOURITE OF NB FANS, THE 880.

A SOFT CARRIER OF FRESH FOAM X BRINGS A PREMIER CUSHIONING PLATFORM INTO A PREMIER TECHNICAL CUSHION SHOE.

STRATEGICALLY PLACED LOCKOUT THREADS THROUGH THE QUARTER TO TIGHTEN DOWN THE UPPER FOR A SECURE MIDFOOT FIT.

HEEL COUNTER SUPPORT: MOULDED EXTERNAL HEEL COUNTER HELPS CONTROL HEEL MOVEMENT.

HIGHEST PROFILE: A 10MM DROP FROM HEEL TO TOE IS HIGHER THAN THE 1080V10’S 8MM DROP, AND THE TEMPO’S 6MM DROP, BUT WELL SUITED TO THE DATADRIVEN GEOMETRY OF THE 880.

W W W. N E W B A L A N C E .CO. Z A / F R E S H - FOA M -X

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RESPONSIVE MIDSOLE TOPBED: LAYERING ON A RESPONSIVE AND REORIENTED FOREFOOT FOAM COMPLETES THE TRUFUSE FORMULA SO POPULAR IN THE 800 SERIES. THE RESULTS ARE A MEASURABLY SOFT AND MORE RESPONSIVE RIDE THAN THE 880V9.

[ PA R T N E R C O N T E N T ]

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THE 1080V10 IS THE NB FLAGSHIP, EXPRESSING HOW RUNNING DATA, SUPREME COMFORT AND CUTTING-EDGE DESIGN COME TO LIFE – ALL IN ONE PLUSH AND SOPHISTICATED PACKAGE.

RUBBER OUTSOLE: INDIVIDUAL BLOWN RUBBER CELLS ADD TO A PREMIUM UNDERFOOT FEEL AND A SMOOTH TRANSITION.

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’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

LASER ENGRAVING: SPECIFICALLY DATADRIVER-TARGETED AREAS OF ENGRAVING PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY AND WEIGHT SAVINGS.

ENGINEERED KNIT: PERFORMANCE-KNIT UPPER ENGINEERED WITH A PRECISION FIT AND ULTIMATE COMFORT.

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FRESH FOAM X MIDSOLE: WELL CUSHIONED, YET STILL LOW PROFILE. FRESH AND FAST WITH IMPROVED ENERGY RETURN THROUGH FRESH FOAM X.

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PRESSURE MAP

A SHOE OF MANY FACES: VERSATILITY COMES IN MANY FORMS. THE FRESH FOAM TEMPO HAS ENOUGH TO HOLD THE BATON AS A DAILY TRAINER, AND IS NIMBLE ENOUGH FOR AN UP-TEMPO DAY.

LARGER OUTSOLE GEOMETRY AT POINTS OF HIGH PRESSURE

BLOWN RUBBER FOREFOOT: SEGMENTED FOR SUPPLENESS, THE FRESH FOAM TEMPO PROVIDES INCREASED FLEXIBILITY FROM ITS PREDECESSOR THE ZANTE PURSUIT. THIS MEANS A SMOOTHER, MORE DIALLED RIDE.

W W W. N E W B A L A N C E .CO. Z A / F R E S H - FOA M -X

REPLACE RUBBER WITH EVA AT POINTS OF LOW PRESSURE

NIKE DIDN’T TELL RODGER KRAM AND WOUTER

BY

JOE LINDSEY

Hoogkamer much about the prototype shoe at first. “We knew it had a new foam, called Pebax, and they showed us the carbon [fibre] plate,” recalls Kram. The exercise physiologist and longtime director of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Locomotion Lab, and Hoogkamer, then a post-doctoral researcher there, were writing a journal paper, published in March 2017, detailing how an elite runner might break the mythical two-hour marathon barrier. One factor they detailed was shoe design, and the two had been given what would become the ZoomX Vaporfly 4% to test.

Explaining how shoe design might help break two hours was tricky, says Kram, because while they had already completed testing on the new shoe, they couldn’t include their non-peerreviewed data in a peer-reviewed journal. So they focused on the weight of the foam midsole, which, based on previous studies, they estimated could improve an athlete’s running economy by around one per cent.

“The world record at that time [2:02:57 by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014] was in the adidas Boost shoe,” says Hoogkamer, now a professor at the University of Massachusetts.

However, he adds, “we didn’t say, you can make the foam better; we said, ‘Boost is pretty heavy, so maybe you can make it lighter.’”

As for the Vaporfly testing itself, Kram and Hoogkamer approached it with one simple question: Was it faster?

In May of the following year, Nike provided a teaser of an answer with Breaking2, where Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya came within 25 seconds of the two-hour mark on the Formula One Autodromo Nationale track in Monza, Italy. Even unsuccessful, it was a striking improvement over Kimetto’s record, and running fans debated what was responsible for the two per cent time drop – the dead-flat track, the pacers, the massive car-mounted clock that also functioned as a draft vehicle, or the prototype shoe Kipchoge wore.

Hoogkamer and Kram’s next study, published that autumn with the innocuous title ‘A Comparison of the Energetic Cost of Running in Marathon Racing Shoes’, offered a more definitive assessment. The prototype shoe, compared with two top existing models – Nike’s Zoom Streak 6, and the adidas Adizero

P H O T O G R A P H BY G E T T Y I M A G ES

Pacers at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge all wore the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%.

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P H O T O G R A P H S BY T R E V O R R A A B

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exercise physiologist Ross Tucker on his Science of Sport blog.

Tucker maintains that the plate is Shoe companies market their respective midsole essentially a spring, pointing out technologies with proprietary names; but there are only a handful of underlying materials, which that this is how Nike refers to a companies tweak to their desired specifications. carbon plate in a previous patent.

What’s the tech behind the jargon, and what did RW Lost in the clamour over the testers think of it? Here’s a rundown of our favourites. benefit of the carbon plate was the role of the foam itself. In both 1. SAUCONY 2. REEBOK FLOATRIDE their initial study and an early 2018 KINVARA 10 RUN FAST FOAM: Everun / WHAT FOAM: Floatride Energy follow-up on the biomechanics IT IS: TPU, as a topsole in / WHAT IT IS: Pebax, involved, Hoogkamer and Kram the Kinvara 10 with EVA with EVA rim / WHAT pointed to one major contributor WE SAID: “A true go-fast midsole / WHAT WE SAID: “One of the lightest tempo shoe, but without to the improvements in running everyday trainers, the the harsh ride usually economy: “For now, the elastic flexibility and light weight associated with a properties of the Nike Prototype help runners chip away conventional racing flat.” at their existing PBs in shoes provide the best explanation distances from 5K to the for the metabolic energy savings.” marathon.”

In plain English: the new foam was noticeably springier, which made runners faster.

3. NIKE VAPORFLY 4. ADIDAS ADIZERO NEXT% BOSTON 7 This foam, which Nike FOAM: ZoomX / WHAT IT FOAM: Boost / WHAT IT branded ZoomX, helped usher IS: Pebax, with a carbon IS: TPU / WHAT WE SAID: in a new era in shoe design and fibre midsole plate / “Our testers were split WHAT WE SAID: “With a on whether there was materials, especially midsole more forgiving ride and enough cushioning, but foam. Although the race for a more comfortable upper several raved about overall breakthrough foam started in (than the Vaporfly 4%), comfort, saying it was the new shoe is better – great from the first run earnest in 2013 with adidas’s first even if your bib doesn’t and wrapped the foot like Boost-equipped shoe, Nike’s bold read ‘Eliud’ or ‘Gerda’.” a glove.” performance claims around the Vaporfly 4% and Next%, right down to the names, have changed the conversation. “When we → Adios Boost 2 that Kimetto used in 2014 started doing our outsoles, our focus was – reduced the metabolic cost of running by four reinventing cushioning,” says Olivier Bernhard, per cent. That saving, Hoogkamer and Kram co-founder of On Running. “Everyone you calculated, “should translate to ~3.4 per cent talk to nowadays, it’s about durability and resilience, rebound.” improvement in running velocity at marathon world-record pace (20.59 km/h)”. What’s more, As shoemakers continue to try to improve because they normalised shoe weight across performance, and research accumulates all three test samples, the benefit they found showing a modest but undeniable benefit to wasn’t from lighter weight. next-generation materials, the foam wars have only become more heated.

The study was instantly controversial. It was funded by Nike, for starters (Kram is also a paid consultant), and two Nike employees, Geng Luo and Emily Farina, were listed as co-authors.

Subsequent studies not associated with Nike RECREATIONAL RUNNER ANDY JACQUES-MAYNE IS have validated the results, although sample well aware of the shift in conversation. Jacquessizes have all been small and the resulting Mayne is a former pro cyclist, a sport that effect varied. prizes attention to technical detail and the Immediately, people questioned the role of marginal-gains ethos of seeking even the the carbon fibre plate. “Any device inserted smallest improvements in efficiency. On paper, he’s a prototypical Vaporfly buyer, noting that into the shoe, and which purports to add to energy return… should be banned,” wrote “from a performance standpoint, buying shoes

that supposedly offer free speed sounds great,” although that’s far from his only consideration.

But for Jacques-Mayne, as for a lot of runners, foam technology is an afterthought.

For almost 50 years, the primary technology in running shoes, midsole foam, has hardly changed. From Bill Bowerman’s original Nike Cortez to most of today’s shoes, the material of choice is EVA, or ethylene vinyl acetate. Only recently has that started to change.

EVA makes an ideal midsole: in foam form it’s exceptionally light and provides great cushioning. Crucially, it’s also cheap, and it’s easy to make into a foam. And with decades of experience, shoe companies and the foam manufacturers who turn the raw EVA into sheets of midsole foam or compressed midsole blanks have learned little tweaks to the formula and manufacturing that offer a seemingly endless amount of variation to how a shoe feels in stride.

But there are drawbacks: EVA’s performance is highly dependent on temperature; in hot weather it tends to feel like a marshmallow, while in cold temps the midsole hardens and loses its cushioning. It has a relatively high compression set, which means it packs out and permanently loses its cushioning quickly. And while it offers good cushioning, it isn’t great at energy return, where a sole is compressed and then rebounds, returning some of the force back to the runner.

While foam suppliers can tweak EVA’s performance, they can’t fully overcome those basic limitations, because they’re baked into its chemical composition. EVA is what’s called a random copolymer, says Polymer Solutions founder Jim Rancourt, PhD, a materials scientist with 40 years of experience in plastics, and a long-time runner. Ethylene is a hard plastic used in products such as milk bottles. Vinyl acetate is basically that white glue from primary school art class. Combine them, and get a solidbut-spongy product tuned by the ratio of each monomer. But that’s about all you can control.

“The analogy I use is Lego blocks,” Rancourt says. Say ethylene (the hard component) is blue blocks, and vinyl acetate (the soft component) is yellow. A shoemaker can ask a foam supplier to adjust the amount of each in the blend, but unlike other materials, EVA’s blue and yellow blocks will connect in a random pattern. That basic ratio is a crude way to control properties such as softness. Another method is to vary the

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 83

5. HOKA ONE ONE CARBON X

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FOAM: Profly X / WHAT IT IS: dual-

density EVA with a carbon midsole plate / WHAT WE SAID: “Cushioning is abundant and consistent throughout the length of the shoe. Midfoot strikers will like the rocker’s aggressive positioning.”

6. BROOKS GHOST 12

FOAM: DNA Loft / WHAT IT IS: EVA / WHAT WE SAID:

“It’s the shoe we

recommend to new runners because of its versatility. It has the right amount of bounce during push-off, so hips and knees aren’t jounced with pain. Uber-soft cushioning willed us to run longer than we originally planned.”

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density of the foam by putting less or more into a mould, but less dense foams generally lose their rebound characteristics more quickly.

The final option is to blend EVA with other materials, or just use something different altogether. For years shoemakers have tried to find alternatives, all the way back to Nike’s original Air Tailwind and its air cavity in 1978. In the 1980s, says Spencer White, vice president of human performance for Saucony, that company experimented with a material from DuPont called Hytrel. “It was just as bouncy and lively as the foams we’re working with now, but we never figured out how to make it inexpensive enough to make a whole midsole out of it,” he says.

By 2007, the German chemical company BASF had found a way to puff, or expand, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) into little spongy pellets that sprang back quickly when compressed. They called the product ‘Infinergy’, but struggled to identify an application for it – that is, until they worked out how to fuse the pellets into a single layer of foam, and signed an exclusive footwear licence to adidas to use it as Boost, which debuted in 2013.

84 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

But perhaps nothing has been as revolutionary as a plastic developed by the multinational chemical company Arkema, called Pebax.

LIKE A LOT OF PLASTICS, PEBAX HAS BEEN AROUND

decades. In solid form, it adds flexibility to rigid ski boot shells, and it’s used in heart catheters. But the foam form wasn’t patented until 2004, and Nike and Reebok were the first to adapt it for running shoes.

Pebax is a brand-name play on the generic name: polyether block amide (PEBA). Like TPU, it’s what’s called a block copolymer, a definition that’s essential to its advantages. To go back to Rancourt’s Lego analogy, Pebax is also made of blocks. But instead of being randomly arranged, Arkema can actually join chains of blocks of a single colour, and vary the length of those chains, alternating hard and soft sections precisely to control the amount of cushioning and rebound.

So as a product, Pebax isn’t one specific thing, says Kevin Hanrahan, chief marketing officer FOR

for Arkema’s technical polymers unit. “It’s a range from very rigid to very soft, and you can get the energy-return properties of a polyether without compromising softness.” That’s also technically the case for TPU or any other block copolymer, says Rancourt. But there are certain advantages to some over others. Weight, for instance: Arkema says Pebax is as much as 20 per cent lighter than TPU-based foams such as Boost. TPU, in turn, has the advantage of long life, since it has a lower compression set than Pebax or EVA. And both TPU and Pebax offer consistent performance in a wide temperature range. But maybe the signature advantage among these foams is Pebax’s rebound, or energy return.

‘Energy return’ is a bit of a misnomer; it’s more like ‘less energy lost’. Any foam midsole, when compressed under load, will store a certain amount of energy on a footstrike that rebounds back when the runner pushes off. Shoes with midsoles based on EVA foams have a range of energy return, depending on how they’re formulated; but generally, they top out around 65 to 70 per cent. TPUs like Boost are better, at 70 to 76 per cent. But the two best shoes Runner’s

World has ever tested in terms of energy return are the Vaporfly 4% and 4% Flyknit, which offer as much as 82 per cent return in deflection and rebound testing. (Kram and Hoogkamer measure it even higher, at 87 per cent.)

Why does energy return matter? Iain Hunter, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, found a clue that he wrote about in a June 2019 study in the Journal of Sports Sciences, where he attempted to replicate Hoogkamer and Kram’s 2018 metabolic cost comparison study. Both studies found runners had a longer stride in the Vaporfly than other shoes, which makes sense from an increased efficiency perspective: The further you travel per stride, the faster you’ll go at a given cadence.

But Hunter also measured a few parameters that the CU study didn’t, such as vertical oscillation – essentially how high the runner is bouncing with each stride. There, Hunter found that the Vaporfly led runners to bounce higher, which normally would correlate with lower running economy, “unless it’s not the body that’s generating the energy to make that happen,” Hunter says. His theory: The Vaporfly sole’s bounciness returns more of the energy to the runner than other foams, which produces a longer stride for a given amount of ground time.

Hoogkamer also thinks that because Pebax is a softer-feeling material than TPU-based Boost, there’s more compression to begin with, leading to higher rebound overall. “The actual joules, or energy units, stored in the compression phase are a lot higher because it’s such a soft shoe,” he says.

The CU study found slightly higher peak forces on impact for the Vaporfly (the opposite of the BYU study); but because the shoe is so soft, Hoogkamer theorises that it actually feels less harsh to the runner, which enables the runner to take longer strides. That may matter over the course of a season as much as during a single race. At the July 2019 Footwear Biomechanics Conference, Nike research scientist Brett Kirby presented data showing that runners wearing the Vaporfly sustained less muscle damage than a control group wearing other shoes. Reduced muscle soreness suggests they could sustain higher training loads.

Whatever the mechanism, it’s undeniably effective. In addition to the CU and BYU studies, Kyle Barnes, PhD, a professor of exercise science at Green Valley State, found similar running economy changes in a comparison with the Adizero Adios Boost 3.

And in a messier but far larger sample size, the New York Times’s Upshot examined roughly half a million marathon times from public data such as Strava, and concluded that on average, runners wearing the Vaporfly ran three to four per cent faster than similar runners in most other shoes, and one per cent faster than the next fastest shoe, Nike’s Zoom Streak. (The authors noted that “the analysis suggests that, in a race between two marathoners of the same ability, a runner wearing Vaporflys would have a real advantage.”)

As a result of all the data, and Nike’s aggressive marketing, shoe companies are racing to develop faster foams and smarter ways to use them. White says Saucony has tested dozens of foams over the years, and almost used Boost before adidas snapped up the exclusive.

On Running has its CloudTec system, and new foam formulations such as Helion. Reebok uses Pebax in its Floatride midsole. Under Armour uses a TPU foam called Infuse in its Hovr line.

Skechers’s Hyper Burst foam is a CO2-infused EVA, and the DNA AMP midsole in the Brooks

Levitate is another polyurethane foam from BASF called Elastopan. Pebax isn’t even the only PEBA out there; a similar product, called Vestamid, is available from the German chemical company Evonik. And adidas, which has been a little quiet on the foam front besides tweaked versions of its midsole tech such as Boost HD, is rumoured to be working on a new shoe that was supposedly tested at the Berlin Marathon, and which may be its answer to Pebax.

MOST RUNNERS WITHIN RANGE OF THE HALLOWED

three-hour marathon mark, if offered a simple equipment choice to knock six minutes off their time, would probably take it in an instant. But two of the downsides of Pebax foam are its cost and its high compression set. The Vaporfly 4% and Next% shoes will cost you around R4 000 – a lot of cash for a shoe that may only last a handful of races. That’s significantly more than most runners are willing to pay. “The bulk of the market has crept up a little, but [the average

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7. ASICS GT-2000 7

FOAM: FlyteFoam Lyte / WHAT IT IS: EVA with gel in heel and forefoot / WHAT WE SAID: “Among the stiffest shoes you’ll find, the GT-2000 7 still appealed to a variety of testers; it’s heavy, but doesn’t feel slow.

The cushioning doesn’t feel that soft but is substantial, the kind you’d want for pounding out kays on the roads.”

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price] is still at around R2 000,” says Saucony’s White. “In the big races you’ll see a lot of high-end shoes at the front, but it falls off pretty quickly after that.”

Beyond the cost issue, runners become loyal to shoes for many reasons, such as a shape that properly fits their feet, or the way the design supports their stride and biomechanics. A 2015 meta-review of studies of running shoes and injuries, by University of Calgary exercise scientist Benno Nigg, PhD, suggested that runners “intuitively select a comfortable product using their own comfort filter that allows them to remain in the preferred movement path”.

Foam, especially the new supersoft and bouncy stuff, seems to fit right into that ideal. But it’s an open question as to how much runners actually care about it, whether it’s called ZoomX or Boost or whatever. “I suspect most runners have no idea what we’re talking about,” says Saucony’s White. “The majority just want a good shoe that feels great.”

There’s also the still-evolving discussion about what provides the performance benefit, including the exact foam formulation, which is often a variation on the base material. Nike’s version of Pebax provides excellent energy return, for instance, but Reebok’s Pebax-based Floatride foam, used in several of its top shoes, returns values in the RW tests that you’d associate with a quality EVA shoe, but below Boost or ZoomX. And we don’t yet know how much of the improved running economy lies in other aspects of shoe design, such as air pods or carbon fibre plates, and whether that’s because those elements act as propulsive springs, or if they merely stabilise soft foams to maximise energy return. In another presentation at the Footwear Biomechanics Conference, Emily Farina of Nike’s Sports Research Lab showed data suggesting that, depending on its shape, the carbon plate in the Vaporfly might be responsible for more of the running economy improvement than researchers had thought, although the exact mechanism wasn’t explained.

If Nike – which has a division devoted to exploring questions like this – knows any more, it isn’t saying. The company declined multiple requests to make Farina and other Sports Research Lab staff available for interviews, but e-mailed back a one-line statement: “The magic of the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% and the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% is in the full system

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React foam. That shoe costs R1 300 less. and how all the elements work together, not in any single ingredient.”

Despite its competitors’ efforts – and That sounds like bland corporate jargon, calls from non-Nike athletes for equipment but there may be more to it. Among Nike’s regulations – Nike held its lead in the foam various patents around the Vaporfly is a pending wars through 2019, with Vaporflys winning application from 2018 titled ‘Stacked Cushioning the Berlin, New York and Chicago marathons, Arrangement for Sole Structure’ which looks while Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier with similar to Kipchoge’s shoes from the INEOS his latest prototype. But ultimately, runners 1:59 Challenge. The patent details a shoe design and not shoe companies will decide the fate with several distinct layers of foam, as many as of shoe technology like the Vaporfly, and three carbon fibre plates, and two pairs of fluidthose considerations come down not just to filled forefoot cushioning chambers sandwiched performance, but also to fit and even to one’s philosophical approach to the sport. between the plates. So it seems pretty clear that the plate (or plates) matter.

Mindful of the importance of on-bike form to But foam absolutely matters as well, even if his cycling career, Jacques-Mayne says he pays most runners don’t pay that much attention to close attention to his biomechanics and stride it. (It doesn’t help that shoe companies insist (midfoot, with a touch of heel). He’s run in Hoka on hype-y names like ‘ZoomX’ and ‘Boost’, and One One, adidas and Nike, among other brands, liberal use of marketing word salad to describe but trains in New Balance’s 880, for its neutral technologies they didn’t invent.) Perhaps the support and ‘just right’ amount of padding. biggest reason foam matters is the trickle down.

The Vaporfly wasn’t available when he got Pebax is expensive now, but costs may come into running, so it wasn’t among the shoes he down as foam midsole suppliers learn more tried when searching for a fit. But even now, effective production techniques. And while a he adds, he’s more interested in gains from ‘halo product’ like the Vaporfly is good marketing improved training and stride mechanics. “I was now, Nike may ultimately choose to spread its a novice runner with a huge motor, so growing R&D costs across more models, at lower prices. the mechanics and muscles to unlock speed was way more important,” he says. And he’s a little EVA, for all its drawbacks, isn’t going away: it’s still light, cheap, and easy to tweak. On wary of improvement that isn’t earned. While Running’s new Helion foam is an EVA-based the idea of knocking four per cent off his PB sounds great, he says, he hasn’t felt the need to product, says Bernhard, who adds that in the try Vaporflys. beginning, the company used a mix of EVA and polyurethane foams, but in testing found that EVA worked best with its sole structure.

8. SKECHERS GORUN 9. MIZUNO WAVE SKY On Running’s experience RAZOR 3 HYPER WAVEKNIT 3 FOAM: Hyper Burst / FOAM: Foam Wave (U4icX, suggests that future breakthroughs WHAT IT IS: CO 2 -infused U4ic, XPOP) / WHAT IT may come as much from structural EVA / WHAT WE SAID: IS: a TPU sandwich (XPOP) elements such as sole designs “CO 2 penetrates the inside two blends of EVA, EVA and yields different with Pebax used as a plate, or plates as from new foams, shapes to the internal not foam / WHAT WE although Rancourt says other cells… making it lighter, SAID: “A highly cushioned block copolymers are out there that but still responsive but firm neutral daily trainer with impressive and surprisingly wellmight provide similar performance durability.” cushioned.” characteristics to Pebax.

For all its promise, Pebax hasn’t taken over running yet. Absent 11. ON RUNNING 10. NEW BALANCE FRESH broader availability of models like CLOUDSWIFT FOAM BEACON V2 the Vaporfly, or a breakthrough FOAM: Helion / WHAT FOAM: Fresh Foam / IT IS: EVA blended with that provides significant price WHAT IT IS: EVA / WHAT block copolymers / WE SAID: “Soft, light, fast; drops, it may not. Nike itself seems WHAT WE SAID: “Unlike the Beacon delivers all to acknowledge this with shoes like cushier trainers, the three. ” Cloudswift is designed for the race-oriented Zoom Fly 3, a a firm, responsive ride.” near-clone of the Vaporfly down to the carbon plate, but made with its

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TWO OCEANS

GEAR

It’s the race you’ve been preparing for all summer. You’ve picked your shoes, tested your gear, experimented with nutrition, and you know exactly which spots need lube to stop that 35km chafe. We’ve picked Gold, Silver, and Bronze outfits to match your goals.

BY RYA N S C O T T PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES GARAGHTY

88 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

R AC E - DAY G E A R

MEDALS The top 10 finishers receive a gold medal.

Under four hours gets you a silver, five hours a Sainsbury (half silver, half bronze), and for under six hours you’ll pick up a bronze.

GOLD-MEDAL ASPIRANTS WILL have minimal gear, receive hydration and

nutrition from aid stations, and be given information on their time and splits by support teams. Short shorts and tights, skimpy vests, tight tops and lightweight shoes that can go the ultra distance are the weapons of choice for these speedsters.

MEN’S GOLD adidas OTR Singlet 3S / R399 Soft neck seam, and cut low under the arms for freedom of movement. Aeroready technology, suited to a hot day of moisture absorbing and quick drying while chasing a top-10 position. www.adidas.co.za

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adidas Runner Side Mesh Aeroready Cap / R360 Large mesh side panels assist with temperature regulation, and a padded band around the base absorbs moisture, keeping perspiration out of your eyes. www.adidas.co.za

2

Asics DynaFlyte 4 / R2 400 Lightweight, but still up for the Ultra distance of 56km. Rearfoot Gel for cushioning, and Flytefoam Lyte in the forefoot for those with an efficient forefoot strike. 211 grams, with a heel-totoe offset of 7mm. www.runstore.co.za

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adidas Alphaskin Ultralight Socks / R149 They’re called no-show socks, but do include a little tab on the heel and at the laces, which can be given a quick pull if you feel the sock is slipping at any point. www.adidas.co.za

4

Under Armour Split Shorts / R699 Short shorts with a split seam in the side, for long, fast strides. Lightweight, four-way stretch material. www.underarmour.com

5

Aspiring gold-medallers travel light – with their eyes set on a chunk of heavy gold.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 89

WOMEN’S GOLD adidas adiZero Adios 5 / R2 299 This brand-new design for the popular Adios has a Boost wedge in the heel, a reworked torsion system, and a new lightstrike foam, which will have a lot of the elite athletes lacing up in these famous racing flats. www.adidas.co.za

1

Nike Tight-Fit Tights / R599 Short legs and a waistband lock down these racing tights, which also have a zip pocket at the back for carrying an emergency gel. www.totalsports.co.za

2

Ultra Bee Muscle Rub / R139 All-natural ingredients mean your body will appreciate this invigorating balm. www.ultrabee.co.za

3

Polar Vantage M Watch / R4 999 Easy-to-see display showing pace, distance and time elapsed, to keep track of your pace and help you stick to an optimal plan for taking you to gold. www.totalsports.co.za

4

Puma Get Fast Bra / R999 Mesh inserts between the support padding keep the ventilation factor high and the weight down, and welded seams mean less chance of the tight fit you need for fast racing causing any discomfort. www.puma.co.za

5

Asics Lyte Socks 3 6 Pack / R189 For elite racers, socks you don’t know you’re wearing are the order of the day. www.sportsmanswarehouse. co.za

EV EN IN COOL TEMPER ATUR ES THE TOP WOMEN W EA R A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF GEA R. SHORT SHORTS – EV EN BIK INI CUTS – A R E THE OR DER OF THE DAY FOR GOLD MEDA L CONTENDERS.

R AC E - DAY G E A R

SILVER MEDALLISTS are usually on a strictly-planned strategy – you know what splits to run to reach your goal, and you’ve been in this territory before; so you have a good idea of what works for you.

MEN’S SILVER 9

Run Technical Road Tee / R550 A full mesh back to this tee allows for maximum ventilation, and the fourway stretch front urges you to choose a body-hugging size for optimal fit. www.runstore.co.za

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New Balance Impact Run 5-Inch Shorts / R650 An easy-access fold-over pocket on either hip and a zip pocket between the two is just enough space to pack those gels and Nuun hydration tablets.

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Falke Neon Runner Socks / R70.90 Seamless toes, ventilation channels and Drynamix fabric will assist you in staying blister-free. www.sportsmanswarehouse.co.za

3

A lot of shorts now have a small pocket specifically for stashing an emergency gel.

4

3

Ocean SI-7 Sport Sunglasses / R399 Lightweight frames, and a large-area face wrap thanks to the curvature of these polarised lenses, mean added protection from a long day in the sun. www.totalsports.co.za

9

Garmin Forerunner 45 / R3 999 Plan a strategy and stick to it, by watching your splits over each kilometre on the clear, fuss-free display, and adjusting your pace accordingly. www.totalsports.co.za

8

Rocktape Blister Kit / R199 A range of pre-cut strips to treat blisters and hot spots, and prevent chafing on toes, feet, nipples and underarms. www.rocktapeprotea. co.za

7

Nuun Hydration Tablets / R120 Containing caffeine and electrolytes. Especially helpful on a hot day, to replace what excess perspiration takes out. www.runstore.co.za

6

Puma Speed 600 2 / R2 399 There’s a lot happening in the double-layer midsole and heel, aimed at cushioning and energy return, and suited to the 50km+ challenge.

Extra eyelets allow for a personalised lacing configuration, to lock in your own personal fit. www.puma.co.za

4

Gu Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel / R45 Includes amino acids, sodium, and caffeine for that inevitable point when you need a sharp energy kick. www.runstore.co.za

5

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 91

WOMEN’S SILVER New Balance 880 V10 / R2 300 The most technical shoe N B m a n u f a c tu r e s , f o r your longest race of the year – unless you’re doing Comrades too.

The toebox is a wide fit, to give that extra space when your feet swell a little on the road. Freshfoam provides durability and responsiveness, but the 880s still come in at an impressive and lightweight 241g to 270g. www.runstore.co.za

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Colour matching can elevate your spirits. If you look good, chances are you’ll feel good.

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2

Maurten Drink Mix / R580 High in carbohydrates, and without any added flavourants, acids, colouring or preservatives. Just five natural ingredients to assist your natural abilities. www.maurtenfuel.co.za

6

Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100 / R67 and Gel 100 R57 Filled with a unique blend of fructose and glucose (at a ratio of 0.8:1), which enables the uptake of up to 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour. And the ‘Caf 100’ bit? Each serving contains 100mg of caffeine, and delivers 25 grams of carbohydrates. www.maurtenfuel.co.za

3

Under Armour Free Fit Run Cap / R449 Snug enough fit not to m ove a r o un d, b ut n o t so tight as to cause discomfort and create a hot spot. A short, narrow peak ensures your line of sight for the road and runners in front is minimally compromised. www.underarmour.com

7

4

Injinji Women’s Ultra Run Socks / R240 The individual toe fabric helps soften the impact of the Ultra distance on your feet. The narrower profile is designed specifically for the contours of a woman’s foot. www.runstore.co.za

5

92 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

Under Armour Infinity Bra / R799 A novel figure-8 padding design is injected into the breathable fabric for a more aerodynamic fit and lighter feel. The U-shaped open back allows more heat to escape from the skin. www.underarmour.com

6

Under Armour Qualifier Speedpocket 2-in-1 Shorts / R1 280 A paper-thin outer layer covers the inner tights for a great fit. The expanded and centred front pocket on the inner waistband is waterproof, keeping your stash dry with no bouncing. www.underarmour.com

7

New Balance Q Speed Jacquard SS / R649 Relaxed-fit top as an option for wearing over a sports bra. The ICEx fabric is cool and breathable, for just a light fit. www.newbalance.co.za

8

R AC E - DAY G E A R

TO BE ON THE ROAD FOR SIX HOURS requires some planning. You

might not need all this gear, but a sip between aid stations can make all the difference once you’ve passed the marathon mark.

ME ’ Stance Run Crew Feel360 Socks / R745 pack of 3 A specifically engineered arch support, and reinforced, seamless toe and heel adapt to body temperature to keep your feet cool and enhance moisture-wicking. ‘Crew’ is the long cut, halfway up the ankle. www.stance.com

1

Butta Nut Honey Almond Squeeze Pack / R14 Real food on the go, with an easy-tear nib and quick access, from pack to mouth to tummy.

Spar shops

2

3

adidas Runner Side Mesh Aeroready Cap / R360 Large mesh side panels assist with temperature regulation, and a padded band around the base absorbs moisture, keeping perspiration out of your eyes. www.adidas.co.za

Altra Paradigm 4.5 Shoes / R2 699 All Altra shoes have zero drop between heel and toe – which in this case means a lot of cushioning from front to back. If you have a wide forefoot, your feet will thank you; they’re designed to fit the natural construction of your foot. www.runstore.co.za

4

Nixon Chronograph Sometimes, all you want is a stopwatch with an easy-to-see face, that you can wear every day.

5

CHOOSE EV ERY ITEM FOR COMFORT FIRST, AND TEST IT BEFOR E R ACE DAY. Nike Dry Men’s Shorts / R399 A simply-cut 7-inch range of shorts without an inner, which gives you the space to choose your own underwear. (See page XX for some running-friendly options.) www.totalsports.co.za

6

Puma Runner ID Thermo R+ Tee / R800 This thin, soft fabric stores and releases energy, and accommodates your body shape without hugging too tightly, if you have a bigger torso than the racing whippets at the front. www.puma.co.za

7

Ultra Bee SPF 50 Sunblock / R108 Reflects the sun away from you, without the harmful effects of other sunblocks that are absorbed by the skin. Use on your nose and ears for 50% zinc oxide blockout. www.ultrabee.co.za

8

Ultra Bee Anti Chafe / R119 Reduces inflammation and is a natural antiseptic and anti-fungal, keeping the affected area sterile while preventing irritation to areas exposed to friction. www.ultrabee.co.za

9

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 93

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UNDERCOVER NOT A LL RUNN ING SHORTS H AV E A N INN ER . SO H ER E’S TH E SOLUTION – RUNNING UN DERW E A R TO FIT A N Y, ER ... SH A PE!

BY RYA N S C O T T P H O TO G R A P H S BY JA M E S G A R AG H T Y

→ UNDER ARMOUR TECH 6-INCH BOXERJOCK / R426 The ultra-thin, four-waystretch fabric provides a close fit, but still allows full range of movement.

The material is also designed to wick sweat and dry fast. A new pair is pictured, but we’ve been testing these for years and the longevity is phenomenal. www.underarmour.com

Wearing running-friendly underwear allows you to run in any shorts you choose.

MARCH/APRIL 2020 RUNNER’S WORLD 95

Merino wool, bamboo and cotton are soft, natural fibres – great for sensitive skin.

3

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Natural Fabrics NATU R A L FA BR ICS N EXT TO YOU R SK IN, W H ER E IT M AT TER S MOST? IT FELT R IGHT – SO W E TESTED IT.

MEN’S

STANCE COTTON BLEND BOXER BRIEF / R499 The longest of our undies are these 7-inch-inseam boxers made from 91% cotton, and well suited to those struggling with chafe.

In the middle, a dual-layer pouch offers support, with room to breath and a functioning fly. www.thestorestuff.co.za 1

96 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

ICEBREAKER ANATOMICA BRIEFS / R649 If traditional slim-fit briefs are your preference, the 83% merino wool from Icebreaker gives the support and comfort you’re looking for. Merino wool has an almost miraculous ability to resist odour – plus it’s renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable. www.adventureinc.com 2

CORE MERINO NUYARN BRIEF / R500 Made from our very own merino wool in South Africa, Core’s 85% merino-wool briefs we found to be stretchy, soft, and a great fit all over. We won’t try to tell you how long they’ll last – but it’s way beyond a year, even with high mileage. www.coremerino.com 3

BOODY BAMBOO BOXERS / R194 These bamboo eco-wear boxers keep everything in place with minimal constriction, thanks to soft ribbing in the fabric. The boxer cut is high, and the waistband is low cut. It really is made (80%) from a viscose created from organically grown bamboo, so it’s gentle on the planet too. www.faithfultonature. co.za 4

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You can’t run away from problems, but you can still run

BY PAU L T O N K I N S O N

CONSIDER THIS month’s offering

a thank-you letter. Generally, I’m a sturdy character. I like to be positive and aware at all times of my own ridiculousness. I like to chirp people out of a bad mood. But I’m human, so I’m flawed. I can sink quickly.

I usually find I’m vulnerable if three negative things happen at once.

One is normal – most people have at least one problem on the family/ work front. Two can be tiring, but I can usually find solace somewhere.

Recently, I had the trifecta: a deeply draining work issue, a family roadblock that was creating a spiking anxiety, and then, from nowhere, a devastating piece of news that pulled the rug from under everything and everybody in my immediate environment. I’m fine, I hasten to add. It was nothing that affected my health or that of my immediate circle, but the combination of these

98 RUNNER’S WORLD MARCH/APRIL 2020

three elements pushed me out of my normal state of mind into a fugue.

Darkness fell. I wanted to be alone, to close the curtains and retire for the week, but I knew that was the very worst thing to do. I had to get out. Salvation lay in the simplest of human interactions. Chat to people.

Have a coffee. Run. I’m not here to tell you running is a magic cure. I know it’s not. You return and the problems remain. I’m just sharing a run I had recently. I really didn’t want to run but knew deep down that I had to.

So I put on my kit and headed out the door. It’s important to report that I didn’t instantly feel better. The first few minutes were hard. I felt drained and lacking in strength. I was also angry, and that’s draining in itself. The family issue is something that’s been bubbling for years; I was lost for a while in composing

THE BIG QUESTIONS

By John Carroll Q. Should I take mid-run selfies?

A. If there are other runners nearby and you risk injuring yourself or someone else, no. However, If you are running in splendid isolation, also no.

Q. When I am running, do I play music or not?

A. If you’re a member of a brass band, no, because carrying a tuba will interfere with your gait. If you mean listening to music by means of a personal music player of some description, very well. But don’t assume everyone else wants to hear it. Assume they do not.

demented emails that proved my point, extremely detailed diatribes that will never be sent, and shouldn’t be. Nevertheless, they took up all my energy as the first kilometre passed into the second. This urge to prove myself right was hard to shake – a selfish mania that hindered my stride as I leant into the first biggish hill. I was in the woods now, alone, bullheaded and slow. I was annoyed with the issue itself and annoyed that it was ruining my run. I was amazed by the relentless rage invasion in my head. It was affecting my entire body – my legs were leaden, I could barely pick up my feet.

Then, at the top of a hill, I came to a standstill. To run, for me, is to escape to another reality. To stop is to punctuate it with something like a conclusion. This time, the overriding impression was that I was sick of it all – the issue, myself, the sheer waste of it. I breathed deeply, I knew I had to let it go. Stop constructing the case for the defence. Get over yourself. Is it as simple, I wondered, as to just stop being a dickhead?

This made me laugh, and I set off slightly lighter.

The next part of the route is a bit complicated so I had to concentrate on my foot placement, and this helped as well. Angry thoughts returned sporadically, but with less intensity. By the time I hit the last kay and a half I was flowing more, my body was looser. My pace increased. I was still a bit annoyed but it was something I could work with. To be fanciful for a second, at moments like this you are no longer running, running is you. It’s a seam of soft power that you feel you could extend forever, like riding a wave. A wonderful, limitless energy allowed me to ramp up the pace faster and faster, leaving me washed up and exhilarated on the doorstep. I was gone, but something in me had come back. The run reassembled me.

The problems are still there, some of which I can’t control. But the things I can? Let’s do it. There are bridges to build. The process of the run has freed me from the tyranny of proving my own rightness. Let’s get through this, whatever it takes. Thank the lord for the emails that remained unsent. Thank you, running.

ILLUSTRATION BY PIETARI POSTI

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