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1. The science behind the runner's high:
Have you ever finished a run and felt like you could take on the world? Or returned from a jog in a better mood or with greater mental clarity than when you set out? Then you’ve likely experienced the ‘runner’s high’ and will understand why, during times of stress or needing to calm a busy mind, running seems the perfect remedy.
"It begins with this peace of mind and then a greater ease of movement, a sense of power and confidence, optimism and hope, and you will often hear runners describe feeling loving and connected to everyone and everything," explains Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist, educator and author of The Joy of Movement. "So, what could possibly be going on in the body and the brain that would make you feel powerful, hopeful, faster, more confident and more loving?"
Speaking during this week's World Athletics 'Run Anywhere' Webinar in collaboration with Mass Participation World, McGonigal answered that question, plus many more.
"It turns out that it’s caused by a really reliable change in brain chemistry that kicks in once you have been in continuous motion for about 20 minutes and it’s not only the endorphin rush that so many people have heard about," McGonigal explains, as she delves into the science behind the runner’s high.
More...from World Athletics.
2. A Single Session of Moderate-Intensity Exercise Benefits Your Cells in a Big Way:
It may stimulate your mitochondria, which is responsible for turning fuel into energy. Here’s why that’s important.
One session of moderate aerobic exercise can charge up your cells, according to a recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Exercise may stimulate small changes in mitochondria-which is responsible for turning fuels like fats and sugar into energy-and when stacked up over time, could increase efficiency in fuel metabolism.
If you’re starting an exercise routine for the first time or getting back into it after a winter break (or, let’s face it, a pandemic year), here’s some good news to keep you motivated: Just one session of moderate aerobic exercise can charge up your cells, according to a recent study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Researchers recruited 15 women and men in their 20s and 30s, who reported being generally sedentary, and had them ride a stationary bike for an hour at a moderate intensity.
More...from Runner's World.
3. Race Ready: Training From Home During the Build Phase:
The 2021 race season is looking promising, but not everyone’s going back to the gym just yet. If you’re starting to put events back on your calendar, here are some tips on how to train for a race from home.
As race season creeps around the corner, many of our usual approaches for building into the summer have changed. Training camps aren’t happening, gyms aren’t opening, swimming pools are still shut, and the open water is cold! How do you train for race season when your typical training methods are unavailable?
Make Training From Home as Easy as Possible
Irrespective of COVID, training during the build phase needs to be as easy and enjoyable as possible. I am a big fan of creating an environment that enables performance. This may be a turbo trainer that’s set up efficiently, finding a swim squad that allows you to train without navigating around recreational swimmers, or batch cooking to ensure you have plenty of quality meals. It’s about making your training life easier, less stressful, and more enjoyable.
More...from Training Peaks.
4. ASICS METASPEED Sky Performance Review:
What You Need To Know
Weighs 7 oz. (198 g) for a US M9.0 / 5.8 oz. (164 g) for a US W7.5
Carbon-plated racer featuring all-new Flytefoam Blast Turbo midsole (uh, it’s sweet)
Excellent outsole grip modeled after the ASICS trail line
Okay for real, ASICS is going full Jaime Lannister "Kingslayer" on this one
ROBBE: Let’s just get the elephant out of the room: Nike has straight-up dominated the race day scene with both the Vaporfly and Alphafly NEXT%, and everybody knows it. You know it, elite sponsored athletes in blacked-out Nikes know it, and every company wedging a slice of carbon into a midsole knows it. Sure there have been some solid competitors, and a few people prefer those, but nothing has really touched that initial high of running in plated ZoomX.
Until now. Enter the ASICS METASPEED.
MEAGHAN: While we were all busy "working from home" in 2020, ASICS was knee-deep researching running speed. From those studies and results emerged two brand new ‘super’ shoes: the METASPEED Sky and METASPEED Edge. The oversimplified science is this: METASPEED Sky is for the runner who extends their stride when running faster and the METASPEED Edge is for the runner who increases their stride and cadence (steps) when running faster. Most runners probably fall into the former camp (we all know how much our cadence sucks). In any case, both METASPEED shoes are meant to be worthy competitors to the NEXT% and/or any other racing shoe out there.
More...from Beleive in the Run.
5.New Season, New Shoes?
Dear Readers,
I like running in the cold - I really do - but I also realize that convincing yourself to run in temperatures below the freezing mark isn’t for everybody, and may have been especially hard this winter. But I’m seeing more runners outside on my routes now. Welcome, runners, to spring.
Whether you kept slogging out miles in the cold, or you’re coming back to running after taking a few months off, look down at your feet. Do you need a new pair of running shoes?
Talya Minsberg of our Sports section recently put together a great, short guide on how to shop for running shoes. Selecting the right shoes does not just mean buying what your best friend wears. I’ve been wearing Mizunos for road running and Hokas for trail running almost exclusively since I started running, but I would never simply recommend either brand for you - although a lot of you have asked for recommendations! - because I don’t know your feet. I don’t know whether you pronate, or if you have high or flat arches, and a dozen other things that those who work at running stores take into account when recommending shoes.
Of course there are exceptions. We all know someone who runs in Converse high tops, or the same pair of sneakers they’ve had since high school. The barefoot running trend hasn’t entirely gone away either. But if you’re not sure about your shoes, or if they’re about as old as the pandemic, check out Minsberg’s guide. And if you are shopping for other running gear, Wirecutter, a product recommendation company owned by The New York Times, has advice.
Also, we want to make sure this newsletter meets your needs, and we’re trying to understand just what those needs are. It would be helpful if you could take three minutes to answer the questions in this survey.
Thanks so much, and if you’re celebrating Easter tomorrow, have a wonderful holiday!
Run Well!
Jen A. Miller
Author, "Running: A Love Story"
NYTimes.com.
6. What's the next big thing for fitness wearables?
The next generation of activity trackers will do way more than count your steps
Counting your steps is so… pre-pandemic. Can that band on your wrist measure your heart rate? Can it monitor your blood pressure? Does it detect early symptoms of Covid-19? Today’s latest and greatest fitness wearables can already do some of that, but even they’re but a tiny taste of the data-driven complexities of your next fitness wearable.
Here’s why we’re entering a brave new world for wearables - and what you can expect to be strapping to your body in the years to come.
The last year has seen many of us take our fitness into our own hands and into our own homes. We’re working from home and we’re working out at home.
Not surprisingly we’re buying more fitness wearables and we’re demanding more from them. "Wellbeing, fitness and activity tracking became a priority for many," says Leo Gebbie, Senior Analyst for Wearables and XR at CCS Insight, about the Covid-19 pandemic.
More...from TechRadar.
7. 5 ways to improve your recovery from injury:
The fluctuating highs and lows of sport were brought into stark contrast for professional triathlete Claire Hann recently. Twelve months after winning her first IM 70.3 in Jonkoping, Claire suffered an ankle injury that scuppered her training plans during the pandemic-induced lockdown.
Claire has written about her battles with "imposter syndrome", the frustrations of a lengthy recovery process and what she's learned from a challenging experience...
The dangers of returning from injury too soon
One of the key things that my coach and I discussed at the start of lockdown was the importance of being cautious with my run training because getting injured during this period (i.e. with all training being so different and no 'hands on' physio care) would be very frustrating.
I have weird flipper feet, which were great in my past life as a butterfly swimmer, but not so great for running! As a result, I have a propensity for lower leg injuries.
To try and prevent these injuries I do strength and conditioning work in the gym twice a week, including a short lower limb focused circuit, which has really helped with my Achilles and calf.
More...from Precision Hydration.
8. The Little Sugar Blues Synopsis:
If world governments and healthcare organizations were as diligent with addressing the fallout from sugar addiction as they have been with COVID-19, we’d be thriving in a wonderful, healthy and economically stable world.
In case you missed it, sugar has hijacked our world. From COVID and overfat, to the dumbing down of our brains and global economic disasters, we no longer need to connect the dots.
Most people now know that sugar is more than just bad for your health - it’s also highly addictive. Yet at least 80 percent of the world’s population has been seriously harmed by it - as indicated by the prevalence of overfat pandemic.
To put things in perspective, consider that sugar is the new tobacco. You wouldn’t give cigarettes to children, so why sugar? Governments subsidize sugar and other junk food, and there are even certified organic versions.
More...from Dr. Phil Maffetone.
9. The Importance of Hydration When Fueling With Salty and Sugary Snacks:
The more processed foods you eat, the more likely you are to be dehydrated, new research finds.
New research suggests you shouldn’t consider only activity level when gauging hydration needs-take a look at your plate, too.
The more processed foods you eat-such as ice cream, mass-produced breads, cookies, and most breakfast cereals-the more likely you are to be dehydrated, since these foods tend to have very low water content.
If you are fueling with processed foods, be sure to watch your hydration levels, as well.
Whether you’re prerun or midrace, you know how important hydration is to your performance-a statement backed up by studies like this one and this one. But new research suggests you shouldn’t consider only activity level when gauging hydration needs.
Take a look at your plate, too.
More...from Runner's World.
10. Born to Be Lazy? What Bears Can Teach Us About Our Exercise Habits:
Scientists have found that grizzlies, like people, seem to choose the path of least resistance.
Grizzly bears move across landscapes in much the same way as most people do, favoring flat paths over slopes and gentle speeds over sprints, according to a remarkable new study of grizzlies and how their outdoor lives compare to ours.
The study, which involved wild and captive bears, a specialized treadmill, apple slices and GPS trackers, expands our understanding of how a natural drive to save energy shapes animals’ behavior, including ours, and could have implications for health and weight management. The findings also help explain why, in the great outdoors, the paths of bears and people so often intersect, providing useful reminders about wilderness planning and everyone’s safety.
More...from the New York Times.
11. Job Guide for Women in Sports :
Sports serve as a powerful force in our modern world. From a young age, many of us participate in school or community sports leagues, and through that participation we learn countless life skills that we can take into any career we choose. In fact, you can even carry over your skills and knowledge from high school athletics into a rewarding career in the sports industry - you just need to know what options are available and what challenges you may face along the way.
Why Choose a Career in Sports?
If you’re a sports enthusiast or a full-blown athlete, then chances are you’ve considered a career in sports. After all, why not pursue a career that you’re passionate about? Although passion alone doesn’t make a career, it absolutely makes your work feel more exciting and personally meaningful.
Of course, there’s a fair share of excitement with a career in sports too! The industry generates nearly $90 billion per year worldwide, and the industry continues to boom. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of sports has found creative ways to still entertain the masses, and the ever-growing world of eSports has only continued to thrive during turbulent times.
More...from SportsDegreesOnline.
12. Does drinking cold drinks in hot weather improve performance?
Precision Hydration founder and Sports Scientist Andy Blow explains what effect the temperature of a drink can have on your performance in hot conditions...
Can hot drinks cool you down in hot weather?
As a youngster I recall my Dad telling me to have a cup of hot tea if I ever complained about the temperature in the summer, because this would allegedly cool me down.
At the time, I thought this was one of the dumbest things I’d ever heard but, as it turns out, there may be some solid scientific evidence to support this old wives’ tale (so I owe you a big apology for rolling my eyes on this one Dad!).
In conditions where humidity is low and the evaporation of sweat is very efficient, it’s been demonstrated that drinking a hot beverage can cause a disproportionately large sweating response to the actual rise in core body temperature. So, there’s a net heat loss from the body as this extra sweat evaporates.
More...from Precision Hydration.
13. Food and Mood: Carbohydrate Is Not Just for Muscles:
This is an excerpt from High-Performance Nutrition for Masters Athletes by Lauren Antonucci.
Another important area of interest is decreased mood accompanying a low carbohydrate diet or a state of low carbohydrate availability. Achten and colleagues (2004) studied runners on both high carbohydrate (8.5 g/kg/day) and low-carbohydrate (5.4 g/kg/day) diets and found clear evidence of both better physical performance and improved mood state on the higher carbohydrate diet despite matched total energy intakes on both (i.e., higher fat, higher protein intake to make up for lower carb intake). In addition to improved global mood with adequate total carbohydrate intake, these studies found decreased incidence and reports of fatigue (lower RPE) in athletes, both during exercise and at rest on higher carb diets. They noted that others have studied this and found similar results in swimmers, rowers, cyclists, and runners. Such studies support the idea that training in a low carbohydrate state may play an important role in the development of overreaching in athletes. Knowing this, it is paramount that athletes and those working with them ensure adequate total carbohydrate intake daily in order to reduce risk of overreaching as well as to maintain adequate mood state and performance during training sessions.
More...from Human Kinetics.
14. How Should Your Workouts Feel:
Fine tune your training efforts by learning the specific ways each type of workout - steady state, tempo, VO2 max - should feel.
Training plans are filled with instructions to run at threshold, VO2max, steady state, cruise, marathon pace… the list goes on. Even if you know what these terms mean, there is still the task of understanding what they feel like, which is the most effective way to gauge your effort in each type of workout.
The ability to properly adjust your effort as an experienced runner is critical when you’re pushing for that last one percent improvement to break through a plateau. When you learn to comprehend exactly what certain workouts should feel like, you can easily adjust for weather conditions, workout days when you’re not on your game, and any other wrench that might get thrown into your training.
Here, we’ll explore three important types of workouts - steady runs, tempo runs, and VO2 max work - and how to properly "feel" the proper pace and effort while doing them.
More...from Podium Runner.
15. The Benefits of Listening to Music Before a Strength Workout, According to New Research:
Jamming out for a few minutes before a gym session can boost your power and endurance.
Listening to your favorite music for a few minutes before a strength training session can boost your power and endurance, according to a new study.
Music can increase not only your desire to exercise, but may even induce your "fight or flight" response, and that, in turn, could maximize your muscular force.
If you feel like you train more effectively while you’re listening to a sweet playlist, you might be right.
A small study published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills on bench press exercises found that those who listened to music for a few minutes before lifting showed more power and endurance than those who prepped in silence.
More...from Runner's World.
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