Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2021 i Canadian Running

Canadians have been headed to World Majors in Boston, Chicago, London and New York, and even some races here at home this fall, and it’s great to see the return of in-person racing. We’ve been starved of the opportunity to test ourselves against others for such a long time that most of us will gladly accept the minor inconveniences of masking and social distancing for the chance to race again. Though fully recovered from my knee surgery last December, I felt it was too ambitious to target a fall marathon this year, so instead I chose to run a 30-km leg of the Monarch Ultra from St. Catharines to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., in September. It was great to be part of this admirable project and to share a long run with…

Just about every running program, regardless of the racing distance, incorporates hill training. Why? Hill training improves power, sharpens your form and helps your mental game. Just think of the song by Daft Punk: “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” – that’s the type of runner you’ll be if you run hills regularly. The workout below is inspired by a tough weekly hill workout from my cross-country season in university. Our coach combined A, B and C form drills with hill sprints. It’s aimed at improving running form, foot quickness and lower-leg reactive strength and power, not to mention improving aerobic capacity. THE WORKOUT Find a hill with a moderate grade that you can run up in 20 to 30 seconds. Jog cautiously down the hill after each exercise. Land softly and…

To run the distance events well, you need a mix of strength, endurance and top-end speed. The most effective sessions to prepare for a 5k or 10k have a mix of intervals that work on both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, as they require a blend of speed and strength. Training the body to handle changes of pace is key to running well in these events, and my favourite workouts are intervals with pace changes or sessions that touch on several different paces. A very strong finishing kick is also a good skill to have, at any level of racing. This workout alternates between 10k pace and 3k pace, working on strength, endurance and speed. This would be a key session that I would do before a 5,000m or…

“I felt a lot of joy and a lot of relief,” Andre De Grasse declares with that smile that has endeared him to Canadians across the country. He’s remembering the magical moment when he captured the Olympic 200m gold medal in Tokyo. “Bronze and silver are great – I was really happy with my performances in Rio and at the world championships. But I always felt I could do better than that, so it was a relief to finally get that gold. “I didn’t want to be known as someone who always won bronze and silver. It happened in Rio and then at the world championships in Doha. I have multiple silver and bronze medals. I just wanted to finally get that gold.” It was a huge relief for De…

FOR THE ROAD WARRIOR RUNNER:  Avery Garrett-Patterson of Toronto TOPS:The North Face Women’s Wander 1/4 Zip, $75 Under Armour Outrun the Storm Jacket, $140 BOTTOMS: Lululemon Fast and Free Hi-Rise Tight 25", $138–$148 GLOVES: Smartwool Merino 250 Pattern Glove, $50 SHOES: Asics Gel 1130, $130 SOCKS: Smartwool PhD Pro Endurance, $32 EARBUDS: Apple Air Pods Pro $329 NUTRITION: Runner’s Protein $40 FOR THE TREADMILL TRAINER RUNNER Sergio Ráez Villanueva of Mississauga, Ont. TOP: Roark Willow Long-sleeve Knit Atlas Tie Dye $90 BOTTOMS: Lululemon Surge Short 6" Lined $68 SHOES: Nike Vomero 16 $190 SOCKS: Stance Light Cushion Crew Height $22 EARBUDS: Bose Sport Open Earbuds $249 FOR THE TRACKIE TOP: Brooks Fusion Hybrid Jacket $140 BOTTOMS: Under Armour Empowered Tights $110 HEADWEAR: Saucony Solstice Headband $30 GLOVES: Brooks Fusion Midweight Glove $34 SHOES:…

Editor Anne Francis anne@runningmagazine.ca Senior Editors Alex Hutchinson, Kevin Mackinnon Contributing Editor Christopher Kelsall Staff Writers Marley Dickinson, Brittany Hambleton, Madeleine Kelly Photo Editor Matt Stetson matt.stetson@gripped.com Copy Editor Amy Stupavsky Art Director Warren Wheeler (Roseander Main) layout@runningmagazine.ca Production Artist Warren Hardy Web Development Sean Rasmussen Digital Operations Dmitry Beniaminov Publisher Sam Cohen sam@gripped.com Editorial Director David Smart dave@gripped.com Advertising & Sales Andre Cheuk andre@gripped.com Account Managers Joel Vosburg joel@gripped.com Lorena Jones lorena@gripped.com Circulation Manager Robyn Milburn robyn@gripped.com Social Media Nikita van Dijk nikita@gripped.com SUBSCRIBE Send $22.95 (1 year) or $39.95 (2 years) to Canadian Running magazine PO Box 819 Station Main Markham, ON, Canada L3P 8L3 or call: 1.800.567.0444 SUBMIT Manuscripts, photographs and other correspondence are welcome. Please contact Canadian Running magazine for contributors’ guidelines, or see them on the…

There may not be much we can do to influence our different physiques, varying levels of talent or our level of access to coaching and training facilities. But beyond those, here are some easy tweaks for maximizing your results on the road, track or trail. Train consistently If you’re content simply to run for enjoyment, to be outside or to support another sport, it doesn’t really matter how often or how far you run. But if you have a goal race, choosing a training plan that properly prepares you for that race is key. If you’re looking to improve your times and race results, you should train a few times a week, every week of a training cycle. Training even when you don’t feel like it and staying consistent will…

Kat Drew was the first Canadian at this year’s Western States 100-mile Endurance Run. Dave Proctor, the Canadian 24-, 48-, and 72-hour running record holder, is planning his second attempt to run across Canada in 2022. And in August, elite marathoner Reid Coolsaet won his first ultra, the Quebec Mega Trail 110k. Such long journeys! But you don’t necessarily need to run long in training to be prepared for an ultra, says David Roche, coach of Colorado-based Some Work, All Play (swap) Running. According to Roche, training for any distance comes down to a few principles: consistency, terrain and speed – and these don’t change just because you’re moving up in distance. For most people, that means running at least four to five days a week, including back-to-back weekend runs.…

As my airplane pitched shakily out of Marrakesh, I looked down on the sultry sands of southern Morocco. I had just finished the brutal week-long Marathon des Sables, which snakes across the Sahara Desert for 250 km, and I found myself suffering from that age-old running affliction: race fatigue. I loved the physical challenge of scrambling up and down mountains, bounding across deserts and running in the wake of some of the finest endurance athletes on the planet. On the other hand, I didn’t want to become one of those razor-thin ultrarunners perennially signing up for endurance events in my 40s and 50s, only to watch my performances get slower and slower. I made a secret bargain with myself. When I got home, I would take one last bite at…

When British Columbia runner Brittney Tracey first headed out to run/walk around her community, she had no idea that running would eventually become central to her life. For years, she ran a single 5-km loop around Sparwood, the small coal-mining town where she was born and raised, never imagining that she would become a leader in the running communities in both Sparwood and Invermere. Or that she would some day start her own race, and become a certified running coach. But she certainly loves the path she’s on. Tracey, a mom of two, began running as many young mothers do – to gain some fitness after having her first son. She explains that the goal of losing weight faded quickly as she began to experience other benefits from her runs.…

Apple Apple Watch Series 7  $529 This month Apple introduces a bigger, bolder Apple Watch, with Series 7, which features the biggest and most advanced retina display yet. Runners who have used previous versions of the watch will welcome the improvements, which also include a more rounded case shape and a better, brighter interface with redesigned buttons and nearly 50 per cent more information on the screen. The new watch is also more durable, with a more crack-resistant front crystal and an IPX6 dust-resistance rating, plus faster charging. There are also some major updates to the brand’s Fitness+ workouts, launched in 2020, which are designed exclusively for Apple Watch users (who can also view them on iPhone and iPad). The 1,200-plus workouts in the Fitness+ library now include Pilates, guided…

As a society, we are obsessed with burning fat. Some want to burn fat to lose weight or look lean, while others want to burn fat because they think it will make them faster. But these approaches are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what fat oxidation means. What is fat oxidation? Fat is stored in the body in the form of triglycerides – molecules made up of three fatty acids held together by a glycerol backbone. Triglycerides must be broken down into their component fatty acids to be used as a fuel source, and the process of breaking down triglycerides into fatty acids is known as fat oxidation (or fat burning). Why burn fat? Carbohydrate stores are very limited in the body, accounting for about 1,800 to 2,000 calories…

A major new review in the journal Sports Medicine from researchers in France, Tunisia and Germany bolsters the scientific case for one of life’s great pleasures. Afternoon naps, the accumulated evidence suggests, seem to enhance recovery and counteract the negative effects on physical performance of missed sleep. This may seem obvious, since sleep is widely hailed as the cheapest and most versatile performance-enhancer available – but the details, it turns out, are a little more complicated. How serious is it? Anyone who read UC Berkeley sleep scientist Matthew Walker’s 2017 bestseller Why We Sleep will have come away with a healthy respect for the dangers of insufficient sleep as a risk factor for dementia, heart attacks, cancer and other serious health problems. And it’s bad for running, too. “Obtain anything…

Quebec’s Eastern Townships, situated south and east of the St. Lawrence, have become a big tourist draw, thanks to their hiking and running trails and the close proximity to Montreal of towns like Magog, Sutton and Bromont. There’s a plethora of running options that are perfect for a quick training run, a full day trip or even an overnight stay at a cosy local B&B. Many of the paths in the area also connect to quaint historic towns or give you access to local lakes, picnic areas and tasty cafés. Easy Le Grand-Tour, Yamaska National Park The provincial park was created in 1983 to protect the local land and wildlife. This 19-km loop is the lengthiest offering in the park, whose well marked and well maintained trails all start at…

“We run …,” calls one of the coaches. “Dundas!” comes the response in unison from the members of Dundas Run Club as they pump their fists in the air. The rule is unwritten, but it’s understood that no one leaves a run until the group cheer has happened. Dundas is a community within the City of Hamilton. Known as the Valley Town, it has many roads that are perfect for hill training. Its quiet streets and the central Dundas Driving Park lend themselves well to speed workout loops. Perhaps the real gem, though, is the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail and all its offshoots through the beautiful Dundas Conservation Area – a trail runner’s dream. These ideal settings were just part of what led personal trainer Kristina Plachecki to start…