Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2024 i Canadian Running

Can a good book take the place of a revitalizing run? We’ve all been there—sitting with a coach’s strict orders to take a rest day, but craving the relaxation and escape we think only a run can provide. Dr. Katherine Gardhouse would never have you skip a rest day. To reap mental benefits similar to those from a run, Gardhouse, who is a clinical and health psychologist with Hamilton’s eFit Institute (which bills itself as Canada’s first mental health gym), recommends losing yourself in a good book. “The act of running, and the act of reading,” she says, “engage the brain in distinct, yet overlapping ways.” The key is neuroplasticity, which, put simply, is the brain’s ability to form new connections. According to Gardhouse, because of the ways that both…

Your hips were designed to be mobile. Characterized by a ball and socket, the hip joint can display a large range of motion in all three planes (abduction/adduction, hip flexion/extension, external and internal rotation). Picture a baby’s ability to freely go into standard yoga poses like the pigeon, downward dog or the deep yoga squat, and you’ll get a better idea of the mobility of your hips. However, with aging, genetics, prolonged sitting and the particular postural demands required in certain sports, your hips may lose their ability to move through their ideal range. A lack of hip mobility may lead to low back pain, altered running mechanics and a higher potential for overuse running injuries. Improve your hip mobility while simultaneously improving your strength with this specialized, weighted hip…

Back in 2012, when the minimalist running movement was at its peak, Harvard researcher Daniel Lieberman and his colleagues published an analysis of injury patterns on the university’s cross-country team. Runners who landed on their heels seemed to be about twice as likely to sustain an injury as those who landed on their forefoot. It was a small, non-randomized study, but many observers figured it was just the first salvo in a forthcoming avalanche of evidence that would prove heel-striking was bad for runners. The problem, Lieberman hypothesized, was that landing on your heels produces a sudden jolt of deceleration that travels up your body and leads to injury. In the years that followed, running researchers looked for ways of measuring and reducing this impact shock. One approach was to…

The Great Wall Marathon is not a place you go for a personal best or even a moderately fast time. It’s a place you go for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of covering 42.2K on the Great Wall of China, one of the seven modern Wonders of the World, on foot, supported by enthusiastic locals. It’s also more challenging than your average road marathon, in that the surface is cobblestones, and there is significant elevation gain (runners ascend about 500 metres at three different points in the race). The views and history are unmatched. The Great Wall Marathon will see its next running on May 17, 2025. The race requires all entrants to purchase a package that includes travel, transportation, certain meals and hotel, in addition to their race entry. Carla Parsons,…

Editor Anne Francis anne@runningmagazine.ca Senior Editors Alex Hutchinson, Kevin Mackinnon Staff Writers Marley Dickinson, Madeleine Kelly, Keeley Milne, Cameron Ormond 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 Social Media Nikita van Dijk nikita@gripped.com 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 Manager Joel Vosburg joel@gripped.com Circulation Manager Robyn Milburn robyn@gripped.com SUBSCRIBE Send $26.95 (1 year) or $49.95 (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 web at…

While there is no doubt that exercise is healthy, the physical stress of intense exercise temporarily lowers immunity. As a result, runners have an increased risk of getting sick following hard training or competition. Luckily, to counteract this exercise-induced immunity dip, there are nutrition interventions that can help prevent illness. Eat enough calories Low energy availability (LEA) occurs when not enough calories are consumed to cover the calories expended through exercise. Athletes with LEA may show impaired immunity and have an increased risk of getting sick. Runners should consider meeting with a registered dietitian trained in sports nutrition to ensure adequate calorie intake, as each runner will have unique calorie requirements and calorie needs will vary day to day, depending on training and competition. Prioritize carbohydrates during long training sessions…

While preparing for the 2022 Boston Marathon, Tokyo Olympic marathon bronze medallist Molly Seidel did the unthinkable: she made her Strava private. Seidel pointed out privacy concerns over strangers showing up at her frequent running spots and sharing in-depth analyses of her training plans based on her Strava data. Apps like Strava have significant benefits, including the ability to share training progress with friends, peers and teammates. Studies of Strava users in collegiate running clubs across the U.S. indicated that runners drew motivation from presenting their activities to colleagues. But there are times when disconnecting can have positive effects on your training (quite apart from the privacy concerns). The same study of collegiate runners found the potential for improved performance when the element of social pressure is removed. Additional research…

“If you embrace it, there’s no more incredible feeling than a run in a good winter storm, with the snow swirling down, so soft and fluffy and magical,” says Willa Martire, co-founder of the Canadian shoe brand, Norda. “It can be so exceptionally beautiful.” Good news: for most Canadians, running outside in relative comfort year-round is possible, thanks to a multitude of gear options. While it’s an initial investment in winter-specific clothing and shoes, the gear you do buy will last a long time, and you only need a few key pieces to stay warm on the run. Here, we asked experts to weigh in on the most important pieces of gear you need, from head to toe—and what to look for when purchasing. GET YOUR HEAD STRAIGHT When you…

Canada’s Marianne Hogan claims her second UTMB podium After battling to a heroic second-place finish in 2022 while managing a torn psoas muscle, Bedford, Que.’s Marianne Hogan spent a good part of 2023 injured and rebuilding her fitness. But on Aug. 31, it was clear she was back to top form as she arrived back in Chamonix in third place behind 2022 champion Katie Schide of the U.S. (who broke Courtney Dauwalter’s course record, finishing in 22 hours, nine minutes and 31 seconds) and New Zealand’s Ruth Croft (22:48:37). Hogan was in second position for much of the race, but was passed by Croft after falling and breaking her finger; her time was 23:11:15. Vincent Bouillard of France was the dark-horse winner of the men’s race (19:54:23—the fifth fastest time…

Social media feeds are filled with runners and athletes touting cold plunges and ice baths as essential for recovery, and dozens of specialized ice bath tubs and barrels are available. But studies measuring their effectiveness for recovery show conflicting results. A recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests a hot bath may yield better outcomes for muscle recovery. The aim of the study was to examine the effects of a hot-, cold-, or warm-water bath on neuromuscular recovery after muscle damage created by an exercise task. Participants were males in their early 20s who trained for six or more hours a week. On the first day of the study, researchers measured quadriceps muscle isokinetic strength (the force a muscle creates when the speed of the…

Winter is when races careen from the cosy, coddling courses of autumn into a forbidding tundra that both terrifies and exhilarates. It’s in this frozen landscape that the most extreme races are forged—competitions that take things to unsettlingly unconventional extremes, like sporting the scariest name or boasting the largest field of hungover revellers. From a race season positively steeped in superlatives, here’s a sampling of extreme cold-weather races that boast the most—for reasons silly and chillingly serious—and strategies for making the most of them. THE WILDEST Polar Bear Marathon Nov. 23, 2024 Churchill, Man. Distances: 21.1 km, 42.2 km, 50 km albertmartens.com An event where vehicles tail runners in case a polar bear wanders onto the course truly deserves the title of winter’s wildest race. Beginning from Churchill, Man., the…

Our winter shoe review includes regular trainers (for mild winter conditions and indoor running), winter road shoes (which have water-resistant or waterproof uppers and outsoles designed for running on snow and ice) and trail-running shoes, some of which may also work well for winter road running. Just keep in mind that most trail shoes don’t have reflective elements, so consider a headlamp or reflective vest when running on roads in the dark. NEW & INNOVATIVE Altra FWD VIA CATEGORY: NEUTRAL CUSHIONING MEN’S: 274 g (9.7 oz.) WOMEN’S: 234 g (8.3 oz.) OFFSET/DROP: 4 mm STACK HEIGHT: 37 mm/33 mm $200 The brand is calling the FWD Via an update to the Via Olympus max-stack road trainer, but it’s really a whole new shoe. Now with a 4 mm heel/toe offset,…