Innehållsförteckning för November 2013 från Runner's World

LOCATION Arrow Canyon, Nevada RUNNER Stacey Pearson THE EXPERIENCE This 2.5-mile path, located about an hour’s drive from Las Vegas, threads through the vertical canyon walls of the Mojave Desert’s Arrow Range before releasing into a valley of mesquite thickets and catclaw acacia. “I feel detached from civilization here,” Pearson says. “The serene spot lets me feel present in the moment. It’s truly a getaway.” FOR DIRECTIONS, RESOURCE INFORMATION, AND DOWNLOADABLE WALLPAPER IMAGES, VISIT RUNNERSWORLD.COM/RAVERUN.…

In our September issue, we asked you to step into our photo editors’ shoes and Instagram your personal Rave Run shots. These locales gave us runner envy. To see the rest of the submissions or add your own, search the hashtag #myraverun. It’s tough living in #tahoe, but someone’s gotta do it. #myraverun #tahoelife @lclindley Summer rain makes me feel fine...#centralpark #nyc #myraverun @jerzeyjesus #RACEFACE This month, in honor of fall racing season, we want to see your laughout-loud-worthy race photos. From the good, the bad, and the ugly, show of your mug on Instagram and tag it #raceface to add it to the photo stream. We’ll print our favorite shots in an upcoming issue.…

DEAR MILES, When I run, I’m afraid I’ll be confronted by a dog. I always bring a dog biscuit along with me just in case, but I’d like to teach myself to overcome this fear.—KATHY T., Tampa I could give you the usual tips on dealing with aggressive dogs—don’t run away, avoid eye contact, tell the dog to “stay!” in a firm voice—but it sounds like your fear runs deeper than that. You might consider talking with a professional to learn what’s driving this anxiety, which is the first step in taming it. You might also seek advice from a local dog trainer. (Most are pretty good at training humans, too.) In the meantime, you realize that by running with treats you’re turning yourself into a big, roving dog magnet,…

The Candidate: Cory Booker, 44, mayor of Newark, N.J., running for U.S. Senate The Runner: Former collegiate football star runs three miles, three days a week. The Campaign: Invited hundreds of community members to join him at “Run with Cory” events in six cities throughout his state this summer. The Result: “We never knew it would be such a big hit,” Booker says. “I’m going to continue to run around the state. People would say, ‘Thank you for coming to our neighborhood.’” The Candidate: State Senator Barbara Buono, 60, for New Jersey governor The Runner: Buono runs five miles a day, up to six days a week. “I’ve come up with my best ideas for speeches and policies while running,” she says. The Campaign: Her staff tweeted pictures of her…

LAST-MINUTE CRAMMING --> Don’t try to make up for missed mileage or unsatisfactory workouts. It’s too late, and you could end up feeling less-thanfresh on the starting line. Instead, adjust your time goal to match the training you did get in. OVERTAPERING --> Reduce mileage, but not intensity. To keep your muscle memory sharp, do one workout at 10-K pace in weeks one and two of a three-week taper. Just keep it short. (If you maxed out at 6 x 1 mile at 10-K pace, knock it down to 3 or 4). UNDEREATING --> Your appetite may have dropped with your mileage, but you need carbohydrates to fill your muscle glycogen stores for the big day. Starting 72 hours from race time, make 70 to 80 percent of what you…

Go to Extremes UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–LA CROSSE physiologist Carl Foster once monitored the school’s track team for five weeks. Each day he asked the coaches how hard that day’s run was meant to be; then, after the session, he asked the athletes how hard they had actually run. They were consistently pushing harder than their coaches intended on easy days, and not hard enough on hard days. This tendency to drift toward midlevel efforts is all too common. To get the most out of your training, you need to fight it. A better approach is polarized training, in which most workouts are either very hard or very easy. In one study, runners using a program like this improved their 10-K times by five percent, while those who did more running…

Smart Fuel YOUR NOGGIN is not only responsible for memory and cognition—it also plays a critical role in dictating fatigue levels during a run. And just as fueling the muscles is critical to performance, nourishing the brain with key nutrients boosts its overall function. The result? You feel more alert at your desk—and on a run. Moreover, certain foods can also help ward off age-related memory loss. Here’s a short list of the top brain foods. ALMONDS As one of the richest sources of vitamin E, almonds make for a smart snack. Researchers have found that vitamin E combats oxidative stress in the brain caused by a diet rich in refined carbs (sugar and white flour) and fat. Vitamin E also acts as a potent protector for the brain’s omega-3-rich…

First Moves HITTING THE ROAD after you just spent eight hours curled up in bed or parked behind a desk can shock your system. That’s why it’s smart to do a dynamic warmup before you launch into a workout. “A dynamic warmup prepares your body for the demands of running by increasing core body temperature, improving range of motion, and boosting blood flow to the big muscles you’ll rely on most while running—your glutes, quads, and hamstrings,” says Sean Coster, founder and coach at Complete Running in Portland, Oregon. “It’ll allow you to train hard and be less vulnerable to injury.” Plus, research shows that a dynamic warmup improves quadriceps strength and hamstring flexibility, which can carry over to a stronger running performance. Do this routine, created by Coster, before…

Take It from Me WHO IS THAT PERSON on the other side of the cup—that anonymous soul with his arm extended, hand trembling in your direction, eyes desperate in the hope that you might need the few ounces of water he’s been clutching for the last 10 minutes? Like you who have run far, he is also in pain. His arm burns and his back hurts and his throat is sore from yelling, “Water!” His running shoes are sticky with Gatorade. His new running shoes. No one cheers him on. No one shouts, “Looking good!” No one yells, “Way to hold out that cup, man—way to keep it in front of you!” “Way to move it with the runner!” “Sweet handoff, dude!” You dream of a PR or maybe just…

BUDAPEST MORE AND MORE Hungarians are running. In Budapest, we have a half-marathon and a marathon, and the number of runners grows every year. Nowadays, people are trying to go back to the basics. Hungarians work long hours and our salaries are not high. We face the same economic issues as everyone in Europe. People get stressed. You have to appreciate the simple things more—be with your family, get your friends around you. Running is simple. You only need your legs, a pair of trainers, and good music. MORE AND MORE Hungarians are running. In Budapest, we have a half-marathon and a marathon, and the number of runners grows every year. Nowadays, people are trying to go back to the basics. Hungarians work long hours and our salaries are not…

Pizza-making advice from Peter Ackerman, senior vice president of Sal’s Pizza in Boston and finisher of five Boston Marathons 1 If you cook pizza often, invest in a pizza stone—a flat piece of stoneware that produces oh-so-crispy crust every time by conducting heat much like the bricks in a pizzeria oven do. The Pampered Chef stone ($20; pamperedchef.com) comes with handles. Be sure to preheat the stone with the oven. No stone? Use an inverted heavy-duty baking sheet. 2 The flat surface and long handle of a pizza peel makes for easy transfer of an assembled pie to and from the oven. The Epicurean pizza peel ($34.99; epicureancs.com) doubles as a cutting board. A rimless or upside-down baking sheet works as a makeshift pizza peel. 3 Crank your oven up…

PURPLE TAPENADE 3 anchovy fillets 1 1/2 cups pitted Kalamata or Nicoise olives 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley 2 chopped garlic cloves 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons capers, drained Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 teaspoon black pepper DIRECTIONS Rinse and pat dry the anchovies, then blend them with the remaining ingredients into a chunky paste. NUTRITION BONUS Olives offer disease-fighting phenolic antioxidants, which may improve recovery. WHITE ROASTED GARLIC WHITE BEAN 1 14-ounce can navy beans, drained and rinsed 1 large garlic bulb 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh thyme Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/4 teaspoon salt DIRECTIONS Heat oven to 375°F. Slice off top of garlic bulb, drizzle cloves with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and wrap in…

SUMMER SANDERS has stood on a starting block, wearing a red, white, and blue Speedo, and then on an Olympic podium to have a gold medal draped around her neck. She collected another gold, a silver, and a bronze medal. A decade later, she crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon in 3:17. And 11 years after that, this past April, she finished Boston in 3:33. She’s been told “You’re fired!” by Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice and has interviewed speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and first lady Michelle Obama for TV networks. Today, though, Sanders is just an average 41-year-old mom, trying to get her kids to do something that isn’t especially interesting to them anymore. Namely, to keep running through The Color Run, a 5-K…

GREAT TURTLE HALF-MARATHON AND 5.7-MILE RUN/WALK October 26, 2013 Mackinac Island, Michigan Hop on the ferry to get to this vehicle-free island for the last open weekend of the season. You’ll run along the Lake Huron coastline and the island’s bike trails. runmackinac.com REHOBOTH BEACH SEASHORE MARATHON AND HALF-MARATHON December 7, 2013 Rehoboth, Delaware Race oceanside along the boardwalk and through the coastal town of Rehoboth—its population booms from 1,600 to more than 25,000 during summer months. bmarathon.com WHIDBEY ISLAND MARATHON, HALF-MARATHON, AND 5-K FUN RUN April 13, 2014 Whidbey Island, Washington Before the summer rush hits, spend some quiet time on this island north of Seattle. The rolling course (below) crosses through Deception Pass State Park and ends on the Oak Harbor Waterfront. whidbeyisland marathon.com—CLARA GRAYHACK O+A After racing…

The Biggest Apple THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON’S very existence is an outlandish dream. It runs through all five boroughs, and, as every cabbie knows, brings the city to a near-standstill. If it didn’t already exist, it would be all but impossible to create. But as most New Yorkers will tell you, marathon day is the best day of the year. The one day—and I say this after living there for 13 years—that the city comes together for a single purpose: to cheer for the lunatics who run 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Central Park. Just not last year. The 2012 New York City Marathon was a disaster, for lots of people and lots of reasons. Superstorm Sandy hit six days before race day. More than 100 people died.…

New York Strong HURRICANE SANDY took her home. It nearly took her husband’s life. And for a while it took away an everyday comfort: her running. But Jen Correa has made a pledge to herself. Come November 3—the day the New York City Marathon returns to the streets of the five boroughs—she is doing a 26.2-mile recovery run that will put the tragic events of last year well in the past. And what a year it was—for Correa, 38, a resident of Sandy-ravaged Staten Island, and for many others in this year’s marathon. Last November, the city and New York Road Runners officials canceled the marathon less than 48 hours before its start, one more victim of the storm that clobbered the New York City area. The 2013 marathon will…

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, 35, Flagstaff, Arizona 1] Third Time a Charm? “This will be my third NYC attempt. I scrapped it to focus on the Olympic Trials, then Sandy. I’m excited to give it another shot.” 2] Head Games “During a race, I do pace and distance calculations. That’s all I think about—math.” 3] In NYC… “I’d like to catch a Broadway show—a good comedy.” 4] Rebel “When I was young, I disobeyed my mom and ran a race instead of studying. She was mad, but I caught the running bug.” 5] Turn It Up “‘Baba O’Riley’ by The Who pumps me up to run.” 6] Fresh Start “I chew gum during my races, always have—Wrigley’s Winterfresh gum.” 7] Recovery Drink “I need a cup of tea ASAP after a race.…

The Candidate: Cory Booker, 44, mayor of Newark, N.J., running for U.S. Senate The Runner: Former collegiate football star runs three miles, three days a week. The Campaign: Invited hundreds of community members to join him at “Run with Cory” events in six cities throughout his state this summer. The Result: “We never knew it would be such a big hit,” Booker says. “I’m going to continue to run around the state. People would say, ‘Thank you for coming to our neighborhood.’” The Candidate: State Senator Barbara Buono, 60, for New Jersey governor The Runner: Buono runs five miles a day, up to six days a week. “I’ve come up with my best ideas for speeches and policies while running,” she says. The Campaign: Her staff tweeted pictures of her…

LOPEZ LOMONG, 28, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, a two-time U.S. Olympian, won the Wanamaker Mile at this year’s Millrose Games in a meet-record time of 3:51.21, then lowered the U.S. indoor 5000-meter record two weeks later to 13:07.00. 1. Kick It “To increase your speed without speed workouts, add a burst of speed at the end of every run—even if it’s just accelerating for the last 100 meters. You will see results!” 2. Quicken It “When you crest the top of a hill, do a surge rather than slowing down. This will help you return to your pace more quickly.” 3. Pick It “Pick a good cause as a motivator to train no matter what and get through tough workouts. For me it’s 4 South Sudan. Running for something bigger…

Q When I run with my dog, he starts and stops a lot. Is that still a good workout? A Yes, because that’s the very definition of fartlek (Swedish for “speed play”): alternately running fast and slow segments in an unstructured session. Fartleks will make your heart, lungs, and muscles stronger, similar to track intervals, but they’re more fun. After “dogging” it during a 10-minute warmup, let your pooch speed up. If he hasn’t stopped to sniff (or mark) a hydrant after a few minutes, use your leash or call him back for a few minutes of easy running. Keep this fast-and-slow pattern for 20 to 40 minutes, then finish with a 10-minute cooldown. Bonus: Fido should have fun and get fitter, too. —SUSAN CARNICELLI is a running coach in…

STEAK Wine: SANGIOVESE (Italy) “The grape is flavorful enough to stand up to the steak and has the structure to cut through the fat and protein. I like Bellus Girasole, made by sommelier Jordan Salcito.” PIZZA Wine: ITALIAN REDS “Their high acidity means they go well with a variety of toppings—especially red sauces. Try a Barbera or Dolcetto from Piedmont.” ROAST TURKEY Wine: BEAUJOLAIS (France) “Poultry and soft reds are delicious together; Beaujolais is a great middle ground. Look for wines from Jean-Paul Brun, Marcel Lapierre, Clos de la Roillette, or Foillard.” BURGERS Wine: LAMBRUSCO ROSSO (Italy) “If you’re at a barbecue, you want a wine that is cold yet pairs well with meat. Lini 910 Lambrusco Rosso is a terrific value.” CHINESE TAKEOUT Wine: RIESLING (Germany or France) “The…

IF THERE’S ONE TIME TO BRAG ABOUT being a runner, it’s at the doctor’s office—especially when your appointment includes blood or urine analyses. “Let your physician know if you are exercising heavily, and also how often and how recently you did tough workouts; it can influence how we interpret tests,” says William Roberts, M.D., a family physician and medical director for the Twin Cities Marathon. If you recently ran hard—or even ran to your appointment, which Dr. Roberts’s patients have been known to do—your doc might elect to reschedule some lab work. Here’s a quick report of some running-influenced workups. —Cindy Kuzma CREATINE KINASE (CK) Tells your doc Whether you’ve had a heart attack or other type of muscle breakdown; often done if you’ve experienced unexplained muscle pain or weakness…

DURING THIS LONG, HARD YEAR, Ryan Hall’s long, hard runs have rarely posed a problem. It’s been the easy days, ironically, that have tended to explode. In Redding, California, for instance, late last year, Hall was just rounding into shape after a sharply disappointing 2012, in which injuries forced him to drop out of the Olympic Marathon around the 10-mile mark and to withdraw from a muchanticipated appearance at the New York City Marathon. Thus ended a five-year run in which Hall had logged 10 consecutive world-class marathons, including a 2:04:58 performance at Boston in 2011, the fastest ever run by an American. But by December Hall had started working with a new coach, Renato Canova, and he and his wife, Sara, had just moved into a house on the…

THE GREATEST OF ALL FOODS OF ALL THE FOODS that runners order up to satisfy cravings and recharge weary muscles, pizza tops the wish list. While pushing through ultraruns, Dean Karnazes has been known to call ahead for an extra-large Hawaiian pie, which he folds up and eats like a burrito. His is but one of the 3 billion-ish pizzas sold to Americans each year. Legends from Steve Prefontaine to Bill Rodgers devoured pizza at the peak of their abilities. “If the furnace was hot enough,” says hero Quenton Cassidy in Once a Runner, “anything would burn.” Indeed a hot furnace is required—a single slice of pepperoni pie from Pizza Hut has 260 calories and 13 grams of fat. (And, honestly, who eats just a single slice?) While frozen and…

The two-time Olympian loads up naan flatbread with veggies at home with her husband, Adam, and 2-year-old son, Colt, at least once a week. Bonus: They save the leftover ingredients to toss into wholewheat pasta later in the week. SERVES Two—and a toddler 3 tandoori naan flatbreads (Goucher suggests Stonefire brand) 1/4 cup marinara sauce 3 teaspoons pesto 4 ounces mozzarella, shredded 1/2 grilled chicken breast, diced 1 yellow pepper, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 2 cups cherry tomatoes 1/4 onion, sliced 1 handful cremini mushrooms Parmesan cheese Fresh basil leaves DIRECTIONS Spread a thin layer of marinara across the flatbreads. Add a dollop of pesto and blend. Sprinkle on a thin layer of mozzarella, then top with chicken and as many veggies as will fit. Finish with a sprinkle…

Cheese is both the good news and the bad news. It provides calcium for strong bones and high-quality protein for building muscles, but it can derail your diet with huge amounts of calories and saturated fat, says Rebecca Scritchfield, R.D., a Washington, D.C.–based sports dietitian. “A good guideline is no more than four ounces of cheese for a pizza that serves four,” Scritchfield says. The real thrill of pizza-making is choosing the rest of the toppings. Perhaps it goes without saying that there are virtually limitless tasty and vitaminrich veggie options, and you can get creative with choices like fennel or fava beans. Sliced pears or figs add a sweet contrast on savory pies. Meat eaters needn’t despair, either; healthy choices like sirloin and pork tenderloin can pack a lean,…

CARRY ON THE DAYS LEADING UP TO A RACE can be stressful—especially if you’re traveling and spending a night away from home. But the bags and items on these pages, essentials for RW editors when we hit the road, will make your journey a breeze. So get packing, and arrive at your next race relaxed and prepared to run your best. EVERLANE WEEKENDER everlane.com; $95 You’re all grown up now, so it’s time to ditch the gym bag bearing the logo of your local sports team. This classy canvas bag features leather trim and handles that are just long enough to sling over a shoulder. As the name suggests, this tote is easily big enough to hold a pair of shoes and clothes to get you through the weekend. A…

Michelle Beadle Sports Reporter and TV Host 38, New York City I’VE ALWAYS SAID to myself that I’m going to run a marathon before I die. For my first to be New York City is amazing and intimidating. It’s bragging rights for life. SOME OF MY sports reporter girlfriends are running it. We text every morning. When your friends have already run their four or five miles for the day, it gets you off the couch. THE GOAL is to finish, have a beer, pass out—then eat as much pasta as one restaurant is willing to serve one human. I RAN TRACK in middle school and have done 5-Ks since I was 6. A half-marathon [Chicago, July] and a marathon were logical next steps. ONCE I SAW 20,000 crazies of…

THOUGHT LEADER In his delightful interview with Jerry Sticker (“Running Conversation,” September), Malcolm Gladwell makes a distinction between athletes who dope to gain an advantage and those who dope to speed recovery from injury. While the former offends our sense of fair play more than the latter, it’s impossible to draw a clear line between the two: The same steroids that heal torn muscles also make healthy muscles bigger and stronger. Gladwell’s right that we should continue to debate the right balance between permitting recovery and restricting enhancement, but we shouldn’t imagine that there’s a “perfect” solution waiting to be discovered. In the end, we just have to agree on and follow a set of rules—after all, the magic of the marathon comes not from some intrinsic property of 26.2…

SUPERSTORM SANDY pummeled the New York City area on October 29, six days before the marathon. While the storm left almost 100,000 homes damaged or destroyed and 2.2 million residents without power, it did not prompt an immediate cancelation of the race. The scathing criticism started immediately: Runners and the public accused the New York Road Runners, which organizes the race, of being tone-deaf to the suffering throughout the city, and especially on Staten Island, where the marathon starts. Less than 40 hours before the start, Mayor Michael Bloomberg canceled the event. Runners were furious (an estimated 40,000 were already in the city or the tri-state area). The NYRR then made no meaningful public statements in the more than six weeks between cancelation and its announcement regarding options for 2012…

Reclaim Your Running Life SUZANNE TURNER, 55, of Manhattan, is running the New York City Marathon after recovering from a mysterious accident. In December 2012, she went for a run and woke the next day in the hospital with a fractured skull, a broken shoulder, and temporary vision loss and hearing loss. She has no recollection of what happened. Once she regained her senses, she was able to resume running.—GAIL KISLEVITZ “The mental clarity and calmness running gives me and the joy of being outside have helped me recover from this incident.” Log 100 Marathons JOE HUBER, 63, of Pine Brook, New Jersey, will run his 100th marathon where he also celebrated his first, 50th, and 75th—in New York City. The professional fund-raiser, who averages seven marathons a year and…

Master the Plan YOU’VE CHARTED every long run, hard workout, and recovery effort to prep for your upcoming marathon or half. But do you know precisely what you’ll do on race day? “If you took 10 or 16 weeks to train, you want to protect that investment with a race-day plan,” says Boulderbased coach Ric Rojas, who suggests drafting a plan three weeks before race day, then adjusting later if necessary. By pinpointing a realistic finish time, planning your per-mile pace, and using a tested fueling, hydration, and wardrobe strategy, you boost your odds of meeting your goal, whether that’s setting a personal record or simply crossing the finish line. Here’s how to craft your best plan. SET A REALISTIC GOAL TIME Having an idea of how long it will…

Recovery Zone DID YOU TRAIN CONSISTENTLY for the past few months and complete your first half-marathon? Congratulations! Now it’s time to celebrate—and to recover. As soon as you cross the finish line, you can start taking steps to reduce muscle soreness, rebuild your body’s fuel supply, and get back to your normal routine sooner rather than later. Here’s what to do—and when to do it—to bounce back from your big day. WHEN LEAVING THE FINISHING CHUTE Keep walking! Movement helps the heart pump fresh, oxygen-rich blood through your body. Avoid stopping or sitting for at least 30 minutes postrace. Walk to the food tent to start the refueling process—have about 300 calories of simple carbs (some sports drink and a banana) within a half hour of finishing. BACK AT HOME…

Mini Meals WHEN YOU’RE HANKERING for a breakfast burrito or a BLT, prerun staples like pretzels or a banana can be a buzzkill. But downing a full meal too close to a workout can lead to stomach trouble midrun. So where’s the sweet spot? In a mini meal, a scaled-down version of a flavor-packed entrée. You’ll get the carbs you need to fuel your workout, and a dose of protein, fat, and flavor that will leave you satiated. “Mini meals give you the satisfaction of a real meal without overeating before a run,” says Sarah Koszyk, M.A., R.D., the sports dietitian for the San Francisco Marathon and Berkeley Half-Marathon. Koszyk created the six small plates below to fall within the typical snack range of 150 to 250 calories. The meals…

Weather Watch TWO YEARS AGO, Kathryn White huddled in a downpour for an hour while lightning delayed the start of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. She later ran in the rain, crossing the finish line just before nickel-size hail started dropping. It wasn’t the first time White, a 46-year-old civil engineer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, had suffered crazy race weather. Back in 2007, she had just reached mile 24 of the Chicago Marathon when she learned the race was being canceled due to severe heat. And in 1998, hail and thunderstorms struck in the middle of the Ft. Worth Cowtown Marathon and a tornado was spotted in a nearby town. Runners took cover, and when conditions calmed, the race went on, but it’s just another example of how extreme and unpredictable…

Voices in Your Head I DECIDED the time had come to make a statement to the public. Prudence be damned—rumors were flying, the slander accumulating like blowing snow. If I didn’t speak out, and speak out now, my enemies would know me to be weak. I stepped up to the microphone. Camera shutters whirred like crickets. “Perhaps you have heard various scurrilous rumors about my behavior, about statements and actions attributed to me,” I said. “It may have struck you that these statements and actions were not characteristic of the Peter Sagal you’ve come to know. And you may be wondering how this could come to pass. There is a simple answer.” I paused. Great public speaking is as much about silence as it is language. “They are all LIES!”…

STORT IF YOU COULD EAVESDROP on the thoughts of fellow runners at the starting line, you’d hear a chorus of diverse goals coursing through their minds. Some would be gunning for a personal best, others for a different kind of good time. ¶ For serial racer Chuck Engle, who once ran six marathons in one week, racing is about running strong but bouncing back fast. For Ron and Susan Carino, who have completed more than a dozen full marathons and 50 halfmarathons since 2005, helping others finish with a smile and fond memories is a sweet victory. Here is how they and other experts achieve common (and not so) racing goals. THE GOAL STAY POSITIVE AND STRONG ON THE HAILLS THE ACE ALICIA SHAY RunSmart Project coach and winner of…

You can’t hit the road without a trustworthy pair of shoes; likewise, every good pizza must begin with a solid base. Minimally, a crust needs to support all of your favorite toppings while supplying energizing carbs. For runners, however, it can do so much more. A typical pizzeria crust is made with white flour, but you can health it up by requesting whole wheat or multigrain. Order thin crust and you can save about 50 calories a slice. Gluten-free runners now have more options than ever—whether they’re ordering out, perusing the frozen section, or making their own pies. Going DIY allows all runners to sneak in nutritional boosts, like spelt flour (which is high in fiber and manganese) or wheat germ (high in folic acid). BEST BET: MAKE IT YOURSELF…

BOB’S RED MILL GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA CRUST MIX For gluten-free runners who want to roll dough, this mixture is made with whole-grain power flours like brown rice and millet. TIME: 2 HOURS YOUR LOCAL PIZZA SHOP OPTION Your nearby pizzeria—if you are lucky enough to live near a good one—will sell you a fresh dough round. Ask for one with whole-grain flour for an added nutrition boost. TIME: 1 HOUR WHOLE FOODS PIZZA DOUGH Available from the freezer in white and whole wheat. Defrost the dough the night before and allow it to reach room temperature before kneading. TIME: 45 MINUTES STONEFIRE SWEET CHILI NAAN For unique individual pizzas that deliver a fiery kick. Naan is an Indian flatbread traditionally cooked in a teardrop shape that provides a perfect base. TIME:…

START HERE Preheat oven to 500°F. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on a rack in the upper-middle position as it preheats. If using a baking sheet, lightly coat it with oil. Roll dough into a 12-inch round or 12-by-9-inch rectangle no more than 1.4-inch thick. Brush dough with a small amount of oil, concentrating on the edges. PIZZA MARGHERITA 10 ounces homemade or store-bought pizza dough 1 cup tomato sauce 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, patted dry and torn into 3/4-inch pieces 6 large basil leaves, roughly torn 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup grated or shaved Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper DIRECTIONS Spread tomato sauce (see page 96) over dough, leaving 1-inch border uncovered. Lay mozzarella pieces on the sauce. Place…

First in Flight THE OUTER BANKS, a 200-mile-long, narrow stretch of islands off the coast of North Carolina, is where the Wright Brothers first flew the Wright Flyer I, the first motorized, human-controlled airplane. The surfboard-flat terrain and cool November temperatures of the islands make the Outer Banks Marathon a great place for runners to take off as well—and snag a late-season PR. Organizers have designed the point-to-point course to put prevailing winds at runners’ backs, and high temperatures on race day rarely exceed the mid-60s. Despite this near perfect setup, I’ve blown my last few attempts in this event (which is conveniently held in my family’s longtime vacation spot). In my most recent try two years ago, I went out too hard (a bad habit of mine) and crashed…