Minute 1: Your Resolution and Getting Back in the Saddle
Most Americans flame out on their New Year’s resolutions by early February every year. We believe you when you say you’re different from the wannabes, and that you will work your butt off to reach your goals in 2019. When your personalized Strava Year in Sport video comes out next year, you want those workout and mileage totals to crush 2018. But what if you’re starting the year on the disabled list? What if your knee, hammy, back or IT band doesn’t care about your Strava stats?
For a little perspective and advice, we like this new article by a committed ultra runner who is starting off 2019 in a walking boot. This Nike-sponsored athlete will put you in the right frame of mind to get through the inevitable injuries we will all sustain this year. For a little extra inspiration, you can check out how Shalane Flanagan almost bailed out before the NYC Marathon two months ago due to severe knee pain and frayed tendons. She carefully worked through the issues and wound up on the podium in third place.
#walkingwounded
Minute 2: Mercy of the court
Poor Gene Dykes received a giant lump of coal in his stocking this year from USATF, while the governing body gave Hayley Sutter her best New Year’s gift ever. We wrote before about how Dykes broke the world record for men aged 70+ last year with a stunning 2:54 marathon finish. Unfortunately, it turns out that while the Jacksonville Marathon was “certified” by USATF, it wasn’t “sanctioned” by the group and was therefore not eligible for a world record. (How many lawyers does it take to screw up a dream?) Dykes isn’t fazed and instead posted on his Facebook page about how pumped he is for 2019.
Hayley Sutter, on the other hand, won her appeal with USATF and will be racing in the Olympic Trials marathon in Atlanta next year. Her finish line video (see below) captured the heartbreak of collapsing only steps shy of crossing in 2:45, the Olympic Trials standard. She had to crawl across the line. USATF did the right thing by bending the rules a degree or two and allowed her to use her chip time (2:45:00) rather than her gun time (2:45:07).
Minute 3: New Year’s evolution
Like most mortals, your training and nutrition probably took a few holidays over the holidays. Instead of sloth-shaming yourself or making unrealistic resolutions, Hollywood’s top trainer suggests a better way to launch your 2019. Gunnar Peterson trains people like the Lakers and JLo. We appreciate his realistic take on “8 Ways to Dominate Your New Year’s Fitness Goals.” He weighs in on supplements, booze, and protein. He preaches about doing something active every day, even if it’s not a lung burner workout. “Move the blood and the body because circulation is king.”
#guntime #whatwouldJLodo?
Minute 4: Best diet plans for 2019
If Hollywood trainers or supermarket tabloid diets aren’t your thing, U.S. News just released a nerdier, more analytical review of the best diets for a healthier 2019. The people who bring you an annual review of the best colleges and universities in the U.S. apply similar rigor to their diet and nutrition round-up. They analyze diets in many categories with a diverse panel of health experts to come up with their list of the 41 Best Diets Overall. Old standbys like Weight Watchers and the Mediterranean Diet rank well, but so do many other plans that only a sports trainer may recognize. #eattowin
Minute 5: Quick Intervals
45% of runners log miles on dirt paths and 24% cross train with hiking. If you’re one of them, here is a list of the 10 most popular trail shoes. SectionHiker just released a survey of 2,700 trail lovers and the shoes they love. Spoiler alert: the Altra Lone Peak 4.0 tops the list.
One of the most interesting new products at the Consumer Electronics Show had nothing to do with apps or gadgets. North Face just released a new fabric technology that will keep endurance athletes dry and warm while sending a shiver down the spine of Goretex. FUTURELIGHT is designed to be highly waterproof, breathable and flexible. That means instead of traditional uses like jackets or gloves, North Face can now create waterproof t-shirts and socks. As a demo project, they built a very slick ultralight camper with BMW.
Here’s a little inspiration before our Daily Inspiration. We wrote in the fall about the tearjerker tale of Nike sponsoring an athlete with Cerebral Palsy. Now we are captivated by the story of a young Michigan runner who is on the Autism spectrum. He is afflicted with an extremely rare condition that left him with no muscle tone as a child. Now a young adult, he is running marathons and plans to log 2019 miles during 2019 to celebrate his passion.
Minute 6: Daily Inspiration
Dave Mackey was one of the best trail runners in the U.S. when he suffered a ghastly leg injury in 2015. After enduring countless surgeries and procedures, he eventually made the difficult decision. He decided to have his lower leg amputated so he could get back outside and on the trails. Runner’s World just published an excellent account of his return to ultras. His perspective on life, health, and sports provides an excellent guidepost for our new year.
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