Ryan Hall's Blog, page 243

Jared Ward Wins Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half in Olympic Tune-Up

Photo: Bruce Wodder

Since its founding, Seattle has been given many nicknames, but the one that really resonated with runners at Saturday’s Alaska Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half Marathon was Emerald City. With ideal temperatures in the 60s and partly cloudy skies, Washington’s most-populous region showed off its beautiful early-summer green hues for thousands of participants who got to take in a mixture of urban views of Seattle’s downtown, as well as stunning vistas along the city’s Lake Washington.

The courses for both the half and the full marathon this year were revamped with the start kicking off within sight of the city’s iconic Space Needle and the finish taking place at the home of the Seattle Seahawks, CityLink Field.

RELATED: Photos: 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle

Jared Ward, the pre-race favorite, of Kaysville, Utah was the first to cross the half-marathon finish, clocking one hour, 6 minutes and one second. The 27-year-old Ward’s victory was a commanding one as the second-place finisher, Craig Hopkins, of Great Britain didn’t come through the finish until 1:08:08. Third place went to Jack St. Marie who finished five seconds later (1:08:13).

“It was beautiful out there,” said Ward. “The weather was awesome. I don’t know how many bands we had out there. I felt like I was smiling the whole way.”

Ward will be wearing the Team USA singlet at the 2016 Summer Olympic marathon in Rio in August and was using Seattle to gear up for his big Olympic race. He admitted that Saturday’s win was a good gauge for the 26.2-mile event. “I got a couple more months to get ready.”

Since qualifying for the Olympics, Ward said that his life has changed for the better. “I still wake up in the morning and ask myself if this is for real,” he admits. “I think it will hit me out there at the Olympic opening ceremonies as I take it all in. I fell really blessed.”

Ward has been logging 120-mile weeks with a handful of 25-mile long runs in the lead-up to the Olympics.

As a professional, Ward says that he isn’t used to the incredible festival atmosphere that comes with the Rock ‘n’ Roll brand. “The Rock ‘n’ Roll team does a great job making it an amazing experience for all the runners. You have all the bells and whistles. You have a fantastic start and finish and great bands along the way. I’ve always loved Seattle.”

Kara Ford was the first woman to cross the half-marathon finish in 1:19:59.

“The race was fantastic,” said Ford. “The weather was perfect. It was nice and cool. The course was beautiful. I have to say that I’ve run several half marathons and this was one of my favorite courses to date.”

Ford, a Broomfield, Colorado resident said that Saturday’s victory was her biggest to date. “I don’t really have a competitive career. I didn’t run in college and started after I graduated.”

Ford raced Seattle as an opportunity to visit friends that live there. “I just liked the looks of the course. It’s a beautiful city and it’s so nice to be here.”

Monica Folts (1:23:56) and Liz Wilson (1:24:33) took second and third respectively.

In the marathon event, Samuel Hadgu of Eritrea broke the tape, clocking 2:26:02. His nearest rival was Jeffery Stein (2:33:07), while Andrew Ivanov was third in 2:34:53.

The women’s marathon champion was Sophia Liu in 2:53:47. Liu has been living in Seattle for the past 5 years and is a research scientist.

“I didn’t expect to win,” she admitted. “The bands really helped. There were so many people running and cheering for you. The course is beautiful. It wasn’t as difficult as I would think.”

Second and third went to Lisa Stelzner (2:56:13) and Nikki Leith (3:01:05).

An 8K was also held on Saturday with Alex Doran (27:40) taking the top spot for the men and Vanessa Trofimenkoff (30:31) prevailing in the women’s race.

Waiting for all finishers and their families at the finish line was the headliner band, The New Pornographers, who filled the Seattle air with their iconic song “Dancehall Domine” and gave everyone something to celebrate at the end of a thrilling and fun-filled day.

The post Jared Ward Wins Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half in Olympic Tune-Up appeared first on Competitor.com.

Will the Adidas Boost Boston Games Change Track & Field As We Know It?

Meet director Mark Wetmore holds an artist's rendering of the track which will be used for the first adidas Boost Games to be held in Boston. Photo: Chris Lotsbom/Race Results Weekly

BOSTON, MA — When the adidas Boost Boston Games get underway this evening, the biggest race may not be at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville, although with the likes of Nick Willis, Meseret Defar and the top high school milers in the U.S. on the new stadium track there should be plenty of action to satisfy the most ardent track fan.

But the real race against the clock may be taking place a few miles away in the Back Bay section of the city, as a crew of workers sprints to assemble a world class straightaway on Charles Street, between the Boston Common and Public Gardens, in time for the second section of the event, a “street meet” that begins at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Considering that the road won’t be closed to traffic until the Friday rush hour ends at 6, the crews from Global Athletics & Marketing, the meet organizers, will have to display Usain Bolt-like speed to get everything ready for the first fans arrival.

A team of surveyors will first take laser measurements of the street, then a steel substructure will be assembled to for a level platform some four feet above street level. Then, a Mondo track, which arrived in two shipping containers from Italy earlier this week, will be placed on top, with lane lines for the 100- and 150-meter races being put down as the final touch. The track will be certified so that any records set will be eligible for verification by the IAAF.

Add in bleacher seats, signage, and TV infrastructure (the meet, as well as highlights from Friday’s session, will be shown live on NBC Sports Network) and it’s obvious there’s a marathon’s worth of work to be done in a quarter mile time frame. “Everything from the track to the television trucks to speakers to portable bleachers for VIP areas to signage has to be choreographed,” said Brett Schumacher, chief of operations for the meet.

The goal of the event is to present track and field in a new way, with the hopes of attracting a new generation of fans. “When we approached adidas with the idea, they said ‘yes, this is really the direction we want to go’,” said Mark Wetmore, Global’s president. In addition to bringing the athletes to the heart of downtown Saturday, on Friday fans will be allowed to stand directly on the track in the outside lanes for the final distance races, closer than they could come in any other sport. A cookout will follow the meet and athletes will mingle with the fans, autographing the thousands of T-shirts that will be given to the first arrivals.

Global organizes the successful New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at Boston’s Reggie Lewis Center in the winter, and for the past decade was behind the adidas Grand Prix meet at Icahn Stadium in New York.

Two years ago they held a pole vault in that city’s Herald Square, no doubt planting the seed for the Boston Games.

When the USA Indoor Nationals were staged in more of a “showtime” format it was widely hailed as the way of the future in presenting track and field and attracting new fans. With near-perfect weather predicted for this weekend, the adidas Boost Boston Games, with its strategy of “taking it to the streets,” could take innovation in the sport, something that’s been sorely lacking, to yet another new and exciting level.

The post Will the Adidas Boost Boston Games Change Track & Field As We Know It? appeared first on Competitor.com.

Olympian Jared Ward Set to Run Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle

Photo: Bruce Wodder

Rio-bound Olympian Jared Ward will headline the 2016 Alaska Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & 1/2 Marathon on Saturday.

Ward, 27, from Provo, Utah, qualified for the Rio Olympics pacing 3rd at the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials in February in a time of 2:13:00. He will race the half marathon as a tune-up for the Olympic Marathon on August 21 in Rio.

“I’m excited to be back in Seattle and racing on the roads for my first Rock ‘n’ Roll event,” said Ward, a college professor and GLUKOS Energy-sponsored athlete. “I’ve always loved running in the Pacific Northwest and excited to support my sponsors at GLUKOS. I look forward to meeting runners at the expo today and grabbing some GLUKOS out on the course. It should be a great weekend.”

GLUKOS is the official gel & gummie of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series.

The Signature Seafair Event will feature revamped marathon and half-marathon courses starting near to the city’s iconic Space Needle and finishing at CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks. The 8th-annual event has attracted more than 20,000 runners.

“Seattle is known for its many hills so we went back and eliminated about 280 feet of incline over the last three miles of the marathon route,” said Ken Schulte, Course Director. “Overall the course is now a net downhill still highlighting the very best of Seattle.”

The marathon and half marathon start together at 7 a.m. and will take runners on a tour of downtown. The course showcases breathtaking views of Seattle, including the Space Needle, Cascades and Mount Rainier. The 2016 race will be last time a race will be permitted to run on the viaduct before it is demolished to make way for the new Highway 99 tunnel.

The New Pornographers will headline the post-race Toyota Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert Series outside the stadium. The band hails from Vancouver, Canada where they emerged on the scene in 1999. They have released six albums including, Together, Mass Romantic, Challengers and Electric Version, which was ranked 79 on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Best Albums of the Decade.” Band members include, A.C. Newman, John Collins, Blaine Thurier, Dan Bejar, Kathryn Calder, Neko Case and Todd Fancey. The concert is free and open to the public.

In true Rock ‘n’ Roll fashion, live bands, enthusiastic cheerleaders and spectators will line the race route, concluding with a celebratory finish line festival. Race weekend kicks off with a free Health & Fitness Expo, where runners can find the latest in running technologies, fitness apparel, health and nutrition information and interactive displays. The Expo takes place at CenturyLink Field Event Center on Thursday, June 16 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Expo is free and open to the public.

The post Olympian Jared Ward Set to Run Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle appeared first on Competitor.com.

When Classic TV Shows Have Fun With Running

Some of television’s most iconic shows over the years have dedicated scenes and even entire episodes to the sport of running—often poking fun at us runners or the characters’ complete lack of fitness when it comes to running. Either way, it’s good for some laughs.

Here are a few of our favorites:

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The Simpsons

Bart Simpson caused controversy at the Springfield Marathon in a 2001 episode when he jumped into the race in the last few yards to win (the prize was a walking tour of Springfield). When he’s caught, Sideshow Mel screamed “I demand a re-race!” to the groans of all the runners.

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Seinfeld

The extremely popular '90s sitcom had fun with the New York City Marathon on a few occasions. The most well-known was in a 1995 episode about the agonizing case of elite runner Jean-Paul Jean-Paul, who missed the Olympics when he overslept (“It was the volume. There was a separate knob for the radio alarm,” he groaned.) He had similar bad luck in New York, when Kramer’s hot tub heat pump blew out the electricity in the whole building overnight and Jean Paul’s alarm clock failed him again.

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Parks and Recreation

In a 2012 episode of the popular comedy, Andy is trying to get in shape for the police entrance exam. One of the tests is being able to run 2 miles in 25 minutes (“that’s a typo right? That’s not humanly possible.”) After his first failed attempt, Andy groans in pain, takes off all his clothes and lays on the track, screaming “running is impossible!”

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How I Met Your Mother

In a 2007 episode, Marshall breaks his toe and is unable to run the New York City Marathon. He bemoans that all his training is going to waste, to which Barney bets him $50 that he could take his bib and finish the next day’s marathon without any training. He wins the bet and finishes the race, but while on the subway later in the day hitting on women (by flashing his medal and saying “Finisher. You know what I mean”), his legs lock up and he’s stuck on the subway for several hours unable to move.

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The Office

After hitting one of his employees with his car in a 2007 episode, Michael decides to do a “run for rabies” in her honor. After carbo-loading excessively and refusing to drink water, he calls the 5K the hardest thing he’s ever done. “I ate more fettuccini alfredo and drank less water than I have in my entire life.”

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Friends

One of the storylines of a 1999 episode involved Rachel not wanting to run with Phoebe because her running form was so bizarre (Rachel says “she looks like a cross between Kermit the Frog and the Six Million Dollar Man.”) Eventually Rachel adopts the form herself after Phoebe insists that it’s much more fun, prompting Phoebe to say “And you don’t care if people are staring, it’s just for a second cuz then you’re gone!”

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Saturday Night Live

In a November 1990 episode of Saturday Night Live, the famous “Weekend Update” sketch did a live shot from Central Park of the last runner to finish the New York City Marathon (six days after it started). It was Chris Farley, who said he took so long because he went to a bar and a rib joint in Brooklyn mid-race and got a little drunk. “Anyone can run a marathon! It doesn’t matter if you’re out of shape or if you don’t have any stamina,” Farley says in an inspirational speech to the camera.

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Photos: Luxury Trail Running Camp in Crested Butte, Colorado

Summer trail running camps—especially those with a wide range of curated experiences—have become all the rage in recent years, and why not? Summer camp isn’t just for kids. Adults like to get away and play, too, especially when it means being pampered with the amenities of a luxurious lodge, delicious meals, amazing trails and breathtaking scenery. Such was the case at the recent Eleven/Salomon Running Experience held in Crested Butte, Colo. Hosted at the elegantly refurbished Scarp Ridge Lodge, the four-day running, wellness and training camp included a mix of seasoned and aspiring trail runners who were afforded the exclusive opportunity to run with and get coaching input from some of Salomon’s pro runners in a world-class trail running destination. Run-specific workshops included gait analysis, nutrition and injury prevention sessions, while additional activities included mountain biking, standup paddling, fly fishing, rock climbing and hiking. Busy days concluded with a dip in the hot tub, cold beverages, scrumptious meals, therapeutic massages, good conversation and palpable excitement for the next day’s activities. Eleven Experience plans to hold another trail running camp in Crested Butte next year, as well as at its properties in Iceland and France. Take a look at what happened at this year’s camp in the photos below.

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Life Throws Curves, But ‘When You Cross That Finish Line, It’s Yours’

Gretchen Schoenstein finds balance in running half marathons, including Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle this weekend.

Physically, Gretchen Schoenstein’s half-marathon journey began in February 2010 with 20-minute workouts on a recumbent bike. In the aftermath of a debilitating inflammatory disease—accompanied with the doubt that filled her mind—that’s all Schoenstein could handle at the time.

But those sprawling, seated, sweat sessions begat walking, which begat jogging, which begat running, which begat knocking off her first half marathon in April 2010, the U.S. Half Marathon in San Francisco.

It was supposed to be a one-off. Cross it off life’s bucket list. But …

“The first time I crossed that finish line was incredibly empowering,” said Schoenstein, 44, who lives in Sonoma, Calif. “It felt purposeful, like I accomplished a lot more than a run.”

She said to herself, “I’ve got to get that again.”

So she did, again and again and again.

On Saturday, at the Alaska Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon, Schoenstein will run her 48th half marathon. Number 49 will come at another Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event, either Chicago in July or Philadelphia in September.

Then will come No. 50, on Oct. 8 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon. Schoenstein will strap her timing chip to one shoe lace. To the other shoe lace she’ll attach the hospital bracelet from her eight-day stint at UC-San Francisco Hospital in October 2006.

All eight days were spent on a morphine drip. And that’s the real genesis of Schoenstein’s half-marathon journey.

The pain began with swelling in the wrists, elbows and shoulders. Then the pain moved south to the joints in her legs.

“I tried to push my way through it, pretend it wasn’t any big deal,” she said.

But when you wake up in the morning crying from the pain, and it takes you 20 minutes to walk 20 steps, sometimes you just can’t push any more. On Schoenstein’s third trip to the emergency room in a span of three weeks, doctors finally diagnosed that she was suffering from Sarcoidosis, an auto-immune disease that attacks the joints and lungs.

Initially, she was put on steroids and pain medication. A doctor said she’d never run again. For the better part of the next three years, Schoenstein led what she calls “a fear-based life.”

“Total fear,” she said. “That I had to live cautiously. Fear that it would come back. Fear that I was damaged goods.”

She exercised some—the elliptical trainer, maybe some jogging—but if the swelling returned, Schoenstein retreated.

All that changed in 2010 when she was dealt a one-two emotional punch. First, she voluntarily left her job. Then, thinking she had the support of her male partner, he broke off the relationship after 10 years.

“It was very imbalancing, to put it lightly,” Schoenstein said. “It was really crazy. I didn’t have anything to focus on. I really felt like I was in a freefall.”

She remembered training for a couple 10Ks in the past.

“There was something very grounding about training for a race,” she said. “It’s about the goal. It’s about working backward from the goal, something you do every day to guide you to that goal.”

She ran five half marathons in 2010.

“How was it?” friends asked.

“Better than expected,” she said.

“If you could do that, why not double it?” the friends asked.

So she did, running 11 half marathons in 2011. Now the count approaches 50. She’s 5-foot-10 inches tall and weighs a sinewy, rock-hard 120 pounds. When your body has betrayed you in the past, you strengthen it, guard it. So Schoenstein doesn’t limit her fitness to running. She jumps rope, lifts weight, hikes, practices yoga.

Her diet is gluten free, heavy on lean protein. She limits her sugar intake. She’s not big on pre- and post-race parties. She naps the afternoon after races. Another thing she does is share her story.

In corrals, she might meet a nervous first-time half marathoner and Schoenstein will provide the Cliffs Notes version of her tale, along with a message.

“I often say, ‘If I can do this, you can do this,’” said Schoenstein, whose half-marathon personal best is 1 hour, 44 minutes.

And regarding the feeling when you cross the finish line, Schoenstein added, “You can’t get fired from the finish line. You can’t get divorced from the finish line. You can’t go into debt from the finish line. When you cross that finish line, it’s yours. You can tap into that feeling at any time. You can feel that sense of accomplishment, that feeling of resilience.

“I know every single run I do there are moments I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s so cool. That’s a big reason I keep going.”

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Shoe of the Week: On Running Cloudventure

The Swiss home of Olivier Bernhard, three-time world duathlon champion and one of the founders of On Running shoes, is tucked high in the forested slopes of the Swiss Alps. Watching him dance nimbly up steep switchbacks covered in roots and rocks or fly down slopes of jagged scree, it seems a no-brainer that the six-year-old company would create a trail shoe.

The shoe they designed, called the Cloudventure, uses the company’s signature “cloud” pods on the outsole, tweaked to better handle off-road conditions. The purpose of these tubular outsole protrusions has always been two-fold. First, they deliver a unique combination of cushioning and responsiveness: They cushion as they compress upon impact, then, when fully flat and firmly held in place by interlocking teeth, they provide a platform for powerful pushoffs. Second, because of the open, flexible nature of the pods, they dampen the horizontal forces of touch-down as well, moving in whichever direction the forces are pushing.

This latter function is even more important over the variable terrain of trails. The large rearfoot clouds, in particular, create smooth landings on descents, slowing and cushioning the foot on touchdown as they deform backwards and compress vertically.

To provide a closer connection to the ground, the forefoot pods of the Couldventure are thinner, softer and have less internal space than other On shoes, such as on the Cloudsurfer, the road model most similar to the Cloudventure. Despite an initial feel of distance from the ground, once the clouds are compressed the stance feels surprisingly stable, regardless of the terrain, and the shoe provides underfoot proprioception with a nimble, pop-back response as you tread lightly over obstacles.

The On designers also removed a few clouds—just behind the toes in the center and on the arch side of the foot—and replaced them with aggressive lugs for traction on loose surfaces. The cushioning is not missed on soft trails but some runners feel a bit firmer ride under the ball of the foot on harder surfaces or roads. Overall, however, the shoe behaves nicely over tarmac, with the clouds and a solid layer of midsole providing protection and a smooth roll.

The Cloudventure’s sole is made of a stickier rubber for traction on smooth surfaces, and covered with a variety of lug shapes and heights for grabbing the terrain. Despite the grippier rubber, the shoes did better on surfaces where they could dig in, slipping some on wet, smooth rocks, although not so much as to feel dangerous.

Given the clouds’ range of “travel” from impact to lock-down and the independent movement of each cloud arrayed across the outsole, they also help the shoe to wrap around protrusions and smooth the trail underfoot. This adaptability is enhanced by using a softer, more flexible “speedboard”—a flexible plastic plate embedded in the midsole that forms a connecting core for the independent clouds and acts as a responsive lever on toe-off. Softer midsole foam also enhances the shoe’s flexibility and cushioning.

Up top, the Cloudventure is built of two layers: an external, engineered mesh with a smooth but durable feel, and an internal “sock” of soft, stretchy fabric that wraps around the foot. Reinforcement against abrasion and pokey things is provided around the toe and heel, plus along the sides at the “bite line” between sole and upper where you often get stabbed into the arch. A thick collar wraps and holds the heel comfortably and securely, and the sock-liner fits impeccably, all producing a smooth, plush feel inside the shoe. The laces are thin and smooth, designed to slide easily and tighten all the way to the toes with one pull from the top. It’s quick and convenient, but those who prefer to be able to adjust the relative tension on different part of the foot should swap them out.

One obvious question regarding taking the clouds on the trail is whether they will fill with mud. The On founders say no, as they close quickly with every step, before anything can get in. In initial testing, we confirmed this, running through some deep puddles as well as soft sand and mud. The wet immersion caused a bit of squish and squeak noise as the clouds pushed out water each stride for a few minutes afterwards, but it didn’t compromise their action, and we never got dirt or mud stuck in them. They also didn’t pick up rocks or debris in the spaces between the clouds.

After several runs in the Cloudventure, we found they deliver a unique, responsive ride on surfaces from grassy fields to steep roots and rocks. They feel light during climbs and shine as you dance down technical descents, holding the foot securely in both directions. While we wouldn’t want to run a road marathon in them, they can also transition well from door to trail and back, providing a versatile option that you can run in daily. On may have taken a bit of time to adapt their technology to the trail, but the result seems to have been worth the wait.

The Cloudventure will be available at select vendors in the U.S. on June 16.

Price: $150 (standard, low-top version); $160 (mid-top model); Water-resistant “Shield” versions will be $170 and $180 respectively when they launch in October.

Weights: 10.1 oz. (men’s size 8.5); 8.5 oz. (women’s size 7)

Heel-Toe Offset: 6mm; 20mm (heel), 14mm (forefoot)

Info: On-Running.com

RELATED: Shoe of the Week—New Balance Vazee Summit

 

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Eat Like an Athlete: A Colorado Food Business That Fuels Performance

Real Athlete Diets co-founder Kelly Bailey Newlon gives instruction during a recent cooking class at Food Lab Culinary School in Boulder. Photo: Brian Metzler

It’s a recipe for disaster, but amateur athletes often make the mistake of emulating the training schedules and workouts of professionals. If the latest Ironman champ does a tempo run on Tuesdays and a long bike ride on Wednesdays, we figure we’ll just modify the paces and distances to fit our abilities and apply the pro’s plan to ourselves.

This logic almost never works—with a notable exception. Ordinary athletes and genetic lottery winners share the same basic nutritional needs, and both benefit from having access to high quality foods that are enjoyable to eat. Sure, the quantity of calories needed to support an eight-hour training week will vary from what’s required to fuel a 25-hour weekly training schedule. But the quality of calories consumed directly affects the performances, health and well-being of athletes at all levels.

In Boulder, Colo., professional chef Kelly Bailey Newlon has founded a food preparation and meal-planning business called Real Athlete Diets (RAD), based on the idea that both professional and amateurs would be excited to have access to tasty meals created with creativity and skill. A lifelong runner herself, Bailey Newlon decided to launch the RAD business with her cyclist husband Morgan Newlon, who also comes from the food and restaurant world. The year-old start-up business offers both a menu of healthy meals and snacks that can be picked up or delivered and a catering service that can create custom meals for individuals or small or large groups.

The idea for the business occurred to Bailey Newlon while she was teaching at Boulder’s Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Arts Institute in New York, she knew she had chops in kitchen, and if an athletic foodie audience existed, this would probably be a good place to find it. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to cook for athletes in Boulder. I’m a runner, and I’m a chef. There has to be a business in there somewhere,’” says Bailey Newlon.

It seems to be working—RAD has a growing client base that ranges from top-shelf pro athletes to dedicated age-groupers and newbies. In some cases, they even share the same household. That’s the case with Timothy Olson, a top ultrarunner who owns the course record for the Western States 100 (14:46:44) and his wife Krista, who runs on a casual level. Both maintain a gluten-free diet, with Tim preferring a Paleo-inspired regime (although he’s experimenting with non-wheat grains). Kelly’s dietary restrictions preclude eggs and almonds.

RAD makes healthy cuisine for the runners who attend the Olson’s Run Mindful Retreats held in Boulder.

“After working with Kelly and the RAD team, I definitely consider their service more of a necessity than a luxury,” Tim says. It’s not that the Olson clan can’t prepare their own meals—they enjoy time in the kitchen together when schedules allow—but finding enough time to source, prepare and enjoy family meals together is a serious obstacle.

“Some days I’ll come home from a five-hour run in the mountains and at that point there’s just no way I’m going to put together the kind of meal that we can purchase from RAD’s prepared menus,” he says. “Beyond the cooking part, they do an amazing job sourcing everything from local farms—it’s the way we want to eat. They work around our food sensitivities and come up with meal options that a home cook doesn’t have the experience to match.”

RELATED: Why You Should Attend a Holistic Running Renewal Camp

For chef Bailey Newlon, the Olsons embody the food-savvy athletes she hoped to attract to her business. “We have very few clients, especially among the higher-end athletes, that are not gluten free, and often they have other restrictions as well,” she says. But the RAD menus go well beyond avoiding allergens. “I’m knowledgeable about nutrition, but first and foremost I’m a chef,” says Bailey Newlon. “I actually don’t think they can be separated. You have to eat food you enjoy to stick to a nutrition plan—it really doesn’t work without the food being good.”

Another aspect of the RAD food philosophy is to empower athletes to prepare their own meals—including cooking classes. Bailey Newlon’s work experience at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts includes working with recovering young adults, teaching them life skills by planning and preparing food. Her instruction now extends to the athletic scene—a recent evening session at Food Lab Culinary School in Boulder attracted a mix of professional runners and cyclists, as well as home chefs.

PHOTOS: Eat Like an Athlete Healthy Cooking Class at Food Lab

“Pick your battles in the kitchen,” Baily Newlon advised the group, wielding a gleaming 8-inch chef’s knife. “If you don’t have time for a homemade broth, pick a good one from the store and go with it. Don’t let that stop you from preparing the rest of the meal just how you’d like it.”

Recent RAD menu items have included radicchio salad with bacon jam vinaigrette ($10), coconut curry soup with gluten-free noodles and seasonal vegetables ($10), chai pudding with gluten free waffles, fresh berries and quinoa granola ($10), as well as dessert delicacies like dark chocolate hibiscus truffles ($6) and dark chocolate espresso brownies ($2.50).

RAD recently unveiled Big Kid Spaghettios ($10), a healthy version of the pre-teen dining staple made with gluten-free pasta, roasted bell peppers and tomatoes, garlic, onion, sea salt, ground turkey, basil, turmeric and house-made chicken stock. Oh, and you can add a single strip of thick cut, locally produced bacon to just about anything for a buck.

With the confidence of a seasoned professional, Baily Newlon applied the chef’s knife to an onion while bringing the group up to speed on techniques for minces and dices. (Only a modest amount of bloodletting followed in the ensuing group cooking session—nothing that would keep anyone off the trails or out of the pool.) The group struggled to keep up at times, and the resulting dishes probably didn’t quite match the professionally prepared examples—but that’s OK. As with training, what works for a pro may not apply exactly to an amateur. But there was plenty of knowledge gained and it was a fun and entertaining evening that concluded with an amazing meal.

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Out There: Internet Fame and a Ruptured Achilles

Depending on who you ask, Shelby Erdahl is either a badass or an idiot.

You may not know her name, but you probably saw her viral video recently: a college hurdler persevering through the agony of a ruptured Achilles tendon to finish the race of her life. At various times, she screamed in pain. Other times, she gritted her teeth as she gingerly stepped over hurdles. Mostly, she cried.

We played the video it over and over (and over again), cringing with every step she took on her way to the finish line.

“She’s so tough,” some viewers said. “What an inspiration!” These people held her video high as a prime example of grit.

“She’s so stupid,” others retorted. “Doesn’t she know she risked permanent damage?” These people chastised media outlets for showing the video and glamorizing dumb decisions.

So which is she—a badass or an idiot? I decided to ask Erdahl for the answer. I wanted to know all about the race, the pain, and her decision to keep going. Does she think it was it worth it? Read on to find out:

Interview With Shelby Erdahl

How long have you been a track and field athlete? Is the 400 hurdle event your specialty, or do you have other events?

I have been running track since middle school. The 400-meter hurdles is my favorite event, however, I also run the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and both the 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays. At the Big Sky Conference Meet I ran the lead-off leg on the 4×1 relay and was supposed to run in the 4×4 as well until I got injured.

Was anything off for you before that race, or did you go in feeling strong and ready?

I felt completely normal and ready. I was completely warmed up and felt as good as or better than I did running the 400-meter hurdle preliminaries the day before.

What is your recollection of the moment your tendon ruptured?

I didn’t actually feel anything until I tried to run again. I didn’t hear a pop or feel it tear as I took off over the hurdle. However, once my foot felt numb and didn’t work right I knew that my Achilles tendon was gone.

Did you know right away something was wrong, or did it take you a second to realize it?

I didn’t know anything was wrong until I stood up and started trying to sprint again. At first it felt like I may have broken my shoe, so I looked down at my foot. Seeing it not responding to my efforts to run again was when I realized that something was seriously wrong. That’s when I knew that I had ruptured my Achilles tendon.

Why keep running?

Making it to the finals in the 400 hurdles at a Division I Championship meet (Big Sky Track & Field Championships) was a goal I had my entire career. I was sidelined by an injury my junior year, so this was my last chance as I had just graduated the previous weekend. I had worked so hard for that moment that it never really occurred to me to stop running. After four years of hard work and endless support from my teammates and coaches, I wasn’t going to let just 300 meters and some pain stop me. Finishing the race was something I wanted to do for myself and for my teammates, and I knew that they would be around the track and at the finish line cheering me on.

Was there a point where you thought to yourself, “Screw it, I’m done?”

No. There was a moment with 100 meters to go where it really started to hurt but I could see the finish line and just kept going.

How did it feel to finish?

I was completely in shock and I just remember falling into my trainer’s arms and hoping against hope that he would tell me it was not my Achilles’ that was hurt.  I knew that I had finished, but that sense of accomplishment did not really sink in until some of the shock had worn off later at the meet.

When did you learn your race video went viral? How did that feel?

It was crazy! I never expected that! It felt nice to know that so many people thought that highly of me. I received so many positive messages from complete strangers. I was and am very grateful.

Some people called you a hero, while others criticized you for—well, making a dumb choice. How have you handled such strong reactions from others?

For those that said I made a dumb decision, I just ignore them because nobody knows what happened there except for me, and the people who were actually in attendance. For those that said I just made the injury worse, I knew from the start that my tendon had completely ruptured, so it’s not like you can really make a complete rupture worse. And it was the last competition of my career, so even if I had made the injury a little worse, it would have been worth it. And for everyone else who was super-supportive—that’s the majority of people—thank you!!!

What’s the coolest thing that’s happened as a result of this video?

I have had people reach out to me from all around the world, which is super cool. I feel so blessed from such an outpouring of love.

A ruptured tendon is pretty severe—some people never really recover. What has your doctor said about your prognosis?

I am young and athletic, so the prognosis is good. With physical therapy and some effort I should make a full recovery. My goal is to just get back to doing the things I love, like fishing and hiking.

How is your recovery going today? What’s next for you?

I had a slight mishap when I slipped in the shower and re-tore my tendon two weeks after surgery. So I had to get surgery again, but I am doing good and still on the same recovery plan.

My next step will be attending graduate school in a doctoral program for physical therapy. I will learn all about rehabbing myself!

In hindsight, was it worth it?

Well I would prefer to have remained an anonymous hurdler with a fully intact Achilles’ tendon… but finishing the race and proving to myself that I can overcome the obstacles of life? Absolutely.

* * *

About The Author:

Susan Lacke does 5Ks, Ironman Triathlons and everything in between to justify her love for cupcakes (yes, she eats that many). Susan lives and trains in Salt Lake City, Utah with three animals: A labrador, a cattle dog, and a freakishly tall triathlete husband. She claims to be of sound mind, though this has yet to be substantiated by a medical expert. Follow her on Twitter: @SusanLacke

The post Out There: Internet Fame and a Ruptured Achilles appeared first on Competitor.com.

Altra’s Desert Boot Fuses Running Tech with Casual Style

Altra's new Desert Boot is available in beige with white/black accents, black with gray/white accents and cobalt blue with lime green/white accents.

At some point in the past 20 years, running shoes have become the casual shoe of choice for Americans. How do I know? Take a look around at any mall, airport, college campus or kids’ soccer game. Most of the adults are wearing running shoes. And why not? Running shoes are comfortable, fit well and give off the vibe that you’re a runner. The only trouble is that it’s still not all that cool to wear running shoes (especially ones you’ve run in) on a date, to a casual meeting, to a holiday gathering or other situations requiring just a touch more of sophistication.

Altra took some of those points to heart when creating its new Desert Boot, a mashup of the best aspects of its running shoes and a classy looking chukka boot. The Desert Boot ($120, altrarunning.com) is lightweight (9.9 oz. for a men’s size 9.0) and has a good amount of soft cushioning (28mm under foot, similar to that of the Altra Torin running shoe) and a zero-drop profile (or a level platform from the heel to forefoot, just like Altra’s road and trail running shoes). The upper is made from a soft, durable and supple, low-nap Italian suede and has a clean look that allows it to pair well with jeans or khakis. The Desert Boot serves up modern style and long-wearing comfort with a classy intent and hint at a hippie chill all wrapped into one.

(The Desert Boot is available in three colors: Black with gray/white accents, cobalt blue with lime green/white accents and beige with white/black accents.)

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