Minute 1: Hot gear takes
The only thing hotter than the cast of Outer Banks right now is our new gear guide produced by our friend Brian Metzler. In his latest installment, Brian answers a rhetorical question that’s been bugging us for a long time: Why can’t running gear look good while performing well? Where is it written that workouts need to be conducted in black shorts/leggings and shoes that look like they were designed by a structural engineer rather than, well, a designer? Brian just curated a collection of 8 new pieces of running gear at the crossroads of fashion and function. Brian’s earlier guide to trail running gear and his Top 8 Shoes for All Kinds of Runners have been some of the most popular links we’ve ever shared. #WhatsInYourLocker?
Minute 2: If professional leagues re-open, will running races be far behind?
Cries of “play ball” will once again be heard throughout America starting in early July according to Major League Baseball owners. Well, if not all across America, at least in Arizona and Florida. The governors of those two states have been the most aggressive in declaring themselves open for professional sports. The NFL, NHL and NBA also have plans to resume games with no fans in the stands. If those leagues resume in some fashion this summer, that is probably good news for the fall race season. One hopeful bit of news came from the New York Road Runners this week as they released this statement, which includes the sentence: “At this time, the 2020 TCS New York City Marathon—the 50th running of the race—is proceeding as planned.” Don’t bet the mortgage money on the race happening, but it’s not hard to imagine much more pessimistic messages coming out of NYRR given how hard New York has been hit by the pandemic. As a back-up plan, you may want to check out The 10 Best Road Races in Florida and The 9 Best Half Marathons in Arizona. #HomeRuns
Minute 3: Runners are better at business
When asked about his fierce rivalry with Uber, the President of Lyft told an NPR podcast that “I started running track just to stay in shape for soccer and then I wanted to win the race and I wanted to go under a five minute mile and was able to do that.” John Zimmer also told the New York Times that he eventually got down to a 5:40 mile. He compares the battle with Uber as being in lap two of a mile race, with lap three typically serving as the place to set yourself up for victory. Other notable running execs include former Nike CEO Mark Parker, a 2:30 marathoner, and former T-Mobile CEO John Legere, who ran New York in 2:53 at age 53. The long-haired, colorfully-dressed Legere told Business Insider that he still runs, while also mixing in some Peloton sessions. Is it a coincidence that most marathoners are well-educated and financially successful? According to research conducted a few years ago, companies led by avid runners are typically more successful than their peers. Check it out here: “Study: Runners Run Better Companies.” #RunningACompany
Minute 4: Dinner delivered to your door
Restaurant meals are now rarer than steak tartare. That has forced many quarantined athletes to become bored of their own cooking and to hit food delivery apps instead. For those of you who don’t know a Doordash from a 100-yard dash, Digital Trends just ranked “The Best Food Delivery Apps for 2020.” On a related note, the LA Times just gave us some ideas on the hybrid of home cooking and food delivery with “The Best and Worst Fresh Food Meal Kits.” For a second opinion, check out this list from Women’s Health of The 17 Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services. These companies will send you all the ingredients you need for a healthy meal and are expected to sell $11.6 billion of those kits a year by 2022. For an alternative perspective, our favorite local burrito shop just posted a very thought-provoking request to avoid the food delivery companies and instead order directly from your favorite local restaurant. Their view is that this helps promote safety, supports local businesses and protects workers from third party delivery services that don’t provide benefits.
Minute 5: Quick Intervals
Alternative proteins from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are showing up on dinner tables in record numbers during the pandemic. It turns out that all those stories about high infection rates in meat processing plants are causing consumers to hop the fence to a different part of the farm. Beyond Meat is now worth more than $8 billion. Check out the full story in this Vox piece: “Demand for Meatless Meat Is Skyrocketing During the Pandemic.”
Don’t miss out on a new product that is certain to sell like hotcakes (or plant protein burgers). Our first-ever Six Minute Mile t-shirts are now online. They are available in any color you want, as long as it’s black. Clinical studies have proven that our shirts promote healthy weight loss and cure male pattern baldness. Well not really, but they’re still pretty cool. Check ‘em out here.
Triathlete magazine just weighed in with an in-depth story on what the data shows about athletes becoming more active during the pandemic. “With the pandemic limiting certain activities, we're seeing more people move to indoor cycling and running.”
Minute 6: Daily Inspiration
We break from our regular sources of inspiration to bring you a story from Florida about folks who just can’t wait to get back in the gym. Earlier this week, about 40 protesters gathered outside the Clearwater Courthouse to demand that gyms re-open ASAP. Their protest included performing air squats and pushups on the sidewalk along with signs reading “Give me gains or give me death.” The protest did not include face masks or social distancing. One snarky Twitter user responded to the protest with this observation: “If you can do squats and pushups on the sidewalk, you can do them in your living room and don’t need to be at the gym, you absolute ding dongs.” The protests didn’t seem to bother one person, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who hinted on Thursday that he may open gyms soon. Video of the protesters getting their sweat on is below.
