Minute 1: Adidas finally gets a win over Nike
When Kibiwott Kandie shattered the world half marathon record last Sunday, perhaps the only person happier than Kandie was Kasper Rorsted, the CEO of Adidas. For most of the past 2 years, Rorsted’s arch rival Nike had been dominating headlines and shattering world records thanks to its Vaporfly line of carbon-plated models. Nike athletes set new records in the men’s and women’s marathon wearing the controversial shoes. That was nicht gut for Adidas...until Sunday. Kandie delivered an early Christmas gift for Rorsted when he crossed the line wearing Adidas Adizero Adios Pro shoes with several carbon rods in the soles. Before Sunday’s Valencia Half Marathon, no one had ever run a sub 58:00 half marathon in history. On Sunday, 4 men cracked that mark with Kandie leading the way in 57:32. Some commentators believe that the reduced volume of racing during the pandemic helped speed things up, along with the shoes. If you are thinking of surprising a runner on your holiday shopping list with a pair of the Adios Pros, you will probably be disappointed. The shoes have been sold out for weeks. In addition to being scarce on store shelves, they may be just as scarce at the Tokyo Olympics next summer. World Athletics, the main governing body of the sport, is allowing “development shoes” in some competitions, but not at the Olympics.
Minute 2: Healthy eating
The most recent guest on our Six Minute Mile podcast was Andrew Merle, a New Balance executive and fitness blogger. Although our producer is still editing the conversation with Andrew, we wanted to share a few of his ideas even before we go live with the full podcast. Andrew is fascinated by Blue Zones around the world that have the highest percentage of people who live to be 100. The concept was first chronicled by author Dan Buettner in his book “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest.” The common denominator among these communities was the list of healthy foods they consumed. The top hits include beans, dark leafy green, sweet potatoes, nuts, olive oil and red wine (mercifully). Just this week, Well + Good published a related story giving more detail on the top Blue Zone foods in this piece: “4 Items You Should Always Have in Your Pantry, According to the Longest Living People in the World.” While you are pondering how to add Blue Zone foods into your diet, you may also want to consider items to leave off your shopping list. PodiumRunner just published: “9 ‘Health’ Foods That Can Be Very Unhealthy.” Although we don’t agree with all of these entries (oat milk???), the story does contain some provocative ideas. If your healthy eating quest involves getting your kids to say no to mac and cheese and say yes to veggies, we liked this new post from Spartan: “10 Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables Already.” #BeansList
Minute 3: Record books
One of the most popular podcasts we’ve ever produced was our episode with Aaron Yoder, a track coach who broke the world record for running a backwards mile in 5:30. Last month, another novelty mark fell when UNC assistant track coach Dylan Sorensen set an unofficial world record by running a 4:37 mile while dribbling a basketball. (Video here.) Sorensen’s glory only lasted a few weeks, however, since Max Aranow just ran 4:30 to set a new mark. Both men were following in the footsteps of a talented high school runner and hoops star, Sydney Masciarelli, who set the women’s mark with a 5:08 this summer as evidenced by this video. Masciarelli is not just chasing gimmicky records. She is a former FootLocker National XC champion and -- ironically -- is committed to running for coach Sorensen at UNC next year. Fast forward to the 17:00 minute mark of this video to see one of the most amazing finishes in high school XC history. #HoopDreams
Minute 4: Holiday ideas
We've been putting our high school work experience at The Gap to good use recently here at Six Minute Mile. The team has been restocking the shelves with our favorite t-shirt. They are made from soft, tri-blend cotton that is perfect for pandemic Zoom calls and sleeping in cold winter nights. So whether you want to support our small business or you're just hoping for gushing compliments from your running pals, please check out the Six Minute Mile tee here. Because we are in the holiday spirit, our shirts are a steal at just $14.99! Our second favorite idea popped up in a conversation this week with our friends at Gone For A Run. For many years they have been the #1 producer of fun gifts and apparel for runners. We asked them what was flying off the shelves this year and they didn’t hesitate -- it’s their Runner's 2021 Daily Desk Calendar. Every page contains inspirational quotes, illustrations and a space to record your daily activity. Whether it’s for another runner in your life or a guilty purchase for yourself, you won’t be disappointed. If you are disappointed, we will extend your free subscription to Six Minute Mile for another year at no additional cost. :-) #BetterToGive
Minute 5: Quick Intervals
Thomas Panek lost his eyesight in his early 20s due to a genetic condition. Now 50 years old, Panek is determined to pursue his passion for running with the independence of sighted runners. That means running through Central Park without a cane, guide dog or helping humans. He teamed up with Google to create an app that gave him precise navigation instructions through earphones. Late last month he was thrilled to prove the system worked when he covered 5k in Central Park independently: “It’s a real feeling of not only freedom and independence, but also, you know, you get that sense that you’re just like anybody else.”
We dread the tread. With apologies to all the treadmill manufacturers who are lined up to pay Six Minute Mile millions of dollars in sponsorship fees, we dread winter treadmill workouts. We would much prefer to run outside all winter, but due to icy roads and short days during our Boston winters, sometimes we have to clean the drying laundry off our basement treadmill and log a few miles on the hamster wheel. For times like that we turn to inspirational pieces like: “An Olympic champion's guide to treadmill training during winter.” Triathlete and distance runner Gwen Jorgensen helps coach us through the long, cold winter.
We are sharing a fun cross training video workout below, but if you need more ideas as winter closes in, check out “Build Muscle and Torch Calories With This 10-Minute Dumbbell HIIT Workout” and “10 Mentally Challenging CrossFit Workouts with Running.”
Minute 6: Daily Inspiration
Australian-based workout studio franchise, Function 45 or more popularly known as F45 Training, has quickly emerged as one of the trendiest and grueling group fitness experiences in the world. You might have seen some of your favorite Instagram celebs like Mark Wahlberg or David Beckham showing off their shredded physiques after one of their 45-minute HIIT (high-intensity interval training) sessions. Or perhaps you’ve tried one of their virtual classes, maybe you even attended a safely-distanced in-person class. (We love and support our struggling gym proprietors!) If you are not quite ready to pull the trigger on one of their pricey memberships, check out their Instagram video below to get a feel for what all the hype is about. It’s a 10-minute version that has plenty of core and lower body strength reps that are ideal for runners. Move the coffee table to the side of the room and let ‘er rip for a quick session. No excuses. Like Nicole Kidman in The Undoing, the instructor’s accent isn’t really Australian. In this case she is coming to you from Baton Rouge, LA.
