Running

Subterms

    Latest story

    More stories

    • 163 Shares189 Views

      in Elections

      Kenyan Runner Will Try to Become First Woman to Break a 4-Minute Mile

      by

      A study suggested that Faith Kipyegon, the female record-holder, could do it under the right conditions. She is set to try in June.A star runner from Kenya, Faith Kipyegon, is set to try to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes this summer, after a study suggested that she could do so under the right conditions.Kipyegon, 31, set the world record in the women’s mile, running it in 4 minutes 7.64 seconds in 2023. More than 70 years after Roger Bannister, a British medical student, became the first person to break the four-minute barrier, it remains the next frontier for women’s middle-distance running.The attempt is scheduled for June 26 in Paris, Nike, which sponsors Kipyegon, said on Wednesday. In February, a study had predicted that Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion in 1,500 meters, known as the metric mile, could run a mile as fast as 3:59.37 by reducing drag with better drafting off pacesetters.Breaking four minutes would require her to run two seconds faster per lap on the four laps around the track, compared to her previous best.Factors ranging from wind and pacing to shoe technology and mental training will all play a significant role.The study predicting that Kipyegon could do it, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, posited that her best chance would involve drafting, or the use of pacesetters running in formation around her to help reduce wind resistance. The study suggested that one female pacer run 1.3 meters ahead of her and another the same distance behind.Nike did not reveal its plans for pace-setting or the use of racing spikes, whose enhanced foam cushioning and carbon-fiber plates have helped make sub-four-minute miles more common in men’s running.The company said the attempt would be made in a controlled environment at Stade Charléty, a stadium in the 13th arrondissement. Kipyegon set the 1,500-meter world record of 3:49.04 at a meet there in 2024. (A mile is a little over 1,600 meters.)Nike created similar experimental conditions on a course in Vienna in 2019, when the Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run the 26.2 miles of a marathon in under two hours.Even if she achieved her goal, Kipyegon might not set an official world record. For World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field, to ratify a sub-four-minute women’s mile, rules about pace setting have to be followed.According to the study, Kipyegon would have her best chance at breaking the mark if her pacers were substituted after the first half-mile. That would not conform to pacing rules. Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon was not considered an official record as he used rotating pacers.An official record, however, might not be her priority.“I want this attempt to say to women, ‘You can dream and make your dreams valid,’” Kipyegon said in a statement. More

    • 125 Shares109 Views

      in Elections

      Rest Days Are Good. Active Recovery Days Can Be Better.

      by

      Low-impact, easy workouts can offer relief for sore muscles.Rest is an important piece of any exercise routine, and on some days all your body needs is a long lounge on the couch. But active recovery, which falls somewhere between a full rest day and a workout, can help your body bounce back more quickly.Research has found that low-impact movement, such as walking or swimming, can be more effective than rest for reducing muscle soreness after exercise. That may be why competitive and elite athletes have long incorporated active recovery into their training schedules, though there’s not enough evidence to say that it improves athletic performance.If you’re exercising regularly, doing something on a recovery day is often better than doing nothing, said J. Jay Dawes, a professor of applied exercise science at Oklahoma State University, especially if your goal is to reduce soreness between workouts. Light movement like walking can increase blood flow and circulation, and “literally as little as a stroll can be beneficial,” he said.Here’s how to use active recovery to your advantage, according to exercise scientists and coaches.Why is active recovery helpful?When you exercise, your body cycles between periods of stress and repair. Your muscles may be sore or tight after a hard workout, but with proper recovery that short-term soreness gives way to increased fitness.Recovery days — both active ones and full rest days — allow your body to repair your muscles and replenish its stores of energy, said Kate Baird, an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Active recovery can provide some pain relief by reducing soreness, she added, and promote better mobility and range of motion.For anyone who follows a training schedule or exercises regularly, active recovery days can be mentally beneficial too, said Conrad Goeringer, who is an Ironman-certified coach and the founder of Working Triathlete, a coaching service. Continuing to move — however easily — can have a calming or meditative effect that full day of inactivity doesn’t always provide.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Elections

      Paralympic Marathoner Loses Medal After Helping Her Guide Yards From Finish

      by

      A visually-impaired runner briefly let go of the tether to her guide after he cramped near the finish line, costing her a bronze medal.A visually impaired runner was disqualified from receiving a medal at the Paralympics after helping her guide who had stumbled just yards from the marathon’s finish line.The runner, Elena Congost of Spain, was denied a bronze medal in the race in Paris on Sunday, the final day of the Paralympics, because she briefly let go of the tether that connected her with her guide, a violation of the rules, as he lost his footing while cramping.Blind and visually impaired athletes run with a guide, a sighted person who keeps them on the right path. Both guide and runner must at all times hold a tether, a short rope with a loop on each end that keeps them connected.About 10 yards before the finish line, after three hours of running, Congost was on her way to third place when her guide, Mia Carol Bruguera, who was suffering from cramps, stumbled. Congost went to help steady him, briefly letting go of the tether in the process.They quickly steadied themselves and crossed the line, more than three minutes ahead of the fourth place finisher, but the release of the tether led to the disqualification.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in Elections

      How to Prepare for a Marathon: Training Tips

      by

      Preparing to run 26.2 miles can be daunting. Here’s how to structure four months of training.When you cross the finish line of your first marathon, the high can make it easy to forget about everything you’ve put your mind and body through to get there. There’s no question that covering 26.2 miles is an impressive feat of endurance and athleticism, but it can be an attainable goal for most runners with the right preparation.Most marathoners train for about 16 weeks before the big day. Here, we’ve put together a four-part guide that breaks the cycle into four-week segments, each with a specific training focus. It also includes tips on nutrition, speed workouts, strength training and mental preparation.To start this plan, you should feel comfortable running about 25 miles per week, including a regular long run of at least 10 miles. If you’re not there yet, consider running a shorter race this year and gradually working your way up to that mileage before starting a 16-week program. (If you have a marathon on the calendar for this fall, your training should already be underway. But you can still use this guide to check on your progress so far, and to take advantage of the advice for month two and beyond, depending on your race date.)Marathon training can feel like a slog at times, and it helps to make peace with the long commitment. “Training isn’t sexy and it doesn’t deliver immediate gratification,” said Jessica Hofheimer, a running coach in North Carolina who works with runners of all levels. But if you stick with it and enjoy the process, nothing beats the reward of crossing the finish line.Month One: Build a foundationThe first four weeks of marathon training (beginning about four months before race day) focus on building the base of strength and endurance you’ll tap into throughout the training cycle. Your mileage will be relatively low, and your pace for most runs should generally feel easy.Aim to run four or five times a week, including a long run of at least 10 miles. Supplement your running with strength training at least twice a week, which will help you avoid injury as you increase your mileage.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 113 Shares199 Views

      in Elections

      Sifan Hassan Wins Olympic Marathon, Testing Limits of Endurance

      by

      The Dutch Olympian added a victory in the longest race of the Games to her bronze medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. “What was I thinking?” she said afterward.Sifan Hassan couldn’t stop laughing at herself.“What have I done? What is wrong with me?” she said of the inner monologue that had echoed in her head through the 26.2 punishing miles of the Olympic women’s marathon on Sunday.Hassan had already logged three Olympic races, and two bronze medals from them. She ran the first heat in the 5,000 meters on Aug. 2, the final of the 5,000 on Monday and the 10,000 final on Friday night. Then, only 37 hours later, she propelled herself across the starting line in the marathon, the most demanding race of them all, and ended up crossing the finish line first.An Ethiopian-born runner who competes for the Netherlands, Hassan, 31, had described her Olympic schedule — which initially was supposed to also include the 1,500 — as one driven by curiosity. She wanted to know if she could do all three events, requiring close to 40 miles of Olympic racing. The goal, she emphasized, was not necessarily to win medals in each race: Instead, it was simply to complete all three.No athlete had taken medals in all three events at the same Olympic Games since 1952, when Emil Zatopek won three golds for what was then Czechoslovakia. In the age of specialization in elite running, though, Hassan’s decision to even try all three races was unusually bold. To claim a medal in all three was, seemingly, unthinkable. Until she did it.As the words spilled out of her after the marathon, Hassan was still wrestling with the intense physical challenge she had set for herself, of whether testing her physical limits had really been the wisest idea after all.“Every single moment I regretted that I ran the five and 10,000,” she said.During the race, she said, she kept thinking of her competitors in the marathon’s lead group — Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia, Hellen Obiri of Kenya, Sharon Lokedi of Kenya and Amane Beriso Shankule of Ethiopia among them — and their fresh, rested legs. “When are they going to break me?” she wondered.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      How Julien Alfred Beat Sha’Carri Richardson for Gold

      by

      Richardson’s slow start put her behind, a position she had been able to overcome in the past. But not on Saturday, as she rarely matched Alfred’s speed during any part of the race. Women’s 100-meter final results 1 Alfred 10.72s 23.15mph 25.50mph 2 Richardson 10.87s 22.84mph 25.18mph 3 Jefferson 10.92s 22.64mph 25.03mph 4 Neita 10.96s […] More

    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in Elections

      3 Exercises to Test Your Physical Fitness Level

      by

      How do you know if you are fit? Or, at least, fit enough? And how can you tell if your fitness is improving?You have to test yourself. And while most people haven’t participated in a fitness evaluation since their high school Presidential Physical Fitness Test, it’s good to occasionally check in on your progress.“It’s very important to know that what you’re doing is working,” said Matt Fitzgerald, coach and author of “Run Like a Pro (Even if You’re Slow).” “Then you can course correct if what you’re doing is not working.”In fact, some experts say that testing yourself every three to six months can tell you more about your fitness than looking at daily performance, which often varies significantly. While fitness can be measured — and expressed — in many ways, here are three tests designed to track strength and cardiovascular fitness that can be done with little or no equipment.Jump ahead• The Dead Hang for grip strength• The Cooper Test for cardiovascular fitness• The Plank for core strength

      [id*=”scrolly-instance-“] p {
      padding-left: 20px;
      padding-right: 20px;
      }

      [id*=”scrolly-instance-“] p span {
      background-color: white;
      display: block;
      text-shadow: none;
      color: #333;
      font-family: nyt-imperial, georgia, ‘times new roman’, times, serif;
      font-size: 1.125rem;
      line-height: 1.5625rem;
      padding: 20px;
      }

      #scrolly-instance-1 .scrolly-image-0,
      #scrolly-instance-1 .scrolly-image-2 {
      object-position: bottom;
      }

      #scrolly-instance-2 .scrolly-image-1 {
      object-position: right top;
      }

      @media (min-width: 740px) {
      [id*=”scrolly-instance-“] p span {
      font-size: 1.25rem;
      line-height: 1.875rem;
      }
      }
      We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More