January is the month my wife and I plan our summer vacation and our children’s summer camp schedule. Once those things are in place, I’m free to plan my season of endurance events. While I’ve already committed to racing Ironman 70.3 Raleigh in June, I still have lots of planning ahead to determine what races I’ll run in preparation of that event, not to mention races I’ll be able to run once I recover from it. I won’t put the finishing touches on my race season planning until I can sit down with a cup of coffee and this issue of our annual event guide.
For those who might already have their 2013 schedule together, we have lots of interesting articles in this issue, too. Following along with this month’s theme is Shefali Christopher’s article “Tips for a Successful Race Season.” There’s nothing worse than losing your race entry fee because you didn’t carefully consider several key, but often overlooked, aspects of preparing for race season. Christopher’s article offers some great real-world advice to help avoid the dreaded DNS (Did Not Start) because of injury or poor planning.
For many of us, participating in endurance events is essential to helping us feel fulfilled and happy. While our personal meaning of life may change and evolve, we all desire to lead a purposeful and happy life. Living to experience this life for the highest good may entail running a marathon, enjoying a beautiful sunset, or just sitting quietly in a beautiful park. Angelina Stevens explores this idea in her article “The Happy Meaning of Life,” which is a great primer for starting this still-new year.
Triathlete Christopher J. Cramarossa is certainly appreciating life in 2013. At the end of a triathlon last year, he experienced a heart attack and passed out at the finish line. Were it not for the quick actions of Jason Biggs and Brent Dorenkamp, race producers and owners of FS Series, Cramarossa may not have survived. Biggs and Dorenkamp used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to revive Cramarossa after he failed to respond to CPR. Both men have completed CPR/AED/first aid training and are Red Cross-certified. You can read more about their heroic efforts in this issue.
We also bring you another great gear review from Inside-Out Sports Owner Cid Cardoso, Jr. This month, Cardoso looks at the Brooks Pure Cadence2 shoes. Brooks, which is known for making such reliable and consistent running shoes as the Adrenaline and Addiction, introduced the Pure Project line in 2011, their answer to the fast-growing minimalist running shoe market. Brooks entered that segment not with a single, wild “look at me” version of the Vibram FiveFingers, but with an entire line of shoes they could build upon.
In light of Lance Armstrong’s revelation to Oprah Winfrey about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, we thought it timely to highlight a performance enhancer that is not only legal, but free! This month, D.C. Luchessi reviews a training aid of which few Americans take full advantage: sleep. Yes, Luchessi took on the arduous task of napping and wrote about it just for you. If you’re like most Americans, you are probably not getting enough sleep, which can adversely affect your performance. If you don’t get enough rest at night, a nap might do the trick to help you get to that next level. And if you’re not sure how to do it, don’t worry, we included some tips on how to nap right. As always, this issue also offers tips on eating right. This month we feature a delicious hummus recipe. Be sure to check it out!
