Minute 1: How mindfulness can support your fitness

One of the reasons we love running so much is that it’s as good for the mind as it is for the body. That’s probably why this t-shirt has always spoken to us: “I Run to Burn Off the Crazy.” Lots of people use exercise as a tool to support their mental health, but they may not fully appreciate that this mind-body connection is a two-way street. What we mean is, our thought patterns and mental frameworks can impact our physical health, and that’s one reason mindfulness habits have proven to be so effective: “Can mindfulness really make you happy, lower your blood pressure and improve your sleep? Experts reveal all.” Mindfulness is the practice of sustaining attention on your own thoughts in the present moment, but unlike meditation, it can be done any time you like, and during nearly any task. As you might expect, mindfulness practice can improve mental aspects like mood and cognition, but it can also help with your physical condition. Research shows mindfulness can sharpen athletic performance. If that sounds good to you, you should check out these: “20 Mindfulness Exercises for Athletes.” First on the list is a classic exercise called a body scan, and if you’d like a guided example of how it’s done, you can listen to “Mindfulness Exercise: Body Scan.” Another popular method among athletes is utilizing visualization, which is especially effective at reducing pre-race nerves and improving game-time decisions. If you’re skeptical of the power of mindfulness, we don’t blame you, but a report called “Mindfulness in Athletes” Current Sports Medicine Reports (lww.com) from Current Sports Medicine Reports should answer any questions you’ve got.

#MindfulMatters

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Minute 2: Two types of exercise that can boost your longevity

According to a recent study performed by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, running fast can help you age slowly. When researchers examined the lifespans of the first 200 athletes to run a 4-minute mile, what they found was pretty remarkable, according to this new piece from Outside: “Is Running a Four-Minute Mile the Secret to Longevity?” By controlling for year and country of birth, researchers determined these elite milers lived an average of 4.7 years longer than the general population. Granted, it’s not totally clear if these runners lived longer due to their intense training, or if elite runners simply have the characteristics that are conducive to longevity, like a strong heart and fast metabolism. We don’t expect a large cohort of our readers to match the speed of Roger Bannister and other elite runners (our newsletter isn’t called “Four Minute Mile,” after all), but working to improve your VO2 max with the occasional high-intensity speed workout should pay dividends for your health later in life.  Details are in this piece: “Longevity and Vo2max? Does it Actually Matter?” While you’re at it, you may want to add some of these longevity-boosting strength exercises into your routine: “Three strength training exercises if we want longer, healthier lives, according to a trainer.”

#RunTheClockBack

Minute 3: Can Ozempic do more than shed extra pounds?

Regular readers of SMM will know that we have a bit of a fascination with Ozempic and the other new generation of GLP-1 hormone drugs that make you feel satiated way before your second Chick-fil-A sandwich. It’s not so much that we’re interested in shedding five pounds the easy way (we are kinda interested), but it’s more that we are so optimistic that these drugs can reverse the obesity epidemic in the U.S. and many other nations. We just listened to a fascinating Rich Roll podcast with a best-selling author who used these drugs successfully himself, but still wanted listeners to heed his “OZEMPIC EXPERT WARNING: 12 Risks You Need To Know.” So far, the price of Ozempic (pushing $1,000 per month) has made it impossible for many populations struggling with obesity to afford the treatments. But that’s about to change, as stories like this appeared this week, providing optimism for patients and a soaring stock price for investors: “Hims & Hers Selling GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy for 85% Less: What to Know.” According to the story, “their compounded version of the GLP-1 drug semaglutide will be prescribed by a physician through their own telehealth platform.” Prices will start at $79 per month for its oral medication kits and $199 per month for injections. Meanwhile many of these drugs have been found to provide more than just a better beach body: “Scientists Are Studying Weight-Loss Drugs for Way More Than Weight Loss.” These drugs have produced benefits as varied as improving fertility and reducing alcohol cravings. 

#DrugConviction

Minute 4: Shoe Review: Merrell Agility Peak 5 ($140)

We have romanticized before about the life of our pal Brian Metzler. When he rolls out of bed in the morning, he begins his workday by testing running shoes on some of the world’s most beautiful trails around Boulder and Leadville, Colorado. Brian is fortunate to have a big quiver of trail running shoes, often provided gratis by top shoe brands. But for the rest of us mortals, we can only justify one pair of trail runners to complement a few pairs of road shoes. And that one pair of trail shoes may be great on gravel, but terrible on wet rock. Or terrific at preventing sharp rocks poking your soles, but lousy at dealing with mud. Well Brian just found a solution to this dilemma and its name is the Merrell Agility Peak 5. This shoe is the Swiss army knife of trail running shoes – a way to get you through any situation a trail serves up. It is an awesome choice for those of us who don’t buy shoes by the dozen and need a versatile option. A few highlights from Brian’s review of the Merrell Agility Peak 5 are below, but you definitely want to read the full details on our website.

I’ve wear-tested about 35 new trail running shoes since December, and the one I’ve found to be the very best at a lot of types of terrain – but not necessarily the very best for any one type of terrain – is the Merrell Agility Peak 5 ($140). It has everything I need for running most of the moderately technical dirt and rocky trails around Boulder, Colorado – however I haven’t yet tested it on the more rugged high-alpine trails that are still covered with snow. As you head to your local running store in search of your next pair of trail running shoes, it’s important to take into consideration the trails you’ll most likely be running this summer. But from my vantage point, the Agility Peak 5 is a very good all-around performer, and it’s another sign that Merrell has really up-leveled its trail running shoe game over the past two years.

What’s New: The Merrell Agility Peak 5 is a great update to a shoe that was already pretty good. It features a  revised version of the brand’s FloatPro Foam midsole foam, which is a lightweight, medium-density compound that offers just enough softness without being mushy or unstable. The one-piece engineered mesh upper is more breathable and durable than the previous version, with better ventilation and reinforcing TPU overlays on the lower part of the sidewalls and around the toe bumper. The outsole is a lightweight web of Vibram Megagrip rubber that includes 19 chunky, low-profile directional lugs under the forefoot and 10 more under the heel. It also features an improved lacing system with recycled laces and lace webbing, and a premium recycled footbed that adds to the comfortable step-in feel. The new version has a 5mm heel-toe drop (down from 6mm last year) and it is about a half an ounce lighter, which is always a good thing.

The Ride: The ride of the Agility Peak 5 is absolutely divine, one of the smoothest and most stable trail shoes I’ve ever run in. The midsole provides soft, semi-responsive cushioning, and the pliable rock plate embedded inside it keeps any awkward poke-through irritations at bay without limiting the easy-flexing demeanor of the shoe. This shoe doesn’t feel exceptionally energetic or bouncy like those with supercritical foam midsoles, but it’s lively enough for faster-paced running. It’s not marshmallow soft, but instead it serves up a cushy flow that’s reliably stable and secure. Plus, there’s enough protection in the toe box and sidewalls to run over technical, craggy rocks without putting your feet in harm’s way. 

Why It’s Great: It’s great because it’s everything a versatile trail running shoe should be. It’s relatively light, it’s agile, it’s well-cushioned (but not a high-stack maximally cushioned shoe), it’s protective, and it’s fun to run in. The Agility Peak 5 is lower to the ground than a lot of trail shoes, which allows it to provide great proprioceptive“feel” for the trail for more precise footing. I enjoyed this shoe for running fast on smooth, flowy trails as much as I liked it for running slower with more meticulous footing over technical terrain. The Vibram outsole serves up amazing traction on rocks and dirt without hindering the shoes flexibility or accumulating mud or pebbles. The bottom line: I’ve purposely chosen to wear this shoe for most of my recent trail runs amid a stack of choices just because I like running in it so much.

Brian goes much deeper into why he really likes the Merrell Agility Peak 5 in his full review. You can check it out on our website here.
#AllPeakNoBoo

Minute 5: Quick Intervals

• Just like a drummer who never falls off tempo, Coach Trax is back right on time for her weekly song recommendation: Today's song is "On the Game" by the Black Keys. This duo, composed of guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney have been playing together for over 20 years. I'm guessing most of you are familiar with their music and/or know of them in general. If I'm being honest, I wouldn't intuitively turn to this band for workout music. But "On the Game" is unique in that it holds that blues-rock sound they are so well known for while also being incredibly upbeat and, for lack of a better word, snappy, which is really different for them. This song is off of their 12th studio album, “Ohio Players,” which was released in early April. I'm loving the entire album, but “On the Game” is the one that makes me want to lace up and hit the road. Plus, as we roll into Memorial Day weekend I can see this album being a staple for the picnics and barbeques. Or, in my case, bus rides to track meets with my headphones on. Hey, whatever works. Check it out on Spotify and Apple Music. #TurnItUp

• Coach Trax has you covered with the pump up jams, but what about some noise to mellow you out? Lots of folks rely on white noise to help them sleep or deal with the symptoms of tinnitus, but there might be an even more soothing option called pink noise. It’s got less of the high end frequencies that can sound harsh on your ears over time, and research has found that listening to pink noise can improve focus and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. For more on that, read: “Have you tried pink noise for sleep? Here’s what to know.” You can find pink noise for your phone in the Apple app store, among other places.

• After completing many weeks or months of training, there’s nothing worse than making a race-day mistake that throws you off your game. Events can be chaotic and confusing, and with all that excitement, it can be easy to overlook a step in your execution as the race approaches. If you don’t want your hard work to go to waste, you should be mindful of these: “5 common racing mistakes and tips to prevent them.” Mistake #3 resonated with us: Neglecting a Warmup. Been there, screwed that up. A light jog to the starting line and a few stretches amidst the crowd is not a substitute for a proper 15-minute warmup.

Minute 6: Daily Inspiration

As dog lovers, we have to admit this next story brought a tear to our eyes. @thatgoodnewsgirl shared a video about ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard, who was joined by a stray dog he named Gobi for 77 miles during a competition in China. The two formed a bond immediately, and Dion planned to adopt Gobi and bring her home to the UK, but she got lost in the process. There are tons of twists and turns to this story, but (spoiler alert), it has a happy ending, so be sure to check it out in the link below.