Women's Running

progress over perfection

THIS TIME OF YEAR BRINGS ABOUT SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: candy pumpkins and Christmas ales; strings of white lights and gift-wrapped everything; untouched snow and the ever-present feeling of gratitude. But it also brings about a few of my least favorite things: namely, the seemingly endless conversations around weight and calories, working out and dieting. Messages about “working off your Thanksgiving dinner” and “staving off holiday weight gain” appear in the articles you read, the TV shows you watch, and maybe even subconsciously in some of the social media you post. Most people have just come to accept them, but to me they’re tired, unproductive concepts that tie our daily behaviors to our self-worth. If we miss a workout, we’re “lazy.” If we overindulge, we “failed.” At Women’s Running, we are…

women's running

Editor-in-Chief Jen Ator Senior Writer Erin Strout ART & PHOTO Art Director David Allen CONTRIBUTORS Contributing Writers Lauren Bedosky, Caitlin Carlson, Kiera Carter, Mallory Creveling, Heather Irvine, Matthew Kadey, Susan Lacke, Bethany Mavis, Amanda McCracken, Gabrielle Porcaro, Cassie Shortsleeve Contributing Artists and Photographers Hannah DeWitt, Brad Kaminski, James Q. Martin, Julia Vandenoever MEDIA Director of Production & Circulation Heather Arnold Director of Marketing & Audience Development Dave Trendler Digital Director, Strategy & Operations Anna Horsch Manager of Operations & Human Resources Ilana Coenen ADVERTISING National Endemic Sales Director Nick Ramey nramey@pocketoutdoormedia.com National Non-Endemic Sales Director Lauren Ondersma londersma@pocketoutdoormedia.com ACCOUNT SERVICES Account Manager Erin Hays A PUBLICATION OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ROBIN THURSTON CHAIRMAN FELIX MAGOWAN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ERIN BERESINI CONTROLLER GREG ABRAHAMSON STAFF ACCOUNTANT SUSANNE MIDDLETON…

womensrunning.com/mag

REAL RUNNERS Paralympian Bares All AFTER SCOUT BASSETT ACCEPTED ESPN’s invitation to take part in the annual “Body Issue,” the 2016 Paralympic sprinter noticed that she wasn’t nervous about posing nude, but more anxiety-ridden about exposing her story to the world. Bassett spent most of her first seven years of life in a Chinese government–run orphanage. At 18 months old, her birth parents abandoned her on the side of the road after she lost her right leg in a chemical fire. Bassett wasn’t adopted by her American parents until she was nearly eight years old. “It wasn’t the aspect of being naked—that’s obviously a vulnerable and bold thing, but for me it was more showing all of my burns,” she says. “Knowing that with that, I’d have to be really honest and authentic about…

run happy, live happy

SCIENCE SAYS: Your bad attitude is doing you no good. New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that a negative outlook might actually shorten your lifespan. In the study, researchers collected and reviewed self-reported data—questionnaires regarding a person’s optimism (or their hopefulness and confidence about the future) and mortality information from sources such as the National Death Index—to determine level of optimism and lifespan. They found that the most optimistic men and women lived 11 to 15 percent longer than those with the lowest levels of optimism. They were also 50 to 70 percent more likely to make it to 85 years old. One possible explanation is that people with a more positive outlook may be more likely to engage in healthier behaviors—like fitting in regular exercise—according to…

weight, body image, and running

After claiming her record-setting third straight NCAA Division I women’s steeplechase national title in June, Allie Ostrander took to Instagram to voice her disappointment with the commentary around her races. “This year, the commentators found it necessary to state (incorrectly I might add) my height and weight multiple times,” she wrote. “Not only were these comments objectifying and unnecessary… [they] have brought attention to my appearance more than my ability. People attend this event and listen to the commentary because they want to see what we are capable of, not what we look like we’re capable of.” In an episode of The Morning Shakeout podcast, Sarah Sellers, who finished second at the 2018 Boston Marathon in a breakout performance, spoke candidly about the self-imposed pressure she had long felt as a…

new york city marathon

1970 Year of the inaugural New York City Marathon. Runners paid a $1 entry fee to run several loops through Central Park. (The organizers switched to the five-borough race course in 1976.) 127 Total entrants in that first year. Of those, only 55 men finished; the sole female entrant dropped out due to illness. 12 PERCENT INCREASE IN SIZE OF APPLICANT POOL COMPARED TO LAST YEAR’S DRAWING. 10,510 Number of runners who were accepted into the race through the non-guaranteed drawing. (That’s less than 9 percent of applicants. For perspective, the NYC marathon’s acceptance rate is lower than the acceptance rates at Duke and Johns Hopkins University.) 1,117,709 Total number of applicants in 2019 for the race’s free (nonguaranteed) drawing. 50,000 Approximate size of the entire field for the 2019 race 10,000 Approximate number of charity slots expected to be given out for…