Skillet Bagels and Eggs

By

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July 27, 2017

My memories of the camping vacations of my childhood are blurry, but there is one tradition I can never forget: bagel eggs. Bagel eggs are nothing fancy—just half a bagel with an egg fried in its centre. I’ll never be able to enjoy them without thinking of the smoky scent of a campfire and the birds chirping in the distance. Often the memories of adventuring are as much about the food you ate as the places you visited.

SERVES 2 AS A MAIN

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 sprigs rosemary
Peel from 1/2 lemon
1 bagel with a hole the size of an egg, split (see headnote)
2 eggs
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREP TIP: Unless your bagels have extra-big holes in the center, you may need to cut the hole slightly larger so the egg doesn’t spill over the top. To determine if the whole is large enough, put the uncracked egg in the center to make sure it fits completely.

DIRECTIONS

ONE: Prepare a campfire for medium heat (see page 167). Put a cast-iron saucepan on the grill rack or set up a tripod over the fire.

TWO: In the saucepan, combine the butter, rosemary, and lemon peel and cook until the butter melts and sizzles. Add the bagel halves, cut-sides down, and crack an egg into the center of each one. Cook until the bottom starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Check the bagel often to keep it from burning. Flip and cook until the egg has completely set, 2 to 3 minutes.

THREE: Remove from the campfire, discard the rosemary and lemon peel, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

This recipe is an excerpt from Vegetarian Heartland, by Shelly Westernhausen, a celebration of life’s adventures in every season. Shelley is a food stylist, photographer and recipe developer who also writes and creates at Vegetarian ‘Ventures.

Firmer means faster: New Balance, speed, and the case against “mushy shoes”

By

Ben Kaplan

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July 26, 2017

Dave Korell is the footwear product merchandiser for New Balance Canada and he’s been the company’s go-to shoe expert for years. Here, Korell breaks down the details of the brand’s new line of sneakers, called Fuel, and breaks down what makes them special.

Q) There’s lot of shoes on the market, and even lots of shoes made by New Balance. What makes Fuel different?

A) The Fuel category of footwear from New Balance is targeted at a speedy consumer experience. Each of these platforms have a low-to-the-ground ride and provide a midsole that is built for responsiveness. The initial feel will be firmer but that’s intentional because mushy shoes don’t elicit a speedy experience. The Fuel platform contrasts our Fresh Foam platform where the focus there is on straight cushion and softness.

Q) Who’s the shoe for?

A) Speaking of the Fuel Cell specifically, the shoe is built for a consumer that seeks a premium speed experience in a shoe that lasts and looks modern. The platform will be fast where you don’t spend much time sinking into it before the consumer is propelled into the next stride. For the customer who seeks the pinnacle durability in an athletic shoe, the Fuel Cell will also score high grades.

Q) Can you talk a little about the technology, without losing us?

A) In any shoe experience you can manipulate the midsole and/or the upper to change what consumer experience you wish to provide. In the Fuel Cell, the midsole platform is highlighted by a heel-to-toe Nitrogen-infused polyurethane material we call “Fuel.” The objective of this material is to be as lightweight and as durable as possible while being responsive enough so the consumer doesn’t spend time sinking into soft foam. This creates the speed focus. Above the Fuel piece is Revlite foam which is our 30% lighter than EVA midsole material that adds to a lightweight experience with some degree of cushion. With respect to the upper, we have extended the development of the Dynamic Fit Saddle from our loved 2090 into extended coverage in the Fuel Cell, providing a different upper from the popular engineered mesh that is both durable and foot-conforming.

Q) Is there a greater trend happening in running shoes? We’ve seen minimalist sneakers and pronation-correcting sneakers, where are we now with shoe technology and how does Fuel fit into the bigger picture?

A) Fuel Cell is a new take in that softer isn’t always better. While the running shoe industry is currently very foam-based, that is, higher midsole heights and more foam coverage in a maximalist state, the Fuel Cell introduction of extensive firm polyurethane is special. Firmer doesn’t mean bad, firmer means faster and reduced dwell time into a platform. This shoe is built for speed.

Q) Are elite athletes wearing Fuel, and if so, who, and for what kind of running?

A) We’re seeing elite sprinters to middle distance runners enjoying the Fuel Cell and Fuel Core Sonic being that they are spending more time generating power from the forefoot and spending less time on the ground. Specific examples would be World Champion sprinter Trayvon Bromell in the US and closer to home, Canadian Olympic sprinter Khamica Bingham [pictured].

Q) As you develop new sneakers, is part of the evolution of any new shoe coming to market for them to last longer over time? Is there anything particular about Fuel which makes them a good long-term investment?

A) I can say some shoes are built to last longer over time and others aren’t, but this is by design. Some shoes are designed to be extreme lightweight experiences for consumers who seek that out and by nature, these shoes won’t last as long. We can make shoes that will last an extremely long time, but we have to factor in cost that fits the market’s appetite and also the ride and feel of the shoe. The Fuel Cell is targeting durability. Polyurethane by nature is firm-cellular and does not compress as fast as softer foams, so the full-length PU midsole will definitely last longer miles than purely foam-based midsoles.

Coach Dave Scott Thomas Talks Eric Gillis and IAAF World Championships

By

Ravi Singh

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July 24, 2017

After 15 years of working together, Coach Dave Scott Thomas and Eric Gillis are still having fun. Image courtesy of Canada Running Series.

Part 1 of our conversation with Speed River Track & Field and Guelph University Head Coach Dave Scott Thomas.

Devotees of Canadian running know Eric Gillis in many ways. Three time Olympian Eric Gillis. Canada’s first top ten Olympic marathoner in four decades Eric Gillis. Canada’s most consistently brilliant men’s marathoner Eric GIllis.

Dave Scott Thomas just calls him Gilly. “I feel lucky because there are athletes I get to work with and watch them grow for 10 years,” Dave tells me over the phone from his office at Guelph University. “I’ve worked with Gilly for 15 years now and, I tell ya, he’s got me for life.”

Over the course of a decade and a half, the relationship between coach and athlete has certainly changed. Gillis and the other high profile athletes Scott Thomas works with – a roster that includes Reid Coolsaet, Krista DuChene, Ross Proudfoot, and Evan Esselink – mostly know what’s good for them. In such cases, Scott Thomas says he’s more of a consultant and supporter that’s always on hand when needed.

What hasn’t changed in those 15 years is how much fun Dave and Gilly still have, both still looking ahead with optimism and excitement. “It sounds trite, but this stage of training has been playful and well grounded,” Dave says, referring to GIllis’ build to his first IAAF World Championships in August.

The previous day, “We met on an old country road and hunkered down for 37K and Eric was as good as he’s ever been for that kind of session and still in the range of his best fitness.” Regarding conditioning, Dave reports that Eric was, “…moving well and the biomechanics looked good. We’re also in a good place with fuelling and hydration.”

London will be Eric’s first time competing at the IAAF World Championships. Dave says that Eric has been ready before, but, “The marathon is a weird beast and we’ve chosen to target other races in the past. Beijing, for example, presented a risk factor with the heat and pollution.”

Dave adds that when the fall marathon season rolls around, “There’s a strong sense of patriotism and we want to run in Toronto in the fall. We want Canadian runners running in Canada and [Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Race Director] Alan Brookes does such a great job that Toronto is usually where we want to be in the fall.”

With Gillis planning a move back to his native Antigonish, Nova Scotia later this fall to take up a coaching position at St. Francis Xavier, the timing and Gillis’ excellent conditioning made London a logical choice.

Eric and Dave haven’t yet hammered out a precise plan for London, but if Eric is healthy, “We’ll gun for another top ten.” Once the official start list is available, Dave will look 40-50 competitors deep to examine their progression and tweak the game plan accordingly.

The expectations going into Worlds are cautiously optimistic, just as they were prior to Rio, but Dave is excited. “In Rio we targeted the high end of our expectations and nailed it,” Dave recounts, adding that, “Eric is still that fit now.”

Dave still speaks of Eric with the enthusiasm one would accord a new protege with massive potential. The two still feel there’s work to be done even at this stage of what’s been a very fruitful partnership. Summing up the relationship, Dave exclaims, “It’s been a gift to work with Gilly. I can still show up on a country road to hand him bottles and have fun doing it.”

Ravi Singh

New Balance presents: The Song that Changed My Life, by Reid Coolsaet

By

Ben Kaplan

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July 22, 2017

2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfton Marathon — 2016 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon Toronto, Canada October 16, 2016 Photo: Victah Sailer@PhotoRun

All this month, we’re highlighting different stories about New Balance and New Balance athletes, like Ross Proudfoot, who wrote this about maximizing your running this summer.

At iRun, we love music and musicians who run and we love to hear runner’s playlist suggestions. We’re doing a contest all this week about The One Song That Changed My Life, what’s your favourite running song and when did it get you out of a pickle?

I know my song exactly. Running the Boston Marathon and everything fell apart and I was feeling despondent until the live version of Nothing As it Seems by Pearl Jam came on. I started jogging again, and playing air guitar, and my spirits lifted from the gutter to the sky.

Here’s Reid on his favourite song, Gimme Shelter.

“Before I ran STWM in 2011 I was listening to “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. It was really windy that day so the line: “If I don’t get some shelter I’m going to fade away,” spoke to me in terms of sticking with the main pack. I was able to stay with the leaders until 37km and that made the difference for me dipping under 2:11:00 for the first time.”

What’s the song that got you across the finish line?

You Don’t Have to Have Your Running Style Corrected

By

Ben Kaplan

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July 21, 2017

A recent study analyzing the running style of Usain Bolt, the faster sprinter in history, has found him to have an erratic running stride. His right leg hits the track with 13% more force than his left leg, according to researchers at Southern Methodist University. This means that his left leg remains on the ground 14% longer than his right leg. So the question is: if he evened out his stride, if both legs hit the ground with equal force and remained on the ground for the same time, could the fastest man of all-time be even faster? And fundamentally, what interests us about this is how it pertains to your own running: Should you have your gait analyzed and corrected?

After reading the study from Southern Methodist and gathered from my own reporting on the matter in the book Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now, I believe the answer is no. Here’s a takeaway from the report on Bolt: “Correcting his asymmetry would not speed him up and might even slow him down,” Peter Weyand, director of the SMU lab, said. “It could be an unnatural gait for him.”

I’ve been watching my 6-year-old run all summer long and she has the most beautiful natural form. Running comes naturally to us as we ran to hunt down our prey in prehistoric times before we’d even developed hunting weapons. Running is in our DNA. It’s something we fundamentally know how to do. And there’s all sorts of things that can help runners, from gait-correcting sneakers that reduce pronation to detailed stride analysis that will help us land on our forefoot instead of our heels. But like the pronation-controlled shoes weren’t able to bring down the rate of running injuries, a gait-correction might not be best for Usain Bolt. Odds are your running can be improved by one thing: run more.

Benno Nigg is one of the most famous running injury experts and biomechanic superstars in the world. For years he ran the Human Performance Lab at the University of Calgary and he’s been employed by almost every big sneaker company to help them design sneakers. It was his research that led to the pronation-correcting shoe market. I spoke to him awhile back and asked him what was the world’s best sneaker. Of course he had no answer. There’s no “perfect,” sneaker, just the perfect sneaker for you. And very few of us need sneakers to adjust our running style. He told me he wished he never even thought up “pronation-correcting,” as a shoe design.

“So how would you advise your mom to pick out her next pair of shoes?” I asked him.

“I would tell her to try on several pairs,” he said, “and whichever ones felt best, I’d tell her to buy those.”

Running can be arduous. Results can be hard to earn. It’s tempting to want to make improvements. And there’s a billion-dollar industry designed to sell you products that help. But reading that study on Usain Bolt—where physicists deduced down to 0.03 seconds of peak impact force—and having their grand conclusion be something along the lines of: “let’s just leave his running style alone,” I think it serves as a good reminder for everyone: How you run is most likely the way that you should run. Running is natural and for proof, watch any 6-year-old at the park. It doesn’t take a physicist to determine that a smile on your face will go a lot further toward meeting your race goals than time spent in a lab or a session of kinesiology.

150 Runners – Trevor Kearsey

By

Ben Kaplan

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July 19, 2017

Trevor Kearsey

39, Mount Pearl

I started running a little over six years ago, and it was always about how fast I could go. Honestly, that took some of the enjoyment out of it. Nowadays I run for me, to enjoy the experience, rather than to better my times. I’m training to do my first marathon as part as the RunDisney Dopey Challenge a couple months after my 40th birthday.

Kansas Barbecue Tempeh Skewers

By

Anna Lee Boschetto

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July 19, 2017

Slathered in a rich homemade barbecue sauce that’s super simple, the tempeh and sweet potatoes are the perfect complement. Keep it varied by swapping in any vegetables that you have on hand. Along with this recipe, you will also need 10 wooden skewers soaked in water for about 30 minutes.

By: Shelly Westerhausen

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato, chopped into 1-in [2.5-cm] pieces
1/2 cup [160 g] molasses
1/4 cup [50 g] packed brown sugar
1/4 cup [60 ml] apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp fine sea salt
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
One 8-oz [227-g] package organic tempeh, cut into 12 square slices
1 large yellow onion, quartered

DIRECTIONS
ONE: Fill a medium pot with 1 in [2.5 cm] of water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Place the sweet potato in a steamer basket and set the basket over the simmering water. Cover and steam the potatoes until slightly softened but not mushy, about 3 minutes.

TWO: In a large bowl, whisk together the molas- ses, brown sugar, vinegar, paprika, peanut oil, tomato paste, salt, onion powder, chili powder, lemon juice, garlic powder, and cayenne into a thick glaze.

THREE: Pour the glaze into a resealable plastic bag, add the sweet potato, tempeh, and onion, and gently toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

FOUR: Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium heat. Remove the tempeh, sweet potato, and onion from the marinade. Thread the tempeh, sweet potato, and onion onto the wooden skewers, spacing them about 1/2 in [12 mm] apart for even cooking.

FIVE: Arrange the skewers on the grill and cook, flipping them every 3 or 4 minutes to keep them from burning, until the sweet potatoes are cooked all the way through, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe is an excerpt from Vegetarian Heartland, a celebration of life’s adventures in every season. Shelley Westerhausen is a food stylist, photographer and recipe developer who also writes and creates at Vegetarian ‘Ventures.

150 Runners – Stephanie Maggs

By

Ben Kaplan

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July 19, 2017

Stephanie Maggs

50, Orangeville

Dream BIG and make it happen! Ten years ago I first heard about Team Diabetes, and since then I’ve raised over $65,000 to help find a cure while completing a marathon on 5 continents. I am doing my 6th (Africa) in 2018, and hope to do Antarctica in 2019 for a target of $100,000 to be raised overall.

Testing Out New Balance FuelCell

By

Anna Lee Boschetto

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July 19, 2017

By: Karen Kwan

The Skinny: A shoe that features a 6 mm drop, a lightweight solid rubber outsole, Revlite midsole foam (it’s nitrogen infused), external heel counter, and no-sew welded dynamic overlays.

The Goods: I wore them and I’d have to check the drop and specs the other shoes I have in rotation because the FuelCell felt more flat and less cushioned than what I have been wearing lately. The nitrogen-infused midsole is said to help support a powerful laugh with every step. Based on my initial two runs with them, I personally might continue to use them for shorter runs in my training. They feel very lightweight and comfortable on the foot. The mesh upper seems to provide good breathability but I could see the welded overlays making them less airy on the sides, making for potentially warm feet.

The Style: The FuelCell have a futuristic styling, in particular the overlays on the side have a sleek sheen and almost Mystique-like feel (Mystique as in X-Men). The Alpha Pink with Lime Glo and Black colourway is bright and intense, and I’d pair these with an all black or white outfit so the colours of the shoe really pop; keep prints to a minimum. The black and white colourways are each a monochromatic fans dream. These could easily be worn with a killer athleisure outfit to complete your look.

Karen Kwan is a regular iRun fashion and travel contributor, and you’ll find her running fashion posts every Friday on Instagram. She contributes to a number of publications and you can also follow her travel and running adventures at Health & Swellness.

150 Runners – Véronique Hamelin

By

Ben Kaplan

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July 16, 2017

Véronique Hamelin

41, St. Constant

I admire Véronique for her strength. She uses her body to carry her emotions and is always smiling. She’s a one-woman army; seeing her performances inspires me to surpass myself. And for all this, she has all my admiration.