“IMG_1215.JPG” [June 22, 2011] by Dixon Hickman

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Perfect Timing in Barbados

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Men's Workout Clothing You'll Wear Again and Again

6 Amazing Ski Tours Around the World

The Science Behind Your Favorite Workout Playlist

Whether your workout includes an hour of sun salutations or a series of sprints, music can help prepare your body for the task at hand—and make you feel better while doing it. Research has shown that a good playlist could help ease workouts, reduce fatigue, and increase athletic performance by affecting both heart rate and brain waves. “Music in most contexts enhances what you’re doing. It acts as a subconscious motivator,” says Dario Slavazza, an ethnomusicologist at Feed.fm, a service that puts together workout playlists for fitness apps like Asics Studio, Daily Burn, Fitbit Coach, and MoveWith. “[As] the music picks up the pace and intensity, people’s heart rates and breathing patterns fall into the beat. Your body picks up on rhythms.”

When exercising, the average 35-year-old should shoot for a heart rate of between 93 and 157 beats per minute. That rate varies depending on fitness level and stamina—seasoned athletes can reach up to 85 percent of their maximum heart rate and still be comfortable, according to the American Heart Association, while less experienced athletes should shoot for the lower half of this range. 

For years, scientists have studied the link between music and heart rate. In 2005, a team of researchers found that listening to music with a fast tempo could speed up heart rates, while a leisurely tempo could slow them down. Furthermore, crescendos—where the volume of a song gradually rises—can increase heart rates, while decrescendos have the opposite effect, according to a small study from 2009 published in the journal Circulation. Although scientists aren’t certain why and how these interactions happen physiologically, relaxing music could be used to maintain a level of serenity for lower-intensity activities like yoga. “I always set my metronome at 60 [bpm] because it’s lower than the normal heart rate, and it helps me relax,” says Rodney Garnett, an ethnomusicologist at the University of Wyoming. “Something that has a slower beat gets a different response than something that has a fast beat.”  

Another perk: listening to music can make a workout feel less challenging. Research suggests that music activates the subcerebellum and amygdala, which regulate emotions like pleasure, while also decreasing interactions between the areas of the brain that are responsible for communicating fatigue and reducing performance abilities. Fast workout music causes neurons to fire longer and with stronger pulses, suggesting that people don’t need to think as much about their workouts when listening to a killer playlist. Instead, they can let their minds wander, reducing the cognitive perception of strain while muscles continue to perform with less conscious processing, says Costas Karageorghis, a psychophysiologist at Brunel University in London. If a bopping melody isn’t enough to get you through a tough workout, a song’s lyrics can provide an extra boost of motivation with different positive affirmations and associations, Karageorghis says. 

But there’s a limit to how much music can help a workout. After reaching about 85 percent of aerobic capacity—measured by the amount of oxygen sent to your muscles during a workout—music appears to not make much of a difference, as the brain seems to be overwhelmed with signals of fatigue. (Though aerobic capacity is traditionally measured with special equipment that tracks oxygen uptake, the 85 percent mark is often signaled by heavy breathing, inability to hold a conversation, and sweating.)

While scientists have been studying music’s role in physical performance for years, there are still many unanswered questions. Because both workouts and musical preferences are so personal, it’s up to each individual to figure out which songs are best for their exercise routine. “[Music] is a motivator. What’s interesting is how those motivators differ from person to person and activity to activity,” Slavazza says. “For me, that’s extremely fascinating.”

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Looking to improve your workouts with music? Below are some example playlists from Karageorghis’s book Applying Music in Exercise and Sport.  

For a 10K run at a 45-minute pace, Karageorghis recommends this playlist. Starting at 68 bpm, the songs increase in tempo to correspond with an increase in strides, ending at 95 bpm.

For an extra kick during difficult parts of a workout, Karageorghis recommends creating a highly personal playlist of “power songs.” Here’s an example from a runner in Karageorghis’s book, though you can make your own playlist from tracks that remind you of times when you felt strong and in control.

For a cooldown, this playlist contains songs to help induce a relaxed, contemplative state of mind. The tempo gradually decreases with each song, ending at 55 bpm.

from Outside Magazine: All http://bit.ly/2RYXvBY

Outdoor Retailer and Snow Show Liveblog: Day 2

The Best Underwear for the Outdoors? A Speedo.

Underwear needs to be supportive and comfortable. Outdoors, it needs to breathe well and dry quickly. On longer trips, it needs to maintain its stretch and support, not pick up too much stink, be easy to clean, and strongly resist wear. For years, I've struggled to find an adequate solution. Then I read a news report about the prison in Guantanamo Bay. 

First, some background on my quest. During athletic activity—running, jumping, climbing, crawling, and cycling—you want to have everything down there packed away tightly, where it’s safe from twisting, binding, and yanking. Over long durations of those activities, you need to be able to achieve that control without chafing. Those concerns pretty much eliminate loose boxers or going commando. 

Because of that need for control, I’ve always found the tight, elasticated leg openings on briefs superior to the more fashionable, but looser legs of boxer briefs. So, at home, I wear traditional cotton items. If they get soaked with sweat during a strenuous workout or hike, I’ll simply swap them out for a fresh pair. But that’s not necessarily an option, or a good idea, outside. 

Due to the hollow structure of its fibers, cotton soaks up huge amounts of water—up to 27 times its own weight. Because those fibers naturally carry a negative charge and H2O is positively charged, water molecules chemically bind to cotton, meaning it takes forever to dry out. Get your cotton underwear soaked in sweat, and at best it’s super uncomfortable. At worst, it might contribute to hypothermia. 

So a bunch of companies produce outdoor-specific undies from merino wool. Like all wool, merino is naturally temperature regulating—it’s cool when it’s hot out and warm when it’s cold. Thanks to merino's very fine fibers, it's softer against the skin than other wool varieties. Its fibers are also coated in lanolin, which is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, meaning wool undies are strongly resistant to developing odor.

But one thing merino can’t do is retain its shape. Even with the help of an elastic thread woven into the merino fiber, every pair of merino wool undies I’ve ever worn has gotten stretched out after only a day’s wear, causing it to lose its ability to provide support and creating uncomfortable bunches when worn under tight clothing or a climbing harness. 

Most synthetic materials that underwear might be made from are very good at wicking moisture, but quickly become breeding grounds for the bacteria in all that sweat. And that makes them smell terrible after even a single day of use. And those thin, made-for-breathability materials that work so well as base layers are again unable to provide the consistent, strong elasticity that underwear needs in order to provide support. Even a pair of $60 Polartec Power Grid boxer briefs stretches out so much during a hike that I’m left with an uncomfortable degree of flop afterwards. That’d be even worse several days into a long-distance backpacking trip. 

I've struggled through all the inadequate solutions described above. If I wanted to be comfortable, I needed to carry a fresh pair of cotton briefs for every day of a long-duration trip. But that added weight and ate up space in my pack. If I wore something else, I risked a very embarrassing injury. Nothing smelled good, nothing really held up, nothing stayed dry, and nothing delivered adequate protection. Then I read that news story about the awful conditions inside Guantanamo and the kind-hearted guards who were risking their own freedom by smuggling in supplies that could enable the prisoners to be a little bit more comfortable.

They were smuggling in Speedos. 

The constantly wet, unsanitary conditions inside the notorious prison reminded me of my own camping trips, and because I grew up swimming competitively, I had a few old Speedos in the back of my closet that could still be coaxed into fitting. The next time I went backpacking, I wore one, didn’t pack anything else, and came home days later with a happy crotch. 

Speedos are made from spandex. As you’re undoubtedly aware, that material is hugely stretchy, very strong, breathes reasonably well, and dries out almost instantaneously. Those merits are what make a Speedo the perfect performance underwear. 

Of course, Speedos aren’t the only undergarment made from spandex. Wouldn’t a pair of bike shorts carry a lower social liability if people find out you’re wearing them? Maybe, but the longer legs and higher waist are, for me at least, less comfortable during non-cycling activities. In warmer weather, layering spandex under pants or shorts can also quickly get too hot, something the minimal cut of a Speedo helps prevent.

I read that article about Guantanamo over a decade ago, back when we all still thought George Bush was the worst President the U.S. ever had. And a Speedo has been my go-to underwear in the outdoors ever since. Heck, they last so long, I’ve still got a pair or two that date back to that time. I’ve worn them while skiing in frigid temperatures, under a pair of shorts while exploring a very humid Havana, and even under my wetsuit, where a Speedo makes the contortions necessary to pull one of those off on a beach a hell of a lot less embarrassing. They’re good for a few solid days of wear, but if one does get stinky, a quick plunge into water will get it clean, and it’ll be dry after your wring it out. In all that time I’ve never experienced chaffing, never twisted anything that didn’t want to be twisted, and never been repulsed by my own odor. They layer well, too: any combination of base layers and pants you can come up with just slides right over the smooth spandex. 

Is all this a little embarrassing? Yes. Is the comfort a Speedo offers worth it? Totally. 

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Cartels, Spies, and the Last Days of the Vaquita

Our Winter OR Gear of the Show Awards

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Emily Sisson Will Outrest and Outrun You

With a little over a year to go before the U.S. Olympic Trials take place in February 2020, it’s anyone’s guess who will make the women’s marathon team. On the one hand, there’s the old guard: Des Linden, Amy Cragg, and Shalane Flanagan, the trio who all finished in the top ten at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Though Flanagan’s plans for 2020 remain a mystery (take what you will from this Instagram post), Linden and Cragg will almost certainly be looking to secure another Olympic team spot next February in Atlanta. They will face formidable competition in the form of multiple national record holder Molly Huddle, 2:20-marathoner Jordan Hasay, as well as runners like Allie Kieffer, Kellyn Taylor, and Sara Hall—athletes who perhaps have yet to reach the limits of their potential. 

And then there’s Emily Sisson. To some, it might feel presumptuous to include the 27-year-old Providence College alumna among a list of contenders. She has, after all, never run a marathon and will taking her first crack at the distance in London on April 28. But if Sisson’s performance at the Houston Half earlier this month is any indicator, we can expect great things. In that race, in what was only her third half marathon, Sisson ran 1:07:30, coming within six seconds of breaking Molly Huddle’s American record. Based on that result, Sisson might even have realistic shot at running sub-2:23 in London, which would make her the fastest marathon debutante in U.S. history. 

We spoke with Sisson as she gears up for her first marathon, seeking her wisdom about racing and training. 

Always Be Flexible

Despite her recent road racing success, Sisson believes she can still improve on the track. Needless to say, she’s already pretty good at running fast laps around the oval; in 2017, she competed in the 10,000-meters at the IAAF World Championships, and finished 9th in the final. 

Regardless of how she fares in her marathon debut, Sisson definitely plans to compete in next summer’s 10,000-meter Olympic Trials. Since these will be held in Oregon in June (on a brand new, space age Hayward Field), it means that, like other ambitious runners, Sisson could conceivably make the Olympic team in both the marathon and the track 10K. Not that Sisson herself is thinking that far ahead.

“If the marathon goes well in London, then I’ll probably try to run the Olympic Trials next February,” Sisson says. “If it doesn’t go as well as we hope, then, well, I’m still pretty young and don’t feel that much pressure. It’s not as if this one race is going to be some huge deciding factor.”

Set Goals That Are Ambitious, But Realistic 

Although her impressive half marathon in Houston caused a number of people to theorize about her potential over 26.2 miles, Sisson is hesitant to give a specific time goal for London. 

“I can’t say right now what my time goal is, because I’m just too far out and haven’t really gotten into the marathon training yet,” she says. “I would like to be in the lower 2:20s and it would be a successful marathon for me if I could run around 2:23, but I’ll know a lot more based on how I handle this training. That will give me good feedback on whether that’s a reasonable goal to go after.” 

Resting Is a Talent, Too

After a successful college career that included an individual NCAA title in the 5,000-meters in 2015, Sisson turned pro later the same year. At first, the transition from competitive collegiate athlete to full-on professional was a little disorientating, since Sisson suddenly found herself with a lot more free time. Along with learning to adopt a more professional approach to her sport by incorporating things like core work and massage therapy, this meant learning to take it easy.
“Some people like being really busy and having things to do and can get pretty restless. But I’m pretty good at resting in between runs. I’m fine with that,” Sisson says.

Find a Mentor (Ideally a National Record Holder)

Providence might not be as vaunted as a running hotspot as Eugene or Flagstaff, but, for Sisson, there was at least one major benefit of staying in her college town after graduation: Molly Huddle. The national record holder in the 10,000-meters also lives and trains in the Rhode Island capital. In recent years, Sisson and Huddle have become on-and-off training partners. Huddle is also running this year’s London Marathon and, though that technically makes her competition, Sisson says their relationship is weirdly non-competitive. 

“I guess I’ve always viewed Molly as a bit of a mentor, so I feel like there wasn’t all that much competitiveness between us because I just kind of looked up to her and wanted to learn off her,” Sisson says. “I have learned so much, especially about how she conducts herself when something goes wrong. I think a lot of people look at athletes like Molly, who are so consistently successful, and think they must not have any hiccups, or anything, but that’s just not true. I’ve seen how she’s handled sickness and injuries. It’s never easy, but she’s just really good at making it look easy.”

Don’t Be a Slave to Your Watch

Among the many remarkable details of Emily Sisson’s career is the fact that, until last year, she didn’t own a GPS watch. (Sisson wasn’t wearing a watch when she raced in Houston, which might have cost her the half marathon record.) She says she has always had good “race instincts” and prefers to run against the people around her and not the clock.

“I know it sounds a little cheesy, but I do think I’m more dialed in and present, when, instead of trying to run certain splits, I’m trying to win,” Sisson says. 

Of course, in London, where the elite field will include five women who have run under 2:19, winning probably won’t be in the cards. 
 
“I’m probably going to race with a watch from now on, because I really wish I had one in Houston,” Sisson says. “I’ll definitely wear one in London.” Look out. 
 

from Outside Magazine: All http://bit.ly/2RYXnlY