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What foods can I eat to improve cognition and focus?

by Tara Postnikoff

When discussing nutrition in athletic training, we often think about food as fuel—specifically, which foods will energize our bodies and make us faster or stronger. This is valuable information, but we shouldn’t overlook the fact that proper nutrition can also improve our mental focus and cognitive function. With that in mind, let’s explore the foods we can eat to feed the brain.

Compared to our other organs, the brain is greedy. It requires a lot of energy to work effectively and oversee what is happening in the rest of the body. The brain accounts for roughly 2% of total body weight but can demand up to 20% of total resting metabolic rate (RMR). For someone with a 1300 k/cal RMR, this can mean approximately 260 calories are needed just to fuel the brain. Continue reading “What foods can I eat to improve cognition and focus?”

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Race Giving

by Barry Olson and Robert Thiessen

Race: Multiple Miles for Myeloma
Amount Raised: $990,000

In July, the Multiple Miles for Myeloma event in Calgary raised more than $100,000 toward Myeloma Research at the University of Alberta and Cross Cancer Institute. The event was organized by volunteers from the Myeloma Alberta Support Society (MASS) while Running Room staff provided event-day equipment and a website to handle all online registrations and donations. Continue reading “Race Giving”

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What You Need to Know About Runner’s Knee

by Dr. Richard Beauchamp M.D., FRCSC

Have you experienced pain around the front of your knee(s) during or after a run? If so, you may have had a case of runner’s knee. Runner’s knee is actually a vague term used to describe the above symptom—pain in the knee. However, it is not necessarily a precursor of arthritis; in fact, it has been said that there is no correlation to hip and knee arthritis in active marathoners.1

Runner’s knee is a common condition, but the actual causes and effective treatments are not easily explained. Runner’s knee is a grab bag of other diagnoses and conditions often aggravated by the pounding of the legs on the ground during your sport. Your legs have to generate force in order to run, as well as absorb force in order to protect your bones and muscles from injuries. Runner’s knee can also occur in walkers, although not as frequently. Continue reading “What You Need to Know About Runner’s Knee”

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Jason Oltrop/ Pembina – Winnipeg, MB

by Shelley Borschawa

On our Run Club and training group outings earlier this year, I noticed that Jason Oltrop was always willing to run any pace or distance with anyone who needed it. When I asked Jason if he would be interested in becoming a Running Room instructor, he said yes. He gladly agreed to teach new runners about running in a combined Learn to Run, 5K and 10K training program. Thanks to Jason, the participants received great information about nutrition, interval training and how to use their electronics. Continue reading “Jason Oltrop/ Pembina – Winnipeg, MB”

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Canada Army Run

photos and story by Phil Marsh

Once again, Canada’s Capital Region welcomed over 20,000 runners and walkers to the annual Canada Army Run. This year brought unique challenges to the weekend festivities as three tornadoes touched down in the region, causing massive damage and power outages. As Canadians do in times of trouble, folks responded by setting up fundraising pages and donating money, clothes, furniture and food to those affected. Continue reading “Canada Army Run”

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Side by Side

by Michelle Gjerde

One day in 2009, my husband Lionel came home from work and announced that he wanted us to participate in the Great Lake Walk, a 56K trek around beautiful Lake Cowichan. I was instantly intrigued but felt uneasy about the long distance. I spent the next few months walking the streets of Campbell River, B.C. to prepare for the event. Together with our 15-year-old son Justin, we achieved our first-ever endurance walk. It was an exhausting day that turned out to be a blast, filled with hours of stories, jokes and complaints about how far away the finish line was. Continue reading “Side by Side”

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Active Talk Time

by Don Zabloski

Now that we’ve settled into the first few months of another school year, this is the perfect time for families to come together for some active family talk/cheer time.

Remember, not every conversation has to be a sit-down one. Walking, running (at a pace where you can talk comfortably), hiking, shooting hoops, kicking a ball or playing catch are all ways that family members can be active and have meaningful discussions at the same time. Covering a variety of age-appropriate personal topics during these active chats will help kids develop socially and emotionally through their childhood, adolescent and young adult years. It’s also an opportunity to talk about why we engage in daily physical play and eat nutritious foods, reinforcing the positive effects on one’s body and mind. Continue reading “Active Talk Time”

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Choosing the Right Shoe

by Dr. Reed Ferber, Ph.D. CAT(C)

You may already be aware that there are three categories of running footwear: neutral, stability, and motion control. A neutral running shoe is designed to provide cushioning and less foot control as compared to its motion control counterpart. A stability shoe has some component of pronation control material, which is generally placed near the middle or arch of the shoe. A motion control shoe typically provides a significant amount of pronation control and often has some type of non-deformable material, such as a plastic plug, placed on the outer rear edge of the shoe. This is all good to know, but what is the science behind fitting a runner with the proper shoe? Continue reading “Choosing the Right Shoe”