Essayer OR - Gratuit
Catching Fire
Runner's World
|August 2017
To ignite bliss on the run, you’ve got to keep the embers warm.

IT ALWAYS comes as a surprise, the first time: on a winter afternoon, I’m running repeats of a one-kay trail segment that snakes over two hills alongside a field. As I approach the biggest hill, I prepare for the slog, expecting to wallow in the steep, sandy surface and to have to muscle my way over. Instead, my feet dance over the uneven terrain, my legs power up the slope with ease. I crest the hill and charge down the other side, my strides extending behind me, my hips channelling their force smoothly into forward motion. I feel light and balanced, a fine-tuned machine. I’m breathing hard and my heart pounds in my chest, but I’m in control. I fly over the ground, driving myself faster as I descend the hill and hit the final straight. I can sense tumblers falling into place, unlocking the ‘thing behind everything’ that makes all else seem second-rate, as John Updike described in Rabbit, Run. I’m riding the wave, hitting the sweet spot, in the zone, in flow. As I finish the workout, I feel invincible, fully alive, connected and powerful. The next day, the feeling is there again as I accelerate to a cruising rhythm on a 12-kay run. At this more relaxed pace, power plays second fiddle to a consciousness of deep strength, the ‘tireless state’ that legendary New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard spoke about. It lures me to extend my run three extra kilometres, then four. I roll along, barely touching the ground, feeling like I could run over the horizon.
Cette histoire est tirée de l'édition August 2017 de Runner's World.
Abonnez-vous à Magzter GOLD pour accéder à des milliers d'histoires premium sélectionnées et à plus de 9 000 magazines et journaux.
Déjà abonné ? Se connecter
PLUS D'HISTOIRES DE Runner's World

Runner's World SA
TRAIL TECH
The shake-up we've seen in the design and technical make-up of road shoes has had a direct influence on the latest crop of trail shoes.
9 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
Power Of The Carbohydrate
CARBS ARE A GREAT FUEL FOR RUNNING, AND FOR LIFE – BUT IN THE 180 YEARS SINCE A SCIENTIST FIRST DISCOVERED THEM, THEY’VE BEEN A TOPIC OF MUCH DEBATE AND NUTRITIONAL CONFUSION. RW SETS THINGS STRAIGHT.
11 mins
July/August 2025
Runner's World SA
FIND YOUR FEET
As runners, we depend on them totally, so it’s important they work optimally. Here’s how to identify what’s happening when things go wrong – and what to do to get yourself back on your feet asap.
15 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
The Time I DNF'd At School Sports Day
No race makes me as nervous. No event seems as pressurised. No competition feels like it has the potential to bring the reputation I've built - slowly, block by block - crashing down like a Jenga tower. The dads' race at my children's school sports day fills me with a deep dread.
2 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
Which Running Gear Is and Isn't - Worth Your Money
RUNNING, AT ITS core, is a relatively low-gear sport, but people love to bemoan that it's increasingly expensive.
4 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
"I HAVE NEVER HALLUCINATED LIKE THAT."
SA TRAIL LEGEND RYAN SANDES RECENTLY TOOK ON ONE OF THE LONGEST TRAIL RACES IN THE WORLD - THE 400KM COCODONA 250 - AND FINISHED SECOND, IN HIS DEBUT EVENT. IT WAS A RACE THAT TOOK 43-YEAR-OLD SANDES TO THE LIMIT OF HIS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENDURANCE.
9 mins
July/August 2025
Runner's World SA
Is This The World's Fastest Running Shoe?
If a new PB is on your wish list, this science-backed shoe could well be the one to help that dream come true.
2 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
Give Yourself A Leg Up
Five simple lower-body moves for stronger running.
2 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
MY RUNNING LIFE
ORDINARY RUNNERS doing EXTRAORDINARY THINGS
6 mins
July/August 2025

Runner's World SA
“NATURE AND RUNNING ARE HEALING BEYOND ANY WORDS I COULD EVER WRITE”
Among the pines and along the wild shoreline, Chris Carse Wilson finds escape and healing on the trails that have intertwined with his life for two decades.
5 mins
July/August 2025