Ever since, shoemakers have been at war to better that number in any way they can with carbonfiber plates, gobs of PEBA foam, and midsoles curved like the base of a rocking horse. And runners are keen to splurge on the latest tech. These super shoes cost $200 on the low end, with an increasing number of $300-plus models now available.
But it's not just shoes that promise to give runners an edge these days. Performance-enhancing gear has proliferated from muscle creams and infrared-light treatments to exogenous ketones and HRV-boosting apparel. An at-home sauna and ice plunge tub―at the crux of the latest heat-andcold-exposure fitness regimen-can run you upwards of five grand each. By comparison, the $800 price tag on Normatec's compression boots, once considered an elites-only extravagance, starts to look like chump change.
And yet, none of them has consistently shown as much benefit as what you get from a good night's sleep.
The best part? Sleep is free. Sure, there's a boatload of cool gear and tech that can help you get a good night of shuteye. But the essentials are things you already have and don't need to upgrade unless you choose to. Your current pillow, mattress, and blanket will just as effectively get you en route to Dreamland.
OF THE FOUR keys areas in QQRT, Quantity is the one most of us struggle with when life gets busy-simply getting ourselves into bed for enough time each night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need between seven and nine hours each night. "Super sleepers"-individuals who require fewer than six hours of sleep per night-are incredibly rare. Between 1 and 3 percent of the world's population possess this genetic mutation for extremely high sleep efficiency. (I speculate that ultrarunner Mike Wardian, who reports getting around five hours in a typical night, may be among the lucky few.)
This story is from the Fall 2024 edition of Runner's World US.
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This story is from the Fall 2024 edition of Runner's World US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE
THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.
LEAVE IT UP TO A PIECE OF PAPER TO TEACH YOU TO RUN EASY
BEFORE I FELL for running, I thought the hardest thing about the sport was the fast stuff: the speedwork, the sprints, and the intervals.
WHY-AND HOW-YOU SHOULD RUN DOUBLES
Those are just a few of the titles entered into my training log for the second run of a day.
FIND YOUR RUNNING COMMUNITY, ONLINE OR IN PERSON
I SIGNED UP for my first marathon while sobbing in the back of a rideshare, on my way to the airport to fly to my uncle's funeral.
FUEL WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT
AS AN ULTRARUNNER, I'm all too familiar with the saying that long-distance running is an \"eating contest with a running component.\"
AT THE FERTILITY CLINIC, MY PAST CAUGHT UP WITH ME
I SAT IN the fertility doctor's office white walls, bare wooden desk, opaque window-alone.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
AT 15, DARLENE STUBBS WALKED AWAY FROM A POLYGAMOUS CULT-THEN DISCOVERED A NEW LIFE AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING.
RUNNING WITH HANK
How my daughter's rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.
WHEN I FOUND OUT I HAD MS.I THOUGHT I'D NEVER RUN AGAIN.
I checked the pins on my bib, shimmied my spandex shorts into place, and teed up the stopwatch on my wrist.
A RUNNER'S GUIDE to sleep
Nike rocked the running world in 2018 when it released the Vaporfly 4%, claiming that the shoe could boost a runner's efficiency by that amount.
