January represents a fresh start, new goals, and the possibility of a personal best (or first). So it’s the perfect month to publish a guide on running. We dove into everything that makes a runner tick and what could motivate a non-runner: secret trails to try, next-level gear, advice on what and when to eat, how to warm up, how to cool down, how to recover, what podcasts to listen to, and how to learn to love long distances. Two of the people we profiled got into the sport because of a romantic partner. We also talked to two superstars with San Diego roots, Meb Keflezighi, Olympic silver medalist and Boston Marathon winner, and Des Linden, another Olympian who in 2018 became the first American woman in 33 years to win the Boston Marathon. She runs twice a day and naps in between—and gets paid to do it! I hung up my Nikes after the 2012 Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon, but working on this feature inspired me to lace up again, so it might get you moving too.
In our second feature there are more fresh starts, for a population that could use a reason to believe in second chances. We sent writer Jennifer McEntee and photographer Flavio Scorsato to Donovan Correctional Facility, a maximum-security state prison near the border, to interview inmates who take yoga through the Yoga Prison Project. Because of bureaucratic hurdles and clearance issues, this story was almost three years in the making, but it was worth the wait. The yoga program’s emphasis is on rehabilitation, and the guards have reported fewer yard altercations since it began; it’s also helping some inmates prepare for life on the outside. Many told us that what they’ve learned—practicing breathing instead of fighting, feeling compassion for irritating cellmates, triumphing over trauma—has already proven invaluable, no matter their destiny.
This issue is all about people pushing themselves further than they thought they could or would go—marathoners, prisoners, and travelers. Associate Editor Sarah Pfledderer rappels over a waterfall in Mexico, writer Ann Wycoff goes skijoring in Montana, and Jon Bailey, well, boldly goes where everyone goes, even if it’s out of his comfort zone: an all-inclusive resort.
It’s all about trying something new, taking that first step, and crossing the starting line.
The Ultimate San Diego Summer Guide 2017
Letter from the Editor: Behind Our Magazine Redesign
Letter from the Editor: Cross the Starting Line
My first big race: The More Magazine Half Marathon in New York City’s Central Park, 2008
