Whether donning colorful tutus or making a marathon a girls’ day out, the current running scene is attracting a broader group of fitness-seekers mindful of the enhanced benefits of a more well-rounded approach. Rather than pursuing fierce competition and personal bests, these runners are focusing on social bonding and overall well-being, likely boosting their fitness success.

Two main factors are fueling what’s shaping up as a new running boom: women and social media. “The first running-boom era was male-centric and competitive,” observes Ryan Lamppa, of Running USA. He’s referring to the 1970s, when, largely thanks to 1972 Summer Olympic marathon gold medal winner Frank Shorter and The Complete Book of Running by James Fixx, many were inspired to hook up Walkmans, lace up sneakers and train for distance races. “Today’s running boom is female-centric, much bigger and more focused on health and fitness and completion, rather than competition.”

Forget elapsed running time; just cross the finish line and have fun doing it, seems to be a growing mantra. Women’s participation hit an all-time high in recent years, comprising 56 percent of the more than 15.5 million runners finishing U.S. races sanctioned by Running USA in 2012 and 61 percent of U.S. half-marathoners in 2013. “Women tend to be more social and more in tune with their health overall, and that’s definitely a driving force,” Lamppa says.

Couple the female factor with social media-driven, nontraditional race events and the result is explosive. “Events are fun, community-centered and sometimes charity-driven,” Lamppa says of the many innovations, from paint-splashing 5Ks to mud-slinging obstacle course action, which attracted 4 million entrants last year.

Boosts Bonding

These trends could indicate America’s collective progress toward fitness as studies show the social factor plays a huge motivational role in participation. “I think running adherence strengthens when there is accountability and social support,” remarks Englewood, New Jersey, sports psychologist Greg Chertok, citing a meta-analysis of data that backs his notion in Sport & Exercise Psychology Review.

For example, such social exercise events inspire happiness. “If you are physically close to someone that is happy, eager and optimistic, you are naturally going to share those feelings,” explains Chertok, who is also a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine. “Just through social connectedness alone, you’ll gain boosted performance and mood.”

As a finisher of two Tough Mudders (an intense obstacle course challenge), Chertok can personally testify to the benefits of camaraderie. “It’s just like if a married couple got stuck in a storm and had to brave the elements; the act of doing something challenging together is very bonding.”

Simply joining a recreational running group, also increasingly popular and often social media-driven, can bolster success. “When a bunch of individuals work together to pursue a common goal, they are incentivized by the group,” Chertok remarks. “You’ll run at a faster clip or go a longer distance if you are with a group, because each runner values the group and doesn’t want to let members down.”

Brings Balance

Shaking things up can also improve running performance and decrease risks of injury, enhancing long-term staying power. One study found that eight weeks of simple strength-training exercises by conditioned runners boosted their running performance over their conditioned, but non-strength-training peers, as noted in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

As for injury prevention, everybody, regardless of sport, needs to cross-train, advises Mindy Caplan, a wellness coach in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “In any sport that you engage in, you end up working certain muscles the same way all the time. Then those tighter muscles start to pull on the joints and without stretching, you end up with problems.” Moving the body in different ways helps, and working on stretching and flexibility can elongate muscles and protect tendons and joints.

“The new runner of this second running boom has much more information about training, health and fitness, and injury prevention,” says Lamppa, who occasionally cross-trains with biking and includes some yoga-related stretching as part of his regular routine. “You have to have balance in your running as in your life. If you can get to that point, you will get a very positive response from your body and mind.”

Freelance journalist Debra Melani writes about health care and fitness from Lyons, CO. Connect at DebraMelani.com or [email protected].

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Foods for the Road

Well-conditioned runners focus on diet, particularly when health foods can put some punch in their pace. Registered Dietician Kelly Pritchett, Ph.D., a University of Georgia assistant professor of sports nutrition and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shares reasons for two “hot” food items with runners right now.

Tart cherries are loaded with flavonoids, antioxidants with powerful anti-inflammatory effects. One study of runners in the Hood to Coast 197-mile relay race from Mount Hood to Seaside, Oregon, found that cherry juice notably decreased muscle damage and soreness in runners compared with a group imbibing a placebo drink. The runners drank 10.5 ounces of Montmorency cherry juice twice a day for seven days prior to the race and every eight hours on race day (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition). Make sure juices are 100 percent cherry juice.

Beet roots contain nitrates, vasodilators that relax the blood vessels, allowing them to pump more efficiently and increase exercise efficiency. Researchers found that runners eating beets rather than a placebo ran an average of 3 percent faster. According to the study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 200 grams of baked beetroot or an equivalent nitrate dose from other vegetables should be consumed one hour before exercise. Nitrates are also found in spinach, broccoli, fennel, leeks and celery.