I, of course, flew to their defense. I've been a subscriber for four years. This magazine turned me from a casual evening jogger to a bonafide metal earning runner. I was just running around my city block twice every other day when runners world told me to hop in my car and drive around it to check the distance. It was two miles. Suddenly I had the confidence to sign up for a 5k. A 5k is a far cry from a marathon, but the magazine said half marathons were sexy-fun distances so I went ahead and did three of those.
Of course, my success isn't what makes this a great magazine. The scope is refreshingly small. Even if it was my full time job I probably couldn't think of enough content for a single magazine even if I had two months. And its always something that captures my attention. Sometimes its about how I should tie my shoelaces and other times its about how to maximize brain health with tempo runs. Big or small, Runner's World has something to say about it.
The little life adjusting tips come in gradual small doses. I couldn't pick out the single moment when I turned into a Madam-Carls'-Jr-a-day to a juicing-glutenfree-vegetarian running freak, but Runner's World definately helped my the transition smoother. When I decided to stop eating meat, Runner's World told me it was okay. They even affirmed that the ultramarathoners are vegan.When I wondered if it was healthy to never ever pace myself ever, the snobby coaches at Runners World told me that easy fun runs are just as healthy as elite running. I used to only run at night because I was used to a big dinner. Runners World told me my refueling system was all wrong and now I'm a proud morning runner.
The best and worst part is the recipes section. Its a tough perspective because its not a food magazine, but you can't talk about running without nutrition. So they often cut to the chase but not always the best conclusion. Beans are great! buy them canned it doesn't make a difference. Vegetables are awesome! You might as well get a stir fry package because you are probably salt deprived anyway. Its like a food magazine that isn't full of itself. I rememeber one issue where they had a mounting stack of pancakes so high it filled the page. They suggested we should go whole wheat, but if we are craving pancakes we should go ahead and eat them. They even had protien powder potato cakes for those who are are concerned about empty calories.
Not to say that after four years of recipes I haven't seen a couple of repeats. I think I see a shrimp stir fry every year. Eh, its delicious no matter how many times I see it.
The only advice they've ever given about losing weight was eating less.
So don't knock it. I have been a loyal subscriber and I cherish every issue.