Editorial

As I write this, I’m about 10 days out from being allowed to start running again after arthroscopic knee surgery. My injury has prevented me from running for the better part of a year, and the fact that it’s the middle of January doesn’t dampen my excitement a bit. My biggest takeaway from this experience was that running injuries require the attention of an experienced sports medicine professional. (Another doc had told me that my injury would heal without surgery, which was not quite true. He also told me – I kid you not – that running would ruin my knees.)

This issue’s cover story (p.32) by Andrew McKay on how our bodies change as we advance through life has particular resonance for recreational runners like me, who dabbled in the sport for years before getting serious about it in my 40s. And I didn’t fall in love with the marathon until many years later. The story underscores the importance of adding strength as we get older, and helps us understand how our bodies change, and how to adapt our running goals accordingly.

I hope you’ll also enjoy Kevin Mackinnon’s profile of Stefan Daniel, a differently-abled runner with the rare ability to excel in multiple Para and able-bodied sports.

For the first time in months, there is light at the end of a very dark tunnel, and recreational runners may be able to race again in 2021. Here’s hoping.