Blog: Feature Stories

As runners, most of us probably imagine our sport has little impact on the environment. It’s just us, our own two feet, taking on the elements. For runners, every day is Earth Day, right? Well, not exactly. Admittedly, running’s likely a cleaner activity than most, but once you factor in a drive to the greenway, run club, or trailhead; bars, gels, or packaged snacks; then there’s that post-run bottled water or sports drink… suddenly it’s not as “green.”

The good news is you don’t have to relegate your running to the loop around the neighborhood, slurp from your garden hose, or be a tree-hugging political activist to make a positive environmental impact. Here are a few easy, breezy ways to run a little lighter on the planet.

One piece at a time

Maybe you’re not ready for some full-on plogging, but picking up just one piece of trash along your running route is a pretty simple act. Odds are, you won’t have to hang on to it for long. Drop it into the next available trash can or recycle bin. Tuck a plastic grocery bag into your pocket or hydration vest to keep your hands clean or collect more.

New life for your old shoes

Once you’ve racked up a few hundred miles on your running shoes, they’ve still got some good left in them. If you don’t want or need a pile of perfectly-good-just-no-longer-perfectly-good-for-running shoes stacked up in your closet, your local specialty running shop will take them. Most shops collect them for nonprofits who’ll get them to folks in need.

Skip the single-use plastics

BYO water bottles to races and runs. You’ll have the convenience of drinking when and where you want, and can bypass the aid station crowds. Buy sports drinks or electrolytes in powders and mix your own. Ask your specialty running shop pros about recommendations that have a lot less sugar and are more effective than the plastic bottles of mass-marketed stuff you’ll find on the grocery store shelves.

Good as new to you (or someone else)

Before you invest in a brand-new piece of specialty gear or equipment, check with friends, online marketplaces, or local joints like Gear Goat Exchange and the Charlotte ReCyclery that sell or consign gently used gear. And if you’re sitting on gear that’s no longer in your rotation, just reverse the process and find it a new home.

Read the labels

Look for products made with recycled or reclaimed materials. These days, lots of big brands have performance or lifestyle gear that’s made with at least a portion of recycled material or manufactured in a way with less environmental impact. Others are producing product that can be more easily recycled after use. Check out how Charlotte-based Recover Brands makes technical gear and apparel from recycled plastic bottles.

Pretty simple, right? Earth Day is just one day on the calendar, but making a difference year-round is as easy as picking up a few sustainable habits. And maybe a few more pieces of trash along the way.

(Or, what to do when allergies pick your nose.)

If “nose” news is good news, you’ll be delighted to know that this year’s allergy season is forecast to be better than usual in the Charlotte area. If you suffer from spring allergies in our Tree City, USA, this is very good news!

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America lists Charlotte at number 58 on its annual list of allergy capitals in the U.S. – much better than the Top 50 ranking it usually gets. Our northern neighbors in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, along with Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina, still rank higher than Charlotte, however. The AAFA cites warmer temperatures as a leading culprit in the length and severity of allergy seasons.

And if you’re new to Charlotte – relocating in the “great resignation,” or working remotely from our lovely landscape – welcome! You’ll notice a whole different allergy season than you’re probably used to. It can really affect your stamina on a run, too.

“Those new to town or to this part of the country may find that they have worse allergy symptoms in this area,” says Novant Health physician of sports medicine, Dr. Keith Anderson.

Our dense foliage is lovely to look at (trail run, anyone?) but is a big culprit affecting your itchy, watery eyes and nose, even if you’ve never suffered from allergies before.

“Allergies can change over time,” says Dr. Anderson. “You can develop new allergies and get rid of former allergies.” Out with the old, in with the new, eh?

In addition to grass and tree pollen, other culprits show themselves in spring – like dander from your pet shedding its winter coat, or the allergens it brings in from outside, and insect bites from being outdoors. You’re not alone – more than 50 million Americans have some type of allergy, according to Novant Health. Seasonal allergies are high on that list.

How to Keep Seasonal Allergies in Check

There are a number of things you can do to help your sniffling and sneezing this time of year. Some are habits, others are over-the-counter meds, and some require a visit to the doctor. One or a combination can possibly work for you:

Habits:

• Close your windows. We know; it’s a bummer when you’d rather get free, fresh air and limit your expenditures on a/c or heat. But if you are really suffering, this is the first step.
• Change your air filter. Keep the air circulating through your home clean and fresh – especially if you have pets, and aren’t running the heat or a/c. Run your HVAC in “fan only” mode for a few hours to clear the air if you need to.
• Run indoors. Also a bummer if you love the great outdoors, but it will help on high pollen days. Try these treadmill workouts, or run a different route with fewer trees. (treadmills: https://runcharlotte.com/treadmill-or-dreadmill/ )
• If you run outdoors, shower and change as soon as you get home. That will get pollen and other allergens off your skin, hair, and clothes. Hang up those wet towels and sweaty clothes (inside out, if necessary, or in another room) so they can dry, instead of growing moldy in the bottom of a hamper until laundry day.
• Change your linens often – especially pillow cases. Vacuum and dust often – even furniture.

Also consider your timing: Run later in the morning or in the afternoon when pollen counts are lower. Run in the rain! – or right after – because rain will knock pollen out of the trees and out of the air, too. Keep track of pollen counts with apps like WeatherBug, Plume Labs, or WebMD.

Is the sun too bright during those hours? Wear a hat and glasses (and sunscreen, of course). Some coverage will keep both sun and allergens out of your eyes and off your face.

Medical therapies:

• Nose sprays. Flonase and Nasacort are two that treat nasal tissue right at your nose, but it’s important to find the one that works best for you. It may take a couple of weeks of trying to find the right one, says Dr. Dr. Puja Rajani, a Novant Health Pediatric Allergy & Immunology Specialist, so be patient and pay attention to how you feel after trying each one.
• Allergy pills. These are enough for some people, but their effect is different for some. Allegra (Fexofenadine HCl) doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier, but Claritin (Loratadine) and Zyrtec (Cetirizine) have been shown to cause drowsiness in 10-15% of patients, says Dr. Rajani.
• Immunotherapy. Skin tests can determine what allergens are specific to you; allergy shots can help your body build up a resistance to make those allergens more tolerable without pills and sprays. “There are also some oral tablet therapies available for grass and weed allergies that can be done at home,” says Dr. Rajani. She recommends seeing an allergist to take the guessing out of your allergy game.

Dr. Rajani adds an important piece of advice: Don’t try any new therapies the night before or the morning of a race! The time to experiment with what works for you is during training. On race day or before a key training run, use what has worked best on prior days.

“You should never let allergies stop you from doing things you want to do,” she adds. Enjoy your run!

FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE USE:

Charlotte – RunCharlotte welcomes Cortland, the 3rd largest owner of apartment communities in the Charlotte region, as partner sponsors of the 2022 RunCharlotte Six Pack Series of events and the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon.

As part of their activation on this partnership, Cortland will donate $1,000 to nonprofit beneficiaries of each of RunCharlotte’s Six Pack Series events presented by Novant Health:

• The Famous Toastery Shamrock 4 Miler – March 12
• Hit the Brixx 5k/10k – May 21
• Park National Bank American 4 Miler – July 4
• Yiasou Greek Festival 5k – August 27
• Novant Health 5k/15k – September 25
• Keffer Cares Boulder Dash – October 8

Cortland will welcome runners with a Celebration Zone at each Six Pack Series event as well as the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. Runners can join the fun in the Celebration Zone, cool down and stretch out on the pop-up “grassy area,” and take that post-event selfie outside the Instagram-ready photo set-up.

Cortland supports healthy lifestyles throughout its eleven communities in the Charlotte region by offering wellness programming, policies, and healthy environmental features, including a non-smoking policy. Cortland’s Elevate Program allows residents to reach their fitness goals with free classes, discounted personal training and nutritional consultations, and a Cortland Run Club.

“Cortland really believes in giving back to the community and helping our residents achieve their fitness and wellness goals. Supporting RunCharlotte is a wonderful way of combining the two,” says Sarah Connolly CPM®, Managing Director at Cortland.

Cortland also shows its commitment to the community by rallying its residents for good, including an effort last year that collected more than 14,000 pounds of food for local food banks and diverted 126,000 pounds of clothing and textiles from area landfills.

“We are delighted to have Cortland as partners to celebrate healthy lifestyles and support our community with their generous donations,” says Tim Rhodes, Six Pack Series Race Director. “Their contributions to local communities and care for eliminating food and textile waste are great for everyone and our environment, too.”

Runners wishing to learn more or sign up for Six Pack Series races can do so here:
https://runcharlotte.com/six-pack-series/

For more information or race day location access, please contact DC Lucchesi, dc@well-runmedia.com or 704-577-8459.

About RunCharlotte and the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon

RunCharlotte is Charlotte’s home for the resources, inspiration, and experiences to guide the runner’s journey, with more than 25 years of experience producing, promoting, timing, and scoring events. Since 2005, the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon has crowned the local road racing season. The event and its participants have contributed nearly $250,000 to support programs at Novant Health’s Hemby Children’s Hospital.

Ready for something completely different? RunCharlotte adds the Give Us a Hand 5k to the 2022 Six Pack Series of events! The RunCharlotte Give Us a Hand 5k is hands down the most unique and challenging event of the series, as the entire distance must be covered while running or walking on your hands.

Hand walking and running events are steadily gaining momentum as an alternative to traditional races. Along with overall and age group categories, the Give us a Hand 5k will also have a “pairs” category for runners and walkers who need assistance getting or staying in a handstand.

Tired of sore, blistered feet, creaky knees, and inflexible ankles? Burnt out on your current training program? Or maybe you’re just looking for a new challenge. Either way, this unconventional event is for you!

“Handstands are an extremely underrated exercise, for one main reason: most people think they just can’t do them,” says Krista Stryker, a Certified Personal Trainer accredited by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. In a recent article from MindBodyGreen, Stryker lists these as additional benefits for handstands:

• Strengthen Upper Body
• Increase Balance
• Increase Mood
• Improve Core Strength
• Help with Circulation

Stryker notes that turning everything upside down is great for bone strength, blood circulation, and even digestion. Runners and walkers of all ages have started to embrace the art, which can be a bit tricky to master – but once you do, get ready to see things from a whole different point of view… literally! This event also levels the playing field for anyone who spends hours lifting weights in the gym to get that great upper-body sculpted look and tremendous arm strength, but never gets to use any of it while running.

RunCharlotte realizes the Give Us a Hand 5k and its unconventional format may seem intimidating or just plain strange to some. But bringing more people to the sport of running sometimes means turning things upside down and offering something completely new.

“The marketplace demands constant innovation, and there’s likely nothing on the calendar as out-of-the-ordinary as this,” says DC Lucchesi, runner and media spokesman for RunCharlotte. “By announcing our surprise October event in April, we’re giving our dedicated Charlotte audience plenty of time to prepare.”

The Give Us a Hand 5k provides more than just “something different.” Count strengthening of the hand muscles, in particular the Lumbricalis, which is usually hard to isolate, as a wonderful byproduct of handrunning.

For training, find a friend and kick up your heels! Try these easy moves:

• Do wall handstands. Place hands on the ground next to a wall, and have a friend hold your legs as you swing them into place against the wall. Do this 3 times for 10-15 seconds each, taking turns to give each other rest.
• Once you’ve mastered handstands, try upside-down push-ups. This will strengthen your shoulders, wrists, and core.
• Take turns holding each other’s ankles as you take a few “steps” away from the wall on your hands.
• Increase your reps as you get stronger!
• Finish by hoisting your favorite local brew (right side up, of course!) after completing your workout with your friend!

As always, consult your doctor before trying anything new. And check your calendar when considering the accuracy of the information provided above.

(*Advice from Ms. Stryker was borrowed from the article cited for handstand workouts, and is actually legit.)