20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 25-31, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com It’s a dark and chilly January evening by the time the group gathers, identifiable as runners by their colorful shoes, bare legs and down puffer coats. We mill around, moving to keep warm. Regulars exchange hellos and regulars’ dogs roughhouse. Just past 6pm, organizer Mimi Bowen gathers the group for a quick description of the route (a variable length out-and-back along the Rec Trail) and a group photo. And then we’re off. This is the Fleet Feet Monterey pub run. Founded in 2021 as a monthly group, it now meets every Monday at Fieldwork Brewing in Monterey. “It’s grown quite a bit this last year,” Bowen says, estimating that around 30-50 people show up each week. (There are some other run clubs that meet regularly at Fieldwork too, including a Thursday night pub run group.) The run itself is a three- to five-mile out-and-back along the Rec Trail— three miles if you turn around at the Aquarium; five if you make it all the way to Lovers Point. Runners group in packs of twos and fours, some setting a swift, focused pace while others enjoy a more leisurely, social outing. The whole idea is that you can run as fast and as far as you want—and in all likelihood there will be someone else running with a pace and distance goal to match. Regulars say the welcoming community and accountability of showing up on a given Monday keep them coming back. That, and you get a free pub run T-shirt after 16 runs. (Because the group is sponsored by a running store, there are also occasional demos by shoe brands like Asics and HOKA.) Amelia Jackson and Lydia Gentry were drawn to “the community aspect of it—coming together around movement,” Jackson says. “The people are great,” Gentry adds, and “it’s a way to meet other people outside my circle. This is my social outing.” The promise of meeting fellow runners also drives people to OtherRunners, a run club that started in February 2023 and meets on Wednesdays at 6pm at Other Brother Beer Co. in Seaside. The group was inspired by the Monterey store of athletic wear company Lululemon’s Ideas of health and fitness take on a lot of dimensions. There are personal habits and decisions, and there are large organizations serving a community scale. There are whimsical trends in the world of wellness, and there are ancient practices. There are experts and there are amateurs and there are institutions each filling a different role. This Health & Fitness guide takes a look at each of these. Whether you’re looking to follow through on a New Year’s resolution to sleep better, exercise more or commit to plant-based eating, there’s some insight in this guide for you. We wish you good health, and hope you have some fun along the way. -Sara Rubin, editor HEALTH & FITNESS issue On the Run The first rule of run club? Build community around a traditionally solitary sport. By Tajha Chappellet-Lanier 8 Yoga for Laughs 14 Kaiser’s Local Future 20 Fun Run 24 Sleep On It 28 Do Supplements Work? 30 Easy 15-Minute Workouts 40 Meet the Montage CEO 42 Of Plants, Poop and Guts Above: A few brave runners (including this reporter) finish Wednesday Night Laundry Runners’ 4.5-mile winter route. Right: Running after work this time of year requires headlamps and reflective gear, as demonstrated by runners at Fleet Feet Monterey’s Monday night pub run. Far right: OtherRunners is a newly created run club in Seaside. A regular crew of 10-12 show up on Wednesday nights at Other Brother Beer Co. Daniel Dreifuss
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