FROM THE EDITOR
hen we find a sport we love, there’s a tendency to dive in head- first. We join Facebook groups, read sport-specific magazines, buy all the gear, and plan our calendars for the next challenge. We immerse ourselves in the thing we love. EMBRACE THE BALANCE W
Winter 2019 | Volume 1, Number 2 REC-Midwest.com
Published by Affinity Media Services 7509 NW Tiffany Springs Parkway, #200 Kansas City, MO 64153
Publisher | Editor Kristi Mayo Wordsmith Publishing publisher@rec-midwest.com
Advertising Sales Daisy Chavez dchavez@affinitymediaservices.com
That’s a wonderful, fantastic feeling… until it’s gone. Maybe it’s a short-term injury that takes you out of it. Maybe it’s a change in life circumstances. Maybe it’s burnout. Or maybe something drastic happens that forces you to give up the activity you love. Wow, that’s depressing. But it happens. It happened to me. A little over two years ago, after a long road of chronic pain in my back and legs, I finally went to a spinal surgeon, got a diagnosis, and made the reluctant decision to avoid high-impact activities (running) in order to stave off surgery. It’s been a long and difficult transition. And I’m still working through it. Slowly though, gradually, I’ve found other things: first yoga, and then cycling. Now, a few people are threatening to teach me pickleball. Recently, as I cruised along on a chilly bike ride, I wondered why I didn’t try other activities when I was still a runner. Embracing other sports would have made that transition away from running easier, more natural. I actually wish I’d had this magazine back then to help me find those new activities. Since publishing our first issue, I’ve heard from many of you who understand what this magazine is all about. You get it! We cannot be only runners. Or only basketball players. Or only cyclists. Or only weightlifters. An athlete must reach out into new territory now and then, if only to learn new things and build strength in new places. You’ll find this theme in our article on finding a gym (page 22), in the column on avoiding overtraining (page 24), and in the feature on the new Hy-Vee Arena (page 16). Variety is crucial to physical and psychological well-being. It’s all about balance. Embrace it.
Josh Landewee jlandewee@affinityworldwide.com
Ellen Leinwetter ellen.leinwetter@affinityworldwide.com
Charlie Mahon cmahon@affinitymediaservices.com
Design Consultants Rivet | WeAreRivet.com
Art Direction Emily Bowers emily@wearerivet.com Design Kyle Goens kyle@wearerivet.com Production Management Katie West katie@wearerivet.com Printing Walsworth Publishing Co. Marceline, Missouri
Contributors Dale Garrison, Kirsten Myers, Keith Wurm, Brittany Zegers Photographers Clayton Hotze, Jake Martin, Heather Morrow, Mile 90 Photography
REC Midwest is published quarterly by Affinity Worldwide Media in Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2019 Affinity Worldwide Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
Kristi Mayo, Publisher / Editor
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WINTER 2019
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