Stories by Cory

Stories by Cory

Cory Smith is a Santa Barbara, CA-based athlete, online running coach, and freelance writer specializing in running, climbing, and fitness-related content and gear review. He draws from over 30 years as an elite runner and rock climber for ideas, inspiration, and expertise.

His work has been featured in Outside Magazine, Runner's World, Gear Patrol, Muscle & Fitness, Gear Junkie, Footwear News, TripSavvy, Trail Runner and Gear Institute. He loves working with new outlets and can be reached at cory@runyourpersonalbest.com. If you're interested in getting coached by Cory visit www.runyourpersonalbest.com

His Work

RUN | Powered by Outside •

More Super, Less Stable: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 First-Run Review

Changes are not taken lightly whenever a brand updates a running shoe, especially with a flagship shoe like the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro, and Adidas took its time. While most shoes see updates every 12 to 18 months, it’s been over two years since Adidas updated its most popular racing shoe. In an industry where running shoe technology is constantly advancing, two years feels like a long time between updates. Adidas made substantial strides in the super shoe space during that period, most notably...
Runner's World •

The Best Massage Guns, According to an Expert Running Coach

As runners, our muscles take a beating. With each stride, our legs will absorb an impact equivalent to 1.5-2.5 times our body weight. The constant pounding, mile after mile, can lead to wear and tear on our muscles and joints. Recovery tools like massage guns and foam rollers offer a targeted way to reduce pain, enhance blood flow, and keep muscles feeling fresh for the next run.A 2023 systematic review of studies published in The International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy found that repea...
Runner's World •

The Best Affordable Running Shoes Under $100, According to Our Testing

Running is not the simple and inexpensive sport it once was. Previously, all you needed was a pair of decently priced running shoes and some clothing, and off you go. Today, running has become a more expensive, gear-centric pursuit—high-tech running shoes, GPS watches, and expensive moisture-wicking apparel are all part of a runner's daily wardrobe, not to mention all the post-run recovery gear. Luckily, plenty of well-made, affordable options are still available, especially when it comes to run...
Outside Online •

The Best Trail-Running Shoes for Every Terrain

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today →. Today’s trail-running shoes are more advanced than ever, incorporating cutting-edge materials, innovative designs, and clever blends of foams, plates, fabrics, outsole rubbers, and lug patterns. This combination results in shoes that excel across diverse terrain like never before. A great pair of trail...
Runner's World •

A Professional Running Coach Picks The 10 Best Adidas Running Shoes

Who would’ve thought that three diagonal stripes could tell you so much about a running shoe? And yet the Adidas logo represents excellence, innovation and a legacy of sports performance around the running world.Founded in 1924, in Adi Dassler’s mother's laundry room, Adidas quickly made its mark on the world stage, with athletes wearing its shoes to Olympic gold in 1928, 1932, and 1936. These early victories paved the way for the brand to grow into the second-largest sportswear manufacturer glo...
Outside Online •

The Best Running Shoes for Training and Racing

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today →. We are experiencing one of the most thrilling eras in the history of running shoes. In recent years, cutting-edge materials, innovative geometries, and creative combinations of foams, plates, fabrics, and soles have resulted in faster, lighter, and more comfortable models than ever before. The good new...
Outside Online •

The Best Marathon Racing Shoes (2024)

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today →. While training undeniably has the biggest impact on your marathon performance, there’s one more thing you can do to ensure you’re ready to give your best on race day: invest in a pair of marathon racing shoes. An effective marathon racing shoe can help reduce the repeated impact that miles after miles...
Outside Online •

The Best Running Shorts for Men

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today →. Summer running is challenging enough with the heat and humidity. The last thing you need is to be held back by underperforming running shorts. The perfect running shorts should be so comfortable that you hardly notice them—no bunching, chafing, or feeling restricted, all while looking good. We tested o...
Outside Online •

The Best Men’s Summer Running Shirts (2024)

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! Subscribe today →. Whether you embrace the heat and humidity of summer running or long for a return to cold, dark winter days, running during the summer can be both exhilarating (all that daylight!) and daunting (all that sweat!) at the same time. Regardless of your preference, the right running top can keep you cooler a...
Runner's World •

Is Suunto Race the Garmin Alternative You’ve Been Waiting For?

As a lifelong Garmin user, I’ve generally been pleased with Garmin GPS watches. Their GPS signal is accurate (most of the time), they offer plenty of workout features, such as the ability to program intervals into the watch, and they have a large ecosystem. However, like any long-term relationship, familiarity breeds complacency, and over time, I find myself curious to try something new. Fortunately for me, the sports watch market has recently been flooded with new models, including the Coros Ap...
RUN | Powered by Outside •

These Are the Fastest Track Spikes at the Paris Olympics

From cutting-edge training methods to diverse recovery products, elite athletes leave no stone unturned in the hopeful pursuit of winning an Olympic medal. No piece of gear has a greater impact on performance than their footwear, especially in the era of super spikes. Not to mention, footwear is one of the few pieces of gear that athletes can select from outside of their national Olympic committee-issued kit. (In other words, they can wear footwear made by any shoe company, regardless of which b...
Runner's World •

Run Fast With These Expert-Recommended Triathlon Shoes

Triathletes need a lot of .css-b8iqzl{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#59E7ED;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;word-break:break-word;font-weight:bold;}.css-b8iqzl:hover{color:#525252;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}gear. Between the bikes and components, wetsuit and a running outfit, you can invest a considerable amo...
RUN | Powered by Outside •

Supershoe Evolved: On Cloudboom Strike First Run Review

At this stage of the carbon-plated racing shoe era, the fundamentals of creating a high-performing supershoe are well understood. It’s a simple recipe: embed a curved carbon fiber plate between a thick stack of responsive foam, top it with a racey minimal upper, and you likely have a solid supershoe. What distinguishes the truly exceptional supershoes from the average ones are subtle details like fine-tuned plates and midsole geometry, innovative foaming processes, and an obsession with weight r...
Outside Online •

How Menthol-Infused KT Tape Pro Ice Converted a Kinesiology Tape Skeptic

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app . For years, I’ve viewed kinesiology tape—those brightly colored stripes you see on the legs and shoulders of athletes—as nothing more than snake oil, something people used for show without any real benefits. All my experiences with athletic tape involved protecting an injured joint by tightly wrapping and immobilizing it. I was skeptical that a few strips of tape on the skin co
RUN | Powered by Outside •

This Teva Sandal Is Designed for Trail Running. But Can It Handle Rough Terrain?

When it comes to trail running shoes, protection, stability, and a secure fit are absolutely crucial. However, these qualities are not typically the strong points of sandals, which, by nature, prioritize breathability and lightness over support and protection. So when I found out I’d be testing a new pair of sandals designed specifically for trail running, I was intrigued but skeptical. In a move to reconnect with their outdoor adventure roots, Teva quietly launched a new pair of trail running
GearJunkie •

New Strava Features Coming Soon: AI Coaching, Safer Night Heat Maps, and More

Strava unveiled its latest innovations and future direction at Camp Strava 2024, including exciting features like Dark Mode, Athlete Intelligence, and more. The popular cycling app claims these changes are revolutionary. GearJunkie sent a Strava-savvy reporter to ferret out the details. Last week, Los Angeles hosted Camp Strava 2024, a pivotal gathering of Strava executives and industry leaders. The event was devoted to unveiling Strava’s future direction, highlighting its most anticipated new
Runner's World •

These Stability Running Shoes Add Support and Comfort to Your Runs

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Why Trust Us? Long gone are the days of clunky, rigid, stability running shoes. With new designs and cushioning materials, supportive running shoes for overpronators and runners with flat feet or low arches can help you feel more comfortable as you run, while reducing the chance of an injury. The Runner’s World test team and its wear test cohort have sifted through many, many pairs of shoes to find the best stabilit
Outside Online •

The Best Running Shoes for Training and Racing

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app . It is a great time to be a runner. Today’s smart shoe designers are using advanced materials, new geometries, and creative combinations of foams, plates, fabrics, and soles to create models that are faster and more comfortable than ever before. Many shoes in this roundup are franchise models, in their second, fourth, 17th, or 21st(!) iterations, representing the best of what t
RUN | Powered by Outside •

We Ran in Adidas’s $500 Super Shoe Until It Gave Out. Here’s How Far We Got.

Designing shoes to improve running speed isn’t a novel concept. Long before the advent of plated super shoes, ultralight, minimalist footwear helped runners achieve faster race times. These lightweight shoes represented a form of performance-enhancing super shoe, as research extensively shows that a shoe’s weight significantly influences running performance. The lighter the shoe, the faster you can run. One study revealed that for every 100-gram (3.5 oz) addition in shoe weight, a 1.11 percent d
Load More Articles