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Running 300,000 Vertical Feet In a Year: Noble Goal or a Fool’s Errand?

Arbitrary goals are nonsensical. They also can be the source of great joy.In the pursuit of any goal, we all face a moment of questioning ourselves, sometimes out loud.The first week of last December, I had that moment, a question as I power-hiked up an icy trail, listening to my own labored breath:The answer, of course, was: No, it was not necessary. I had a cold, or enough remnants of a cold that I should have been at home resting instead of semi-vigorously exercising outside.

But I had a goal. Or, rather, I had committed to a goal, with a deadline: 300,000 feet of uphill human-powered movement, in the year 2023. Before I started hiking uphill that day, I had logged 289,476 feet of climbing via running, hiking, ski touring, and cycling. I had 10,524 feet left to climb, and 24 more days to do it. And I wanted to get done early so I could stop worrying about it. So I kept tromping uphill.

Even though I’d have a hard time convincing anyone it was “necessary,” in the sense of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.Every year, human beings such as myself and yourself take part in an ancient ritual going back at least dozens of years: We decide how we are going to become a different person than we were the year before.

Sometimes we become completely different people, finally going to therapy, or deleting all of our social media accounts, or deciding to adopt the extensive and possibly unsustainable morning routine of a person who is an influencer on LinkedIn. Sometimes we just become a slightly different person, by committing to being on time, drinking more water, or meditating for one minute every day.

This probably sounds familiar. You may know it as a “new year’s resolution,” which is a common manifestation of this sort of idea, and also helpful in selling gym memberships. New year’s resolutions work for some people, but I have never had much success with them. Usually I think more along the lines of “what can I do that would make this year interesting/different from previous years?” Which I think is a good place to start, as opposed to “What’s wrong with me that I can attempt to fix or improve this year?” (If you’re asking yourself that same question, let me just say that you’re probably doing great, and at least a few people probably love you just the way you are. But yeah, we could all drink more water and eat more vegetables.)A few years back, a friend of mine mentioned he was going to try to log half a million vertical feet biking and hiking, and I don’t remember if he ended up getting it done, but I think he was probably inspired by a guy named Greg Hill who climbed and skied two million vertical feet in a year in 2010, and Greg Hill was probably inspired by himself, Greg Hill, skiing one million vertical feet in a year in 2005. I’m no Greg Hill. But what about 200,000 feet of ascent in a year? Certainly more doable by a middle-aged dad with a day job? That’s a little under 4,000 feet per week.

So I decided on that. I did a few backcountry ski laps at our local hill, just under 2,000 feet per lap, and hiked/ran up steep trails a couple times a week, trying to log a few hundred feet here or there. If Jay was awake and we had time between naps, I’d put him in the baby carrier backpack and chug up a trail for a few minutes or an hour, the dad version of a weighted training vest. I signed up for a steep 50K trail race, the Tiger Claw, which would get me almost 9,000 feet of climbing in one day, a big chunk.

Then in mid-May, my young friend Torrey, who has not been to my house recently to see my daily life trying to be a present and helpful dad, husband, self-employed artist and writer, said, “200,000 feet? I think you could do 300,000 easy.”

I thanked him for the encouragement by replying, “Fuck you,” and then we argued for a few minutes about who would buy dinner.

And then of course I started doing the math, which really amounted to a big question, How do I want to live my life this year, which is really a series of smaller questions:We’re lucky, as human beings, to have the time and resources to come up with ideas we refer to as “dreams,” and then spend time and resources pursuing those.

Some people put a lot of time and resources into one dream, like thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, or climbing a big mountain halfway across the world, or completing an Ironman triathlon.Since I am a coward, I often tend to shy away from big goals with a high chance of failure, and instead choose to pursue goals with longer timelines, in order to have some flexibility. A bad week of weather can derail a big mountain summit attempt, and an injury can derail a plan to qualify for the Boston Marathon (I guess so could gastrointestinal distress on race day), but an annual goal of a bunch of vertical feet can withstand some bad weather or minor injuries during the year. Or, in my case, catching every communicable disease Jay brought home from daycare in his first six months of attendance, which included something like six colds, and norovirus or something similarly explosive and miserable.

Even with a week off here and there, I kept chugging along. I started a Strava club called 100 Grand, because I thought other people might think it was fun to try to log 100,000 feet of climbing, or 200,000 feet, or 500,000 feet, or whatever, depending on where they lived and how much time they had to devote to it. I know not everyone lives in a mountainous area, or even a hilly place, but I also knew about this group of people in Iowa and Illinois who race to see who can log 25,000 feet of vert the fastest (and in the smallest amount of horizontal distance) every December. I mean, look at this spreadsheet:Almost 2,000 people signed up for the 100 Grand Strava club, despite it launching in the middle of the year, and I’m not sure how much it motivated people, but I’m going to do it again in 2024. As soon as I finish mailing out stickers to everyone who clocked 100K or more in 2023.

As I rolled over 200,000 feet in September, and then 250,000 feet (in early October), I started to reflect on how the 300,000-foot number had changed my year of running. I have never been one to pay attention to my per-mile pace, but it went completely out the window this year, since a typical run for me looked like this:Mt. Sentinel is essentially a straight line two miles from my house and roughly 2000 vertical feet higher than my front door*, so I defaulted to it often this year. I stood on the summit 47 times, often enough that it started to feel quite ridiculous, but also a sort of home. Which is probably how my dad feels about certain holes on his home golf course, or how my brother feels about his favorite fishing spots.Every time I got home from a run, I’d check my yearly total on Strava as it ticked upward—except on the rare days I did a flat run, when I was short on time or had to run Jay to or from day care in the jogging stroller.

Eventually, I had a little less than 2,000 feet to go. Unless something crazy happened, I’d just need to get to the summit of Mt. Sentinel one more time and I could stop obsessing about it. My friend Forest had offered to go with me, but also said he understood if I wanted to go up alone. I decided to keep this one to myself, microspikes on my shoes for the icy sections, trekking poles as insurance to keep myself upright.

The last climb up the steep trail on the south ridge seemed like it was taking forever, and I watched several paragliders take off from near the top, a surprise sunny December day. I jogged through the snowy forest between the south and north summits, and then started the steep hike up the final 100 feet to the top. A figure in an orange jacket was starting down from the summit, headed my way.

The person stopped on the trail when they saw me, and without being able to see quite that far, I knew it was Forest. He started clapping, and then went back to the summit with me. He asked if I wanted to have the top to myself, to process it a little bit, and I said Nah, it’s just the last few feet of my dumb goal for the year. Which was true.

The closer I got to finishing, the more ridiculous it felt, and as much as I’d like to have had some epiphany about life, I know sometimes you just need a new motivation to get out the door and experience something, even if you end up on the same mountaintop *checks notes* 47 times. But as ridiculous as it was, I still followed through with it, which has some sort of meaning, maybe.

You don’t need to go far these days to find inspirational quotes about pursuing your goals, and I think everyone is looking for something different. The older I get, the more I think about a line from the late, great, philosopher and restaurateur Kenny Shopsin, in the 2004 documentary I Like Killing Flies:

Ferdinand Omanyala's track rival hoping to bounce back as he eyes Olympic title

Ferdinand Omanyala's Italian track rival hopes to make a grand return this season as he gears up to defend his Olympic title in Paris, France.

Ferdinand Omanyala’s track rival Marcel Jacobs had a poor run last season due to a bout of injuries but the Italian hopes to make a strong comeback this season.

Jacobs, the reigning Olympic champion made a few changes at the end of last season where he parted ways with his coach Paolo Camossi who guided him to the 100m title at the delayed 2020 Olympic Games.

At the time, Jacobs had yet to decide on his new coach but noted that he would be leaving Rome where he had been based. Last season, he competed in four 100m races and failed to clock a sub-10 in all four and also failed to win any of the 100m races.

His final race last season was the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića in Croatia where he finished third and he hopes to bounce back this season as he gears up to defend his Olympic title.

The Italian has also skipped the indoor tour this season, a move that is unlike him since he is usually a frequent competitor during the indoor races.

As per World Athletics, Jacobs will head straight to the outdoor season where he intends to open his season at the Ostrava Golden Spike for the first time as he works towards the European Championships on home soil.

As per World Athletics, Jacobs will head straight to the outdoor season where he intends to open his season at the Ostrava Golden Spike for the first time as he works towards the European Championships on home soil.

Conquer Your Longest Distance Yet With These 9 Tips

Ultrarunners and coaches share their best advice for building mileage without getting injured.

Whether you want to progress from a 5K to a half marathon or a marathon to an ultra, a few general rules on how to run longer can help you get there.

While building mileage and time on your feet is paramount, the key to doing it successfully involves patience and persistence. “As much as volume matters—volume is king—too much volume too soon can get you on the sidelines,” Bertrand Newson, RRCA-certified run coach and founder and team captain of Too Legit Fitness, based in San Jose, California, tells Runner’s World. 

Follow these tips from Newson and other coaches and ultramarathoners to successfully increase your mileage, avoid injuries, and crush your longest distances.

1. Build a Base, Then Keep It Consistent

“I steadily built up to running 250-mile races over many years, but I started by running one mile at a time,” says Sarah Ostaszewski, pro ultrarunner with Tailwind Nutrition who won the 2023 Ouray 100-Mile Endurance Run. “Build a strong base and try to keep a consistent running routine, so then adding a little extra here and there won’t seem so daunting.” 

Base training typically requires about four to eight weeks (before following a race training schedule) to strengthen your cardiovascular system and your muscles, but the longer you can regularly run and set a foundation, the better. Your base work should involve mostly easy runs, low mileage, and maybe low-key speedwork (depending on your fitness level), like ending a run with strides. This part of your training is all about consistency, rather than actually building mileage. 

Ultrarunner Mirna Valerio stays consistent by focusing on time on her feet, rather than distance. “This has been mentally freeing,” the author of A Beautiful Work in Progress tells Runner’s World. 

“I have a standing appointment with my treadmill a couple times a week,” says Valerio, who will aim to run a minimum of 12 hours a day over six days at the Lululemon Further event, an ultramarathon for women in March. “I just get it done, which incidentally is one of my mantras.”

2. Find Your Best Approach to Building Volume

If you’re new to running and want to run longer, add another day of a short, easy run to your schedule, suggests Stefanie Flippin, an ultrarunner, Lululemon ambassador, and doctor of podiatric medicine, who has earned a first-place finish at several 100-milers.

Maxed out on available days of the week? Add to your long-run mileage, which is what Leah Yingling, ultrarunner and biochemical engineer who will see how far she can run in 24 hours at Lululemon Further, does first when aiming to build volume. The general rule is to increase your weekly mileage by about 10 percent each week, adding to that long run. For example, if you currently clock 17 miles per week with three four-mile runs during the week and a long run of five miles on the weekend, you would keep your midweek mileage the same, but kick up your long run to about seven miles next weekend.

Yingling, and many other pros, also do two runs a day. While this won’t work for everyone, if you don’t have a significant single block of time, clocking some miles in the morning and again in the evening and resting between can help you clock more mileage. One must-do to make it work: Tame the intensity on at least one of those runs.

Charlie Lawrence, 50-mile world record holder, views his second run of the day as a sort of active recovery. He often goes for double digits in the mornings, then runs for about four miles (at minimum) in the evening, keeping the effort light. 

No matter what, testing out strategies to see what works for your schedule is the best way to run longer. “That might be adding a walk a few days a week in addition to your daily runs, or maybe you’re adding back-to-back long runs,” says Yingling. “Whatever you do, find something that is sustainable.”

3. Follow a Progressive Training Plan

A good training plan will slowly build mileage to decrease your risk of getting sidelined, as research shows taking on too many miles too soon is one of the biggest risk factors for overuse injuries. 

When choosing your training plan, you have to be realistic about the time you have to build up to the distance you want to conquer—and where you’re at now, says Newson. For example, if you have your sights set on a half or full marathon, think about what you can comfortably run today. Then, following the loose rule of adding 10 percent more miles each week, how long do you need to train? If you currently run five miles without stopping and feel good after, and can comfortably clock 12 miles per week, you can probably conquer a 10-week half marathon plan. 

Another important factor to look for when it comes to mileage on a training plan: recovery weeks. Newson explains you’ll typically see this as three weeks of building, then a week in which you back off mileage a little to give your body time to recover and actually make gains from all the work you put into your plan. This will also keep your body strong and help you sidestep aches and pains, he adds.

4. Keep Easy Runs Easy

You’ve heard it before but it’s especially true when trying to run longer: Don’t overdo your low-effort days. 

“It’s important for me to always run my easy runs, short or long, at a conversational, aerobic rate of perceived exertion. This means that I can easily chat with a training partner for the duration of my runs without becoming out of breath,” Flippin says, who also clocks her heart rate to make sure she’s in an easy zone. 

Don’t worry about what shows on Strava, either. “I think a lot of runners run their easy runs too hard and that is because of ego and they don’t want people to think they are slow,” says Devon Yanko, ultrarunner who’s placed first in several 100-mile races and will aim to conquer her longest distance over six days at the Lululemon Further event. “I delight in the idea that people may look at my Strava and think I am too slow, because on race day that won’t be the case!” 

More generally, applying the 80/20 rule to your training overall can also help you record more low-intensity runs, Newson says, as it means 80 percent of your workouts should happen at a low intensity, and 20 percent at a hard effort.

It’s these easy runs that will help keep you running consistently—the key that unlocks higher mileage. “A B+ average of consistent runs, strength work, and recovery measures stacked over weeks, months, and years will always trump sporadic A+ weeks followed by a total drop-off,” Flippin says.

5. Master the Long Run

For most people, the long run will make up the bulk of your weekly mileage, but it doesn’t just help you clock more time on your feet. It also teaches you mental stamina, how to deal with fatigue, and it can help you get comfortable with being uncomfortable. With years of practice, this is what many pros say pulls them through farther distances.

Even though Lawrence can deal with being uncomfortable for long periods of time, he still turns to mind games to mentally check off miles. For example, he often breaks a race down into small, manageable chunks, often focusing on the next fuel stop (typically about every four miles) as a check point. If he’s struggling to get to the next four-mile marker, he may tell himself he’ll feel better in 10 to 15 minutes and checks in again then. 

In addition to breaking your long run up into segments, Newson also suggests dedicating each mile to someone else, which takes it outside of yourself and gives you another reason to keep going, and says to focus on the mile you’re in, simply putting one foot in front of the other. 

Finally, the long run is the perfect time to practice your fueling and fluid intake, Newson says, considering you need energy to clock longer miles. Aim to take in carbs when going for 90 minutes or longer, and go for about 30 to 60 grams per hour after the first hour. 

6. Schedule a Few Harder Workouts

To build endurance, you want to run long, but you can also add intervals and speed work into your schedule. 

Lawrence gets on the track for VO2 max-specific workouts at least once a week. VO2 max is the amount of oxygen you can take in while running and is a major marker of fitness—the better this metric, the easier running will feel, which will help you go longer with less effort. Focusing on VO2 max intensities on runs means going for about 90 to 100 percent of your max heart rate or about 5K pace, and it could involve intervals like 400-meter repeats. 

You could also focus on lactate threshold training. Your lactate threshold is the point at which your body produces lactate at a rate you can no longer clear, leading to fatigue. To help you prolong that side effect—helping you go faster for longer—practice running at your threshold pace. (Here’s how to calculate your running speed at lactate threshold). 

To do this, Ostaszewski prefers longer interval workouts with work periods ranging from six to 10 minutes near aerobic threshold. But tempo runs at your threshold speed are also smart. 

7. Supplement Your Runs With Mobility and Strength

Before you jump into high mileage, you need a solid warmup. Lawrence has been doing the same activation drills before runs for a long time. He starts with foam rolling most of the lower body, then does a series of exercises, like:

Leg swings

Down dog to lunge rotation

Ankle mobility moves

Banded work, like glute bridges

This go-to routine wakes him up and gets him in run mode, even when he’s not feeling it. 

Cross-training workouts are also key. Valerio mixes strength training, mobility workouts, Pilates, and rowing into her training schedule, which she says helps her avoid overuse injuries. Meanwhile, Flippin points to strength training in particular as crucial to running longer. She suggests starting with one day a week to build consistency, then adding on days from there. 

Lawrence focuses specifically on doing core workouts every day (one of his go-to moves: the ab roll out), along with dedicated gym time for lifting, in which he conquers moves like hex bar deadlifts.

8. Make Recovery a Priority

Many pro runners turn to a solid nutrition practice to jumpstart recovery and fuel future performances. “I ensure I’m always getting in carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of finishing a key workout or long run,” Yingling says.

Finding time for other recovery practices, like mobility work, foam rolling, even meditating, can also support your training and get you prepped for the next round of mileage, Newson says. Full rest days are also important, especially if you’re feeling any aches and pains.

And you can’t forget about sleep for recovery—striving for at least the recommended seven to nine hours—especially for those looking to push their mileage. 

9. Don’t Rely on Motivation Alone

Running your longest distance takes dedication and determination, but don’t expect to feel motivated every day. “People often wait to do things until they are motivated, when instead, they should have been focused on completing their plan or working toward their goal,” says Yanko. “I don’t jump out of bed every morning peppy and excited to run, but I am committed to doing the work and thus, I simply get the work done.”

Yanko also suggests tapping into curiosity to keep you going longer. “That is, instead of being intimidated by a workout or long run, I allow myself the opportunity to be curious about what might happen if I simply begin the session,” she says. “I do not believe that one workout or one long run ‘proves’ anything about my fitness or ability to race, so having curiosity means I can get into a session and allow it to unfold with confidence that if I just continue to show up and do the work, I will build my fitness brick by brick.”

Newson also suggests a running group to keep you accountable and consistent, and to elevate the fun of your workouts. 

“On the mental side, I always try to see the big picture and remember that all the miles I’m running are for fun and for my own personal enjoyment,” Ostaszewski adds. “I’m always aiming to enjoy the process and recognize growth in the journey.”

British journalist exonerated for alleged cheating at London Marathon

In one of the most high-profile cheating cases in recent years, British running journalist Kate Carter has been cleared of wrongdoing by England Athletics after facing accusations of cheating during the 2023 London Marathon and London Landmarks Half Marathon events.

Carter, a journalist and editor for Runner’s World UK, was under suspicion for allegedly entering a fake time at the London Marathon and course-cutting the London Landmarks Half Marathon last April. Marathon Investigation blogger Derek Murphy publicized the allegations, claiming there was no evidence Carter had run the entire London Marathon and that she may have used software to manually create GPS data based on an out-of-date course map. Murphy’s second allegation was that there was no record of her having completed the 10K to 20K section of the Landmarks event. Besides missing the timing mats, early race photos show Carter’s bib fully visible, compared to photos from later stages in the race, where her bib is folded, only revealing part of her number.

Carter denied the allegations, telling Athletics Weekly that she was not a cheat but just made some ill-considered decisions. Her defense was that, at the London Marathon, she decided not to run with a chip, as she felt she wasn’t in good shape and did not want an official time. However, she later decided to give herself a personal record on Strava, and used the app to draw a map of her run. Having later realized the map was inaccurate, she removed the post. At the London Landmarks Half Marathon, a race used by thousands of runners in preparation for the London Marathon, Carter says she had to leave the course because she had urinated on herself. She did not rejoin the race at the same point (which she claims was unintentional), and insists that her GPS watch had died.

England Athletics (EA), the governing body of all road races in the country, launched an investigation and found there was “no intention to deceive and no attempt to benefit from the results.” A spokesperson from EA told Athletics Weekly that every effort was made to arrive at the correct outcome.

“Investigators found that I did run last year’s London Marathon without a timing chip, as I have always said,” Carter said. “To reiterate: I am not a cheat. And I have never cheated. I ran without a timing chip as I thought I would perform poorly, and I didn’t get a time. I then attempted to draw the run on my Strava so my miles counted towards the monthly total.”

“At the London Landmarks race, I stepped off the course after wetting myself in a bid to find a bin and clean myself up. This was a hugely embarrassing moment, and I accept that I then inadvertently re-entered the race in a different spot. However, England Athletics have now told me that, after speaking to organizers who have also provided details of my timing chip, they have ruled that: ‘This was not a deliberate act of deception, and you did not gain any benefit or win anything as a result’,” Carter reveals.

Murphy told Canadian Running in a statement that he believes England Athletics’ investigation did not dispute any of the facts from his original article. “The findings pertain to her intent to deceive and whether her actions rose to the level of ‘serious misconduct’,” he says. “I do understand that they probably don’t want to open the door to receiving complaints on every mid-packer that cuts the course or doctors their Strava. I am not sure how they would conclude that there is no intent [from Carter] to deceive based on the verifiable and admitted facts.”

Carter, 47, is known for her achievements as an age grouper and for holding the world record for the fastest marathon by a woman in an animal costume (3:48:32). She told Athletics Weekly that the entire process has been damaging to her mental and physical health, and her reputation. “Running was a big part of my identity,” said Carter. Having been cleared, I really hope to find that joy again.”

The London Landmarks Half Marathon has offered Carter an invitation to run this year’s race.

Your dog can now be a Strava local legend

Shoutout to all dog walkers and proud pet owners out there: the world’s largest fitness-tracking app is teaming up with Fi, a smart dog collar brand, to bring canine athletic achievements to your activity feed. Last week, Strava announced this pet-friendly collaboration to showcase their four-legged friends’ fitness alongside their owners’.

Fi collars are equipped with built-in satellite systems (like your GPS sports watch) and are primarily designed to locate lost pets; they also monitor basic health metrics, like sleep and step counts. Now, this same technology enables pet parents to log their dog’s activities online, receive kudos and compare their numbers with other pets of the same breed.With a membership, users can track their dog’s distance travelled and the total number of steps taken, while also monitoring their best friend’s progress toward daily goals and sleep totals. The app seamlessly uploads routes of your dog’s walks or play sessions onto a map, providing a visual representation of their adventures. Like run data privacy, there is also an option for the maps to be hidden, visible only to your followers (or to you).

According to the 2023 Strava Year In Sport report, 76 per cent of all Strava athletes with pets say their furry companions motivate them to get active. With the integration of Strava and Fi, users can now track dog-specific stats and share their pet’s progress with their community.

If you already use Fi, you can sync your Fi and Strava accounts and begin seamlessly uploading your dog’s walk activities.To celebrate this collaboration, limited edition co-branded Fi x Strava collars are available for purchase at the Fi store, allowing pet parents to showcase their love for Strava while keeping their furry friends safe and stylish. To learn more about the Strava and Fi partnership, visit tryfi.com/strava.Like GPS watches, pet tracking on Strava does come with a cost; Fi plans start at USD $192.00 annually.

Runners Are Racing More than Ever

Strava’s year-end report shows that more runners are turning to competition and how different generations compete differently

This month, Strava released its annual Year in Sport, with fascinating insights about where running might be headed. Running was the most-uploaded sport in 2023. (Hear that? That’s the sound of job security!) Most runners log their miles solo, 9 percent are in groups of three or more people, and an additional 9 percent are logged running in a pair.

Trail running, specifically, continues its trend upwards, with the share of athletes running off-road up 6 percent year over year. Almost half (47 percent!) of runners took at least one trail run. Friends, welcome to the club. We have jackets! (Haha, no we don’t.)

Many runners use competition as motivation and inspiration. Plus, athletes who race are 5.3 times more likely to set a distance PR. While men are currently more likely to compete than women, the rate at which men and women are participating is increasing at the same speed.

When life after the COVID lockdowns stabilized for many folks, the Strava Year in Sport review shows that they laced up their running shoes to compete. Twenty-one percent of runners on Strava ran at least one race in 2023, a 24 percent increase over 2022.

Racing was equally split across genders, with 21 percent of men and women competing at least once. Runners from Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980) were the most likely to race, with 26 percent logging at least one competition on Strava. Twenty-two percent of millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) raced, and 24 percent of boomers (born before 1965) pinned on a bib in 2023.

Ultramarathons, while still less popular than shorter distances, are steadily becoming more popular, too, according to statistics. While just 2 percent of runners on Strava completed an ultra in 2023, that’s still up 11 percent from 2022.

Out of all ultrarunners on the app, two-thirds completed at least one 50K, meaning plenty of runners double-dipped on super long-distance runs in 2023. Women were 43 percent less likely to have run an ultra of any distance (so, yeah, we might have a problem). Participation in ultras may be growing at the same rate among men and women, but there is still plenty of work to be done—for instance, addressing childcare disparities that leave women with three to four fewer hours per week to train—in order to reach equity. The longer the distance, the greater the gender gap tends to be, with half marathons having the smallest disparity—7 percent of women completing a half and 8 percent of men.

Longer races are less popular this year, sure, but participation is growing by about 10 to 15 percent. Less than 1 percent of runners on Strava completed an ultra over 50K, though this distance remains the most popular to run. Participation in 50 miles is roughly half that of 50Ks, and 100K participation is roughly half that. So, if you ran a 100K this year, pat yourself on the back, as you’re part of the 1 percent (.0025 percent, to be exact).

Marathons remain a popular distance for runners. Five percent of runners on Strava ran a 26.2-mile race in 2023, up 20 percent from last year. Again, women were 32 percent less likely to have run a marathon than men (4 percent of women on Strava ran a marathon versus. 5 percent of men), but both groups saw participation jump 20 percent compared to last year.

Gen Zers are not running as much as previous generations did at their age. Running, while less cost-prohibitive than, say, surfing, skiing, or mountain biking, still requires some financial investment. A 2020 survey by the Running Shoes Guru pinned the “average” run budget to between $937 and $1,132 annually. I guess those gels really do add up!

And when you consider that 60 percent of young adults don’t feel their basic needs are met, a decline in participation makes sense. According to Running USA, an independent group that produces industry surveys, the number of runners in the 35-44 and 45-54 age groups has dropped significantly since 2015, while participation in the 25-34 age group only increased slightly. According to the report, Gen Z runners prefer to run for experiential benefits like socializing, fun, and mental health.

Interestingly, data about Gen Z runners on the Strava Year in Sport says the opposite, reporting that this generation is 31 percent less likely to exercise primarily for their health compared to millennial and Gen X counterparts. The difference could be that runners committed enough to sign up for an activity tracking app are already a self-select group. Zoomers on Strava report that their primary motivation for exercise is athletic performance. This is echoed by the speed of their training runs, which average out to be a pace of 8:59 a mile. Zoinks!

Interestingly, data about Gen Z runners on the Strava Year in Sport says the opposite, reporting that this generation is 31 percent less likely to exercise primarily for their health compared to millennial and Gen X counterparts. The difference could be that runners committed enough to sign up for an activity tracking app are already a self-select group. Zoomers on Strava report that their primary motivation for exercise is athletic performance. This is echoed by the speed of their training runs, which average out to be a pace of 8:59 a mile. Zoinks!

Gen Z runners are also more run-dominant than other generations. Seventy percent of the generation’s Strava users uploaded runs onto the app versus 52 percent of Gen X, a 35 percent higher likelihood (this might as well be the likelihood to Google “What is a Zendaya?”) Gen Z runners saw the greatest percentage of growth in race participation this year, with a 60 percent jump in attendance at the marathon distance and a 68 percent increase at 13.1. (My mind would fully melt if I lined up against someone born in 2004, but also, welcome! Please be gentle.) According to Running USA, Gen Z runners gravitate towards races with a compelling theme or cause that resonates with their values.

Trends are different across training habits, too. Gen Z runners are twice as likely as boomers to have weekday activity after 4 P.M. and are 31 percent less likely to exercise before 10 A.M.. Fascinatingly, 39 percent of Gen Z Strava athletes started a new job, and a third of the cohort reported relocating in 2023, which could speak to flexibility or economic instability for younger runners.

Over the year, Gen Z runners logged 17 percent less mileage than Gen X athletes, explained primarily with a shorter average run length. Plus, Gen Z athletes have slightly fewer running weeks in a year. (Maybe if they weren’t so busy eating all that avocado toast, they could run more!) JK, as the kids on TikTok say. In truth, Gen Z runners might train less because they are shooting for shorter distances, or the other way around—it’s impossible to disentangle causation here.

It’s not only a fun pastime to browse the year-in-review data, poking fun at the generations before or after us like they’re siblings (“No, I run more!” “Well, I run faster!”), but it’s also a way to see where the industry is lacking.

The Strava Year in Sport data shows that the running industry will have to work to bring in more Gen Z athletes. This might mean that race directors and event organizers will have to continue tailoring their offerings to speak to a younger, more experience-driven demographic. Numbers also prove that, while the female section of the running pie has grown overall, more changes need to be made to reach gender equity. The statistics tell us a lot, but one of the biggest, if not the biggest, takeaways is that people are running more now than ever. And that? Well, that’s pretty rad.

Swoboda's sights set on medal glory in Glasgow

Sprinter Ewa Swoboda is bang on target for her first global senior medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 next month. And the Pole, No.2 in the world this year over 60m, is sure to be well supported at the Scottish venue on March 1-3.

Not only is it the same arena in which she won European Indoor Championships 60m gold in 2019, but she also has strong family ties nearby.

“It’s a big event for me,” she says. “I want to win a medal and a PB.

“I like Glasgow. It’s also close to where my brother lives in Edinburgh.”

Swoboda opened her year in searing style, winning at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze event in Lodz and then at World Indoor Tour Gold events in Ostrava and Torun. At the latter, she clocked a then world lead of 7.01, her best time for two years. Only Julien Alfred, with the 6.99 she ran in New York, has gone faster so far this year. That 6.99 matches Swoboda's PB, set in Torun in 2022.

Speed has always been a feature in the life of the Zory-born runner, who also takes an interest in fast cars. Recalling her school days, Swoboda says: “I (was) faster than the boys too and my teacher looked at me and she told my parents, ‘She must go to training.’ And here I am, since 2009.”

Her first major competition saw her finish fourth in the 2013 World U20 Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, aged 16. She then placed fifth at the same event in 2014 in Eugene, USA, and became European U20 champion in Eskilstuna, Sweden, in 2015.

Then, at the 2016 Bydgoszcz World U20 Championships, she thrilled the home crowd by winning 100m silver. She went on to represent her country at the Rio Olympic Games, where she reached the semifinals.    

Now, 26, she is asserting herself on the world stage. She was fourth at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and last year she reached her first World Athletics Championships final, placing sixth over 100m.

It followed an unfortunate career blip, which meant she missed the opportunity to defend her 60m title at the 2021 Torun European Indoor Championships in her home country due to Covid-19 and then the Tokyo Olympics through injury.

Now, as well as enjoying her current success on the track, Swoboda embraces being an extrovert figure in the sport. Her heavily tattooed body, painted nails and playful personality have won her a legion of fans at home and overseas.  

“I am not playing any role,” she says “I am just Ewa. I am open, I don’t have a problem smiling! It’s important. I like what I do, and I am happy.” 

She also welcomes being part of the current era of the women’s 100m and its colourful crop of champions, particularly world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.

“I love to run with Sha’Carri,” smiles Swoboda. “Sha’Carri is a gorgeous girl, and her energy is welcome and it’s nice to be a part of this little family.” 

This year promises to be a huge one for Swoboda, with the World Indoor Championships, European Athletics Championships and the Olympic Games all in her plans: “First Glasgow, then Rome and Paris!”

As for whether, there will be more body art this year, she says: “Not now. Maybe when I win something? Maybe after (the) indoors, some more tattoos. 

“I like this, it’s my hobby,” she adds, putting precious metal above tattoos as her favoured decoration for now.

How change of shoes helped youngster Letsile Tebogo smash world record

Letsile Tebogo ran faster than Michael Johnson and Usain Bolt to set a new world 300m record but that would perhaps not have happened had he not changed his running shoes.

Botswana sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo is currently basking in the glory of his new world record after lowering the 300m mark last weekend.

Tebogo smashed the world 300m record following an incredible run at the Simbine Curro Classic in South Africa, running 30.71, to beat South African Wayde van Niekerk's mark of 30.81 set in Ostrava, Czech Republic in 2017.

In what was a world lead and his personal best over the distance, the 20-year-old obliterated the field to take a giant lead, leaving a big gape between him and the chasing pack as he sprinted to the finish line.

It has now emerged that things would have perhaps been different had he not opted for a change of shoes, having decided to ditch his trainers for spikes ahead of the race.

Since sustaining an injury that locked him out of the Zurich Diamond League 200m finals, Tebogo has not used spikes and wore trainers in his season-opening race in January, but his coach Dose Mosimanyane advised him to use spikes in last Saturday’s race in Pretoria only to yield a world record.

“The world record was not in the plan. But I am not surprised. With his training partner, Bayapo Ndori and other athletes in the mix, I knew he would do something but this is not what we came here for,” Mosimanyane said.

The world 100m silver medallist did not just break the seven-year world record but his time was faster than that of American great Michael Johnson, who clocked 30.85 at the same venue in 2000, and Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, who timed 30.97 in 2010.

The world 200m bronze medallist had an impressive 2023 season when he became the first African to win a medal at the World Championships in 100m and also the first from his country to achieve such a feat.

He is hoping to go one better this during the Paris 2024 Games in France where he is seeking to make history by winning his country’s first ever Olympics gold.

Kelvin Kiptum's legacy lives on with two-hour challenge

Last Sunday, the running world lost marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum at the age of 24 after he lost control of his car in Kaptagat, Kenya. Kiptum was one of the most promising athletes in the sport, setting the marathon world record of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, and was slated to challenge the two-hour barrier at the 2024 Rotterdam Marathon.

In memory of Kiptum, the running community has come up with an idea to honour his legacy: a virtual two-hour run on April 14, the day he was scheduled to run Rotterdam.The challenge isn’t asking runners to go out and try to break the world record, but they can use the challenge as a long run for their upcoming race or see how far they can run in the elapsed time.The two-hour challenge also does not have to be a run; it could be a ride, or even a walk. Just be sure to tag #TwoHours4Kiptum on your Strava or social media post.

Kiptum had a rapid rise to superstardom in the sport, recording the fastest-ever marathon debut at the Valencia Marathon in 2022. Five months later, he broke Eliud Kipchoge’s course record at the 2023 London Marathon, where he ran an impressive negative split of 2:01:25. Then came the one he’ll most be remembered for–setting a world record of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon last fall.“Athletics world mourns death of marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum” — Canadian Running Magazine

After his world-record run, Kiptum said he never felt he was challenged by the marathon distance, and there was a fascination around what he might run in Rotterdam–a topic that will forever be debated, and a question that the world will never know the answer to. The running community will forever remember Kiptum and his drive to show people that anything is possible.

Burnout Is Complicated

Kieran Abbotts is a PhD student at the University of Oregon, studying human physiology. He earned his master's degree in Metabolism and Exercise Physiology at Colorado State University. The lab that he works at now studies exercise and environment and stressors on physiology. In other words, he's an expert on how the chemicals in the body work during exercise, and what happens when things get out of whack. 

"Essentially, there are two kinds of training. There's functional overreaching, which means you stress the body with hard workouts and long runs. Then you provide adequate time to recover, and you induce adaptations," Abbotts said. This kind of training is ideal-your body is getting stronger. "You want to be functionally overreaching as an elite athlete-so that you're making progress and becoming a better runner, but also giving yourself adequate recovery." 

And then there's non-functional overreaching, which can feel the same to many athletes, but it's very different. 

"With non-functional overreaching you're essentially doing the same thing-big workouts, stressing the body-but not giving yourself enough time to recover. And so you start doing damage." That damage might take a long time to show itself, Abbots said, but it eventually will. 

This might be the most important thing to know about being an athlete at any level. Non-functional overreaching is exactly the same as very healthy training, except without enough rest. And rest is different for everyone, which makes it exceptionally easy to slip from functional overreaching into damaging non-functional overreaching without realizing it. Without adequate rest, the body begins to break down instead of build stronger. 

Stress Is Stress

Professional ultrarunner Cat Bradley, 31, living in Hawaii, has experienced fatigue and burnout in various forms, including just after she won Western States in 2017. 

Winning a big race is great, but it also means all eyes are on you-the pressure is high to stay on top. "After winning Western States, I took a month off, but I was still running at a high level. And for lack of a better term, I felt like I had a gun to my back," Bradley said. "I wanted Western States so badly, and after I won, so many things happened and I never shook that gun-to-the-back feeling. After a while, it led to burnout. I had to take a mental break." 

For many athletes, finding success can be the stress that makes non-functional overreaching feel necessary. How can you take an extended break when you're winning and signing new sponsor contracts? 

A second version of burnout for Bradley came when she went through an especially stressful situation outside of running. She was dealing with such extreme daily emotional stress in her personal life that everything else was affected, including running and training. When the body is enduring stress, it doesn't know (or care) what the cause is. We can't put our life into silos. If there's stress in one's life, everything else needs to be adjusted. It doesn't matter if that stress is "just work" or illness, or relationships. 

When you're overtraining, or chronically overstressed, your body is creating higher levels of "catecholamines" hormones released by your adrenal glands during times of stress like epinephrine, norepinephrine, or adrenaline. "Having those chronically high levels of overstimulation and not enough recovery, you wind up with a desensitization," Abbotts said. "Overstimulation also causes decreased levels of plasma cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone, and it plays a very important role in your physiology." 

When you're exercising or stressing the body, cortisol will go up, to help the body deal with the stress. But if you're constantly requiring lots of cortisol, your body will eventually down-regulate. It will adapt and then you'll have low levels of cortisol. This means trouble dealing with physical and mental stress. 

In February, Bradley experienced her most recent version of burnout, and it happened mid-race. Bradley was running the Tarawera 100-miler in New Zealand. Besides training for such a big race, she was also working full-time and planning and preparing for her wedding, which was just days after the race. On top of everything, travel to the event was incredibly stressful. 

"I was in fourth place, I could see third, and at mile 85, I passed out and hit my head on a rock," Bradley said. "We can talk about the reasons that I fainted, but I really think my brain just shut down-it was too much." 

For Bradley, reaching burnout has a lot more to do with outside stressors than the actual running. But now she's aware of that-she continues to work on not reaching the gun-to-the-back feeling. The need to please others. The fear of losing fitness in order to take care of her body. It's an ongoing process, but an important one. 

Overdoing Is the American Way

Professional ultrarunner Sally McRae said, based on her observations, Americans are really bad at taking time off. "I've traveled the world and Americans are really bad at resting," she said. "It's part of our work system. You go anywhere in Europe and everyone takes a month-long holiday. You have a kid and you take a year off. We're not conditioned like that in America. It's like you get one week and then after you work a decade, you get two weeks of vacation." 

For McRae, avoiding burnout and overtraining has a lot to do with creating a life that's sustainable. She started working when she was 15-years-old, so she realized earlier than most that life couldn't just be working as hard as possible to count down to retirement. 

"Perspective is massive when it comes to burnout. My goal every year is to find the wonder and the beauty and the joy in what I do. Because it's my job, but it's also my life," McRae said. "And I really believe we're supposed to rest-it should be a normal part of our life. Whether that's taking a vacation or taking an off-season. I take a two-month offseason and I have for a long time." 

One of the most important parts about rest and not overstressing the body is that everyone is different. An overstressed body can lead to hormonal imbalances, which in turn affects everything. 

"When you're overtraining, you tend to get mood changes and have trouble sleeping," Abbotts said. "Two of the big things that stand out are you're exhausted but you can't sleep. And the other is irritability-mood swings, and depression." When you get to the point that you've overstressed your body for so long that the chemicals are changing, pretty much everything starts falling apart.

And even though everyone is different, you'd never know that from looking at social media. "I know social media makes it seem like ultrarunners are running 40 miles a day, doing a 100-mile race every other weekend," McRae said. "And that's insane. You've got to be in touch with yourself. It's very different to wake up and feel sore or tired, but if you wake up and feel like you have no joy in the thing you're doing, you need a real break from it."

How Can the Running Community Do Better?

Elite ultrarunner and running coach Sandi Nypaver wants runners to get more in touch with how they're feeling and less concerned about numbers or what anyone else is doing. 

"I have to have honest talks with people I'm coaching. I need them to feel like they can tell me how they feel, because sometimes they think they have to stick to the training plan for the week no matter what," she said. "But the plan is never set in stone. It's meant to be adjusted based on how you're feeling. Some weeks we might feel great and not need to change anything, while other weeks we might have to totally crash the plan and do something else." 

It's easy to judge ourselves against everyone else, especially when results and reactions are so public and available. 

"It's easy to say, 'if that person only took three days off after a big race, and now they're already back to training, that must be what you're supposed to do,'" she said. "But even at the highest level, training is different for everyone. Resting is different for everyone." 

"Something that's really, really hard for many runners to understand is that once you're not sore anymore, that you're still not recovered," Nypaver said. "A lot of research says that things are still going on in your body for up to four weeks after, for certain races, depending on the distance." 

Sometimes it's difficult to be aware of subtle signs when the soreness is gone. "Convincing people that they need to chill out for a while, even past the soreness, can be really difficult." But after a huge effort, and before the next, people rarely end up saying things like, "I really wish I hadn't rested so thoroughly." Part of it is actually having a recovery plan. Putting rest days on the calendar, focusing on foam rolling and mobility on days that you're not "doing." 

"And, actually just relaxing. Taking it easy. It's not just a running model, we live in a culture where we're always being asked to do more," Nypaver said. "I wish instead of always thinking about doing more, we'd focus on how we want to be more. A lot of us want to be more relaxed and less stressed and happier and enjoy our lives. We need to put our attention on that instead of trying to do so much. It's something I struggle with all the time."

We don't get validation for resting, relaxing, and being present because there's no tangible thing to show for it. There's no "be really calm often" challenge on Strava. But the bigger rewards are great. You just have to trade in immediate dopamine hits for a much more balanced, happier life. 

Simple, right?

"One thing I'm doing, and asking my athletes to do, is to write down your intentions," Nypaver said. "One of my intentions is to chill out more this summer and enjoy it. I grew up thinking it's all about running, and I have to go all-in on running. But having other outlets, other things that I like to do, is so important."  

When you've reached burnout-an extended period of non-functional overreaching, prolonged rest is the only way to let the body fix itself. 

"Once you are overtrained, you need to stop training," Abbotts said. "It's just kind of the bottom line. Maybe some people can get away with greatly reducing their training load, but most of the time you need to stop. You need an extended amount of time off." 

There's nothing glamorous about rest. There's no prize money in relaxing. But it's the absolute key ingredient in extended performance, and in a much healthier, happier life. 

Five tips from top Canadian ultrarunner Jazmine Lowther

Canadian ultrarunning star Jazmine Lowther has worked through some epic highs and challenging lows since she turned pro in 2022. Lowther took the top spot at the 2022 Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB, followed by a fourth-place finish in the 2022 CCC race at Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB).

While she managed to speed to second at Transgrancanaria 128K in Spain in 2023, she has also struggled with injuries and biomechanics issues. Lowther recently shared five things she wishes she had embraced when she first dove into ultrarunning; newbies and seasoned athletes alike can learn from her wisdom and suggestions.

1.- Befriend your heart rate

Lowther says she mostly runs by RPE (rate of perceived exertion), but adopting an approach that leans more toward heart-rate-based training has allowed her to “understand my own physiology much deeper, recover properly, and respect pacing.”

Becoming familiar with your heart rate zones can be a valuable skill, and paying attention to your performance metrics, such as pace and endurance, in relation to your zones will help you become a more responsive, tuned-in, healthy athlete. You’ll also be better able to notice if your body needs more rest and recovery time.

2.- Start a training log

While many runners count on apps like Strava to capture their running data, spending time logging more in-depth information about your training is worthwhile, as it provides unique insights over time. “Strava  is great (it has most of my training),” says Lowther, “but it doesn’t include how I felt, what workouts I completed, what I ate before/after, caffeinated, fatigue, etc.”

3.- Wear sunscreen

This one is as simple as it sounds. “Protect thy skin,” says Lowther. “Ultrarunning takes you out there for mega-long hours! Slather up!” While most of us know that prolonged sun exposure during outdoor running can increase the risk of skin damage, including sunburn, premature aging and an elevated risk of skin cancer, it can be easy to forget to reapply after hours on the trails. Wearing sunscreen helps to create a protective barrier, reducing the absorption of UV rays and minimizing the potential harm to the skin, and, as Lowther notes, is an essential precautionary measure (in all kinds of weather) for maintaining skin health.

4.- Find your baseline

Lowther suggests integrating benchmark training runs into your routine to establish an initial baseline. The process involves finishing a predetermined course or distance to use as a reference tool and provides a basis for assessing your performance and comparing it to others in terms of time, pace, or other relevant metrics. “I suppose I’ve done this in an unstructured way (Strava segments anyone?) but seriously, repeating workouts in the same location/distance is great for checking in on things,” she says.

5.- Have patience in the process

Focus on consistency and long-term goals and gains. Consider each run and workout as an investment in your fitness and training bank, even if it didn’t go exactly as planned. “One day at a time, year over year,” says Lowther. “Consistency, is that you?”

7 Legit Benefits of Running At Night—And How To Do It Safely

It was around mile two of the Joshua Tree Half Marathon that I started to hear animals I couldn’t see. Was that a horse? I wondered (and hoped). The daylight was officially gone.

But I realized that as spooky as night running might be, it also creates an eerie kind of magic. Lights twinkled in the valley below the hilly path I was climbing, but all around me it was pitch black, aside from the few feet of sandy trail that each runner’s headlamp illuminated. With nothing else to see, all I had to focus on were my own footsteps and my breath—and how I could race through the desert as quickly as possible.

Amie Dworecki, B.S., M.A., MBA, Amie Dworecki, B.S., M.A., MBA, is a running coach and founder of Running With Life. 

Brad Whitley, DPT, physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments in Seattle 

Marnie Kunz, CPT2, USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach 

Most long-distance races take place in the morning, but this half marathon starts right around sunset. Because the scenery of the course is a tad monotonous, the race organizers embrace the adrenaline rush you can get from running under the stars.

I joined as part of a press trip sponsored by Nathan Sports, Skechers, and Swiftwick. The experience reminded me that even when the days are short during the winter and pushing your pace after the sun goes down becomes the norm, night running can be its own unique adventure.

The more I looked into running at night, the more advantages I found—even if you need to take a few extra safety precautions when you’re lacing up.

The perks of running at night

What are the main benefits of night running? Here are a few of the top reasons to get in a nocturnal workout.

1. The temperature is cooler

Earlier in the day before the Joshua Tree race, I’d been cowering from the heat anytime the sun touched my skin. But once it was dark out, the desert air got so cool that my sweat-wicking T-shirt barely had any work to do.

As it turns out, temperatures around 40° Fahrenheit are ideal for long-distance running, largely because our hearts don’t have to work quite as hard to pump our blood to cool us down, according to a May 2012 study in PLOS One.

Even if the mercury doesn’t get quite that low after dark in a hot or humid climate, night running after sunset (or, alternatively, heading out before sunrise) is clearly the way to go to nab those cooler running temperatures.

2. Your body’s more ready to run

Running shortly after rolling out of bed can sometimes feel like wading through molasses. It’s no surprise why: You’ve just been lying stationary for hours, so your body temperature and mobility aren’t exactly ideal.

3. It might feel easier

The dark can be a secret weapon for runners. One August 2012 study in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology on optic flow (our perception of our movement in relation to our surroundings) suggested that because we can’t see as far in the dark, we feel like we’re going faster because close objects seem to pass by more quickly than those in the distance.

Even though your watch might not record any speedier miles, running in the dark can be a helpful confidence boost when you get the sense that you’re zooming along.

4. Night running can help you sleep

How can running at night affect your sleep quality? Despite rumors to the contrary, there’s some evidence to suggest evening runs might actually help you get deeper zzzs.

An October 2018 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine found that as long as you finish running more than an hour before your bedtime, it most likely won’t mess with your sleep quality. Instead, it could actually help you spend slightly longer in those restorative deep sleep stages.

Anecdotally, some people say they also seem to fall asleep faster.

That’s something to experiment with, according to certified running coach Amie Dworecki, CPT. Everybody’s different, so you might need to find out what works best for your own circadian rhythm.

5. You’re likely better fueled

Eating can be tricky for morning runners—you’ll run better with some food in your stomach, but if you don’t give yourself enough time to digest, you might run into GI issues.

At night, though, you should be fairly well-fueled from noshing all day, Dworecki says. Just be sure to have a snack to top off your carbohydrate stores before heading out the door, says certified running coach Marnie Kunz, CPT.

6. It’s more peaceful

Depending on where you run, during the day you might feel like you’re playing Frogger with traffic and pedestrians, dogs, and baby strollers. At night, most of those hurdles typically fade away.

“It's really almost a meditative experience because of the quiet and solitude,” Dworecki says. “It can really add relaxation to your running.”

7. You have more options

Because you’re less likely to have a certain time you need to be back by at night than you would in the morning, it’s easier to choose your own adventure based on how you’re feeling. You can add a couple extra miles if you feel like it, or end early and walk home instead.

Running at night vs. morning: How to choose

Many runners swear by their morning miles. But obviously, the a.m. hours aren’t the only time to run. How do you know whether night or morning runs will serve you best?

For some people, it’s purely logistical: The best time to get in a run is whenever you can run. But if you have a choice, it might help to pay attention to the natural ups and downs in your energy levels.

“If you're a night person, you can actually feel better or more energetic if you're running in the evenings,” Dworecki says. Or, she adds, you might be able to use running to give yourself an energy boost at a time when it would typically dip.

If you’re someone who needs camaraderie to lace up, one of the benefits of night running is you’re more likely to find a group run to join after the work day, or convince a friend to join you for a few social miles.

Even if you’re alone, night running can also give you more of a thrill than the chore-like approach you might take to morning runs.

“It's kind of an adrenaline rush running at night sometimes,” Kunz says.

On the other hand, running in the morning can be safer because there’s typically more people on the street, and more daylight means you’re more visible to cars.

Running first thing in the morning can also make you more consistent—even if you get stuck working late hours or friends convince you to head out for a happy hour, your workout will already be done.

Safety precautions for night running

1. Make sure you have enough light

Unless you know you’ll be running in a well-lit area, you’ll need to bring or wear your own running lights, Dworeck says.

I ran the Joshua Tree Half Marathon with the lightweight Nathan Sports Neutron Fire RX 2.0 Runner’s Headlamp, which securely attached to my forehead, and gave me 250 lumens of light in any direction I turned. Although it took me a little while to find the right spot on my forehead so it didn’t slip or bounce, once I did, I forgot it was even there.

If the thought of wearing a light on your head doesn’t sound appealing, you can also opt for a chest lamp or carry your own small flashlight. There are even have lights you can put on your shoes or your gloves, Dworecki says.

2. Stay visible to cars

Before the race, I was sent Nathan’s Laser Light 3 Liter Hydration Pack, which has a genius double-duty design that gives you a place to stash water as well as lights on the back in case you’re running anywhere there might be cars.

If you don’t have actual lights on your body, at least be sure to wear bright reflective gear so drivers can easily see you. Light-up reflective vests aren’t your only option—these days, many pieces of running gear stylishly incorporate reflective details, and there are even several reflective running shoes.

3. Consider leaving your headphones at home

Night running probably isn’t the right time to zone out to a podcast. Because you won’t be able to see as well, it helps to keep your other senses sharp.

“Watch your use of headphones just to be aware of what's around you,” Dworecki says.

4. Let someone know where you are

Although running when the streets are quiet can feel less stressful than during busier, noisier parts of the day, empty roads or trails can also be dangerous.

“Let someone know where you're going or share your run so they can track you,” Kunz says.

Apps like Strava let you proactively send your location to select contacts in real time. Alternatively, you can choose to stick to sidewalks or a track where you know other people will be out and about.

How to motivate yourself to run at night

After a long day, forcing yourself to get off of your warm couch and out into the dark doesn’t always sound super appealing. Kunz suggests making a promise to yourself to simply run 10 minutes—it’s just a little exercise snack that doesn’t feel like too much pressure.

“You know you can turn back, but once you're out the door, usually you'll feel okay and just keep running,” she says.

Dworecki adds that for some people, it’s easier to run right from their workplace. When I was training for an ultramarathon, for instance, I used to run home four miles from my office every night so that I didn’t waste half an hour commuting on the subway—my commute was my run (and it only took slightly longer). Then, once I stepped in the door, I could just relax without having to convince myself to leave again.

It can also be helpful to make night running more social by joining a group run or turning it into a date with a friend to catch up after work.

“[It] makes your run more fun and it gives you some accountability,” Kunz says. Even running with a dog can help a night run feel less lonely.

FAQ

1. Do I need a light to run at night?

If you’re going on trails or areas without ample street lamps, you’ll want to bring your own light source with you to make sure you can see where you’re going and what you’re about to step on. The most popular option among runners is a headlamp.

2. Can running at night help in managing stress?

Running is always a good stress release—the extra blood flow to our brain triggers a release of dopamine and endorphins, sometimes leading to the famous “runner’s high.” These benefits might be especially welcome at night.

“It's a great way to kind of blow off steam at the end of the day, and help unwind and relax before going to sleep,” Kunz says.

3. Is it bad to run at 10 p.m.?

Sometimes the only chance you have to fit in a workout is after many people go to bed. Dworecki says that sometimes when she’s struggling with insomnia, she might head out for a run around 1 a.m.

Just know that working up a sweat with intense exercise, like running vs. walking, for instance, will raise your heart rate pretty high, so be sure to give yourself enough time (at least an hour) to wind down after you're finished so it doesn’t mess with your sleep.

No matter when you get back home, do a cooldown, take a hot shower, eat some food, and settle in for the night knowing you’ve gotten all those longevity benefits and health perks.

Bored, Injured, or Experiencing a Plateau? Here’s How to Shake Up Your Running

Plus, coach-approved ways to shake up your training. We’re all for having a set run schedule, considering the ease it can bring to your life. You don’t have to formulate workouts on the fly or do any guesswork over how to reach your goals—simply lace up and follow the plan.

But sometimes, too much structure can backfire, causing you to fall into a rut. And that can zap the joy out of running, transforming the activity you once loved into nothing but negativity.

Fortunately, there are simple things you can do to bust out of a rut and get back into a happy running groove. First though, you have to identify that you’re in one. 

With that in mind, we tapped two coaches to learn the signs of when you might want to switch up your run routine, and what those signs might indicate. Plus, exactly how to inject excitement back into your runs. Let this be the permission you need to try something new. 

1. You Dread Working Out

It’s normal to feel less-than-chipper about an occasional workout, but if you find yourself outright dreading your runs more often than not, “it’s time to reassess,” Kaila DeRienzo, a South Carolina-based certified personal trainer and certified run coach tells Runner’s World. 

The potential cause: A few things could lead to dreading workouts. One possible culprit: Your workouts are too challenging because you’ve set a goal that’s unrealistic for your current fitness level, Kai Ng, USATF- and RRCA-certified run coach in New Jersey and New York, tells Runner’s World. Runs and workouts that are too hard cause you to overtrain and ultimately loathe your workouts because all you’re really doing is just beating up your body. 

Another potential cause: Other stressful factors in your life, such as a tough work schedule, or demanding caregiver responsibilities, or parenting duties, all of which can make it tough to devote as much time to running as your current training plan dictates, Ng says. 

The fix: First, have an honest conversation with yourself to understand why you’re feeling amiss, DeRienzo suggests. By identifying the root cause of your malaise, you can take targeted steps to address it, she explains. 

For example, if your dread is tied to a too-lofty goal, such as trying to run four days a week instead of aiming for a more manageable two days or aiming for a PR in a marathon instead of a half or 10K, then let yourself off the hook by lowering the bar. Though it’s great to dream big, it’s also important to be realistic. “Smaller wins are so, so important,” Ng says, as they help build confidence. 

If you pinpoint other factors in your life that are making it tough to stick with your current plan, be honest about what you’re actually able to commit to right now and adjust your routine accordingly, Ng suggests. Maybe this isn’t the season to log 50 miles a week, or finally run a marathon. That’s okay. Not every training cycle needs to end with a PR. 

Lastly, if you realize the sense of dread extends beyond running and into other areas of your life, you may be struggling with a mental health issue, such as depression. In this case, talk to a trained professional, DeRienzo says. 

2. You’re Really Bored

People get into running for various reasons, but one common thread that inspires folks to stick with it is that it engages and challenges them. If you find that your sense of joy about running has evaporated—for example, workouts or races that once felt exciting are now ho-hum—that’s worth looking into. 

The potential cause: You may not be challenged enough, Ng says. While all runners should regularly pencil in easy runs, only doing workouts that feel like a walk in the park can lead to boredom. 

Alternatively, you may not be injecting enough variety into your routine. Perhaps you run the same route every. single. day. Or you carbon copy your workouts week after week. That level of monotony can also lead to boredom. 

The fix: First, evaluate your fitness to get a solid sense of your current abilities in order to help figure out how to best challenge yourself. 

“Whether it is a fitness test, a time trial, a race, get out there and see where you’re at and how you stack up,” Ng says. From there, level up your plan as needed. You might want to talk to a coach for some helpful guidance. 

On the other hand, if you suspect your boredom is due to monotony, shake things up by exploring new running routes (Strava can be a great tool for this), joining a local run club (Ng suggests trying out a different one each week), or experimenting with different types of workouts. This could look like venturing out on trails if you’re typically a road runner or challenging yourself to run hills if you normally go flat. 

Dabbling in forms of exercise outside of running, such as swimming, cycling, dance, and Pilates—really whatever tickles your fancy—can also help add variety and excitement to your schedule. 

Finally, you can also reignite your spark with running by treating yourself to something novel, like a fresh pair of shoes, a snazzy new training outfit, or a fancy fitness tracker. “Getting something new always shakes things up,” says Ng. 

3. You’re Dealing with Injuries

According to 2021 study published in the Journal of Health and Sport Science, 50 percent of runners experience some type of injury every year that prevents them from running for a period of time, and 25 percent of runners are injured at any given time. These injuries can range from shin splints to ankle and knee problems. 

In other words: Almost every runner deals with injury at some point, but if ailments continuously crop up, that’s a surefire red flag your plan needs adjusting. 

The potential cause: Chances are, you’re overtraining by either running too many miles, logging too many high-intensity runs, or not allowing your body enough recovery time in between sessions, Ng says. 

The fix: It’s common sense, but it bears repeating: Don’t train through injury. Instead, scale back your running to allow your body time to heal. Seek help as needed from a physical therapist or coach to fully mend the issue and get their guidance on how to avoid future injuries. 

Keep in mind that factors like poor sleep and inadequate nutrition can increase your odds of injury, so take an honest look at your overall lifestyle and make adjustments as needed. 

4. Your Progress Has Stalled

If, despite consistent efforts, your performance in workouts and races has stagnated, then it’s high time to re-evaluate your current plan. 

The potential cause: You may be overtraining or struggling with a nutrition issue, says Ng, both of which can sabotage performance because your body isn’t getting the recovery it needs. Or, quite possibly, you don’t have enough variety in your routine, DeRienzo says. 

Over time, your body adapts to the work you demand, and if you don’t routinely challenge your body in novel ways, eventually you’ll stop seeing progress. 

As the American Council on Exercise explains: “Doing the same exercise repeatedly could lead to a plateau where no more physiological changes occur.” 

The fix: If you suspect you’re plateauing due to overtraining or nutrition problems, dial back your mileage and/or workout intensity and focus on eating frequent, well-balanced meals.

Also, inject other types of exercise into your schedule. “Move in different ways,” says Ng, explaining that most any type of cross-training movement—from strength training to skiing to swimming to yoga—is beneficial for runners. Because running is such a linear sport (you move in just one direction: forward), taking the time to build your strength and athleticism in other ways can ultimately make you a stronger, more resilient runner. 

Now, if you realize your stagnation is due to an unchanging run routine, spice things up however you can: Add speed work, hit the hills, challenge yourself to run longer, or try new interval workouts. “Having something new and exciting to look forward to each day of the week is going to keep it mentally stimulating and also keep your body stimulated, too,” DeRienzo explains. 

5. You Don’t Feel Confident in Your Workouts

If you don’t have a training plan, have low confidence in your program, or are unsure if the schedule you’re following is inching your toward your goals, it’s time to rethink your approach. 

The potential cause: Choosing the right training plan for you and your goals can help you feel accomplished by checking off workouts one by one. Plus, it will give more structure to your training so you get the right mix of intensities within your workouts and the right amount of rest—rather than simply winging it. If you have a plan, but it’s too generalized and not personalized to you, says DeRienzo, it may also leave you feeling less than confident in your training. “What somebody else does is not going to be the most beneficial” for your situation, she explains. 

The fix: Find the right training plan for you by determining your fitness level and your goals. (You can also use our quiz to point you in the right direction.)

If you're serious about becoming a better runner, you might also consider hiring a coach—even for just a few months—to get personalized guidance and a curated-for-you plan.

“There’s a myth that run coaching is super expensive,” says Derienzo. Truth is, “it’s a lot more affordable than personal training,” she says, noting that in her experiences, it’s realistic to find support for less than $100 per month. Search platforms like CoachUp, Training Peaks, and RunDoyen to connect with a pro. 

6. You’re Missing Workouts

While skipping a run here and there is NBD, if you’re consistently bailing on workouts, then your run plan clearly isn’t working for you. 

The potential cause: Life is probably too busy right now to sustain the level of running your plan requires, says Ng. Or, you may just need more rest. Either way, your current approach just isn’t appropriate for your schedule or fitness level. 

The fix: Take a close look at your schedule and map out which days make the most sense to do which workouts, says Ng. For example, instead of attempting long runs on Sundays like everyone, you might realize Wednesdays are more ideal since you don’t have any work meetings then. Or, perhaps Friday becomes your new strength training day instead of Tuesday, since the gym is less crowded then, making it easier to get in and out. 

Taking the time to rejigger your plan so that it actually makes sense with your schedule will increase your likelihood of sticking to it—and ultimately, seeing results. 

Of course, if you’re missing workouts because you really feel like you need it (or you’re injured), then it’s best to scrap your plan entirely and allow yourself the downtime you need to heal. 

Finally, if it’s your mental motivation that’s making you miss most of your planned runs, it’s probably time to take a break. “Get a breather and gather yourself,” says Ng. By putting distance between yourself and the sport, you can get a clearer picture of what you ultimately want to get out of running. 

Four things runners should stop worrying about

There’s a lot of weird pressure in the running world to do certain arbitrary things, like log massive amounts of weekly mileage, run fascinating routes and document (or not document) all of it, update your watch every few months—the list is endless.

If you’ve ever felt slightly “less than” as you discussed your passion for creating artsy routes on Strava with someone who has decided to delete the app and “feels freer than ever,” you know the feeling. Maybe you love poring over the splits in your last hard workout, maybe you don’t worry about pace at all—either way, you’re an awesome runner. Here are five running “rules” to stop worrying about this year.

1.- It’s OK to love data (or hate it!)

Whether you’re hooked on wearable tech, subscribed to multiple running apps and geek out over data or you’re rocking a decade-old GPS watch with no idea what KOM means—it doesn’t matter. Embrace your running style, and ignore anyone who tries to make you change teams.

If you’re on the tech-friendly team, you probably gain valuable insight from perusing Strava, and if you’re the back-to-basics type, you never have to stress if you forget to charge your watch or have your Local Legend title stolen. Data lover or tech minimalist, the choice is yours, and there’s plenty we can all learn from each other.

2.- Run wherever you want

When my kids were teenagers, I got in the habit of never running too far from home. They often needed something, and I wanted to be able to help them out without a lot of stress and logistics. Now that they’re out of the house, I still gravitate to those same, loopy routes near my house. Hey, I’m close to snacks, a washroom and extra mittens.

Recently though, a fellow runner questioned my running routes on Strava.”Why do you always stay so close to home? There are trails all over the entire city,” he said. I felt bad about my chosen routes for a few minutes, and then I realized: it’s OK to run wherever you want. Whether it’s loops around your block or an epic FKT adventure across town—your run, your rules. Forget the naysayers—be proud of your chosen paths, be they familiar loops or exploring every nook and cranny of the city. There’s no wrong way to enjoy the run.

3.- Run whenever you want

For years, I desperately wanted to be an early-morning runner. Whenever I managed to get out the door at the crack of dawn, I would gloat about it all day. If you’re like me: stop that. Morning, noon or night—pick your run time and own it. No more feeling superior for being an early bird or guilty for not fitting into the “ideal” time slot.

Whether it’s a lunchtime jog or a midnight run, celebrate moving your body whenever it feels right for you. Run on your clock, not anyone else’s.

4.- Walk like a runner, talk like a runner

New runners, listen up: walking is not the enemy! Forget the pressure to ditch walk breaks. Whether it’s long strolls, quick breathers, or a mix of both—you’re still a runner. Brendan Leonard, author of I Hate Running and You Can Too, nails it: “Allowing yourself to walk makes running less daunting, less restrictive, less all-or-nothing. There are no rules, and no one’s keeping track but you, so figure out what works and use it to log some miles.”

Strava's Year in Sport reports Gen Z's like running short and fast

Is the era of high-mileage runs a thing of the past? Strava, the globally acclaimed GPS and fitness tracking app, has just released its year-end trends report, and the findings are interesting. Running once again claimed the title of the most popular activity upload, but what caught everyone’s attention was the distinct running behaviour of different generations, especially the shorter runs by Gen Z’s. 

Gen Z, aged 11-26, emerged as the speed demons, boasting the fastest average pace (5:14/km) among the four generations surveyed. However, what turned heads was their knack for shorter runs, with an average distance of 5.3 kilometres (3.3 miles). In a surprising twist, baby boomers, aged 57-75, may not win the speed race, but they certainly win the endurance marathon, consistently logging the longest average run of 6.4 kilometres (4 miles).

According to Strava’s report, Gen Z not only sprints but does so with a purpose—athletic performance. These younguns are the least likely to exercise for health alone, preferring the thrill of competition or the camaraderie of friends, run clubs or group fitness activities. Time and work emerged as their primary constraints, a testament to their busy lifestyles and limited time for exercise.

The Year in Sport data was compiled from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023 and included insights from 6,990 respondents worldwide. Boomers, in contrast to Gen Z, leaned towards cycling, being twice as likely to upload rides than runs. Gen Z, on the other hand, flipped the script, almost doubling the likelihood of uploading runs compared to rides, reflecting the surge in race participation in 2023.

This trend among Gen Z isn’t an isolated finding. A 2022 U.S. census report revealed that nearly 60 per cent of Gen Z adults engage in running or jogging for fitness at least once a week, far surpassing the general population’s 26 per cent.

Strava’s report also sheds light on the evolving landscape of athletic footwear preferences. Hoka, On and Asics emerged as top choices on Strava in 2023, indicating a growing affinity for newer and innovative athletic brands among runners. 

While running dominated uploads on Strava for the second consecutive year, the rise of trail running and hiking is a noteworthy trend, experiencing a remarkable 20 per cent increase from 2022.

New Chipotle and Strava challenge offers a year's worth of free bowls

We’re only a few days into 2024, and the fast-food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill and Strava have already released the collaboration of the year. Runners, brace yourselves for a potential year-long supply of free Chipotle Lifestyle Bowls–all it takes is to become a Local Legend on a few Strava segments.

Chipotle spilled the beans in a recent study, confirming that nearly seven out of 10 consumers are avid runners who make Chipotle their go-to post-training treat. Joining forces with Strava, they’ve rolled out “Chipotle segments” –exclusive stretches of roads and trails where athletes can compete for glory, chasing the fastest times and efforts on the leaderboard. Here’s the twist–the athlete who holds the Local Legend title in six U.S. cities will receive free Chipotle Lifestyle Bowls for a year.

Local Legends are Strava’s nod to dedicated athletes. They crown the person running a particular segment the most times in a rolling 90-day window. It’s not about pace or speed; it’s about pure dedication.

“Runners chase popular Strava segment in Denver airport” — Canadian Running Magazine

This sizzling promotion lights up in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Denver and Columbus, Ohio. But fear not, Canadian runners! Let’s crank up the buzz on Chipotle socials and try to bring this epic challenge to cities across Canada. The race is on from Jan. 2 to 31, 2024.

If you don’t live in, or aren’t visiting, any of the six cities anytime soon, Chipotle has come up with another contest for everyone with the “No Quitters Challenge.” Launching on Strava on Jan. 15, this worldwide streak-based challenge rewards fans committed to healthy habits post-Quitters Day, Jan 12. Completing the challenge earns you a shot at a free side of guac, redeemable at any Chipotle Mexican Grill, if you can log at least 40 minutes of activity each week on Strava from Jan. 15 through Jan. 28.

Your Successful Race Season Starts Now

We looked at thousands of data points on Strava to determine what winter habits make for a successful summer season

In our monthly column in partnership with Strava, we take a deep dive into compelling data points that reveal the more human side of sport. 

While summer race goals might feel far off, athletes know winter is an important time to commit to consistency. With new year’s resolutions right around the corner (see our recent column on how to meet your yearly mileage goals), we looked at how the most consistent runners use their winter season to get stronger and faster.

Cross-Training Can Help Athletes Stay Consistent Through the Winter

Consistency is key for progressing training and minimizing injury risk. Staying consistent can help you avoid injury, and avoiding injury helps you stay consistent.

Muscle fiber growth and recruitment is improved with consistent stress and recovery cycles, and you don’t need huge efforts to reap the benefits. Short bouts of running (even just 10-20 minutes a day) can produce adaptations down to a cellular level. Consistency is also critical for aerobic and metabolic adaptations, helping your body more efficiently transport oxygen-rich red blood cells to your muscles via capillaries through increased capillarization, a process known as angiogenesis.

When it comes to winter training, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Twenty to thirty minutes on a treadmill or running in the snow is always better than zero (in the context of good health and recovery).

Suppose your goals are primarily to stay healthy and active through the winter. (While we didn’t assess how cross-training affects fitness or speed, it can be assumed that increased consistency and activity frequency usually correlate with improved speed, fitness, and health.)

In that case, cross-training can be an important part of your winter training regimen. Most runners on Strava don’t just run. Seventy-five percent of runners cross-train in the summer, too, using activities like outdoor cycling, walking and hiking to increase their activity frequency.

Runners who cross-trained in the summer had a 20 percent higher chance of staying active through the winter. Eighty-nine percent of athletes who cross-trained in the summer continued to be active throughout the winter, compared to 74 percent of athletes who didn’t cross-train through the summer and continued to be active in the winter.

Consistent athletes stay consistent through the winter. Twenty-four percent of athletes who run three times a week continue to hit that cadence in the winter, while 58 percent further reduce frequency. Fifty-two percent of athletes who run seven times a week in the summer continue to do so in the winter, with only 48 percent reducing run frequency. Still, half of all committed runners scale back to an extent in the winter, but more on that later when discussing offseasons.

While many runners may not be thrilled to take their runs indoors and onto the dreadmill, consistent athletes gravitate towards the treadmill when conditions are tough.

The share of indoor runs doubles from December to February on Strava, with 16 percent of all runs occurring indoors. The treadmill can be a great training tool for athletes, with elites like Elsey Davis logging significant ‘mill time before her Golden Ticket win at UTMB’s Val D’Aran.

According to Strava, winter cross-training also moves indoors, with activities like indoor cycling, strength training, and walking as the most popular cross-training options.

While there’s been much discussion about what constitutes an off-season and the benefits for athletes, Strava data shows that many highly committed and consistent runners take a down-season from higher volume.

Data suggests a modest off-season won’t set reasonably consistent runners back too much, but that athletes who are already running at a moderate to low volume (less than five times a week) should focus on maintaining a base of consistency through the winter rather than rushing to take time off of already low volume.

We’re not saying don’t take time off. Winter can be a great time to emphasize cross-training and strength training and enjoy a new mix of winter sports. But the higher your healthy volume is coming into the winter, the more flexibility athletes have to add additional winter activities into their training without sacrificing fitness. The athletes who have the most success (defined as returning to consistent running come summertime) put themselves in a position to jump back into spring training with a bit of a base.

Ideally, runners shouldn’t need more than a few weeks to get back to their main-season training volume. Swings in training volume increase the risk of injury, and weeks spent “getting back in shape” are less effective at progressing your training forward.

Runners who reduced running volume (defined in average weekly distance) in the winter by 1-10 percent averaged within ten percent of their summer average mileage in spring (March-May). Runners running three times a week in summer who reduced volume in winter by 1-10 percent were still able to put in spring training weeks just seven percent shy on average of their summer mileage.

Usually, this difference is a few miles a week, which is fairly easily re-established. On average, runners who ran five times a week remained within ten percent of their summer average mileage. Runners who reduced volume by 11 to 25 percent were still able to build back effectively in the spring, with three-time-a-week runners only 14 percent behind summer volume and five-time-a-week runners 19 percent behind their summer average.

Runners who reduced volume by 50 percent or more struggled to make up the volume come spring. Three-time-a-week and five-time-a-week runners couldn’t effectively bridge the gap in spring between their winter off-season and summer volume.

In winter, of runners who run three times weekly during the summer, only six percent stop being active altogether, suggesting that many fall back on indoor cross-training activities. Even among athletes from this group who paused running in the winter, 64 percent still logged at least one non-running activity per week. Of runners who average seven runs a week during the summer, there are still low inactivity rates (only eight percent halt activity completely), but only 23 percent of the group average at least one non-run activity a week.

In sum, folks who don’t cross-train don’t have much to fall back on in case of injury or crappy weather, and having a cross-training option that helps you stay active in those scenarios can help you stay more consistent and support your running in the long-term.

Staying on track for a goal is a tough line to walk. In 2022, 22.8 percent of Strava users who set yearly mileage goals finished within 80 to 90 percent of their goal. So close! Thirteen percent were within 10 percent of their goal. For folks within a stone’s throw of their yearly mileage but didn’t quite make it, here are some data-driven tips to make 2024 your most consistent year of running yet.

How to Train For Any Race Using Short Distances

When stepping up to a new distance, it can help by focusing on short intervals you're familiar with.

Up. Tap the pole. Down. Tap the Bridge. Up. Tap. Down.… Over the weekend, on one of many hill-repeat sessions, I came to the realization that the majority of my training for a 200-mile trail race through big mountain terrain has been on a single mile. It’s not even a trail, and, in fact, some of it is even paved. How can I possibly prepare for such a big goal on such seemingly wildly inappropriate training grounds?

There was a time when I could go out on any given weeknight and run for three or four hours. But: life. Now I find myself having to balance running with family obligations, keeping a new dog from chewing up all my shoelaces, and doing work on a new home. And it’s so easy these days, especially with Strava and social media, to fall into a trap of comparing my own training to people putting in loads of miles in the Alps or the Rockies. But the reality is no matter what goals we runners are training for, we have to work with what we’ve got. A few years ago, when COVID shut down my local trails, I found myself turning to a few of these short segments, and ping-ponging from end to end purely because there was nowhere else to go. While it was not the most scenic running I’ve ever done, I found myself getting stronger physically and mentally. It turns out I inadvertently adopted a training concept known as “chunking” in place of doing big majestic loops.

By necessity, I found out that I train better when I take a big, ambitious goal and break it down into things that seem reasonable: Each run or workout chips away at the goal, taking something that at the outset seems like a massive weight and bringing it down to something more manageable, more recognizable—like a carver tapping away with a chisel. No matter how small of a hill you might have to train on, or even if you’re confined to a track, or maybe not running at all due to injury—even the smallest chip you can manage whittles away at that giant block.

Two hundred miles is of course an extreme example, but when I first started running, as with so many runners, even a single mile sounded impossible. Even if you start with just one minute of running, you are breaking down whatever bigger goal you might have. For me, on race day, no matter what distance I’m doing, as the miles add up and the legs and lungs burn, I know I can focus, just as I did in training, on hearing that next tap. 

Pat Heine-Holmberg, Runner’s World’s Senior Video Producer, spends more time on trails in pursuit of going farther and higher than he does faster. PRs racked up during the 2023 Tor des Géants include earliest time to vomit (mile three), most ice cream eaten during a race (four bars), and worst night of sleep (an hour on the floor in an under-construction sports center).

The ‘Taco Bell 50K’ Requires Strong Legs—and a Stronger Stomach

Every fall, a group of Denver runners celebrates National Taco Day by running 31 miles using the fast food Mexican chain as aid stations

Imagine you’re 12 miles into a running race and you arrive at an aid station, where, instead of refueling with energy gels, you’re required to eat a 540-calorie Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme. 

Yes, that’s one of the mid-race snacks you’ll need to consume if you want to be an official finisher of a bizarre and spirited, 31-mile run through the greater Denver area.

Welcome, if you dare, to the annual Taco Bell 50K Ultramarathon. 

What started as an offhand suggestion on a Saturday morning training run has now become a stupid and fun gastro-intensive ultra-distance event with 10 “aid station” stops at various Taco Bell restaurants. But, as silly as it seems, it’s all about sharing the community of running, says founder Dan Zolnikov. 

Held every October for the past six years, and loosely coinciding with National Taco Day (yes, that’s a thing), it’s an unconventional and entirely unsanctioned fun run that has several ridiculous rules—a.k.a. the semi-optional Taco Bell 50K Commandments that are printed on the back of the event’s race bibs—including the need to eat something from the Taco Bell menu at every stop. 

While that could mean consuming something small at most of the restaurant visits—like, say, an order of Nacho Fries or Cinnamon Twists—the fourth and eighth aid stations demand a higher level of gastrointestinal fortitude. At those stops, participants must opt for one of the larger and more calorie-intensive “Supreme” menu items, such as a Crunchwrap Supreme, Burrito Supreme, or Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme.

“I always tell people it’s fun until the fourth stop,” says Zolnikov, a Denver lawyer and avid ultrarunner who started the event in 2018. “Most of those that are new to it are like, ‘Wait, I’ve gotta eat a Chalupa Supreme or a Crunchwrap Supreme and then keep running for almost 20 more miles?’ And we laugh and say, ‘Yep! That’s what we do.’ Honestly, that’s when a lot of people are like, ‘I think I’m just going to go home.’”

Running the Taco Bell 50K is what many ultrarunners call out-of-the-ordinary Type 2 fun—something that conceptually sounds fun before and afterwards, but in actuality is not quite that fun while it’s happening. But word has gotten out and it’s been compelling enough to have grown to a record 40 participants this year. There’s no entry fee, but each runner is expected to pay for their own food. 

While the Taco Bell chain of 7,000 Mexican-themed fast food restaurants isn’t a sponsor of the event—and the event organizers explicitly remind participants of that—a Denver-based Taco Bell franchise group agreed to open one of its locations early this year to accommodate the 7 A.M. start and welcome runners with free breakfast burritos, thanks, in part, to the persistent prodding of Jason Romero, one of the event’s original instigators.

Not just a zany group run, the Taco Bell 50K is rooted in ultrarunning lore and takes cues from some of the country’s most famous races. Not only does the course alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise every other year—a la Colorado’s Hardrock 100—it also requires runners to keep their Taco Bell food wrappers as an ode to how runners need to tear a page out of hidden books on the Barkleys Marathon course.

While Leadville 100 luminary Ken Chlouber has famously motivated runners for 40 years by saying “You’re better than you think you are, you can do more than you think you can,” Romero says the motto of the Taco Bell 50K is that “you’re hungrier than you think you are, and you can eat more than you think you can.” 

How does a convoluted event like the Taco Bell 50K get started in the first place? At a farmer’s market, of course. 

During long Saturday morning training runs in the spring of 2016, Zolnikov and running buddy Mike Oliva developed a habit of refueling by eating fresh, Colorado-grown or locally crafted food at Denver farmer’s markets. On one run, Oliva randomly stopped to use a bathroom at a Taco Bell and suggested to Zolnikov they should consider changing their route the next weekend and make Taco Bells their impromptu aid stations. 

“As soon as he said it, we laughed but then there was this awkward, five-minute silence between the two of us,” Zolnikov recalls. “We were just kind of jogging along and not really saying anything, but he said it so it was out there. I think we realized it was a stupid idea, but, as ultrarunners, we kind of wanted to do it. So I asked him, ‘Do you want to do that next week?’ And he was like, ‘No dude, just forget I said anything. Let’s just forget it.’” 

Although the idea never conjured up mouth-watering excitement, the odd craving to do it never went away. The banter about the idea continued on their Denver running Facebook group, as well as at weekly training runs of the Denver chapter of Achilles International, a running club in which runners with disabilities are guided on weekly training runs and weekend races. 

Oliva started that group in 2013, and it has met for weekly runs at Denver’s Washington Park every Monday night for the past 10 years, developing an easy-going camaraderie between guides and runners. 

“This talk about running to Taco Bells went on for about two years, and finally I got sick of hearing the trash talk, and just said, ‘That’s it, we’re doing it,” says Romero, 53, a regular Achilles runner who is legally blind. “And as soon as I said it, it kind of got silent. But I’m not about talking, I’m about doing. So I said, ‘You put together a course and we’re going to do this.” 

Within a few days Zolnikov had plotted out a course using Google Maps and Strava, connecting nine Taco Bells in the Denver metropolitan area in a 31.52-mile loop. (To make it an even 10 aid stations, the event starts and finishes at the same Taco Bell on the southwest side of the city.) And then, a few weeks later, in October 2018, seven courageous runners gave it a go and five finished in about seven and a half hours. (The other two tapped out, waving the white napkin of surrender midway through the route.)

Although it was mostly a celebratory season-ending fun run among a core group of friends for the first few years, it has garnered more interest as word of mouth spread. A few of the Achilles runners have joined in the fun every year.

“It’s not a glamorous route,” says Ben Garrett, who took over as race director after running the Taco Bell 50K for the first time in 2022. “It’s kind of what you’d call an urban ultra through the ‘scenic’ parts of Denver.”

Garrett, a 25-year-old structural engineer, was training for his first marathon when he was cajoled into joining the Taco Bell 50K—despite never having run more than 16 miles. He joined willingly and finished, giving him a boost of confidence heading into the Disney World Marathon three months later.

“It was great to know I could run that far before my marathon, especially knowing I had a stomach of steel after that,” Garrett says with a laugh. “But it also inspired me to run more. After my first marathon, I did another marathon and then a couple of 50Ks. Now I’m hooked for life.”

There are no winners, and there are no prizes. Instead over the years, runners have piled on extra gastrointestinal challenges for extra satiation. 

There’s the Baja Blast Challenge, which entails only imbibing two liters of Mountain Dew Baja Blast during the run, and then there’s the Diablo Challenge, which consists of oozing a packet of Taco Bell’s next-level hot and spicy Diablo Sauce on every single food item throughout the run. (By the way, two of the more precarious event rules state that no Pepto Bismal, Alka Seltzer, Pepcid AC or Mylanta will be allowed on the course, and the bathroom stops are only allowed at the Taco Bell restaurants.)

As if consuming 1,500 calories during the run wasn’t enough, some runners have added their own challenges—such as devouring a Voodoo Doughnut during the middle of it—and many runners engage in the Diablo Shooter Challenge, which is simply sucking down a packet of the restaurant’s fiery hot sauce to conclude the run. But to be fair, one of the forgiving commandments is the notion that every runner can take a mulligan and skip eating at one of the stops.

“It’s just meant to be a fun run,” says Denver runner Bill Garner, who has participated in five of the six Taco Bell 50Ks. “It’s the one ultra where you’re just really out there for the camaraderie. I don’t really feel like anybody’s racing, although I’m sure somebody’s going to show up one year and try to run it all-out. But for most of us, it’s a big camaraderie run.” 

It is mostly about the community spirit that pervades running, but for Garner, the Taco Bell 50K inspired him to run farther and pursue new running goals. Prior to participating in the first event in 2018, the 53-year-old cybersecurity technology specialist and strict vegetarian primarily ran marathons and half marathons on the roads. Since then, his focus has become ultra-distance races on trails, and believe it or not, he typically relies on cold Taco Bell bean-and-cheese burritos in his aid station resupplies.

“It’s the perfect ultra fuel,” says Garner, who consumed numerous Taco Bell delicacies enroute to finishing the Kansas Rails to Trails 100-miler in 2019. 

“I thought these ultrarunners were crazy, and I jumped into this because it was crazy, but then it changed my life,” he says. “I had never run an ultramarathon before I did the Taco Bell run, and I definitely learned that, if you just keep eating, you can keep going. That’s what ultras are all about.” 

A few years ago, Portland, Oregon, runner Bobi Jo Ousnamer befriended several Colorado runners in an online forum while training for the Pikes Peak Marathon. They told her about the Taco Bell 50K and asked her to come out and run it in 2019, but she couldn’t fit it into her schedule because she was training for her first 100-miler. 

However, she made it out for the 2020 edition, amid the Covid-19 pandemic. (That year, a small group of runners ran through Taco Bell drive-thrus to order their food because the inside dining areas weren’t open.) During the run, she admitted she had devised her own Taco Bell 50K course in Portland. That immediately sparked interest in doing Denver and Portland events on back-to-back days, which they finally pulled off in 2022 on the day of the Portland Marathon. 

That event included stops at seven Taco Bells and a marathon aid station a friend organized on her front lawn, where they devoured homemade breakfast tacos. Calling it the Double Deuce Challenge, it included 62 miles and 18 taco stops in two cities in less than 36 hours.

“I made the mistake of mentioning to Jason Romero that I had created a Portland course and he was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re doing a double!’” says Ousnamer, 34, who works as a juvenile public defender in Portland. “So for the fifth anniversary, he announced that we’d be doing this double. I think we all thought he was kind of joking, but as the months went on, he was like, ‘All right, I’ve got a plane ticket so we’re doing this.’ The Taco Bells are not as close together as the Denver ones and it’s hillier in Portland, so it was a bit of a bigger challenge. We were definitely feeling it on day two.”

Although the Taco Bell 50K has always meant to have been a low-key, end-of-the-season celebration for local runners, it’s continued to gain notoriety and to push the envelope of what’s possible. Runners in Texas and New Jersey have reached out about developing something similar, as have a couple of running clubs in Europe. Although the event details were typically only posted on Facebook when Zolnikov managed it, Garrett upped its visibility and inclusivity by developing an informational website with a link to the Strava map of the course.

Will the Taco Bell 50K continue to grow? 

“Honestly, I never wanted to see it start to begin with, but it’s kind of turned into this force of nature that’s bigger than me and bigger than Jason, and it’s become its own thing now,” Zolnikov says. “People can use it for whatever they want it to be, and if someone wants to get bragging rights for racing through it as fast as they can, go for it. My thing has always been about getting together and running, and, OK, ‘Let’s do this kind of dumb thing, and let’s have fun doing it.”

Strava introduces messaging feature

Move over Instagram DMs… Strava has officially dropped its long-awaited messaging feature. No need to run between apps to connect with your running crew or reach out to your running crush on Facebook or Instagram; now, you can do it all in one place.

Strava’s grand plan behind this upgrade was to create a seamless avenue for athletes to co-ordinate adventures, share inspiration, swap training tips and more—all within the unified platform.

As of Monday, the messaging feature will be available for all Strava users (on mobile only). Look for the speech bubble icon in the top right corner of the Strava home screen and group tabs. If you can’t find it, restart your Strava app and make sure you have version 335.0 downloaded. You can also send your ridiculous workouts or long runs to your friends by tapping the share icon on a Strava activity to share it in a chat. You’ll have the option to choose from existing chats or create a new one.

Don’t be alarmed, Strava still respects your boundaries; you can still manage and control who invades your running space with customizable messaging settings. Your options? “Following” lets any follower slide into your DMs; “Mutuals” keeps it exclusive to mutual followers (someone you follow who also follows you); and “No One” is for those who prefer a solo run or treadmill—total privacy, even in chat form.

For the time being, you cannot send images on Strava… yet. But you can send activities, reactions and GIFs. Strava plans to add other new messaging features in early 2024. Premium messaging features are apparently on the way, so all Strava subscribers can get ready for a VIP chat experience.

A guide for reflecting on your year in running

As the year comes to an end, it’s natural for runners to start thinking about setting goals for next year. We’re big believers in goal setting–but not without first pausing to reflect. Before diving head first into setting goals for the coming year, you should take stock of and celebrate your achievements from the past year. Not only will it help you set realistic goals for the upcoming year, but reflecting on the progress you’ve made will give you a boost of motivation as you gear up for your next training block. Follow these four steps to take stock of your year in running to set yourself up for success in the new year.

Review your running data

This one is for all of the data junkies out there. Take some time to gather your running data from the past year. This includes your race times, distance logs, Strava (if you use it), personal bests and any other relevant metrics. Reviewing this data will give you a clear picture of your progress throughout the year and help you appreciate all the things you achieved this year. 

Reflect on your achievements

Beyond the numbers, reflect on any personal achievements or triumphs from the past year. Did you conquer a new road distance, or a challenging trail race? Complete your first marathon or half-marathon? Reach a new level of mental or physical toughness? Rehab an injury? Travel to a new place and explore it via running? Or maybe you met someone who had a positive influence on your relationshp with running. Acknowledge these triumphs and be proud of every little accomplishment or positive thing you experienced, no matter how small. (And remember that running is about more than just race results.)

Learn from your setbacks 

Every runner faces setbacks and challenges; it’s how we bounce back that defines our growth. Reflect on any hurdles you encountered during the year—whether it was dealing with injuries, race disappointments or missed training opportunities. Use these experiences to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies for overcoming similar hurdles in the future.

Set realistic and meaningful goals for the future

After embracing your year of running, you’ll be better equipped to set goals for the upcoming year. However, ensure your goals are realistic, attainable, and aligned with your passion for running. Aim for a healthy balance between challenging yourself and avoiding burnout. Consider the lessons learned and areas of improvement identified earlier to guide your future goals. Remember, it’s about the journey as much as the destination.

Shorter Days Often Equals More Night Running—Here’s How to Do It Safely and Successfully

Dial in your nutrition, gear, and more with this expert-approved advice. With the sun setting earlier and the shortest day of the year quickly approaching, there’s not much time left after work to get in a run. To make matters more complicated, if you’re not a morning runner or have too many pressing responsibilities first thing in the day, you might be left with little to no light at the end of the day to squeeze in some miles.

In fact, many runners opt to take their workout inside on the treadmill this time of year, and that’s understandable. In a recent Runner’s World Instagram survey of 5,200 runners, 38 percent of runners avoid running outside if it’s dark because of safety concerns or the risk of injury.

However, with the right preparation and gear, you can still get in those miles after work. And with this advice from seasoned run experts who frequently run at night and in the dark, along with a dietitian, we have all the info you need on how to make night running enjoyable, safe, and effective.5 Tips to Make Night Running Successful

1. Start With the Right Gear

Perhaps most important to successfully running at night is having the gear for it. Much like you wouldn’t go out on the hottest day without sunglasses, sunscreen, and extra hydration, there’s important gear to make night running more comfortable and safe.

“The most important thing is to be seen—any kind of light or reflective gear is useful,” says USATF level II coach, Jamie Brusa who has been leading a weekly Tuesday evening run in Bozeman, Montana since 2017.

Brusa prefers running with a lighted belt around the waist, like the Ultraspire LED waist light, and recommends to wear a headlamp so you can see (and it helps others spot you too), Brusa tells Runner’s World.

Ewen North, director and head coach of Revolution Running who leads an evening run group in Boulder, Colorado echoes the importance of gear that makes you visible and suggests a lighted vest that illuminates around the chest and back. North also suggests looking for reflective gloves—the more points you can have visible, the better, he says.Keep in mind that you could be more prone to slippery conditions like black ice when running at night, because it’s colder this time of year and obviously more difficult to see in the dark. For that reason, it’s smart to opt for a trail shoe for added grip in snowy or icy conditions. If you’re dealing with potential ice though, North recommends hobnails, which are short nails attached into the soles of shoes that increase the traction of the shoe. North also recommends the brands La Sportiva and Icebug for trail shoes.

“I use ⅜-inch flat head sheet metal screws and just drill them into the bottom of the shoes,” says Rachel Topf, UESCA Certified ultrarunning coach at The Mountain Project in Bozeman, Montana, who has always studded her shoes herself to easily adapt them for different terrain.

2. Plan Out Your NutritionYour fueling may change a bit if you’re getting your miles in at night as opposed to first thing in the morning. To make sure you’re fueled for your night run, without getting an upset stomach, pay closer attention to what you’re eating during the day. 

“Eating enough at lunch time is essential for evening runners’ energy, blood sugar, and ability to complete training runs or workouts,” says Starla Garcia RDN, a registered dietitian and owner of The Healthy Shine in Houston. “The biggest concern I hear for evening runners is having enough energy for their training and avoiding stomach issues. I always recommend creating structure and choosing items that are easy to eat and take little time to heat.” 

While you want to make sure you have enough to eat at lunch, avoid foods that can cause or lead to stomach issues like cramping, urgent bowel movements, and gas, Garcia says. This includes big salads, lentils, legumes, hummus, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. Instead, opt for foods like arugula, carrots, tofu, lean animal proteins, or go for avocado as a dip instead of hummus. 

If you like fruit as a mid-afternoon snack, Garcia says to avoid apples (as they can be harder to digest and cause more gas and cramping) before your run, and instead opt for more easily digestible fruits like kiwis, berries, bananas, or an orange. 

When you’re running later in the day it’s important to feel satiated before you head out so you’re not running on empty, but you also don’t want to eat too close to your run time. With that in mind, if you’re running within the hour and need a quick snack, aim for an easy-to-digest option with about 15 to 30 grams of carbs like fruit snacks, a cup of juice, two graham cracker sheets, or a sports drink.

If you have a little more time—like over an hour to 90 minutes—pair the carb with protein, like peanut butter. If your run isn’t for another two hours, you can pair up to 45 grams of carbs with protein. That might look like oats with nut butter, cereal with milk and nuts mixed in, or half a turkey sandwich, Garcia says. 

Finally, you should also pay attention to your postrun nutrition. If you’re running in the evening and eating dinner late that doesn’t mean you should be eating less. “I do not necessarily recommend a smaller meal, but rather a meal that is easier to digest,” Garcia says.

Her dinner suggestions for after a night run: 

Veggie soup with beans mixed in and avocado toast

An omelet with veggies and cheese, plus fruit and yogurt

A protein smoothie and turkey sandwich

Tuna or chicken salad with crackers and fruit

Chicken or tofu spring rolls and a cup of soup

Two chicken quesadillas and fruit or canned refried beans on the side

3. Find a Safe Space to Run and Have a Plan

If you’re running in the dark by yourself, Brusa recommends finding a well-lit parking lot or track to run, if you don’t feel safe on the streets or sidewalks. She typically takes her group to a parking lot on a nearby college campus (running laps makes intervals easy!), and running with a group is always a good option when clocking miles at night, too.

Also, consider driving the route you plan to run at night during the day to get a feel for your surroundings, and determine if it feels safe for you.

If you don’t have any of these options, let someone know where you’re planning to run before you head out. Many running watches also have safety features that can offer some confidence on the run, including LiveTrack and Incident Detection on Garmin and Fall Detection on Apple Watch. Strava subscription users can also use the Beacon feature, which sends your location via text to trusted friends and family so they can keep tabs on your location (they don’t need a subscription to access your whereabouts).You can also consider carrying something to protect yourself, like the Birdie Safety Alarm or pepper spray.

4. Reframe Your Expectations

When you’re heading out for a run in the dark it’s important to remember you may not be quite as speedy as you are in the daytime. Keeping an eye on your footing, especially if you’re running on trails, can slow you down, Topf says. 

Brusa agrees, saying many runners notice, in general, that the first half of their run might feel slower as the body is warming up, compared to the second half, which is often even more pronounced in the winter. Regardless of temperature, though, running in the dark requires adjusting to your surroundings and you may not see quite as clearly, which can also affect pace, she adds.

If you’re not accustomed to running in the dark at night, and the cold too, remember to give yourself grace. North says just acknowledging that it’s going to be cold and dark and maybe not the best run ever takes the pressure off so you can just chase those miles. 

Brusa adds that you should focus on how you feel and not if you’re running a few seconds slower per mile than you normally do in daylight. Embracing effort-based training is the way to go in this case. 

5. Lean Into the Fun

Once you’ve made the decision to get out there at night, remember to have fun! Enjoy the colorful lights that are often on display this time of year, and take pleasure in seeing your neighborhood from a different perspective. 

“In the winter, we try to have more fun with running, rather than it being hard and fast and serious,” North says of his running group, which averages about four to six miles on an evening run. That can mean letting go of pace, distance, and just being more mindful of enjoying the moment, and certainly being proud of yourself for braving the dark. 

If you’re running with friends make a plan to grab a bite to eat after you run, and who knows, that might help you start a new routine that keeps you going out for more miles throughout winter.

“Especially in the winter, I think it can be really nice to have those dark evening runs and to see the snowy trails in a different way than during the daytime,” Topf says of the unexpected perks of night running. 

Harvard physics professor destroys transamerica speed record

Harvard physics professor Jenny Hoffman just crushed the cross transamerican speed record, running from San Francisco to New York in 47 days, 12 hours and 35 seconds, more than a week under the previous record (54d 16h 24m, set by Sandra Villines in 2017).

Cambridge, Mass. based Hoffman, 45, kicked off her nearly 3,000-mile (4,828 km) run in September, aiming to average just over 60 miles (100 km) per day. Hoffman had her sights set on the transamerican record and the women’s transcontinental Guinness World Record. Pending verification, she’s nailed those goals with time to spare.

The Trans American FKT (fastest known time) has a long and storied history. Before Villines broke the women’s record (by more than two weeks), it had not budged since 1978, with South African runner Mavis Hutchinson claiming a record 69d 2h 40m. Ultrarunner (and friend to Hoffman) Pete Kostelnick holds the men’s record of 42d 6h 30m, set in 2016.

“This morning I walked from New York City Hall to the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island,” Hoffman posted on Strava on Friday. “My daughter and I took off our shoes and waded in. Total mileage from sea to shining sea is 3,048 miles.”

Hoffman rowed on the varsity crew team as an undergraduate student at Harvard, and began to run marathons in her senior year. From there she progressed to triathlons and ultras. She won the national title in the USA Track and Field National Championship 24-hour run in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and was selected as the USATF athlete of the week in Sept. 2016. She also competed on the gold medal-winning team at the IAU 24-Hour world championships in Belfast in 2017.

The runner’s accomplishment is a redemption of sorts: she also made an attempt at securing the transamerica record in 2019, before ending her run prematurely in Cleveland, Ohio, after she injured her knee. In that attempt, Hoffman ran 2,560 miles in 42 days, averaging 61 miles per day (six days under world record pace). “Through surgery and rehab and pandemic and work and family life, I have dreamed every single day for 4 years about redoing and completing this run,” Hoffman wrote on her blog.

Hoffman shared parts of her journey on her blog, titled Run, Jenny, Run–a nod to the fictional Forrest Gump and its main character, who also made a cross-country run. Her run was also documented on the FKT website, and she shared a daily journal on Strava.

“It’s a beautiful country filled with beautiful people,” Hoffman said post-run.”God Bless America.”

Cam Levins’s bonkers workout ahead of New York City Marathon

We are less than three weeks away from Cam Levins, Canada’s marathon record holder, toeing the start line at the 2023 TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 5. If you have not been following his Strava workouts or recent races, you might be surprised to find out that he might be in the best shape of his life.

The 34-year-old athlete is in the final few weeks of peak training before tapering for the NYC Marathon. On Oct. 12, he threw down an impressive one-kilometer workout, maintaining an average pace of two minutes and 45 seconds per kilometer for 12 reps, with only one minute’s rest between reps.

The workout 

12 sets of 1K, with one minute of jog rest @ 2:40-2:50/km

This workout is specifically designed for those training for a half-marathon or marathon, with short rest periods to acclimatize them to a faster pace. Levins pushed his limits during this session, clocking his fastest rep at 2:40 per kilometer and his slowest at 2:51 per kilometer, resulting in an astonishing 2:45 per kilometer average pace. This pace equates to an incredible 58 minutes for a half-marathon. (His Canadian record is 60:18.)

In his last two marathon outings, Levins achieved something historic for Canada, breaking the national record on both occasions. He also secured a top-five finish at both the 2022 World Championships and the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.

Levins chose to race the New York Marathon in his build-up to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The marathon course in Paris has a challenging elevation gain of more than 400 meters across 42.2 kilometers.

Of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, New York and Boston are considered the most challenging. New York’s difficulty is attributed primarily to the four bridges participants must cross as they wind through the city’s five boroughs, with the Verrazzano-Narrows and Queensboro Bridges both extending to a distance of more than one kilometer each. 

With the recent announcement that the 2022 NYC champion, Evans Chebet, and the two-time NYC champion, Geoffrey Kamworor, have both withdrawn due to injury, the 2023 race will see a new champion crowned in Central Park on Nov. 5. Could it be Levins? His fitness seems to indicate that he could–and if he does, he will be the first Canadian ever to win the New York City Marathon.

Looking to Qualify for the Boston Marathon? Here’s What Strava Data Says About That Elusive BQ.

We looked at a ton of data from last year’s fall marathons to see what Boston Qualifier (BQ) runners did differently in training and racing

In our monthly column in partnership with Strava, we take a deep dive into compelling data points that reveal the more human side of sport. 

In 2023, a record-breaking 33,058 athletes applied for the 128th Boston Marathon. Of those, just 22,019 were accepted (pending final verification). Qualifying times are established for different age and gender categories. Still, with so many applicants, the unofficial cutoff times for acceptance were five minutes and 29 seconds faster than the official qualifying time many athletes push for.

Looking at data from several 2022 marathons, interesting trends emerge. We analyzed Strava data from the Berlin, Chicago, Marine Corps, New York City, CIM, and Valencia marathons. Here’s what the data tells us about qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

Before we get too deep into the data, it’s worth discussing the fact that the above courses have different course dynamics and demographics, which influence median finishing times. Berlin, CIM, and Valencia are all fast courses that attract folks gunning for a BQ. (Hola Valencia! Peep that four feet of total gain, with a net descent of 106 feet.) CIM has a particularly high percentage of BQs since it combines a fast course with a smaller field—many run CIM specifically to qualify for Boston.

Last year was a record-breaking heat year at the NYC Marathon, which resulted in an anomalously low negative-split rate. More than 2,000 runners didn’t cross the finish line in 2022, with temperatures soaring to 75 degrees with  75 percent humidity, which radically affected finishing times. We’ll still look at data from NYC, but 2022 was exceptional. Only 30 percent of runners at NYC who were aiming for a sub-three finish met that goal, and only half of runners looking to go sub-four did so.

Across all the marathons we analyzed, athletes had similar training. Most started at a base of around 20 miles a week and a 10-mile long run. On average, they worked up to a 30-mile week and a 20-mile long run. While there’s a slight variation in average miles per week (mpw), the training time in the peak week is similar (and each race has a different mix of target paces for participants).

CIM had the highest average mileage baseline and peak week, suggesting that it attracts more experienced runners with a specific goal in mind. CIM runners started with a 30 mpw base and progressed to a 50-mile peak week and 21-mile long run. BQ runners at CIM started with a 43-mile peak week (the highest of any marathon analyzed). When we just look at athletes who hit the BQ standard to equalize the field, CIM runners have a higher baseline and peak week.

While many newer distance runners tend to focus on flashy long runs, the distance of the longest run was not strongly correlated with a BQ. Comparing BQ runners and all other athletes, the distance of the longest run was 20 to 22 miles across each marathon. But, the base mileage was higher for BQ runners, bearing in mind that base volume matters more than the distance of any long run. BQ runners at CIM averaged 65 miles during their peak week, while the rest of the field averaged 50 mpw. Similarly, Chicago BQers averaged 57 miles during peak week, compared to the rest of the field’s 41 mpw peak week.

Interestingly, there was not a strong correlation between success on hillier courses and runners averaging more elevation gain in their training. Across all races, BQ runners did have more elevation in their training. For example, CIM and Berlin BQers had 15 percent more elevation gain in their training than runners who didn’t BQ (even when you control for average mileage). CIM runners hit the most vertical gain, averaging 100 feet of elevation gain per mile over the training cycle.

There’s no teacher like experience, and marathons are no different. Runners who finished one of the above races between 2:30 and 2:59 on average have completed six previous marathons. Runners who finished between 4:00 and 4:30 had completed, on average, four previous marathons. Experience helps with pacing, fueling, and other elements of the marathon that are sometimes only learned through trial and error.

Keep easy days easy. There’s a strong positive correlation between keeping training runs intentionally slower than race pace and runners hitting their goal pace (defined as the pace runners averaged over the first eight miles of the marathon). Running slower than marathon effort helps build dense capillary beds, strengthen the heart, increase stroke volume (the amount of blood your heart can pump per beat), and increase the endurance capabilities of your muscle fibers by increasing the number of mitochondria in muscle cells. Running too fast causes the breakdown of bone and muscle tissue at a rate that can’t be outpaced in recovery; plus it makes the body less efficient at processing oxygen.

Runners that kept easy runs about 30 percent slower than goal pace had a 27 percent success rate, finishing at or close to their goal time. For runners who did easy runs only 10 percent slower than their goal pace (the approach of about a third of the runners analyzed), only 19 percent met their goal time, equating to a 31 percent reduction in success rate. Of runners who did “easy” days around marathon pace, only 14 percent hit their goal time.

Faster runners, who are more experienced, keep easy runs easier. Runners who finish in 2:30, on average, run their easy days 29 percent slower than goal pace. Compare this with runners who finish an hour later in 3:30, whereas the average runner ran their easy days just 11 percent slower than race pace, and only 20 percent hit their goal finish time.

Runners aiming for a 3:00 marathon (6:52 mile-pace) should shoot for easy days between 7:48 and 8:36. Runners looking to hit a 3:30 time (8:01 mile-pace) should strive for easy days between 9:02 and 9:56, and 4-hour marathoners (9:09 mile-pace) should shoot to keep easy days between 10:11- and 11:11-minute miles. As demonstrated by the data, to go fast, you have to learn to run slow.

Of all the courses, CIM and Valencia had the highest percentage qualifying for Boston, with 32 percent of the field BQing. Only six percent of NYC runners hit the Boston standard (heat!), and the Marine Corps Marathon, popular amongst beginner runners, had a similar qualifying rate. At Chicago and Berline, 18 percent of the runners qualified.

NYC and Marine Corps had the slowest median finish time, just over 4:30, averaged across all runners (NYC usually runs faster in cooler years). NYC is also the largest race, with over 47,000 competitors (compared to CIM’s 10,000). Valencia had the quickest average finish time (3:28), with a relatively small field of 30,000 runners.

Even more than gain and loss, the strongest predictor of BQ success was a negative split, running the second half of the race faster than the first. Take, for instance, Kelvin Kiptum’s recent world record win in Chicago, in which Kiptum ran a 59:47 negative split to run just 35 seconds over the two-hour barrier.

Just three percent of NYC runners (the heat! The humidity!) negative split in the rising temps, again pointing to an outlier year in NYC. Eleven percent of runners negative split both Chicago and Marine Corps, but experience won out in the Chicago crowd, with its 18 percent BQ rate, eclipsing Marine Corps’ six percent (a race that traditionally has more beginner runners).

Berlin and CIM both boosted a 16 percent negative split rate, though a higher percentage (32 percent) of CIM runners hit the BQ compared to Berlin’s 18 percent. Valencia had the highest percentage of negative splits. Still, a significant portion of that can be attributed to the extremely flat course, with just enough downhill to boost speed but not enough to bash the quads too badly.

So, if you’re searching for an elusive BQ, here’s what the data show: slow your runs down, choose your course wisely, shoot for a negative split, and remember that practice makes perfect. It may take a couple of marathons to get it absolutely right, but that experience will be invaluable.

Molly Seidel Stunned the World (and Herself) with Olympic Bronze in Tokyo. Then Life Went Sideways.

She stunned the world (and herself) with Olympic bronze in Tokyo. Then life went sideways. How America’s unexpected marathon phenom is getting her body—and brain—back on track. 

On a clear December night in 2019, Molly Seidel was at a rooftop holiday party in Boston, wearing a black velvet dress, doing what a lot of 25-year-olds do: passing a joint between friends, wondering what she was doing with her life.

“You should run the Olympic Trials,” her sister, Izzy, said, as smoke swirled in the chilly air atop The Trackhouse, a retail shop and community hub on Newbury Street operated by the running brand Tracksmith. “That would be hilarious if you did that as your first marathon.” 

Molly, an elite 10K racer who’d spent much of 2019 injured, looked out at the city lights, and laughed. Why the hell not? She’d just qualified for the trials, winning the San Antonio Half with a time of 1:10:27. (“The shock of the century,” as she’d put it.) True, 13.1 miles wasn’t 26.2—but running a marathon was something to do. If only because she never had before. 

A four-time NCAA track and cross-country champion at The University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Molly had moved to Boston in 2017, where she’d worked three jobs to supplement her fourth: running for Saucony’s Freedom Track Club. The $34,000 a year that Saucony paid her (pre-tax, sans medical) didn’t go far in one of America’s most expensive cities. Chasing kids around as a babysitter, driving around as an Instacart shopper, and standing around eight hours a day as a barista—when you’re running 20 miles a day—wasn’t ideal. But whatever, she had compression socks. And she was downing free coffee and paying rent, flying to Flagstaff, Arizona, every so often for altitude camps, and having a good time. Doing what she loved. The only thing she’s ever wanted to do since she was a freckly fifth-grader in small-town Wisconsin clocking a six-minute mile in gym class. 

“I was hustling, and I loved it. It was such a fun, cool time of my life,” she says, summarizing her 20s. Staring into Molly’s steely brown eyes, listening to her speak with such clarity and conviction about her struggles since, it’s easy to forget: She is still only 29. 

After Molly had hip surgery on her birthday in July 2018, her doctors gave her a 50/50 chance of running professionally again. By summer 2019, she’d parted ways with FTC, which left her sobbing on the banks of the Charles River, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and uncertainty. Her biggest achievement lately had been being named #2 Top Instacart Shopper (in Flagstaff; Boston was big-time).

The day after that rooftop party, Molly asked her friend and former FTC teammate Jon Green, who she’d newly anointed as her coach: “Think I should run the marathon trials?” Sure, he shrugged. Nothing to lose. Maybe it’d help her train for the 10K, her best shot—they both thought—at making a U.S. Olympic team. 

“I’m going to get my ass kicked six ways to Sunday!” she told the host of the podcast Running On Om six weeks before the trials in Atlanta.

Instead, on February 29, 2020, she kicked some herself. Pushing past 448 of the fastest, most-experienced women marathoners in the country, coming in second with a 2:27:31, earning more in prize money ($60,000) than she had in two years of racing—and a spot on the U.S. trio for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, along with Kenyan-born superstars Aliphine Tuliamuk and Sally Kipyego. “I don’t know what’s happening right now!” Molly kept saying into TV cameras, wrapped in an American flag, as stunned as a lottery winner. 

Saucony who? Puma came calling. Along with something Molly hadn’t anticipated: the spotlight. An onslaught of social media followers. And two weeks later, a global pandemic and lockdown—and all the anxiety and isolation that came with it. She was drowning, and she hadn’t even landed in Tokyo yet.

The 2020 Olympics, as we all know, were postponed to 2021. An emotional burden but a physical boon for Molly, in that it allowed her to get in a second marathon. In London, she finished two minutes faster than her debut. When the Olympics finally rolled around, she was ready. 

Before the race, Molly says, “I was thinking: ‘Once I cross the starting line, I get to call myself an Olympian and that’s a win for the day.’” 

But then she crossed the finish line—with a finger-kiss to the sky and a guttural Yesss!—in third place with a 2:27:46, just 26 seconds behind first (Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir). And realized: She gets to call herself an Olympic medalist forever. Only the third American woman to ever earn one in the marathon.

Lots of kids have fleeting hopes of making it to the Olympics. I remember thinking I could be Mary Lou Retton. Maybe FloJo, with shorter fingernails. Then I decided I’d rather be Madonna or president of the United States and promptly forgot about it. But Molly held tight to her Olympic aspirations. She still has a poster she made in 2004, with stickers and a snapshot of her smiley 10-year-old self, to prove it. “I wish I will make it into the Olympics and win a gold medal,” she wrote, and signed it: Molly Seidel, the “y” looping back to underline her name. In case there was any doubt as to who, specifically, would be winning the medal.

Molly grew up in Nashotah, Wisconsin, and is the eldest of three. Her sister and brother, younger by not quite two years, are twins. Izzy is a running influencer and corporate content creator for companies like Peloton; and Fritz favors Formula 1 racing and weightlifting and works for the family’s leather-tanning business. The family was active, sporty. Dad, Fritz Sr., was a ski racer in college; Mom, Anne, a cheerleader. You can tell. Watching clips of Molly’s mom and dad watching the Olympic race from their backyard patio, jumping up and down, tears streaming, is the kind of life-affirming moment you wish you could bottle. “I’m in shock. I’m in disbelief,” Molly says into the mic, beaming. “I just wanted to come out today and I don’t know…stick my nose where it didn’t belong and see what I could come away with. And I guess that’s a medal.” When the interviewer holds up her family on FaceTime, Molly breaks down. “We did it,” she says into the screen between sobs and smiles. “Please drink a beer for me.

Molly hasn’t always been unabashedly herself, even when everyone thought she was. A compartmentalizer to the core, she spent most of her life hiding a huge part of it: anorexia, bulimia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, debilitating depression. 

It started around age 11, when she learned to disguise OCD tendencies, like compulsively knocking on wood, silently reciting prayers “to avoid God getting mad at me,” she says. “It was a whole thing.” She says her parents were aware of the behaviors, but saw them more as odd little habits. “They had no reason to suspect anything. I was very high-functioning,” she says. “They didn’t realize that it was literally taking over my life.” 

She wasn’t officially diagnosed with OCD until her freshman year of college, when she saw a therapist for the first time. At Notre Dame, disordered eating took hold, quietly yet visibly, as it does for up to 62 percent of female college athletes, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. As recently as the Tokyo Olympics, she was making herself throw up in the airport bathroom, mere days before taking the podium. Molly hesitates to share that detail; she fears a girl might read this and interpret it as behavior to model. “Having been in that place as a younger athlete, I know I would have,” she says. But she also understands: Most people just don’t get how unrelenting eating disorders can be. 

In February 2022, she finally received a diagnosis of the root cause for all of it: ADHD. About being diagnosed, she says, “It made me feel really good, like [I don’t have] a million different disorders. I have a disorder that manifests itself in a lot of different symptoms.”

She waited to try Adderall until after the Boston Marathon in April, only to drop out at mile 16 due to a hip impingement. Initially, the meds made her feel fantastic. Focused. Free. Until she realized Adderall hurt more than it helped. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, lost too much weight. Within weeks, she devolved. “The eating disorder came roaring back,” she says, referring to it, as she often does, as its own entity, something that exists outside of herself. That ruthlessly takes control over her very need for control. “I almost think of it as an alter ego,” she explains. “Adderall was just bubblegum in the dam,” as she puts it. She ditched the drug, and her life—professionally, physically—unraveled.

In July 2022, heading into the World Championships, she bombed the mental health screening, answering the questions with brutal honesty. She’d been texting Keira D’Amato weeks prior. “Yo girl, things are pretty bad right now. Get ready…” Sobbing on the sidewalk in Eugene, Oregon, she texted D’Amato again. And the USATF made it official: D’Amato would take her spot on the team. Then Molly did what she’d been “putting off and putting off”— checked herself into eating disorder treatment for the second time since 2016, an outpatient program in Salt Lake City, where her new boyfriend was living at the time. 

Somehow (see: expert compartmentalizer) mid-meltdown, in February 2022, she had met an amateur ultrarunner named Matt, on Hinge. A quiet, lanky photographer, he didn’t totally get what she did. “I didn’t understand the gravity of it,” he tells me. “I was like, Oh she’s a pro runner, that’s cool. I didn’t realize she was, like, the pro runner!” 

Going back to treatment “was pretty terrible,” she says. At least she could stay with Matt. Hardly a honeymoon phase, but the new relationship held promise. “I laid it all out there,” says Molly. “And he was still here for it, for all the messiness. It was really meaningful.” And a mental shift. “He doesn’t see me as just Molly the Runner.”

Almost a year later, on a freezing April evening in Flagstaff, Molly is racing around Whole Foods, palming a head of cabbage, grabbing a thing of hummus, hunting for deals even though she doesn’t need to anymore. 

“It’s all about speed, efficiency, and quality,” she says, explaining the secret to her earlier Instacart success. She checks the expiration date on a container of goat cheese and beelines for the butcher counter, scans it faster than an Epson DS3000, though not without calculation, and requests two tomato-and-mozzarella-stuffed chicken breasts. Then she darts over to the beverage aisle in her marshmallow-y Puma slip-ons that Matt custom-painted with orange poppies. She grabs a case of La Croix (tangerine), then zips to the checkout. We’re in and out in under 15 minutes and 50 bucks, nothing bruised or broken.

Other than her body. Let’s just say: If Molly were an avocado or a carton of eggs, she probably wouldn’t pass her own sniff test. The week we meet, she is just coming off a month of no running. Not a single mile. She’s used to running twice a day, 130 miles a week. No wonder she’s spraying her kitchen counter with Mrs. Meyer’s and scrubbing the stovetop within minutes of welcoming me into her new home. 

The place, which she shares with Matt and his Australian border collie, Rye, has a post-college flophouse feel: a deep L-shaped couch draped in Pendleton blankets, a bar cluttered with bottles of discount wine, a floor lamp leaning like the Tower of Pisa next to a chew toy in the shape of a ranch dressing bottle. Scattered about, though, are reminders that an elite runner sleeps here. Or at least tries to. (“Pro runner by day, mild insomniac by night” reads the bio on her rarely used account on what used to be Twitter.) There’s a stick of Chafe Safe on the coffee table. Shalane Flanagan’s cookbooks on the counter. And framed in glass, propped on the office floor: Molly’s Olympic kit—blue racing briefs with the Nike Swoosh, a USA singlet, her once-sweat-drenched American flag, folded in a triangle. “I’m not sure where to hang it,” she says. “It seems a little ostentatious to have it in the living room.” 

With long brown curls and a round, freckly face, Molly has an aw-shucks look so innocent that it’s hard, at first, to perceive her struggles. Flat-out ask her, though—How are you even functioning?—and she’ll tell you: “I’m an absolute wreck. There’s no worse feeling than being a pro runner who can’t run. You just feel fucking useless.” Tidying a stack of newspapers, she adds, “Don’t worry, I’ve had therapy today.” 

She’s watched every show. (Save Ted Lasso, “too sickly sweet.”) Listened to every podcast. (Armchair Expert is a favorite.) She’s got nothing else to do but PT and go easy on the ElliptiGo in the garage, onto which she’s rigged a wooden bookstand, currently clipped with A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. “I don’t read running books,” she says. “I need something different.”

Like most runners—even the most amateur among us—running, moving, is what keeps her sane. “What about swimming? Can you at least swim?” I ask, projecting my own desperation if I were in her size 8.5 shoes. “I fucking hate swimming,” says Molly. Walking? “Oh, yeah, I can go on walks. Another. Long. Walk.”

The only thing she has on her schedule this week is pumping up a local middle school track team before their big meet. The invitation boosted her spirits. “Should I just memorize Miracle on Ice?” she says, laughing. “No, I know, I’ll do Independence Day.”

Injuries are nothing new for Molly. Par for the course for any professional athlete. But especially for women, like her, who lack bone density—and have since high school, when, according to a study in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine, nearly half of female runners experience period loss. Osteoporosis and its precursor, osteopenia, are rampant in female runners, leading to ongoing issues that threaten not just their college and professional running careers, but their lives.

Still, Molly admits, laughing: She’s especially accident-prone. I ask her to list every scratch she’s ever had, which takes her 10 minutes, and goes all the way back to babyhood, when she banged her head against the bathtub spout. There was a cracked spine from a sledding incident in 8th grade, a broken collarbone from a ski race in high school, shredded knee cartilage in college when a driver hit her while she was riding a bike. “Ribs are constantly breaking,” she says. In 2021, two snapped, and refused to heal in time for the New York City Marathon. No biggie. She ran through the pain with a 2:24:42, besting Deena Kastor’s 2008 time by more than a minute and setting the American course record.

Molly’s latest injury? Glute tear. “Literally a gigantic pain in the ass,” she posted on Instagram in March. Inside, Molly was devastated. Pulling out of the Nagoya Marathon—the night before her 6:45 a.m. flight to Japan, no less—was not in the plan. The plan, according to Coach Green, had been simple. It always is. If the two of them even have one. “Just to have fun and be consistent.” And get a marathon or two in before the Olympic Trials in February 2024. 

She’d been finally—finally—fit on all fronts; ready to race, ready to return. She needed Nagoya. And then, nothing. “It feels like I’m back at the bottom of the well,” says Molly, driving home from Whole Foods in her Toyota 4Runner. “This last year-and-a-half has been so difficult. It’s just been a lot of doubt. How do I approach this, as someone who has now won a medal? Like, man, am I even relevant in this sport anymore?” She pops a piece of gum in her mouth. I wait for her to offer me some, because that’s what you do with gum, but she doesn’t. She’s so in her head. “It’s hard when you’re in the thick of it, you know, to figure out: Why the fuck do I keep doing this? When it just breaks my heart over and over and over again?” 

We pull into her driveway. “I was prepared for the low period after Tokyo,” she says. “But this has been much longer and lower than I expected.” 

The curse of making it to the Olympics, let alone coming back with a medal: expectations. Molly’s own were high. “I think I thought, after the Olympics, if I win a medal, then I will be fixed, it will fix everything.” Instead, in a way, it made everything worse. 

That’s the problem that has plagued Molly for most of her running career: Her triumphs and troubles intermingle, like thunder and lightning. Which, by the way, she has been struck by. (A minor backyard-grill, summer-thunderstorm incident. She was fine.)

The next morning in Flagstaff, Molly’s feeling like she can run a mile, maybe two. It’s snowing, though, and she doesn’t want to risk the slippery track, so we meet at Campbell Mesa Trails. She loops a band around the back of her truck to stretch and sends me off into the trees to run alone while she does a couple of laps on the street.

Molly leaves for an acupuncture appointment, and we reunite later at Single Speed Coffee (“the best coffee in Flagstaff,” promises the ex-barista who drinks up to three cups a day). We curl up on a couch like it’s her living room, and she talks as freely—and as loudly—as if it was. Does she realize everyone can hear her? She doesn’t care. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve grown so comfortable sharing—in therapy, on podcasts, in a three-part video series on ADHD for WebMD—you just…share. Loud and proud. 

Mental illness is so insidious, says Molly. “It’s not always this Sylvia Plath stick-my-head-in-a-fucking-oven thing, where you’re sad all the time,” she says. “High-functioning depressed people live normal successful lives. I can be having the happiest moment, and three days later I’m in a total downward spiral.” It’s something you never recover from, she says, but you learn to manage. 

“I’m this incredibly flawed person who struggles so much. I think: How could I have won this thing when I’m so flawed? I look at all the people around me, all these accomplished people who have their shit together, and I’m like, ‘one of these things is not like the other,’” she says, taking a sip of her flat white. “I was literally in the Olympic Village thinking: Everybody is probably looking at me wondering: Why the hell is she here?” 

They weren’t. They don’t. She knows that. 

And yet her mind races as fast as she does. It takes up So. Much. Space. When she’s running, though, the noise disappears. She’s not Olympic Molly or Eating Disorder Molly, she’s not even, really, Runner Molly. “When I’m running,” she says, “I’m the most authentic version of myself.” 

Talking helps, too. Molly first shared her mental health history a few years ago, “before she was famous,” as she puts it. After the Olympics, though, she kept talking and hasn’t stopped. The Tokyo Games were a turning point, she says. Suddenly the most revered athletes in the world were opening up about their mental health. Molly credits Simone Biles’s bravery for her own. If Biles, and Michael Phelps and Naomi Osaka, could come clean... then maybe a nerdy, niche-y, unlikely medaling marathoner could, too.

“Those guys got a lot more shit for it than I did,” says Molly. “I got off easy. I’m not a household name,” she laughs. She knows she can be candid and off the cuff—and chat freely in a not-empty café—in a way Biles never could. “I’m a nobody!” she laughs.

Still, a nobody with 232,000 Instagram followers whom she has touched in very IRL ways—becoming an unintentional poster woman for normalizing mental health challenges among athletes. “You are such an incredible inspiration,” @1percentpeterson posts, one comment of a zillion similar. “It’s ok to not be ok!” says another. Along with all the online love is, of course, online hate. Molly rattles off a few lowlights: “She’s an attention-seeking whore,” “Her bones are so brittle she’ll never race again,” “She’s running so badly and posting a lot she should really focus on her running more.” Molly finds it curious. “I’m like, ‘If you hate me, you don’t need to follow me, sir.’” 

It’s Molly’s nobody-ness—what Outside writer Martin Fritz Huber called her “runner-next-door” persona, and I’ll just call “genuine personality”—that has made her somebody in running’s otherwise reserved circles. 

Somebody who (gasp!) high-fives her sister in the middle of a major race, as she did at mile 18 of the 2021 New York City Marathon. “They shat on me in the broadcast for it,” she says. “They were like, ‘She’s not taking this seriously.’” (Except, uh, then she set the American course record, so…) 

Somebody who, obviously, swears like a sailor and dances awkwardly on Instagram, who dresses up like a turkey, and viral-tweets about getting mansplained on an airplane. (“He starts telling me how I need to train high mileage & pulls up an analysis he’d made of a pro runner’s training on his phone. The pro runner was me. It was my training. Didn’t have the heart to tell him.”)

Somebody who makes every middle-aged mom-runner I know swoon like a Swiftie and say: “OMG! YOU HUNG OUT WITH MOLLY SEIDEL!!?” Middle-aged dad-runners, too. “I saw her once in Golden Gate Park!” my friend Dan fanboyed when he heard. “I waved!” Did she wave back? “She smiled,” he says, “while casually laying down 5:25s.”

And somebody who was as outraged as I was that I bought a $16 tube of French toothpaste from my hip Flagstaff motel. (It was 10 p.m.! It was all they had!) “For that price it better contain top-shelf cocaine,” she texted. Lest LetsRun commenters take that tidbit out of context: It’s a joke. It’s, in part, what makes Molly America’s most relatable pro runner: She’s not afraid to make jokes. (While we’re at it… Don’t knock her for smoking a little legal weed, either. That’s so 2009. Per the World Anti-Doping Agency: Cannabis is prohibited during competition, not at a Christmas party two months before it. Per Molly: “People would be shocked to know how many pro runners smoke weed.”)

I can’t believe I never asked to see it. Molly’s medal. A real, live Olympic medal. Maybe because it was tucked into a credenza along with Matt’s menorah and her maneki-neko cat figurines from Japan. But I think it was because hanging out with Molly felt so…normal, I almost forgot she’d won one. 

People think elite distance runners have to be one-dimensional, she says. That they have to be sculpted, single-minded, running-only robots. “Because that’s what the sport has been,” she says. 

Molly falls for it, too, she says. She scrolls the feeds, sees her fellow pros living seemingly perfect lives. She wants everyone to know: She’s not. So much so that she requested we not print the photos originally commissioned for this story, which were taken when she was at the lowest of lows. (“It’s been...refreshing...to be pretty open and real with Rachel [about] the challenges of the last year,” she wrote in an email to Runner’s World editors. “But the photos [were taken at] a time when I was really struggling and actively trying to hide how bad my eating disorder had become.”)

Molly finds the NYC Marathon high-five thing comical but indicative of a more serious issue in elite running: It takes itself too seriously. It’s too…elitist. Too stilted. “Running a marathon is a pretty freaking cool experience!” If you’re not having fun, she asks rhetorically, what’s the point? Still, she admits, she isn’t always having fun. Though you wouldn’t know it from her Instagram. “Oh, I’m very good at making it seem like I am,” she says.

She used to enjoy social media when it was just her friends. Before she gained 50,000 followers in a single day after the trials, and some 70,000 on Strava. Before the pandemic, before the Olympics. Keeping up with content became a toxic chore. “You feel like you’re just feeding this beast and it’s never going to stop,” she says. She’s taken to deleting the app off her phone, reloading it only to fulfill contractual agreements and post for her sponsors, then deleting it again. 

As much as she hates having to post, she enjoys plugging products the only way that feels natural: through parody. As does Izzy, her influencer sister, who, like Molly, prefers to skewer rather than shill (à la their idea behind their joint Insta account: @sadgirltrackclub). “The classic influencer tropes make me want to throw up,” she says (perverse pun as a recovering bulimic not intended). “New Gear Drop!’ or ‘This is my Outfit of the Day!’ Cringe. “Hot Girl Instagram is not how I identify,” she says. 

Nor is TikTok. “Sponsors tell me all the time: You should TikTok! I’m like, ‘I am not doing TikTok.’ I know how my brain works. They’ll say, ‘We’ll pay you less if you don’t’—and I’m, like, I don’t care.”

And to those sponsors who ghosted her after she returned to eating disorder treatment, good riddance. “Michelob dropped me like a bad habit,” she says. “Whatever. You have watery-ass beer anyway.”

To those who have stood by her, though, she’s utterly devoted. Pissed she couldn’t wear the Puma panther head to toe in Tokyo, Molly took off her Puma Deviate Elites and tied them over her shoulder, obscuring the Nike logo on her Olympic singlet for all the world to see. Or not see. “Nike isn’t paying my fucking bills.”

The love is mutual, says Erin Longin, a general manager at Puma. After decades backing legends like Usain Bolt, Puma was relaunching road running and wanted Molly as their guinea pig. “She’s a serious athlete and competitor, but she also has fun with it,” says Longin. “Running should be fun. Molly embodies that.” At their first meeting, in January 2020, Molly made them laugh and nerded out over their new shoes. “We all left there, fingers crossed she’d sign with us,” says Longin.

Come February, they all flipped out. Longin was watching the trials, not expecting much. And then: “We were all messaging, “OMG!!” Then Molly killed in London. Medaled in Tokyo. “What she did for us in that first year…” says Longin. “We couldn’t have planned it!” 

Then came the second year, and the third, and throughout it all—injuries, eating disorder treatment, missed races, missed opportunities—Puma hasn’t flinched. “It’s easy for a company to do the right thing when everything is going great,” Molly posted in April, heartbroken from her couch instead of Heartbreak Hill. “But it’s when the sh*t hits the fan and they’re still right there with you….” She received 35,000 hearts—and a call from Longin: “You make me feel so proud.” 

Does it matter to Puma if Molly never places—never races—again? “Nope,” Longin says. 

My last afternoon in Flagstaff, it’s cloudy skies, still freezing. I find Molly on the high school track wearing neoprene gloves, black puffy coat, another pair of Pumas. Her breath is white, her cheeks red. Her legs churning in even, elegant strides. Upright, alone, at peace, backed by snow-dusted peaks. Running itself is what matters, not racing, she tells me. “I honestly don’t give a shit about winning,” she says. All she wants—really wants, she says—is to be healthy enough to run until she’s old and gray.

Molly’s favorite runner is one who didn’t get to grow old. Who made his mark decades before she was born: Steve Prefontaine. “Pre raced in such a genuine way. He made people feel something,” she says. “The sports performances you truly remember,” she adds, “are the ones where you see the struggle, the work, the realness.” 

Sounds familiar. “I hate conversations like, ‘Who’s the GOAT?’” Molly continues. “Who fucking cares? Who’s got the story that’s going to get people excited? That’s going to make some kid want to go out and do it?” 

I know one of those kids: My best friend’s daughter, Quinn, a rising track phenom in Oregon, who has dealt with anxiety and OCD tendencies. She has a picture of Molly Seidel, and her times, taped to her bedroom wall. This past May, Quinn joined Nike’s Bowerman Club. She was named Oregon Female Athlete of the Year Under 12 by USATF. She wants to run for Notre Dame. 

“Quinn loves running more than anything,” her mom tells me, texting photos of her elated 11-year-old atop the podium. “But I don’t know…” She’s unsure about setting her daughter on this path. How could she not, though? It’s all Quinn wants to do. Maybe what Quinn, too, feels born to do. 

It’ll be okay, I tell her, I hope. Quinn has something Molly never had: She has a Molly. 

Molly and I catch up via phone in June. A team of doctors in Germany has overhauled her biomechanics. She’s been running 110 miles a week, feeling healthy, hopeful. Happy. A month later, severe anemia (and accompanying iron infusions) interrupts her summer racing schedule. She cancels the couple of 10Ks she had planned and entertains herself by popping into the UTMB Speedgoat Mountain Race: a 28K trail run through Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon—coming in second with a 3:49:58. Molly’s focus is on the Chicago Marathon, October 8th; her first major race in almost two years. 

Does it matter how she does? Does it matter if she slays the Olympic Trials in February? If she makes it to Paris 2024? If she fulfills her childhood dream and brings home gold? 

Nah. Not if—like Matt, like Puma, like, finally, even Molly herself—you see Molly the Runner for who she really is: Molly the Mere Mortal. She’s the imperfect one who puts it perfectly: What matters isn’t her time or place, how she performs on the pavement. Or social media posts. What matters—as a professional athlete, as a person—is how she makes people feel: human. 

She’d been finally—finally—fit on all fronts; ready to race, ready to return. She needed Nagoya. And then, nothing. “It feels like I’m back at the bottom of the well,” says Molly, driving home from Whole Foods in her Toyota 4Runner. “This last year-and-a-half has been so difficult. It’s just been a lot of doubt. How do I approach this, as someone who has now won a medal? Like, man, am I even relevant in this sport anymore?” She pops a piece of gum in her mouth. I wait for her to offer me some, because that’s what you do with gum, but she doesn’t. She’s so in her head. “It’s hard when you’re in the thick of it, you know, to figure out: Why the fuck do I keep doing this? When it just breaks my heart over and over and over again?” 

Study Finds That Strava’s Heatmap Feature May Be Used to Reveal Home Addresses

Researchers found that they could predict user locations with roughly 37.5 percent accuracy.

Sharing your routes with friends and followers is a beloved practice by Strava users. But in recent years, the app’s location settings have been called into question as a potential security threat to runners everywhere. Recently, researchers at North Carolina State University took a closer look at privacy issues in the app.

In 2015, Strava introduced a feature called “heatmap” that aggregated data from the runners, cyclists, and hikers who relied on the app to trace their routes and track their stats. Heatmap allowed users to discover popular trails, meet friends, and complete their workouts in safer, more well-trafficked locations. 

However, the researchers found that the heatmap feature may have unintentionally created a tool for tracking and de-anonymizing users if the map data is combined with specific user metadata. 

To test their theory, NCSU researchers ran an impressively geeky test that involved collecting data from heatmaps in Arkansas, Ohio, and North Carolina over the course of a month. They then analyzed the heatmap images, overlaid images from OpenStreetMaps (a free geographic database), and pulled available user location data. In the end, their study indicated that finding users’ home addresses is possible on heatmap, especially given that so many users provide their full names and profile images on the app. 

By correlating their findings with voter registration data, the researchers also discovered that their location predictions were roughly 37.5 percent accurate. “A more active user produces more heat on the Strava heatmap and therefore is more easily identified,” said the study authors. They also noted that users living in densely populated or unpopulated areas would be the most difficult to track. 

As the researchers point out, there are many ways for Strava to make heatmap safer. For example, Strava could allow users to set privacy zones near their homes. 

For now, if heatmaps concern you, ensure you’re not starting your Strava app until you’re a little way home or disable the feature entirely in your app settings. Making your account private and refraining from including your location in your profile can also bolster security. 

As of now, Strava hasn’t commented on the study findings. 

What Makes Training High-Quality—or Not?

All the digital training data in the world may not tell you whether your workout was any good

The next frontier in training science, currently being debated in publications like the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, sounds like it was torn from the pages of Robert Pirsig’s 1974 road novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Pirsig’s narrator is obsessed to the point of madness with the seemingly intractable question of how we know what is good. “Some things are better than others,” he proclaims, “that is, they have more quality.” That’s true of training, too, according to Norwegian sports scientist Thomas Haugen: some workouts are better than others, in ways that aren’t necessarily indicated by stats like pace, power, heart rate, and cadence.

Earlier this year, Haugen, a professor at Kristiania University College in Oslo, published a paper with colleagues attempting to transform this observation into a more concrete definition of training quality—and suggesting ways that athletes and coaches can improve it. It’s a riddle Haugen has been contemplating since the 1990s, when he was a sprinter and an assistant coach with legendary sprint guru Leif Olav Alnes, who currently coaches Karsten Warholm, the world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles. “One of the things I observed was that all other sprint groups in Norway tried to copy our training program, without achieving the same progress and success,” Haugen says. “That made me realize that the training program itself was of limited importance.”

What does it mean, then, when you complete a training session feeling that it was a great—or at least high-quality—workout? The easy answer is that you went faster, lifted heavier, or felt less effortful than you had in comparable workouts. But that’s a trap. Hammering your workouts at the wrong time can blow up a season and torpedo your competitive goals. When Australian researchers interviewed elite swimmers to understand how they viewed training quality, their answers were more nuanced. A common theme, in the words of one of the study’s participants, was “whether you’re hitting the times you’re supposed to be hitting”—that is, not necessarily going faster, but nailing the intended pace.

The swimmers also emphasized less quantifiable quality benchmarks like “feeling my stroke” and “feeling determined and driven.” On that basis, the researchers, led by Stephanie Shell of the Australian Institute of Sport, proposed a Subjective Training Quality scale that asks athletes to rate, from one to ten, their agreement with three statements: I met my physical training objectives in this session; I met my technical training objectives in this session; and I was mentally and emotionally engaged in this session. The STQ, Shell and her colleagues suggest, could be incorporated into training logs alongside conventional metrics like pace and subjective effort, offering a reminder of how well you’re doing at following your workout plan.

There’s a gap in the STQ, though, as Haugen and his colleagues point out. What if you do an amazing job of following your plan, but your plan is bad? Part of high-quality training is having workouts that are well chosen for a given athlete at a given time working toward a given goal. And even with a good plan, rigidly observing it doesn’t always make sense. “Based on how you felt today, was the easy long run slightly too fast?” Haugen asks. “Or, if you felt really good on the intervals, why didn’t you add two or three more to the session?”

In their paper, Haugen and his colleagues define training quality as “the degree of excellence related to how the training process or training sessions are executed to optimize adaptations and/or improve overall performance.” It’s hard to argue with so general a definition, but it’s also tricky to figure out how to make practical use of it. How do I assess whether this morning’s fartlek was very good, very bad, or somewhere in between for my overall performance in a race a few months from now?

Haugen’s practical advice focuses on three key windows. Before a workout, you should be clear about the purpose of the session; make sure you’re properly fueled, hydrated, and equipped; and get yourself in the right head space. During the workout, you need to monitor how well you’re adhering to your goals, whether with a smartwatch or by tracking subjective effort; make adjustments based on how you’re feeling; and stay focused, fueled, and hydrated. After the workout, you need to recover well and—perhaps most crucially—debrief and assess how the workout went in relation to your goals. “The best practitioners have established a culture of continuous learning,” Haugen and his coauthors write.

The great cliché of the Strava age, borrowed from corporate management gurus, is that what gets measured gets managed. But even the business world knows that isn’t the full story. Management writer Simon Caulkin suggests a qualification: “even when it’s pointless to measure and manage it.” Much of the fire hose of training data that our wearables collect could be said to fall into this category. But the broadest definitions of training quality land at the opposite end of the spectrum, so vague and generic in their guidance that they risk being ignored. To manage training quality, or at least keep it on our radar, maybe we do need something to measure.

A useful option is the STQ; a simpler one is the intention-execution gap: How close did you come to doing what you meant to do in the workout? You could quantify this with average pace, power, or heart rate. But the easiest and most generalizable option is your subjective perception of effort. How hard, on a ten-point scale, is the workout supposed to be? And how hard did you actually push? This approach works whether you’re in the gym or on the bike, out for hours or crushing short intervals. It adjusts for whether you’re feeling better or worse than expected. It gives you a quick and easily understandable metric for whether you pushed yourself to the degree your training plan called for. And if you start noticing a pattern of big misses, it tells you that you’ve got a problem.

Haugen recognizes the benefit of tracking some quantifiable quality metrics. But that is just part of the story, he says. The core of training quality is, well, qualitative. “This involves a strong sense of ownership of the training process, motivation, dedication, determination, and training intelligence,” he says. These are the characteristics that athletes and coaches spend a career or perhaps a lifetime pursuing, and they don’t lend themselves to checklists and shortcuts. But they matter. Training quantity is nothing without training quality—and for now, the best way to improve quality might be to keep arguing about what it means. After all, as Robert Pirsig pointed out, “If no one knows what it is, then for all practical purposes it doesn’t exist.”

Jakob Ingebrigtsen runs five-minute beer mile at bachelor party

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen has had a season to remember on the track. The 23-year-old has set world records over 2,000m and two miles, but one record he recently attempted and missed was the beer mile world record.

In his hometown of Sandes, Norway, Ingebrigtsen chose to partake in a beer mile as part of his bachelor party. The world record holder over two miles posted a respectable beer mile time of five minutes and 22 seconds, but it was well short of the 4:28 world record held by Canada’s Corey Bellemore.

Although Ingebrigtsen ran the beer mile coming off potential jet lag and two Diamond League titles on the weekend in Eugene, Ore., which included the third-fastest mile time in history—3:43.73, he was short in breaking the five-minute barrier.

Bellemore called out Ingebrigtsen on his Instagram story, challenging him to a head-to-head matchup in the discipline. “I am always game,” posted Bellemore.

According to his brother, Kristoffer’s Strava page, Jakob chose to run the beer mile with his friends and brothers as part of his bachelor party. Ingebrigtsen is planning to marry his longtime partner Elisabeth Asserson later this year in Norway.

The rules of the beer mile are that runners have to complete four laps around a 400m track while consuming a beer before each lap. The beers must have a minimum volume of 340 mL and an alcohol by volume (ABV) content of five per cent or higher. We cannot confirm if Ingebrigtsen abided by the recognized rules of beermile.com and may need to see the footage to ratify his result.

Ingebrigtsen had a nearly perfect 2023 season, setting multiple world and European records in middle distances. He also defended his 5,000m world title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest but lost his coveted jewel, the men’s 1,500m, for the second consecutive year, placing second to Great Britain’s Josh Kerr.

Naked trail race in England brings out running buffs

Scores of runners in England joined in a bold display of raw talent this month, baring all for a 5K trail run in which participants stripped down to their socks.

The Naked 5K took place Sept. 10 near Orpington, a community just southeast of London. The town is home to the Naturist Foundation, an organization dedicated to the “pursuit of personal well-being and wellness through naturist recreational activities,” according to its mission statement. The group’s 53-acre Brocken Hurst property is host to a range of Naturist Foundation events, from concerts and holiday celebrations to this month’s 5K trail run, which was the 20th such race the group has organized.

The organization’s milestone event appears to have attracted not just a large crowd, but a fairly speedy one. Leading the pack of 130 runners was Mark Jessett of Llandudno Junction, Wales, who won the race in 18:50. (As the race format would leave runners few options for pinning on a race bib, runners are given lightweight anklets to make chip timing possible.)

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Nature Foundation featured a shot of Jessett wearing nothing but his winner’s medal. “Congratulations to the winner of yesterday’s #BH5K trail run, with a time of 18m50s,” reads the post. “An impressive feat given the heat, with a high of 30ºC! We had extra water stations and misting sprays, but not surprisingly some DNFs too.”

No matter how liberally Jessett might have applied sunscreen for the race, the blistering rays clearly left an impression on the Welshman. “Scorching conditions!” he wrote in his Strava recap of the Naked 5K, in which he described the race as “basically a trail course through trees with a short section of road.”

In a reply to the Naturist Foundation’s post on X, he wrote: “Thanks everyone and well done to everyone else also! Fantastic day out in lovely (but scorching) conditions surrounded by so many friendly people!”

Others who responded to the post offered Jessett kudos for a strong run given the heat and, at times, challenging terrain, while some were curious about what motivates runners to sign up for the Naked 5K, and what kind of crowds the races attract.

One commenter replied that “some are running club members a bit bored of the regular parkrun and fancy a change. Many are regulars that we only see twice a year. Some are doing it for bucket list or charity reasons. Some do get the naturist bug as a result.”

The Naturist Foundation hosts its next Naked 5K in May.

So You Missed Your Splits or Lost Your Race – Now What?

How failing in training and racing can make you a stronger runner

It’s Tuesday. No, it’s not only Tuesday. It’s critical velocity day. My coach has assigned me two warm-up miles and six 600 meters in 3:13-3:21 intervals, with a 90 second jog between each one. I head out to smash the workout. I’m confident. I’m excited. Then, I start. It’s blistering hot. Sweat is dragging all my face sunscreen down my forehead into my eyes. Water sloshes in my stomach. I’m so thirsty but I can’t drink anymore or I’ll puke. I start to slow. Miss my paces. What is happening? My head spins and I get this horrible gut-wrenching feeling as I pull through the last interval. My coach is going to be disappointed. My Strava record is going to be humiliating. Because I absolutely, undoubtedly failed this run.

Thinking of yourself or your run as a failure can be debilitating and keep you down for days. For a while, I thought I needed to stifle this feeling. But as it turns out, I should be making nice with failure rather than fighting it. 

So what exactly does it mean to fail a run? It looks different for everyone, but to many people in the running community, it means missing the splits you or your coach has set for yourself. You can fail in training and fail in a race – both are equally debilitating for a runner. However, running coach and founder of Run Your Best, Cory Smith, says this doesn’t always mean running too slow. 

“A lot of people think the faster you run, the better,” he says. “But if you’re trying to hit a certain zone or train a certain adaptation and you run too fast, then you’re training something different than your coach wanted you to train, that can be a failure, too.”

In fact, Smith doesn’t believe going slower than your faces should be defined as the typical, negative definition of failure. 

“Failure is data collection,” he says. “It’s learning information. If I fail a workout, it doesn’t make me a failure as a person or an athlete, it’s just an opportunity to look at the data and figure out how to grow from it.”

Oftentimes you’ll hear runners call it the “F word” or scold others for talking about failure, but mental endurance coach, Vanessa Foerster, wants people to use the word. She echoes the same thing as Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” (That’s the only Harry Potter reference, I swear.) Foerester believes shying away from the word or thought of failure gives it more power. 

“We have an opportunity, with our language, to normalize failure,” she says. “If we can redefine it, we change our relationship with it.”

What both Foerster and Smith stress the most is that one bad workout doesn’t make or break you. Smith compares it to basing your retirement fund on one day when the market went down, even though we know it goes up and down all the time. 

“The most powerful thought around failure is that one workout never makes or breaks a race or athlete,” Foerester says. “We’re in a constant state of learning, if we open ourselves up to be.”

Beating yourself up over a workout can often bleed into your next run, creating a sort of downward spiral effect. 

“It puts you into a negative mindset, and then the next workout you’re going to put more pressure on yourself to do well to convince yourself that last workout was just a fluke,” Smith says. “This leads to anxiety, which can hurt your workout performance.”

One study reports that a negative emotional state can hinder athletic performance. Speed, specifically, was proven to be affected by emotional state. This study examined the correlation between sadness and depression and reduced running speeds, head movements, and arm swinging. 

In other words, failure can be heavy, if you let it. 

Like we said, failure looks different for everyone. So far, we’ve been talking about failing during training sessions – which can be referred to as process failure. An outcome failure, however, is not meeting an end-result or goal which the training was put forth for. Like a race.

For Addie Bracy, it looks like an uncharacteristic 116th place in the 100k CC. Bracy is an elite trail runner, placing first in the 2023 Behind the Rocks Ultra Race and third in the 2023 Speedgoat 50K. She has a consistent track record across the board and even has her masters in Sport and Performance Psychology. 

“I had a pretty poor performance,” she says, reflecting. “Objectively, one of the worst I’ve ever had in trail running, and certainly not the race I trained for.” 

Bracy says she can’t pinpoint a rhyme or reason why, but that it just wasn’t clicking that day. At a certain point, she realized the race wasn’t going the way she thought and reframed her mindset. Failure, in her definition, is only when you give up – and she chose not to. 

“I think that’s the beauty of ultras – they’re so long that you’re going through the mental process then and there,” she says. “I had thoughts of stopping, but I went through the mentality of ‘That’s not what you do this,’ and gave my best effort to focus on just finishing instead of making a certain time.”

This is what Smith identifies as performance standards versus outcome goals. 

“Outcome goals are the splits you or your coach sets or the final finishing time,” he says. “The performance standards aren’t outcomes, but how much effort you put into whatever that task is.” 

Meaning, Bracy started out at UTMB with an outcome goal of a particular time, and mid-race, reframed her foals to a performance standard to do her absolute best. 

“I think when it really boiled down to it, the goal of a race was to put yourself in a challenging situation and see how you can handle it,” she says. “I was still able to do my best that day – it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but it was still my best.”

But she wasn’t happy with her placement in the 100k CC. 

But in early September, Bracy took on the 100k CCC and placed in what she thought was an uncharacteristic 116th with a time of 14:48:21. 

Foerster goes a step further and says that failure is not only okay, but it’s actually beneficial to experience. 

“Anytime we can meet emotional discomfort where we have to deal with heavy emotions like disappointment, we teach ourselves how to navigate that more effectively,” Foerster says. “So that when we meet another uncomfortable moment in a race, we know we can meet it and process through it.”

In a study conducted by Ayelet Fishbach, Behavioral Science professor at University of Chicago, and Kaitlin Woolley, associate professor at the SC Johnson Cornell College of Business, it was proven that discomfort could lead to personal growth. By applying cognitive reappraisal, study participants assigned a new meaning to discomfort before they experienced it so it served as motivation rather than a reason to stop their goals. And, in the case of this study, participants who were forced into discomfort while doing a task reported a greater sense of achieve

Much like running itself can be uncomfortable, forcing yourself to address the emotions that come with failure can be an unfamiliar, disagreeable experience. But doing so allows you to feel, process, and recognize that you can change your relationship with failure every time you meet it. 

“Discomfort is the currency to our dreams,” Foerster says. “If we’re willing to meet it, all our potential is on the other side.” 

So fail, and fail hard. Address the feeling head-on and don’t let it define you, but just one out of many more runs to come. 

Brazilian runner breaks Guinness World Record with 366 consecutive marathons

A Brazilian ultrarunner has set a new Guinness World Record for the most consecutive marathon-distance runs in 366 days. On August 28, Hugo Farias of São Paulo completed his 366 consecutive 42.2-kilometer runs to finish his Projeto Propósito in front of a crowd of 2,000 people.

Farias, 44, started his journey on Aug. 28, 2022, after quitting his job at IBM. He set out on this challenge with the goal of completing 365 marathons in 365 days to show people that anything is possible. He did not decide to do a 366th until recently, as he wanted to eclipse the Guinness World Record and surpass the accomplishments of Belgium’s Stefan Engels and England’s Gary McKee, both of whom completed the full calendar year.

Farias tracked the entire project on Strava, where he wore daily bib numbers according to the marathon number he was on. After completing his 366th run, Farias joked, “I think I will start reducing volume now.”

The father of one covered an astonishing 15,443 km, which is equivalent to a flight from New York to Singapore, and 123,000 metres of elevation gain, or roughly 14 times the height of Mount Everest. According to his Strava, Farias went through 27 pairs of running shoes during the challenge and had 10 shoes on rotation (over 10 days) for the first five months.

His Projeto Propósito required extensive planning, and Farias had support from a team of health professionals which included running coaches, a physical trainer, a physiotherapist, a psychologist, a nutritionist, an orthopedist, a dermatologist (his wife), plus cardiologists and physiologists. Farias also dedicated three months to physical and mental preparation before undertaking his marathon journey.

His Projeto Propósito required extensive planning, and Farias had support from a team of health professionals which included running coaches, a physical trainer, a physiotherapist, a psychologist, a nutritionist, an orthopedist, a dermatologist (his wife), plus cardiologists and physiologists. Farias also dedicated three months to physical and mental preparation before undertaking his marathon journey.

Six tips to master your easy runs

Recovery runs seem like the most straightforward session on your training plan, but many of us struggle to get them right. Too often, runners push themselves too hard on their easy days, which not only takes away from their ability to perform during workouts, but ultimately leads to injuries and burnout. If you frequently find yourself picking up the pace when you know you shouldn’t, try implementing these tips to help you slow down.

1.- Run with a friend

Make your easy days a social occasion, and enlist a friend to chat with while you run. You’ll often hear people say your recovery runs should be done at “talking pace,” and this is a great way to ensure they stay that way. Just choose your running buddy wisely–an over-competitive friend or someone who always tries to stay a half-step ahead of you can end up making you run faster. (Schedule runs with those pals on workout days instead.)

2.- Ditch the GPS (and Strava)

We know, we know–if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen. But if you’re someone who can’t resist cranking up the pace for the kudos, then leave Strava and the GPS watch at home. Recovery runs are a great opportunity to disconnect and run by feel, rather than by a prescribed pace. If you’re running hard enough on your workout days, your body will welcome the slower pace.

3.- Run by heart rate

This one takes a little research beforehand, but running by heart rate is an excellent way to monitor your pace on easy days, because it takes into account other factors, such as how much sleep you got the night before, how hot it is outside or how hilly your route is. 

First, calculate your maximum heart rate. From there, you can determine what your heart rate should be for a variety of runs. Most experts recommend, for an easy run, targeting a heart rate that is 65-75 per cent of your maximum heart rate. Our suggestion? Stick to the lower end of that range.

4- Pick the right shoes

Your easy runs are not the time to put on your high-performance carbon-plated running shoes. Choose something very comfortable, rather than shoes that encourage speed.

5.- Focus on form

To take your mind off of how fast you’re going, try focusing on your form during your recovery runs. If you’re not sure what part of your running form you should try to improve, book an appointment with a physiotherapist who works with runners and who can give you a formal gait assessment. They will be able to show you what you need to work on and give you cues to practise to maintain good form, even at an easy, comfortable pace.

6.- Change up your music

Music is a known performance enhancer, and let’s face it–who doesn’t want to speed up when their favourite track comes on? If your playlist is hyping you up too much on your easy runs, try picking slower, more relaxing tunes, or listening to a podcast or audiobook instead.

How to Set Your Heart Rate Zones

Your physiology is beautifully unique. I sound like John Mayer if he was a physical therapist. Our bodies are wonderlands, even if our glutes are unmaintained landfills.

The individual uniqueness of athletes creates a problem, though. How can we understand our physiology in the broader context of training theory when every variable is a bell curve across the population? General equations work if you're smack-dab in the middle of the bell curve thiccness, but can be actively wrong and counterproductive as you venture into the standard deviation hinterlands.

Consider the equation that many of you might have heard about heart rate: 180 beats per minute minus age = approximately aerobic threshold, or the intensity level that serves as a top-end barrier for easy/steady running that should encompass around 80% of your training volume. While that equation is generally useful, it can be actively useless for individuals, especially aging athletes who are highly trained and have a much higher aerobic threshold than the equation would predict.

For me, the equation caps my easy runs at 145 heart rate. My actual aerobic threshold is 152 beats per minute in running (and 150 beats per minute in biking). In practice, that's almost a one-minute-per-mile difference in output. Training from a general equation would prevent me from accruing benefits from steadier paces, and I'd probably be slower at everything.

Training zones from your watch can also be atrocious. In the last few months, I have helped a few hundred listeners of our podcast calculate their heart rate zones (our episode on heart rate zones is here). And a lesson I learned is that some of the watch brands use algorithms that are less accurate than U2 in Spanish class. Zone Uno, Zone Dos, Zone Tres, Zone Catorce, Zone Biblioteca, etc. Some of the watch zones are set so low that I have no idea what they could possibly be measuring. 

So today, let's look at one simple way to calculate your heart rate zones to help you calibrate your training intensity. Knowing your intensity ranges is helpful because it optimizes your metabolic fitness, allowing the body to burn more fat at higher outputs, while supporting mitochondrial proliferation and efficiency, allowing both higher and lower intensities to take less energy. Disclaimer: exercise physiology terminology is always subject to evolving debate, particularly on Twitter (the world's town square, if the square was also where the town put the raw sewage). Here is my favorite infographic ever on the overlap of these principles, from Fluid Athletics (follow them on Instagram here). 

What Are Heart Rate Zones?

We'll be using the traditional Five-Zone model, contrasted with the Three-Zone model used in most training research, but it helps to understand both and how they interact. Heart rate is best thought of as a proxy for lactate concentrations. To simplify it a ton, lactate is produced as our bodies use glucose to fuel ATP production during glycolysis. Lactate is a fuel source for cells, and it's accompanied by a hydrogen ion that changes muscle pH and contributes to fatigue. A 2018 review in Cell Metabolism described the lactate shuttle where the cells use lactate for energy. If this shuttling mechanism is overstressed, lactate levels and fatigue rise and exercise becomes less sustainable. A great overview by Dr. Howard Luks is here.

When lactate concentrations begin to rise, intensity switches from easy to moderate, an inflection point known as LT1, broadly overlapping with aerobic threshold where athletes go from primarily burning fat to primarily burning glycogen. And when lactate levels rise more steeply at higher intensities, intensity transitions from moderate to hard, an inflection point known as LT2, broadly overlapping with traditional lactate threshold (or critical velocity, depending on the method of calculation). That encompasses the 3-Zone model used in research:

Those zones are used in research to determine intensity distribution. While these breakdowns are gross approximations, it can help to put some numbers on paper to get your bearings (all of these numbers have big error bars). 

So if we're using heart rate to approximate lactate and the associated physiological impacts of fatigue, why don't we just use lactate? Good question, you article-ruining jerk. In a perfect world, athletes may decide to prick themselves for blood lactate readings with every interval like they're Norwegian vampires. Practically, though, there's a lactate learning curve in the best of times that can lead to inaccurate data, and in the worst of times it can take some of the spontaneous artistry out of daily training. You can probably tell I'm scared of blood, needles, and vampires (whether traditional or sexy). 

For an easy way to scrub complex data files with HR variation, you can use the Strava Sauce browser plug-in, highlight the area you want to examine, and it will give averages without ever lapping the watch. When I calculate zones for athletes, I have found that you can also approximate LTHR from almost any hard workout with intervals 3 minutes or over by looking for spots in the file where heart rate stabilizes for 15-30 seconds before rising to less sustainable levels (and sometimes falling back toward that baseline in longer efforts). Be careful about using data from very hot days or long races over 90 minutes, when heart rate can sometimes be sustained above Friel's LTHR in ways that are not mirrored by the underlying physiology. 

A big key here: the data needs to be accurate. Chest-straps are ideal for these purposes, and if you are doing a workout to set heart rate zones, it's worth using the chest strap even if it feels like you're getting the heimlich maneuver from a weak octopus. While wrist-straps are rapidly improving in accuracy, there is extreme variation among athletes/watch brands. For example, my Garmin 745 seems to work really well in most circumstances (see this beautiful graph of a threshold workout). But other athletes don't have that success, and sometimes they send me heart rate files that look like Bitcoin price graphs (we are not sure why it's going up and down, but we can be pretty sure it's nefarious). 

How to Set Your Heart Rate Zones

Once you have the LTHR number, it's time to set those elusive zones. We're at another controversial point where the exact percentages are subject to extreme debate. The problem: when you validate heart rate data with lab tests, individual physiology varies substantially. LTHR narrows down that physiological variation to get an idea of zones, but the exact delineation depends on training history, muscle fiber typology, metabolic context, astrological sign, etc. Don't even get me started on Scorpios.

Here are the percentages that Megan and I like to use:

Let's dig into an example from my data. In February, I did a virtual bike race up a mountain. Using the Strava Sauce plug-in and highlighting the final 20 minutes of that hard effort, my LTHR was 172. While there is variance across sports and my heart rate is higher with running, that means my current zones for biking are approximately:

Your LTHR may increase with training and it will drop with age. Athletes are often between 165 and 175, though in professional athletes, I have seen numbers as high as 189 and as low as 152. You can see why dialing in your unique physiology is so important. An athlete with an LTHR of 160 needs to cap most of their easy runs at 140 heart rate (top end of Zone 2). Meanwhile, an athlete with an LTHR of 180 can go all the way up to 157! Often, everything about those athletes can look the same from the outside-same age, same PRs, same training, same potential. But they have very different hearts.

How To Use Your Heart Rate Zones

There are two places where having a general feel for your personal heart rate zones can be most helpful: understanding your Zone 2 (with LT1 as a cap) and determining the sustainability of longer efforts. First, let's break down how to think about each of the zones:

Knowing that Zone two cutoff can help calibrate an athlete's effort so they understand what terms like "easy," "steady," and "moderate" actually mean. Spot-checking heart rate periodically on harder efforts can ensure that athletes aren't going too hard, pushing everything into Zone five and reducing aerobic adaptations. I love athletes to get a feel for how high their heart rate gets on uphills especially, since excessive effort on ups can lead to reduced endurance and race performance. Zone 3 is your friend, in moderation. Zone four is your acquaintance. And spending too much time with Zone five will end with you folded up in a car trunk somewhere outside Las Vegas.

Takeaway

The big takeaway is that heart rate is just a proxy for fatigue processes, especially when calculated outside of a lab. The numbers can vary by the day, and they change across training blocks. Temperature, stress, caffeine, and political news all impact the numbers enough that caring too much about a few beats per minute is unhelpful. The day I first heard the nickname "Meatball Ron," I was in Zone three while sitting on the couch.

Instead, view heart rate as a way to calibrate your physiology in a general way, spot-checking your perceived exertion so that you know what you think your body is doing generally aligns with what your body is actually doing. Once an athlete dials in heart rate, I like them to look at it once every couple weeks during a run, and solely after-the-fact on other runs (if at all), never investing too much in small changes. Heart rate sometimes takes a while to respond, so I find it's rarely useful on shorter intervals.

If you train within the correct general range of intensities, whether guided by heart rate, lactate, and/or perceived exertion, you can improve output at Zone two and Zone three heart rates in particular, and because those efforts are more sustainable metabolically, you'll excel in races. You definitely don't need to have a heart rate monitor to achieve those goals. But you do need to have a good feel for your unique physiology. 

All of our bodies can be well-calibrated wonderlands. We sometimes just need a little bit of the sexiest thing of all: data.

But have blood-free hope! Using the method in the article, I have approximated zones for professional athletes that have later been validated in lab tests with small enough margins of error to be useful. However, it's key to get a full lab test for truly accurate data. Heart rate without lactate, metabolic, and/or ventilatory lab tests is like determining the time from where the sun is in the sky. With context clues, you can be close, but you wouldn't want to use it to cook a turkey.

Five-Zone Training Model

Now, let's finally get to the Five-Zone heart rate model that is used in most training approaches. The Three-Zone model is overlaid with green, yellow, and red (again, there is debate around the exact breakdown, particularly with the Zone three/Zone four delineation).

There are a few ways to set the zones, but I see the most repeatability and accuracy with the Lactate Threshold Heart Rate method pioneered by legendary coach Joe Friel. As outlined in Training Peaks, he suggests that athletes "do a 30-minute time trial all by yourself (no training partners and not in a race). Again, it should be done as if it was a race for the entire 30 minutes. But at 10 minutes into the test, click the lap button on your heart rate monitor. When done, look to see what your average heart rate was for the last 20 minutes." 

I like athletes to do the test on uphills, where they won't be limited by neuromuscular and biomechanical factors if they don't have a ton of speed training. If it wasn't a truly hard effort or your heart rate takes a lot of time to increase across an effort, you can take the average heart rate from a section as short as 10 minutes. Because this isn't an exact measurement like in a lab test, think of it as an art that is useful in understanding your body, rather than attempting to find a correct answer like high school algebra.

How to safely increase your training volume

Lithuanian ultrarunner Aleksandr Sorokin recently shared his August Strava data on social media, and for most runners, it reads like a what-not-to-do training plan. The ultrarunner, who holds seven world records on the track and road including the 100K (road), 100 miles (both road and track), and 24-hour run (road) is known for his huge regular mileage and hammering out two 40K runs in a single day.

“31 marathons distance completed in August, Sorokin shared on Instagram. “It was a tough month with great work for some good results for the future.” While Sorokin’s monthly mileage is mind-blowing, for the rest of us, increasing training volume should be done slowly and carefully. Here’s how.

Make sure to build a strong base

Before you start to really add mileage, make sure you have been running consistently for at least six months and have a solid foundation. These runs can (and should) be mostly done at a very easy pace–this will build your aerobic fitness and endurance.

Ignore the 10 per cent rule

The 10 per cent rule is commonly recommended for increasing training volume–and it may not be the best way to add mileage (mileage increases of not more than 10 per cent per week). There is no hard and fast rule that works for everyone, and you should maintain flexibility in your weekly volume to adjust depending on how you feel.

Volume should be added very gradually, allowing your body to adapt to the increased stress and reducing the risk of overuse injuries. For many runners, three or four per cent might be a better guideline, while others might be able to add 10 per cent or more without getting into trouble. Pay attention to how your body is responding.

Consider alternating hard and easy weeks

Periodized training is a popular method of training in phases or building blocks that usually include recovery weeks. While athletes often have three weeks that include some challenging workouts and one week of easier training to recover, alternating hard and easy weeks is a great option when adding mileage.

If you’re feeling extra tired or sluggish, take an extra rest day (or three). Paying attention to the messages your body is sending you is key to preventing injuries and building strength.

Focus on recovery

Whenever you’re adding volume or intensity to your running plan, recovery is the golden ticket to staying healthy. Prioritize rest and easy days. Make sure you are taking in sufficient calories and nutrients–this means on days when you aren’t running, as well. Recovery weeks or days are when the magic happens: your body works to repair microscopic tears in tissue and builds strength.

Increased mileage or focus on a big goal can also be challenging mentally. Make sure you are spending time on hobbies and interests outside of running and practising healthy self-care.

Four running truths from a 240-mile finisher

Arizona-based ultrarunner and body positivity advocate Callie Vinson recently shared on social media four running truths she wishes she had known sooner, and her words hit home for many runners. Vinson, whose own remarkable running journey includes finishing the Moab 240 after shedding 200 pounds, regularly shares info about training, crewing (for partner and elite runner Scott Traer) and body positivity on Instagram, and has developed a devoted following with her passion for inclusivity and her willingness to answer runners’ questions.

Learn these four lessons now to save yourself time and grief, and have way more fun on your runs.

1.- No one cares about your pace

Ever had a really slow run and felt like you needed to justify it on Strava? We’ve been there, and the truth is that absolutely nobody cares. (And if they do, that’s weird and an issue for them, not you.) Lose the fear of running slowly, whatever “slow” means to you. Not only does no one care, but running slowly actually has a multitude of benefits for your fitness and performance. Embrace those snail-like days, and lose the stress about what others think; as Vinson puts it, “run as slow or as fast as your li’l heart desires.”

2.- You don’t have to race

“There’s no rule you have to keep upping your distance,” Vinson shares. “Running for fun is perfectly okay.” When did we start telling ourselves that we had to race? For some runners, racing is added stress and takes away from the fun of running. You don’t need to be training for an event, increasing your mileage or ever planning to race, to be a runner.

3.- Hiking up a steep-a** hill counts

Whoever invented the idea that runners don’t walk has never been to an ultramarathon. While covering dozens (or hundreds) of miles, ultrarunners certainly walk (or “power hike”) up steep hills–it conserves energy when compared to running at the same speed on steep slopes. “It’s just science,” says Vinson, and she’s right.

Pro ultrarunner and scientist Keely Henninger wrote in Freetrail about a study she worked on that found that on inclines at or above 15.8 degrees, it was more than eight per cent more efficient for athletes to walk. No need to measure the grade of your incline–if you feel the need to walk up it, go for it.

4.- No one cares what you look like running

What goes for pace also carries over to appearance–ditch the concerns about how you appear to others. Many runners are working through the same insecurities, and they sure aren’t worried about how you look. When a runner passes by on the street, others are far more likely to be impressed with their dedication and fitness rather than scrutinizing their style or body. Learn from Vinson and embrace your running body, whatever it looks like.

Ten tips for running during your summer vacation

With many Peope getting in a last week or two of vacation before the kids head back to school and we return to our normal routines, late August is also a time when training regimes are in full swing for fall goal races. Embarking on a summer vacation doesn’t mean your training has to take a backseat. With a bit of planning and adaptation, you can maintain your fitness and enjoy your trip to the fullest.

Pack smart 

Don’t forget to pack your running gear, including shoes, moisture-wicking clothing and accessories like a hat and sunglasses. Choose lightweight and breathable fabrics to stay comfortable in the heat. Make sure to check the weather at your destination, so you are prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store.

Make use of laundry facilities

If you’re staying at an Airbnb or hotel with laundry facilities, make use of them. This will allow you to pack fewer running outfits, so you don’t need to bring an entire extra suitcase for all of your running gear. 

Plan your routes 

Research your destination beforehand and identify safe and scenic running routes. Beaches, parks, and waterfronts often offer picturesque paths. Apps like Google Maps or Strava can help you map out routes with distance and elevation information.

Adjust your schedule

Opt for early-morning or late-evening runs to avoid the hottest parts of the day, and to ensure your workouts don’t get in the way of whatever other activities you’ve planned. Running during sunrise or sunset can also provide a beautiful backdrop for your workout.

Variation is key 

Embrace the vacation spirit and mix up your routine. Run on the beach, explore new trails or try some hill sprints. Varying your terrain and intensity can make your runs more enjoyable.

Cross-train 

Use your vacation as an opportunity to try new activities. Swimming, biking, or even walking tours can be great ways to stay active without overloading your running routine.

Forgo any big workouts

Save any key workouts or fitness tests for when you’re back home. Instead, opt for fun, relatively short workouts that keep you feeling fresh without completely wiping you out. After all, you want to still have some energy left over to enjoy your vacation, and trying to hit a really hard or long workout when you’re out of your regular routine often doesn’t end well.

Look for local running groups 

Check whether there are any local running groups or events at your vacation spot. Running with others can be a fun way to explore the area and make new friends.

Don’t forget nutrition 

Balance indulgence with healthy choices. Enjoy local cuisine, but avoid planning a run after trying the spicy shrimp dish from the local food truck. Remember to drink plenty of water as well, so you’re well hydrated when you head out for your run.

Take some time for rest and relaxation 

Remember that vacations are also about recharging. If your body needs a break, don’t hesitate to take a day off running and focus on recovery.

Strava’s New Tool Helps Runners Calculate Carbon Savings

Strava's newest tool lets commuters check their estimated carbon savings when running, walking, or biking on the platform

Last week, Strava, the ubiquitously connected fitness app, announced a new tool allowing runners to check their estimated carbon savings when running, walking, or biking on the platform.

Strava hopes that the feature will further spotlight carbon savings and encourage more environmentally friendly modes of transportation among its users.

With more and more companies mandating a return to offices, commuting is back on the rise, and with global gas prices also on the rise, many commuters may turn to cycling or walking to work as an alternative. The app update will display the amount of carbon saved on user activities labeled as “commute,” which Strava hopes influences the platform’s more than 100 million users to choose less carbon-intensive means of commuting.

“At Strava, we are proud to consistently provide our community with product features and updates that motivate them to be more active,” said Brian Bell, Strava’s vice president of global communications and social impact. “The new feature unlocks a universal action that anyone on Strava can be part of, and our hope is that when armed with the power to choose between a less eco-friendly form of commuting versus a more human-powered approach—they bias towards the more sustainable option.” 

Since 2020, Strava has given free access to city planners, advocacy groups, and researchers to de-identified, aggregated commuting data via Metro, Strava’s proprietary web platform. Strava community members that opt-in can anonymously contribute to this dataset, which helps planners identify opportunities in their communities for infrastructural changes.

With this update, Strava has given its subscribers yet another tool that can be used for more than just tracking their runs or rides.

This Marathoner Started Running 40 Years Ago to Avoid Happy Hours

Now the sport is a major part of his life and a top source of freedom and happiness.

I started running to avoid happy hour—it’s true!—but it became so much more to me than that.

I played lacrosse in high school and college, so I ran as part of my training for the game. But in 1983, I started running after work to stay in shape and as a balance to the stress of starting a new career. To be totally honest, as an insurance broker in Chicago, there were too many opportunities to drink! Lunch, happy hour, and then we went out after dinner. So running afforded me the opportunity to say “I can’t drink at lunch because I’m running after work,” which also meant I’d miss the happy hour! In the beginning I had no real idea as to how to run, but I did read. I loved the books by George Sheehan and I read Runner’s World cover to cover! Runner’s World was one of my major sources for training plans back in the day. There were no apps in 1983, and I still don’t use training apps, although I love Strava. Eventually, I found races and then running clubs for a more collaborative experience. 

Racing changed everything because it focused my running into competition and I then became engaged in improvement. I ran my first race in 1983 just a few months into my training. It was called the Fell 10K, and it was held in Winnetka, Illinois. My 10Ks eventually lead to marathons. 

Running was a great way to meet people and to find more running groups, but the bug bit hard after my fifth marathon. I was living in Los Angeles in the 80s and became involved with a premier track club, and ran as part of the LA Celebrity Team in the Los Angeles Marathon in 1990. That allowed me to meet more runners and triathletes. 

Eventually I would go on to run the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon, London Marathon, and the Berlin Marathon. Then in honor of my 60th birthday in 2019, I made it my goal to run 60 marathons, and my 60th marathon was the Boston Marathon. 

My “why” hasn’t changed much, if at all over the years. I am a runner. It’s in my DNA. Of course, I am prepared for the day I might not be able to run but honestly I don’t think it will ever happen. It makes me feel alive—the feel of the wind on my face, the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, the smell of nature, and of course, there is no better time to think than when you are running. It’s very freeing for your brain because your body is occupied and fulfilled by the movement. One thing that made a huge impact on my running in my 60s was stretching more. I hated stretching, and in the first 37 years of my running life I only stretched when I was a member of a track club in Los Angeles. However, in 2020, luckily I found StretchLab and it changed my life—not just my running life, but everything, from getting into and out of the car to getting off the floor. My times also improved as my increased mobility translated to a much smoother form and fewer injuries. 

I also work out at Orangetheory Fitness, play hockey, and continue to run half marathons with friends. I plan to run my fourth Boston in 2028 for my 70th birthday, but otherwise my marathon days are behind me.

For me there is no life without running—any runner would understand that. Although my mileage has decreased in recent years, it’s simply a part of my life like eating, or traveling, or working. 

My first 10 years as a runner I watched my race time’s drop and my finishes improve. Those were heady days and I loved the competition. But a time will come when you have to face the fact you are getting slower. And when that happens, you will need to decide whether you can just run for the pure joy of it without a PR or whether you will let your ego sabotage something you love. I am completely at peace with running slower for the rest of my life in exchange for not running at all. In fact, I am grateful just to be able to do it at all.

These three tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Stretch more often

You have to be flexible. Two horrendous things occur when you are not mobile: First, you will get slower and second, you will get injured. Need I say more?

2. Cross train

Cross training provides the ability to run faster and further as you take the stress off your legs. Also, the training can help you have fewer injuries.

3. Listen to your body

To my fellow runners I want to emphasize taking care of yourself. I followed a simple rule. If it hurts to walk, I don’t run. If I have a chest cold or lung infection I don’t run. Rest is remarkable. Once you get over the fear of missing training you will enjoy the thrill of regaining your fitness level over and over. I won’t lie to you: I hate rest days but I’ve learned they help me to extend my ability to run injury free and that’s priceless.

John’s Must-Have Gear

→ Garmin Fenix 6: Is there anything more important than measuring your time and distance? This also measures heart rate while you are running, and it even tracks your sleep.

→ Asics Gel Kayano Running Shoes: I enjoy all their products and have trained for most of my 60 marathons (and countless other races) in their shoes. The engineering is second to none. 

→ GymBoss Timing Device: I have been running the Jim Galloway style (that’s the walk/run method) for 17 years, and this little device makes it so easy.

Amputee ultrarunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma takes on 5,250 kilometer challenge for cancer research

Bladerunner Jacky Hunt-Broersma celebrated being 21 years cancer-free by setting out on a new challenge: the Arizona-based athlete and coach will be running a half marathon a day (21.1K a day) from Aug. 1 until she reaches 5,250 kilometers. Aug. 1 is both the athlete’s amputee anniversary and marks 21 years of being cancer-free, she shared on social media, and this challenge is to honor cancer survivors, those fighting cancer and those who have lost their lives.

Dubbed the ‘Doing Hard Things’ project, Hunt-Broersma chose the distance to represent the number of people fighting cancer each day.”I had Ewing sarcoma,” the runner shared. “I was one of the lucky ones to survive and I’m so grateful to be alive and be able to move. I think movement is so important to not only keep us healthy but also help us cope mentally.”

Hunt-Broersma is raising funds for cancer research and will be dedicating each day to someone fighting cancer or who has lost their life to the disease, and guesses it will take her about 250 days to complete the distance.

Hunt-Broersma lost her lower left leg to Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the tissue around bones, in 2002. While she always lived a healthy lifestyle, she didn’t start running until 2016, when she signed up for a 5K race. Taking on challenging adventures is not new for Hunt-Broersma: she ran 104 marathons in 104 days in 2021, raising over $200,000 for amputee runners, and ran 50K a day for two weeks in July 2022.

The name of her latest project comes from a phrase that carried her through her 104 marathon streak. “When I was running the 104 marathons in 104 days I’d often need encouragement and I’d whisper to myself ‘you can do hard things’ to keep me going when it got really hard,” she explains. “At one point during the marathons, I started believing in myself and that whisper changed to a louder mantra: ‘I can do hard things, I can do hard things.’ ”

The athlete invites runners and walkers of all levels to come out and join her on her daily half-marathon, and will be sharing the location and times of her runs on social media. Runners can show their solidarity from afar by joining the Strava group she has created, called “I can do hard things.” Hunt–Broersma wants everyone to feel included,  she shared on Instagram. “I’m hoping it will create an encouraging space where everyone will feel welcome.”

Here’s What Strava Data Says About Your New Year’s Resolution

Time for a six-month check-in! Here’s what the data says about how athletes are sticking to their goals in 2023.

Less than nine percent of Americans are able to stick to their New Year’s resolutions for a full year, according to one study. In 2023, the most common resolution for Americans was to exercise more. But, when it comes to setting SMART goals, we runners are smarter, right?

Many runners set ambitious goals for their yearly mileage. According to Strava, 53 percent of runners who set yearly mileage goals for 2023 are on track to achieve those goals– with plenty of year to spare. Staying on track towards a yearly mileage goal is a balancing act that requires athletes to manage their training load over the course of a year. In 2022, 22.8 percent of athletes finished less than 20 percent shy of their goal– and 12.5 percent completed 90 percent of their yearly goal volume –so close, and yet, so far!

The most popular year-end goal for Strava users was 1,000 kilometers, followed by 1,000 miles (so much to love about an affinity for big, round numbers that transcends the Imperial/Metric system binary!). There was also a spike in interest in 2023k and 2023M goals, because…2023. To meet that goal, runners would need to log just under three miles or three kilometers a day, or 18 miles a week. Doable? Definitely.

Let’s take a deep dive into the data to examine what strategies help, and what strategies hinder runners en route to achieving their yearly mileage.

Runners tend to hit more mileage in the warmer months (surprising no one who, resigned to logging winter miles on the treadmill, ran out of Great British Bake Off reruns). According to Strava’s data, the athletes who met their yearly mileage goals tended to log more runs in August, September, and October. These months, in that tender spot between the heat of the summer and the chill of winter, gave athletes an opportunity to bank some miles before daylight savings and December.

Runners who met their goals tended to run up to 10 percent more than was needed for their goal in these months (also coinciding with the pinnacle of summer trail race season and preparation for fall marathons). September tended to be the goal-meeter’s peak month, with average monthly volume 33 percent higher than December 2022. For the best shot at meeting your year-end goal, the time to recommit to consistency is now.

Strava’s data shows that waiting for a last-minute push isn’t a productive method for runners looking to meet their year-end goals. Athletes tended to trend under the consistency needed for their goals in February, November and December. Colder weather and shorter days provide enough friction to prevent many athletes from reaching the goals they were excited about in January. Even among folks who met their year-end goals, November and December, with all their holiday travel and schedule interruptions, were the lowest-volume months of the year, with December being the lowest month of all.

The best advice for staying consistent enough to meet your goals is to not let one missed day become three, then become a week, then become a month off. It’s okay to have a down week, or even a down month as long as you’re able to maintain a base of consistency.

Among the runners who met their yearly goals in 2022, 52 percent ran less in June than was required for their goal. Almost half of runners who ultimately met their yearly goal went into June behind pace and used August, September, and October as an opportunity to make up for some lost volume. 20 percent of runners who were 20 percent behind their goals going into July of 2022 ended up making it up by the end of the year. So, right now is the perfect time to take stock of where you’re at, and recommit to those year-end goals.

Analyzing thousands of Strava uploads, there were clear patterns among runners who were able to meet their year-end goals vs. those who fell short. Here’s what we learned from the data:

Consistency is key. Big, year-long goals aren’t achieved through one-off heroic efforts, but by doing the best you can to get out as often as is healthy and productive for your training. Athletes who met their goals had about 15 percent more active days than folks who didn’t. So, if you’re struggling to meet your goal, consider adding an additional, lower-volume day to your run week.

Travel tips for runners: keep training simple away from home

It’s the season for road trips, family get-togethers and spontaneous getaways, and for many runners that means trying to fit in our regular training around an unpredictable schedule. While travel is fun and exciting, it can also be stressful, and logging some miles can help ease mental angst. Here’s how to make the most of your trip, wherever you go, while squeezing in some quality run time.

Plan ahead (while packing!)

Make sure you have your running gear handy on your trip. If you’re flying, keep a set of running clothes and shoes in your carry-on–that way you can head out for a run if you’re unexpectedly delayed somewhere. Hey, maybe you’ll even find an airport Strava segment to tackle.

Map out your routes

Do your homework before your trip, if possible, making safety your goal. Many towns have a local running store, and contacting them can be a great way to get info. If you have some serious intervals planned, calculate how long they will take you and plan out a route that takes you out and back. It sounds silly, but doing the mapping and math pre-trip will make it that much easier to hop out of bed, lace up and head out (and you’ll have one less excuse to miss a run). Apps like Trailforks and Strava can be very useful.

Run early

Hey, maybe you love your sunset runs and find the pre-dawn efforts a struggle–me too. On a recent trip, I discovered that I was far more likely to fit in my run if I managed to get up before everyone else and grind it out. It’s tempting to imagine you’ll fit in your run in the evening before bed or supper, but if you’re like me, you’ll be too tired from the day’s adventures or end up having a jam-packed schedule. Those sunrise runs grow on you, I promise. Heading out for your day having already fit in your running is a huge mental boost, as well.

Fill your family (or coworkers) in

Let the people you are with know what you’re up to. It’s important to tell people where you’re headed if you’re running outside, particularly in new-to-you areas (safety first!) but fitting in your runs will be easier if everyone is on board. Better yet, invite your travel companions or hosts to run with you. You may have to change up your pace, but having company will make the miles fly by, and you may help out an aspiring beginner runner.

Be flexible

Remember that skipping a run won’t derail your fitness, and taking things slowly because others are joining you should be fun, not frustrating. Stressing about your training may cause you to miss out on adventures and experiences while traveling. Finding a balance can be tricky, but opt for maximum fun. Don’t be afraid to switch things up, and head out on a bike ride or a hike instead of your scheduled speed session. You’ll create lasting memories, and your VO2 max will be just fine.

Strava unveils two new game-changing features

Attention Strava subscribers! Brace yourselves for two cutting-edge updates coming to the world’s most popular social media app for runners. These game-changing features will forever alter the way you use the app. With the new Waypoints feature, you can now draw and create your route, adding specific stops along the way. Plus, the Best Efforts feature allows you to view your top 10 fastest runs, tracking your progress like never before.

Draw your route with Waypoints

Many Strava users have eagerly awaited an upgrade to the route-designing feature, and their wishes have been answered with the introduction of the Waypoints feature, set to revolutionize your route-planning experience. With Waypoints, placing specific stops between the start and finish becomes a breeze, thanks to the new waypoint button and long-pressing on the map. This feature will build a route in the vicinity where you want to run, displaying specific viewpoints or landmarks en route.

“Strava adds Spotify integration in new update” — Canadian Running Magazine

View on the original site.

View your Best Efforts

Progress tracking on Strava has never been easier, thanks to its Best Efforts feature, now available for running. This new update brings an insightful experience, showcasing their top 10 efforts in distances ranging from one mile to 50K. The Best Efforts feature allows for effortless comparisons of your achievements, offering a glimpse of your progress over time. Strava subscribers can access their Best Efforts through the Progress tab on their profile, making it a breeze to stay motivated and on track.

Hold on tight, these exciting new updates are exclusively available to Strava subscribers. If you haven’t joined the club yet, now’s the time to unlock a world of endless possibilities and take full advantage of your training data.

British man runs 200 marathons in 200 days with his dogs

A 40-year-old British man and his two dogs have hit a marathon milestone, completing their 200th 42.2-km run in 200 days. Aaron Robinson of London, along with his border collies—one-year-old Inca and two-year-old River—hit their 200th consecutive day of running the marathon distance on Thursday.

The streak has already more than doubled the men’s official world record for the most consecutive days running the marathon distance—82, set by India’s Devdutt Sharma in January. But Robinson told BBC News he doesn’t plan to stop as long as his dogs remain eager to go on their extended mornining walks, which Robinson says typically last five hours. “I just want to run and push myself and do as many as we can,” he said. If the dogs want to run in the morning, then we’ll run.”

Robinson said he has stayed injury free so far during the streak, and that he’s consistently resisted the temptation to sleep in—he and the dogs get up at 3 a.m. to fit in the run before Robinson goes to work—but that he came very close to giving up on Day 171. “I did five miles and I thought, ‘I’ve had enough of this, I can’t do this any more,'” he told BBC News, adding that he then stopped and posted on Strava that his record attempt was over. “Then my dogs had a very stern word with me—words I couldn’t possibly repeat … and said, ‘Get back out there and finish this.’ So that’s what we did and now we’re still going. So it’s thanks to my dogs that we’re still doing this.”

Border collies are known to be exceptional runners that can easily outpace their owners. The number of kilometres a dog can run can vary depending on the dog’s breed, health, attention span and training.

Earlier in his streak, Robinson told the Daily Mail that he faced a lot of heat online for putting this mileage on his dogs, but he defended himself: “Since border collies are working dogs, if they weren’t pets they would be used to working on a farm all day, so they’re very used to running and working hard, and actually the cruel thing is just to keep them inside,” said Robinson. “They love it.”

Robinson is using the streak to raise funds for the charity he works for, Hope for Justice, which fights against modern-day slavery and human trafficking

Spice Up Your Typical Running Route With These 7 Variations

From out-and-back challenges to artistic ventures, explore the most common types of running routes that will ignite your passion.

There is nothing wrong with having your favorite running route—you can run it mindlessly and you already know the distance, so you shouldn’t encounter any surprises. But there are even better reasons to mix up your running route planning. New routes will boost your motivation, bring a new wave of inspiration, and help you avoid burnout. What’s not to love?

So with that, let’s spice up your running and discuss some of the most common types of running routes that you can do almost anywhere.

Out and Back

Choose a great starting and end point. While your home may be the most convenient spot, riding your bike or driving to a different starting point may be a whole lot more exciting.

While there is nothing wrong with running even splits for your out and back, to mix it up, maybe challenge yourself to run the return route faster (or whatever other challenge you’d like to tackle). Increasing your turnover/speed will bring more of a challenge to the experience. Think “what goes up, must come down,” and as you make the turnaround, lean more forward in your running with a mindset of finishing strong.

Lollipop

This route is an intersection where a loop meets an out-and-back. If you’re not a fan of turning on your heel and running straight back, choose a route with a little loop at the end of it. It can be a detour to a convenience store for a sports drink, a fountain, or simply a place that speaks to you. 

Figure Eight or Four-Leaf Clover

These routes involve running four loops or out-and-backs, all returning to the same starting point. Home would be an excellent base for this one, giving you the opportunity to get a sip of a drink or use the bathroom before going back out. 

This particular option may be great for a day where you’re less focused on your mileage or pace, and lean more into the pretty drawing your route will create once you finish. Have you ever seen runners uploading completed runs depicting all kinds of amazing pictures? Get artistic starting with this route, who knows where it will take you next!

Running Every Street in Your Neighborhood

Determine an approximate area or neighborhood you’d like to cover, and then try to run every street within. This style will really help keep your mind engaged as you plot how to get to the street or alley you have not run yet.

Rolling Hills 

Hills pay the bills, baby! Sticking with hills is the best race currency, so for this one, choose a route that is as hilly as it is flat-ish.

Chart a course that will include hills along the way. This includes both uphills and downhills with winding roads along some flat terrain. Lean into the uphill and crest the hill standing tall, then settle back into any flat, followed by running downhill with control. Allow gravity to take over some of the control. I wasn’t always a fan of this type of route, but after maturing and seeing the positive impact of hill training during my races, it’s now my favorite type. Respect and welcome hill training.

Set Up a Rule

Before you head out the door, think of a rule for your run: It could be turning left whenever you see a red light, or maybe turning right every time a car of a certain color passes by you. The goal is to have fun with it.

Loop +Turned Into a Tour

This one is as great to put to use in your neighborhood or city as it is while you’re visiting a new place. Plot some stops worth seeing or visiting as you do a full roundabout.

Using software like Garmin Connect, Coros, MapMyFitness, Runkeeper, or Strava, you can simply input the goal distance and direction (N, S, E, W), and these technologies will return you a route in seconds. Make sure to double-check the routes go through parts of town where you feel safe running and preferably away from busy traffic. There is usually a toggle heatmap feature that will follow routes frequented by others.

Now for the fun part, pick your milestones when you’re in a new location: From murals, historic markers, convenience stores, and restaurants to a popular park, outdoor area, and entertainment or theater district, there are many ways to add life to this loop option. Have fun with it!

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When you consistently stress the body and the mind, you are changing your chemical makeup. Here’s what the latest science tells us about burnout

Kieran Abbotts is a PhD student at the University of Oregon, studying human physiology. He earned his master’s degree in Metabolism and Exercise Physiology at Colorado State University. The lab where he now works studies exercise and environment and stressors on physiology. In other words, he’s an expert on how the chemicals in the body work during exercise, and what happens when things get out of whack.

“Essentially, there are two kinds of training. There’s functional overreaching, which means you stress the body with hard workouts and long runs. Then you provide adequate time to recover, and you induce adaptations,” Abbotts said. This kind of training is ideal—your body is getting stronger. “You want to be functionally overreaching as an elite athlete—so that you’re making progress and becoming a better runner, but also giving yourself adequate recovery.”

And then there’s non-functional overreaching, which can feel the same to many athletes, but it’s very different. “With non-functional overreaching you’re essentially doing the same thing—big workouts, stressing the body—but not giving yourself enough time to recover. And so you start doing damage.” That damage might take a long time to show itself, Abbots said, but it eventually will.

This might be the most important thing to know about being an athlete at any level. Non-functional overreaching is exactly the same as very healthy training, except without enough rest. And rest is different for everyone, which makes it exceptionally easy to slip from functional overreaching into damaging non-functional overreaching without realizing it. Without adequate rest, the body begins to break down instead of build stronger.

Stress Is Stress

Professional ultrarunner Cat Bradley, 31, living in Hawaii, has experienced fatigue and burnout in various forms, including just after she won Western States in 2017.

Winning a big race is great, but it also means all eyes are on you—the pressure is high to stay on top. “After winning Western States, I took a month off, but I was still running at a high level. And for lack of a better term, I felt like I had a gun to my back,” Bradley said. “I wanted Western States so badly, and after I won, so many things happened and I never shook that gun-to-the-back feeling. After a while, it led to burnout. I had to take a mental break.”

For many athletes, finding success can be the stress that makes non-functional overreaching feel necessary. How can you take an extended break when you’re winning and signing new sponsor contracts?

A second version of burnout for Bradley came when she went through an especially stressful situation outside of running. She was dealing with such extreme daily emotional stress in her personal life that everything else was affected, including running and training. When the body is enduring stress, it doesn’t know (or care) what the cause is. We can’t put our life into silos. If there’s stress in one’s life, everything else needs to be adjusted. It doesn’t matter if that stress is “just work” or illness, or relationships.

When you’re overtraining or chronically overstressed, your body is creating higher levels of “catecholamines,” hormones released by your adrenal glands during times of stress like epinephrine, norepinephrine, or adrenaline. “Having those chronically high levels of overstimulation and not enough recovery, you wind up with a desensitization,” Abbotts said. “Overstimulation also causes decreased levels of plasma cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone, and it plays a very important role in your physiology.”

When you’re exercising or stressing the body, cortisol will go up, to help the body deal with the stress. But if you’re constantly requiring lots of cortisol, your body will eventually down-regulate. It will adapt and then you’ll have low levels of cortisol. This means trouble dealing with physical and mental stress.

In February, Bradley experienced her most recent version of burnout, and it happened mid-race. Bradley was running the Tarawera 100-miler in New Zealand. Besides training for such a big race, she was also working full-time and planning and preparing for her wedding, which was just days after the race. On top of everything, travel to the event was incredibly stressful.

“I was in fourth place, I could see third, and at mile 85, I passed out and hit my head on a rock,” Bradley said. “We can talk about the reasons that I fainted, but I really think my brain just shut down—it was too much.”

For Bradley, reaching burnout has a lot more to do with outside stressors than the actual running. But now she’s aware of that—she continues to work on not reaching the “gun-to-the-back” feeling. The need to please others. The fear of losing fitness in order to take care of her body. It’s an ongoing process, but an important one.

Overdoing Is the American Way

Professional ultrarunner Sally McRae said, based on her observations, Americans are really bad at taking time off. “I’ve traveled the world and Americans are really bad at resting,” she said. “It’s part of our work system. You go anywhere in Europe and everyone takes a month-long holiday. You have a kid and you take a year off. We’re not conditioned like that in America. It’s like you get one week and then after you work a decade, you get two weeks of vacation.”

For McRae, avoiding burnout and overtraining has a lot to do with creating a life that’s sustainable. She started working when she was 15-years-old, so she realized earlier than most that life couldn’t just be working as hard as possible to count down to retirement.

“Perspective is massive when it comes to burnout. My goal every year is to find the wonder and the beauty and the joy in what I do. Because it’s my job, but it’s also my life,” McRae said. “And I really believe we’re supposed to rest—it should be a normal part of our life. Whether that’s taking a vacation or taking an off-season. I take a two-month offseason and I have for a long time.”

One of the most important parts about rest and not overstressing the body is that everyone is different. An overstressed body can lead to hormonal imbalances, which in turn affects everything.

“When you’re overtraining, you tend to get mood changes and have trouble sleeping,” Abbotts said. “Two of the big things that stand out are, you’re exhausted but you can’t sleep. And the other is irritability—mood swings, and depression.” When you get to the point that you’ve overstressed your body for so long that the chemicals are changing, pretty much everything starts falling apart.

And even though everyone is different, you’d never know that from looking at social media. “I know social media makes it seem like ultrarunners are running 40 miles a day, doing a 100-mile race every other weekend,” McRae said. “And that’s insane. You’ve got to be in touch with yourself. It’s very different to wake up and feel sore or tired, but if you wake up and feel like you have no joy in the thing you’re doing, you need a real break from it.”

How Can the Running Community Do Better?

Elite ultrarunner and running coach Sandi Nypaver wants runners to get more in touch with how they’re feeling and less concerned about numbers or what anyone else is doing.

“I have to have honest talks with people I’m coaching. I need them to feel like they can tell me how they feel, because sometimes they think they have to stick to the training plan for the week no matter what,” she said. “But the plan is never set in stone. It’s meant to be adjusted based on how you’re feeling. Some weeks we might feel great and not need to change anything, while other weeks we might have to totally crash the plan and do something else.”

It’s easy to judge ourselves against everyone else, especially when results and reactions are so public and available.

“It’s easy to say, ‘if that person only took three days off after a big race, and now they’re already back to training, that must be what you’re supposed to do,’” she said. “But even at the highest level, training is different for everyone. Resting is different for everyone.”

“Something that’s really, really hard for many runners to understand is that once you’re not sore anymore, that you’re still not recovered,” Nypaver said. “A lot of research says that things are still going on in your body for up to four weeks after, for certain races, depending on the distance.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to be aware of subtle signs when the soreness is gone. “Convincing people that they need to chill out for a while, even past the soreness, can be really difficult.” But after a huge effort, and before the next, people rarely end up saying things like, “I really wish I hadn’t rested so thoroughly.” Part of it is actually having a recovery plan. Putting rest days on the calendar, focusing on foam rolling and mobility on days that you’re not “doing.”

“And, actually just relaxing. Taking it easy. It’s not just a running model, we live in a culture where we’re always being asked to do more,” Nypaver said. “I wish instead of always thinking about doing more, we’d focus on how we want to be more. A lot of us want to be more relaxed and less stressed and happier and enjoy our lives. We need to put our attention on that instead of trying to do so much. It’s something I struggle with all the time.”

We don’t get validation for resting, relaxing, and being present because there’s no tangible thing to show for it. There’s no “be really calm often” challenge on Strava. But the bigger rewards are great. You just have to trade in immediate dopamine hits for a much more balanced, happier life.

Simple, right?

“One thing I’m doing, and asking my athletes to do, is to write down your intentions,” Nypaver said. “One of my intentions is to chill out more this summer and enjoy it. I grew up thinking it’s all about running, and I have to go all-in on running. But having other outlets, other things that I like to do, is so important.”

When you’ve reached burnout—an extended period of non-functional overreaching, prolonged rest is the only way to let the body fix itself.

“Once you are overtrained, you need to stop training,” Abbotts said. “It’s just kind of the bottom line. Maybe some people can get away with greatly reducing their training load, but most of the time you need to stop. You need an extended amount of time off.”

There’s nothing glamorous about rest. There’s no prize money in relaxing. But it’s the absolute key ingredient in extended performance, and in a much healthier, happier life.

Ingebrigtsen and Girma go head-to-head in hunt for fast 1500m in Lausanne

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Lamecha Girma both made history earlier this month in Paris, where they set a world two-mile best and a world 3000m steeplechase record, respectively. Now they have the chance to push each other to fast 1500m performances when they return to Wanda Diamond League action in Lausanne on Friday (30).

Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, who broke the world indoor 1500m record by running 3:30.60 in Lievin in February, clocked 7:54.10 in Paris to improve Daniel Komen’s world best for two miles. Despite still having that race in his legs, the 22-year-old improved his own European 1500m record to 3:27.95 in Oslo six days later – a time that places him sixth on the world all-time list.

Although the world record had not been his aim in Oslo, Lausanne’s Athletissima gives Ingebrigtsen another opportunity to take further strides toward Hicham El Guerrouj’s almost 25-year-old world record of 3:26.00.

“I 100% have more left in me,” Ingebrigtsen said after his performance in Oslo. “I just have to keep focused on each race ahead in the build-up to Budapest (World Championships), where it really matters.”

Girma will hope to be up there with him. The Ethiopian 22-year-old stormed to a time of 7:52.11 for his specialism in Paris, taking 1.52 seconds off the world 3000m steeplechase record set by Said Saeed Shaheen in 2004, and then turned his attention to attacking the Ethiopian 1500m record of 3:29.91 at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday (27). He still looked like he had plenty left in the closing stages but having to run wide down the home straight, he focused on the win, running a PB of 3:33.15 that he will aim to improve again in Lausanne.

It will be the first time that Ingebrigtsen and Girma have clashed in any discipline.

In Oslo, Ingebrigtsen led the first eight men under 3:30 for the first time in history, and this time the line-up includes two other men who have dipped under that barrier so far in their careers: Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr and Australia’s Stewart McSweyn. They are joined on the entry list by Ethiopia’s Teddese Lemi, New Zealand’s Sam Tanner and Britain’s Neil Gourley.

In the 5000m – the discipline in which Ingebrigtsen won world gold last year after his 1500m silver – Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei will take on Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Selemon Barega, world 5km record-holder Berihu Aregawi, Telahun Haile Bekele, Birhanu Balew and their fellow sub-13:00 runner Muktar Edris.

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, world U20 silver medallist Sembo Almayew is back on the track after her world-leading PB performance of 9:00.71 to win in Florence. The 2021 world U20 gold medallist, Jackline Chepkoech, was second on that occasion and is also racing, along with world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe.

The world leader also heads the entries in the women’s 800m, where world and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson – who improved her British record to 1:55.77 to win in Paris – will look to make another statement as she renews her rivalry with Kenya’s Mary Moraa.

World bronze medallist Moraa, who won Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles ahead of Hodgkinson last year, has run a best of 1:58.72 so far this season and the strong field also features Habitam Alemu, Noelie Yarigo, Jemma Reekie, Catriona Bisset, Natoya Goule and Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who recently ran a world U20 1000m record of 2:34.89 in Nice.

Five ridiculous workouts from ultrarunner Aleksandr Sorokin

Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin has five ultrarunning world records to his name, and it is his grueling training sessions and mileage that set him apart from other endurance athletes. Leading up to his recent 100km world record in Vilnius, Lithuania, the 41-year-old averaged 300 kilometers per week, with some ridiculous training sessions. Here’s a glance at a few of them.

1.- 40 reps of 1,000m with 1-2 minutes’ rest

Kilometer repeats can feel long for most runners; now imagine doing 40 of them. This workout from Sorokin is mind-boggling. He averaged three minutes and 28 seconds per kilometer over the 40 reps. According to his Instagram post about the workout, he told his long-time coach Sebastian Białobrzeski that he wanted to cry after finishing rep #20. (Sania, we don’t blame you.)

2.- Three reps of 10K progressions off 1K

Adding progression runs to your training is a great way to improve your endurance and help your body adapt to running longer distances and sustaining higher intensities. It also plays a role in building mental stamina. In Sorokin’s case, this 30K progression workout is to help him get familiar with world record paces when fatigued. This can be a good session for someone training for a marathon, but the workout would be way too much mileage for any distance under 30K.

3.- Five reps of 5K with three minutes’ rest

In the lead-up to the 2023 Seville Marathon in Spain, Sorokin threw down this wild 5K session, averaging 3:15-3:20 per kilometer off three minutes’ rest between reps. The 41-year-old ended up placing 118th overall in a time of 2:25:33.

If you switch the workout to three or four reps with the same amount of rest, it can be a good workout for those training for a half-marathon or marathon, as it simulates your race effort.

4.- 10 reps of 2K, off 1K float

This might be the least ridiculous Sorkoin workout of the five, but it’s still 30 kilometers of volume and done at a fast pace. Similar to the 5K workout above, this can be done at your goal half or marathon pace. The thing about float rest is, you have the ability to mark the workout as hard as you want. The faster you float (faster than a jog), the harder the workout will be, and vice-versa.

5.- 42-kilometer steady run

A week after breaking his 100K record by six seconds in 6:05:35, the Lithuanian star celebrated his achievement on his Strava in typical ultrarunning fashion, heading out for a casual 42.2-kilometer steady run in two hours and 50 minutes.

Sorokin hasn’t always been a runner; he did not start until 2013, at 32. In a 2021 interview with Canadian Running, Sorokin told us that he began running to get in shape, when he weighed 100 kg (220 lb.). “At the time I wasn’t playing any sports, just drinking and smoking a lot,” he said. After a few months of training, he entered a half-marathon, and a few weeks after that, he saw an advertisement for a 100 km race in Lithuania and began his ultrarunning career. (And the rest is history.)

Four tips for clearing mental hurdles on tough trail runs

A tough trail run can be even more of a grind on the brain than it is on the body. While running offers a mental challenge whether you’re doing intervals on the track or sweating bullets on a treadmill, hitting the trail can present unique psychological hurdles, particularly for those who are new to this kind of running. Consider these tips for staying level-headed on uneven terrain during your next trail run.

1.- Build confidence through preparedness

Getting in the right frame of mind for a challenging trail run starts well before you take your first steps. Reduce anxiety and doubt by going into your run confident and prepared. For trail runners, confidence begins with having the information you need to navigate your route safely. Familiarizing yourself with a section of the trail beforehand by checking an online map or following a well-worn route that others have already laid out using an app, such as Strava, can spare you from uncertainty and mental stress on your run.

For those runners who embrace the trails as a chance to explore and lose themselves in the woods, having a map—digital or otherwise—handy in the event of a very wrong turn can strike a good compromise between being adventurous and being prepared. If planning a run at a park or conservation area, it never hurts to check the site’s website before heading out for any trail closures or conditions that might otherwise throw you for a loop.

2.- Find a partner

Partnering up with a runner familiar with the area can help you conserve your mental strength in several ways. In addition to offering added peace of mind that you’ll be able to navigate the trails safely—and have someone there to help in case of a serious injury or other medical emergency—an experienced partner can offer insights that simply can’t be gleaned from a map. Getting a heads-up about easy-to-overlook tree roots, patches of poison ivy and other hidden hazards of the trail can keep your creeping uncertainty at bay. More than that, a buddy who knows the area can offer tips to maximize your effort and make your outing more fun. These might include sharing the most strategic areas for walking, upping the pace or taking in nutrition, as well as points of interest like the best places for snapping a photo or spotting wildlife. Those benefits aside, just engaging in conversation can help a tough trail run seem less taxing,

3.- Ask yourself helpful questions

Self-talk can promote a positive mindset on challenging runs, but this type of tool often isn’t used to its potential. Some runners may find comfort in repeating mantras like “I’m stronger than I think” or “pain is temporary,” while others may find the technique monotonous and mentally draining. Instead of limiting your self-talk to statements, try switching to questions. A helpful question to ask yourself when struggling on your run is: “What’s the easiest thing I can do right now that can help me feel more relaxed while staying at the same effort?” This kind of question not only asserts your ability to improve how you perceive your run, but also invites you to scan your body and see where you might be holding stress. Are you clenching your fists? Could your shoulders be looser, or your breathing just a bit slower or deeper? Exploring these questions can do wonders to shift your mental focus from discomfort to ease.

4.- Let your environment work for you

Similar to the way asking yourself the right questions can promote greater ease through mindfulness, being aware of your immediate environment can help keep you grounded mentally. One of the appeals of trail running is the sensory experience it can provide, not just through sights but through the sounds, smells and even the feel of your surroundings. Making a conscious effort to pay attention to all your senses on your run can help you cut through negative mental chatter and make your experience richer and more rewarding.

Run Commuting Could Benefit Your Training

First, it was the check engine light in my car.

Then it was the rear derailer on my bike.

With my two primary modes of transportation out of commission, I decided to take to the streets and try run commuting to work.

It seemed like the perfect way to boost my mileage and revamp my training with new routes. So I laced up my shoes, invested in some dry shampoo and hit the road.

Besides its obvious transportation value, run commuting has many benefits for even the most road-averse trail runners.

"I definitely believe that run commuting helps my trail running," says ultra-champ Michael Wardian, of Washington, D.C. "It takes planning, carrying a load, perseverance and dedication."

Much like packing and planning for a big trail run or race, commuting takes a bit of prep. I cross-referenced Google Maps and Strava for routes that balanced efficiency and less traffic. Find out how long your commute should take you, then give yourself extra wiggle room for clean up. Your office mates will thank you.

"Make sure you can shower at work and have a place to store clean and stinky clothes," says Sharman. "As well as a determination to run rain or shine."

I typically found myself trying to travel as fast and light as possible-just carrying the clothes (and deodorant) that I'd need for the day. However, there were several less-than-ideal trips that found me slogging either a gallon of milk, a laptop or one very unfortunate casserole. As good as most running packs are, I have yet to find one that can accommodate a lasagna.

Carrying a laptop takes some getting used to, as well. After an unfortunate incident involving my computer and some salad dressing, I began to wrap everything in ziploc bags. Because of all the jostling involved in run commuting, I discovered that foods like salads and grain bowls were much more portable than sandwiches, which are prone to disassembly en route.

"I think the attitude needed is just one of adventure and determination," says Wardian. "There will be obstacles that try and derail your run commute, but if you are committed it will be one of the best things ever."

Get in more miles 

Run commuting is also an effective way to squeeze in extra miles by breaking up training into bite-sized chunks throughout the day. A three-mile run to and from work made logging consistent double-digit miles much easier than trying to bang out a half marathon right before work.

"Volume is important for training, and in cities it can be difficult to squeeze in enough miles, especially with most professional jobs," says Ian Sharman, four-time Leadville Trail 100 winner. Sharman, who used to run commute in London, believes that run commuting can be hugely beneficial to any trail runner's training with a little bit of planning and a sense of adventure.

"Although the terrain was typically not even remotely hilly, I included running around parks by taking a less direct route home," he says. "That factored in some grass and dirt."

Save gas money and add it to your running fund

Besides investing in a comfy pack and military-grade deodorant, run commuting is cheap. I didn't buy gas, and my legs required less upkeep than my bicycle. Run commuting is also one of the greenest ways to get around, and I found that starting my day with a peaceful jaunt to work was much more pleasant than sitting in traffic.

"Run commuting has opened my eyes to the fact that you don't have to drive everywhere," says Wardian. "There are so many errands that can be done on foot and under your own power, and I love that."

While run commuting is generally mood and energy boosting, it's not without its challenges. I endured rain, wind, hail and plenty of less-than-stellar hair days. However, with minimal gear and a good attitude, I found the benefits of run commuting far outweighed both the scorching heat and sogginess.

Despite several slip ups like forgetting shoes and having to rock my sneaks with a little black dress, or arriving to work hours late after taking a wrong turn, I loved run commuting. I got to know the most efficient and scenic routes from my house to just about everywhere in town. I loved the moments of solitude it granted me at the beginning and end of every day.

Mike Wardian's best advice for newbie run commuters?

"Just start"

Plan Your Run Commute

Gear up, size down. Travel-sized soaps, shampoos or wipes help save space and weight, and leave you feeling fresh after your morning commute. Dry shampoo or baby powder can help alleviate sweaty hairlines. I learned how to blow-dry bangs in a hand dryer.

Map it. Google Maps, Map My Run and Strava are great resources for in-town routes. Be sure to check for construction and account for morning traffic.

Dry-run. Practice your route the night before to work out the kinks, and find coffee along the way.

Pack tetris. Pack heavier items like a laptop towards the bottom and back of your pack, leaving room on top for lighter items or things that you'd rather not smush-like lunch.

Bag it. Protect the things that matter-your laptop, your clothes-from liquid assault, be it in the form of rain or stray salad dressing. Wrap your computer in a plastic grocery sack and put your clothes in plastic baggies.

Cool it. Give yourself plenty of time to cool off before stepping into the office. Stretch, drink water, take five minutes to breathe-or else you'll find yourself sweating right through your shower.

Early Bird: A stress-induced PR is no way to start the day. Map your route and imagine running your slowest splits, hitting every red light and getting shin splints. Add two minutes to that for every mile. Arrive on time, or better yet, early.