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Every runner who dreams of shaving seconds—or minutes—off their personal best has to confront one truth: speed is earned through consistent work, not a single breakthrough workout.

Build Your Base First

“You can’t get faster if you don’t already have an aerobic base,” says Kelly Roberts, RRCA-certified coach and founder of the Badass Lady Gang. That base comes from running three to four times per week for about 40 minutes at a conversational pace. Once you can sustain that comfortably, you’re ready to introduce speed work.

Speed Comes From Teaching Your Body to Run Fast

“Speed doesn’t come from one magical workout,” says Jes Woods, RRCA-certified Nike Running coach. “It comes from consistent speed work. That’s where you actually teach your body how to run fast.”

Speed work develops efficiency: better oxygen use, quicker lactate clearing, and greater tolerance for harder efforts. In short, it trains your body to handle more stress—and recover from it—at faster paces.

What Speed Workouts Look Like

You can build speed in several ways:

• Intervals: Fast segments with recoveries.

• Fartleks: Speed play with less structure.

• Tempo runs: Steady efforts just outside your comfort zone.

• Hill sprints: Strength and power mixed with speed.

A solid weekly plan to improve speed usually includes 1–2 speed sessions, 1–2 easy runs, one strength day, and a long run. Easy runs promote recovery, strength training builds power and stability, and long runs expand endurance—all essential pieces alongside your speed days.

“That balance allows your body to stress, adapt, and recover in the right proportions,” Woods says.

The Mental Side of Getting Faster

Speed training isn’t just physical. Roberts says the hardest part is managing the mental noise when things get uncomfortable.

“When you run faster, everything gets louder,” she says. “Your legs scream, and the little parrots on your shoulder scream back.”

Her advice: pay attention to self-talk and lean on mantras. One of her go-tos is, “I don’t know if I can do this. Let’s see what happens when I give my best.”

When You’ll Start Seeing Results

If you train consistently, most runners notice progress in six to eight weeks. Research backs this up: intermittent sprint training improved 10K times in six weeks in one study, and VO₂ max increased significantly after eight weeks of aerobic training in another.

“You’ll feel different,” Roberts says. “Your runs will feel easier as your aerobic strength improves.”

Beginner vs. Experienced Runners

Genetics, training history, and consistency all shape how quickly you’ll get faster. Some runners respond more quickly, while others chip away over time. But beginners often see the biggest gains because there’s more room for improvement.

“If you’re looking to get faster, you’ll never see bigger PR swings than you will as a new runner,” Roberts says.

The Bottom Line

Speed is attainable for every runner. Build your base, train consistently, mix your workouts, and practice staying calm when things get uncomfortable. Over time, the seconds will fall off—and you’ll become a faster, stronger version of yourself.

Every runner dreams of getting faster. Whether you’re chasing a new 5K PR, gunning for a sub-40 10K, or eyeing a breakthrough marathon time, there’s nothing quite like shaving seconds—or even minutes—off your personal best. But here’s the truth: speed isn’t just about grinding harder. It’s about training smarter.

Build the Foundation First

Speed starts with your aerobic base. You can’t build a skyscraper on shaky ground. Many runners make the mistake of jumping into intervals before their base is solid, only to plateau or burn out. If your weekly mileage is inconsistent or too low, speedwork won’t deliver the gains you’re chasing.

The solution? Commit to regular easy runs and gradually increase your weekly volume. Keep most of your mileage at a conversational pace. This aerobic engine is what powers every fast finish later on.

Add Intentional Intensity

Once your base is strong, it’s time to add focused intensity. Intervals, tempo runs, progression runs, and hill sprints teach your body how to run fast and hold pace under fatigue. But more is not always better. Overdoing hard sessions leads to injury or stagnation.

Limit yourself to 1–2 quality workouts per week. Your goal is adaptation—not exhaustion. Be consistent, not heroic.

Train Your Running Economy

Running fast isn’t just about cardiovascular fitness. It’s also about efficiency—how well you translate effort into forward motion. That’s where strides, form drills, and strength training come in. Just two sessions of resistance training per week can improve muscle balance and coordination.

Want bonus gains? Add plyometrics (like skipping or bounding) to enhance your ground contact power and neuromuscular sharpness. The smoother and more economical your stride, the faster your splits—without extra effort.

Mindset: The Final Gear

Speed begins in the mind. Confidence, mental toughness, and consistency often outlast raw talent. It’s not enough to hope you’ll run faster—you have to believe it. That belief is built in the quiet moments: when you finish the workout you almost skipped, when you log another steady week, when you visualize your goal on race day.

Fast runners aren’t born—they’re made. Piece by piece. Mile by mile.

So next time you lace up, remember: getting faster isn’t about magic workouts or chasing the pain. It’s about smart, intentional, consistent training. And it’s within your reach.

Speed is earned. Now go earn yours.

As a long-distance runner, you've likely experienced the frustration of an injury that sidelines you from training and competition. Injuries can be a significant setback, but with the right strategies, you can reduce your risk and stay on track. In this article, we'll explore expert advice and tips on injury prevention, covering topics such as strength training, proper running form, recovery, and injury management.

Understanding Common Injuries

Long-distance runners are prone to a range of injuries, including shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and runner's knee. These injuries often result from overtraining, poor biomechanics, and inadequate recovery. By understanding the causes of these injuries, you can take steps to prevent them.

 Strengthening Your Foundation

Strength training is a crucial component of injury prevention for long-distance runners. By strengthening your muscles, you can improve your running efficiency, reduce your risk of injury, and enhance your overall performance. Some key exercises to include in your strength training routine are:

- Glute bridges and squats to improve hip and knee stability

- Calf raises and ankle exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles

- Core exercises to enhance stability and balance

The Right Shoes for Injury Prevention

Running shoes play a critical role in injury prevention. Worn-out shoes can lead to a range of problems, including increased impact on joints, poor foot mechanics, and increased risk of overuse injuries. According to Bob Anderson, a lifetime runner with over 60 years of experience, "Don't risk your running longevity by training in worn-out shoes. Rotating shoes is key - I have multiple pairs that I rotate through, which helps extend the life of each shoe and reduces my risk of injury." By having multiple pairs of shoes and rotating them regularly, you can reduce your risk of injury and ensure that your shoes are always providing the support and cushioning you need.

When choosing running shoes, consider the following factors:

- Support and stability: Look for shoes that provide adequate support and stability for your foot type and running style.

- Cushioning: Choose shoes with sufficient cushioning to absorb the impact of running.

- Fit: Ensure a comfortable fit that doesn't constrict your toes or heel.

 Proper Running Form

Good running form can help reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance. Here are some tips to improve your running form:

- Maintain good posture and alignment

- Focus on a midfoot or forefoot strike, rather than heel striking

- Keep your stride length and cadence efficient

- Use your arms to help drive your running motion

Recovery and Injury Management

Recovery is a critical component of injury prevention. By allowing your body time to recover between hard runs, you can reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance. Some key recovery strategies include:

- Stretching and foam rolling to reduce muscle tension

- Rest and recovery days to allow your body to repair and rebuild

- Nutrition and hydration strategies to support your training

Some final thoughts

By incorporating these strategies into your training routine, you can reduce your risk of injury and stay on track to achieving your running goals. Whether you're training for a marathon or simply looking to stay healthy and active, injury prevention is key to success. With the right approach, you can enjoy a long and healthy running career.

Despite what you might see on social media, we definitely do not recommend attempting a marathon without proper training.

Running 26.2 miles is a tremendous physical challenge, and attempting it unprepared not only risks injury but also makes the experience extremely difficult. Respect the distance and put in the necessary preparation.

TOP TIPS FOR MARATHON TRAINING

• Start Early: Begin your training as early as possible—ideally six months before race day. Don’t think of it as “marathon training” from day one. Break it into smaller training blocks. Building a strong base before starting a structured plan will help develop your fitness and strength, setting you up for success.

• Follow a Structured Plan: Use an app like Runna or work with a coach to create a training plan tailored to your goals. Structured plans provide consistency and can be adjusted if you encounter setbacks along the way.

• Consistency Is Key: Aim to run at least three times a week. Consistency is the foundation of marathon training. However, listen to your body—take extra rest days if you’re dealing with soreness or minor issues.

• Fuel and Hydrate Properly: Learn how to fuel and hydrate effectively before, during, and after runs. Focus on simple carbohydrates before a run and a mix of carbohydrates and protein afterward to aid recovery and replenish energy stores.

• Incorporate Cross-Training and Strength Work: Complement your running with cross-training activities like swimming, cycling, or elliptical sessions. Include one or two strength training sessions per week with exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, and core work.

• Prioritize Recovery: Recovery is as important as training. Use foam rolling, stretching, and yoga to aid recovery, and prioritize sleep—especially as training intensifies.

WHAT DOES A MARATHON TRAINING PLAN LOOK LIKE?

Our 16-week marathon training plan (available on our website) features four runs per week, carefully structured to help you build endurance and confidence. Here’s a look at what it entails:

Week 1:

• A 30-minute easy run

• A 5-mile (8 km) easy/steady run with strides

• An interval workout of 2 sets of 5 x 1-minute intervals

• A 60-minute long run

This structure is typical of most marathon training plans. If this feels too challenging, focus on gradually building up your mileage and consistency before starting the full plan.

As training progresses, long runs will increase in distance, and workouts will introduce marathon-specific pace work to prepare you for race day.

Peak Week:

• A 30-minute easy run

• A 6-mile (10 km) easy/steady run with strides

• An interval workout of 2 sets of 10 x 1-minute intervals

• An 18.6-mile (30 km) long run

With the right plan, dedication, and consistency, you’ll be well-prepared to conquer 26.2 miles.

Cameron Myers, an 18-year-old Australian middle-distance runner from Canberra, has rapidly ascended in the athletics world, setting multiple records and showcasing exceptional talent on the international stage.

Early Life and Training

Myers began his athletic journey at the age of 10 under the guidance of coach Lee Bobbin. By 14, he transitioned to training with renowned coach Dick Telford, integrating into a group that included Olympian Jye Edwards. This foundational period was crucial in developing the skills that would later define his career.

Record-Breaking Performances

In February 2023, at just 16 years and 259 days old, Myers became the second-youngest person ever to run a sub-four-minute mile, clocking 3:55.44 at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne. This performance surpassed Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s age-group record by over two seconds. Later that year, he set a world U18 best in the 1500m with a time of 3:33.26 at the Diamond League event in Chorzów, Poland.

Continuing his upward trajectory, Myers began 2025 with a series of remarkable achievements. On January 25, he shattered the world U20 indoor mile record at the Dr. Sander Invitational in New York, posting a time of 3:53.12. This feat eclipsed the previous record held since 2009. A week later, at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, he set a national record in the 3000m, finishing in 7:33.12.

Recent Competitions

In February 2025, Myers competed in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York. Facing a field that included Olympic medalists, he secured third place with a time of 3:47.48, breaking his own world U20 mile record and equaling the Australian national record set by Oliver Hoare in 2022. This performance also marked the first time an under-20 athlete ran the mile in under 3:48.

Most recently, on March 29, 2025, Myers led the 1500m from start to finish at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, winning with a time of 3:34.98. His commanding performance against a competitive field further solidified his status as a rising star in middle-distance running.

Training and Future Aspirations

Under Telford’s mentorship, Myers has intensified his training regimen, incorporating strength training, altitude sessions, and rigorous threshold workouts to address areas of improvement. Despite narrowly missing qualification for the Paris Olympics, these experiences have fueled his determination to excel in future competitions. With his current trajectory, Myers is poised to make significant contributions to Australian athletics on the global stage.

For many runners, crossing the marathon finish line is the pinnacle of endurance racing. But for an increasing number of athletes, 26.2 miles is just the beginning. The ultramarathon—defined as any race longer than a marathon—has surged in popularity, drawing runners eager to test their limits over 50K (31 miles), 100K (62 miles), 50 miles, 100 miles, and beyond.

But how do you make the leap from marathoner to ultramarathoner? What does it take to conquer these longer distances? Let’s break it down

The Key Differences Between a Marathon and an Ultra

While both require strong endurance, an ultramarathon is a completely different beast from a road marathon. Here’s what sets them apart:

• Pacing Is Crucial – In a marathon, you can push your pace hard and still hold on. In an ultra, going out too fast can be a disaster. Starting conservatively is essential.

• Nutrition Matters More – Running beyond 26.2 miles means your body will need real food, not just energy gels. Successful ultrarunners eat a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fatto sustain energy levels.

• Trail Running Dominates – Many ultras take place on rugged trails, requiring technical footwork, elevation gains, and varying terrain.

• Mental Fortitude is Everything – Ultramarathons test your mental resilience as much as your physical endurance. Learning to embrace discomfort and keep moving forward is key.

How to Train for an Ultramarathon

1. Build Your Base (Time on Feet > Speedwork)

Training for an ultra isn’t just about miles—it’s about spending long hours on your feet. Instead of focusing on speed, ultra training prioritizes slow, steady endurance.

• Increase Weekly Mileage Gradually – Aim for at least 50-70 miles per week for a 50K and 70-100 miles per week for a 100K or 100-miler.

• Back-to-Back Long Runs – Instead of one long run, many ultra plans include two long runs on consecutive days to simulate running on tired legs.

• Practice Hiking – Even elite ultrarunners hike the steep sections. Practicing power hiking helps conserve energy on climbs.

2. Strength Training & Mobility Work

Ultras put serious strain on your body. Strength training improves durability, while mobility work helps prevent injuries.

• Core Work – A strong core stabilizes you on technical trails.

• Leg Strength – Squats, lunges, and step-ups strengthen the quads, hamstrings, and calves.

• Ankle & Foot Mobility – Essential for navigating uneven terrain.

3. Master Race-Day Nutrition

Unlike marathons, where fueling is simpler, ultramarathon nutrition requires strategy.

• Eat Real Food – Ultras often include PB&J sandwiches, bananas, pretzels, and broth. Find what works for you in training.

• Stay Hydrated & Balance Electrolytes – Dehydration or electrolyte imbalances can end your race early.

• Fuel Frequently – Many ultrarunners eat every 30-45 minutes to avoid bonking.

4. Train for the Terrain

If your ultra is on technical trails, hills, or mountains, training in similar conditions is critical.

• Hill Repeats – Strengthen quads for long descents.

• Technical Trail Running – Practice on rocky or root-filled trails to improve footing.

• Night Running – Many ultras involve running in the dark, so get used to using a headlamp.

Mental Strategies for an Ultramarathon

Running an ultra is as much mental as physical. Even the fittest runners struggle if they aren’t mentally prepared.

• Break the Race Into Sections – Instead of focusing on the total distance, mentally divide the race into aid station segments.

• Have a Mantra – Simple phrases like “Relentless forward motion” or “One step at a time”can help during tough moments.

• Expect Lows—And Know They Pass – Every ultrarunner experiences physical and mental lows, but pushing through leads to new highs.

Choosing Your First Ultra

Not sure where to start? Here are three great entry points into ultramarathoning:

1. 50K Trail Race – A great intro, only 5 miles longer than a marathon but often on trails with varying terrain.

2. 50-Mile Race – A serious jump, requiring race-day nutrition and pacing mastery.

3. Timed Ultras (6-Hour or 12-Hour Races) – Rather than a set distance, these races challenge runners to cover as much distance as possible in a fixed time.

Should You Run an Ultra?

If you love endurance challenges, embrace the grind, and enjoy long hours on the trail, ultramarathoning might be your next big adventure. The transition from marathon to ultra isn’t just about running farther—it’s about running smarter, stronger, and with a mindset prepared for anything.

When Billy Mills won the 10,000 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he shocked the world. A relative unknown at the international level, Mills surged past world record holder Ron Clarke in the final stretch to win gold in 28:24.4, setting an Olympic record. It remains one of the most famous upsets in Olympic history.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Billy Mills sat in the stands, watching intently as the men's 10,000-meter final unfolded. Sixty years after his historic victory in Tokyo, he witnessed another American, Grant Fisher, battling for the podium.

With two laps to go, Fisher was perfectly positioned, matching strides with the East African elites, his long, efficient stride reminiscent of Mills' own finishing kick in 1964. 

As the bell rang for the final lap, Fisher surged, momentarily moving into second. Mills, now 86, leaned forward, sensing history. But in the last 100 meters, Fisher was edged out, securing bronze. Mills smiled, knowing how close greatness had come again. Fisher clocked 26:43.46, just one third of a second behind the gold medal winner. 

Mills had ran his time on a cinder track, wearing "basic running shoes"—conditions that would be considered primitive compared to today’s high-tech track surfaces and carbon-plated racing shoes. Given all the advancements in running technology, how much faster could Billy Mills have run on a modern track with today’s footwear? And how much have these innovations contributed to the faster times we see today?

The Difference Between Cinder and Synthetic Tracks

One of the biggest changes in distance running over the last six decades has been the transition from cinder tracks to synthetic surfaces. Cinder tracks, composed of crushed brick, coal, or ash, provided uneven footing, absorbed energy from each step, and became soft and unpredictable when wet. Athletes often wore spikes with long, heavy pins to grip the loose surface.

By contrast, modern synthetic tracks, introduced in the late 1960s, offer a firm, springy surface that returns more energy to the runner with each stride. Research suggests that switching from a cinder track to a synthetic track can improve distance-running performance by about 1-2 percent.

For a 10,000-meter race, a 1-2 percent time reduction equates to about 17 to 34 seconds. This means that if Billy Mills had run his race on a modern track, his time could have been anywhere between 27:50 and 28:07 just from the track surface alone.

The Impact of Modern Running Shoes

The second major advancement in distance running has been the development of carbon-plated racing shoes with high-energy-return foams. The latest models, introduced after 2016, are designed to reduce energy loss with each step, making it easier for runners to maintain their pace over long distances. Studies suggest these shoes provide 2-4 percent energy savings, which translates to a 30-60 second improvement over 10,000 meters.

Adding this to the estimated track advantage, Mills’ performance could have been further improved, bringing his potential time down to around 26:50 to 27:30.

Comparing Billy Mills’ Performance to Modern Champions

The current Olympic record for the 10,000 meters was set by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a time of 26:43.14. That’s 1 minute and 41 seconds faster than Mills' winning time.

However, when we factor in advancements in track surfaces and footwear, the estimated modern equivalent of Mills’ race suggests he could have run within a minute of today’s best, making him far more competitive by modern standards than his official time suggests.

Other Factors That Have Led to Faster 10,000m Times

While tracks and shoes play a significant role in faster performances, several other factors have contributed to the improvement in 10,000-meter times over the decades:

More specialized training. Today’s distance runners have more scientifically tailored training programs, including altitude training, precise recovery strategies, and improved strength training techniques.

Better pacing and race strategy. Modern races are often assisted by pacemakers who set a steady, fast pace, helping runners conserve energy and stay consistent. In contrast, Mills’ race was a classic tactical battle with surges and slow-downs.

Nutritional and recovery advances. Today’s runners have access to optimized hydration, fueling, and recovery methods that allow them to train harder and more efficiently.

Billy Mills’ Performance in Context

Billy Mills’ gold medal run remains one of the most inspiring performances in Olympic history, not just because of the time he ran, but because of the way he won. His dramatic sprint finish against heavily favored competitors on a slower, less predictable surface showcased his incredible talent, toughness, and racing instincts.

Had he raced under today’s conditions with modern advantages, Mills likely would have been among the best in the world by today’s standards. His story is a reminder that while technology has helped athletes run faster, the heart and determination behind great performances remain unchanged.

The next time you watch an Olympic 10,000-meter race, consider just how much conditions have changed since 1964—and how incredible it was for Billy Mills to win on that cinder track with the tools available at the time. His legacy stands as a testament to the pure competitive spirit of running.

Running is often thought of as a young person’s sport, but time and time again, we see athletes defying age, continuing to run and even race well into their 60s, 70s, and beyond. Some runners, like My Best Runs founder Bob Anderson, who started running in February 1962 and is still going strong today, prove that longevity in the sport isn’t just possible—it’s achievable with the right approach.

What allows some runners to maintain speed and endurance over the decades while others slow down? The answer lies in science, training adaptations, mindset, and lifestyle choices. This article explores how runners can stay competitive for life—and perhaps even improve with age.

The Science of Aging and Running Performance

Physiologically, runners experience certain changes as they age:

• VO2 max naturally declines at a rate of about 10% per decade after 40. However, regular training can slow this decline significantly.

• Muscle fibers shrink, and fast-twitch fibers deteriorate faster than slow-twitch fibers, impacting speed and power. Strength training and sprint workouts can help counteract this.

• Tendons lose elasticity, and cartilage wear increases, making injury prevention crucial.

• The body takes longer to recover from hard workouts, making rest, nutrition, and cross-training essential for long-term success.

The good news is that lifelong runners often have stronger hearts, denser bones, and slower biological aging than non-runners. Regular endurance training can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline.

Training Smart: Adapting Workouts for Longevity

Many runners burn out or get injured because they don’t adjust their training as they age. Here’s how to train smart for decades.

Maintain Speed with Strides and Intervals

Fast-twitch muscle fibers decline faster than slow-twitch fibers, but incorporating short sprints, strides, and intervals helps retain speed. Even just six to eight 100-meter strides at the end of easy runs can keep the neuromuscular system sharp.

Prioritize Strength Training

Strength training two to three times per week can help counteract muscle loss, improve bone density, and prevent injuries. Key exercises include squats, lunges, core work, and hip mobility drills.

Adjust Recovery

Younger runners recover quickly, but for those over 50, rest and active recovery days become more important. Running every day might not be sustainable, but alternating hard workouts with cross-training, such as cycling, swimming, or hiking, can help maintain fitness without overuse injuries.

Keep Mileage Consistent

Aging runners who maintain a consistent but moderate mileage base tend to perform better long-term than those who dramatically reduce or increase mileage. The key is staying active year-round and avoiding long breaks that lead to muscle loss and decreased aerobic capacity.

Nutrition and Recovery: Fueling for the Long Run

Proper nutrition plays a major role in running longevity.

Focus on Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Chronic inflammation contributes to aging and joint pain. Long-term runners benefit from foods rich in omega-3s (salmon, walnuts), antioxidants (berries, leafy greens), and lean proteins (chicken, beans).

Stay Hydrated and Maintain Electrolyte Balance

As we age, our sense of thirst declines, so staying hydrated becomes more critical. Older runners are also more prone to electrolyte imbalances, making magnesium, sodium, and potassium intake vital.

Increase Protein Intake

After 50, the body needs more protein to maintain muscle mass. Aim for 1.2–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, focusing on high-quality sources like eggs, lean meats, Greek yogurt, and plant-based proteins.

Mental Toughness and Staying Motivated

Longevity in running isn’t just about the body—it’s also about the mind. Many lifelong runners stay motivated by setting new goals, training with a group, and embracing the aging process rather than resisting it.

Bob Anderson, founder of My Best Runs, started running in February 1962 and continues to train and race today. His ability to sustain a high level of performance comes down to consistent training, smart adaptations, and a passion for the sport. His 6:59 per mile pace for 350 miles of racing (50 races totally 350.8 miles over one year) at age 64 is proof that age is just a number when you train right.  More recently he ran 49:48 for 10k at age 76. 

The Role of Cross-Training and Injury Prevention

Even the most dedicated runners face injuries. The key to longevity is knowing when to rest and when to cross-train.

Some of the best cross-training options for runners over 50 include cycling, swimming, pickleball, hiking, and yoga. Incorporating at least one non-running workout per week reduces injury risk and keeps running sustainable for the long haul.

Gene Dykes and Rosa Mota: Icons of Running Longevity

Bob Anderson is not alone in proving that age is just a number. Gene Dykes, one of the most remarkable masters runners in history, has shattered records in his 70s. At age 70, he famously ran a 2:54:23 marathon. 

His secret? A high-mileage approach combined with interval training and a love for the sport that keeps him motivated year after year.

On the women's side, Rosa Mota, the legendary Portuguese marathoner and 1988 Olympic gold medalist, continues to inspire runners worldwide. Even in her 60s, she remains an active ambassador for the sport, showing that passion, consistency, and smart training allow runners to stay competitive for life.

In December 2024, at age 66, Rosa Mota set a new W65 10K world record by completing the San Silvestre Vallecana race in 38:23.

Both Dykes and Mota exemplify the idea that the body can continue to perform at a high level if treated right. Their stories, along with those of runners like Bob Anderson, prove that longevity in running is not just about genetics-it's about persistence, training adaptations, and maintaining the joy of ring.

Final Thoughts: Running for Life

Longevity in running isn’t about fighting age—it’s about embracing the journey, adapting intelligently, and staying passionate. The best runners understand that while paces may slow, the love of the sport grows deeper with time.

Whether you’ve been running since February 1962 like Bob Anderson or are just starting in your 50s or 60s, consistency, smart training, and joy in the process are the real secrets to running for life.

 After taking a break from running, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that your legs instinctively remember the rhythm and motion once you lace up again. This phenomenon, known as muscle memory, allows previously trained muscles to quickly regain strength and coordination, even after extended periods of inactivity.

Understanding Muscle Memory

Muscle memory refers to the process by which repetitive physical activities are ingrained into your neuromuscular system, enabling movements to become more automatic over time. When you engage in activities like running, your brain and muscles develop a synchronized pattern through consistent practice. Even after a break, these established neural pathways facilitate a quicker return to form.

The Science Behind Muscle Memory

Research indicates that after a period of detraining, muscles can rapidly regain strength upon resumption of activity. A study from the University of Jyväskylä found that participants who took a 10-week break from strength training were able to return to their previous strength levels within five weeks of retraining. This suggests that the neuromuscular adaptations from prior training persist, allowing for efficient reacquisition of strength and coordination.

Maximizing Muscle Memory in Running

To harness the benefits of muscle memory and ensure a smooth transition back into running, consider the following strategies:

Start Slowly: Begin with shorter, less intense runs to allow your muscles and joints to readjust. Gradually increase your mileage and intensity to prevent overuse injuries.

Incorporate Strength Training: Engage in resistance exercises targeting key running muscles, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. Strengthening these areas supports better performance and reduces injury risk.

Prioritize Flexibility: Regular stretching, especially of the lower body, enhances flexibility and aids in maintaining proper running form. Dynamic stretches before runs and static stretches afterward can be beneficial.

Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to any discomfort or pain. It's essential to differentiate between normal post-exercise soreness and potential injury signals. Rest as needed to allow for adequate recovery.

Maintain Consistency: Establish a regular running schedule to reinforce neuromuscular patterns and build endurance. Consistency is key to reestablishing and strengthening muscle memory.

Muscle memory serves as a valuable ally when returning to running after a break. By understanding and leveraging this phenomenon, you can ease back into your routine more effectively, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing overall performance. Remember to progress gradually, incorporate complementary strength and flexibility exercises, and listen to your body's signals to make the most of your return to running.

Bored of your stale strength training routine?  The kettlebell can be a runner’s best friend, and we have the perfect exercises to get you started. Kettlebells are a simple tool ideal for building strength where it matters most, and these exercises target your glutes, hamstrings, core and back—the same areas that take a beating from the repetitive impact of running.

Whether you’re aiming to prevent injuries or boost your speed and power, kettlebell training can deliver solid rewards in minimal time.

What makes kettlebells special? Unlike traditional strength moves, kettlebell exercises fire up multiple muscle groups at once, giving you a full-body workout that translates directly to better running performance on any terrain.

Kettlebell goblet squat

To do a kettlebell squat, hold the kettlebell close to your chest in the “goblet” position, keeping your elbows tucked.

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width, toes pointed slightly out.

Lower your hips back and down like sitting in a chair, keeping your chest up and knees tracking over your toes.

Press through your heels to return to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Kettlebell row

For a kettlebell row, place the kettlebell on the ground, hinge at your hips with a flat back, and rest one hand on a sturdy surface for support.

Grip the kettlebell with the opposite hand, keeping your shoulder away from your ear.

Pull the kettlebell toward your ribs by engaging your back, then lower it slowly with control. Keep your core tight and avoid twisting your torso.

Kettlebell swing

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the kettlebell on the ground between your feet Hinge at your hips, keeping your back flat, and grab the kettlebell with both hands, squeezing your arms toward one another.

Hike the kettle back between your legs like a football snap, then thrust your hips forward to swing the kettlebell to chest height.

Let the kettlebell drop naturally, guiding it back between your legs as you hinge again—power comes from your hips, not your arms.

Kettlebell side lunge

Hold the kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest, gripping the handle securely.

Step out to the side, bending the stepping leg into a squat position while keeping the other leg straight.

Keep your chest lifted and shoulders pulled back as you lower yourself.

Push through the bent leg to return to your starting stance. This move strengthens lateral stability and mobility, key for runners navigating uneven terrain or sharp turns.

Stuck trying to figure out how heavy of a kettlebell you need? Experts suggest a weight range (for those new to kettlebell strength) of 12-16 kg (26-35 lbs) for men and 8-12 kg (18-26 lbs) for women, but everyone is unique. It’s important to adjust the size of your kettlebell so that you can maintain slow, controlled movements, focusing on form over weight or speed.

Do 10-12 repeats of each exercise and run through the circuit two or three times. As you get stronger, use heavier kettlebells or add reps.

he trails are icy, the sun feels like it’s on vacation, and runners everywhere are dreaming of warm race days. Whether you’re targeting a marathon, a speedy 5K or an epic trail run, now is the perfect time to map out your race season. Smart planning isn’t just about picking events; it’s about setting yourself up for a successful year.

Start with the big picture

What’s your “A” race? The one that gets your heart pumping just thinking about it? Centre your season around this event, then add smaller races to sharpen your skills or just for fun. Prioritizing ensures you’re peaking at the right time and not burning out halfway through the year. Not into racing? Choose one big goal (distance, FKT or PB, whatever your jam is) with less intense adventures building up to it.

Build a base first

Winter is the time for base training—a steady diet of easy miles to build endurance and strengthen your aerobic engine. Building a strong base reduces injury risk and improves long-term performance. Hold off on hammering out intervals or tough tempo sessions until your body is ready to handle the load.

Sprinkle in strength and mobility

Don’t just run—build strength and flexibility, too. Research suggests that strength training can improve running economy by up to eight per cent, while mobility work helps prevent the dreaded winter stiffness. Bonus: adding these elements now gives you a head start when the mileage climbs later.

Plan your peaks and breaks (and focus on the basics)

Races are exciting, but too many can derail your season. Aim for two or three peak races and use others as training opportunities. Don’t forget to pencil in recovery weeks post-race. Rest is where the magic happens—your body adapts, repairs and gets stronger. Make sure you plan to fuel well throughout your season, including during rest periods, and make sleep a priority.

Adapt as you go

While a solid plan is crucial, life happens. Injury, weather or unexpected commitments might shift your season. Stay flexible and ready to adjust. A successful runner isn’t just fast; they’re adaptable. When running feels challenging and motivation is low, remind yourself that you’re playing the long (consistent) game, and the payoff is coming.

THE END OF THE YEAR IS A GREAT TIME TO reflect on your running over the past 12 months – whether your aim has been fun, achieving parkrun PBs or preparing for a marathon. 

A year-end review can help you spot trends, address setbacks and enhance your training for the upcoming year – whether that’s to boost performance or increase enjoyment. To do this, I encourage you to conduct a light performance analysis. It doesn’t require extensive data; instead, ask yourself key questions to start the new year with focus. 

Audit yourself 

Begin by reflecting on your goal-setting from a year ago. What were those goals? Are they still relevant? Perhaps you achieved several PBs or completed a couch to 5K programme and need a new challenge. Alternatively, you might need to scale back this year if your previous goals were unattainable. Remember, running should be enjoyable, and it’s normal to experience ups and downs. 

Then take a closer look at your training, racing and lifestyle over the past year. Use data, along with the self-reflection questions to follow, to score yourself from one to five in the areas identified. This will guide your goal-setting and action plan for the year ahead. 

1. Physical 

This covers your overall fitness, strength, endurance and injury prevention. If you’re more experienced, you might use data from apps such as Strava or Garmin Connect, or a detailed training log. This can include metrics such as mileage, heart rate or HRV measurements. For the performance-minded, consider lab testing such as lactate and VO2-max testing. If you’re less experienced, focus on how your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) might have changed in different training sessions and races as the year went on. 

● Endurance Review your total volume over the year in distance or time. Were there gaps in consistency owing to injury, motivation or life events? Have you included longer runs regularly? Do you feel your heart rate or effort has reduced for similar paces, or are you able to sustain your pace for longer periods?

● Speed and power Analyse improvements in shorter races compared with longer ones. Use the RW race-time predictor to see if you align more closely on longer or shorter races, or if you are well balanced. Reflect on your training: did you include a mix of long runs, intervals, fartlek sessions, hill workouts, tempo runs and recovery runs? A well-rounded training plan leads to balanced improvement. 

● Injury and strength Track how many injuries you’ve had, and their severity and causes. Has strength training supported your running? Use strength and flexibility tests such as knee-to-wall tests and sit-and-reach tests to benchmark yourself against norms for your age. 

2. Planning and performance 

This section looks at your approach to training plans and race performance. 

● Race pace vs training pace Are you performing consistently in races compared with training? Do you feel you underperform or overperform in competitive situations? 

● Variety Did you include races of different distances and on various surfaces throughout the year? Or did you stay in a comfort zone with your favourite or strongest type of race? 

● Splits Evaluate how you pace yourself during races. Do you start too fast and fade, or do you

3. Mindset and wellbeing 

Your mindset and emotional wellbeing play a significant role in your running performance, as well as in maintaining your motivation and consistency. 

● Motivation and enjoyment Did you maintain enthusiasm for running or were there periods of low motivation? Identify factors that contributed to any highs and lows. 

● Anxiety and pressure Did you regularly feel stressed or anxious about your running or performance? Consider your goal-setting and whether you have the right balance between process and outcome focus. 

● Race nerves and focus Evaluate how you handled race-day pressure. Did you feel confident and focused or did nerves affect your performance? Assess your mental approach to tough runs and races – did you stay positive and push through challenging moments? Did you explore any mental techniques such as positive self-talk or mantras for key moments in races? 

● Consistency and commitment Look at how disciplined you were with your training. Did you skip runs or stay consistent? What external factors affected your behaviour and how well did you handle those disruptions? 

4. Recovery 

You can follow the perfect plan with a good mix of training, but if you don’t recover, your fitness gains will be limited and you’re more likely to pick up injuries. Various pieces of data can help you monitor recovery, such as sleep tracking, heart-rate variability and the ‘recovery’ metrics from most GPS watches. Often, however, you’ll know if improvements are needed by answering some key questions: 

● Sleep and rest Assess how well you prioritised rest, including sleep quality and duration. Poor recovery can lead to fatigue, injury and decreased performance, so reflect on how (or if) you balanced your hard training with adequate rest. 

● Nutrition and hydration Did you fuel properly before during and after runs? Did you hydrate adequately, especially during long runs and races? Have you noticed patterns between nutrition and performance? Did you effectively plan and practise your race-day nutrition? 

● Health and vitality Did you frequently catch colds or infections? In the run-up to key races, did you keep doing the simple things, such as using hand gel and taking any supplements you might need? 

● Injury recovery Did you give yourself enough time to heal, follow rehab exercises and ease back

Write these down as a simple action plan with up to five priorities. Create objectives that are realistic and motivating, balancing short-term achievements – such as improving your pace or increasing weekly volume – with long-term ambitions, such as completing a marathon or getting a personal best. 

Lastly, remember that running isn’t just about performance. Think about how to add enjoyment to your running, such as participating in races of different distances or on various surfaces. Consider joining a club or training group to maximise the social and mental health benefits of running. 

Combining all of these lessons will help you get more from your running in 2025, whatever your goal may be. Good luck! 

Pressed pause on training for a period? Here's how to make your return to running pain and problem-free.

Every runner faces a return to the sport at some point, whether it’s after months or even years away. Rebuilding your strength and fitness can be a fulfilling part of the process, but it’s crucial to do it thoughtfully—and we have some tips to help you stay on track. Whether it was an injury, a major life change or an unplanned extended break that kept you sidelined, now is the time to focus on moving forward.

1.- Leave your past behind

One of the biggest challenges when returning to running is resisting the urge to compare your current abilities to your past performance. It’s natural to feel frustrated when you think back to times when running felt easier, especially when every step now feels more difficult. But here’s the reality: you’re starting fresh from today. Dwelling on past achievements won’t get you anywhere; instead, focus on the progress you’re making as you move forward. Accept where you are right now and take pride in rebuilding your strength for the next phase of your running journey.

2.- Start slow and steady

Rebuilding is not the time for all-or-nothing thinking. Avoid the temptation to jump from zero runs to a packed training schedule—gradual increases are key to avoiding injury and burnout. While your return-to-running plan should be customized with your unique abilities and level of fitness in mind, it’s a good idea to start with two to three short runs per week. Sprinkle in walk breaks as needed, and keep it simple. Add new elements, like strength training or extra mileage, only after you’ve built consistency over several weeks.

3.- Forget pace and heart rate—for now

Press pause on worries about pace or heart rate data. Early in your return, the goal is to enjoy the act of running. Forget about pace, effort or numbers—instead focus on consistency and how running makes you feel. Keeping things comfortable and sustainable will help you rediscover what you love about the sport.

There is one achievement that everyone who takes part in running events can agree is the bar everyone looks to hit; completing it in under four hours.

There is a lot of preparation that goes into averaging 9:09 for 26.2 miles and it is not an easy feat. Full commitment is needed as it will take a lot, both physically and mentally, to get your body into a position to achieve that lofty goal.

People who have completed half-marathons should be aware that things don’t always translate the same to full marathons. Greg Laraia, a running coach in New York City at Motiv, says it is “a little bit more tricky.”

“You have to rely on nutrition, strength, your mental capacity, and a million other factors that running entails before you can say, ‘hey, I'm just going to go out and run the half marathon in two hours, and then do it again,’” said the coach.

Over at Runners World, Caitlin Carlson revealed what coaches and running professionals recommend to help break the 4-hour mark while running a marathon. For starters, it takes some self-reflection.

Going back and looking at previous races to see where you may have fallen short is key to reaching that next level. Is the necessary work, such as speed and strength training or mobility and recovery work, being put in?

If there are pieces missing, those are easy low hanging fruits where you can add those things in and you should notice a big difference,” Laraia says.

During preparation, it is imperative to put your body through different levels of effort. Sometimes while training, people will get stuck in a rut of wanting to challenge themselves a little bit when it comes to pacing, but not too much.

This is where professionals separate themselves from amateurs and casual runners. They have a distinct plan every week, knowing that mixing in easier days with tougher ones will get your body where it needs to be.

“I was in my early 20s for the first two and I really didn’t know what I was doing training and fueling-wise, thus, both races went terribly with horrible zonks at miles 18 to 20,” said Marie Gundersen Ishpujani, who broke the 4-hour mark at the 2011 New York City Marathon in her third attempt.

It is a good way for a person to learn just how much their body is capable of. The same can be achieved by pushing beyond 20 miles in training leading up to the marathon.

How can you complete a sub-4 hour marathon if you aren’t training those distances? But, this is where having a coach helps because novices to the sport could actually hurt themselves if they are not preparing correctly.

“If you’ve done three or four marathons and you’re trying to get this sub-four-hour marathon, your body’s probably pretty strong and pretty physically able to handle the 22 and 24 miles,” said Jimmy Anderson, who is 51 years old with 27 marathons under his belt; 25 of which he broke the 4-hour mark in.

Last but certainly not least, recovery needs to be optimized. There are many different things people can do to ensure their body gets back to as close to 100 percent healthy as possible and is ready to perform on marathon day.

Cold plunges are enjoyed by some, while foam rolling and stretching are incorporated by others.

It’s essential to start preparing for a marathon 2-3 months before you begin your marathon-specific training. The more prep work you do before training starts, the less likely you are to get injured and the more likely you’ll be to reach your goals. Here are 7 things you need to do in the weeks before you start following your marathon training plan.

1.- Pick a training plan or hire a coach.

This is a no-brainer, but make sure you’re strategic in picking the right plan or coach. To ensure you get the plan you need, review your past training logs and make notes of what kind of weekly mileage you want to complete. Write out your goals for the race. Then start looking for the training plan that’s going to work best for you. If you only want to run four days a week, don’t choose a plan that asks you to run six days a week. Running isn’t your only goal in life, so find a training plan that works well with your lifestyle.

2.- Work on your weaknesses.

If you know you need to work on glute strength, commit to strength training three days per week now so that once marathon training starts, you’ll be strong enough to handle all the miles. If you know you need to work on your mental game, start working on it by reading books, listening to podcasts, etc. Even if you don’t have weak glutes or know of any muscle imbalances, you should still focus on doing strength training a minimum of two times per week.

3.- Be a little less structured with your workouts, but give each workout a purpose.

Marathon training can feel as though it goes on forever and ever. Now is the time to be a little less structured with your workouts. Give yourself the freedom to workout later in the day on the weekends. Don’t be afraid to miss a workout to see friends, or just cut yourself some slack when you need it. Make sure you’re doing the work you need to (base building and strength training), but don’t go crazy. Once marathon training officially starts, you’ll need to be on your ‘A game’ and giving yourself some time to breathe now will set you up for success.

4.- Build your running base.

Before you begin training, you’ll need to have completed 4-6 weeks of consistent running. The number of miles you’ll need to run per week to build your base depends on your goal for the marathon, your running history and what kind of mileage you’ll be doing during the first month of your training plan.

5.- Have fun with your workouts.

This is a time when you can try out all the fun fitness classes in your neighborhood without having to worry about how they will interfere with marathon training. Once marathon training starts, there won’t be much time for exploring new workouts.

6.- Improve your running form.

Now is the time to focus on stride rate, stride length, foot strike, arm swing, etc. Small changes made over time can make you a more efficient runner.

7.- If you had any nagging injuries you haven’t taken care of, see a doctor or physical therapist.

Don’t wait for a small twinge to become a real injury.

Use these tips for figuring out your ideal running frequency.

Just like there’s no “best” running shoe for everyone, or training plan, or energy gel, there’s no ideal running frequency for all runners. Even though many runners ask how often they should run, the days per week you lace up depends on factors that vary from one individual to the next. Even when you do settle into a pattern that works for you, your approach may need to shift as aspects of your training (and life, in general) change.

However, there are some general guidelines that can help new runners identify a healthy starting point for how often to run, as well as some guidance more experienced athletes can follow to decide if it’s time to dial up or scale back on their weekly runs. Runner’s World spoke with Alison Marie Helms, Ph.D., UESCA-certified running coach and founder of Women’s Running Academy, and Raj Hathiramani, certified running coach at Mile High Run Club in New York City, to get their expert advice. Here’s what you need to know.

Factors to Consider When Determining How Often You Should Run

Before designing a personalized training schedule, any qualified coach will take the time to understand their runner, both as an athlete and a fully-realized person with a life outside of running. So, whether you’re working with a pro or developing a plan on your own, consider the following factors when deciding how often you should run:

Goals

Determining your running goals is a good place to start figuring out how often to run. Do you want to set a new half-marathon PR? Finish your first ultra? Improve your cardiovascular health? What you hope to accomplish can help you determine your overall running volume, which informs how many times a week you should ideally run.

“People who have more specific time or distance goals may be running more frequently per week, and those who have more fitness or wellbeing-oriented goals might be running less frequently,” Hathiramani says. Among runners with performance-related goals, those who race longer distances may need to run more often than those with their sights set on shorter distances.

Experience

Two runners can have the same goal, like finishing their first marathon, for example. But if one marathon hopeful is brand new to running and the other has multiple 5K, 10K, and half-marathon races under their belt, their training frequency should look different.

“It’s never a good idea to do too much too soon,” Hathiramani says. He recommends new runners gradually ease into running, even using a walk/run approach, and avoid running on back-to-back days. “This is

Running one to two days per week is also ideal for those just getting into running. You can do a walk/run workout or go for a quick, slow jog down the block. The goal is consistency if you’re looking to jumpstart a new workout habit.

Three Days a Week

For many runners, lacing up three days a week strikes a balance between feeling substantial and attainable. You can get in a variety of runs and still have plenty of time for cross-training and recovery. For example, you may plan a long run for the weekend, an interval on Tuesday, and a tempo run on Thursday. That still leaves four days for rest and activities like strength training and mobility work.

This frequency may be ideal for someone training for a short distance, like a 5K, but it may not be adequate for all runners with long-distance racing goals, like a half marathon or longer, Hathiramani says.

Four to Five Days a Week

For Hathiramani’s client base, which is primarily half marathon and marathon runners, four to five days a week is the “sweet spot,” as it allows runners to vary their training and accumulate the volume they

→At first, keep your volume the same

For example, if you’re used to running 12 miles over the course of three days, add a day of running but keep your total weekly mileage at 12. Helms recommends doing this for a week or two before adding additional miles to your runs.

→Increase overall volume gradually

The general rule of thumb is to increase your overall weekly mileage by no more than 10 to 15 percent. (However, if your current mileage is relatively low—like five to 10 miles per week—you’re probably safe to increase by up to 30 percent, Helms says.)

→Take “step-back” weeks

Every few weeks, reduce your mileage by a small percentage. For example, if you went from 20 to 22 miles in week one, then to 24 miles in week two, and 27 miles in week three, drop back down to 20 miles in week four. “You’re still running, but you’re letting your body recover, maybe taking an extra rest day or reducing your average mileage, and letting it sort of realize some of the endurance and aerobic capacity gains you’re making,” Hathiramani says.

→Resist the urge to “catch up”

Adjusting to a more demanding

“Consistency is a really important way to instill discipline and motivation in your training to help you achieve your goal,” Hathiramani says. “That being said, there are things out of your control that may make it hard for you to be consistent, and that’s okay.”

Experts share their best tips to help you stay calm, cool, and collected while you’re out on the run.

It’s possible to run fast without clenching every muscle in your body. Just look at some of the pros like Cole Hocker, Nikki Hiltz, or Sarah Vaughn who seem to clock seriously fast times while making it look like an easy walk (er, run) in the park.

These pros and many others have mastered running with slack shoulders, fluid arms, and a powerful stride, all while seeming light on their feet. It’s the art of running relaxed—and it can actually help your performance.

Experts encourage you to run relaxed on easy and long run days—those workouts where you’re meant to go at an easy effort. But running relaxed is a tool you can use to your benefit for any type of run.

“It is important to remain relaxed in terms of not recruiting muscles that don’t need to be recruited, because that can increase the energy that you’re using for the run,” Heather Milton, M.S., exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Health’s Sports Performance Center tells Runner’s World. This can cause you to fatigue and slow down more quickly, she explains.

For example, lifting your shoulders up toward your ears or tensing up your face while you run requires more energy than letting your upper body and jaw hang a little looser. This could also affect form: If you’re running tensely upright, without a forward lean, you’re less able to activate the glutes, and your knees take on more force, potentially leading to knee pain, Milton explains.

To help you perfect the art of running relaxed and get the most out of your workouts, we tapped experts for their best tips.

Quick Forms Tips to Help You Relax on the Run

When it comes to running relaxed, maintaining the proper running form is key and will help improve your efficiency. Although not everyone’s stride is the same, keep these cues in mind while you’re out clocking miles:

➥Keep Your Upper Half Loose

Run

➥Lean Forward

“What we want to see is that there is a slight angle of your running, so from your ankle through your hips, through your shoulders, you’re progressively closer to your target, looking forward,” Milton says. You can imagine your body in a slight diagonal line as you run forward. This will enable a greater amount of lower leg activation, better push off, and better hip extension. It can also reduce your risk for injury and improve your performance, she explains.

➥Make Your Center Stable

“The core should be a stable column on which we run and can have more effective push off,” says Milton. This is why it's important to build core strength, she adds.

➥Drive Forward With Your Feet

In terms of your feet, Milton recommends you focus on swiping the ground behind you while you run.

8 Tips to Help You Stay Relaxed on the Run

Beyond fixing your form, here are a few things you can try leading up to race day and during your run to help you maintain that relaxed run posture. Rather than implementing all of these tips at once, try out a few of them to see which ones work best for you so you stay calm, cool, and collected on the road.

1. Work on Your Mobility

Limited range of motion can hinder your ability to run more relaxed.

“It really takes access to every joint movement in the body,”John Goldthorp, a certified personal trainer and run coach tells Runner’s World. If you can’t freely move your joints, then you can’t make the necessary movements that you need to help you run really well, he explains.

This is why he recommends working through different planes of motion (front to back, side to side, and rotational) before you run and even on non-running days.

To do that, practice moves like standing cat cow, side bends, and rib cage and pelvic rotations, all of which work the spine and upper body through the different movement patterns. Also, work on pronation

Working with a physical therapist or functional mobility specialist can also help you address these areas so you can improve your range of motion and run more fluidly.

2. Address Any Pain Areas

As you can imagine, or might have even experienced, running with pain can hinder your ability to relax. This is why Milton recommends strength training as a way to address some of your pain points.

For example, address shin splints by strengthening your feet, ankles, calves, and hips. Target pain associated with runner’s knee by strengthening your hips and inner quads.

“Strength training is a great way to make sure that your body is ready for the run,” says Milton.

3. Add Strides to Your Calendar

The key is to practice running short bouts at different paces like your easy, marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K, and mile pace while relaxed, says Goldthorp. He recommends you start by introducing strides toward the middle or second half of an easy run.

“Like any new stimulus, you’ll want to introduce things gradually both in terms of how many repetitions you do and how fast you’re running them,” he explains. This may mean running four reps of 20-second strides with

Lastly, take a few minutes to gradually progress from a slow walk to a brisk walk and then to a light jog, says Goldthorp. “I always think to myself, I’m not really going to hit my ‘training pace’ for probably about 15 minutes,” so don’t rush it, he says.

This will not only help you ease into the run better, but it can help you find your rhythm more easily and allows you to remain relaxed as you adjust from not running to running slowly to running at a quick clip. Just remember to keep that loose feeling through each progression.

5. Complete a Quick Self Scan

Before you head out for a run, Goldthorp recommends you take note of where you typically hold tension in your body. For example, do you clench your jaw or shrug your shoulders?

“Scan your body. If you notice tension, see if you can let it go, see if you can soften that area,” he says. You can also visualize that area of your body flowing like water.

Then, on the run, check for specific body cues, says Milton. For example, make sure you’re bringing your arms back directly behind you and then letting

If you’re running with a watch on race day “check in and check your splits and make sure that you’re not running too fast, which can create a lot of undue tension,” Milton adds. If you are going too fast, she recommends coming back to your breathing and making sure it feels appropriate for your target pace.

8. Don’t Be Afraid to Give It Your All

There might be times, especially at the end of a workout or race, where we’re willing to get ugly and push past our comfort zone to hit your goal time or beat an opponent, says Accetta. In these moments, it’s acceptable to push yourself even if that means tensing up a bit.

The key is recognizing when to kick it into high gear, like when you’re sprinting to the finish. You don’t want to waste all your energy too soon, Accetta explains. Even when you do pick it up, remember some of those form tips of keeping your upper body loose and your jaw slack so your legs have the energy they need to turnover fast.

If you’ve ever been sore after a yoga class or felt your muscles aching while holding Warrior 2, you’re familiar with the strengthening benefits of yoga. Although many of us associate yoga with primarily increasing flexibility and calming one’s chaotic thoughts, yoga does build muscle. But how effective is it? Does yoga count as strength training?

Does Yoga Count as Strength Training?

The short answer is, it depends.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should accumulate a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week plus at least two total-body strength training workouts per week. Strength training increases muscular strength and muscular endurance, which are two of the five components of health-related fitness.

Strength training, also known as resistance training, involves exercises that load your muscles. This not only builds muscle but increases bone density and helps stabilize joints to prevent injuries. Lifting weights or using resistance bands are two common options for strength training.

But they’re not necessarily the only options. Bodyweight training, in which you use your own weight as resistance, is another type of strength training. Some styles of yoga can be considered bodyweight training and can be ideal for anyone who either doesn’t have access to a gym or doesn’t care for or have time for traditional strength training exercises.

That said, there are two factors that largely influence the response to does yoga count as strength training.

1. Type of Yoga

Yoga is an extremely diverse practice with many different styles and ways to practice. Certain types of yoga and poses can strengthen muscles and potentially even build muscle.

2. Your Fitness Level

The other factor that plays a significant role in whether yoga functions as strengthening is your fitness level. Ultimately, it is more difficult to build muscle with yoga than it is with traditional resistance training using external implements such as dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands

In order to build muscle, you need to overload your muscles’ current capacity enough to induce some amount of damage to your muscle fibers. This microscopic damage triggers a process known as muscle protein synthesis, which repairs and rebuilds muscle and helps make your muscles stronger over time.

While it is possible to strengthen your muscles and potentially build muscle exclusively through bodyweight exercises, most people reach a plateau of body strength where some external resistance is necessary to continue strengthening and increasing muscle mass. In general, practicing yoga is not as effective as lifting weights.

However, anything that challenges you is strengthening your muscles. For example, chair yoga can be an efficient strength-training workout. Don’t compare yourself to others and meet your body where you’re at. Also, never push your body beyond your current fitness level or to the point of pain or extreme discomfort.

What Are the Best Types of Yoga for Strength Training?

Beginners often assume that classes for more experienced practitioners are inherently more difficult and better for strengthening than beginner classes. This isn’t necessarily true. These classes are often faster-paced and focus more on transitions between poses and less instruction from the teacher. This can increase the risk of injury for those who are still mastering the foundations and learning basic yoga poses. It can also shift the emphasis to the space in between the poses rather than the strengthening practice of holding the poses for a length of time.

It’s the style of yoga that plays a more important role in whether or not you will be strengthening your muscles or focusing on other aspects of fitness and health in your yoga class.

Some of the best types of yoga for muscle strength include:

Vinyasa yoga 

Power yoga

These simple exercises add only 20 minutes to your training regime, and are recommended by a coach and physiotherapist.

Let’s face it: runners love to run. But if you’re not adding strength training to your weekly plan, you’re leaving some serious performance gains on the table. We’re here to help you get started, with four exercises recommended by an expert.

Richelle Weeks, a certified running coach and physiotherapist at Sportscience Ottawa, says that every runner should consider adding a few essential exercises to their routine. “Any runner who is serious about their running should be strength training regularly,” Weeks recently said to Fit & Well. “When done properly it can improve performance by five per cent because it improves running economy. It can also help reduce common overuse running injuries, especially in the 40-plus runner.”

Finding the time for strength training isn’t always easy—runners are already fitting training hours into busy lives. But even a short, 20-minute workout once or twice a week can make a huge difference. Weeks has shared a straightforward routine on Instagram that you can do at home, targeting the key muscle groups runners rely on most: calves, quads, glutes, hamstrings and core.

So, what should you add to your lineup? Here’s a quick look at Weeks’ recommended moves. For all of these, she suggests starting with three sets of eight reps; once you gain strength, she suggests using heavier weights rather than adding more reps.

1.- Side lunge

This side-to-side movement builds hip stability and strengthens the glutes, quads and hamstrings, helping with lateral stability for better form and injury prevention.

How to do it: Step out to the side, bending your knee and keeping your other leg straight. Sink into a lunge while keeping your chest lifted, then push back up to standing. Repeat on both sides.

2.- Glute bridge march

This move activates the glutes and core, providing stability to your hips and helping reduce low back strain, a common problem area for runners.

How to do it: Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-width apart. Lift your hips to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. March each knee toward your chest while keeping your hips stable.

3.- Side plank rotation

The side plank rotation fires up the core and engages the obliques, improving your balance and trunk control—essential for strong, stable strides.

How to do it: Begin in a side plank, with your elbow beneath your shoulder and your feet stacked. Rotate your torso, reaching your top hand down under your torso, then return to the starting position. Repeat on both sides.

4.- Calf raise

Strong calves are crucial for a powerful push-off. Calf raises build strength and resilience in this often-overlooked muscle group, reducing the risk of Achilles and other lower-leg injuries.

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, slowly rise onto your toes, and lower back down with control. Add weights or stand on a step to increase the challenge.

For those with extra time, Weeks suggests adding an upper-body exercise or two. “It can help maintain an upright posture when fatigued during a race, like at the end of a marathon. It can also help make arm swing efficient,” she says. Options include a push exercise like push-ups, shoulder presses or bench presses, and a pull exercise like pull-ups, rows or back flies.

Start small, but make strength training part of your weekly routine to see noticeable gains in performance and injury prevention. As Weeks emphasizes, these moves are quick, accessible, and just might be the key to your next PB.

When you lace up for your daily run, chances are you’re thinking about mileage and endurance, not the balance of strength in your muscles. However, ignoring muscle imbalances—especially between the front and back of your body—can lead to long-term pain and injury. Here’s how to recognize and prevent this sneaky problem.

What are muscle imbalances?

Muscle imbalances occur when opposing muscles around a joint aren’t equally strong or flexible. While everyone has some degree of imbalance, it becomes a concern when it starts affecting movement or causing pain. Runners are particularly prone to imbalances between their quads (the muscles in the front of the thighs) and their glutes or hamstrings (the muscles in the back). This can lead to tight hip flexors, weak glutes and poor posture, ultimately resulting in knee, hip or lower back pain. A recent article in The New York Times highlighted how focusing on strengthening underworked muscles is key to preventing discomfort caused by repetitive strain.

Ann Crowe, a physical therapist based in Clayton, Mo., works primarily with runners and cyclists, and emphasizes the importance of strengthening all muscle groups—not just those directly used in running. She points out that many athletes focus solely on cardiovascular fitness and neglecting strength training, which is essential for stabilizing muscles during movement.

The impact of everyday activities

Muscle imbalances aren’t limited to runners or athletes. Sitting for long periods, such as at a desk, can also cause issues. Prolonged sitting often leads to tight hip flexors and a weakened core, which can result in lower back pain over time. Crowe notes that people who spend their days in front of a computer may experience poor posture and limited mobility due to this imbalance.

Recognizing the symptoms

The signs of a muscle imbalance can vary. Some people may notice recurring soreness in a specific area that doesn’t improve with rest, while others feel discomfort or tightness during certain movements. Someone with overdeveloped chest muscles and weak upper back muscles might experience shoulder pain. More seriously, imbalances can increase the risk of injury, such as hamstring strains or lower back problems.

Prevention through strength training

Preventing and correcting muscle imbalances requires regular strength training. Crowe recommends that runners incorporate exercises like single-leg squats or step-ups to target their glutes and hip stabilizers—muscles that often don’t get enough attention during runs. Spend your days in an office? Prioritize exercises that strengthen the upper back, such as bent-over rows or Romanian deadlifts, to counteract the effects of prolonged sitting.

Quick fix, long-term benefits

The good news? Muscle imbalances can often be corrected quickly with the right approach. Consistent strength training, along with varying your exercise routine, can not only alleviate pain but also boost performance and reduce the risk of future injuries.

Proactively addressing muscle imbalances will help keep your body functioning smoothly and pain-free in the long term. By paying attention to the muscles you’re neglecting, you can prevent discomfort and stay active without unnecessary setbacks.

Of all the baseless fitness myths to have been peddled through ages of infomercials and influencers alike, the notion that you can “blast belly fat” is among the most audacious. Targeted fat loss, or spot reduction, is simply not a thing that our bodies are equipped to do.

“You can't spot reduce, no matter how promising the marketing and ads that tell you that's the case,” says Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, cofounder of Mohr Results. “While it would be nice if you could lose fat from wherever you’d like, your body handles fat as it wants.”

However, while you may not be able to bump belly fat to the front of your fat-loss queue, that’s not to say you can’t shed it. You absolutely can. Unlike the other 90% or so of fat that we carry on our bodies, belly fat—or visceral fat, to use its government name—is a particularly dangerous brand of baggage that has been shown to significantly raise your risk of a long list of serious health conditions. And the longer you ignore it, the harder it is to shake.

Here, we’ll explain why belly fat is worth your attention. Better yet, with the help of medical and fitness experts, we’ll tell you how to lose it—and won’t even try to sell you a DVD.

Why is belly fat more dangerous than “regular” fat?

Generally speaking, when we talk about fat, we’re talking about subcutaneous fat—the fat that resides just

How to tell if you’re carrying around excess belly fat

The most accurate way to measure your visceral fat would be with a CT or DEXA scan, although those aren’t necessarily practical or cost-effective for most people. Fortunately, in this case, a simple waist-to-hip ratio is more useful than specific numbers, so a regular old tape measure will do the trick.

“Basically, it's the ratio of your waist-to-hip circumference,” says Dr. Kumar. “For a man, we don't want it over one, meaning we don't want the waist to have a larger circumference than the hips. Low health risk is 0.95 or lower. And then high health risk is one or higher.”

Other warning signs that you might be approaching dangerous levels of belly fat can include elevated blood sugar, low testosterone, or even snoring and trouble swallowing. “As you accumulate visceral fat, you're probably slowly accumulating fat around other organs, like the esophagus and the trachea,” says Dr. Kumar.

How to burn off belly fat

The way we gain visceral fat is kind of like how you might rack up financial debt. Once your subcutaneous fat stores exceed their optimal level, excess calories begin getting stored as visceral fat, says Dr. Kumar. The main difference would be there’s no way to prioritize paying down your anatomical overdraft. But even though we can’t target visceral fat alone, there are a few things you can do to optimize your diet, workouts, and lifestyle so that you’re actively chipping away at it.

Prioritize Resistance Training and HIIT

A Harvard study that tracked the measurements of 10,500 American men over a 12-year period determined that weight training was more effective at reducing waistline size than any other activity, including moderate to vigorous aerobic training.

“When you strength train, two powerful things are happening,” says Luke Carlson, founder and CEO of Discover Strength. “The first is that you add lean muscle tissue to your body; the more lean muscle tissue you have, the more calories you're burning at rest, which means you're not storing those calories as fat on the abdomen. And the second is that when we do a tough strength training workout, we acutely burn five to nine percent more calories for the next three days.”

“What happens when you lift weights and increase your lean body mass is you become more sensitive to the hormone insulin,” explains Dr. Kumar. “Visceral fat is actually very insulin-resistant and comes along with a condition called insulin resistance. Building muscle treats insulin resistance, which reduces belly fat.”

While steady-state cardio has not proven to be particularly effective for burning visceral fat, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) running workouts have. Want to really kick things into high gear? Throw some strength exercises into an interval-based running workout.

Increase protein while decreasing overall calories

Carbs get villainized, but when it comes to fat loss it’s really all about creating an overall calorie deficit rather than

Don’t let poor sleep sabotage your progress

“The other piece that has to be discussed is certainly sleep,” says Dr. Mohr. “There have been studies showing that when you sleep less, you eat more and gain more weight.”

In one recent study, published last year in the journal Sleep Medicine, researchers reported a “significant” inverse association between sleep duration and visceral fat mass. In other words, the less sleep people got, the more visceral fat they gained. Interestingly, subcutaneous fat was not affected, strengthening the connection between sleep and visceral fat in particular. It’s also worth noting that the waistline-protecting benefits of sleep appeared to top out at eight hours.

While sleep alone probably isn’t going to burn off your gut, don’t let it be the thing that undermines all of your other efforts to reduce belly fat. “We know that sleep plays a huge role in weight loss and weight gain,” says Dr. Mohr. “It’s a big piece of the puzzle that we need to think about.”

Pro trail runner and coach Hannah Allgood shares four exercises that target common weaknesses in runners.

If you want to be a strong trail runner, you’ll need more than just miles on your legs—you need to build strength that can take on the rugged terrain. Hannah Allgood, a Colorado-based pro trail runner for Dynafit, is here to help, sharing her four favourite exercises for athletes.

Allgood not only excels in the mountains (in July, she won the Eiger Ultra-Trail by UTMB 100K), but also helps athletes build strength through her coaching with Freetrail, an online trail community and media outlet. With a background in exercise science and years of competitive experience across multiple sports, she has perfected the art of staying strong, fast and injury-free on the trails. “Strength training has always been an integral part of my career as an athlete,” Allgood explains. She knows firsthand how crucial lifting is to boost performance and prevent injuries, especially for trail runners tackling challenging mountain races.If you want to be a strong trail runner, you’ll need more than just miles on your legs—you need to build strength that can take on the rugged terrain. Hannah Allgood, a Colorado-based pro trail runner for Dynafit, is here to help, sharing her four favourite exercises for athletes.

Allgood not only excels in the mountains (in July, she won the Eiger Ultra-Trail by UTMB 100K), but also helps athletes build strength through her coaching with Freetrail, an online trail community and media outlet. With a background in exercise science and years of competitive experience across multiple sports, she has perfected the art of staying strong, fast and injury-free on the trails.

“Strength training has always been an integral part of my career as an athlete,” Allgood explains. She knows firsthand how crucial lifting is to boost performance and prevent injuries, especially for trail runners tackling challenging mountain races.

If you want to be a strong trail runner, you’ll need more than just miles on your legs—you need to build strength that can take on the rugged terrain. Hannah Allgood, a Colorado-based pro trail runner for Dynafit, is here to help, sharing her four favourite exercises for athletes.

Allgood not only excels in the mountains (in July, she won the Eiger Ultra-Trail by UTMB 100K), but also helps athletes build strength through her coaching with Freetrail, an online trail community and media outlet. With a background in exercise science and years of competitive experience across multiple sports, she has perfected the art of staying strong, fast and injury-free on the trails. “Strength training has always been an integral part of my career as an athlete,” Allgood explains. She knows firsthand how crucial lifting is to boost performance and prevent injuries, especially for trail runners tackling challenging mountain races.

Step-ups

Allgood suggests varying the height of your step to 12-18 inches, based on your height and current strength. “Step-ups are a great exercise because they allow for versatility to match the athlete’s needs (weight or no weight, increase or decrease height, increase speed or decrease speed),” Allgood explains.  “They help with not only strength on trails but functional day-to-day strength.”

Single-leg Romanian deadlift (with a cable or band, OR with weight)

“This exercise targets many different systems,” says Allgood. “The RDL changes your centre of mass, therefore working on your balance and coordination, which are highly beneficial for trail running. The row helps with rotational core stability, which is also vital for running, as it helps with balance and control across various terrains and helps with efficient force transfers from upper to lower body.”

Bulgarian Split Squat

Allgood explains that the Bulgarian split squat is another unilateral exercise that helps improve balance and core stability by using weights. “This move is also very helpful for improving leg power, which translates to improved force production, meaning you can get up the mountains faster.” She suggests adding in a soleus raise for an extra challenge.

Modified side plank with clamshells or hip abduction

“This is one of my favourite go-to glute exercises that also incorporates core stability,” Allgood says. “Adding a band around your knees will increase the challenge!”

If you’re adding strength training during your racing season, Allgood suggests focusing on 12-15 reps per set, aiming for two to three sets. “This will help build strength, but also not leave you too sore for running or other fun activities,” she says. “Strength training two to three times a week can be huge for your overall health and with preventing injuries.”

Deload weeks allow your body to adapt to training. Here’s how to optimize this time.

If you take a look at a standard training plan, you may notice a rhythm: It’s typically a slow progression in a four-week cycle. Workouts build in intensity, volume, or a combination of the two, from day to day and week to week, until there’s one week when the training load slightly decreases.

This period is what is known as a deload week a.k.a. a recovery, down, or cut-back week, a key part of periodization training, which is the foundation of any good training plan.

“Deload weeks allow your body and your mind to get a little bit of recovery from the harder work that you’re doing in those other weeks,” says Elisabeth Scott, certified run coach and owner of Running Explained, a podcast and coaching company. Just as we take rest days throughout each week, we have a deload week in each month to help our bodies adapt, she explains.

These weeks vary in structure depending on the training plan but the benefits remain the same: Deload weeks help restore your energy, protect your immune system, and allow your mental and physical strength to reach optimal levels of performance before you progress to the next training block, says Raj Hathiramani, certified running coach at Mile High Run Club in New York City.

If you neglect to take rest and recovery days and subsequent deload weeks, this can lead to your body forcing you to take them when you least expect it. Low energy, fatigue, aches and pains are all signs it could be time for a deload week, according to both experts.

Here’s how to add these weeks to your calendar if they aren’t already on your schedule, plus what to do during deload weeks so you stay healthy and keep progressing your fitness.

The Dos and Don’ts of Deload Weeks

Do Reduce Your Training Volume and Intensity Regularly

“It’s most common to have a down week once every four weeks,” Hathiramani says. But there’s no hard and fast rule, as the frequency of down weeks can vary from every three weeks to every six depending on an individual’s needs—for example, returning to running after an injury may call for more frequent recovery weeks.

During this time, you should reduce your training volume by 10 to 20 percent and dial back your intensity of your workouts as well, says Harithamani. “A general good rule of thumb is to add in an extra recovery day and to reduce your number of quality workouts [interval and tempo runs],” he adds. If you typically practice two to three hard workouts per week, Hathiramani recommends cutting it down to one or two.

Also, you can achieve a reduction in training volume by shortening your longest run, he says.

If you’re following a training plan then, you should notice an extra rest day and/or shorter long runs somewhere around the four-week mark depending on the structure of the plan. So you don’t have to make any adjustments to it unless you want more recovery within your training cycle.

Don’t Be Afraid to Make Adjustments to Prewritten Plans

If you feel like you need more recovery than what is prescribed on the training plan you’re following—for example, you’re feeling burned out, have lingering aches or pains, or are dreading your workouts—add more recovery time! It’s okay to take days off when you need them.

Just take into consideration the structure of a plan if you want to add more deload weeks over the course of your training cycle, says Scott.

“Typically, each block of training is written with a specific purpose and function in mind [like increasing speed], so you can’t just split up those blocks of training,” says Scott. This is where tapping a coach, who can adjust a plan or create a custom plan for you can be beneficial, she adds.

For example, you can extend a 12-week training plan to 13 weeks for more frequent recovery weeks (every third week rather than fourth) but this requires a bit of planning (which is why Scott recommends working with a coach).

Do Prioritize Recovery Practices

You want to “recover as hard as you train,” says Hathiramani, who recommends you take deload weeks as an opportunity to focus on other core aspects of your training like stretching, nutrition, sleep, and overall well-being, rather than try to overcompensate for running less.

“The biggest mistake that I see runners make when it comes to deload weeks is thinking that because they’re running less they can add a bunch of other stuff to their week,” says Scott. This might include HIIT classes or more cycling or hiking.

“If you are running less but doing a ton of other physical activity, or you are still in a super-high stress week—that’s not really a deload week anymore. That’s just a week where you’re running less, but you are doing a lot of other things instead,” says Scott.

A true deload week is less of everything. “It’s focusing on rest and recovery. It’s getting a little bit of extra sleep,” she explains.

Don’t Neglect to Strength Train

Strength training is a great complement to any run program or training plan, so you don’t necessarily have to skip these sessions during deload weeks, says Andrew Lemoncello, former Olympian and personal run coach at McMillan Running.

This is especially true if you’re not lifting heavy weights, but rather focusing on prehab exercises, like banded glute workouts or core activation moves. “Some workouts won’t need much adjustment as they are simple core exercises with not a lot of loading,” Lemoncello explains.

If you are lifting heavier weights to build strength, Lemoncello recommends decreasing your load by 20 percent during a deload week or skipping one of your weightlifting workouts so you can give your muscles a chance to rest.

To make things easier, you can follow a strength training plan with a similar build (three weeks on and one deload week) as your running plan. Start the plans at the same time to take the guesswork out of switching up your sessions, and make it easier to relax during a week of decreased training.

Far too many people think runners don’t need to train legs, but doing so can help prevent injury, as well as build up your muscles for longer and faster runs. Lower body exercises do not have to focus on getting the biggest gains, but adding lower body training to your routine can help you find more success in your runs.

Leg exercises can include anything from your glutes down to your feet. If strengthening these muscles and supercharging your runs is part of your long-term running goals, consider adding these six leg exercises to your training routine.

1. Squats

Squats are a wonderful way to target different muscles of your body, all of which aid in running. They are incredibly versatile, considering small movements like pointing your toes in a different direction can help you hit muscles you would not otherwise.

A wide-leg squat, toes pointing out, can help target the glutes, strengthen the hip muscles and provide a slight stretch to the inner thigh muscles. Whereas, a narrow leg squat really targets the quads and the lower back. Depending on your running goals, you can implement both stances, with or without weight, into your program to help build up the muscles that keep you strong and steady in your runs.

How to Perform:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped in front of you.

Lower your body down, sending your hips back as if you were sitting down into a chair until your knees are at a ninety-degree angle.

Keep your back in a neutral position and push back up into a standing position.

Works: quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves

2. Calf Raises

Calf raises are super simple, but they work as one of the muscle groups that are absolutely essential to successful runs. Your calf muscles are what push you forward and provide power in your stride.

To make them harder, do single-leg calf raises. This isolation will help you gain both stability and strength in your leg muscles. Alternatively, you can add some weight in the form of dumbbells or a barbell to make the exercise a little more challenging.

How to Perform:

Standing with both feet flat on the ground and about hip-width apart.

Raise yourself slowly up onto your toes and back down again.

Works: calves, feet, achilles, improve lower leg stability

3. Bulgarian Split Squats

Standing about three feet in front of a chair or something similar in height, lift one leg up behind you, resting the top of your foot on the raised platform. Lower down until your front knee is roughly ninety degrees, or until the stretch gets uncomfortable.

Bulgarians squats do two really great things for runners: they build up the stability muscles around the knee and hips, while simultaneously providing a stretch for the opposite leg. It is no secret that many of us forget or neglect our stretches, but this exercise provides the double whammy we are all looking for; strength training and stretching all in one.

How to Perform:

Standing about 2-3 feet in front of a chair or something similar in height.

Place your feet about hip-width apart.

Lift one leg up behind you and rest the top of your foot on the raised platform.

Lower down until your front knee is roughly ninety degrees, or until the stretch gets uncomfortable. Keep your chest high and head up throughout the movement.

Push back to standing.

Works: quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves. Improve balance and coordination

4. Jump Squats

Jump squats are a great addition to any runner’s routine because they, like Bulgarian squats, provide two different ways to build up those running muscles. Jump squats recruit your stabilizing muscles when you touch back down, while also requiring a little extra power to take off.

Bodyweight training that requires fast movements forces your body to work in a slightly different way and mimics the way your stabilizing muscles react during a run. These types of exercises result in not only increasing the speed and length of your run but agility in other areas of your life as well.

How to Perform:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped in front of you.

Lower your body down, sending your hips back as if you were sitting down into a chair until your knees are at a ninety-degree angle.

Keep your back in a neutral position.

Propel yourself from the ground, jumping as high as you can, and landing back in your starting position.

Works: Build explosive power in glutes, raise heart rate, and strengthen quads.

5. Reverse Lunges

Reverse lunges put less stress on your joints and give you a bit more stability in your front leg as you perform the exercise. This is the perfect alternative to forward lunges for runners who have knee concerns, difficulty balancing, or less hip mobility.

How to Perform:

Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart and hands at your hips or overhead.

Take a large step back so your front knee is directly over your ankle.

Lower your hips to bring your front quad parallel to the floor.

Push forward with your back leg to return to the starting position.

Switch legs.

Works: glutes, hamstrings, and core with less stress on joints than a forward lunge.

6. Single Leg Deadlifts

Single-leg deadlifts will develop strength, balance, and posture. Once you get your balance down, you can perform this exercise with a lightweight kettlebell or dumbbell for some extra resistance. Like most single-leg activities, you’ll notice an increased activation of your glutes to help you to maintain your balance.

How to Perform: 

Stand upright and hands down at your sides.

Lift one foot off the ground and keep the knee on your standing left slightly bent.

Begin leaning forward by hinging your whole body at the hip.

Lower your head and chest toward the floor as your foot comes up behind you.

Keeping your head, shoulder, hip, and ankle in a straight line.

Works: back, core, hamstrings.

Conclusion on the Best Leg Exercises for Runners

There is no reason to shy away from training legs when you are a runner. A regular lower body training program can add speed and endurance to your runs that you would not otherwise get. It protects against injury and ensures that you are continually hitting your running goals, whether you are hoping to run faster, longer, or safer.

Don’t let your bucket list lead to burnout.

Setting running goals is typically a good thing. Goals keep you engaged and on track. They shape your training with purpose, structure, and accountability. However, sometimes an endless list of goals can backfire. More races. More consecutive events. More miles. It leaves us wondering: How much racing is too much racing? 

It’s healthy to test your limits and perceived boundaries, but running half marathons and marathons takes a toll—physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and financially. Finding the sweet spot between your comfort zone and the danger zone is tricky. 

So, we chatted with a few experts on setting values-driven goals, being ambitious but realistic, and using social media for support (beyond that quick hit of dopamine). Before you tackle your racing bucket list, read on.

How much racing is too much racing?

According to the experts, there’s no definitive answer to the “too much racing” question. “It depends on the person and what your short and long-term goals are and your current fitness conditions,” Raj Hathiramani, certified running coach at Mile High Run Club in New York City, tells Runner’s World. Even a series like the World Marathon Challenge, in which participants jet between all seven continents, completing a different marathon every day for one week straight, is doable if you’re prepared.

That said, training for an aggressive racing schedule requires time (for both running and recovery) and resources, like coaching, gym access, and funding to cover travel, race fees, childcare, and other family and household-related support. 

“This is where I think a lot of people get it wrong,” Todd Buckingham, Ph.D., exercise physiologist at PTSportsPRO in Grand Rapids, Michigan tells Runner’s World. “They want to do a marathon or an Ironman, but they only have, say, three hours a week to train. That’s not going to be feasible.” 

Buckingham points out that your training and race schedule needs to fit into the reality of your life and not the other way around. Otherwise, you risk overextending yourself and heading into events undertrained, which can lead to disappointment and injury. 

How do you determine how much to race?

1. Start with your why

Before you start registering for races and scheduling training runs, ask yourself this question: “Why am I doing this?” There’s no right or wrong answer, but if you’re drawing a blank, or the big pay-off is external validation (are you already mentally editing your highlight reel?), you may need to re-evaluate your goals. 

That’s because healthy, worthwhile goals should align with your personal values, according to Mike Gross, Psy.D., head of sport psychology services at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. “Let’s get a sense of your ‘why’ and be really clear on that,” he tells Runner’s World. “Why in your heart do you want to do this?” he asks, noting that your why can serve as a compass that guides your actions and keeps you focused and on course in the face of obstacles. 

If you don’t understand your reasons for doing something, you’re more likely to give up or follow through just for the sake of getting it done. “That’s when you’re just kind of white-knuckling it through the process. You’re starting to notice there’s no enjoyment in it, and that’s when some of the burnout symptoms start to arise,” Gross says. 

For Hathiramani, the motivation to achieve his own “big” goal of running 50 marathons in 50 states was multi-pronged. Before formalizing the goal, he’d organically completed races in 10 states just by registering for events that appealed to him. He realized that participating in a race in each state would allow him to further connect with members of his running community, many of whom shared the same ambition. 

Running in different states also gave Hathiramani an opportunity to access and explore parts of the country through the sport that he loves. “I thought it would be a really neat way to see the U.S., run some smaller races, some bigger races, and visit parts of the U.S. I’d never thought I’d be able to, whether it was the Shiprock Indian Reservation in New Mexico or a Christian camp in South Dakota,” he explains. 

Keep in mind that not every challenging goal is defined by mileage. One of Hathiramani’s most meaningful goals was committing to strength training for at least 10 minutes twice a week. “That really helped my running, especially as I was getting older and running faster, longer distances. I felt that I needed more muscular endurance,” he says. 

Buckingham encourages long-distance-oriented runners seeking a challenge to consider shorter, faster races. “A marathon, from a cardiovascular standpoint, is easy compared to a 5K or 10K,” he says. 

2. Don’t race every race

Depending on the number of races you want to do and other personal variables, such as your racing experience and fitness level, you could aim to PR some events and simply finish others, as racing is more demanding and necessitates more recovery. 

To that end, Buckingham recommends pursuing no more than two “goal races” a year—one in the fall and one in the spring—particularly if they’re longer, like a half or full marathon. “You want to give yourself several months in between to recover from the last marathon and get ready for the next,” he says, noting that attempting to “carry over” fitness in back-to-back events can backfire with injuries and other symptoms of overtraining. 

For runners doing races in quicker succession, it’s key to incorporate recovery strategies in the days (or hours) between.“You can race hard for seven days in a row as long as you are adequately trained for that and adequately recover from it,” Hathiramani says. For example, he has done back-to-back marathons several times, but puts a specific focus on recovery between those finish and starting lines. This includes intentional practices like foam rolling, proper fueling, and quality sleep.

3. Take your time

The experts caution that imposing strict time constraints on your goals can increase your risk of injury, add unnecessary pressure, and take away from your overall enjoyment and satisfaction. 

For example, Hathiramani embarked on his 50-marathon goal in 2010 when he was in his mid-20s, knowing that he wanted to finish by the time he was 40 years old. He finished “on time” in early 2024. This realistic timeframe allowed him to relish the experience and navigate unexpected obstacles, like COVID-related race cancellations. 

“It was never about trying to achieve that type of goal in a certain amount of time. It was more about enjoying the process of falling in love with running,” Hathiramani says. 

4. Be mindful with social media

It’s nearly impossible to escape the influence of the digital platforms that are now integrated into our everyday lives, but thinking about what you might do if you couldn’t share your goals with a wider audience is a useful thought exercise. That’s because it’s not exactly smart to set goals just so you can post about them. 

However, social media is part of most runners’ lives, and there are positive aspects to online engagement. “If you put your goals out there by telling your family or friends or working with a coach, you get someone else that can help keep you accountable,” Hathiramini says, noting that the support of his community was instrumental in keeping him motivated to achieve a goal that spanned more than a decade. They not only celebrated his wins but also offered support when he needed it most. “They’re also there to help pick you up from any setbacks, too.” 

Finally, with all of this in mind, don’t shy away from a big goal. “I think the mind and the body—the mind, more so—is pretty incredible in that it can expand its limits to what you desire to achieve,” says Hathiramani. 

Recent performances by Jeff Browning and Ludo Pommeret suggest that trail runners age like fine wine.

A fascinating trend has emerged in trail and ultrarunning: athletes in their 40s and 50s are not just competing—they’re thriving. Recent performances by American ultrarunner Jeff Browning (53) and France’s Ludovic Pommeret (49) are putting to rest the common belief that athletic performance declines with age. Instead, these trail runners are proving that experience, mental resilience and a well-honed training regimen can defy the clock. Why are trail runners getting better with age, and how are they doing it?

The power of experience

One of the key reasons trail runners are excelling later in life is the accumulation of experience and mental resilience built over time. Running on technical trails requires quick decision-making and the ability to stay calm under pressure, qualities that often improve with age. Pommeret won the UTMB 176K race at age 41 and placed fourth at this year’s edition, at the age of 49, after winning Hardrock 100 only six weeks earlier. Some of his success can be attributed to years of experience, which has taught him to manage his energy efficiently, pace himself wisely and navigate challenging terrain with confidence.

Research supports this idea, suggesting that older athletes possess greater mental resilience, allowing them to maintain focus and composure during long, grueling races. This psychological edge often compensates for any slight physical declines, enabling veteran runners to stay competitive.

Adapted training and smarter recovery

Older trail runners are also better able to adapt their training to suit their aging bodies. Browning has consistently performed at the top level through his 40s and early 50s, most recently setting a supported FKT on the Colorado Trail at age 52 and placing second at this year’s Cocodona 250 (402 km) in Arizona. Browning emphasizes the importance of strength training, flexibility and strategic recovery. Instead of pushing through pain or ignoring signs of overtraining, experienced runners like Browning adjust their routines to prevent injury and enhance their longevity in the sport.

Research shows that strength training becomes increasingly important as we age, helping to maintain muscle mass, bone density and joint stability. Older athletes are also often more attuned to the need for adequate recovery, which is vital for avoiding burnout and ensuring sustainable performance.

Wisdom of pacing and nutrition

As trail runners age, they also tend to develop a keen sense of pacing and nutrition, partially due to familiarity with their own body. Unlike younger runners, who might go out too fast and burn out, more experienced runners understand the importance of conserving energy for the later stages of a race. They also become more meticulous about nutrition, recognizing that fueling their bodies properly can make the difference between finishing strong and hitting the wall.

Pommeret’s victory at the 2016 UTMB is a perfect example. After falling behind early in the race, Pommeret strategically paced himself, gradually working his way up the field to take the lead in the final miles. This kind of tactical acumen is often honed over years of racing experience.

Trail running is increasingly proving that age is just a number. with athletes like Pommeret and Browning demonstrating that with the right mix of experience, training adaptations, mental resilience and smart pacing, older runners can continue to compete—and win—at the highest levels.

There's no denying caffeine can take the edge off when things get dicey in a race. Many endurance athletes turn to the world's most popular drug for a performance boost, and with a long list of caffeinated gels, beverages, and chews to choose from, a turbocharged buzz is only a swallow away. But is it possible to take in too much caffeine during a workout or a race?

Well, yes-as with anything, too much can be harmful, and not everyone responds to caffeine the same way. But to get more specific, let's dive into what science says about how much caffeine to an athlete actually needs, the point of diminishing returns, and how to use it wisely in training and racing.

What is caffeine, and how does it help your workout or race?

Caffeine naturally occurs in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans, and cola nuts. It is also synthetically produced and added to sports gels, chews, energy drinks, sports drinks, chewing gum, and dietary supplements.

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system (CNS) by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain, reducing perceived effort, delaying fatigue, reducing pain, and improving mental focus, attention, and motivation. These benefits apply broadly across sports, from sprints and endurance events to team sports and strength training. It's no wonder many athletes feel skipping their pre-exercise coffee puts them at a performance disadvantage.

However, the physiological response to caffeine is highly individual. While most athletes experience a performance boost to varying degrees, some are caffeine-sensitive due to genetic variations that affect the breakdown rate. These variations explain why some people experience adverse side effects at very low doses and cannot tolerate caffeine, while others can drink coffee late in the day and still sleep well.

Caffeine dosing, delivery, and side effects for endurance athletes

Caffeine peaks in the bloodstream 60 minutes after consumption and has a half-life of approximately five hours (the time it takes the body to break down 50% of it).

Interestingly, synthetic caffeine is absorbed faster by the body and thus takes effect faster than its natural counterpart. Most caffeinated sources, such as coffee, sports nutrition products, and tablets, are absorbed through the gut, pass by the liver, and enter circulation before affecting the CNS. However, caffeine from chewing gum is absorbed directly through the lining of the cheeks inside the mouth, bypasses the liver, enters the bloodstream within 5-15 minutes, and peaks by 25 minutes.

The recommended dose for a performance boost while minimizing side effects is a moderate 2-3 mg/kg of body weight. Higher doses of 5-6 mg/kg of body weight do not further enhance performance, but increase the risk of side effects. Those side effects include headaches, increased anxiety, irritability, rapid heart rate, dizziness, nausea, tremors, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, and gastrointestinal distress. Overconsumption or improper use can lead to severe consequences, including arrhythmias and potentially death.

Any runner who has dipped their toes into strength training is familiar with the squat—it’s the golden ticket to a powerful, injury-free lower body. With so many variations like split squats, sumo squats, jump squats and goblet squats, it can be tough to pick your poison. Enter the cyclist squat: a balance-challenging, muscle-targeting powerhouse that adds only five to 10 minutes to your regular routine. Cyclists have been using this move for years to amp up their lower leg strength, and it scores major points for runners, too. Here’s how—and why—you should be doing it.

Master the move

Place your heels on a slightly elevated surface, like a weight plate or small block, keeping your feet close together and your toes pointed slightly outward.

Lower your body into a squat by bending your knees and pushing your hips back, keeping your chest upright and core engaged. Aim to lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below. Focus on keeping your knees from collapsing inward.

Push through your heels to return to the starting position.

Work up to three sets of 10-15 reps, aiming for smooth, controlled movements.

What am I working?

Quad activation: Your quads are the stars of the show. Elevating your heels creates an intense focus on the quads, promoting forward knee movement. You’ll feel the burn as this muscle takes centre stage. The higher the heel raise, the more your quads are engaged.

Glute gusto: Your glutes are doing double duty. As you lower, they work eccentrically with control, and as you rise, they contract to extend your hips, bringing you back to the starting position.

Calf and ankle action: It’s not just about the quads and glutes—your calves (soleus and gastrocnemius) and ankles are also in on the action, maintaining balance and stability throughout the move.

Core connection: Maintaining stability as you move requires strength throughout your midsection, with your abdominal and lower back muscles helping you stay solid.

Buoyed by her faith, motherhood, and family, Marisa Howard never relinquished her dream of becoming an Olympian

As a young girl, Marisa Howard dreamed about becoming an Olympian one day. But her focus was on another Olympic sport, gymnastics. She had no idea what the 3,000-meter steeplechase even was.

She also had no idea she’d be a mom when the dream actually came true.

Over the last two decades, Marisa, 31, has gone through numerous highs and lows, near-misses, injuries, a lack of sponsor support, and joyful life changes—most notably giving birth to son, Kai, in 2022. But the steeplechaser from Boise, Idaho, never let go of the dream. Relying on her faith, a strong family support system, and the frugal but full life she shares with her husband, Jeff, the dream came true on June 27 with a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

After chipping away at her craft for three Olympic cycles,  Marisa ran the race of her life—finishing with a 15-second personal best of 9 minutes and 7.14 seconds—to earn a spot on Team USA.

Her dream of running for Team USA in the Olympics officially materialized on August 4 when she lined up to race in the prelims of the 3,000-meter steeplechase in Paris. She ran with the lead pack in her heat as long as she could, but with two laps to go she slid to seventh and finished in that position in 9:24.78, missing the chance to advance to the August 6 final by two places and about seven seconds.

“I think it just becomes a lot more real when you see people that have been kind of knocking on the door for years and finally break through. It’s like, ‘Wow, we’re human and we can do it.’ Dreams do come true,” Marisa said. “I was six or seven or eight years old when this Olympic dream was born, and I plan on competing until he’s that age, hopefully, to show him what it’s like to do hard things and chase your dreams. I think it’ll be cool in 10 years when I show Kai these videos and be able to tell him, “Look at what Mommy did when you were two.”

In between making the team in late June and arriving in Paris in late July, Marisa’s life returned to normal—as if being a mom with a 2-year-old is ever normal, or at least consistent, on a day-to-day basis. That month included rough bouts of stomach flu for her and her son, the continued day-to-day management of Kai with Jeff, juggling workouts with childcare help from family and friends, reestablishing normal sleep patterns for everyone, and of course, finalizing travel plans to get the family to Paris.

It all came with a humbling reminder of the perspective that has been the bedrock of Marisa’s postpartum revival as an athlete.

“The day after I qualified, we were driving back home to Idaho and we were all tired. Kai was exhausted and screaming in the car, and I told my husband, ‘He doesn’t care that I’m an Olympian, he just wants food and sleep and, really, I’m just mom,’” she said. “It’s humbling—there’s nothing more humbling than taking care of your sick baby—and I think as a parent, we’re humbled every single day, and we come up short sometimes despite doing the best we can, but I’m thankful that there’s grace and forgiveness. I think it makes those high moments so much sweeter.”

Marisa is part of a new wave of elite runners that aren’t putting their family plans on hold due to their career, and one of several moms who competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Stephanie Bruce raced the 10,000 meters just nine months postpartum after giving birth to her daughter, Sophia, in September 2023, while Kate Grace ran strong preliminary and semifinal 800-meter races to advance to the final of that event just 15 months after giving birth to son, River, in March 2023.

Elle St. Pierre gave birth to her son, Ivan, at about the same time, and returned to racing six months postpartum, finishing seventh in a speedy 4:24 at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. That was just the beginning for St. Pierre, who broke the American indoor record in the mile (4:16.41) in January then won the gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the indoor world championships in Glasgow in March. At the Olympic Trials, Pierre won the 5,000 meters and placed third in the 1500, qualifying for Team USA in both events, even though she declined the Olympic entry for the 5,000.

After Howard gave birth to Kai in late May 2022, she began doing pelvic floor therapy along with general strength training and some easy jogging. By the time she started running in earnest that fall, she was surprised at how quickly her aerobic fitness came back to her.

“What’s really surprised me is that I’m able to run paces that I never hit before pregnancy with the same amount or less effort,” she says. “My aerobic engine has just gotten so strong. You do see women come back stronger, but it’s a wide range of how long it takes them to come back. ”

When she returned to the track, she was aiming for a top-three finish at the 2023 U.S. championships to qualify for the world championships in Budapest. She made it to the final and was in third place with two laps to go, but just didn’t have the closing speed. However, she did get the Olympic Trials standard by clocking a near-PR of 9:22.73, demonstrating she was just as fast as her pre-pregnancy self despite limited training and two years away from racing.

By late 2023 and early 2024, Pat McCurry, Marisa’s coach since college, was able to add more volume and intensity to her training, setting up what he thought would be her best season yet. And while Marisa admittedly didn’t race as well as hoped in her races before the Olympic Trials, McCurry knew she was capable of great things.

“She was on a different level once we got back to that base fitness post-pregnancy, and I think that’s what’s paid off in massive fitness dividends,” said McCurry, who has coached Marisa on Idaho Afoot training group since 2015. “The racing didn’t look amazing from the outside. The training was spectacular. We were doing things in training since January that we’ve never done before—just the level of intensity and volume we were sustaining was stellar.”

Marisa picked up running at Pasco High School in Washington, and carried on with the dream at Boise State University. There, she also met Jeff Howard, a Boise State runner who held the school record in the 10,000 meters. But more important than their common athletic passion, they shared the same Christian values that were the foundation of her life. They married in the summer of 2013 just after he graduated. He eventually took a job as a high school teacher at a nearby school, while she blossomed into a three-time NCAA Division I All-American for the Broncos, notching a runner-up finish at the 2014 NCAA championships and fourth-place finish the following year as a senior.

After she graduated, she picked up a small sponsorship deal with women’s apparel brand Oiselle and set her sights on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials . She got injured and missed the trials that year. But Howard and her husband bought a house in Boise and started their family life in earnest. That added stability, along with the guidance of McCurry, who she began working with in 2016, allowed her to dig deeper into training and continue to make progress in the steeplechase, lowering her personal best to 9:30.92 at a race in Lapinlahti, Finland.

The Oiselle sponsorship evaporated after about three years but that didn’t seem to matter. She and Jeff were living frugally and loving life, especially because, by then, most of their family had moved to Boise. Marisa had two aunts who had lived in the area before she went to college, and Jeff’s parents moved to town shortly after they were married. Marisa’s parents, and later her best friend, Marianne Green, also picked up their roots and relocated to town.

The ensuing years brought a variety of highs and lows—several near-miss fifth place finishes at U.S. championships, a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, a few injuries that delayed her progress, a  breakthrough eight-second PR in the semifinals of the 2020 Olympic Trials, and, of course, welcoming Kai into the world in 2022.

What makes Marisa’s situation especially challenging is that she’s run competitively without a traditional sponsor since 2017, more or less collectively bootstrapping the dream on her husband’s high school teacher’s salary and working part-time as a schol nurse and as a coach. (She will officially join the Boise State staff as an assistant coach after the Olympics.) She often stays with friends when she travels to races and says she’s grateful to the meet directors who have flown her out to race, put her up in hotels, and also paid her to pace races.

She also earned USATF Foundation grants and in 2022 was the recipient of a $10,000 grant to offset child care expenses from a program sprinting legend Allyson Felix organized through Athleta’s Power of She Fund and the Women’s Sports Foundation. Marisa competed at the 2024 Olympic Trials as part of the Tracksmith Amateur Support Program, which provides a small quarterly stipend, running apparel, and shoes to about 40 athletes in all disciplines of track and field.

“We’ve found ways to make it work. We drive used cars, and we refinanced in 2020, so thankfully our mortgage is very low,” she says. “So really a lot of my expenses are just shoes, a little bit of travel, coaching fees, gym fees, and things like that. But it does add up. But thankfully we live well within our means and are able to do it. As I’ve said before, the Lord always provides.”

But even with that support and her continued progress, Marisa entered the Olympic Trials as a dark horse contender to make Team USA. And that’s despite knowing that Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs, the top stars of the event for the past 10 years, were sidelined with injuries. She hadn’t run great in her races leading up to the trials, and her confidence was waning, McCurry says.

“I felt like not having a full contract [from a shoe sponsorship] had kind of eroded away at some of her confidence, and she was starting to have a little bit of imposter syndrome at races,” says McCurry. “We just had a really firm talk where I was like, damn it, you’re better than this,” he says. “Not we, not the training, you, Marissa Howard, are better than this.”

That pep talk was just what she needed. It helped remind Marisa about her bigger purpose, just as much as packing diapers, toys, and pajamas for Kai did before she and Jeff made the eight-hour drive to Eugene for the Olympic Trials.

In her semi-final heat at the trials on June 24, Marisa ran aggressively and finished second behind Gabbi Jennings in 9:26.38. After the race, she said she was looking forward to the final, but, for the moment, was most interested in making sure Kai got to bed on time.

Running with purpose and caring for her son emboldened her for the final, where she ran with conviction among the top five before moving into the lead briefly with a lap to go. In what was a thrilling final lap, Val Constien retook the lead and sprinted to victory down the homestretch in an Olympic Trials-record 9:03.22, followed by a surging Courtney Wayment (9:06.50) and a determined Marisa (9:07.14) as the top nine finishers all set new personal bests.

“My husband and I talk about competitive greatness: You want to rise to the occasion when everyone else is at their best. So it’s like, gosh, I was able to do it! I think a lot of it for me has always been about having my priorities in place. I’m a Christian first, and then a wife, and then a mom, and then a runner. And I think if I keep those in that line, that’s where I see success,” Marisa says.

“I’ve sat next to gold medalists and other high-level athletes in chapels before U.S. championship races and they’ve told me, ‘I’ve won that gold medal and it doesn’t fill that void in my heart.’ And just knowing that a medal or success isn’t going to change you, ultimately, you have to be secure in who you are. So just remembering where my priorities lie helps to kind of keep me grounded.”

Getting off the couch is the hardest part of running

Getting off your couch and out the door is the hardest part of running. The steps from there might seem overwhelming, especially if you’re running for the first time, but if you focus on taking things slowly and listening to your body, it’ll be easier than you think. Don’t hold yourself back just because it feels tough at first–set that 5K goal and work toward it, even if it means you start by walking. Here’s the best way to get into running to make it enjoyable, safe and rewarding.

Start short and easy

Warm up with a five-minute walk before starting your walk/run–one minute of running, then one minute of walking. Aim to repeat this cycle 10 times. Walk a five-minute cooldown, bringing your entire workout to 30 minutes. Try this three times a week (with at least one day off between runs), keeping it at a conversational pace; take breaks or walk for longer when you need to.

Increase a little each week

Increase your ratio of walking to running every other run (2:1, 3:1, 4:1, etc.), repeating until you reach 20 minutes of workout. Once you complete two 10 minute runs, shorten your warmup and cooldown to two minutes each, so you can continue increasing your runs without exceeding 30 minutes. After completing two sets of 15-minute run, one-minute walk, you can switch things up by trying to eliminate your walk interval and run for a full 2o minutes straight.

Once you feel comfortable running consistently without needing to walk, you can begin to increase your total run volume by 10 per cent each week. This may mean keeping two runs between 20 to 30 minutes, and building up one run as your designated weekly long run. You’ll be hitting that 5K mark before you know it.

Take care of your body

Set a goal to do strength training workouts on your non-run days to support your muscles and joints when you hit the road. Yoga, Pilates and bodyweight exercises are easy techniques to try without even leaving your house. Don’t forget to head to a specialty running shoe store to get new running shoes that are perfect your specific feet–this will make you feel even better when setting out to reach your 5K goal.

Your knee joints are actually incredibly strong—and they're made to be used.

It’s the (incorrect) running advice non-runners love to give us: “running will wreck your knees!” While there’s a growing body of research that running strengthens, rather than destroys, your joints, you probably don’t realize how tough your knees actually are, GQ Magazine recently reported. To have unshakeable knee joints, you need to use them—here’s how and why.

Note: if you’re feeling intense pain rather than some mild soreness and inflammation, now is not the time to push through or try new things—instead, consult a sports medicine professional.

“Don’t let your knees go past your toes”

The “knees over toes” rule is often touted when it comes to mobility and strength training, cautioning adults to show restraint when performing activities like squats. Dr. Howard Luks, a New York-based orthopedic surgeon, suggests otherwise. “You can squat your knees over your toes all you want,” he says. Instead of focusing solely on knee position, he recommends paying attention to the basics: a neutral back position and an engaged core. This not only improves your squat, but also aids in everyday movements like lifting objects or standing up.

“If you feel knee pain, stop immediately”

Many of us panic if we feel a twinge in our knees after some tough training, and take some time off to let what must surely be an injury heal. Not so fast—Dr. Luks says you don’t need to throw in the towel when you experience mild soreness, explaining that pain is not always a mechanism telling us to stop immediately.

Instead of taking time off, Dr. Luks suggests simply scaling back, explaining that a twinge in your knee or a bit of swelling is probably an indication of mild arthritis, rather than a mechanical issue. “Our knees are not fragile,” he says, adding that most minor aches and pains will benefit from movement. Head out for a 5K run instead of an 8K, and adjust depending on how you feel—or start adding more walks to your routine, something that a 2023 study showed corresponded with reduced pain in people with knee osteoarthritis.

How to get started

Keep it regular

Luks suggests prioritizing consistency over intensity. If going hard results in several forced rest days, opt for more gentle movement until you get stronger—getting some exercise of any intensity is better than none.

The knee bone is connected to the hip bone

The children’s song is correct—all the joints in your body work together. You may feel some soreness in your knees as a result of tightness in your ankles and hips. Focus on strengthening your entire legs, including glutes, ankles and hips, to have healthy limbs, capable of logging all the miles.

Single-leg exercises will help you become a faster runner, while keeping injuries away.

Looking to spice up your strength-training routine, or hoping to become an injury-free speedster in just a few extra minutes a week? Cue single-leg strength training! We’ve got the perfect exercises to kickstart your single-leg journey to running stardom.

Focusing on one leg at a time, these exercises boost balance, stability and muscular coordination—crucial for efficient running mechanics. By mimicking the natural gait cycle, these exercises build strength in the exact movement patterns used during runs. Adding single-leg strength training to your routine can lead to more powerful strides, better endurance and fewer overuse injuries, making it a game-changer for runners of all levels.

1.-Step-up

What it does: Step-ups target the quads, glutes and calves, building strength and power in the legs. They mimic the climbing motion in trail running, improving uphill running performance.

Stand several inches in front of an elevated platform. Place your right foot on the platform, ensuring your whole foot is on it.

Push through the heel of the elevated foot to lift your body onto the platform. Step down with the left foot, returning to the starting position.

2.- Single-leg glute bridge

What it does: Activates and strengthens glutes and core.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your right leg, extending it straight out.

Press through your left heel to lift your hips toward the ceiling.

Lower your hips back down, and repeat on the left leg (alternatively, do 10 repeats with the right leg before switching to the left leg; repeat 3 sets).

3.- Hip hike

What it does: Strengthens the muscles around the hips and pelvis, helping to prevent injuries such as iliotibial (IT) band syndrome, runner’s knee and hip pain, which often result from weak or imbalanced hip muscles.

Stand on your right foot, keeping your pelvis in a neutral position.

Drop your left hip so it is several inches below the right side of your pelvic bone. Activate your right hip muscle to lift your left side back to a neutral position. Try imagining that your pelvis is a bowl and you’re tilting one side of the bowl down.

Aim for 20-30 repetitions per leg.

4.- Single-leg deadlifts

What it does: Single-leg deadlifts strengthen the hamstrings, glutes and lower back muscles. They improve balance and proprioception, essential for maintaining stability on uneven terrain.

Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee. Hinge at the hips, lowering your torso while extending the other leg behind you.

Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the movement.

Return to the starting position by engaging your glutes and hamstrings.

Repeat 10 times, then switch legs.

For any of these exercises, moving with control and good form is more important than the number of reps you perform. Do fewer repeats if these exercises are particularly challenging or new to you; add sets once you build strength.

Kenyan marathoner Alexander Mutiso has given a sneak peek into his training routine ahead of tackling the tough marathon course at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Reigning London Marathon champion Alexander Mutiso has discussed his training routine ahead of his Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Mutiso has been selected alongside defending champion Eliud Kipchoge and Tokyo Marathon champion Benson Kipruto. Timothy Kiplagat has been selected as a reserve.

The 27-year-old, as he looks forward to win a medal in Paris, disclosed that he mostly works on his strength and endurance.

He admitted that the Olympic marathon course is not a walk in the park and his coach decided to focus on the two things, however, he still works on the other aspects. The former world under-18 bronze medalist was also in awe of being selected in the team, saying that it is a dream come true.

“Being selected in the team has always been my prayer and I feel very happy for being given a chance to compete there because I know it’s not easy,” Mutiso told RFI media.

“I start with strength training and going to the gym because we were given the Paris marathon course outlook and we saw it’s not an easy one. My coach and I sat down and discussed the program and how I can train and we have planned everything according to how the course looks like,” he added.

“We have set aside gym days, hard workouts, and then long runs and speed work. I always work towards gaining more endurance through long runs, speed work, and hill runs to maintain my stamina.”

Mutiso noted that diet is also an important aspect of his routine as he plans to face off against the best in the world. The 2023 Prague Marathon champion also maintains discipline and his trust in God stands out above everything.

“Diet is also very important and ensuring I have enough rest. I know we shall be many and everyone is preparing for gold and everyone has to work hard and follow the training program,” he said.

“You also have to trust in God and be disciplined and we shall bring a medal if all goes well. Qualifying for the Olympics is a dream come true and if I manage to win, it will be a very huge blessing in my life.”

Experts explain this physiological phenomenon.

Social media and online forums are full of tall tales, but this latest one had us scratching our heads: Some runners swear they’ve shrunk an inch or more because of their workout routine. 

Is that claim bogus? Not entirely. Keep reading for the long and short of this quirky physiological question.

Does running make you shorter?

The short answer: Yes, it actually does. Fortunately, though, it’s only for a brief period of time. “It is true that people potentially can lose height when they run,” Todd McGrath, M.D., sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City tells Runner’s World. “Middle- and longer-distance runners can experience this, but it’s a slight difference and seems to be very transient.”

How slight? Think less than a centimeter, according to older research. 

In the 1990s, researchers measured people before and after they ran six to 10 miles and established that they tended to lose 7 to 8 millimeters of height, Abigail Campbell, M.D., director of NYU Langone Orthopedics Center for Women’s Sports Medicine in NYC tells Runner’s World. “That effect was fairly similar between young and older patients; the older people actually lost less height, which is interesting,” she notes. 

Why does running make you shorter?

The exact mechanism responsible for running making you shorter is still unknown, says McGrath, but it’s likely due to temporary volume loss in the intervertebral discs—the spongy, gummy-like pads between each of the vertebrae that make up your spine. 

A temporary water loss in these discs was observed after running in several studies part of a new systematic review in the journal Sports Health mentions this phenomenon. “The short-term loss of running seems to be about 6 percent of disc height—though that doesn’t translate to 6 percent of your overall height,” he clarifies. “It’s a very small amount.”

“The bones aren’t changing as you run, but studies have found that the discs themselves can decrease about 3 millimeters total from the load of running,” says Campbell. That effect is most notable in the lumbar spine, a.k.a. your lower back.

Exactly what causes the diminished disc height is up for debate, says McGrath. “It could be compression sort of squeezing the discs or a fluid shift, we don’t really know,” he says. “There’s not great evidence into what the underlying mechanism is.”

What doctors do know: The shortening side effect is super temporary. “It’s been found to basically reverse after a night’s sleep,” says Campbell. The reprieve from gravity that lying down for seven or eight-ish hours is like R&R for your spine, giving the discs a chance to rehydrate and bounce back. That makes sense, notes Campbell: “I’ve been running for 25 years, and I’d be gone if I were truly losing every time I run.”

However, running does affect your height in another, more long-lasting way. “As we age, compression fractures of the vertebrae can happen, especially among older women,” notes Campbell. They aren’t always caused by trauma, such as pounding pavement, but by low bone density. These can cause the vertebrae to go from a nice square to flattened or a wedge—and that’s when people start to get a curved back,” Campbell explains. 

Multiple micro compression fractures like these can ultimately decrease your height by possibly an inch or two over a lifetime. While running may have something to do with these injuries, it’s likely more your hormones and genetics. “I haven’t seen any data that unequivocally pairs [running and micro compressions] together. If anything, running should be protective because it does help with bone density throughout the whole body,” says Campbell.

How much do you have to run to get shorter?

This is another detail that’s a little up in the air. “We know the slight decrease in height happens in marathon runners,” says McGrath. But you don’t necessarily need to be pounding the pavement for hours at a time for the effects to be measurable. In fact, young runners lost around six percent of their intervertebral disc height after only 30 minutes of moderate-intensity running, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2012.

But again, that’s temporary and in truth, being a longtime long-distance runner may actually be good for your intervertebral discs—and maybe your height—in the long run. Middle-aged endurance runners who averaged more than 50 kilometers per week for 10-plus years showed less age-related decline in their lumbar intervertebral discs than non-runners in a PLoS One study published in 2020. On average, the runners had 20 percent greater disc height than others.

What other activities can cause disc-related changes in your height?

In general, people lose a slight amount of disc height every day whether they’re runners or not, McGrath and Campbell agree. The effect can be more prominent for those who are on their feet a lot throughout the day, adds McGrath, noting that “most people are tallest first thing in the morning.”

Besides running, other sports can have a similar temporary shortening effect. Researchers have also looked at swimming, weight-training, soccer, basketball, says Campbell. “Heavy weight training, running, and basketball were similar, with significantly decreased heights noted after each sport,” probably due to the load-bearing nature of them, she says. “The others didn’t have much of an effect.”

So, should you be concerned about running making you shorter?

In short, no. Running has a ton of great physical benefits, from burning fat and boosting your heart health to improving bone density. This side effect of running isn’t really a negative issue, just a weird thing that happens in our body, says McGrath. “The concerning thing for some people may be whether they’re going to get shorter over the long run from running, and the answer is no.”

You don’t need to hang from a pull-up bar or stretch like crazy to counteract the effect. But strength training or exercise that targets your core in particular is a good, proactive step, say McGrath and Campbell. “Runners tend to focus on running and not always core strength, but strengthening the back and the core is really important to prevent a lot of running-related injuries,” says McGrath. “In general, it’s great for injury prevention, back health, and overall health, too.”

Most wearables track this metric, but it goes beyond simply paying attention to stats. 

When it comes to running these days, wearables have become a part of the “uniform.” If you sift through race photos, you’ll probably see both recreational and professional runners looking down at their smartwatches at the finish line rather than glancing up to smile at the camera. 

While most smartwatches capture basic metrics such as activity duration, heart rate, pace, and time, not all can measure the physiological effect of workouts over time or what’s known as “training load.” But with the new Apple training load feature, watchOS 11 will join the ranks of Garmin, Coros, and Polar and start providing insights into this metric. 

So, if you’re considering buying a smartwatch—or you just want to better track your training and your progress—let’s learn about what training load is and how it can help or hinder your running.

What is training load?

Researchers of a scientific review published in Sports Medicine in 2017 define training load as the stress an athlete experiences after completing physical activities over a certain duration, most often a week. Another way to think about it is how hard you are physically working over time. 

Training load is comprised of both an internal and external load. Internal load refers to the physiological and psychological effects of exercise on the body such as heart rate and rate of perceived exertion during exercise. The higher the heart rate or the harder a workout feels, the greater the internal load. External load refers to quantification of the work completed, such as pace and distance.

Sara Manderscheid, RRCA-certified endurance run coach and founder of Elevate Your Running, describes training load as the amount of stress that flows through the body in a training session or training season. “Every day is going to be different,” she says, referring to both the physical and psychological workload an athlete feels with both easy and challenging workouts. 

Ric Rojas, head coach of Ric Rojas Running and coach with RISE Running in Boulder, Colorado—and father of pro runner Nell Rojas—highlights that both volume and intensity play roles in understanding an athlete’s perceived exertion. And that perception of exertion helps him determine whether training load is too high or too low. “Language and body language are the most important indices [of training load] that I use on a day-to-day basis,” he explains.

How do wearables measure training load?

Metrics used to estimate training load tend to differ among brands. For example, Garmin uses heart rate to estimate excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), the amount of oxygen your body uses to return to homeostasis—a rested, refueled, and recovered state after a workout. 

In general, EPOC accumulation is higher for more intense workouts and lower for easy efforts. EPOC measurements over a seven-day period equal your training load for the week. So, the higher your EPOC measurements, the higher your weekly training load.

Both Coros and Polar use training impulse (TRIMP) to estimate training load. TRIMP uses heart rate and workout duration to estimate effort during a workout with higher heart rates presumably reflecting higher efforts and higher TRIMP. Unlike EPOC, TRIMP may not be as reliable in estimating training load for strength training sessions, because it relies on metrics acquired during a workout rather than after. 

Unlike Garmin, Coros, and Polar, Apple’s watchOS 11 will not provide a numeric value for training load. Instead, training load will be derived from workout duration and effort scores based upon a rate of perceived exertion scale from 1 to 10 with 1 equating to easy effort and 10 meaning an all-out effort. These scores can be generated automatically for 17 different workout types using an algorithm that incorporates age, height, weight, and performance metrics like GPS data, heart rate, and elevation. Scores can also be self-reported for any workout, a feature that distinguishes watchOS 11 from the rest of the pack.

After 28 days, the watchOS 11 algorithm establishes a training load baseline, and uses it to compare your training load over a seven-day period. The goal is to keep your seven-day training load or estimation of effort close to your 28-day baseline. 

Can I use training load to build my workouts?

You certainly can! Many wearables prompt users with recommended workouts to help maintain training within an optimal load. Visual cues and graphics can also help users identify when fitness and fatigue are not balanced, which is an issue because too much fatigue can lead to overtraining, whereas workouts that may not be as challenging may hinder the ability to improve fitness. 

Rojas uses heart rate data, pace, perception, recovery, and overall distance in a workout to generate the next workout (or workouts) and avoid overtraining. “I have to keep you healthy,” he comments. “I maintain an optimal training level to allow you to work out again without missing any time.” 

To ensure balance in both training and recovery, Rojas also prioritizes an athlete’s perception of their effort during a workout. He will have athletes repeat the same workout every four weeks and evaluate how they felt at the prescribed paces. If the workout feels easier with time, they are likely building fitness. This should also correlate with heart rate: As you become more fit, your heart rate will get lower at the same pace—proof that “the training is taking you to the next level,” he says.

Manderscheid also uses perception more than the numbers, stating that communication is one of the best tools coaches have. “I feel that the mind is such a huge piece to training as a whole,” she says. She also emphasizes that it’s a fine balance of ensuring you do enough to gain fitness but don’t go overboard and set yourself up for injury.

Following Rojas’s and Manderscheid’s advice, you can use training load to schedule your own workouts by paying attention to effort and/or heart rate throughout a workout and throughout your week as a whole. You want a majority of easy efforts (RPE around 5 or 6 and heart rate around 60 to 70 percent) and a few harder efforts, like tempos or interval runs, mixed into your weekly schedule. 

Keep in mind, if your typical paces start to feel hard or spike your heart rate, it could be an indication to lower your training load by taking an extra rest day or swapping a tempo run for an easy run. And if your typical paces start to feel too easy, it could mean you can increase your training load by adding more miles, faster paces, or another day of easy running.

Are there any downsides to tracking training load?

Metrics based upon algorithms have their pitfalls and training load is no different. Heart rate is one of the primary determinants of training load so anything that affects your resting heart rate (stress, sleep, etc.) can also influence training load. 

Apple’s training load is also dependent on an effort rating system comparing seven-day training load to a 28-day baseline. So, if you rate a tough workout as a very easy effort, your watch will assume you are training below your baseline training load, which may prompt you to increase your effort. If you continue to rate hard efforts as easy, you may set yourself up for insufficient recovery, overtraining, and injury (especially if the workouts weren’t truly easy). 

On the flip side, if you rate easy workouts as feeling hard, your watch will suggest you are training above your baseline, prompting you to decrease effort. As a result, you may not see fitness gains, because without a sufficient physiologic stimulus, you’ll likely plateau or lose fitness. 

Both Manderscheid and Rojas note that there is incredible potential for over and undertraining when following training load on wearables in isolation for your workouts and progress tracking. 

Manderscheid says training load is “one piece of the puzzle,” noting that it is easy for athletes to get bogged down in the analytics of their watch. “Can we stop, pause, and listen to our bodies? If we can connect a little bit more to that mind-body side of things, we are going to be stronger athletes,” she says.

What if you don’t have a wearable? How can you track training load?

If you don’t have a wearable, you don’t need to run out and get one; most of these devices are not cheap. Perceived effort—similar to what the Apple Vitals app is using to generate training load—is a free, easy, and reliable way to determine whether your workout is too easy, too hard, or just right.

Remember: You want a mix of both easy days and hard days on your calendar, without tipping too far in one direction. Both Rojas and Manderschied advise running easy efforts most days and incorporating harder efforts or intensities twice a week as a general guideline.

Manderscheid suggests going a step further than just mentally noting efforts and writing down how you felt at a particular workout. “At the end of the week, take a look, how did you feel: Did you feel good, strong, or terrible? Monitor that. Play around with it and experiment,” she explains.

Numbers are just a part of the puzzle in terms of how you can progress. “Keep the long view in mind,” Rojas says. Patience and perception work together to generate resilient, recovered runners capable of stacking training cycles. You can certainly be one of them, as long as you listen to your body—not just your watch—when it comes to your workout efforts and not going too hard or too easy all the time.

Many athletes believe that the more time they spend in the gym, the fitter and more competitive they’ll be, but that's usually not the case.

“Practice makes perfect” is a dangerous narrative underlying the culture of endurance training. Many athletes believe that the more time they spend in the gym, the fitter and more competitive they’ll be.

It’s an idea that works until it doesn’t.

Skylar Allen, a 28-year-old from Minneapolis, Minnesota, began running in college, after years as a figure skater pushed her toward body dysmorphia and an eating disorder. “I struggled with restriction, which was eventually diagnosed as anorexia, for about eight years.”

Eventually, anorexia morphed into bulimia. But when she started running in 2014, Allen says she wasn’t ready to face those issues yet. Instead, running became another way for her to justify behaviors she knew might not be healthy. “When I was having a terrible day, I’d go to the gym the way an alcoholic goes to the bottle,” she says.

By 2020, in the midst of a graduate program in mathematics, Allen recognized the imbalance in her life and started seeking treatment.

Allen and I met on her path to recovery. As a coach at Treeline Endurance, which I founded in 2018, I help athletes tap into their fitness potential with a heavy focus on long-term sustainability. In that time, I’ve seen athletes like Allen harmed in their quest for success by an implicit message shared by coaches and influencers: if you want to perform better, you need to train more than you are right now.

On one hand, research shows that more time spent practicing our sport is crucial to performing our best. On the other, obsessing over physiology can cause athletes to neglect the things in their lives that keep them grounded, from time with friends to taking care of their mental health.

“I’ve fallen into this trap of ‘more training is always better,’” says another one of my clients, Aidan McCarthy, a 28-year-old trail runner based in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Before I was coached, I would go for way too long without taking a rest week, and I often wouldn’t take one at all until I came down with a cold or my body was so tired it forced me to.”

As a running coach, time and again, I’ve seen the story play out in athletes who ramp up their training time as far as their schedules allow. Once they begin to max out that time, they start repurposing time they used to put elsewhere. First goes strength training. Next, some of their leisure, recovery, or family time. I’ve even seen some pull back from their local running group just to save 30 minutes of commute time to add back into their run.

But more isn’t always better. When athletes cut into the time previously spent on activities that enhance mental and social health, they compromise the quality of their training reduce their ability to adapt to their training, and ultimately make training less fun. Studies have shown that one of the most common outcomes of overtraining is a loss of enjoyment for not just the sport, but life in general.

McCarthy considers the nuance of it. He believes that, generally speaking, volume pays off. “I get better results training for twelve hours a week than for five, but is fifteen better than twelve?” asks McCarthy. “Major signs for me that I am starting to overreach are unexplained irritability and low motivation to train.”

McCarthy completed his hardest event to date last August at the 40-mile Telluride Mountain Run. The notorious mountain race features more than 14,000 feet of vertical ascent and descent. And yet, in a major departure from his running-only training approach of the past, almost a third of his preparation came on the bike in the canyons of the Wasatch Range.

As athletes, we need to reject more-is-better culture. In doing so, we’ll become happier, healthier, and maybe even better at our sport. By choosing to go for a bike ride rather than force another lap on our normal running route—or take on a hard strength session, knowing it’ll take a couple of days to feel ready for another big-volume endurance day—we allow the body to recover in one way, and be pushed in another. We introduce variety mentally and keep our training exciting, rather than allowing it to become just another job.

Today, Allen’s eating disorder is in recovery, and she’s learning to add an element of balance to her training. In addition to her continued growth as an ultrarunner, she’s now an enthusiastic member of her local CrossFit community. “I used to ask myself what I could cut out of my life to give myself a little more time to focus on training,” she says. “At some point, I asked myself what it would be like if I did the opposite. Can I use the same discipline to keep a healthy balance?”

If you are struggling with eating and body image in any way, you do not have to suffer alone. Consider reaching out to the National Eating Disorders Association’s Helpline, which is available via text, phone, or chat.

When approached realistically, running can be an excellent tool for weight loss and weight management, but don’t be fooled by the numerous myths surrounding them

People often start running to drop a few pounds. Hopefully, they fall in love with it, move beyond the number on the scale and continue running for its many other benefits; but for many people, it’s impossible to decouple running from the weight-loss goal. When done correctly, running can help people struggling with excess weight to shed pounds—and continuing to run can be effective way to keep them off. But the subject of running and weight loss is fraught with mythology. We delve into some of the problems with the weight-loss approach to running, including what actually works, what definitely doesn’t and how to keep running as part of your life, regardless of whether you lose weight.

Myth

You can run a marathon PB while dropping 10 pounds

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. As a rule, you won’t boost performance at the same time that you’re purposely losing weight. Often, the opposite is true, says Kylee Van Horn, RD, owner of Flynutrition in Boulder, Colo. When you’re restricting your food intake, you’re unlikely to make performance gains, but unfortunately, we often equate being faster with being thinner.

“The first thing I tell a client with a weight-loss goal is that losing weight will not necessarily make you a faster runner,” adds Carla Rodriguez Dimitrescu, PhD, an Edmonton-based expert in nutrition and metabolism who works primarily as a running coach. It’s fine if weight loss is your goal—but don’t confuse it with performance, because the way that you’ll get faster isn’t necessarily the way that you’ll drop a pound a week (which should be the maximum weight you’re losing per week, unless advised otherwise by your doctor).

Myth

There is one “runner’s body”

Let’s be clear: there is no single body type that signifies “runner.” Often, people with weight-loss goals who run have a vision in their minds of the long, lanky phenotype often associated with marathoners. But runners come in all shapes and sizes—and if you run, you have a runner’s body, period.

Even in the professional sphere, there are different body types that excel at different types of running. “You would never tell a professional runner that he doesn’t look like an astrophysicist,” says Dimitrescu. “But for some reason, that astrophysicist is upset that he doesn’t look like a runner.” She adds that people have different somatotypes, which means that genetics and environment will both play a role in how running (or dieting, or strength training) changes your body. And if you really want to see how every body is a runner’s body, sign up for a local 5K race and look around you at the start.

Still, the “runner’s body” myth runs deep, and it can be hard to break free of the desire to be ultra-thin. That’s why Stevie Lyn Smith, RD, a board-certified sports dietitian based in Buffalo, N.Y., tries to focus her clients on health outcomes as well as esthetic goals. “We try to look at other goals, like running your personal best in a race,” she says. “Maybe you won’t achieve whatever physique is jammed in your mind as the ‘ideal,’ but you’re able to appreciate these non-body-focused victories.”

Myth

Lighter is healthier/faster

Here’s an oversimplified example: say you’ve had the stomach flu for a week. You’ve lost seven pounds during that time, thanks to days spent in agony. You head out for your first run since you got sick. How does it go? That’s right—dropping weight doesn’t always lead to speedy running, and while that’s an extreme example, it’s not much different from how you’d perform after a week of crash dieting.

“Slimmer is not necessarily better,” says Dimitrescu. “And too much weight loss or restriction can lead to issues like stress fractures, increased rates of illness and injury and chronic fatigue. That’s not going to make you healthier or faster.”

And unfortunately, Don Henley was right when he sang, ‘You can’t go back, you can never go back.’ If, at 46, you’re mourning your running prowess or body composition from when you were 17, you may need to come to terms with the fact that your body isn’t the same, and no amount of training or restricting will get you there. You need to find your new healthy, speedy body, says Van Horn.

Myth

Runners can lose weight faster by eliminating carbs

Skip any diet that eliminates entire macronutrient groups, says Dimitrescu. These fad diets come and go, and for someone who wants to be a healthy, optimized runner, they’re just not worth it. “I don’t like any restrictive diet that advocates for super low calories or eliminates a macronutrient,” she says.

“My priority is always that clients get plenty of protein—at least one gram per kilogram of body weight—and adequate carbohydrates. People have a fear of carbohydrates, but if you don’t eat enough carbs, you’re going to use the protein as your source of energy instead of using it to help build and repair muscle. You’re not doing any favours to your body if you don’t provide it with the energy it needs to do the work that you’re asking it to do.”

Myth

Running earns you calories

A common saying about running is that you run to eat. But really, you should be eating to run. “Don’t create a reward/punishment mentality around running and food,” says registered dietitian and runner Lindsey Elizabeth Cortes of San Antonio, Texas. “Try to focus on how you fuel and how you train as lifestyle choices and not things that need to be rewarded or punished.”

For example: it’s not, “I had a great run, so now I get to reward myself with nachos,” nor is it “I had a bad run, so now I can only eat a salad.” Instead, reframe to: “I ran, and now I’m craving nachos! Maybe I’ll have nachos with a salad.” Or, “I didn’t run, and I’m craving nachos. Maybe I’ll have nachos with a salad.”

Myth

Fasted running and intermittent fasting will speed up weight loss

Yes, fasted runs and intermittent fasting may potentially have some longevity and fitness-based benefits, but when it comes to weight loss, they’re not going to move the needle. In fact, they might be sabotaging your efforts. “For most people, things like fasted runs and intermittent fasting just equate to saving up their calories until the end of the day and then overdoing it in the evening, or using these so-called ‘healthy’ concepts to put a healthy spin on unhealthy, restrictive eating patterns,” says Van Horn. “But if you look into the research, there’s no benefit for doing fasted training for weight loss. In fact, we know that fasted running can raise cortisol levels, which can make weight loss harder.”

Intermittent fasting that takes place around your running window means that your runs aren’t being fuelled—which can both decrease your running performance and make it harder to lose weight, since you’re more likely to over-indulge later in the day. “At minimum, fuel around your workouts and during your training, so that you have enough calories on board to develop some adaptations and buffer the stress of the workout,” says Van Horn. She adds that if weight loss is the goal, you can reduce calories at meals that aren’t near your workout window. Calories should come out of meals that aren’t right before or after your runs. Lowering your portion of rice with dinner or cutting out dessert if you trained in the morning will give you greater results than skipping your post-run snack. (But keep your caloric deficit at a maximum of 500 calories per day.)

Things like fasting and fat adaptation (training your body to optimize fat over glycogen for fuel) may sound like they’re about weight loss, but the reality is that neither is likely to help you lose weight. Some research has found that when done under the right conditions, they might increase certain health markers or improve longevity, but they’re not the weight-shedding tools you may think they are.

Myth

The more you run, the more weight you lose

The natural inclination of someone who wants to lose weight by running is to run longer. Usually, the idea of training for a marathon or half-marathon gets floated around. But running shorter routes, with some harder efforts thrown in, will lead to better weight loss outcomes, because you’re able to get the benefits of the run cardio without as much stress on the body. And because the more you run, the more you need to fuel, chasing higher mileage is actually a bit of a fool’s errand, where weight loss is concerned.

“Endurance sport is not a weight management tool,” says Smith. “Volume-wise, if you’re running more than 10 hours a week while also working a normal job, spending time with family, dealing with all of those normal responsibilities, the long-term stress of that is not going to be conducive to weight loss. With a more appropriate training load for your current lifestyle, it’s easier for you to manage stress, and you’ll see better results.”

Myth

The number on the scale is the only number that matters

Rather than focusing on your weight in pounds, look at different metrics. “I like a combination of measurements with a soft tape measure, how a certain item of clothing fits, and scale weight done once a month,” says Van Horn. While body composition-measuring tools like a DEXA scan are often considered the gold standard, they are expensive and often difficult to access, so rather than spending time and money on that, focus instead on simple measurements that are replicable.

Daily weigh-ins are also a mistake, says Van Horn. Our bodies fluctuate from day to day, so scale weight on a daily basis can be disheartening. Instead, shift to weekly or monthly and look for a general trend rather than placing any importance on half a pound.

Finally, it’s not all about your body weight or size. Dimitrescu recommends looking at fitness and health markers, such as your resting heart rate, blood glucose levels, and HDL and LDL cholesterol. Often, these markers will improve quickly once you adopt a running habit and focus on healthy eating, and can help you see that even if the number on the scale isn’t changing, your body is.

In fact, research has shown that a focus on getting into the habit of running regularly actually is more effective for long term weight loss than focusing on the number on the scale—so it may be worth shifting your focus to the number of times per week you’re physically active, or minutes spent moving.

Everything to know about adding inclines to training, including how often to tackle them and the best strength moves for prepping your legs.

Running a marathon is a difficult feat in and of itself. Add in a hilly course—like you’ll find in the Big Sur, Boston, New York City, or San Francisco marathons, for example—and that adds a new level of challenging. 

Having just run the Big Sur International Marathon, thanks to an invitation from the Hoka team last month, I learned the importance of incorporating hills into my marathon training cycle from Ben Rosario executive director of the HOKA Northern Arizona Elite in Flagstaff, Arizona, who was also my running coach. 

In order to prepare for the demanding elevation changes of the course, I tackled hills every week of my training. Being that I live in Eastern Pennsylvania with many rolling hills, it wasn’t hard to seek out inclines regularly. 

“You’re going to have a more enjoyable experience on race day, if you hill train throughout your marathon training,” says Rosario, whose advice rang true for me.

On race day, by mile 20, I had had enough of the hills mentally. Despite the breathtaking views of the Pacific ocean in the distance, six more miles still felt like an eternity in my head. However, I reminded myself that physically I had more to give because of the work I’d put into training, especially having pushed through so many tough climbs. I conquered the last 10K that day, and hit my marathon goal. 

So how can you add hills to your own marathon training plan? Can running hills all the time be too much? And what do you do if you don’t have access to hills? To answer these questions, we chatted with expert run coaches to find out their best tips for how to train for hilly marathons.

How Often to Incorporate Hills Into Your Marathon Training Plan

If you live in a hilly area there’s nothing wrong with running hills on your regular runs—it will only help you come race day, Rosario says. “Not the hilliest run you can find necessarily, but there is nothing wrong with having a little bit of up and down in your runs everyday,” he adds. 

If you don’t live in a hilly area, but you’re able to get to some place with hills, adding hills to your runs twice a week is smart, especially if you’re a more seasoned runner who has some base fitness. Incorporating hills into your weekly long run and speed session is a good place to start, Rosario suggests. 

For novice runners taking on a hilly marathon, who have never consistently run hills before, be careful not to take on too much too fast, as you can get injured if you add hills into your training too aggressively or too quickly, says Richelle Weeks, D.P.T., physical therapist, certified run coach, and marathoner in Ottawa, Canada. 

To make sure you don’t overdo it, Weeks advises new runners start with adding hills to one shorter run per week, until you get comfortable with climbing. Then, gradually add distance and more hills over the course of four to six weeks. “This is why I recommend a marathon training session be 20 weeks so there’s plenty of time to introduce hills,” says Weeks. 

She also recommends runners have a comfortable base of running fitness first, before tackling inclines. “Most runners who get injured training for a marathon get their injury in the first month or the last month,” Weeks says. That’s because runners often are upping too many variables at once, like frequency, volume, speed, and hills. “Build frequency and volume first to get a good base. Then add in hills or speed, one at a time,” she adds.

I have a five-mile loop from my home with four big hills involved, so I would always incorporate this loop into my weekend long run, sometimes doubling it as my distance increased over the weeks. In previous marathon training, I mainly stuck to flat paths for longer runs, but knew this wouldn’t help me train for Big Sur. While my times were slower on that loop because of the hills, I did notice the more I ran it, the more efficient I was at covering climbs. 

My weekend long run consisted of, on average, 1,200 feet of elevation gains for my 10- to 15-mile runs, reaching more than 1,500 feet for my 20-miler, which was helpful considering the Big Sur Marathon course features 2,182 feet of elevation gain. 

How to Prep for a Hilly Marathon on a Treadmill if You Don’t Live Near Hills

If you can’t find a hilly route, finding a treadmill with both incline and decline capabilities is the next best thing, says Rosario. For many runners who don’t have access to a treadmill with decline options, Weeks advises strength training to build your quadriceps, which you need strong to tackle tough descents (see moves below).

You can research the elevation changes on the course you’ll run, and simulate that on the treadmill. If you’re doing a 15-mile treadmill run, for example, Rosario suggests plugging in the course inclines based on the elevation changes. For example, if you notice your course has a 6-percent grade at mile nine that stretches for one mile, add that percent and duration into your treadmill workout. 

How to Handle Recovery Runs on Hills

It’s a good idea to keep recovery runs flat and easy during marathon training, as you want your easy runs to stay easy! If that means driving to a flat path or track, and you have the time, certainly do so, Rosario says. 

If you can’t get to a flatter area, it’s okay to have those hills on your easy runs, with one caveat: Accept that you’ll really slow down your pace. “If you’re doing a recovery run, make sure you keep it easy, and if that means stopping and walking to go up the hills to keep your heart rate low and to make it feel like a relaxed run, then walk up the hills,” says Weeks. 

For example, I ran some of the steeper hills on my recovery runs at a 10- to 12-minute mile pace, while my typical recovery pace is about a nine-minute mile. This strategy of adding hills to my recovery runs actually helped throughout the race. When the hills got long and taxing toward the end of the Big Sur course, I reminded myself to find my recovery pace and settle into it, so I could make it through the hills and feel strong for the subsequent miles.

The Garmin Forerunner 265S helped me maintain a lower effort on recovery runs, as I could keep an eye on my pace and heart rate, making sure I wasn’t exerting too much effort.

What to Do About Speed Workouts When Prepping for a Hilly Marathon

A mistake many runners make when it comes to training for a hilly marathon is tackling their hard workouts—like mile repeats or tempo runs—on the track or flat path that they’re comfortable with, Rosario says. The reason that’s an issue is because you’re not training your leg muscles to handle the demands of running hills at a harder effort.

Hill-based workouts ask more of the quads and calves and better prepare you for race day, Rosario adds, which is why speed workouts are precisely where you should incorporate hills. Just remember: “Hilly loops aren’t as cut and dry as training on a track,” he says, meaning your times are going to vary more as you run uphill and downhill, rather than sticking with a specific pace. 

If you’re doing a speed session with hills, pay attention to your effort instead of pace, Rosario says, and give the workout the same effort you would on the track. For example, if you’re doing mile repeats with hills at threshold, instead of focusing on trying to hit a specific time, focus on maintaining about a 6 to 7 on the RPE scale (that’s a hard effort, but you can still say a few words). 

Repeating the same hilly loop over and over again for those repeats will also help you see how you’re improving.

How to Strength Train for a Hilly Marathon

On average, two strength workouts a week is a good goal for most runners looking to prepare for a hilly marathon, says Weeks. Those workouts can include both uphill and downhill strength movements in each session. 

“In the classic hilly marathons like Boston and Big Sur, it’s the quads that are beat to shreds after the race,” says Rosario. That’s why it’s important to incorporate strength moves to build up the quads so they can withstand the impact.

If you’re a lower mileage runner (around 30 or fewer miles per week), you can do strength work on non-running days. High mileage runners who do two or more speed sessions per week and a long run would benefit from keeping their easy days easy and hard days hard. So Weeks suggests pairing strength work with speed days.

Form Tips for Running Hills in a Marathon

Downhills are more dangerous than the uphills, say Rosario, because they cause us to run in a way that is less efficient. “When we run up a hill, there’s no way to get up it except fairly efficiently,” he says. “You’re running in a way that’s as close to perfect [form] as possible [on the uphill].”

That said, you still want to focus on solid running form when going up an incline. Think about running with a tall posture (avoid dropping your head and shoulders), a forward lean from the ankles, and avoid overstriding by keeping your foot strike underneath you. Also, use your glutes to push off and offer power.

When running downhill, runners tend to land hard on their heels, which sends a lot of shock through and up the kinetic chain—from the heel to the legs and hips—which causes eventual soreness postrace because the body is having to violently absorb all that shock, Rosario says. 

Allow your feet to land closer to the hips, as opposed to way out in front of you in an overstride, as this creates a more gentle impact on the body, Weeks adds.

What runners need to practice, Rosarios says, is letting gravity do the work on the downhill. “You don’t want to bomb down the hill out of control, but you also don’t want to put on the brakes. You want to run as smoothly as possible down the hill,” he says. “It’s that medium effort that you want to find [running downhills] which takes time to learn and practice.”

As for accomplishing your hilly marathon: Give yourself grace, flexibility, plenty of time to train, and learn the marathon course you’ll run as best you can before race day. Marathons with a lot of inclines aren’t for the faint of heart, but now having raced one, I can say I’m proud I accomplished it. Afterall, American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, who spent time living in a cabin at Big Sur in the 60s and traveling the United States wrote: “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” In this case, just run it, for as long as you can. 

A new study confirms that difficult workouts really do feel longer by distorting your perception of time.I’ve always been partial to Dunbar, the character in Catch-22 who seeks out boredom and discomfort in order to make time pass more slowly, thus effectively prolonging his life. It’s a sensation that’s familiar to any endurance athlete: the seconds agonizingly stretching as your effort mounts. Forget cardiovascular benefits and weight control; maybe the real life-extending power of exercise is the way it distorts your time perception.

That sensation is the topic of a new study in the journal Brain and Behavior, by a research team led by Andrew Edwards of Canterbury Christ Church University in Britain. Edwards and his colleagues put a group of 33 volunteers through a series of all-out, 4-kilometer cycling time trials, periodically asking them to estimate the passage of 30 seconds. Sure enough, hammering made the cyclists’ internal clocks faster, which in turn made the efforts feel longer—but not quite in the way the researchers expected. Instead, the results join a series of recent studies suggesting there’s more to time perception than even Dunbar might have suspected.

Back in 2017, Edwards and a colleague published one of the first studies of exercise and time perception. They found that in rowing and cycling bouts between 30 seconds and 20 minutes, people could estimate time fairly accurately during light exercise. But their subjective clocks began to speed up compared to the actual passage of time during moderate exercise, and accelerated even more in all-out bouts. For example, they were asked to guess when they were a quarter, halfway, three-quarters, and all the way through their 20-minute rowing trial. At their halfway estimate, only about 9 minutes and 20 seconds had passed, meaning their internal clocks were running 7 percent faster than real chronological time. By the time they reached what they thought was the finish, just 17 minutes had passed, a deviation of 15 percent.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly how we keep track of time, but the most common explanation for time dilation is that it’s influenced by how much information flows to your brain. During intense arousal—like hard exercise or perceived danger—our senses are heightened. Since we’re noticing more things per unit time, we tend to overestimate how much time has passed. So it makes sense that hard exercise warps time more than easy exercise. It also suggests that distractions, like the presence of a teammate or competitor, might help counteract the effect.

The new study tested the latter idea by having each competitor do a solo time trial, one with a virtual reality companion who cycled alongside them, and one with a virtual competitor whom they were instructed to try to beat. Contrary to expectations, neither the companion nor the competitor made any difference to time perception. And the time perception measured at 500 meters, 1,500 meters, and 2,500 meters was the same each time, even though the cyclists were working a lot harder at 2,500 meters than at 500 meters.

Here’s what that data looks like: a fairly constant clock deviation of about 7 percent at each timepoint.

You can come up with various explanations for these results. It may be that exercising for a set time produces different effects than racing over a set distance. Or it may be that there are nuances that get lost when you look at overall averages. Here’s the same data, this time broken down into the solo time trial condition (circles), companion (squares), and competitor (triangles):

Looking just at the triangles, you see that when racing against a competitor, there’s basically no time deviation at 500 or 1,500 meters: the distraction of focusing on a rival eliminates the time effect. But at 2,500 meters, when the race is really getting hard (the virtual rivals were set to ride 5 percent faster than each subject’s baseline performance), time dilation balloons to more than 25 percent! You can probably come up with similar stories to explain the other two conditions, but these are post hoc explanations that should be treated with suspicion. For now, the safest conclusion is that the picture is more complex than we thought, and we’re not yet sure why.

The picture is similarly hazy when you look at time perception during strength training. Last year, David Behm and his colleagues at Memorial University of Newfoundland published a pair of studies exploring the effect of isometric knee extensions (that’s when you try to straighten your legs against an immovable object) on time perception. In some cases, pushing harder produced more time dilation; in other cases, intensity didn’t seem to matter, perhaps because the subjects were also distracted by monitoring their force output on a computer screen.

And earlier this year, Behm and his colleagues published a study testing time perception after physical exercise and also after a brain task that caused mental fatigue. Physical fatigue made time dilate but mental fatigue didn’t. That’s an interesting observation, but it conflicts with Edwards’s study, where time perception was back to normal within two minutes after exercise.

In other words, the more scientists study exercise and time perception, the more complicated it gets. All of these studies use different exercise protocols, different durations, and different ways of assessing time perception. It will take time to sort through the reasons for the apparent contradictions, but the overall finding still seems solid: time slows down when you’re pushing hard. Admittedly, as a means of life extension, it’s no picnic. “Maybe a long life does have to be filled with many unpleasant conditions if it’s to seem long,” one of Dunbar’s comrades says. “But in that event, who wants one?”

“I do,” Dunbar replies.

“Why?”

“What else is there?

Jasmin Paris did the “impossible” with the same pair of shoes she wore in her first two attempts. The Barkley Marathons is not a race in the traditional sense. It’s a war of attrition where participants, at times, work together more than they want to beat each other to the finish line. Completing five 20-ish mile laps under the 60-hour time limit is the goal—the order of the finishers is secondary.

The 2024 edition of the race, which started at 5:17 a.m. on March 20 and concluded 2.5 days later on March 22, was historic. Five runners completed the arduous race—the most in one year ever—including the first woman to finish, Jasmin Paris, a 40-year-old British mother of two.

Skeptics, including the race’s controversial organizer, Lazarus Lake, have stated in years past that it was impossible for a woman to complete Barkley. But Paris broke the glass ceiling, finishing with less than 2 minutes to spare, in 59:58:21. (At this year’s race, only four of the 40 participants were women.)

“I’ve always enjoyed proving people wrong, especially if it’s something to do with being told that a woman can’t do it,” Paris said after the race. “It gives me great satisfaction.”

Runner’s World caught up with Paris, fresh off a well-deserved vacation with her family, to talk about how she prepared for the unpredictable ultramarathon.

Hills pay the bills

Barkley is a race where experience matters. It’s uncommon for someone in their first year to finish. But after becoming the first woman to complete three loops in 2022 and again in 2023, Paris was hungry to come back. 

“The first time, I was intrigued by this idea of something that was on the very cusp of what was possible,” she said. “And clearly, the likelihood is that you would fail. But there’s still this glimmer of a chance that you might not fail.”

Barkley is difficult to plan for because of secrecy. It’s invitation-only, and participants are quietly told that they can race an undisclosed amount of time before the event. The starting date changes year-to-year, but it’s generally sometime in March or early April.

Paris had an inkling that she’d be given a chance to become the first woman to finish, so she planned her winter training on the assumption that she’d line up. Metatarsal pain in November and December forced her to cross-train on the elliptical or bike for six weeks, but by Christmas, she was back running.

Paris then hunkered down on hill work. At Barkley, a race with an estimated 65,000 feet of elevation gain, it’s essential to practice climbing—something that Paris doesn’t shy away from anyway. For years, she honed her skills at fell races—a niche sport where runners race off-road over hilly terrain—and this Barkley cycle, she added even more elevation than in years past.

As a cornerstone of her training, Paris added circuits of hills into her long runs around the foothills near her home in southern Scotland. She would also supplement her running (and hiking) with sessions on the stair climber, where she’d knock out 3,200 feet of climbing in 40-minute intervals.

About a month out from Barkley, Paris completed her toughest week of training yet: 90 miles of running with an extra 20 miles of hiking. She estimates she traversed around 36,000 to 39,000 feet of elevation that week. (Mt. Everest is 29,000 feet tall, for comparison.) 

Her most Barkley-like training run was a 22-miler over the winter. Usually, Paris will run before she drops her kids off at the pool on Saturday mornings, but she planned a long workout, so she went to bed at 8 p.m. the night before and started her run at 1 a.m. The session, in driving rain that turned to snow, simulated the testy conditions she might experience at Barkley on a bad day. Since a large portion of Barkley isn’t on marked trails, Paris logged much of the eight hours of hills off-trail, totaling over 15,400 feet of net gain. 

"That was really good training for Barkley,” she said. Strength training is key

The biggest change that Paris made in recent years was adding more strength training into her routine. 

As a girl growing up in northern England, Paris was an avid horseback rider, competing in competitions as well as riding for fun at the local stables. But when she was 17, she partially tore the ACL in her left knee after falling off her horse and landing on a fence—then fully tore it chasing after a train. Paris never got reconstructive surgery, so to this day, the ligament is not connected in her knee. 

Trail running can test your balance, especially on technical courses with hairpin turns, so Paris has focused on strength training in recent years to stabilize her knee. Now, the joint is as strong as ever, she said, and weights have become a fixture in her training routine. 

Paris takes a 30-minute online strength class three times a week, where a virtual coach monitors her form and prescribes movements like lunges, single-leg squats, bridges, and sit-ups. But Paris said that advancing past bodyweight exercises to weights has especially leveled-up her strength. 

“I definitely felt stronger going into this year,” she said. “Not just my legs, but my core and my upper body as well.”

Don’t stress over the little things

Part of what makes Barkley so tough to complete is its unpredictability. The spring weather in Tennessee can be bitterly cold or sweltering hot, but participants don’t know what to expect until days before, since the start time is kept a secret.

Paris, in turn, took a laissez-faire attitude toward her race preparation.

The 60-hour time limit at Barkley leaves little room for sleep—Paris told The Guardian she slept about 3 minutes during the race—but she doesn’t believe in simulating tiredness before the event. In fact, quite the opposite. 

In the lead-up to Barkley, Paris focused on starting the race feeling refreshed. And although she knew exhaustion was inevitable, she said that coming over from the U.K. was actually an advantage. Because her hometown is five hours ahead of the time zone in eastern Tennessee, Paris said the middle of the night—when sleepiness would naturally kick in for U.S.-based athletes—felt like the morning to her since she was still used to U.K. time. 

Nutrition is also difficult to dial in, or anticipate, Paris said, because she usually doesn’t have trouble eating until the 10 or 12-hour mark of an ultramarathon. And that’s if she’s moving fast. She rarely trains that long, if at all, so it’s difficult to simulate hunger.

“It’s hard to repeat in training that sort of dry feeling [where you] can’t swallow,” Paris said. At Barkley, she turned to moist foods, like frittatas, pizza (without the crust), and hot cross buns with raisins. 

Paris packed for the race intently, although she admits she forgot some things, like electrolytes. An ardent environmentalist and co-founder of the The Green Runners, Paris prefers to use existing gear, or borrow from others, rather than buy new products—even if hers is worn. 

Days before Barkley, Paris’s mother helped sew up the holes in her pants. Paris even wore the same pair of shoes that she used during her previous two attempts at Barkley, Inov-8 Mudclaw G 260s, after repairing some holes in the uppers.

“You don’t really need the newest stuff; that’s not really what makes you able to run well or what keeps you going,” Paris said. “It’s more about what’s in your head and what training you’ve done.”

Running changed my life trajectory. Before I started running, I had a job as an executive in fast-food marketing. After I started, I changed my career course to focus on health and fitness. I became a certified personal trainer via the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in 2008. In 2011, I became a USA Track & Field run coach, certified Aquatic Exercise Association instructor, and then created Fluid Running as a result for my passion of water running. 

I started running 5Ks and 10Ks, but then signed up for a marathon. I ran my first marathon, the Chicago Marathon, in 2001. Then in 2002, I ran the Chicago Marathon again and qualified for Boston. I was hooked. I followed Hal Higdon’s plans exclusively for my first 12 marathons that I ran between 2001 and 2009, and still reference him. 

However, in 2010, I was training for the Chicago Marathon with my siblings, and raising money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation in honor of my nephew. Six weeks before the race, I tore my calf muscle and my doctor told me I could not run. I was devastated, yet determined. 

I searched “how do you stay in running shape when you can not run,” and came across an article on aqua jogging, and contacted the author who is a running coach. His associate gave me a training plan that included five runs a week in the pool, including my 20 miler! I ran solely in the water for the final six weeks of marathon training. 

After I discovered pool running in 2010, I would still reference Hagdon’s plans, but I would replace two to three of the land runs on the schedule for water runs.

For pool running, I wear a flotation belt which allows me to run as if I were on land. I am upright in the pool with my legs underneath me. I keep my head held high, shoulders pulled back, and my arms swing by my side. My legs mimic land running form but with a little more “sweepy” back and forth motion. 

For the 2022 Chicago Marathon, I decided to try a Track Club Babe training plan because I liked lower mileage, and I focused on speed and slower long runs. I only did the long run and one speed work run on land. The rest I replicated in the pool, and I still qualified for Boston! 

Since discovering pool running, my last six marathons have been a combination of about 50 percent pool and 50 percent pavement.

This was my “aha” moment, and I wanted to share my journey, so I created Fluid Running in 2011. A huge benefit is that there is absolutely no impact on the body, so you can do it with many common injuries.

In my recent training for the 2024 Boston Marathon, I did two or three land runs per week (which includes a speed session and the long run), the rest of my running in the water. 

I honestly don’t know what I would do without running in my life! It’s my moving meditation. I started dating my husband through running, made many friends, and ultimately created Fluid Running because of it. 

These tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Strength train

I’m a huge fan of strength training, especially as we age. I do two sessions a week focusing on my leg muscles and core. I do a lot of single-leg exercises. I know this has played a huge role in keeping me strong, especially toward the end of marathons. 

2. Adopt positive self talk

I’m a big believer in positive self-talk. I talk to myself constantly during my runs. One of my mantras that I will say over and over when I run is “strong legs, strong mind, strong body.” “Yes you can” is another one I say often.

3. Learn from your setbacks

I’ve had some setbacks, like all runners. Setbacks, though, are when I ultimately become better and stronger. Setbacks allow me to reflect, and they make me realize just how much I love and need running in my life! Setbacks are temporary, so don’t stress out about them.

Jennifer’s Must-Have Gear 

→ SPI Belt: I love it because it’s comfortable and holds so much—my phone, my airpods, gum, and a gel! 

→ Power Plate Vibrating Roller: I love it because it gets so deep and feels so good. I try to use it both before and after my runs. 

→ Goodr Sunglasses: I love them because they are light, cute, and they make everything look deeper in color. The sky is so blue when I wear them!

Sandy Rutledge began running in his early 60s; he has run the Boston Marathon four times. The Nova Scotian clocked an impressive 3:31:38 at Monday’s 128th running of the famous race, earning him second place for his division and top Canadian in that age bracket.

“It was a slower than normal Boston, with the heat,” Rutledge told Canadian Running after his race. “I backed it off and went a little slower than last year, because I didn’t want to push it and not finish.”

After a decade of running, Rutledge knows what he needs to do to stay competitive, but above all else, he’s looking at his longevity in the sport. “My goal is to run as long as I can,” he says. “In my 60s, I could run seven days a week and over 100 kilometres per week, but I’ve now backed that off to five days a week and lower volume,” he adds.

Rutledge has completed around 19 marathons and several shorter-distance races. And he has stayed relatively injury-free, thanks to a couple of key regimens that anchor his weekly training.

“I take Tuesdays entirely off running, and I do strength training,” he says, acknowledging that the consistency of these sessions has helped his healthy running streak. “I focus on the core in these… as we age, many people tend to develop back issues, and I’m no exception.”

Rutledge also shared that 20 to 30 minutes of daily stretching, often before his runs, has also played a big role in injury prevention.

As his career in real estate has wound down, Rutledge is grateful to running for helping him keep a daily routine, and a sense of purpose. “I wake up at 5 a.m.–I’m a morning person,” he says. “Running has brought me a sense of youth. I have continued doing most of the things I could do when I was younger, and I think running has done that for me.”

Having taken up running later in life than many other runners, Rutledge encourages anyone to give it a try if they’re curious, no matter their age. “I started really slow,” he says. “It began with walking and then adding in some running slowly… maybe a kilometre to start, and building up from there.”

Rutledge has no plans to slow down. “I’ve heard that most people have a 15-year life cycle in the marathon, and I’m 10 years in,” he says. “I’d like to keep running marathons into my 80s, but as long as I can keeping running five days a week, I’ll adjust the speed and the distances of my races, if I need to.”

Rutledge is looking forward to, hopefully, running the Athens Marathon later this year or next.

“That’s where it all began,” he says of the marathon. “I think we all owe it to the running gods to do that one at least once.”

The Halifax runner took up running in his early 60s, and ran his fourth Boston Marathon on Monday.

Sandy Rutledge began running in his early 60s; he has run the Boston Marathon four times. The Nova Scotian clocked an impressive 3:31:38 at Monday’s 128th running of the famous race, earning him second place for his division and top Canadian in that age bracket.

“It was a slower than normal Boston, with the heat,” Rutledge told Canadian Running after his race. “I backed it off and went a little slower than last year, because I didn’t want to push it and not finish.”

After a decade of running, Rutledge knows what he needs to do to stay competitive, but above all else, he’s looking at his longevity in the sport. “My goal is to run as long as I can,” he says. “In my 60s, I could run seven days a week and over 100 kilometres per week, but I’ve now backed that off to five days a week and lower volume,” he adds.

Rutledge has completed around 19 marathons and several shorter-distance races. And he has stayed relatively injury-free, thanks to a couple of key regimens that anchor his weekly training.

“I take Tuesdays entirely off running, and I do strength training,” he says, acknowledging that the consistency of these sessions has helped his healthy running streak. “I focus on the core in these… as we age, many people tend to develop back issues, and I’m no exception.”

Rutledge also shared that 20 to 30 minutes of daily stretching, often before his runs, has also played a big role in injury prevention.

As his career in real estate has wound down, Rutledge is grateful to running for helping him keep a daily routine, and a sense of purpose. “I wake up at 5 a.m.–I’m a morning person,” he says. “Running has brought me a sense of youth. I have continued doing most of the things I could do when I was younger, and I think running has done that for me.”

Having taken up running later in life than many other runners, Rutledge encourages anyone to give it a try if they’re curious, no matter their age. “I started really slow,” he says. “It began with walking and then adding in some running slowly… maybe a kilometre to start, and building up from there.”

Rutledge has no plans to slow down. “I’ve heard that most people have a 15-year life cycle in the marathon, and I’m 10 years in,” he says. “I’d like to keep running marathons into my 80s, but as long as I can keeping running five days a week, I’ll adjust the speed and the distances of my races, if I need to.”

Rutledge is looking forward to, hopefully, running the Athens Marathon later this year or next.

“That’s where it all began,” he says of the marathon. “I think we all owe it to the running gods to do that one at least once.”

If you’re feeling low on motivation and pounding the pavement has lost its lustre, adding “gratitude miles” to your routine may be the revitalizing refresher you’re looking for. Mark White, founder of the Run Grateful initiative, explains that connecting running to gratitude can heighten your running experience and inspire connections with yourself, others and your surroundings.

“In its simplest form, we invite you to take a moment before you set off on your walk/run and focus on something you are grateful for, a person, a memory an experience,” the Run Grateful website says. Here’s what you need to know to make gratitude running part of your regime.

Run Grateful: the beginnings

“We are on a mission to help everyone experience at least one grateful mile in their lifetime, because we believe it won’t stop at one! If we are fortunate enough to have mobility, we must use it as a superpower,” Run Grateful founder Mark White writes on the initiative’s website.

In 2002, White was attending a drug rehab program and was introduced to gratitude work. “Mindfulness, meditation, gratitude and more was now a valuable part of my life that even influenced those around me,” he explains. Years later, White was supporting a friend in a 24-hour treadmill challenge that involved running one mile per hour. “I decided to attach each mile to gratitude, sharing about uplifting experiences, people in my life and more,” White says. “The day was overwhelming, inspiring and consequently RUN GRATEFUL was born!”

While the Run Grateful initiative offers socials for runners to connect at and seminars on gratitude running, you can easily incorporate their concepts into your training on your own.

3 steps to more mindful running:

While the basics of Run Grateful involve simply focusing on gratitude for any distance—be it a mile, a kilometre or your entire run, they also encourage delving deeper and boosting your gratitude sessions by adding mindfulness to your running. The initiative focuses on three things that can be incorporated into a variety of daily activities. “At Run Grateful we believe that if we can MOVE, CONNECT + REFLECT daily we give ourselves the best opportunity to navigate life, being open to what comes and have a framework to support our next steps,” the website explains.

Move

“Physically and mentally, how are we moving forward in life and have we got the momentum we need to progress?” White asks. Whether your focus of the day is an easy run, a strength training session or a tough mental challenge, make sure it is propelling you toward your goals in some way.

Connect

“Are we connecting with ourselves, with others and our surroundings?” White asks. Connecting also involves looking at your relationships and making sure you have healthy, supportive connections. Think about, and appreciate, who and what you are connected to in both your running and your life.

Reflect

Take a moment to look at your choices, and determine whether you are giving yourself the best possible opportunities in running and in life. Running reflection can be a powerful key to embracing a gratitude practice. “Do we take time to review past events? How can we improve and learn to take that into the next day?” White asks.

Adding some inspiration and zest back into your running routine can be as simple as focusing on the things that bring you joy as you run, and you may feel inspired to make mindful moments a permanent part of your training.

We know that running doesn’t wreck your knees (and might even make them stronger) but newer runners or those making a comeback occasionally experience some soreness, and the knee is one of the most common areas of injury for runners. The easiest way to keep knee pain at bay is to beef up the muscles around the knee joint.

Adding a handful of simple exercises to your routine will help your legs provide better support and alignment, giving your legs the oomph they need to keep going strong while preventing common injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome and runner’s knee. We have four exercises to help you get started.

Single-leg glute bridge

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core while also improving hip stability and alignment.

Begin lying on the floor with your knees bent and hands by your side.

Engage your core and lengthen one leg out, keeping one foot on the floor. Push through your foot, slowly lifting your hips into a bridge position and keeping your one leg extended.

Single-leg glute bridge

This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core while also improving hip stability and alignment.

Begin lying on the floor with your knees bent and hands by your side.

Engage your core and lengthen one leg out, keeping one foot on the floor. Push through your foot, slowly lifting your hips into a bridge position and keeping your one leg extended.

Hold for a second at the top, squeezing your glutes and engaging your core muscles. Gently to the starting position. Aim for 10 repetitions, and then repeat on the other side.

1.- Forward lunges

Lunges engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles, and activate stabilizing muscles such as the hip abductors and adductors. They improve overall stability and reduce stress on the knees.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

Take a step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are at a 90-degree angle, hovering the back knee just above the ground.

Push off the front foot to return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg. Aim for five to 10 repeats to start. You can build resistance by adding sets, or by holding weights once you become comfortable.

2.- Step-ups with knee drive

Step-ups strengthen the muscles responsible for supporting the knee joint during weight-bearing activities like running and enhance the knee’s ability to withstand repetitive stress and maintain proper alignment, reducing the likelihood of overuse injuries.

Stand with feet hip-width apart, facing a step, box, or bench.

Step up with the right foot onto the box, and then drive the left knee up toward the chest. Aim for your hip and knee to form a 90-degree angle. Step back down and repeat on the other side. Aim for 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

If you want more of a challenge, hold a light weight in the hand that is on the side doing the step-up (if you’re stepping up with your right leg, hold a weight in your right hand).

3.- Squats

Squats strengthen the quadriceps muscles which directly connect to the knee. Strong quadriceps provide the knee with more stability, thus reducing and preventing injury. Start with two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out, and your chest up.

Lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if you’re sitting in a chair, keeping your weight on your heels.

Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, then push through your heels to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top.

As strength improves, you can gradually increase the number of sets, repetitions, or resistance (such as adding weights) to continue challenging the muscles and promoting knee strength.

4.- Single-leg mini squat

This exercise mimics the motions of running, engaging all the major muscle groups involved in running to build strength and stability while It also challenges balance and building proprioception skills.

Begin by standing on one leg with your knee slightly bent. Keep your chest up, shoulders back and core engaged for balance.

Slowly lower your body by bending the knee of the leg you’re standing on, imagining that you’re sitting back in a chair. Keep your back straight, and go as low as you can (doesn’t need to be far!) while maintaining control.

Hold for a few seconds to challenge your balance and stability, and then push through the heel of the standing leg to return to the starting position. Try five-10 reps on each side to start.

As with any new activity, use caution and patience as you incorporate these into your routine. Feel free to modify by reducing the number of repetitions if you are struggling; if you’re very comfortable with lower-body strength training, add resistance by holding weights as you do the exercises.

For 16 weeks, he followed Runner’s World’s training plan while deployed and ending up breaking four hours.

I always despised the treadmill. I was never able to run on it, partially because I was afraid that if my foot slipped too far off left or right, I would end up face-planted. Plus, what I love about running is being out in the wilderness and not having to run in a perfectly straight line, which is everything the treadmill isn’t: It’s confined and claustrophobic.

But I didn’t always love running the way I do now. As a kid, I played baseball and golf, so when I pivoted to running in high school, it was quite demanding physically and mentally at first. I ran both cross-country and track, and because I was part of a successful team—we won the state championship in track in 2003, and cross country in 2004 and 2005—it was challenging and took a lot of hard work. But even then, I enjoyed the mental challenge of pushing myself hard: No one can make you run, no one can force you, it’s all on you.

And for that reason—because I love to challenge myself—part of me always wanted to conquer my fear of the treadmill. Plus, when my buddy said I could not possibly train for and run a marathon on a treadmill during our back-then-upcoming deployment out at sea, it just made me want to do it all the more. But above all, there was one special person who motivated me to train: My wife, Jessee, and her recent BQ.

Jessee and I were both runners long before we met in college. We take the sport with us wherever we move with the Navy, joining group runs, and even racing together. But while Jessee has been getting faster, in late 2022, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, followed by months of rehab and uncertainty about whether I’d ever run another marathon again. However, I was determined to fully recover, following my physical therapist’s recommendations to a T.

While I was healing, Jessee was training for the Wilmington Marathon in February 2023, following the Runner’s World break 3:30 plan, hoping to beat the 3:35:00 cutoff for her age group and make it her Boston qualifier. Her final time was 3:31:33. I was there for the race, spectating, and the whole experience—from training to the race—awakened new determination in me. Could I qualify for Boston as well?

By then, I already knew I would be deployed in July 2023. As I slowly started to feel better, getting back to some easy runs, a plan formed in my head: I would commit to the same training plan Jessee had followed for her BQ—except my training would be solely on a treadmill on the Navy ship. 

To qualify for Boston in 3:05:00 for my age group, I knew I’d have to gradually improve my time from my existing PR of 3:58:17. I started training on the first day of our deployment, which set my treadmill marathon date for October 28, 2023. 

It was not an easy training block for sure. There had been a handful of days where the ship was rocking and pitching, which brought some surprising, unintentional hill workouts to my treadmill runs. There are no windows, so you just have to be aware and try to anticipate the next move. 

In the end, running in a straight line was the least of my worries—the toughest stage was handling the hot days while we were in the Persian Gulf. The heat index was 120 to 130 Fahrenheit outside, and the ship was very hot as well. But one of my favorite quotes is: “Smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors.” I knew that come marathon day, I’d be able to look back on those runs for motivation, knowing that I can do hard things.

In general, I don’t listen to music while running; I like to know what’s going on around me. But the treadmill doesn’t provide much excitement, so I came up with a plan. I read some Runner’s World articles that mentioned the physiological benefits of listening to music while running. I thought if I get through about 16 miles without music and then run the last 10 miles with music on, that should give me a good boost. I practiced it first for a few miles at the end of each long training run, figuring out what songs I wanted on my marathon playlist.

On the day of the marathon, the gym was 76 degrees, about 20 degrees more than all my previous marathons, so I expected the temperature to be a factor going into it. Around mile 18, I started to feel that heat seep in. And then, at mile 22, I felt a sharp pinch in my left groin, so I backed off a little bit. I was hoping for 3:30, but in the end, I finished at 3:43:58 (pure run time, as I had to restart the treadmill every 60 minutes). I ran almost 15 minutes faster than my previous PR though, and was now 15 minutes closer to Boston.

Overall I discovered this marathon training block supported my mental health. Out at sea, it can feel like Groundhog Day—every day is the same. Having a goal helped bring structure to my days. Having a plan gave me a focus and direction. The Runner’s World training plan included a description of what to do each day, running tips, nutrition, and sometimes a little pep talk. I didn’t have to think about it; I was just following what it prescribed.

Since the marathon, I’ve been running three or four times a week, focusing more on strength training, and figuring out what could be next. 

Besides Boston, Jessee and I also hope to eventually run a marathon on every continent. We will be moving to Washington D.C. soon, so for now, I hope to run the Marine Corps Marathon this fall and keep shaving time off my PR. 

While I’m glad I conquered the treadmill, I doubt I’ll do another treadmill marathon—I’m very much looking forward to running outdoors again, as soon as I return from my deployment.

These tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Work foam rolling into your routine

After my injury following the London Marathon, my physical therapist showed me some foam-rolling techniques for my quads and calves. Before and after every run, I get things loose and warmed up, and it really made a huge difference. By the time I did the treadmill training block, the injury was essentially nonexistent. It’s definitely changed the way I approach running.

2. Make yourself a playlist to boost your mood

Music is quite personal so I’d recommend checking out RW playlists and Spotify playlists, then make your own based on your taste. All genres—rock, rap, pop—can give you a boost in a different way.

3. Find a training plan

Even if you have never run competitively or are brand new to running, Runner’s World can help you figure out the smartest and safest way to start so you don’t do too much too soon and help avoid injury.

4. Find your running people

Googling “local running club” can help you find a community of like-minded people near you. This is a great way to make friends and learn more about running. My wife and I always find a running community every time we move with the Navy. We have made some lifelong friends and look forward to meeting more runners wherever the Navy takes us!

Mike's Must-Have Gear

→ Garmin Forerunner 55: I try to keep my running minimalistic, so I only use the watch for pace, time, and heart rate. There are probably a million other things the watch can do, but that’s enough for me.

→ Brooks Sherpa 2-in-1 running shorts: The boxer brief lining makes these the most comfortable running shorts I’ve ever worn. It’s kinda pricey, so I have only one pair that I wear on my long runs (maybe I'll invest in a second pair one day). The waistband is also very comfortable and the pockets are a perfect storage for my needs.

→ Balega socks: My wife got me a couple of pairs for this deployment, and I absolutely love them. They are a little pricey but so worth it.

To be a maximalist, you must first be a minimalist. That's an aphorism I first heard from Michael Joyner, the Mayo Clinic physiologist and human performance expert, and it resonates. To truly reach your potential in one or a few areas, you have to be disciplined about all the other ways in which you could fritter away your valuable time and energy. Excellence requires tough choices.

All this is to say that when it comes to strength training, I'm not ashamed to admit that my number one question is, "How little can I get away with?" I'm convinced that strength training has important benefits for health and performance, and I recognize that lifting heavy things can be a source of meaning and self-mastery. But I've got miles to run before I sleep and, metaphorically, a bunch of errands to run before my kids get home, so a recent review in Sports Medicine caught my eye. An international group of researchers, led by David Behm of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Andreas Konrad of Graz University in Austria, sum up the existing research on minimalist resistance training: how low can you go and still get meaningful gains in strength and fitness?

For starters, let's acknowledge that making meaningful gains is not the same as optimizing or maximizing your gains. There's a general pattern in the dose-response functions of various types of exercise: doing a little bit gives you the biggest bang for your buck, but adding more training leads to steadily diminishing returns (and eventually, for reasons that aren't as obvious as you might think, a plateau). Those diminishing returns are worth chasing if you're trying to maximize your performance. But if your goal is health, more is not necessarily better, as we'll see below.

In a perfect world, you'd like to see a systematic meta-analysis of all the literature on minimalist strength training, meaning that you'd pool the results of all the different studies into one big dataset and extract the magic training formula. Unfortunately, the resistance training literature is all over the map: different types of strength training, study subjects with different characteristics and levels of experience, different ways of measuring the outcome. That makes it impossible to meaningfully combine them in one dataset. Instead, Behm and Kramer settled for a narrative review, which basically means reading everything you can find and trying to sum it up.

Their key conclusion is that "resistance training-hesitant individuals" can get significant gains from one workout a week consisting of just one set of 6 to 15 reps, with a weight somewhere between 30 and 80 percent of one-rep max, preferably with multi-joint movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench press. That's strikingly similar to a minimalist program I wrote about a couple of years ago: that one involved a single weekly set of 4 to 6 reps, but the lifting motions were ultra-slow, which heightens the stimulus. You don't even necessarily have to lift to failure, though you probably need to get within a couple of reps of it.

The data that Behm and Kramer looked at came from studies that typically lasted 8 to 12 weeks. One of the unanswered questions is whether such a minimalist program would keep producing gains on a longer timeframe. You'd clearly need to continue increasing the weight you lift to ensure that you're still pushing your body to adapt. But do you reach a point where further progress requires you to increase the number of sets, or the number of workouts per week? Maybe-but it's worth recalling that we're not trying to maximize gains here, we're just trying to achieve some hazily defined minimum stimulus. For those purposes, the evidence suggests running through a rigorous full-body workout once a week is enough to maintain a minimum level of muscular fitness.

There's another, less obvious angle to minimalist strength training that researchers continue to grapple with. Duck-Chul Lee of Iowa State and I-Min Lee of Harvard, both prominent epidemiologists, published a recent review in Current Cardiology Reports called "Optimum Dose of Resistance Exercise for Cardiovascular Health and Longevity: Is More Better?"

The question echoes a debate that flared up a decade or so ago about whether too much running is bad for you, in which Duck-Chul Lee played a key role. Back in 2018, he also published a study of 12,500 patients from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas which found that those who did resistance training were healthier-but that the benefits maxed out at two workouts a week, and were reversed beyond about four workouts a week. At the time, I assumed the result was a fluke. But the new article collects a larger body of evidence to bolster the case. The newer data suggests that about an hour of strength training a week maximizes the benefits, and beyond two hours a week reverses them. Lee and Lee hypothesize that too much strength training might lead to stiffer arteries, or perhaps to chronic inflammation.

Now, when Duck-Chul Lee and others produced data suggesting that running more than 20 miles a week is bad for your health, I was brimming with skepticism and went over the data with a fine-tooth comb. I'm similarly cautious about these new results, and have trouble believing that there's anything unhealthy about doing three weekly strength workouts. But they do put the idea of minimalist strength training in a different light. Maybe you're not maximizing strength or muscle gains, but it's possible that you're optimizing long-term health-especially if the reason you only hit the gym once or twice a week is that you're too busy hitting the trails.

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.”

The start of a new season marks a shift in the training environment for competitive runners across Canada. Distinct challenges arise as runners shift their focus to new racing distances or terrains. As runners transition from outdoor to indoor running in winter, and switch into cross-country running in the fall, the ligaments and tendons of the lower extremities are put to the test. New running environments place demands on these structures and may leave runners vulnerable to injury.

Clinically, my treatment approach is to support these structures with targeted strength training. Loading the joints of the lower extremity with running-specific single-leg movements can help prepare them for the demands of new surfaces and terrains. Single-leg squats, lunges and calf-based loading strategies can be done with the goal of preventing long-term injuries. Jumping-based exercises on uneven surfaces are another great option, because they mimic the demands that runners may experience during races over grass, hills, and mud.

As the weather gets colder, many athletes across Canada turn to doing at least some of their training indoors. An indoor track presents a unique challenge to the athlete’s body, as everyone runs in a counterclockwise direction only. The repetitive nature of running, combined with consistently turning in one direction, can lead to various loading challenges, which can be amplified on the tighter turns of indoor tracks. Researchers from Western University found that the ankle-stabilizing muscles on the left leg on the inside edge of the turn developed strength changes distinctly different from those on the opposite leg, which they suspect are from athletes constantly turning to the left on an indoor track. 

In our work with runners at the Runner’s Academy in Toronto, we have found that this type of asymmetrical loading pattern can contribute to muscular imbalances and running-related injuries affecting the ankle, knee, hip and pelvis. Clinically, I use hands-on manual therapies with targeted rehabilitation exercises to address areas of muscular compensation and joint overuse. 

If you are training on a running track indoors or outdoors, varying your direction between clockwise and counterclockwise is essential to reduce the amount of rotational force the body is subjected to.

To optimize your faster-paced workouts indoors, I recommend doing your warm-up and cool-down jogs outdoors, away from the indoor track. This allows your body to reset and adapt after the repetitive stresses of indoor running, enhancing overall performance and reducing the risk of injury. This promotes variability and gradually exposes the body to stress on a range of surfaces and conditions. If I am training for an indoor track race or coaching, I practice these training modifications and encourage everyone else to try them.

Dr. Robert Lawand is a chiropractor at The Runner’s Academy in Toronto. He can be found training and racing in events from the 1,500m up to the half-marathon with the Royal City Athletic Club, and coaching high school track and field with the University of Toronto Track and Field Club.

“My life is totally different today because I have purpose. I also feel 100 times better health-wise.”

I was an amateur boxer as a teenager. I stopped boxing after age 17, and never took care of myself until I was 36 years old. For 19 years, I ate badly and did not exercise, and started to gain weight rapidly after the age of 30 when I became a truck driver.

Being a trucker, I ate a lot of truck stop food and fast food and didn’t move much. My life was simple: work, eat, come home to my family, and do it all over again. My struggle was always my diet. I had a food addiction. 

I didn’t have any major health problems other than high blood pressure, but I knew I had to make a change as it was only a matter of time before I’d be on medications, and other health issues would catch up to me because of my unhealthy lifestyle. 

It started as a New Year’s resolution on January 1, 2022. I was 36 years old and my clothes no longer fit me. I also realized that I couldn’t keep up with my 8-year-old daughter or do anything outside with the family because I was out of shape and tired all the time. 

I thought to myself, ‘What kind of example am I showing my daughter?’ So I made a promise to myself and family that in 2022, I was going to take care of myself and set goals. I set a very challenging goal to lose 50 pounds in three months. 

I started out by walking in January 2022, and lost 25 pounds in that month alone. In February, I started to implement running with my walks at the local parks in San Antonio, Texas. By March, I joined a gym. 

I began walking and running on the treadmill—it was so hard for me to run at first because my legs and calves cramped up often. I couldn’t even run for 30 seconds in January, so in March, my challenge was to try to run the length of the song the gym had playing on the intercom. In April, I completed my first nonstop mile of running—I was so excited to achieve that.

After April, I ran about two miles a day on the treadmill after lifting weights, and met my goal of losing 50 pounds in three months. 

My main focus during this time was weight lifting, but one day in late August, I challenged myself after my workout to see if I could run three miles nonstop on the treadmill. To my surprise, I did it. After that, I started to go back to the parks and run. 

A buddy at the gym told me about a local 5K in San Antonio. I ran it and fell in love with the race environment. It was there I heard runners talking about the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. 

It was 11 weeks away, and I told them I would love to run the full marathon. They all chuckled a bit and looked at me like I was crazy. How would a person like me who barely started running have time to prepare for a full marathon in just 11 weeks? Well, I started training for it by following runners on TikTok and finding out what training schedule they followed. 

One month later in October, I was running 15 miles nonstop. In December, I completed the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in a time of 5 hours and 9 minutes. The feeling of accomplishment was beyond amazing. 

After the marathon, I made up my mind: Running was something I would continue. Six months later, in May 2023, I ran the Shiprock Marathon in New Mexico in 4 hours 57 minutes. It was quite an honor to run with the Navajo people at the Navajo reservation. I then ran the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon again this past December 2023, and my time was 40 minutes faster than the year prior. The next marathon on my list is the Utah Valley Marathon in June 2024.

Today, I run four to five times a week with Saturdays being my long run. My goal is to keep running marathons and to get faster. My ultimate goal is to qualify for Boston. It sounds far-fetched because I’m currently running 4:30 marathon times, but running this distance seemed impossible two years ago. 

I work 50 hours a week for a local construction company. While I have the luxury of coming home every night, the days are long. To maintain my healthy lifestyle I pack a lunch everyday—I’m fortunate that my wife prepares these lunches for me. If I didn’t pack my lunch, I’d be eating truck stop food. After work, I go to the gym for strength training, and or run around the local parks. I usually don’t get home until 8:30 at night. 

My life is totally different today because I have purpose. I also feel 100 times better health-wise. 

These three tips have made my running journey a success:

1. Stay consistent

Stay consistent with running, your workout routine, and diet. Consistency is key. Just start and never give up. It’s going to be difficult, but stick with it and results and progress will come. It’s you versus you. Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. It’s your battle.

2. Eat healthy

Diet plays a huge factor on how you fuel for your runs and the right nutrition helps you perform better. I’ve noticed on days I eat bad it really affects my runs. Before this journey, my diet was horrible. All I drank was soda and ate fast food. I’m Hispanic and I love Mexican food, but it isn’t the healthiest. Now I only drink water and black coffee. I stay away from fried food, processed foods, sugar, and flour. I love pasta and chicken Alfredo the day before my long runs. I eat lean meat, chicken breast, lean ground turkey, salmon, and sweet potatoes, along with a lot of fruit and vegetables.

3. Stay confident

You have to believe in yourself. You have to have faith in yourself and the process. Faith over fear. I learned you can do more than you can imagine. The mentality I have now compared to two years ago is night and day. 

Adam’s Must-Have Gear 

→ Nike Vaporfly Shoes: Of all the shoes I’ve tried, Nike Vaporfly are my go-to race-day shoes. They feel the best and I’ve had my PR with these shoes.

→ GU Running Gels: These work the best for me for fueling on long runs and don’t upset my stomach and give me a great boost.

→ Night Buddy Headlamp: For my early morning or night runs, this headlamp keeps me safe and well lit. It’s a super light headlamp and very bright.