The clock had not yet struck 2 p.m. in Harlem, and my daily step count was higher than it鈥檇 been in months. My eyelids were heavy, my hips were creaking in protest, and my legs were no longer useful. And there were still ten听miles to go.

Just a few hours ago, I was giddy at the prospect of walking the entire 32-mile perimeter of Manhattan in one day via route. (Shorewalkers, a local non-profit, hosts the Saunter on the first Saturday of May each year to raise money for promoting and preserving the city鈥檚 waterfront.)

Though I鈥檇 missed the registration deadline, the opportunity to spend the entire day outside exploring new parts of my city was too tempting to pass up. So, I decided to follow the route on my own schedule and rope a friend into doing it with me. We chose a mutually convenient place to meet up鈥攁 Starbucks near the southern tip of the island鈥攁nd took our first steps into the dewy spring morning.

We were both feeling confident about our fitness levels heading into the walkabout. My friend was fresh off thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, and I鈥檇 been running about 30 miles a week in preparation for the New York City Marathon in the fall. Equipped with coffee and a can-do attitude, I figured, I run all the time鈥攈ow hard can a long walk be?

Cue the narrator of my life: Harder than she thinks.

What It鈥檚 Like to Walk the Perimeter of Manhattan in a Day

I (perhaps naively) let my walking buddy set the pace for the morning, and we started our journey up the West Side Highway walking path at roughly 18 minutes per mile. It was fast enough to feel challenging, and my hip flexors and glutes started to fire up within the first hour.

When I connected with run coach after my walk, she wasn鈥檛 surprised to hear about this early burn. 鈥淲alking works generally the same muscle groups as running,鈥� Dorset, a 21-time marathoner and the first woman from Trinidad to complete all six major world marathons, tells me. When you walk, she explains, 鈥測ou鈥檙e priming those muscles to get ready for longer distances and added speed.鈥�

Rather than dwelling on the pain or the number of miles still to go, I tried to set my sights on our surroundings. I noticed features of the greenway I鈥檇 usually whiz right by: the daffodils reaching towards the sun, the trumpet-shaped bluebells in a fleeting symphony, the Eastern Redbud trees reawakening after a long winter. The more I focused my attention outward, the less anxiety I carried within.

As I later learned from , the assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, this wasn鈥檛 a coincidence. Jimenez explains that walks in parks (even urban ones) have been shown to have a on heart rate, sympathetic nerve activity, and other stress biomarkers. She is currently researching whether certain types of landscaping (shrubs, flowers, trees, etc.) seem to be more restorative than others. But for now, it鈥檚 safe to say that reveling in any green environment reduces stress levels.

And revel I did. Buoyed by a sampling of NYC鈥檚 and , I made it past the Little Red Lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge, through the shelter of the nearly 100-year-old Inspiration Point rest stop, and between the canopy of Inwood Hill Park to reach the tippy top of Manhattan鈥攁ll in about four hours.

Next, it was over to Harlem, where my legs really started to speak to me with some level of profanity. Again, I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and tuning into the sights of the neighborhood. The cultural melting pot was bursting with street vendors, musicians, and seemingly all the energy in the world. I greedily soaked it up.

By the time my walking buddy and I made our way back downtown via the East River path, the end of the trek was in sight, and the worst of the self-doubt had passed. A few friends joined to keep us company, and we spent the afternoon chatting, slowing our pace, and sneaking inland for a beer break or two.

Somewhere along the way, I realized the many facets of longer-distance walking. It can be both challenging and restorative, social and solitary. Clearly, the act was more versatile than I鈥檇 given it credit for. I wondered how it might help me have a more joyful, injury-free, and productive training cycle for the NYC marathon.

By 9 p.m., we had circled back to the unassuming Starbucks from which we started.

After 12 hours, 42 minutes, and 32.89 miles, our ultra-distance urban hike was complete. That night, I waddled home sore, exhausted, and eager to walk my way to a more successful marathon.

How Walking Can Make You a Better Runner

I figured that walking 30-plus miles in a day wasn鈥檛 something I could (or should) keep up with during the height of marathon season. But what distance would complement my training? And how would I know when to walk and when to run?

I brought these questions to Dorset, who affirmed that longer walks are a valuable training and recovery tool for runners鈥攁nd not just for the obvious reasons.

Beyond activating your muscles and improving , walking holds a distinctly mental appeal. As any runner knows, there are days when running is the last thing you want to do. When those happen, walking can be a more achievable way to get miles in and stay accountable to your goals.

鈥淔or whatever reason, going on your run can feel too intimidating sometimes,鈥� Dorset says, noting that she often feels this way during particularly long or difficult workweeks. 鈥淏ut people are more used to walking, especially in cities like New York. It鈥檚 not as overwhelming.鈥�

While walking can feel easier and more achievable than running鈥攅specially during periods of heightened stress鈥攊t鈥檚 still valuable exercise. 鈥淚t will still be physical motion, and it will still be time on your feet,鈥� Dorset says.

Active recovery techniques like walking can also help and (DOMS) following a tough workout. Plus, it may help prevent injuries as you build up mileage.

鈥淪ometimes if you do a long run one day and sit a lot the next day, things really tighten up,鈥� Dorset says. 鈥淚f you go for a nice walk instead, that helps get things loose again. You鈥檙e going to have a lower chance of incurring injury if your muscles are less tight and stiff.鈥�

In practice, this may look like swapping a 40-minute recovery run with a walk that takes roughly double the time (80 minutes). While individual needs vary, Dorset advises that most people shouldn鈥檛 walk for more than three-and-a-half hours at a time during training鈥攁 guideline similar to the limit for running before a marathon.

Pro Tips for Your Next Long Walk

If you鈥檙e looking to incorporate more long walks into your routine, Dorset has some additional tips:

• Warm up your feet and ankles beforehand: try rotating your ankles to make circles and/or the letters of the alphabet to ward off stiffness once you get moving.
• Bring plenty of fuel: this means water! Plus, Dorset likes to use walks as low-stakes opportunities to test out new hydration and energy gels she may use during races.
• Pack light: avoid bags or backpacks that will throw off your mechanics.
• Invest in a comfortable pair of sneakers: my feet were miraculously blister-free after 62,804 steps around Manhattan in my cushy .
• Stay engaged: keep your arms pumping and your core online during training walks. Seek out hills, steps, or bridges to add some more intensity.

Slowing Down to Speed Up

During previous training cycles, I used recovery days to go on short runs, lift weights, or hop on a bike. This go-round, I prioritized walking, seeking out paths that brought me to new neighborhoods, hilly landscapes, and good friends. When I couldn鈥檛 decide where to go, I鈥檇 look at a map and choose a green space to visit, designing my route around calming canopies.

I鈥檓 pleased to report that I made it through training injury-free and finished the NYC Marathon with a 19-minute personal record. While I can鈥檛 say that this all comes down to my walking routine, I do think it helped me better manage the physical and mental strain of training.

Looking back, I see that my circumnavigating Manhattan left me with a valuable gift that went well beyond getting the fodder for a great story to tell anyone who would listen. The experience taught me that slowing down 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 mean falling behind.

鈥淭here is no shame in walking,鈥� says Dorset. 鈥淎nd using walking as a tool 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 make you any less of a runner.鈥�

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While I was getting ready for a friend鈥檚 birthday party last year, a podcast came on about how almost . There are few things I enjoy more than pestering my friends to do absurd things with me, so I spent the night trying to convince them that a 26.2-mile race could be fun.

I was probably the worst person to be making the case that running a marathon is an achievable goal for most people. In early 2019, I developed an autonomic nervous system disorder called . The condition is so debilitating that I can鈥檛 stand up to brush my teeth some days, let alone go for a long run. The only similarity I saw between myself and someone who actually ran marathons was that I couldn鈥檛 shut up about it at this party.

The whole marathon thing started off as a joke, but I quickly became serious about it. I was used to how my body behaved with POTS, but I wasn鈥檛 happy about it. Everything in my life鈥攚hat I ate, what I wore, how I moved鈥攔evolved around coping with my symptoms. The boredom of managing my chronic illness made me miserable. So, even though I鈥檇 never cared about marathons before, I wanted to try running one because a podcast told me I could. I wasn’t searching for a cure. I was just desperate to find out if more was possible in my life.

At its simplest, POTS is a condition where your heart beats abnormally fast when you go from sitting or lying down to standing up. That heart rate increase can make many people with the disorder faint鈥攐r, more commonly, feel like they鈥檙e going to鈥攚henever they鈥檙e upright. And it can also cause painful palpitations, fatigue, excessive sweat, migraines, severe chest and neck pain, a burning sensation in your feet, brain fog, and more.

Before the pandemic, a from the Heart Rhythm Society estimated that could have POTS. And now, many more do because a lot of people, including myself, develop the condition after having a virus. It鈥檚 found in people with . But it can also be triggered by pregnancy, major surgery, head trauma, and other unknown factors. There鈥檚 no cure for it, though it does sometimes just go away on its own. Some patients benefit from medications like beta-blockers, but the main treatment options are a high-salt diet and cardiovascular exercise.

Even though it鈥檚 relatively common, . Prior to the pandemic, many physicians didn鈥檛 even know it existed. Things are changing, and there are dozens of open clinical trials on POTS now. But we won鈥檛 see results for a few more years. When I was first diagnosed with the condition, all the research I could find on exercise and POTS focused on helping a person go from working out horizontally (for example, using a recumbent bike) to exercising while standing up. These programs take about three months and end after a patient can progress to 鈥渏ogging if able.鈥� But there鈥檚 very little information about what happens next.

I started running in the spring of 2020, when gyms closed during the height of the pandemic. I liked how running forced me out of my own thoughts, but I could only make it about a mile before I鈥檇 start to feel like I might collapse. It didn鈥檛 matter that my cardiovascular stress test showed I was in excellent shape鈥攂eing upright wrecked my nervous system. There is plenty of research on how running a marathon can change the body of a person with a normal nervous system. Many training plans are built around having a predictable heart rate. None of this applies to people like me. If I couldn鈥檛 run more than a mile straight, how on earth could I even consider running a marathon?

One of the first people I convinced to run a marathon with me at that party was my close friend and primary care provider, Rob Lancaster, a family medicine nurse practitioner who also runs a lot of marathons.

Rob isn鈥檛 a POTS specialist, but he became well-versed in the condition by reading existing studies, using the clinical resource tool , and working closely with his POTS patients鈥� specialists. While he understood my concerns about the lack of research on POTS and long-distance running, he wasn鈥檛 deterred. 鈥淚f my patient wants to do something, my goal is to figure out a way to do it, as long as it鈥檚 not self-harming or dangerous,鈥� he says.

Rob and I started a marathon training group with two of our other friends, and he observed how I ran. The main danger he saw was the risk of for too long, which could lead to inefficient blood flow and deprive my body of oxygen. Which, well, was exactly what was happening. My strategy had been to run until I felt lightheaded and began to lose my vision, and then walk and feel bad about myself until I could run again.

To change this, Rob encouraged me to wear compression socks, take extra Liquid IV hydration mix packets, and carry a hydration pack. He also recommended I try 鈥攁 popular marathon training program that involves alternating between running and walking.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e already taking walking breaks when you feel like you鈥檙e going to pass out,鈥� Rob said, 鈥淟et鈥檚 plan to take them before you get to that point.鈥�

I was skeptical at first. Like a lot of people, I thought that it didn鈥檛 count as running if you needed to walk. I even thought that it would be insulting to ask 鈥渞eal鈥� runners to run with me if I planned to take walking breaks. I liked our running group, and听I was scared that trying the Galloway method would mean I鈥檇 have to go back to running alone. But what I was doing wasn鈥檛 working. I didn鈥檛 think I had another option besides giving up.

The night before a nine-mile trail run, I sent a very apologetic text to our group chat saying I was going to be taking a 30-second to one-minute break every four minutes, and I understood if it was a turnoff to anyone running with me.

Rob and my other friends were, of course, completely unbothered. They all said it sounded great.

Soon, I was a convert to the gospel of Galloway. I was stunned by how well it worked. I felt comfortable鈥攕trong, even鈥攚hich I hadn鈥檛 felt in a long time. I could not believe that my body, the same body that couldn鈥檛 make it through a full mile without seeing black spots, was now running farther and feeling better. The breaks had helped me, and I felt like I could have easily done a few more miles. I was overcome with gratitude for what this small change allowed my body to do.

Still, there was a part of me that considered this a temporary solution. Every beginner running program says that as you get better at running, you鈥檒l be able to run longer distances and take fewer walking breaks. But that conventional wisdom didn鈥檛 apply to me, since no amount of conditioning would make my heart beat normally. Even with a 30-second walking break every four minutes, a particularly brutal 23-mile run left me in a near panic attack.

On the next long run three weeks later, I decided to walk for 30 seconds every two minutes instead of every four. It worked. I felt comfortable and strong again. Because of this change, my friend and I ran a full unofficial marathon that day in less time than it took us to run those 23 miserable miles. The gratitude came back in waves with every step, and I cried tears of joy as we finished.

All of this training had been leading up to the 2023 Twin Cities Marathon, but officials canceled the race due to extreme heat. Instead, we ran another unofficial one on a much shadier course in Minneapolis. I don鈥檛 know what it feels like to have a crowd cheering for you the entire way, or to get a medal at the finish line. My marathons have been entirely without fanfare. But I know that running with people I love makes me feel happier than I maybe ever have.

I used to believe having POTS precluded me from being part of a running group. I had such a narrow view of who a runner was that I couldn鈥檛 see myself belonging at all. But I鈥檝e learned that runners with chronic illnesses and disabilities are everywhere. The way we run can make the sport听more accessible for everyone. A lot of my friends picked up running during the pandemic and were worried about being too slow to run with other people. But they were willing to try running with me because the planned breaks made it less intimidating.

Training for a marathon allowed me to move through the misery I felt鈥攁nd sometimes still feel鈥攁bout how POTS changed my body. Running makes it impossible to ignore my daily symptoms, but I鈥檓 no longer consumed by trying to manage them. Marathon training reframed my whole perspective. It showed me that my accommodations can be an invitation instead of isolation. Now听my sorrow is an opportunity for joy.

When we were training, my friends slowed down to be with me. We talked through our heartbreaks, anxieties, and more on our long runs together. When we stopped to walk, we showed each other that needing a break鈥攏eeding help鈥敾宕潜鸩醪遭�檛 have to mean getting left behind. My nervous system still sucks, but that simple solidarity healed something deeper in me.

Running a marathon didn鈥檛 take away the grief that came with my POTS diagnosis. But it gave me a way to practice letting others help me through hard things, and I found liberation in that practice. And now at my own pace, with my friends beside me, I鈥檓 running headlong into joy.

The post A Chronic Illness Upended My Life. Could I Still Run a Marathon? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

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Agnes Tirop was a 25-year-old rising professional distance runner who represented Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the women鈥檚 5,000-meters. One month after she competed in her first Olympic Games, Tirop set a world record for 10K. Just as her promising career began to bud on the world stage, her life came to an abrupt end on October 13, 2021.

Tirop was found stabbed to death by her husband Ibrahim Rotich at their home in Iten, in the Rift Valley of Kenya, a training hub for many of the world鈥檚 top professional distance runners. Rotich, then 41, attempted to flee the country, but he was arrested and charged with murder.

RELATED: Iten, Kenya, Is Where Running Champions Are Made

Tirop was a victim of gender-based violence (GBV), one of the most widespread human rights issues in the world. GBV, as , can include publicly or privately inflicted physical or sexual harm as well as economic suppression, threats of violence, manipulation, and coercion through various ways, including intimate partner violence and child marriage. According to the United Nations, while men and boys also suffer from GBV, women and girls are most at risk worldwide.

狈补颈谤辞产颈鈥檚 , founded in 2001, states that the country鈥檚 women and girls make up a disproportionately higher statistic. More than 40 percent of Kenyan women experience GBV in their lifetime, and one in three women in Kenya has experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. In the U.S., 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the , and more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence each year. about domestic violence show that one in three women have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.

Female runners are among those numbers. Many Kenyan professional runners can fall into marriages or partnerships that take away their autonomy. Some of these women鈥攑owerful, driven, and successful in their careers鈥攔emain under the watch and control of their partners. Most women in GBV situations don鈥檛 know how to escape, or fear the repercussions of doing so.

Tirop鈥檚 tragic death made international headlines and served as a wake-up call about the dangers elite female athletes can face during their careers.

The Courage to Stand Up

In the aftermath of Tirop鈥檚 death, 34-year-old Kenyan professional marathoner Mary Ngugi took a stance.

鈥淲ith my platform as an athlete, I have a voice that I can use to change,鈥� says Ngugi, who has raced professionally for more than a decade and twice finished on the podium at the Boston Marathon. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 change the whole of Kenya in one minute, but I can make a change in athletics with girls.鈥�

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Ngugi established in Nyahururu Town, Kenya, in October 2022. Through the club, located 100 miles north of the country鈥檚 capital Nairobi, Ngugi aims to shelter and support young girls as they simultaneously pursue their education and ambitions of becoming elite champion runners.

鈥淭he best thing is to mentor them when they鈥檙e young, to empower them so they know that they deserve better, [and] to know that they have a choice,鈥� Ngugi says.

Ngugi, who is based in Leeds, England, with her husband, British sports photographer Chris Cooper, says that traveling the world to compete over the years exposed her to fairer treatment of women and girls compared to what she witnessed and experienced firsthand while living in Kenya.

鈥淭here are some things that have always frustrated me,鈥� Ngugi says. 鈥淲hen I was 17, there were young girls in [training] camps who were abused by their coaches. Some [girls] are married at a tender age because of money.鈥�

Ngugi says it鈥檚 not uncommon for young female runners to be afraid of their male coaches. Her idea for a girls-only running camp has been years in the making, initially as a way to give back to the community. Not until after the death of Tirop, whom she knew as an acquaintance, did Ngugi move her mission forward.

鈥淚t took a lot of courage to start,鈥� she says.

Ngugi funded the camp entirely when it opened, covering the costs of housing, school fees, food, training gear, and other basic supplies for eight girls. Unlike most traditional training camps for runners in Kenya, which typically consist of small single-room apartments, the girls at Nala Track Club live together in a home under the supervision of a matron, who cares for and cooks for them. Ngugi stipulates that each member of the club must attend school if they want to remain a part of Nala.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to be just another running camp. We have loads of those in Kenya. Education makes a difference,鈥� Ngugi says. 鈥淎s much as I want all of my girls to make it, I know some won鈥檛. That鈥檚 the reality of things. But I would like for them to come out of the camp with an education so that they can do something with their lives, pursue a cause or a degree.鈥�

Should any of the girls become successful in their athletic careers, Ngugi鈥檚 mission is also to ensure they are equipped to make informed decisions, especially financially, that are in their best interests.

鈥淭hese athletes could potentially earn millions of shillings,鈥� Ngugi says. 鈥淗ow are you going to invest? How are you going to sign a contract? How are you going to carry yourself with the press when you get an interview? We want them to be able to handle themselves.鈥�

Women Coaching Women

In a year since founding Nala Track Club, Kenya鈥檚 first all-girls running camp, its members have doubled to 16 girls and women between the ages of 14 and 22. Ngugi says the camp is now fully supported by Nike, her sponsor since 2006. She works closely with teachers and schools throughout Kenya to recruit national-caliber talent and prospects.

Ngugi splits her time training in the UK and Kenya. When she鈥檚 not on the ground in her home country, she helps oversee Nala from afar under the guidance of a few certified running coaches that help craft the training program, which is shared with Lilian Mugo, a local woman whom Ngugi is helping to mentor into a running coach.

Ngugi wants to develop female coaches in Kenya. To her knowledge, few, if any, women are currently coaching female runners in Kenya. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one big reason why we started Nala,鈥� Ngugi says.

Ngugi has never been coached by a woman at any point in her career. It鈥檚 a role she envisions transitioning into full time in the future, after she retires from competitive running. After a successful track career that included becoming a two-time world half marathon medalist, Ngugi transitioned to road marathons in 2019. She was runner-up at the 2021 Boston Marathon and finished third in 2022. Ngugi placed fifth at this year鈥檚 New York City Marathon.

Achieving that level of success as an elite athlete is a dream, though not the lone goal, for the girls of the camp. At the very least, Ngugi wants to develop members of the track club to compete on the international level feeling empowered. The name of the camp, Nala, is a Swahili word in reference to lioness and also connotes the idea of a successful African woman.

鈥淚 want them to be more than just athletes. I want the girls to know their worth and to be role models to others,鈥� Ngugi says. 鈥淚 always tell my girls, 鈥榬emember what Nala stands for: Powerful. Confidence.鈥� That is what we want our girls to be.鈥�

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The last loop was quiet beneath the full moon. Their shuffling feet on the packed, pebble-tossed singletrack punctuated the sleeping Sonoran Desert as the duo moved through shadows of saguaro cactus and prickly pear. Millions of white pinpoints began to appear in the dark sky.

That鈥檚 when 66-year-old Tracy Dauwalter, mother of ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter鈥攚ho was coming off of of the 2023 Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and UTMB, including two course records鈥攕tarted resharing doubts with her daughter, who kindly reminded Tracy many times throughout the last 13 hours, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not useful thinking, so let鈥檚 not think it.鈥�

Occasionally, Courtney would redirect their attention, pointing out this unique section of the course that they鈥檇 been past twice before. This time, she built a 60-second container to stuff all those fears inside.

鈥淭ell me all of your doubts and frustrations. You have one minute,鈥� Courtney told her mom. 鈥淥nce you finish, you can鈥檛 complain out loud anymore. It鈥檚 not serving us to get to this finish line.鈥�

Tracy spewed all of her negative thoughts, from her rolling stomach to her aching muscles, which was an important reset to get out of the whirlpool of heavy thoughts. I signed up for this, Tracy humbly reminded herself. Nobody鈥檚 making me do this.

The Mother-Daughter Ultra Duo

A dedicated team, the pair was running three loops side-by-side in matching long running shorts, white baggy tees, Salomon hydration vests, and cactus-themed socks, at the Halloween-themed Javelina Jundred 100K race. The ultrarunning event is held the closing weekend of October in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park, an hour northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. Temperatures can climb into the 90s by mid-morning and dip into the low 50s once daylight disappears behind the McDowell Mountain Range.

Now 38 years old and living in Leadville, Colorado, Courtney had participated in the event once before, in 2016, when she was the race鈥檚 outright winner. She set the then-course record for the 100K, one of several performances that drew national attention to her astonishing endurance and athleticism.

RELATED: 30 Hours at Javelina Jundred, the Burning Man of Trail Running

Tracy, who鈥檇 just recently started trail running, had covered ultra-distances at 12- and 24-hour events across flat gravel, but had never before run this far on a trail. They selected Javelina鈥檚 rolling 100K with 3,924 feet of vertical gain. The majority of the climbing is packed into the gradual ascent from the Javelina 鈥淛eadquarters鈥� aid station, which serves as the start and finish of the race and basecamp, to the far side of the loop, Jackass Junction.

It was exactly here, at this midway point, after slogging up the final climb over rolling hardened granite and sandy washes, where Tracy had a sticking point. Fortunately, Courtney was there to fill up her water bottles and point out all the tasty options when they reached the runner鈥檚 buffet.

鈥淧lease keep eating,鈥� she said, as the electronic dance music bumped. A few hours earlier, they enjoyed a surprise pick-me-up of McDonald鈥檚 cheeseburgers, delivered by crew masters Dick Dauwalter, Courtney鈥檚 dad, and Kevin Schmidt, her husband. But one of the biggest highlights during the race for Tracy was watching Courtney interact and commune with so many people in the trail running community.

鈥淐ourtney does this amazing sport, but even more, I adore the person she is. It鈥檚 one of my favorite things to watch the love that鈥檚 out there for Courtney, and the way she responds. To be in that world with her was really special,鈥� Tracy said. 鈥淪he was also really kind to me, even when I was frumping and I鈥檇 fall down, she鈥檇 help pick me up.鈥� Courtney let out a laugh.

鈥淢om, you only fell one time!鈥� said Courtney, laughing.

鈥淚 know, but it was embarrassing,鈥� Tracy said.

鈥業鈥檓 Willing to Do Any Sport鈥�

While Javelina was the mother-daughter鈥檚 debut trail ultra finish, side-by-side, the experience wasn鈥檛 their first race together. When Courtney was in high school, the duo finished a rollerblade marathon together in St. Paul. (Rollerblading is a major pastime in Minnesota, where Tracy grew up and still lives today.) Here, she met Dick and raised Courtney, a middle-child to two brothers.

While growing up, Tracy played softball and badminton. In college, she ran cross-country and track. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in sports and done them at a level that I could make the team. I was never a star. Being on a team is social and taxes your body while working up a sweat,鈥� she said.

When the kids were interested in soccer, she and Dick organized an adult co-ed squad. Now, she jogs, plays volleyball, and golfs. She and Dick enjoy motorcycle tours, too, like venturing through the Elk Mountains in Colorado. 鈥淚鈥檓 not great at anything, but I can hold my own, and it鈥檚 super fun鈥擨鈥檓 willing to do any sport,鈥� she said. The motto was much the same for the kids.

鈥淚 thought that it would be so cool to share this sport that I love so much with this person I love so much. I knew she could do it.鈥�

鈥淭hey could try any activity. But once they committed, they had to see that season through鈥攚hether they enjoyed it or not, we were committed. We didn鈥檛 miss practices or games. We made sure those were a high priority for them and us. That drove our lives for many years with lots of fun times, but boy, that schedule was crazy鈥攚e鈥檇 slam-dunk dinner at 4 P.M. so that everybody could get to practice,鈥� Tracy said.

An accountability mindset is one that leads to showing up in other areas of life from work to class to chores, following through on responsibilities and gritting out less desirable tasks. 鈥淲hen things get hard, like college classes, your option is not to quit,鈥� Tracy said. 鈥淵ou dig in a little deeper, get help, and get it done, which is the same with any sport.鈥�

But perhaps their most special ingredient is that the Dauwalters know how to have fun. 鈥淗aving fun while doing those things is just as important,鈥� Courtney said. 鈥淥ur family always worked hard, but we play hard, too. All of that combined is what makes life special. Having that be deeply ingrained in who I am helps me in everyday life, but also, for sure, in ultrarunning.鈥�

An Ultra-Star Is Born

While watching Courtney grow up, Tracy noticed her daughter had a deep motivation as a person and athlete. One of her earliest memories was two-year-old Courtney, who could barely walk, repeatedly riding a Big Wheel tricycle downhill with a group of kids and insisting she鈥檇 wrestle the bike up the hill by herself. As a kid, Courtney and her siblings played soccer, often on the same teams. Later, they ran high school cross-country and track. To fill the winter months, she tried basketball, but she had a propensity to quickly foul out, taking the bench for the remainder of the game.

One day, she came home with a bright idea to Nordic ski instead, which was foreign for a family full of downhillers. They picked up the equipment, Courtney joined a competitive team, and she practiced in nearby school fields. 鈥淎ll she did was wipe out. All the time. Dick and I are thinking, 鈥業 wonder what this is going to look like?鈥欌�� said Tracy.

During those foundational years, Courtney would rush home after a Nordic race to report the number of crashes she鈥檇 had. 鈥淚n a 5K, I would be psyched if I only crashed nine times鈥攖ripping, planting my poles, tumbling the entire time. I was so bad,鈥� she said.

But Tracy bought a beat-up pair of cross-country skis and started to practice alongside Courtney. 鈥淲e learned together,鈥� Tracy said. 鈥淚t was more fun to crash with somebody than to crash by yourself.鈥�

Courtney Heads West

By the time Courtney graduated, she was an all-state runner and had earned All-American honors as a Nordic skier three times. She was a four-time state champion, and her team acquired two national championships. In 2003, Courtney moved west to Colorado, where she raced collegiately on the Nordic ski team at the University of Denver. Three years in, her DU team won 11 meets and the 2005 NCAA Championship.

鈥淐ourtney was really good at everything she did, and it wasn鈥檛 because she was a natural,鈥� Tracy said. 鈥淎nytime she tried a sport, she didn鈥檛 have an immediate knack for it, but she hung in there to develop it. She was a hard worker and determined.鈥�

Years later, in 2015, any remaining questions of physical stamina were laid aside鈥攆or both Tracy and Courtney, who proved to have a serious knack for endurance. Courtney broke the ribbon at her inaugural ultra race, the 2011 Prickly Pear 50K in San Antonio, Texas, and her curiosity about wanting to run longer continued to grow. The following year, she dropped out of the Colorado鈥檚 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile race at mile 60 with throbbing legs, questioning her ability to cover that much ground in a single push.

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Frustrated by not meeting her goal, Courtney registered for her first 24-hour race, the 2013 FANS Ultra Races, a more manageable format than an ultra on singletrack. Her family joined to crew and run laps, providing entertainment and support, including Tracy. They didn鈥檛 have much of a background in ultras and were green to any strategy.

Regardless, Courtney wrapped a total of 105 miles on that two-mile gravel loop around Lake Normandale Park in Bloomington, Minnesota, completing her first non-trail century-distance, and gaining confidence. Two months later, she crossed the finish line of the Superior Fall Trail Race 100 Miler in Lutsen, Minnesota, her first 100-mile distance on trail, and stood on the podium for second place.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Moving forward, the FANS Ultra Races became a family tradition. Courtney returned to the 2014 event, besting her first summer with 123.6 miles. Tracy decided, if she was going to crew and run laps with Courtney, she might as well sign up herself.

鈥淪he was like, 鈥楬eck, I鈥檓 going to spend the whole day out there anyways. Why not put some time on my feet?鈥欌�� Courtney recalled.

In 2015, she tallied 109.2 miles while her mom, then 57 years old, covered 66.8 miles. Their annual pilgrimage continued in the 24- or 12-hour format, over the next several summers, coinciding with Courtney鈥檚 ultrarunning career picking up steam. She won the 2016 Run Rabbit Run 100 Mile with a 75-minute lead, and along with the title, the world鈥檚 largest ultra purse: $12,000.

By the summer of 2017, she retired from her position at the Girls Athletic Leadership School in Denver where she taught science and coached cross-country. 鈥淚n an interview a few years ago,鈥� Courtney said. 鈥淚 was asked if I could run an ultramarathon with anyone in the world, who would it be? 鈥楳y mom,鈥� I said. I thought that it would be so cool to share this sport that I love so much with this person I love so much. I knew she could do it.鈥�

In an interview a few years ago, she was asked, if she could run an ultramarathon with anyone in the world, who would it be? 鈥淢y mom,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 thought that it would be so cool to share this sport that I love so much with this person I love so much. I knew she could do it.鈥�

Tracy heard the recording and, despite having never run on trails, she immediately called her daughter. 鈥淟et鈥檚 do it. I heard you want to run an ultra, so let鈥檚 sign up for something,鈥� she said to Courtney. 鈥淚f someone puts a challenge in front of me, it can even be pretty insane, and I鈥檓 a sucker for trying to rise to that challenge.鈥� In addition to the competitive spark, the invitation felt sentimental.

An Ultra Dream, Realized

Committed to doing an ultra together, they accepted that it might be a winding road to get there. The two picked the 2022 50-mile Superior Fall Trail Race in Lutsen. Mid-route, they missed the cut-off. Tracy shrugged and shook her head recounting the unfinished event. Courtney refused to let the DNF be a negative thing. 鈥淵ou learned so much in that first summer, mom,鈥� she told her. 鈥淒ialing in all of those pieces helped immensely this year. And we decided, we鈥檙e not done. We still need a finish line together.鈥�

As soon as registration opened in January, the duo signed up for the 2023 Javelina Jundred 100K. 鈥淚 was nervous coming into this race because I was bouncing off of that epic fail of the first 50-miler we tried, which was a wake-up call. You have to prepare yourself,鈥� said Tracy.

鈥淚t was not an epic fail,鈥� Courtney countered.

That winter, Tracy clocked workouts on a treadmill. From April onward, she ran outside four or five days a week for 10 to 20 miles. Courtney researched singletrack trails around Lone Lake, which her mom became excited to explore. One of the biggest challenges of learning to run on trails is her tendency to shuffle and trip, Tracy confessed. Building confidence, she finished the Willow 20 Miler in May and Afton Trail Run 50K in July. Like her daughter, Tracy didn鈥檛 keep a close log of her mileage, and her training was not systematic.

Courtney鈥檚 advice, true and simple, rang in her mind: Spend time on your feet.

鈥淧eople asked me if I coached her. Absolutely not,鈥� Courtney said. 鈥淚 did try to be helpful鈥攈arping on testing nutrition, wearing a pack so that her body gets used to one, and hiking uphills鈥攕o her race day could be much better. She was the one putting in the work and figuring out routes where she could do laps or get on hills. I admired from afar.鈥�

鈥淚t helped that Courtney kept reminding me, 鈥楾his was our run together, our race, and it could look however we could make it.鈥� If I crawled, that wouldn鈥檛 be disgusting. It got ugly, then it got not ugly,鈥� Tracy added.

Staying lighthearted, Courtney countered, 鈥淚t never got ugly. There was never a doubt that we would make it to the finish.鈥�

A Finish to Remember

Fortunately, the elation did come around. Next to her daughter, Tracy crossed the finish line of Javelina Jundred 100K in 17 hours and 38 minutes with a smile in the glowing lights, after staying up into the night running, eating, and sharing pain鈥攂ut mostly, laughing鈥攚ith her daughter. They鈥檇 gone full circle together, both on the circuit they鈥檇 traveled in the desert as well as in life.

鈥淚 think you beat me by, like, a half-second, mom,鈥� Courtney said.

鈥淚 know,鈥� Tracy bantered back. 鈥淚 think I was really needing to be done, so I rushed with a half-second sprint.鈥�

The post Who Is Courtney Dauwalter鈥檚 New Ultramarathon Partner? It鈥檚 Her Mom. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

You just spent months building the fitness necessary to complete 26.2 miles. It鈥檚 tempting to want to keep the momentum going post-race鈥攗ntil you head out for your first run and start asking yourself, to Des Linden nine days after setting the Master鈥檚 record in the Chicago Marathon, 鈥淓rrrm, where did all that fitness go?鈥�

After a big running event, you don鈥檛 want to just hop back on the hamster wheel. Respecting the post-marathon recovery period is crucial to making long-term gains, and most runners will benefit from at least one to two full weeks off from running. That may sound interminably long (it鈥檚 not, and even more of a break can be beneficial, too), but here鈥檚 why your body needs that time-out in order to come back stronger.

Don鈥檛 Rush the Comeback

Unfortunately, just like the only true cure for a hangover is time, you can鈥檛 fast-forward through the post-marathon recovery period.

鈥淧eople think they鈥檙e just recovering from that one day, but that鈥檚 not it,鈥� says Toni Kengor, co-founder and full-time running coach for . 鈥淵ou鈥檙e recovering from the last four months or so that lead up to the marathon. I think people underestimate the physical and mental fatigue that occurs in that process, and that your body and brain need some time to just relax.鈥�

Sore muscles are one of the major ways your body waves a white flag post-race, but being able to comfortably walk downstairs or sit on the toilet without holding onto the sink 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 give you the immediate go-ahead to get back to training. You may not be able to feel the recovery process after a certain point, says Laura Norris, a certified running coach, strength and conditioning specialist, and exercise scientist based in Colorado鈥攂ut you better believe it鈥檚 still happening.

鈥� shows that a marathon triggers a systemic inflammatory response,鈥� explains Norris. 鈥淚n the hours and days after completing a marathon, various inflammatory biomarkers such as creatine kinase (an indicator of muscle breakdown), c-reactive protein (an acute inflammatory response), troponin (which indicates acute damage to cardiac muscles such as heart), and lactate dehydrogenase (another indicator of tissue damage) are all elevated.鈥�

RELATED: Your Step-by-Step Post-Marathon Recovery Plan

Translation: Your whole body鈥攊ncluding your musculoskeletal system, nervous system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and endocrine system鈥攁re all impacted by the highly stressful bout of prolonged exercise, says Norris. 鈥淵ou can’t rely on a metric from a singular system (say, less soreness in your muscles) to ensure that all systems are fully recovered,鈥� she adds. 鈥淢ore than likely, soreness will subside within a few days, but that does not mean that other systems are ready for exercise again.鈥�

In fact, it can take up to four weeks for your body to fully recover physiologically from 鈥渕assive aerobic exercise,鈥� older published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine determined. And that 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 even address the mental aspect of training and racing. 鈥淵our life has been dictated by this event for four months or so, and that鈥檚 on top of life stressors as well,鈥� says Kengor. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so mentally demanding, it鈥檚 important to give your brain time to relax post-race.鈥�

Do You Lose Fitness by Taking Time Off?

Sorry to say it, but, yes, you鈥檙e probably going to lose a little fitness during the post-marathon recovery period. A loss of cardiovascular fitness and endurance starts to happen after as little as 12 days of no exercise, a 2020 published in Frontiers in Physiology found.

But your body needs that break, because runners aren鈥檛 meant to maintain peak fitness all the time. 鈥淢ost marathon training plans push you into functional overreaching before the taper,鈥� explains Norris. 鈥淚f you jump back into hard training too soon after the race, you could risk reaching the point of non-functional overreaching or overtraining.鈥� And that can lead to fatigue, declining performance, and a host of adverse health outcomes.

Fitness progress isn鈥檛 a linear journey; you鈥檒l have periods where you鈥檙e increasing volume and intensity, followed by periods of de-loading or down time, says Kengor. Those rest or recovery periods鈥攚hich allow your body to make the necessary adaptations to the stress you just put it under鈥攁re what allow you to continue pushing your limits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 similar to how we slow down to speed up,鈥� Kengor explains. 鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 trust that until they try it for the first time, and then they see the positive effects and wonder why they weren鈥檛 always doing it.鈥�

You worked so hard to get to peak fitness, and the fear of losing it is understandable. But you鈥檒l return to those high levels of fitness more quickly post-race than it took for you to reach them pre-race, older published in PNAS determined.

鈥淢ost runners return to their fitness baseline in a week after a marathon鈥攅ven if they take that whole week off of running, has shown,鈥� Norris says. 鈥淓ven if you were to barely run for a few weeks post-marathon, fitness loss would not be significant. It takes a full six weeks for significant changes in musculoskeletal adaptation. Taking one to two weeks off post-marathon will not induce significant losses of fitness.鈥�

How Long Until You鈥檙e Fully Recovered?

Every runner responds to a big physical undertaking differently. Most runners should plan on a minimum of 7 to 10 days off of running post-race, says Kengor. Yes, you might feel antsy, but before you jump the gun, remember that this is generally how long the pros take鈥擫inden just happens to have a trail adventure in Japan on deck. Case in point: Last year, Aliphine Tuliamuk about taking a two-week break after the New York City Marathon, and Lauren Thweatt about taking three full weeks off after the Chicago Marathon.

But a 鈥渂reak from running鈥� 诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛 mean no exercise at all! 鈥淓xercise is a part of post-marathon recovery,鈥� says Norris. 鈥淚n fact, once you get past the initial rest phase immediately after a marathon, the blood flow from exercise will help you feel better sooner. It’s a fine balance of not rushing back, but also moving soon enough to help your body feel good.鈥�

RELATED: A Deep Dive into the Science of Marathon Recovery

Low-intensity activities like short walks, yoga, Pilates, and even light swims or gentle cycling lasting less than 45 minutes can be great for your body during that first week or 10 days post-race.

From a running perspective, the key is easing back into things. After two weeks post-marathon, Norris recommends re-introducing easy 30- to 45-minute runs. At three or four weeks, you should only be at around 50 to 60 percent of your pre-race average training volume. 鈥淚 personally don鈥檛 even introduce any workouts until after at least four weeks,鈥� says Kengor. Upping your intensity too soon also increases your risk of injury, adds Norris, but 鈥渂y then, the musculoskeletal system should be able to tolerate harder effort and increased mileage. This may seem conservative, but the athletes whom I’ve implemented this with have long-term development and a low rate of post-race injuries.鈥�

And if you feel terrible鈥斆� la Des Linden鈥攐n your first run back, that’s not only due to significant loss of fitness. 鈥淚nstead, the necessary time off may result in some dampened neuromuscular activity and slight reductions in blood volume, which may make a couple runs feel temporarily harder, but both will rebound within a few sessions,鈥� says Norris. 鈥淵ou may also feel bad because you are still recovering on a cellular level, or because your mind is still rebounding from the mental strain of training and racing.鈥�

The guidance above is generalized. If you go out for a run and it feels forced, it鈥檚 OK to stop and/or extend your break, says Kengor. 鈥淚 think people need to learn to pay attention to how they鈥檙e feeling mentally on those initial runs back because I think that鈥檚 an indicator of where you are in the recovery process. When you鈥檙e mostly recovered, your legs may not feel the freshest they鈥檝e ever been, but it shouldn鈥檛 feel like a slog.鈥� To reach that point, you may need more time than the runners you follow on social media, and that鈥檚 OK! Running will be there when you鈥檙e ready.

The post Don鈥檛 Skimp on Marathon Recovery appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Racing 26.2 miles is no easy feat. The marathon tests the limits of every runner because of its unique demands. It鈥檚 long enough to deplete your stored reserves of carbohydrates, but short enough that it can be run at a competitive pace without any walking breaks.

This creates an environment where small training and racing errors can become magnified, reducing the possibility of a successful race. Seemingly small choices鈥攍ike the pace of the first mile, how well you run the tangents, or even your long run four months ago鈥攃an often have an outsized impact on your race result.

For runners with a competitive goal, like a or a certain finish time, being strategic about the training process and race strategy is a requirement for success. After coaching marathoners for nearly 13 years, here is my list of commonly forgotten strategies for dramatically increasing the likelihood of your fastest marathon.

1. Run the Tangents

Every certified marathon course in the United States adheres to the USA Track & Field鈥檚 course certification program. Every performance that wishes to be ranked on a national list or used as a record must be run on a USATF-certified course.

One stipulation of this course measuring methodology is that the course is defined by the shortest possible route that any runner could potentially take and not be disqualified. That means the course is measured along the tangents around curves (i.e., a straight line through an S-turn or diagonally between corners when crossing a street).

RELATED: 鈥淐apacity Training鈥� Is the Key to Long-Term Running Endurance

But many runners don鈥檛 run the course this way. They follow the crowd, taking the long way around turns and not running the shortest possible route, leading to a bloated finish time. Running as closely as possible to the imaginary line that follows the shortest possible route will ensure you don鈥檛 run longer than needed鈥攁nd your finish time is as fast as possible.

2. Carb-Load Before the Race

Decades ago, runners were told to deplete their carbohydrate reserves through training and diet. Only then were they ready to restock their reserves and 鈥渙vercompensate鈥� with carbs.

We鈥檝e since learned that while the depletion phase of this protocol is unnecessary, carb-loading in the two to three days before an endurance race like the marathon is beneficial and will help your overall finish time. And since most people can only carry about 20 miles worth of carbohydrates in their muscles, liver, and bloodstream, we have to cram more carbs into these stores before the race.

Aim for 8 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of bodyweight in the days leading up to the marathon (this means most of your calories are coming from carbs鈥攅ven as high as 80 to 90 percent of your total daily calories).

Bread, oatmeal, bagels, pancakes or waffles, and low-fiber fruit are great options to ensure you鈥檙e carrying as much fuel as possible on race day. You may also want to supplement with a carb-rich beverage like fruit juice or a sports drink.

3. Fuel During the Marathon

Carb-loading isn鈥檛 enough for marathon success since you still won鈥檛 have enough to carry you through 26.2 miles.

And you certainly don鈥檛 want to be like the runner I once talked to, who told me he was going to race a fast marathon 鈥渙ff adrenaline alone鈥� (adrenaline is a hormone, not a fuel).

Marathoners need to consume carbohydrates during the race, as well. This helps make up for the shortfall in fuel that your body is simply incapable of carrying. It鈥檚 like if your car had a small gas tank that couldn鈥檛 carry enough fuel for a road trip. You鈥檒l need to add more gasoline to your tank to make up the difference.

During the marathon, aim for 50 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour, ideally spaced about 30 minutes apart. This total works out to be approximately two gels, with most runners needing about 5-9 gels during the race (depending on finish time) to feel as energetic as possible over the final miles.

4. Start Slow to Finish Fast

Marathons can鈥檛 be won in the first mile, but they can be lost. A fast pace during the early miles of a marathon spells trouble for two important reasons.

First, running too fast too early puts too much mechanical stress on your body. The faster you run, the more impact forces your muscles and skeletal system must absorb. This can create microtears and small amounts of muscular damage too soon during the race that will only become worse as the miles tick by.

Second, if your early pace is too quick, you鈥檒l burn through more stored glycogen. Not only do we have to save your muscles from excessive damage, but we must ration those precious carbohydrate stores for later in the race.

Aim to run slightly slower than your goal pace for the first two miles of the race, thereby reducing the risk of starting too fast and helping you warm up fully before hitting your goal marathon pace.

5. Prioritize Your Pre-Season Long Run

Often, success in the marathon is built during the pre-season, well before the official marathon training cycle even begins. But how does that work?

Many marathoners spend their season gradually building their long run distance from about 10 miles to 20 miles. This can usually be done safely in a 16-week training cycle.

That鈥檚 a fine strategy if your goal is to finish the marathon. At such a distance, completion of 26.2 miles is a worthwhile accomplishment. But if your goal is to run competitively or achieve a certain time standard, more advanced are needed. Performance-oriented runners need more frequent long runs in the 18-20 mile range to build the specific fitness required to run well over the marathon distance.

RELATED: 8-Week Marathon Training Plan

This concept is well-supported in a recent showing that longer long runs are associated with faster finish times (with no increased injury risk). If you want to run fast over 26.2 miles, a steady diet of high-quality long runs is a necessity.

Many of these ideas are not often focused on among marathoners, but they matter. For marathoners with goal finish times, attention to detail and a strategic training approach may make all the difference in achieving a highly sought-after goal.

The post 5 Micro-Training Tweaks for Your Fastest Marathon Yet appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Marathon preparation involves a few non-negotiable things for me: selecting my outfit, rolling my quads, packing gels, filling my water bottles, and cleaning my sunglasses. But perhaps the most important step to my pre-marathon ritual is organizing my playlist. And who makes a regular appearance in that Spotify playlist?听

None other than the one, the only鈥擳aylor Swift.听

If there鈥檚 ever a perfect occasion for Swift鈥檚 golden vocal cords and crooning, it鈥檚 during a quad-burning, gut-wrenching, sweat-inducing marathon. I have a specific song set up for five stages of every marathon: the starting five miles, the runner鈥檚 high midway, the wall somewhere between miles 16 and 20, the home stretch, and the finish line.听

And while the 5鈥�11,鈥� long-legged millionaire superstar Swift and I have almost nothing in common, we both have things to train for. Me, whatever race I signed up for that month, Swift, her worldwide tour. With 44 hit songs to belt and dance to onstage during her Era Tour, Swift鈥檚 training is essential for a high-energy show.

Just as Swift needs to train, so do concert-goers. Fans flock to to ask each other what they should be doing to prepare for the Eras Tour; what shoes to wear, and how to train so they can keep dancing all night long. One workout sure to satisfy Swifties is Taylor Swift Treadmill Strut, created by TikToker Allie Bennett. She curated a of Swift songs (that currently has 124,764 likes) that matches the pace to a treadmill walking workout.听

鈥淔ind your face to the beat of 鈥楾he Man,鈥� then add .1 mph each time the song changes,鈥� Bennett says in a . She also adds that, to increase the difficulty, you can add an incline.听

@allie bennett 36 minutes of pure bangers – this might be the best workout i鈥檝e ever createdlet me know if you try it out!!

By the end of the 36-minute workout, you should be walking or jogging to the beat of 鈥淪hake It Off鈥� and 鈥淩eady for It.鈥濃�� Cool-down involves a strut to 鈥淪tyle.鈥澨�

If you鈥檇 rather take Swift outside a run or on your next marathon, below is my playlist, taylor-ed perfectly for your next PR.听听

The Starting Five (Miles 0-5)

The beginning few miles of a race are filled with excitement, adrenaline, and nerves. It can also be one of the most dangerous times of a marathon because you鈥檙e surrounded by other runners and pressured to run faster than the pace you originally set. That鈥檚 why 鈥淏lank Space鈥� is perfect for this period鈥攖he consistent tempo is perfect to keep time to, and the classic, fan-favorite tune bolsters my attitude for what鈥檚 to come.听

The Runner鈥檚 High (Miles 6-10)听

I admit, I didn鈥檛 feel the attachment to this song when it was released on the 2019 album, 鈥淟over,鈥� but its resurgence as a single made me a believer. When I hit the peak of my runner鈥檚 high, which is around 10 miles, when the pain suddenly becomes more like a surge of ecstasy and you start laughing and grinning like a goofball? That鈥檚 when I play 鈥淐ruel Summer鈥� and practically shimmy to the tune of, 鈥淚 love you ain鈥檛 that the worst thing you ever heard?鈥�

The Wall (Miles 12-16) 听

If any song could get me out of bed and dancing, it鈥檚 this one. When I hit the wall鈥搈ine personally smacks me in the face around mile 16鈥撯�淏ejeweled鈥� makes me feel like I鈥檓 the main character. The line (鈥淏est believe I鈥檓 still bejeweled, when I walk in the room, I can still make the whole place shimmer!鈥�) makes me want to use jazz fingers, and gets me focused on the song rather than the utter exhaustion in my legs.听

The Home Stretch (Miles 20-25)

Between miles 20 and 25, I鈥檓 in another world. My body is on autopilot, one leg after the other. That鈥檚 when I listen to 鈥淎ll Too Well鈥濃�揳ll 10 minutes of it. Some people might think it鈥檚 a little too slow for a running song, but during the home stretch, I need lyrics to focus on. 鈥淎ll Too Well鈥� is as good as listening to a story, but Taylor Swift is telling it.听

The Finish Line (Mile 26.2)

The finish line is a cathartic experience, and what makes that even more heavenly is Taylor Swift belting one of her most iconic ballads (purely my opinion 鈥� a correct one). One important thing to note is that I will time the song just right so that I finish the race just after the last few lines of, 鈥淧lease don鈥檛 be in love with someone else, please don鈥檛 have somebody waiting on you鈥︹�� then, BOOM, the bass drops and you鈥檙e basking in all the sweaty, wonderful post-race glory with Taylor Swift in your ear.听

The post These 5 Taylor Swift Songs Are Perfect for Running a Marathon appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Runners love talking about weekly mileage, and for good reason. Your mileage鈥攐r total running volume鈥攑lays a big part in your success as a runner. Personally, every single breakthrough performance I鈥檝e had occurred after a period of high-mileage running.

But like any skill, it takes patience and hard work to build over time, and that hard work is often viewed through the prism of total weekly volume.

An interesting recent study by Strava showed that those marathoners who qualified for the Boston Marathon ran more miles with more frequency. Here, the lesson is clear: if you want to run faster, it鈥檚 a good idea to .听But while so many runners love discussing mileage, there also needs to be an important conversation around the actual structure of that mileage:

– How many hard speed workouts are run per week?
– How are those workouts spaced throughout the week?
– When does the long run happen (and how does it progress)?
– When are rest days planned, in relation to other runs?

The answers to these questions will begin to inform the structure of your training. Let鈥檚 now discuss how those mileage levels should be planned throughout the week, so you know how to structure your training as you get ready for your goal race.

Golden Rule #1: Distribute Effort Evenly

Most of us understand that we probably shouldn鈥檛 run two hard workouts on back-to-back days (even adherents to the Norwegian model of double threshold training admit that this is advanced, risky, and only a smart idea after you鈥檝e covered all of the fundamentals).

But what runners often get wrong is properly distributing mileage, effort, and fun. Even heat adaptations. In short, everything must be distributed with intention.

Some days have to be mentally and physically challenging. Other days might be completely easy. You might have a fun but hard workout followed by an easy but mentally challenging cross-training session. And of course, we runners have to fit in some at some point, too (even though we鈥檇 rather be running).

RELATED: 鈥淐apacity Training鈥� Is the Key to Long-Term Running Endurance

All of this work has to be roughly听 distributed evenly throughout the week, with priority put on your long run and faster workout.

These simple tips about effort distribution can help:

– Never run two hard workouts on back-to-back days unless you鈥檙e highly competitive and have discussed this strategy with your coach.

– Be cautious about running two very long runs on back-to-back days. It鈥檚 risky, but still an accepted practice among ultrarunners.

– Try to avoid two to three 鈥渂oring鈥� training sessions in a row (cross-training, treadmill running, or strength training). Fun is more important than you think; your motivation will thank you!

– Generally, overall mileage should be evenly distributed during the week, rather than front- or back-loaded (an obvious exception is if you鈥檙e running a very long run or have back-to-back long runs planned).

– More challenging sessions should ideally be separated by two or three days.

You can see here that we鈥檙e defining 鈥渆ffort鈥� very broadly. In these examples, it鈥檚 just a proxy for 鈥渄ifficulty,鈥� even if that difficulty is mental rather than physical.

Golden Rule #2: Prioritize What鈥檚 Important

I鈥檝e found that implementing a sound structure around a runner鈥檚 training leads to progress and improvement. It increases the methodical nature of training, helps with the progression of mileage, long runs, and workouts, allows for ample recovery, and takes out the guesswork of what to do each day.

But what happens when life gets in the way of your training? Most of us don鈥檛 run for a living and have family, professional, and social obligations that can easily upend the carefully planned structure of our running. In these instances, we must improvise. Adapting our training around our life is critical and is done so by having a clear sense of priorities. Every training plan is flexible and can be rearranged, shuffled around, and modified to fit your needs, so don鈥檛 think that changing a training plan means you鈥檙e not training well!

RELATED: Measurable Goals for Running Mobility, Strength, and Balance

First, remember the tips mentioned previously. These can help you change the structure of your running without putting yourself at an undue risk of injury.

Second, prioritize what鈥檚 important. Even if you can鈥檛 get in all your training, you can often accomplish what鈥檚 most impactful and still keep moving forward. For most runners, I would prioritize:

1. The long run (most of us lack aerobic development so I consider this to be the most important run of the week)

2. The faster workout (as a driver of overall fitness, the workout is the second most important run of the week. If you鈥檙e training for a 5K or shorter, it鈥檚 the first!)

3. The next longest run (to keep building endurance)

We can also make other modifications to our training that still allow us to gain the benefits of a training strategy while saving a lot of time:

– Strides can be incorporated during a run, rather than after a run.

– can become a shorter bodyweight strength session done at home instead of the gym, to reduce commute time.

– A short recovery run can be skipped altogether in favor of a complete rest day.

These minor alterations end up saving you a lot of time when life gets in the way of your running, and the good news is that they barely take away from your fitness.

Example Training Weeks

Creating your own training plan, internalizing all these 鈥渞ules鈥� (which are meant to be flexible), and knowing how to modify a plan takes a certain level of expertise and trial-and-error. There鈥檚 no doubt that if you stay in the sport long enough, you鈥檒l be able to 鈥渟ee the matrix鈥� and do this yourself.

Here are听 a few example training weeks to help structure your running:

30 Miles Per Week

Monday: REST
Tuesday: 5 miles + strides
Wednesday: 7 miles (workout)
Thursday: 5 miles + weight training
Friday: REST
Saturday: 10 miles (long run)
Sunday: 3 miles + weight training

40 Miles Per Week

Monday: REST
Tuesday: 6 miles + strides
Wednesday: 10 miles (workout)
Thursday: 5 miles + weight training
Friday: REST
Saturday: 14 miles (long run)
Sunday: 5 miles + weight training

50 Miles Per Week

Monday: 8 miles (workout)
Tuesday: 5 miles + strides
Wednesday: 9 miles (workout) + weight training
Thursday: 5 miles
Friday: REST
Saturday: 16 miles (long run)
Sunday: 7 miles + weight training

Of course, there are nearly a limitless number of ways that you can structure your week of training. But these examples show you a sound, methodical approach that evenly distributes effort overall, allows for sufficient recovery, and challenges you just enough on your quality training days.

Structure your running a bit more strategically and you might surprise yourself with how good you feel, how quickly you improve, and how much faster you race!

Jason Fitzgerald is the host of the Strength Running Podcast and the founder of听. A 2:39 marathoner, he鈥檚 coached thousands of runners to faster finishing times and fewer injuries with his results-oriented coaching philosophy. Follow him on听听or听.

The post Two Golden Rules When Setting Up Any Weekly Running Schedule appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The spring marathon season has come and gone, and it didn鈥檛 disappoint, producing sensational races and world headlines. This was particularly true in Boston and London. However, you might have heard little or nothing about two of the best marathon performances in those events.

The big media coverage went to seemingly-unbeatable Eliud Kipchoge, who finished sixth at Boston, where Evans Chebet gained his third straight World Marathon Major victory in 12 months. At the London Marathon, Kelvin Kiptum ran 59:45 for the second half, en route to a course record 2:01:27, and Sifan Hassan demonstrated that she can win in the marathon as she has at multiple shorter distances.

But 75-year-old Jeannie Rice and 59-year-old Jenny Hitchings outran them all, on an Age-Gender performance basis, both setting new world records for their age groups. Rice鈥檚 3:33:15 in Boston won鈥檛 count, since the Boston course is considered ineligible due to its significant downhill slope and point to point layout, which allows for a tailwind boost. Still, she beat the fastest 75-79 age-group male runner by more than 20 minutes, which has likely never happened before in a global marathon. And five weeks before Boston, at age 74, she ran 3:31:22 in the Tokyo Marathon.

A week after Boston, Hitchings ran 2:45:27 in London鈥攁 marathon world record for women in the 55-59 age division. Remarkably, she鈥檚 at the high end of that age range, as she鈥檒l turn 60 in early July. Not only that, but it was her personal best marathon in 40 years of running.

Many Paths to Marathon Success

Rice was born in South Korea and immigrated to the U.S. in her mid-30s. A retired real estate agent, she now divides her time between south Florida and Cleveland. Hitchings is a longtime resident of Sacramento, California, where she works as a middle-school cross-country coach and a private running coach.

Rice and Hitchings live on opposite coasts, but they have much in common. They鈥檝e both been running for decades, both are extremely consistent in their training, and both log multiple 20-milers in their marathon buildups. Surprisingly, neither makes a particular effort to include hill training, a staple among other top marathon runners. Both are small and lean. Rice stands 5-foot-2 and weighs 96 pounds; Hitchings is 5-foot-4 and 100 pounds.

But Rice and Hitchings also present some stark contrasts. These differences carry an important message: There are many paths to marathon success, and the best senior runners understand this. Through their experience and wisdom, they鈥檝e learned to focus on the positives and jettison the junk.

Here鈥檚 a look at some of the major contrasts between master marathon greats Jeannie Rice and Jenny Hitchings.

1. Select the Best Course for Your Goals

Both Rice and Hitchings had previously won age-group titles at Boston. Rice chose to return there in April for emotional reasons, as Boston marked her 40th anniversary of marathon running and her 130th marathon. Hitchings selected London for technical reasons. In 2021, she ran 2:45:32 at Boston. It would have been a record except for the point-to-point course prohibition. So this spring she opted for London鈥檚 record-eligible course.

Rice: 鈥淏oston has always been a special marathon for me,鈥� said Rice. 鈥淢y preparation wasn鈥檛 the best, as I ran the Tokyo Marathon in early March, and then did some traveling. But I wanted to have my Boston celebration, and I had quite a few running friends there with me.鈥�

Hitchings: 鈥淟ondon was on my marathon 鈥榖ucket list鈥� anyway, and it gave me a great opportunity to set an age-group world record,鈥� said Hitchings. 鈥淪ince my 2:45 at Boston didn鈥檛 count, I figured I should take a crack at London while I was still in the age group.鈥� [She will turn 60 in early July.]

2. To Be Coached, or Go It Alone?

Rice has always been self-coached. Hitchings, a running coach herself, has had a longterm coach-athlete relationship with Chicago-based Jenny Spangler. Spangler won the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in 1996 and ran a 2:32:39 marathon in 2003, after turning 40.

Rice: 鈥淚鈥檝e been approached by people who wanted to coach me, but they seemed expensive and had other demands I didn鈥檛 like. I listen to what my friends do and what others are doing in training. I try to run 50 miles most weeks, and a bit more before my marathons. But I don鈥檛 actually follow a schedule. Mostly I just train the way I feel. I鈥檓 still running strong and beating records, so I must be doing something right.

鈥淚 know it鈥檚 possible that a coach could help me the way 鈥檚 coach helped him, but it鈥檚 also possible that things could go wrong. I like to decide my training according to how I feel each day.鈥�

Hitchings: 鈥淚 coach other runners, and I could certainly coach myself, but you know what they say about doctors who treat themselves: They have a fool for a patient. I think that can also apply to athletes who coach themselves. It鈥檚 just smarter to have someone looking over your shoulder, and adding some perspective.

鈥淚鈥檓 one of those who鈥檚 often guilty of running too fast on my easy days, or getting excited and going too hard when I鈥檓 training with friends. Jenny [her coach] holds me accountable for those kinds of things. She has a great personal performance record that I respect a lot, and has been coaching for many years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also important to me that she鈥檚 a female coach of my own age. She understands what I鈥檓 going through and dealing with in terms of female physiology.鈥�

3. Make Rituals of Your Training Day

Both runners say they enjoy a relaxed morning cup of coffee before launching into their days. But Rice is up earlier, and often out the door quicker. Hitchings needs more time to be ready for a solid run.

Rice: 鈥淚 like to get my run done early, so I have the whole day in front of me when I get back home at 7:30 A.M. or so. I鈥檓 usually running by 6 A.M. In Florida, where I spend my winters, that can be important for the cooler weather.

鈥淏ut on days when I鈥檓 going 20 to 23 miles, I鈥檒l get up at 3:30 A.M.听 and begin running at 4:30 A.M.听 I鈥檒l go two hours on my own, and then join a local training group for their morning loop, which gives me another hour or so.鈥�

Hitchings: 鈥淚 coach a number of people who can roll right out of bed and start running. I鈥檓 not one of those. My favorite time to run is about 8 A.M. or 8:30 A.M. in the morning. I like my coffee first, and the morning newspaper, and I always make sure to get a light breakfast in my stomach. Since my favorite place to run is the American River Parkway, that gives me another 15 minutes of drive time before I get going.

鈥淭here have been times when I had to be a noontime runner, and that was OK, too. But 4 P.M. or 5 P.M.? That鈥檚 not going to happen. By that time of day, I鈥檓 too tired or depleted.鈥�

4. How to Avoid Injury

This one is easy for Rice, who has never been injured except for a fall (and banged-up knee) in 2021 that cost her several weeks of running. Hitchings also considers herself relatively injury-free, but she has encountered an assortment of typical runner injuries through the years: Achilles tendinitis, piriformis pain, and surgery for Haglund’s deformity (a bony growth at the back of the heel resulting from mostly genetic causes).

Rice: 鈥淚 go to the gym three times a week for a light strength workout, some pushups, and some stretching. But it鈥檚 not a serious session at all. I also golf for fun; I really enjoy golfing.鈥�

Hitchings: 鈥淚 try to do light weight work as much as I can, and I ride my bike 20-30 miles a week outdoors, and do Peloton indoors. Recently, I added Pilates once a week to improve my strength and mobility.

鈥淎lso, Jenny and I have agreed to take one hard running day out of my weekly schedule. I used to do speed work of some kind on Tuesday and Thursday, and a long weekend run. Now I鈥檓 down to speed on Wednesday, and a weekend long run that often has some tempo-pace segments.鈥�

5. Of Sweets and Supplements

While both are clearly fit, Rice and Hitchings say they enjoy a wide variety of foods, and have no particular restrictions in their diets. Both enjoy wine drinking. Hitchings admits to a sweet tooth, too, but desserts are not a problem for Rice.

Rice: 鈥淏reakfast is usually oatmeal with fruit and nuts. At lunch and dinner, I enjoy a green salad with some sort of seafood or fish on top. I鈥檝e never liked sweets and don鈥檛 crave them, but I love cheese and nuts. That鈥檚 my big downfall鈥攃heese and nuts. The only supplements I take are calcium with vitamin D, B-12, and magnesium.鈥�

Hitchings: 鈥淚 eat听 鈥榗lean,鈥� a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on carbs. I simply don鈥檛 feel good if I eat heavy, creamy, or fried foods. I get most of my vitamins and minerals from real foods, though recently I鈥檝e added Athletic Greens to my routine.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 in heavy marathon training, I find it hard to maintain my weight, so I鈥檒l have some protein shakes and maybe one chocolate bar, muffin, or pastry per day. I鈥檝e got a drawer full of vitamins, calcium, collagen, and iron supplements, but I never seem to stick with any for long. It鈥檚 just too much.鈥�

What鈥檚 Down the Road?

While realistic about their futures, neither Rice nor Hitchings sound the least bit intimidated by the unwritten future. Despite aging, both are driven to perform. They hope to keep running hard and fast, and chasing age-group records. Both plan to run the Chicago Marathon on October 8, as it will be the site of this year鈥檚

Rice: 鈥淕etting faster at 75 is almost impossible, but this year I鈥檓 going to run a few road miles to work on my speed. I鈥檝e won my age group in every World Marathon Major but London, so I want to get back to London in the next several years. I want to run the Sydney Marathon, the Ho Chi Minh City Marathon, and, of course, I must run the Seoul Marathon in the country where I was born.鈥�

Hitchings: 鈥淚鈥檓 running faster at 60 than I鈥檝e ever run in my life. My time in London was literally my lifetime best, and I鈥檝e been running a long time. Sometimes I get asked, ‘When are you going to stop running?’ My answer is always: ‘Why would I stop?’ I鈥檓 still getting faster, and I鈥檓 still enjoying it.鈥�

Rice, though 15 years older, feels the same. It鈥檚 fun winning major marathons, of course, especially when she beats most men her age. In local and regional races, she challenges herself to finish as high as possible in the masters division against females three decades younger (and sometimes wins outright).

鈥淚 love competition,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 motivated to train hard, and I鈥檓 excited about setting more records as long as I can. Maybe into my 80s.鈥�

Running is about finish times, sure, but it鈥檚 even more about attitude. Find the goal that鈥檚 right for you, and go after it. This is the approach both Rice and Hitchings have followed successfully, and neither plans to change course now, no matter how many candles adorn their next birthday cake.

Both are on a shared mission, and they鈥檇 like others to join them. As Hitchings says: 鈥淚 think if we keep a positive attitude and motivation, we can go out there and do much more than people think. It鈥檚 important to show others that we can defy the way aging has been defined for us for so long.鈥�

RELATED: The Surprisingly Simple Training of the World鈥檚 Fastest Marathoner

The post Training Advice from the Greatest Women Masters Marathoners Alive appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.