You can count Kipchoge’s wife, Grace Sugut, among those he has inspired to run 42.2 kilometres. Sugut completed her first marathon at Sunday’s Cape Town Marathon. She crossed the finish line in a time of 4:29:59, placing 2,353 out of the 6,914 women in the field.

Kipchoge himself turned in yet another impressive marathon performance, finishing 16th overall, running a time of 2:13:29. He’s in the process of running a marathon on each of the seven continents over the next three years, and he checked Africa off his list with his finish on Sunday.

As Sugut crossed the finish, her husband was right there waiting to give her a big hug.

As Sugut crossed the finish, her husband was right there waiting to give her a big hug. It was a bit of a reverse situation to what we saw in 2019, when Sugut greeted Kipchoge with a hug at the finish line of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, where Kipchoge broke two hours in the marathon.

“I ran my first marathon 13 years ago,” Kipchoge wrote on Instagram. “It has brought me to where I am today, but I could not do this without the support of many, including my family. My heart is filled with pride, for my wife Grace completing her first marathon in Cape Town.”

Before the race, Kipchoge gave some advice to Sugut. “My advice actually is to line up at the starting line,” he told the media. “Enjoy the whole race, feel that pain all through the race, cut through the finishing line, and, you know, she will be accomplished. She will not be the same.”

Next up for Kipchoge this year is the Porto Alegre Marathon in Brazil on 12 July, followed by the Melbourne Marathon in Australia in October. We’ll have to wait and see if Sugut will join him on the starting line at either of those races.

This article was first published on the Runner’s World USA website.

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I’ve spent the past year or so experimenting with different ways to pass the time…

This didn’t used to be a problem. Before starting at Runner’s World, I focused on shorter distances and never had to run continuously for more than 30, maybe 45 minutes at a time. But after I joined the staff, inspired by my coworkers, my long runs ballooned to hours in length, requiring new tactics. I’ve spent the past year or so experimenting with different ways to pass the time, with varying degrees of success. Here’s how they measured up:

1. Mental Exercises
Inspired by the trend of “rawdogging” flights (where passengers do nothing but stare at the seat in front of them for the duration of the trip), there were a couple of long runs where I set out with nothing but my thoughts. Running without outside distractions can help build the mental toughness necessary for marathons and longer races, and research has proven that embracing boredom can have cognitive benefits, such as bursts of creativity and social connectivity afterwards.

I incorporated a variety of mental exercises to fill the hours. Using the time to plan was productive, but perhaps enabled too much of my Type A personality. Mindfulness techniques, where I deliberately focused on the world around me and how my body felt, were great for improving my form and being present in the moment, albeit not the most sustainable – my mind has been likened to a dog walking through a park full of squirrels. During one run last fall, I decided to see how high I was willing to count and spent an hour getting up to 10,105 before my internal tally machine burned out. Not sure I accomplished anything, but at least Sesame Street’s Count Von Count would be proud.

Grade: C

2. Music Making
Listening to music had been my go-to running entertainment for years, but early last fall, I decided to take things a step further. After reading how Taylor Swift sings on a treadmill in preparation for her concerts, I figured, why not take some advice from Miss Americana herself and switch from conversational to singing pace?

I had way more fun than expected. Something is energising about belting out a rendition of “Highway to Hell,” which helped get me through the final miles of an endless gravel canal path. Much to my chagrin, singing did require me to slow my pace and spend more time on the runs I was desperately trying to get through. And I sang only on secluded routes, as I consider my voice amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.

And then one day, after finding my old harmonica and its hands-free holder, a lightbulb went off in my head. I reasoned that playing the instrument would also help maintain conversational pace, and having the metal bar set around my neck would force me to focus on limiting my vertical oscillation – otherwise, the stand would bounce up and down. But I neglected to consider the fact that the harmonica’s notes are tied to an inhale and an exhale, which required a lot more breath control than anticipated. Suddenly, I had much more respect for those who play in marching bands.

GRADE: B+ (for singing), D– (for playing)

3. Spoken Word
One of the best pieces of advice I received was to find some way to get excited for the long run. For me, the most obvious solution was to cue up an audiobook. I’ve loved being able to combine two of my passions and could easily lose myself in a good story. Last summer, I found myself circling my block during the climax of All the Light We Cannot See, not wanting to end my run until I found out whether the Nazi sergeant would find the blind main character hiding in the attic.

But I soon found myself longing for physical pages and seeing my reading progress, and eventually swapped out Audible for a podcast app. The trick was finding a series that was engaging enough in both content and delivery. Although psychology is one of my favourite topics, my mind started wandering as I tried listening to the soothing voices of NPR’s Hidden Brain explain the neuroscience behind doing difficult tasks. Two drag queens discussing culture on The Bald and the Beautiful proved to be much more captivating.

GRADE: B, up or down a letter depending on the subject matter.

4. Socialisation
I quickly found that my favourite way to pass a long run was to do it with a partner. Experts cite several benefits of running with others, including accountability, morale, and pacing—nothing keeps you at a conversational pace better than a literal conversation. I still remember running an impromptu half marathon along Lake Michigan with a friend at the end of summer that, despite sweltering heat, was filled with so many great discussions that it became one of my favourite runs ever.

Calling someone on the phone can be a great substitute. Miles flew by whenever I used the chunk of time to catch up with friends and family, provided they didn’t mind the occasional huffing and puffing on my end.

GRADE: A

The post Four Simple Tricks to Make Your Long Runs Fly By appeared first on Runner's World.

…the cry run…it’s the run where the goal is just to get out the door and come back feeling a little lighter…

I remember the first time it happened so clearly. I’d just left therapy, and it was one of those sessions where you walk out feeling like you’ve been emotionally power-washed. I could’ve gone straight home, crawled into bed, let it sit in my chest all night. Instead, I didn’t want to carry all of what was going on in my head back to my apartment. So I made my way toward the West Side Highway and started running.

At first, it felt normal. Get moving, let my brain settle, let the city be just its usual noise. And then the tears started – not delicate, rom-com-level tears, either. Real tears. The kind that makes your face feel hot and your throat tighten, and your breathing gets kinda weird for a minute. I’m sure I didn’t look cute, but it’s New York City. Nobody asked questions or really cared. And honestly, that’s part of why it worked.

Running through tears is underrated because it’s a different kind of release. You’re moving while it’s happening. It just feels so different from sitting on the couch with the lights off. Even when you feel like you’re falling apart, you’re still doing something with your body. You’re still moving forward, and it’s the closest I’ve personally come to getting things out of my system without needing to talk it out to death.

I’m not saying running fixes anything, nor am I a chronic running crier. I’m not sobbing through Central Park every Tuesday at 7am like clockwork. But I’ve definitely cried on runs more than once. Job stress, dating stress, and life stress just get the best of you sometimes, and you can’t help it. It’s that specific kind of anxiety where everything decides to replay all at once, and it’s too loud to focus.

Those are the days when “just take it easy” doesn’t really cut it, and literally running from my problems feels like the only answer.

Sometimes these runs are faster, too. Not because I’m trying to PB my breakdown, but because there’s something about pushing a little that helps shake things loose. Endorphins, adrenaline, whatever it is, I don’t need to fully understand it to appreciate the after feeling. I’ve started runs feeling wrecked, cried at a random mile, and finished feeling like…okay. I’m still here. Let’s take a breath.

We categorise runs as everything from casual, easy runs to long runs to speed days, and recovery days off. I have another category that fits right in with the rest: the cry run. For me, it’s the run where the goal is just to get out the door and come back feeling a little lighter than when I left.

You should try it sometime.

The post Why a Run Might Be the Best Place to Cry appeared first on Runner's World.

“Now, I have a new runner I can’t quite measure up to: My younger self.”

Objectively, I knew there were plenty of good reasons for this. A summer injury interrupted my training, and, while I was able to safely build back up to cover the distance using walk intervals, I came in slower than I had originally anticipated.

My first emotion upon finishing was gratitude for the experience and for finishing healthy, but seeing the cold, hard numbers, not to mention the race photos, stirred up other feelings, too.

I’m a masters athlete now, and, even if I’d had the perfect training block, I’d be nowhere near my personal best, 3:21:02 at the 2009 Chicago Marathon. Not only are my times slower, but my shorts and tank are a couple of sizes larger than they used to be.

I’ve tried, for years, not to compare myself to others, whether it’s athletes I know in real life or those whose highlights pop up in my social media feeds. As runners, we often focus on numbers, and our culture prizes looks, so it’s tough to keep that noise at bay. Now, I have a new runner I can’t quite measure up to: My younger self.

The Plight of the Ageing Athlete
Of course, I don’t want any of this to matter, but I can’t deny that my race results made me feel less capable and confident. I talked about this psychological conflict with mental skills coach Carrie Jackson, my cohost on The Injured Athletes Club podcast, and she assured me I’m not alone. “I’ve had many clients come to me saying, ‘Carrie, I don’t know how to deal with the fact that all my PBs are behind me,” she says.

Runners often have a strong athletic identity, defined as a deep personal connection to a sport. For most of us, running isn’t just something that we do – it becomes an important part of who we are as people. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; after all, that affinity drives us to work hard and persevere, so we reap all the physical and mental benefits running can bring.

But having a strong athletic identity can become a problem when it crowds out other parts of us, and it can also make it hard to accept the realities of ageing. Our brains interpret any change in our abilities as a threat to our very being, rather than as a natural evolution that occurs for everyone.

That’s a big reason why we often find it hard to let go of the runners we used to be. Ironically, worrying so much about how we don’t measure up to our past can actually hold us back from making necessary adjustments to reach our current full potential. “Staying stuck in comparison to what you used to be able to do is fighting for your past, and you need to fight for your future,” Jackson says.

That idea instantly resonated with me. Still, I wasn’t sure exactly how to make the shift. So, I talked more with Jackson and other experts, as well as masters runners and coaches, for ideas on how to drop self-comparison and age with grace.

Give Yourself Space to Mourn
I know there are far more important things in the world than how fast I, a recreational athlete, can run. While it’s certainly healthy to keep these issues in perspective, Jackson reminds me that simply stuffing down any negative emotions that arise because “things could be worse” means they’ll likely keep resurfacing.

Besides, these feelings aren’t always as shallow as they seem. “Ageing in itself is something that we as humans have a hard time with; that’s why supplements and Botox are so popular,” psychotherapist and runner Stephanie Roth-Goldberg points out. In some cases, changes in your athletic performance even tap into an underlying fear of mortality, Jackson says.

It isn’t only ageing that poses a threat to your athletic identity: having kids, caregiving, illness, and other personal changes or stressors can cause you to prioritise another aspect of yourself, or potentially affect your body in a way that slows you down. Those developments can be positive or negative for your life in general, but when it comes to the way they affect your running, it’s important to recognise that they often create a feeling of loss. “There’s a processing of grief of who you once were and what your capabilities were,” says Alysha Flynn, founder and coach of What Runs You and coach for Every Woman’s Marathon.

On the other side of those honest feelings, you might find acceptance and even appreciation. “You can be like, ‘That was amazing. I really miss that version of myself, and I miss being able to do that,’ and also, ‘How lucky was I to be able to have those experiences,’” Jackson says. “But you can’t have that gratitude piece unless you allow yourself to feel the grief.”

Moving through it begins by being honest with yourself about what you’re feeling. You can also journal, talk with a sport psychology professional, or even write a letter to running, expressing what your relationship has meant and how you hope it can evolve.

Adjust Your Goals for the New You
Another critical step is to deliberately revise how you measure success. “You cannot define it on PBs. Otherwise, you’re not going to continue,” Jackson says. “You’ll burn out, you’ll end up quitting, because that’s too much of a hit to your self-worth.”

That doesn’t mean throwing performance out the window. “Time goals are still good to set for yourself, but make them realistic, so that you’re not pushing yourself away from the sport, but instead inviting yourself in,” says Pennsylvania-based coach and masters runner Karen Dunn. There are plenty of ambitious but achievable targets you can set as a masters runner, including placing well in your age group or taking on a new type of race, such as a trail race or an ultramarathon.

It also helps to take a broader view of what running means to you. I’m inspired by the mindset adopted by Susan Spencer, a 66-year-old Massachusetts runner who ran a 3:46:05 at the 2025 Richmond Marathon – the fastest time she’s clocked in her 60s. “I have my ABCs of why I run,” Spencer says. “Healthy ageing, being badass, and connecting with community.”

Race times do matter to her (see: being badass), but her goals reflect reality. She also takes time to recognise the other ways running brings her joy, including the chance to travel and spend time with friends.

To Reach Those Goals, Tweak Your Training
I’ve noticed my injuries now take longer to heal, and when I’m healthy, I can’t do as many hard sessions as I used to. That’s not my imagination, it’s biology, Dave Walters, a Chicago-area masters runner and DW Running coach, tells Runner’s World. The 70-year-old has been running for 55 years and frequently tops the podium at World Major Marathons, among other races. He even won his age group in the 2022 AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Championships.

Still, he trains differently than when he ran his personal best of 2:19 at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, where he ran 2:24:20 to place 36th. He advises the masters athletes he coaches to do the same, suggesting changes such as cutting back on track workouts, running hills to boost strength and power, and spending extra time in the weight room.

“Eventually, everyone has to realise that running the workouts that you did 20 years ago or 15 years ago with the same intensity isn’t going to work,” he says. Backing off, or adding in more recovery, can feel counterintuitive when you’re used to pushing as hard as possible, Jackson says. But often, athletes who try it are pleasantly surprised by the results.

Nurture Your Curiosity
I’ve certainly adapted my routines over the years, but hearing all this makes me wonder what else I can change to avoid injury and run stronger. As my mind starts to open to the possibilities, the grip of the past loosens.

Jess Hofheimer, a North Carolina coach, reinforced the idea of staying open to new possibilities. Like me, she started running in her 20s. She’s run 28 marathons in the two decades since, including a personal best of 3:09 at age 45.

Recently, though, at age 49, Hofheimer was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in one hip. She’s currently training for the 2026 Boston Marathon with a new approach, including running about half her previous weekly mileage, much of it on dirt paths, and adding an extra day of strength training.

After Boston, she plans to focus on shorter distances, hoping to slow the progression of the osteoarthritis. “I could just keep doing this until my body breaks, but that doesn’t sound like fun,” Hofheimer says. Instead, she’s aiming to find “the lowest effective dose”: “the least amount of wear and tear to my body to give me the most joy, to allow me to be doing this for as long as possible.”

Channel Main Character Energy
That sort of plot twist aligns with another mental training tool Jackson recommends to masters athletes: Frame your athletic life as an ongoing narrative, one where your values and your performances may shift, but your core identity remains. “Some people will see ageing as another chapter and give it its own title,” she says, such as “Running with Purpose” or “Miles to Go.” You might even imagine a heroic sports movie about a runner through the years. Which actors or athletes would play you at different ages, and how would they handle each new phase?

All this can shift your perspective and help you see that getting older isn’t a sign of weakness or failure. “You’re ageing, and that’s just a fact of life. It’s not an affront, it’s not something that’s being done to you,” she says. Casting yourself as the hero of a longer story reminds you that you have choices about how to navigate it. This is also a time when you might find it helpful to reflect on how others’ tales differ – say, remembering friends who have passed away or whose physical abilities have changed even more dramatically.

All these thought exercises can help you channel gratitude and optimism. “Probably when you were in your 20s, you would look at masters runners and think, ‘I hope that I’m still running when I’m that age. So, celebrate that you are still running now that you are that age,” Roth-Goldberg says. “And you can look at folks who are older than you and hope that you’re still running when you’re their age.”

My Next Chapter
With all this in mind, I picked up my pen. First, I sketched out a training template for the weeks ahead, planning how I would slowly increase mileage again while adding in more strength, flexibility, and recovery. I’m also keeping coaches like Walters, Dunn, and Hofheimer in my contacts, knowing I may want more personalised guidance when it’s time to set a new goal.

Next, I took Jackson’s advice and wrote a letter to running. I reminisced about all the connections and opportunities it brought me, along with the confidence instilled along the way. I know that those are the pieces I want to hold onto, and they don’t depend on seeing a certain number on the clock or the size of my shorts. “Dear running: Thank you,” I ended it. “I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

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After reading that, did you roll your eyes? Do you want to correct me? What if I told you I took a gel during the race, or that I wore the “illegal” high-stack running shoes I’ve been training in, and that I prefer sharing my Strava time because it was faster than the chip time?

…certain corners of the online running community can feel anything but welcoming.

Running is often described as the most accessible sport. All you need is a pair of shoes and the willingness to consistently put one foot in front of the other, as they say. That accessibility is what inspired more than a quarter of today’s runners to lace up a pair of shoes during the COVID-19 pandemic, when gyms shuttered, and people looked for new ways to move outdoors.

But certain corners of the online running community can feel anything but welcoming. New runners show up, excited and curious, asking how they can race the record-breaking New York City Marathon even though the lottery is already closed or whether they should buy the latest R8000 super shoes – and instead of support, they get sarcasm, scorn, and gatekeeping. The same thing happens to other newbies, who may get the terminology wrong and refer to a race as “5K marathon” when they really mean just a 5K.

Why do experienced runners feel the need to shame or put down others in a sport that prides itself on being for everyone? Running is one of the only sports where even the most amateur athlete can experience an event just like the pros. You’re never going to be on the same basketball court as Caitlin Clark, but you can run the same race course at the same time as world-class athletes.

There’s this sense of pride among some experienced or more “serious” runners: You’ve logged the miles, survived the chafing, hit the wall, and come back stronger for it. But everyone starts somewhere. For some, that “somewhere” is confusing a 5K for a marathon, because the former can feel like the latter when it’s the furthest you’ve ever run.

Language is learned. So is mileage, gear, pacing, fuelling, and everything else that makes up this sport. But when runners start shaming others for not knowing the right terms or asking questions that feel obvious, they’re not educating – they’re alienating.

Welcoming new runners is smart. More runners mean more races, better gear innovations, and stronger communities. If the sport is going to grow and evolve – if the millions of people participating in running events can be converted into millions of fans tuning into televised events outside the Olympics, buying tickets to in-person competitions and leagues, and buying merch that supports their favourite pros – runners need to treat newcomers like teammates, not trespassers. That means answering basic questions with patience. That means remembering how it felt to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of shoe choices or googling “what is tempo pace?” at 11pm the night before a group run.

The next time you see a post about a “5K marathon,” pause before you comment. Could you gently educate them on the proper race distance? Could you celebrate the fact that someone took the leap into a sport you love? Could you remember what it felt like to be new?

If runners put half the energy they use to post negative comments into lifting up and celebrating new runners, the entire running community would be better for it. And as we were all taught in kindergarten, if you don’t have anything nice to say, maybe consider not saying anything at all.

The post Stop Shaming Newbies for Running ‘5K Marathons’ appeared first on Runner's World.

When setting a goal, forget about what you think you should do and focus on an outcome that genuinely excites you.

Chances are, you’re self-sabotaging without even realising it. But the good news is that once you understand your mistakes, you can avoid making them again.

We asked a handful of coaches and trainers to share those common missteps that runners make, especially when they’re first starting to run or getting back to it after a break. Here is what to look out for, and how to fix it.

1. Picking the Wrong Goal
Just because a goal is SMART (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-bound) doesn’t mean it’s the right goal for you. For example, setting a new PB at an upcoming local race checks all the SMART goal boxes, but if competing doesn’t excite you or align with your values, you won’t feel motivated to stick with your training.

Picking the wrong goal is one of the most common mistakes that Kaleigh Ray, certified run coach and exercise physiologist, sees among the runners she coaches. Many runners actually just want to spend more time running because the activity itself is fulfilling, but they feel they need to set a race-related goal for it to “count.”

This kind of misalignment can be demotivating and leave you disappointed, she says. “If someone’s main goal is actually to run as often as possible, they end up doing the workouts for being as fast as possible when race training,” she adds. In this case, a goal like “run four days a week” or “join a running club” may have more staying power.

When setting a goal, forget about what you think you should do and focus on an outcome that genuinely excites you.

2. Rushing the Timeline
Many runners are willing to do the training, but they don’t give themselves enough time. For example, training plans are often designed with the understanding that the athlete has an endurance base or is already running at a specific weekly mileage (a solid programme will include this information in the guidelines). Ignoring the recommendations or trying to skip ahead almost always backfires.

“Rushed training is probably the least effective training,” says Jason Fitzgerald, certified coach and the host of The Strength Running Podcast. “And goals that are on a short timeline include rushed training to try to accomplish them.”

He points out that a tight schedule doesn’t allow for the wiggle room and flexibility that you’ll inevitably need to navigate common obstacles, like sick days and work emergencies. Suddenly, what should be a minor inconvenience becomes a major derailment. But if you pick a plan based on your true fitness level, and follow it from day one, then that will increase your chances of success, even if something unexpected comes up.

Additionally, doing too much too soon often leads to burnout and injury, says Nathaniel Serrurier, CSCS, a personal trainer and doctoral student at Columbia University’s RunLab. Even if you manage to do every run on your calendar, your body may not be prepared for the rapid increase in volume and intensity.

When you ramp up your training too quickly, your tendons and ligaments are the most susceptible to injury, says Todd Buckingham, PhD, exercise physiologist at PTSportsPRO in Michigan. “Tendons and ligaments get a lot less blood flow than the muscles. So, it just takes them longer to adapt to the stresses that you’re placing on them,” he says. “From a cardiovascular standpoint and a muscular standpoint, you might be fine and ready to go, but your tendons and ligaments just haven’t caught up yet.”

When selecting a plan, you should pay attention to weekly mileage, frequency, and even specific workouts to make sure you’re up for the challenge.

3. Doing More of the Same Thing (and Expecting Different Results)
The flip side of doing too much too soon is ramping up too slowly, or not at all. Fitzgerald explains that he’s often approached by the same runners year after year. “They’re gearing up for their local race, and they’re always in the same position. There’s never any progress from quarter to quarter or year to year,” he says.

These folks tend to repeat the same runs on the same terrain at the same pace. They sign up for the same types of races every year. They’re not switching it up or challenging themselves enough to bolster their endurance or get faster.

One of the best ways to get out of a rut or move past a plateau is to work with a coach who knows how to push you beyond your comfort zone in a way that’s safe and sustainable. Hiring (and paying for) a coach also adds another layer of accountability and can keep you from slipping back into old habits. “A coach is going to hold you to the training. And knowing that they’re going to see what you’re doing and have to report back to them, you’re probably more likely to get it done,” Fitzgerald says.

4. Skimping on Gear, Especially Shoes
Running is famously low-maintenance when it comes to gear, but you really do need a good pair of shoes. Runners who wait to see (or feel) obvious signs of wear before replacing their shoes could increase their risk of injury; research shows that wearing shoes with degraded cushioning can alter running gait and force the body to absorb more impact.

In general, you should replace your shoes every 500 to 800 kilometres, but Ray recommends doing it sooner, like every 300 to 400 kilometres, if you wear your shoes for activities besides running. Other signs that you’re due for a footwear upgrade are visible compression of the sole on just one side of the shoe and a clear bend in the shoe’s midsole.

5. Registering for a Big (Read: Expensive) Race Before You’re Ready
Having a little financial skin in the game – hiring a coach, buying a training programme, paying for a gym membership – may encourage you to stay on track with your running. We value what we pay for, and no one wants to waste money or see their investment flop.

However, registering for a big, pricey event, like a popular marathon that requires travel and hotel accommodations, will only stress you out if you’re not ready for it. “I see runners signing up for really expensive races when they don’t have a history of being really consistent in their training,” Ray says. People often go into these events unprepared and undertrained because they’re on the hook for thousands of dollars and don’t want to back out. Or, they’re forced to bail altogether (and waste a lot of money).

Ray recommends starting with a smaller, more affordable event or two. Once you’ve established at least six months of consistent training (this could mean training as little as three times a week, focusing on base-building and working up to eventually adding speedwork to the schedule), then you can start to consider races that require more of an investment. “I think that approach can save you a lot of heartache,” Ray says.

6. Comparing Yourself to Other Runners
The old adage tells us that comparison is the thief of joy, but it leaves out the part about how it will also hijack your training plan if you’re not careful.

Buckingham cautions against getting too caught up in other runners’ stats or trying to keep up with a running buddy who runs at a faster pace. “That’s a big one that I see with my athletes,” he says. “They’ll say, ‘I was running with so-and-so, and we ended up going one minute faster than I normally do.’” It may be temporarily satisfying to keep up with a speedy runner, but going faster than your intended pace could defeat the purpose of that particular workout and hinder your progress.

“There are certain physiological adaptations that occur with certain types of runs. And if, for example, it’s supposed to be an easy run to improve your aerobic base and you end up running at a tempo pace, well, that wasn’t the goal of the workout,” he says. “You just need to focus on what you need to focus on.”

7. Using Old Data
Also, it’s not always helpful to compare yourself to the runner you were in the past. Chances are, some things have changed. Maybe you’ve dealt with injuries or health issues, had children, changed jobs, or moved to a different geographic location. All of these factors, along with the passage of time, impact who you are, and that includes your running. It’s not fair or productive to hold yourself to the same pace or training schedule you had 10 years ago. (Also, maybe now you’re even faster!)

“If you’re trying to plan a training plan off of an old goal time or a PB you ran several years ago, the paces you’re assigning to your workouts may not reflect your current level of fitness,” Ray says. Instead of using old data or guessing at paces, she recommends running a few local races, if possible, or doing your own time trials – running a 5km or 10km on your own at your race pace – to get a sense of where you are.

8. Having an “All or Nothing” Attitude
Your success in achieving any long-term goal is largely dependent on your ability to be flexible and pivot, if necessary, when faced with unexpected obstacles or circumstances that aren’t ideal. If you scrap a workout every time it doesn’t go according to the original plan, you’re probably not going to make much progress.

Fitzgerald notes that advanced runners tend to accept that certain factors are beyond their control and approach most workouts with a contingency plan. So, for example, if they got out of work late and have only 30 minutes to work out instead of an hour, they might swap in a quick strength-training workout instead of a run, or do an abbreviated version of their run that’s still “in the spirit” of what they had originally planned. “Being flexible and doing something that resembles the plan, even if it’s not the plan, is still enormously beneficial,” Fitzgerald says.

You’ll still get some of the training stimulus, and, perhaps even more importantly, you’ll maintain your momentum rather than feeding inertia. It’s easy for one skipped workout to turn into a week off, which can further snowball into longer lapses in your training.

“If you can’t run 10km, then run nine. If nine doesn’t work out, do eight. And running six is so much better than running none at all, even if the original plan was 10,” Fitzgerald says.

That said, if you’re constantly tweaking or scaling workouts, that could be a sign that your current training plan isn’t working for you. It may be worth consulting a coach or experimenting with a less demanding plan.

The post Getting Back Into Running? Don’t Let These Mistakes Derail You appeared first on Runner's World.

…most New Year’s resolutions don’t survive beyond January.

While the new year often arrives with a surge of motivation and big intentions, the reality is that most New Year’s resolutions don’t survive beyond January. And that’s not a personal failure – it’s human.

The start of a new year is a powerful moment to reflect and set goals for positive change. But turning good intentions into lasting habits takes more than enthusiasm. When resolutions fall apart, it’s rarely due to a lack of willpower. More often, it’s because there’s no clear structure, plan, or support system in place.

If you’re looking to set realistic goals, make meaningful progress, and avoid burnout, boredom, or simply losing momentum by week two, Runner’s World is here to help. Our website is packed with expert-led articles, practical advice, and proven plans designed to remove the guesswork and guide you along the often winding road to success.

Here are just three ways Runner’s World can help you achieve your goals in 2026:

1. Losing Weight

Weight loss is not one-size-fits-all. Whether your goal is to lose five kilograms or 50, Runner’s World offers the tools and support to help make the journey more achievable. From structured workout plans and practical nutrition advice to expert insights and real-life success stories, our resources are designed to meet you where you are. Learning how to understand, respect, and care for your body – at any size – is something worth celebrating well beyond New Year’s Day.

2. Exercising More

“Exercise more” is a popular goal, but it’s also a vague one. With Runner’s World training plans covering everything from running your first 5km to chasing a sub-3:30 marathon, you can turn a broad intention into a clear, achievable target. Signing up for an event can add purpose and motivation, but it’s not essential. Whether it’s running, strength training, walking more, or simply moving with intention, there are countless ways to build consistent, sustainable activity into your routine.

3. Prioritising Your Mental Health

Running isn’t just about physical fitness – it’s a powerful tool for mental wellbeing too. Regular movement can help reduce stress, ease anxiety, and support overall mental health. Runner’s World provides science-backed information, practical resources, and training plans that focus on both mind and body, helping you feel stronger in more ways than one.

This year, forget perfection. Focus on progress — and let Runner’s World help you turn good intentions into lasting change.

The post Three Ways We Can Help You Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Runner's World.

…I assumed it was because I was doing double the distance for the first time, and I pushed through.

Despite a lingering suspicion that I might’ve been entering burnout territory somewhere around peak week, I assumed it was because I was doing double the distance for the first time, and I pushed through.

But the second I crossed the finish line, I realised how much dread I had felt leading up to my race. I figured I had overdone my training cycle because I didn’t have the same level of excitement I had with previous races and felt like I didn’t want to think about running for a long time. So I decided to look into burnout to get some confirmation.

The Definition of Burnout and How It Shows Up
“Burnout starts out kind of subtle. It’s more emotional than it is physical at first,” says Alysha Flynn, certified run coach and founder of What Runs You. “Post-race, you lose motivation, and that edge that you had chasing your goal. You might look at your routine around running and feel indifferent about it. Overall, you’re just disconnected from the sport as a whole.”

Cory Nyamora, sports psychologist and run coach, says that burnout typically shows up as dreading workouts, dreading the idea of racing, and not looking forward to your runs. You might feel emotionally drained from your workouts, battle negative or cynical thoughts during training, and feel physically and mentally depleted.

It’s not burnout if you’re just having one off day where you need a good night’s sleep to feel better, he adds, but it shows up no matter how much sleep you get or how well you fuel. In some cases, burnout can even lead to depression if left unaddressed, says Nyamora.

When you’re nearing burnout in the middle or end of your training cycle, you might notice your perceived effort on runs goes up, and your typical easy pace starts to feel harder, says Flynn.

Flynn adds that avoidance is often a symptom, too. “Athletes almost go dark sometimes after their race. They’ll show up a little bit to celebrate the race and talk about it, but then they kind of fall off of post-race recovery and self-care,” meaning you might neglect your nutrition, sleep, or hydration, social involvement, and you might find yourself feeling irritated by running altogether.

First-time marathoners are especially susceptible to facing burnout, Flynn says, because you might have trouble trusting your training plan and underestimate how much recovery you really need. You also might feel like you want to prove yourself and wind up running higher mileages or pushing pace.

Everything Flynn and Nyamora described immediately resonated with me. Around peak week of marathon training, I found myself feeling irritable even after a full night’s sleep, losing motivation to run, and feeling like my easy runs were more tiring than restorative.

By the time I finished my marathon, I had felt disconnected from running as a sport and emotionally drained. When I spent some time reflecting on my training cycle and speaking with the experts, I was finally able to admit to myself that what I experienced was definitely burnout.

Desperate to recover and reignite my running spark, I spoke more with Flynn and Nyamora on how to proceed. Here are the three expert-backed steps I’m taking to recover.

Three Steps to Recover From Post-race Burnout:
There’s no timeline for how long it’ll take to recover from burnout, Flynn says, because it’s important to give yourself time and space to work through it and accept that this is the season you’re in. But the sooner you start recognising burnout, the sooner you can address it, she says.

1. Be Honest
Burnout is a really good time to reflect on who you are as a runner, what works for you, and what you don’t want to experience next time in training, Flynn says. For example, you may realise you’re someone who likes to race just once a year, rather than doing multiple races in a row.

For me, I’m giving myself permission to not run—or plan future runs—for as long as I need until I feel like I’m really missing the sport. I’m being honest that running hasn’t sounded very appealing to me since the first half of marathon training, so I’m putting a pause on it for now.

I also realised that I might not enjoy racing as much as I thought, and I’m not sure how often I want to run marathons, but it’s going to take some trial and error for me to feel sure of which race distances and schedules I really love. In the future, I also might try running a spring marathon to see if I like that season for racing better than the fall.

2. Find a Form of Movement That Feels Good:
Flynn suggests finding another form of physical activity that really sparks interest when running doesn’t. “It can be hiking, it can be walking. It can be a week of nothing at all and just journaling,” she says. “Maybe you also like to bike, and during your whole marathon training cycle, you didn’t bike once,” Flynn suggests. “Go get on your bike, start there, and let your nervous system reset.”

Unstructured activity helps me the most any time I’m feeling burnt out from something, so for the next few weeks, I’m engaging in whatever physical activity I’m interested in, including yoga, which I didn’t include during marathon training. It feels good to start moving my body again in a new way.

3. Look at the Bigger Picture:
“If you prioritise longevity and your relationship with running above all else – even above performance, your next PR, and your next race – you will be more likely to embrace the season that you’re actually in,” says Flynn. This helps restore your desire to continually return to running again and again.

If you’re a lifelong runner, this training cycle was just one training cycle, Nyamora explains, so remembering that should help you slow down and take your time with running and recovery.

I put a lot of pressure on myself to strength train, run new races, and get faster all at once, over the last four months. In reality, I probably set too many goals. In hindsight, I wish I had spread those goals out over the course of a year, and not all in one training cycle.

Moving forward, I’m going to be smart about setting smaller, more specific goals that help me balance training with the rest of my life. For example, I could look at my training cycles in seasons, like strength training three to four times during the winter, then switching to a focus on building my endurance during fall marathon training. Or, maybe I move from a speedy 5K training cycle in the spring to half-marathon training in the fall, adjusting my strength workouts to fit my needs for each cycle.

Now that I can name what I’ve been feeling as burnout, the path toward recovery is clearer to me now. I’m happy disconnecting from running for a little while knowing that, with time and distance, I’ll start to miss it again. Next time I decide to train for a race, I’ll consider all my lifestyle factors and set more manageable training expectations, too.

The post Dealing With Burnout After a Busy Race Season appeared first on Runner's World.

I like the long distances because you’re always trying to avoid burning matches, not flaming out the way you would by the end of a marathon. I do well in ultramarathons because I’m able to carry on for hours without going too hard. Yes, in my races, I do well. But I don’t really go into the well. I stop short of the pain cave. I poke discomfort, but I don’t lean into it. At least, not all the way.

…Am I just not mentally tough enough to push harder?

In my two key events this summer (a 50 miler and 100 miler), I missed the course record in both by under three minutes. Three minutes, in the context of races that took more than 11 hours, is nothing. It’s a drop in the bucket. I fuelled well, followed my training plan to the letter, had all the right equipment, and, here’s the kicker, finished each event with some gas left in the tank. The body was willing, but the spirit was just a little too chilled.

Looking back, these good-but-not-great days lead me to the question: Am I just not mentally tough enough to push harder? I had to figure it out.

How Do You Know If Your Mind Is Holding You Back from Better Race Performance?
To figure out if I was lacking mental toughness, I had to first get a better explanation of what that meant so I could work to improve it.

As sports psychologist, Erin Ayala, PhD, owner and founder of Skadi Sport Psychology, explains that being mentally tough actually means being robust and adaptable. “The folks who are the most persistent and able to flex and adapt when things aren’t going according to plan are the ones who have really high levels of mental toughness,” she says. That doesn’t mean pushing through the pain and finishing with a broken ankle: In some cases, mental toughness is about opting not to finish a race. And even when you are pushing through the pain, she explains that rarely does beating yourself up with the “harden up” mindset actually work.

Because our brains are constantly taking in information and using that information to make sense of our surroundings, we have to learn to accept the changes in our perceived reality as we take in more details around us, explains neuroscientist Scott Frey, PhD, of Cerebral Performance.

“In the context of a race, we all know that the deeper into those races you get, you can be feeling fine one moment and absolutely at death’s door the next,” he explains. “And it can be very hard not to buy into those perceptions. It can be very hard to realise that this is very temporary, and that you’re going to move through this feeling. Mental toughness is the ability to ride that wave of feelings, and to not buy into those perceptions when they’re super good or super low, but to realise that our perceptions are not always an accurate copy of reality, and to keep going.”

Looking back, I actually didn’t end up stopping in the woods or sitting at an aid station, and anytime I did have a tough moment, like heartburn and a minor vomiting episode, I kept moving forward. So maybe mental toughness isn’t my problem, or at least not the only skill I struggle with.

“I wonder if your best performances come when it does feel easy, not when you’re trying to be mentally tough,” running coach and creator of The Unstoppable Journal, Sasha Gollish, PhD, tells me. She believes that we’ve confused mental toughness with flow state. As runners, we so often equate performance with mental strength and toughness, but performance and flow are arguably more related. Flow – the feeling of being fully absorbed in an activity and feeling a sense of joy and total concentration – should feel easy.

Negative self-talk, “why aren’t you going harder?” moments drag you out of that flow state. It was more likely the moments when I came out of flow state on the trail that tripped me up. In the 50-miler, for example, I had a few times where I ended up off the trail, spiralling into negative self-talk and out of flow state. I did walk in moments when I could have run. I did get unfocused, internally beating myself up for not being smoother, faster, more effortless. And because of that, I’d miss trail markers and need to pause to reorient myself, wasting valuable time.

The antidote to this negative spiral is self-compassion, and maybe downloading the GPS course file onto my watch. “A lot of athletes do not like this idea of self-compassion, because we have this idea that it’s like going easy or soft,” says Ayala. “But it actually can lead to better results.”

There are three steps to self-compassion: “The first is just a sense of mindfulness, recognising how I’m feeling or how I’m thinking in the moment,” says Ayala. “The second is understanding our common humanity. Knowing that it is a very human experience you’re having, and you’re not alone. And then, there’s the self-kindness component. I call it self-respect when talking to athletes, because it’s easier for them to digest. If you’re respecting yourself, then you’re not going to be beating yourself up.”

Goal-setting is also important in Ayala’s work with her athletes, especially after an event happens. The debrief – thinking about what went well in addition to what you can improve – is an invaluable mental performance tool. “The ironic thing is the research shows higher levels of self-compassion are actually linked with us sticking to our goals and sustainability in sport,” says Ayala. “When we’re nicer to ourselves, we’re more adaptable and flexible, so we’re more likely to actually reach those goals.”

If you’re reading this and wondering why it’s worth working on mental performance for the sake of your next race, consider this: When you train your brain for sport, you’re training it for life at the same time. “The nature of sports is that they require really digging deep and finding out things about ourselves that we might not have realised, finding those inner strengths that can get us through those tough moments,” says Frey. “That exploration carries these benefits in terms of how we think about ourselves into the rest of our lives and into how we do relationships and how we do work and so on.”

My (New) Mental Performance Roadmap
Using what Ayala, Frey, and Gollish taught me in these conversations, here’s what I’m doing ahead of next racing season, starting today:

Build a Mental Performance Training Plan
Ayala told me that she will sometimes build out training plans for her athletes, but not the kind with intervals and long slow distance runs. Instead, she builds on top of those training plans, adding in mental performance goals for certain workouts, as well as daily, weekly, or monthly assignments like 10 minutes of a mindfulness practice or a weekly self-talk check-in.

As I’m a major fan of schedules and to-do lists, this tactic ensures that I don’t just write this article and immediately forget about it until I’m midway through my next race.

Set Smarter Goals and Create a Plan to Achieve Them
Getting clear on your real race-day goal is key. I thought I was pretty good at goal setting, but these last two big events revealed where I have room for improvement.

Take the 100-miler: I had the record in the back of my brain as the goal alongside winning, but I didn’t actually prepare for how I would do that in the race. I knew rough splits I’d need to run, but I wasn’t checking my watch until the very end.

I didn’t think through all the steps that would set me up for getting the record. But with a little more pre-planning and focus, that goal would have been within reach.

Next event? Set clear outcome goals, like hitting a specific time to break a course record or a PR, and have clear pre- and in-race process goals to get me to those outcomes, like hitting certain lap or mile splits and checking in on my self-talk every time I take a sip of sports drink.

Get Comfortable With Discomfort
Yes, 100 miles is uncomfortable—but in a way that I find weirdly comfortable. At both events this year, I was able to walk away, rather than collapse at the finish line feeling fully spent.

According to Frey, that I might mean I have to work on going harder in some shorter races to recalibrate that high-end of my perceived exertion range, so when I do need to dig deep next time, I can finish feeling like I’ve truly emptied the tank.

Much as I hate the idea, this might be the year that I lean into some 5km and 10km races to work on how my brain performs when the going gets tough.

Practice Mindfulness
Finding the flow that Gollish spoke about takes being present. Meditation has always been a goal of mine, but not one that I’ve stuck to in any consistent way, which explains how I easily let chatter turn negative midway through a race.

Mindfulness, simply put, is becoming aware of the thoughts running through your mind, tuning into the moment and becoming fully present. Think of your brain as a theatre, says Frey. The thoughts are you just running lines, and when you can tune in, hear them, and change them, that’s how you can shift your mood and save your race.

Both Frey and Ayala suggest a 10-minute mindfulness practice—using an app or just sitting in stillness—so that’s going on my daily task list.

Work on Self-Compassion
As Ayala says, research has found that self-compassion and mental toughness are actually the winning combination… when applied together. So it’s time for me to start mindfully catching those negative thoughts and flipping the script to a kinder narrative.

To do this, I workshopped a mantra with Ayala that we stole from improv theatre: Asking myself “Yes, and?” This keeps the show going in the theatre, and in a run, it helps redirect the bad moment into something useful.

For example, if the initial thought is “My quad is cramping,” the “Yes, and” could look like “Yes, and you should drink some of your electrolyte mix because you may be getting dehydrated.” The immediate shift to problem-solving mode clicks your brain out of crisis and back into the present.

We don’t always need to shift from negative self-talk to ultra-positive; we just need to come back to the moment and our very literal next step.

The post Is Your Brain Holding You Back From Your Running Goals? appeared first on Runner's World.

There was a time I thought I was never going to feel a runner’s high again.

A shark bit off her foot, but somehow, she made it back to the boat. One of the first responders, Matthew Bevilacqua, talked to her to keep her conscious. Truwit cracked a joke: “At least I got my marathon in before this.” Bevilacqua didn’t hesitate: “You’ll run another one.”

Fast forward two years, and he was right. After surviving the shark attack and undergoing surgery to amputate her leg below her knee, Truwit will be running the 2025 New York City Marathon this Sunday 2 November.

Truwit graduated from Yale in 2023, having swum competitively for the university. Eight days before graduation, she ran the Copenhagen Marathon with her mom. After graduation, Truwit flew to Turks and Caicos with a former teammate, Sophie Pilkinton.

The two young women hopped off the boat and began to snorkel. They were about 50m from the boat when a shark rammed Truwit. The two hit and kicked the shark, fighting back in the only way they could. Within moments, the shark opened its mouth and closed it around Truwit’s left foot.

Truwit and Pilkinton’s screams for help were useless. The boat with their guide in it was too far away. With blood streaming out of her leg, Truwit swam as fast as she could. The shark continued to bump and threaten them as they pulled through the water.

On the boat, Pilkinton, who was in medical school at the time, made a tourniquet to slow the bleeding. Their guide radioed for an ambulance, and another boat pulled alongside. Bevilacqua climbed aboard and began asking Truwit questions. Maintaining consciousness was key to survival. While they were talking, he told her she’d run another marathon.

“I just feel so grateful for the way that he didn’t let that doubt live in my mind for even a second,” Truwit said. With that instantaneous response, Bevilacqua gave her hope.

“Someone else thinks it, so maybe eventually I’m going to think it too,” Truwit said.

Truwit was airlifted to Miami, where her parents joined her. She fought infection in her leg, endured surgery to remove infected tissue, then was air-lifted to New York for the amputation. On her birthday, she was lying in a hospital bed – her life saved, but her leg amputated below the knee.

She sat with her mother, Jody, and prayed, recited mantras, and cried. Why me? She asked herself. But she didn’t let herself percolate in melancholy for long. “I wanted to move as much as I could from that space into, ‘How am I going to make meaning of this?’” Truwit said.

A Bold Plan
Recovery was painful. Truwit learned to crutch and then walk on a prosthetic. She craved cardio. She missed feeling strong in the water and missed going for a run and feeling that shift in her brain when a run takes a bad mood and turns it into a good one. So her physical therapist set up seated cardio for her, like boxing with hand weights.

There was a time I thought I was never going to feel a runner’s high again. “I wanted to feel strong and confident and powerful,” Truwit said. “I just wanted to get back to those things that brought me so much joy in my life.”

About three months after the attack, she was back in the water training again. Her improvement was rapid: She went from learning how to swim with one leg to swimming faster times than she’d swum before the accident. 13 months after the shark attack, Truwit qualified for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. There, she won silver medals in the 100-metre backstroke S10 and 400-metre freestyle S10.

“We have so much more in us than we think we do,” Truwit said. “We are all sitting on wells of capacity that we don’t know we have within us. If we can unlock our minds to the fact that it might be there, that when our mind tells us we have nothing left, there’s still more left, I think it’s a game changer, and I think it’s true, and I think it is so hopeful.”

When Truwit got home from Paris, she started running on her blade more. The idea that Bevilacqua had planted in her head grew. What if I could run a marathon? She started training in earnest and told Bevilacqua her plan.

“He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I knew you would do this, I knew you were gonna get back to it,’” Truwit said. “It’s just a cool thing to have his vote of confidence from that early on and all the way through. I think he’s so, so excited.”

Truwit has had the blade for about a year. There are challenges. She’s noticed many roads are uneven and pitched to one side. With the blade, uneven roads force her hips out of alignment. And not having an ankle joint makes climbing and descending more complicated. Without a foot, Truwit can’t feel things like a little rock or a hole in the road. Something she would hardly notice before the shark attack could now completely throw her off balance.

“I have to have my eyes glued down to the ground to be able to notice everything,” Truwit said. And then there’s the liner, which goes over her leg as a barrier between her leg and the blade. Without air exposure, it collects sweat.

“Basically, you have to stop and take your leg off and dry it off multiple times throughout longer runs,” Truwit said. “The competitive nature in me is like, ‘It’s so frustrating that I could be running like a 5-minute kilometre and instead it’s an 8-minute kilometre because I had to spend five minutes taking my leg off.”

Staying the Course
All of these frustrations and difficulties are real. But so is this: Truwit is a 23-year-old, two years removed from a shark attack, and training for a marathon. “If you had told me two years ago that I was going to run 16 miles on a prosthetic blade throughout the streets of New York City, I would have never believed you,” Truwit said, referencing a training run.

She credits many people and miracles for getting her to where she is now. Her mom has been especially instrumental.

“My mom is a cognitive behavioural therapist, and she’s taught me a lot about ‘holding the dialectic:’ Two opposite things can be true at the same time. On one hand, it’s been hard to learn to run again, and it’s filled with pain and frustrations and setbacks and can feel like, ‘I just miss having two feet,’” Truwit said. “But at the same time, there’s so much joy, so much pride, so much gratitude for the fact that, one, I can afford a running blade and be able to run, two, that I’m getting back this life joy that I thought I wasn’t going to be able to reclaim. There was a time I thought I was never going to feel runner’s high again.”

Truwit’s loved ones will be running the marathon with her. Her parents, Jody and Mitch Truwit, will be there. Sophie Pilkinton, her friend who was with her during the attack, will be running as well, along with other friends.

“The same support that got me to the podium at the Paralympics is now the support that’s helping me run the marathon on a prosthetic blade,” Truwit said. “All of that support is what’s made my comeback possible, and it’s what drives me to give it back through my nonprofit work.”

Stronger Than You Think: When she was being fit for a prosthetic, Truwit discovered an unexpected hurdle: Prosthetics are expensive, and insurance doesn’t cover everything. Each case is different, but generally, insurance covers one basic prosthetic every three to five years, according to Truwit. “If you want to run, you need a different system. Insurance doesn’t cover running blades.”

Truwit is lucky to be able to afford it, but she knows not everyone is as fortunate. So, she started a foundation, Stronger Than You Think, which raises money for women and girls who need prosthetics. Through her athletic pursuits and her nonprofit, Truwit wants to give people exactly what Bevilacqua gave her on the boat right after the attack: Hope. “This comeback is possible,” Truwit said. “Turning trauma into hope, it’s possible.”

The post Running the NYC Marathon Two Years After Losing Her Foot in a Shark Attack appeared first on Runner's World.

Everybody was just amazed that a Mongolian could run that fast…

On September 15, Bat-Ochir added another major performance to his resume, running 2:30:09 for 65th in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. It was the six-time Olympian’s 12th straight appearance at the world championships.

After battling humid conditions on the course in Japan’s capital, Bat-Ochir told Citius Mag he’s still motivated to push himself against the top marathoners in the world. “I’m always fighting this old body,” Bat-Ochir said, while explaining how he trains to get faster every year. “But my body is very strong.”

In a 2023 interview with The New York Times, the self-made runner shared how he developed as an athlete in Mongolia, which lacked much of a running culture when he was starting. At one point, he worked as a physical education teacher and later a police officer while fitting in training whenever he could, often at night in the snow.

His progression was swift. At the 2003 World Championships, Bat-Ochir finished 63rd in 2:26:39, shattering the Mongolian national record by 10 minutes. “Everybody was just amazed that a Mongolian could run that fast,” Ser-Od told the Times. “They said that it was crazy, that nobody would ever break it.”

Over the years, Bat-Ochir continued to improve. In 2011, he finished eighth at the London Marathon. Four months later, he placed 19th at the World Championships in Daegu, Korea, his highest finish at the event. Three years later, he blasted a 2:08:50 personal best at the 2014 Fukuoka Marathon.

Bat-Ochir’s fastest performance at a global event took place at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he finished 26th in 2:11:39. He was 40 at the time.

Earlier this year, he clocked a season’s best of 2:13:59 at the Xiamen Marathon and a sixth-place finish at the Asian Marathon Championships in Jiaxing, China.

When asked by Citius Mag if he plans to return for the next global championship, Bat-Ochir didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I will keep going, maybe the next Olympics.”

The post Six-time Olympian’s 12th Appearance at World Championships appeared first on Runner's World.

…it started as a little personal experiment, it turned into a full-on mindset shift…

I’ve dabbled in running over the years (mostly during half-hearted attempts to train for a 10km or half-marathon), but I’ve never been consistent. So I challenged myself: Run (at least) 5km a day, every day, for three weeks with no breaks. I wanted to see if this simple habit could actually deliver real results: Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. To cut to the chase, it did.

But before we dive into exactly what I learned, here’s what the challenge I set out for actually entailed: Each day, I carved out 30-ish minutes to run a minimum of 5km – sometimes on the treadmill, sometimes outside, depending on my mood (and the weather). Sometimes fast, sometimes slow. I wasn’t chasing speed, just consistency.

And while it started as a little personal experiment, it turned into a full-on mindset shift that seeped into other areas of my life.

The 6 Biggest Benefits I Noticed From Running 5km A Day

1. I slept like a baby.

I’m a pretty high-energy person, even on little sleep. And frankly, when I’m not exerting that physical energy enough during the day, I find it tough to settle down to sleep at night. By week two of this challenge, I was zonking out faster than usual and waking up feeling more rested. Research backs this up – moderate aerobic exercise like running can help you fall asleep quicker and improve sleep quality, per the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

2. My stressors felt more manageable.

There’s a reason running is considered a moving meditation (and I say this as someone who really struggles with stationary meditating). That 30-minute mental break from work, life, communications, etc., helped me carve out time to shut off my brain and come back to reality with a fresh outlook.

Whatever I was stressing about before my run felt way less burdensome after taking time to move my body and not stress over that thing. I’d come back with more patience, more solutions, and frankly, a more can-do attitude about dealing with whatever was weighing me down before. My run became my reset button and a way to make myself less irritable and more focused.

3. My legs felt noticeably stronger.

I’ve always gained (and lost) muscle pretty quickly after starting or stopping a new exercise routine; however, I typically first notice it around my abs and arms, as I’m leaner in those regions. So, when I saw my calves and quads popping a bit more in the mirror, and climbing the four flights of stairs up to my apartment started feeling easier than it used to, I knew my body was adapting. Even though I wasn’t lifting weights during this three-week challenge (I tried to at first, but decided it was too much for my schedule while also running daily), the repeated use of lower-body muscles while running led to strength gains.

Going into this challenge, I expected a mental impact of some sort (though I wasn’t quite sure what it would be), but I didn’t think my body would change much from a short-distance, short-term running habit. I already work out often (switching it up with two to three weekly strength training sessions, yoga/pilates once per week, and a 3 to 5km run once per week), so I didn’t think this challenge would have a palpable physical effect on me. So, the lower body muscle and strength gains were by far the most surprising benefit I walked away with.

4. I finally found rhythm (and confidence) in my stride.

I’d never really consider myself a “runner,” but doing it daily for three weeks made the act feel less intimidating and more second nature to me. A study in Psychology of Sport and Exercise shows that consistency in movement creates more positive attitudes toward the habit, which makes you more likely to keep showing up. My experience totally backed that up.

Around day six, I felt myself gearing up for my run more instinctually, getting dressed, grabbing my headphones, keys, and lacing up my sneakers just right without having to think about it much. If on the first few runs I was moseying around the neighbourhood walking for several blocks to put off actually starting the run, by week two I was excitedly hitting the pavement at my 5km pace almost as soon as I got outside. Pacing myself began to feel more natural without checking my watch, and I started tapping into the sound of my feet hitting the concrete to gauge my effort.

5. My self-talk shifted from, “Yikes, I can’t wait until this is over,” to, “Wow, you’re so capable of doing hard things.”

Before this challenge, I had a habit of engaging in pretty critical self-talk on the regular. Also, mentally checking out mid-run was the norm in order to just get through it. My internal monologue when running used to be all about how much time was left, how uncomfortable I felt, or how nice it would feel to just stop. But sticking to a daily running habit triggered the kind of awareness and shift of self-talk that I’d been long overdue for. That mindset shift was probably the biggest win of all.

After a few days of 5km runs under my belt, I started celebrating tiny wins, like not stopping on a hill or picking up my pace on the final stretch. Instead of counting down the minutes or fixating on how slow I was moving, I was hyping myself up, which only propelled me further. Whether it was a solo sunset jog or a playlist-powered treadmill sesh, I always felt a little lighter and a little more capable of not just enduring, but thriving through hard things post-run. That energy and positive shift in self-talk started showing up in how I talked to myself outside of workouts, too.

6. I started craving healthier habits.

It’s wild how one habit tends to have a domino effect, whether it’s constructive or destructive. Once I started running every day, I realised I wanted to support that effort outside of my run window. That meant reaching for water instead of a second coffee, getting in some light stretching at night, prioritising protein in my meals, and actually winding down for sleep earlier than usual instead of binge-watching or doom-scrolling.

The momentum from running made other wellness choices feel less like chores and more like natural choices for self-care. I wasn’t trying to overhaul my entire routine overnight, but these little tweaks felt pretty intuitive and really added up to help me stick with the challenge, and feel more energised and clear-headed throughout the day.

How I Started Running 5km A Day (And How You Can Too)

Okay, so full transparency: I didn’t just wake up one day and bust out 21 straight daily 5km runs. I eased in by starting slowly to establish a new routine, and listening to my body along the way. Here’s how to start running 5km a day without burning out.

Week 1: Run/jog intervals. I used a 3:1 ratio – three minutes of running, one minute of light jogging – for 30 minutes. This helped my body (and brain) get used to moving daily. I still consider myself a beginner runner, but if this starting point feels lofty for you, swap a minute of light jogging for a minute of walking.

Week 2: Jog three miles, but slowwwww down. I didn’t worry about pace, just distance. I tried not to stop or walk until I hit 5km for this challenge, but I slowed down even more when I needed to.

Week 3: Run the full 5km without stopping. I made it a goal, not a rule, to try to run at a pace of six to seven minutes per km or faster, and I ended up averaging about six minutes without even noticing.

Common Roadblocks (And How I Got Through Them)

Low motivation: Some mornings, I woke up with zero desire to move. Solution? I would put out cute running gear I felt good in the night before, so my brain didn’t even have the time to protest in the morning. I also promised myself I could stop after five minutes if it didn’t feel good, but I never did.

Bad weather: Rain, wind, and chilly temps were real. That’s when I’d hop on a treadmill at the gym or office. Having a plan B helped me stay consistent when I just did not feel like being outside.

Time constraints: 5km took me about 25 to 35 minutes on average, depending on pace. That’s less time than I usually spend scrolling Instagram before bed, less time than I take to answer emails in the morning (usually my first task of the day post-coffee), and less time than it takes me to get ready for work in the morning. My point is, it’s not a long time. Running first thing in the morning gave me a little mental win to ride out the rest of the day, and left no room for blowing off my goal after a busy day.

Pro Tips For Making The Habit Stick

Want to try running 5km a day for yourself? These things made all the difference:

Good gear matters. Don’t skimp on running shoes you feel good in. Your knees will thank you.

Mix up your route. A change of scenery can breathe new life into your run. After a few runs on the same route, I found myself growing less motivated for the adventure, so I switched things up.

Track your progress. There are so many running apps to choose from to log your kilometres. Seeing the little wins stack up and viewing my consistency on the screen felt motivating.

Recovery is key. Stretching, foam rolling, sleep, hydration, nutrition – don’t skip ‘em. ‘Nuf said.

Rest when you need it. Running every single day isn’t for everyone; in fact, it’s not even a habit I’m planning to stick with, and that’s okay. Corkum says even just four runs a week can deliver major benefits.

So…Is Running 5km A Day Worth It?

If your goal is to feel stronger, sleep better, and just feel a little more capable and confident, all with minimal equipment or cost, then yes, 100 per cent. You don’t need a marathon medal to call yourself a runner or to be consistent. You just need a pair of sneakers, a bit of stick-to-it-ness, and a willingness to start where you are.

And if you happen to find yourself romanticising the idea of making a daily jog a habit? I say lean into it.

The post I Ran 5km A Day For 21 Days – Here’s What I Learned appeared first on Runner's World.

But the observation I couldn’t stop thinking about happened during the icebreaker game on the way there. Chris Bennett, a Nike running coach who is pretty much a real-life Ted Lasso, posed this prompt to each of us: “Share your name and a little about your relationship with running.”

Answers went something like this: “Well, I just did the X half-marathon, but I’m definitely not a real runner.” “I honestly am really bad at running and will probably be behind you guys on this trip, walking a lot.” “I have signed up for a race in a few months, but I’m definitely not a runner runner like [insert another person or athlete’s name here].” And so on.

Nearly every single one of us, despite our various backgrounds as joggers, marathoners, walk-runners, and 5km participants (all completely valid, wonderful running experiences, I might add), still did not believe we were actually runners.

It hit me in that moment: Running is this unique challenge that causes more people than I ever realised to feel insecure, self-deprecating, and inadequate in their ability. I wondered, Why is that, and how do we change the narrative to get more joy out of the sport? If you can relate (*raises hand*), keep reading for expert advice on how to improve your running self-talk, quit the comparison game, and infuse every single run with confidence and satisfaction.

Where Runner Imposter Syndrome Comes From
Experts agree that the comparison and self-doubt trap with running is all too common, and that it happens in running arguably “more than any other sport,” notes Bennett. “You never hear someone who plays pickup basketball say, ‘Well, I’m not a real basketball player’ when you ask them about it.”

“When people introduce themselves to me, it’s their name and that they suck at running,” Bennett adds. “It’s fascinating to me that running is one of the only things in life that people are negative about immediately, especially something they’re doing that takes courage and effort.”

There are a few possible reasons for this. For one, most people have engaged in running in some shape or form in their lifetime. It’s tough to stop comparing yourself when you notice how many people around you are doing that thing too. “It can feel like an added pressure when you see everyday exercisers around you doing what you think is an everyday activity faster or ‘better’ than you,” says Lennie Waite, PhD, a sport and performance psychology consultant and former Olympic athlete.

How running is portrayed in the media may cause you to feel that you must look a certain way or perform at a certain level to be considered a true runner. Picture: Blake Lively’s character, with her long, beachy hair down in a sports bra and shorts, sprinting on the beach to impress her soccer coach in Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants; or the leading lady in Emily in Paris bopping through the streets of France in a matching workout set with a smile, and sans any sweat. “How running is covered in the media is not exactly a realistic representation for 99 per cent of the population,” Waite notes.

Not to mention, running historically has been fear-induced (like when you’re running from something) or used as a form of punishment (like being put through sprints after being late to practice) or as a measurement of health (when you had to run in gym class). Those negative associations stick with you and can shape a negative view of yourself when you run as an adult.

How To Make Every Run A Great One
Now for the good stuff: Our pros have simple, actionable tips for how to quiet that shamey internal dialogue and approach runs as your best self. By applying the tricks here, you can shift your relationship with running to a healthier place and, in turn, stay consistent with your practice and reap the physical and mental benefits of the sport.

“It’s hard to be kind and support yourself on a run. But when you do, you’ll end the run saying, ‘I would like to do that again,’ ” Bennett says. “No one wants to do something over and over again that ends with them feeling like a failure or less than what they were when they started.”

You. Are. A. Runner. Don’t forget it.

1. Consider the definition.
Yes, like the one in the Oxford English Dictionary. “I talk about words a lot, and if you look up the definition of running, it says ‘the activity of a runner,’ ” Bennett says. “So, by a simple definition, if you’re running, you’re technically a runner.” There is also nothing in that definition to say that when you stop running, take a break, slow down, or bail on a race that you’re no longer a runner, Bennett adds. A reassuring fact to come back to during miles of doubt!

2. ID your most confident self, then show up to runs as her.
When a new client approached Waite about how to get her head in the game to break 3:30 in her upcoming marathon, she felt silly for even approaching the sports psychologist since she “wasn’t a professional athlete,” recalls Waite. She reminded the client that if something is important to you, including a hobby or passion, it constitutes having help in the form of a mental health pro or coach.

From there, as an exercise, Waite took their focus off running entirely for a bit, and instead they spent a lot of time discussing other environments in which she felt like her most confident, professional self.

“We talked a lot about her work environment as a very successful lawyer,” Waite says, asking her client to even describe how she enters the courtroom with self-assurance. “I then asked, ‘What if you approached the start line of a race like that?’ She laughed and asked, ‘Why would I do that?’ ”

Waite flipped the scenario around: “What would happen if you entered the courthouse with your running self? She said, ‘Oh, that would be horrible. I would lose,’ ” Waite shares.

You can apply this mental exercise too. Picture the most confident version of you, and where and how she shows up. Then, channel that energy each time you head out to run, even if it feels phoney or awkward at first. When you’re stuck, remind yourself that you wouldn’t show up to, say, your job or relationship in the self-doubting way you do with running, so it’s time to flip the script and give running the same go-getter confidence that you bring to other endeavours that matter to you.

3. Practice mindfulness while you run.
When you run, you probably do a breathing check from time to time, or notice when you need a slug of water, or take note of where your foot is striking the pavement. Your mind deserves periodic check-ins, too, Bennett says.

You can do this for yourself by asking in the middle of a run, How do I feel? What do I need right now? What’s around me? Perhaps you want to take a walking break (do it) or go faster. Maybe you also notice the frost on the grass, and smile about how you have the trail all to yourself this morning. “You’re both acknowledging and meeting your own needs, as well as leading with gratitude and appreciation for the environment around you,” Bennett says, two positive qualities to associate with running if you keep up the mindfulness practice.

“I call them system checks, where I talk about your breathing, your form, and then I might ask, ‘Okay, now how’s the conversation in your head?’ ” If you’re having trouble keeping yourself in the moment and catching where your mind drifts to, a guided audio run is a great tool.

4. Celebrate the act of running.
The decision to lace up is a powerful one. “As a person who runs, you’re in the minority as more people don’t run than do,” Bennett says. That choice is irregular and extraordinary, he adds.

“Most people don’t move for a host of different reasons,” Bennett says. “Honour the simple fact that you’re out there and moving, much less running.”

Instead of using a run as an opportunity to emotionally tear yourself apart, use it as an opportunity to say: “Wow, I’ve had a hard day, I’ve been tired, or I’m frustrated, and I still showed up to run. I’m taking care of myself and I’m doing something positive.”

5. Be your own running buddy.
How would you hype up a friend after a race or cheer them on when they hit a wall on a jog? “Pretend your friend is saying negative stuff. What would you say to them?” Bennett says. “You’d probably say, ‘listen, you’re out running on a Tuesday night after a long day of work. You’re a badass. This is your third day running this week. You did a 10km run two months ago. I was there, I saw you do that. How dare you say these things to yourself.’”

Next time you’re beating up your runner self, pause and acknowledge that negative voice, then be your own hype person. “A couple times in a run, have a checkpoint where you notice whether the jerk teammate is talking in your head,” Bennett says. There is always a positive cheerleader somewhere in your head and a terrible teammate, he points out, “but you’re in charge of who gets the mic.”

6. Keep track of the wins.
“You never stop during a great run and think about how and why everything is going great,” Bennett points out. “But on a bad run, you analyse and go through the trivia of what did I eat? Am I dehydrated? Was it too hot? Did I start too fast?”

On your next awesome runs, stop mid-run and acknowledge something that’s going right, Bennett suggests. That dialogue might sound like this: “I feel pretty good. I’m enjoying myself. I went up that hill, and I didn’t yell at myself. I was positive about it. I had some fun. I took the path I don’t normally take. That was kind of cool.”

You can go as far as keeping a run journal to log these positive moments and refer back to them. When you start to see all the joyful happenings and smiles, you will begin to see and talk about running and yourself doing it in a more positive light.

7. Remind yourself that you’re not alone.
Even elite athletes feel the burning lungs, last-mile fatigue, and side stitches. Waite’s sister jokes that “running is just easy for me,” Waite says. “There’s this level of misconception for recreational runners that the elites just find it easy. I always tell her, ‘Hey, professional runners are also about to go to the bathroom in their pants at the end of a race too,’ ” she jokes.

In other words, “running is still super, super challenging for everyone,” Waite reminds. “It’s just that people’s ceilings and thresholds are different, and it can be oddly comforting to tell yourself that.”

The post Why So Many Of Us Have ‘Runner Imposter Syndrome’ appeared first on Runner's World.

While holding Pepper, who grabbed her mother’s crumpled race bib with curiosity, Case was diligent about her fuel intake — scarfing down watermelon slices, gels, and fluids — knowing she needed to maintain her milk supply while also keeping her own energy levels up for 100 kilometres.

It was Case’s first race postpartum and first competition in three years, a long-awaited return after struggling through multiple miscarriages and three rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF). During that period, running became a source of guilt instead of joy while the 42-year-old navigated fertility challenges and a demanding job as a human rights lawyer.

But when she raced through the rugged terrain of Eryri National Park on May 17, Case said she finally felt the same happiness she experienced while running in her 20s, her legs picking up speed while flying down the final descent into the finish line.

For the entire race, the Canadian runner who lives in Chamonix, France, didn’t pay attention to her time. After starting in the last wave of runners, pace wasn’t a huge priority as she navigated upstream through the field. She was just happy to take part again with her daughter on the sidelines.

But a few minutes after she finished, Case received surprising news. Event organisers informed her that her time of 16:53:22 was the fastest of any woman in the race, meaning she claimed the title despite starting 30 minutes after the elites. In shock, Case thought they’d made a mistake at first. But the splits confirmed she finished more than four minutes faster than the runner-up who came through the finish ahead of her. More importantly, the victory marked a hard-fought resurgence she didn’t know was possible.

“I really felt like I had lost my identity with the loss of running through miscarriages and IVF, and I really didn’t know how it would all turn out,” Case told Runner’s World. “Now, getting to have both running back and the baby, it really feels like a privilege.”

A Tough Journey to Motherhood
While living in different war zones around the world, Case has been competing in ultramarathons for almost two decades and notching solid finishes at prestigious competitions, including Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) and the Western States Endurance Run. Combining her love for running with her profession, Case founded Free to Run in 2014 — a global nonprofit organisation dedicated to advancing gender equity through running.

In 2022, Case clocked one of her best performances to date with a runner-up finish at the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run. When she returned home from the 100-miler in Colorado, she realised her period was late. A pregnancy test came back positive. “I was 40, and at that age I really thought that stage was past me, but in that moment of finding out I was pregnant, I suddenly realised I really wanted to become a mom,” Case said.

After Case miscarried the first time, a few people asked her if she believed it happened because of ultrarunning, a notion that sent her into a dark place. “They made this association between running and having a miscarriage for no reason,” she said. “Even though there’s no research to really support that, it changed my relationship with running.”

Instead of feeling joy while adventuring out on the trails, Case felt guilt every time she went for a run. For a period of time, she scaled back her training and didn’t race at all. Later that year, she got pregnant and miscarried again.

Case and her partner, John, started IVF with two failed attempts. In the third round, they conceived Pepper, who was born in November 2024.

When she was pregnant, Case ran sparingly while still navigating concerns around maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Six weeks postpartum, her doctor cleared her to run with the support of a midwife — an invitation that Case needed at the time.

“From that first run, that association between potentially harming my baby and running was gone. I was running for me,” Case said. “Running was that constant part of me that existed before I was a mom through all the miscarriages, pain, and trauma. [Running] allowed me to build up from there.”

Running for Something Bigger
In her return to the sport, Case enlisted the help of a coach for the first time since 2008. She started working with Dr Megan Roche, and five-time ultrarunning national champion, who helped Case be more efficient with her training. In the winter, she started incorporating hill sprints, intervals, and strength training to her routine. Case believes the new workouts have helped her build previously untapped fitness and manage her time better as a new mom. She’s also working on a documentary film that will chronicle her fertility struggles and running progression in order to raise awareness for the needs of mothers around the world.

Early in the year, Case knew she wanted to return to Hardrock this summer, but she needed a tune-up race beforehand. Because she hadn’t raced in three years, Case had trouble finding an ultra she could run without a qualifying time. A connection with UTMB (Case is a commentator for the series) offered to help her gain entry into Snowdonia.

While feeding Pepper at the 20K, 50K, and 80K aid stations — a massive effort she also credits to John for supporting her throughout the race — Case was surprised to hear from male competitors who told her they were impressed by her performance. One athlete, a dad whose wife was 37 weeks pregnant at the time, said she’d be inspired by Case in her return to running.

But Case doesn’t consider what she’s doing a comeback. To her, it’s just the next phase of her running journey, incomparable to her times of the past — before the fertility struggles, miscarriages, and transformative joy of becoming a mother.

“The way to objectively measure how you’re doing isn’t by time or speed anymore,” Case said. “Whether you’re faster or slower, running longer or shorter races, or no races at all, you’re going to be a better runner because you’re becoming a role model for your kids.”

The post She Breastfed During a 100K Ultramarathon — and Won. That’s Not Even the Best Part of Her Story. appeared first on Runner's World.

This wasn’t a novice runner I was talking to. It was an elite, one of the best in the world, who admitted to me that they searched for an out — a hole to step in, an injury to fake, a bathroom to duck into — during every race.

This isn’t something to be ashamed of. We all do it. From the beginner to the Olympian, we all experience hard runs and at some point or another, we all feel a strong urge to quit. During a race, we all face an inner battle. A feeling of pain, fatigue, and uncertainty arises. At first, it’s a whisper, before turning into a scream. An internal debate soon follows; an angel and devil on our shoulder argue over whether we’ve got it or should call it quits. Finally, we experience an urge to act — to quit, slow down, or find our way through.

This isn’t something to be ashamed of. We all do it. From the beginner to the Olympian, we all experience hard runs and at some point or another, we all feel a strong urge to quit.

This feel-debate-act cycle is a kind of protective mechanism. It’s our brain’s way of preventing us from pushing too far into the unknown and facing danger. This could be the physical kind, from running so hard that you put your health in danger, or psychological, in which your ego has to face the fact that it’s not good enough. The feelings, doubts, and urge to quit are just a way for your brain to keep you in check. It’s looking for an escape hatch, communicating a reminder that things are getting tough, we might be in danger, and there’s a way out.

In my book, Do Hard Things, I set out to understand why our conventional notions of toughness — gritting our teeth and pushing through the pain — often fail. But that often backfires. When we resist, it’s as if our brain gets the message, “Aha! We must really be in danger because we’re fighting back.”

The latest science and the world’s best performers tell a different story. Pain and fatigue aren’t something we should avoid or ignore. It turns out that the best way to deal with the inner chaos we all face isn’t to fight but to learn how to navigate through it by working with your feelings, dialogue, and urge to act.

The tighter the bond between stimulus (i.e., feeling pain) and response (slow down, quit), the harder it is to interfere. When we train toughness, we’re trying to loosen that bond, to delay the jump straight to freaking out, to create space. How we master this sequence ultimately determines whether we make the “right” decision in just about whatever we face. The secret to developing toughness lies in mastering this pattern and creating space so we can choose instead of spiral. Toughness lies in mastering freak-outs. Here’s how the world’s best runners do it.

Listen to Your Body on Your Next Hard Run
When you feel pain in your thigh while you’re running, do you immediately stop and make a trip to the physical therapist, or do you continue? It probably depends on the type of pain. Is it dull, achy, burning, or sharp? The feeling lets you know whether it may be a muscle tear or simply pain or fatigue. Learning to distinguish between pain and injury is a vital lesson we all have to learn.

The same applies to the discomfort we feel in racing. If we can understand the feelings, sensations, and emotions we experience during a hard run, workout, or race, we can navigate them. We can figure out which ones we should listen to and which we should let float on by. The better we can sort through the shades of grey and understand the nuance of complex feelings, emotions, and sensations, the better we can navigate them. As with learning to distinguish between pain and injury, we all have to learn to sort through our inner world.

Research shows that tougher athletes are better able to make sense of whatever feedback their body is giving them. And it’s not just athletes. In an intriguing study out of the U.K., psychologists found that stock traders who were better at reading their internal signals not only were more profitable but also lasted longer in a business that’s notorious for turnover.

Contextualise, Name, and Reappraise Negative Thoughts
Improving this skill involves three steps: contextualising, naming, and reappraising it. The first step is adding context. Think of a kindergartner. They may have a limited vocabulary and tell you they are sad. Well, what does that mean? You have to guess. An adult might say they are lonely, disappointed, or embarrassed. Nuance adds layers, which allows us to inform and categorise what’s going on.

The second step is to name it. When we name something, we take back control — converting the ambiguous to something tangible that we can understand, manipulate, and come to terms with. The nerves you feel before giving a talk? Call it your performance adrenaline. The voice commanding you to stop? Call it the devil on your shoulder. When we name something, we exert power and control over it. We are saying, “I know what you are and how to handle you.”

The final key is reframing the signal as helpful information. Now that you understand the nuance of feelings and emotions, and have a name for what you’re experiencing, take control of the message. Can you see anxiety as excitement? The fear you experience is a reminder that caution has value. The sadness after a loss reminds you to cherish and reconnect with those you still have with you. Reframing emotions and feelings as information that you can choose to listen to or simply let float on by is a powerful tool for navigating our messy inner world. The more we understand the feelings, the more we can deal with them. Your brain hates uncertainty. It does better when it knows what the feeling means.

Practice Responding, not Reacting
The key to navigating discomfort is to create space between fatigue and freak-out. If it’s compressed, we jump straight from a tinge of pain to finding an out. That’s reacting. The more we react, the more we feed our threat-detecting brain. We’re telling it, “Hey, you were right. This is something to really worry about!”

Responding is developing the ability to coolly, quietly, and nonjudgmentally work your way through a difficult situation. When we somewhat dispassionately observe the pain and work through it with equanimity, we send the opposite message, “There’s no threat here. We’ve got this.” I like to call this having a calm conversation. You notice the discomfort, acknowledge it, and work your way through it. Your inner dialogue goes like this: “It’s starting to hurt now. It should. I’m running hard. But I am separate from this pain. It’s going to be okay.”

The best way to learn to respond instead of react is to do hard things. Put yourself in a place of discomfort, and then learn how to quietly, nonjudgmentally sit with it. While you can do this in workouts, this doesn’t have to be running-specific. You can train your mental muscle by sitting in an ice bath, giving a speech in front of a crowd, or simply sitting at your desk with your phone in front of you, trying to sit with the urge to pick the device up and check it. Or it could be in watching the mistakes you made during training or an important race. The key lies in sitting with the experience, not fighting it.

Create Distance and Perspective
Learning to sit with discomfort gets you only so far. The alarm in your brain will eventually activate, no matter how collected you are. We used to think the best runners were always focused to deal with fatigue, while beginners primarily used distraction to get through difficult moments. But that’s not true. The top marathoners in the world use just about every coping strategy they can. They can bounce back and forth, shifting their attention to deal with their present dilemma. Novices tend to get stuck, using a single strategy (e.g., distraction) and then spiralling out of control once that doesn’t work.

Elite runners develop the capacity to zoom in and out. Sometimes they narrow their world to what’s right in front of them. Other times they zone out. When we face massive levels of pain and lots of doubt, the key lies in altering our perspective. In Do Hard Things, I outline several forms of zooming, including:

Linguistic Zooming
How we talk to ourselves impacts how we handle discomfort. Research shows that when we shift from using first person (“I’ve got this!”) to second or third person (“You’ve/She’s got this!”), we create distance between the experience and our emotional response. This linguistic trick allows us to zoom out. When we create psychological distance, we slow the path from emotional reaction to inner battle to action. By simply changing our vocabulary, we regain control instead of defaulting to the easy decision.

Another linguistic trick is moving your voice from the inside to outside. Give your pep talk out loud. One reason this works is that inner talk is cognitively more sophisticated. Research from clinical psychologist Steven Hayes showed that when people used overt self-talk, it made them accountable to whoever was in earshot, as opposed to inner dialogue, which only sets the standard for yourself.

Perspective Taking
Difficult moments tend to cause us to narrow. While there are many benefits to being in the here and now, one downside is your brain over-indexes on what’s going on right in front of you. The pain you’re experiencing feels as if it’ll never stop. It can seem like the race you’re in is the most critical thing in the world, and if you don’t run up to your potential, you’re worthless. We need to remind our brains that our current experience is just a blip in time. Imagining how you’ll feel in an hour, day, or month helps bring perspective and nudge your brain out of getting stuck on the pain you’re currently experiencing. How will you feel at the end of the race, looking back on the decisions you’re making right now? Will you remember this race five years from now? Or, as former professional runner Phoebe Wright told me about lining up at the Olympic Trials, “It’s just track. No one really cares besides your family and friends. And they’ll still love you even if you get dead last.”

Physical Zooming — Mood Follows Action
When we’re feeling down, trying to alter our mood seldom works. But if, instead of trying to force your mood to change, you change your behaviour — getting out of bed and going for a run — you often find yourself in a much better, happier place. Your behavior dragged your mood with it.

Not only does our mood follow action, but so does our thinking, and perception. In running, that often means taking bold action when your body is screaming at you to do the opposite. A short surge when you want to slow down or talking out loud when you think you’re out of breath can often be the trick to getting your body and mind back on track.

Conventional wisdom plays up the grind of trying to exert effort and push through whatever is in our way. Modern science, and the best performers, tell us it’s more complicated than that. Sometimes, we need to pause, zoom out, accept, and let go in order to navigate our inner chaos. When we practice opening ourselves up to discomfort, we’re better positioned to handle it. Our brain dampens the tendency to jump straight from feeling a sensation to sounding the alarm. And then we’re free to perform up to our capabilities.

About The Author
Steve Magness is a performance coach who has worked with Olympians and professional sports teams. His new book is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and The Surprising Science of Real Toughness.

The post 7 Strategies for Finishing Hard Runs When You Want to Quit appeared first on Runner's World.

Yet, running is so versatile that we can run anywhere, any pace, any distance, and in any weather – except that we usually don’t. Instead, we find a routine that best fits into our day and lifestyle. So it’s both good and bad news that you are consistent.

Running the same route and same mileage every day means recruiting the same muscle fibres, using the same movement pattern, and neglecting the rest of the body. Along with the boredom factor you report, this can also lead to an increased injury risk because the same muscles are used over and over. While at first you improved with this routine, you have now adapted to it, so there is no challenge mentally or physically.

It’s time to change things up.

Varying your running routine not only boosts your fitness level, but also engages you in your training. By incorporating different running routes, mileage, terrain, and paces into your training, you recruit a wider variety of muscle groups in different movement patterns, and you even tap into different energy systems. This leads to an increased level of fitness, better performance, and less risk of injury. This also requires some thinking and planning, so it keeps you mentally connected to your training too.

When you are crunched for time, using your established route may be your best option, but one simple change is to run your usual route in the reverse direction. Another change is switching up the run pace; run the route easy and slow one day and hard the next.

Another option is doing a combination of run paces by warming up first, then running hard for one to three minutes. After that harder effort, run easy for the next one to three minutes to recover. (Repeat this sequence for the duration of the run.) Even though the scenery and route are the same, running different paces keeps you focused, as well as challenged, by the increased intensity level.

On the weekends, or days that you have more time, then it’s a good chance to experiment. Find new running routes that incorporate different terrain – hills or bridges or trails, for example. Of course, keep safety in mind when scouting out new running routes and look for well-lit sidewalks, wide shoulders, or popular running areas.

Additional Tips

Consider increasing your weekly mileage for a new challenge. This can be done simply by extending one weekend run. Increase your weekly mileage by 10 to 20 percent every second or third week.

Target a race! Making a commitment can provide motivation. Pick a race, register for it, and put it on your calendar. Then, based on the distance of the race, select an appropriate training plan for yourself.

Find a running partner. Having a running buddy can be a huge help, but it’s often difficult to find someone who fits the bill. Look for a running club or training programme in your area and try them out for some group outings.

The post Easy Fixes for When Your Motivation Drops appeared first on Runner's World.

Well, a while ago I realised how I do this with running, too, especially long runs on the weekends. I stare at my closet trying to determine the perfect outfit for the weather. I go back and forth on what to eat and how much coffee to drink. Should I have half a cup? Down a full one (or two) then wait until after I go to the bathroom to head out? I stop for a quick foam-rolling session or grab my massage gun for a bit, then do some dynamic stretches. Before I know it, I’m starting my run an hour later than planned.

I tend to overthink my runs, especially the start, rather than focusing on how the sport makes me feel powerful and strong…

Some pre-run rituals are necessary, of course. A warm-up helps me feel ready for those initial steps. If I have double-digit kilometres on deck, I definitely need to eat and drink before I start my stride. But really, I’m just putting off those first few kilometres — those steps where the legs feel tight and the upper body cranky, the mind remains in bed, and instead of finding a rhythm, the steps feel like short, broken verses waiting for me to string them together in better harmony.

I tend to overthink my runs, especially the start, rather than focusing on how the sport makes me feel powerful and strong, and like I’m gliding over the trail rather than clomping with every footfall. That rumination makes getting out the door super difficult sometimes.

I know I’m not the only one who has trouble simply getting started. Ahead of the Chicago Marathon this past fall, Emily Sisson, pro runner and U.S. women’s marathon record holder, said one of her favourite mantras is “motivation follows action.” She’s not always inspired to go run 32 kilometres or clock a tempo run at a 3-minute/km pace. But once she starts moving — after a few warm-up exercises with her mini band or a light and breezy running warm-up — the drive to put in the work picks up.

Similarly, Tristen Rodriguez, a RW member who trained with Runner’s World for the 2023 NYC Marathon, mentioned how he is only motivated to run about 20 to 30 percent of the time during a training cycle. It’s the discipline that gets him out there. Checking off training runs and workouts on a plan can give you a shove to get out the door instead of relying on the sheer desire to do so.

Like Rodriguez, I’ve found that setting goals, following a schedule, and tackling workouts on a plan helps remove the need to rely on willpower alone, and adds in the determination to succeed. That’s one reason I sign up for races on a consistent basis throughout the year. And like Sisson, I know once I start moving, I’ll want to pick it up and conquer the run ahead because the resolve to perform well settles into my stride.

Focusing on how good it feels to finish a run — no matter the pace or distance — also gets me out the door. So does removing any barriers to said door. That’s why, despite being more of a night owl, I’ve come to love early morning easy runs: I can basically roll out of bed, slip into the outfit I laid out the night before, and hit the road. No fretting about pre-run activities. I just go, without thinking about it.

Even with all my love and deep appreciation for running, I still have to tell myself a little story about the run ahead, about how wonderful it will feel just to get myself moving (even if that’s not entirely the truth, at least not all the time). These helpful mind games give me a little kick in the glutes to start running. And sometimes, when I find I’m still procrastinating, I just thank my deadline-driven mindset, which turns on when time is running out and I need to stop thinking and just start stepping.

How Other Runner’s World Editors Motivate Themselves to Start a Run
I asked my colleagues for their best tips for getting started when motivation is low. Besides the reminder to take a rest day when your body calls for it (because that’s also important!), here’s what they had to say:

“Usually, I think about how mad I will be at myself if I don’t run.” — Aly Ellis, Deputy Editor, Social Media

“The biggest thing that gets me out when I don’t want to go is having a real reason to! The main ones, for me, are meeting up with my local running buddies or following an actual training plan for a race. In both cases, I guess I feel guilty if I bail, so I don’t and will be out there even in a cold rain.”  — Jeff Dengate, Runner in Chief

“I focus on the basics — what to wear, what to eat and drink, and what I’ll do — because when I overthink, I tend to convince myself not to go. If I have those three things covered, I’m good.” — Monique Lebrun, Associate Health and Fitness Editor

“I mix it up. That can be something like bringing my phone with me and listening to music (I usually run in silence or with friends), or driving to a trailhead to take in some new scenery.” — Theo Kahler, News Editor

“If it’s raining or cold (or worst-case, both), I bundle up, even though I know I’ll overheat after a few minutes. Making sure I feel comfortable in those first steps helps get me started.” — Pat Heine, Senior Video Producer

The post How to Start a Run When You Just Don’t Feel Like It appeared first on Runner's World.

What is self-confidence?
Even at the highest levels of sport, confidence is considered the most important psychological characteristic required for success.

What exactly does “confidence” mean in this context? It’s not cockiness, or self-delusion. Blasting off the start line at a pace that’s well outside your physical capacity is always going to end badly, no matter how sure you are you’re up to the task. Rather, self-confidence is a grounded belief that we have the abilities required to achieve a certain outcome. In running, this might be our belief that we can hold a certain pace throughout a race, or place ahead of the runners around us in the second half of a race. In other areas of life, self-confidence might mean believing we can successfully pass an exam, get a job that we apply for, or manage a large work project.

Before we get to specific ways to improve self-confidence, let’s consider something about confidence that isn’t always obvious. We’re not going to tell you what it feels like to be high or low in confidence — you probably know both sides of that coin already. Instead, what we’d like you to reflect on is this: Feeling more confident isn’t as random as a coin toss. It’s not a quality that relies on luck — something we can’t control, that just happens, or that inexplicably comes and goes. Building confidence can be a controllable process; you can learn to flip the coin in your favour by nurturing your self-belief with the best sources of confidence available. This is what makes self-confidence more controllable than you might previously have considered.

Here’s another potentially surprising thing about self-confidence: The beliefs that underpin our self-confidence have less to do with what we’re actually capable of, and more to do with what we think we can do with the skills we possess. Sometimes we can be crippled by self-doubt, even for tasks that we’re more than capable of completing. You might doubt your ability to answer questions in a job interview, for example, despite having the knowledge and information required to do so. Your doubts might even mean you avoid applying for the role to begin with. Similarly, you might avoid signing up for races because you think you’re not fit enough, even though your training has been solid the past few months.

But the opposite is also true. If our belief in our abilities is higher, then we are more likely to try harder or persist for longer on a task than an equally skilled person with lower self-belief. In this way, our beliefs create a self-fulfilling prophecy. We try harder because we first believe we can accomplish a task. And we ultimately achieve it because of our increased effort and persistence, not just our abilities. Thus, our beliefs are fundamentally important to how we act, and higher self-confidence — without changes in ability or skill level — has been shown to improve performance in both athletic pursuits and the challenges of day-to-day life.

Again, this doesn’t mean we can fake it. We’re not talking about make-believe and fairy dust here! Instead, to build self-confidence — the unshakable kind — we need a solid foundation to start building on.

Specific steps toward self-confidence
Many of the general things you probably already do as a runner will build your self-confidence. These include setting challenging goals and striving to accomplish them, focusing on controllable actions, and talking to yourself in a constructive way. While these are helpful, here are four more-specific techniques for tapping into the strongest sources of self-confidence.

1. Meticulously record your preparation and milestone achievements.
Previous accomplishments, good preparation, and mastery of the skills of running are key to building robust self-confidence. But the process can crumble when you fail to make the connection between the work that you’ve done and the challenge that lies ahead. For many athletes, keeping a diary is one way of logging progress. Doing so can increase feelings of being well-prepared and self-confident when an important event nears. Nothing helps to ease worries and dampen doubts more than evidence of the work you’ve done to prepare for an event.

Simply keeping a diary isn’t enough. It’s also important to prominently record the progress and achievements that you make during the weeks, months, and years of preparation. This might be highlighting training sessions that went well, flagging a successful experience like using a new mental tool to stay focused, or celebrating a performance milestone, such as setting a personal record.

No matter how you choose to record snippets of information about your progress and achievements, the important bit is to draw on them regularly to feed your self-confidence. You might note them in a diary, but you might also attach them to your refrigerator door, or store them in a confidence jar beside your bed. Whatever the format, reading about them — and recalling each event — can help you overcome doubt-filled moments. The key point is that you ensure that your self-confidence is secured to controllable preparation and milestone achievements. These nuggets will provide the strongest sources of evidence as you methodically build and develop that confidence.

2. See it to believe it.
Mental imagery can serve many different purposes, each of which can improve self-confidence. Athletes use their imagination to rehearse specific skills and routines. You might, for example, visualize yourself in the second half of a race running fast and relaxed. Performing these actions successfully — even in your mind’s eye — can have a positive impact on your self-belief.

Equally, when trying to achieve a goal, you might imagine working toward that goal, step by step, and making good progress. You might also imagine the emotions that accompany a stressful situation, and imagine managing these emotions to remain calm.

Finally, you might imagine overcoming challenging situations and coping with difficult moments while staying focused and avoiding distractions. This might seem counterintuitive. After all, we often prefer to avoid thinking about things going wrong in the hope that everything works out fine. But imagining negative scenarios — the “what-if” moments—and mentally planning how to respond to each in the best possible way can be a powerful tool in our confidence-building kit. Elite runners regularly do these mental exercises, such as thinking through what they’ll do if they miss their drink at an aid station, or briefly lose contact with the pack they’re running with.

3. See others to believe it.
Learning from others who have travelled a path similar to the one you hope to follow can raise your belief about what you’re capable of. You might, for example, pick the brain of someone in your running club who progressed from your current PB's to your goal times. What was her training like? Did she steadily chip away at lowering her times, or have a breakthrough after seeming to plateau? You might learn that you’re more ready to reach your goals than you thought you were. Remember, self-confidence beliefs are more about what we think we can do with our skills rather than an objective measure of the skills we possess.

By learning from others, you might grasp how they cope with setbacks, or how they overcame the same disadvantages that you might experience. Even learning from their failures can increase your belief that you can overcome similar obstacles in your life.

4. Get a good support crew, including yourself.
Finally, getting a good support crew around you can be helpful to develop self-confidence. Support might come in the form of positive feedback and encouragement from training partners, a coach, even non-running friends and family members who might believe in you more than you do. If enough knowledgeable people tell you you’re capable of reaching your goals, odds are they, and not your inner doubter, are correct.

The post How to Build Confidence as a Runner appeared first on Runner's World.

Think about how many very recently unthinkable things we encountered today alone: the electric car you saw this morning, the tablet I’m tapping this out on, Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos. They didn’t exist, they couldn’t exist, until they did.

Sometimes breakthroughs are the result of advanced technology. Sometimes they come from the exact right team of people with the exact right mix of skills. But sometimes the thing that brings it all together and makes it work is nothing more than pure will. Discipline. A defiant smile and a single step forward. And then, if this is a marathon we’re talking about, several thousand more steps forward.

For decades, physiologists said a sub-two-hour marathon was impossible. Then, in 2019, Eliud Kipchoge broke the very recently unthinkable two-hour-marathon barrier, completing the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria, in 1:59:40. I’d call it a quantum leap if I didn’t suspect that physicists had already started calling quantum leaps “Kipchoges.”

He carried us into a new world. It is, in fact, Kipchoge’s World, and we’re just running in it. Much more slowly.

“Sub-two-hours? It doesn’t seem real,” says marathon legend Bill Rodgers. “I remember when the physiologists said a human being can’t run [a marathon in] under two hours and two minutes.”

A little more than a decade ago, “people started to wonder whether we would see a sub-two happen, and I said it would happen in our lifetime,” says Meb Keflezighi, 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon. “I just didn’t imagine it would be this soon.”

As the first Olympic women’s marathon gold medalist, Joan Benoit Samuelson knows something about breaking barriers, but even she had her doubts. “I used to think I couldn’t possibly be around when two hours was broken,” she tells me. But then along came Kipchoge. Very quickly. “When he first attempted to break two,” in Nike’s 2017 Breaking2 event in Monza, Italy, “I was actually there with Allyson Felix to hold the break tape. That was the first time I saw him, and wow. He’s just totally built for long-distance running.”

He didn’t make it that time — he finished with a time of 2:00:25 and had to settle for (unofficially) breaking a world record — but Benoit Samuelson ascribes exactly zero of that shortfall to Kipchoge himself. “It was a dark and lonely early morning when the race started, and if there had been as many people cheering in the first half as there were near the finish line, I think he’d have broken it there.” Take it from another game changer in the world of long-​distance running: Eliud Kipchoge was ready, the world was not.

As the man himself says in the 2021 documentary Kipchoge: The Last Milestone, “The way you think about pain is the way your life will be. At the apex of pain, that’s where the success is.” It’s a little self-hypnosis, some mental jiu-jitsu, and it’s part of a zen approach to running that is pure Kipchoge.

Keflezighi credits Kipchoge’s greatness to his patience. “He’s been on top of his game for a long time; he didn’t just jump to the marathon. He naturally grew into it with a solid base of buildup, speed, and stamina.”

“You know, there’s the science of it, a runner’s VO₂ max and all that,” says professional runner Nico Montañez, “but I think his mind was there way before his body was.” And just as Kipchoge’s achievements have runners talking like scientists, they have PhDs talking like fans: “There is no doubt that Kipchoge is at the top of the world for his fitness, his VO₂ max, his lactate threshold, his mental stamina,” says Alison Marie Helms, PhD, a certified personal trainer and running coach. “But what truly sets him apart is the efficiency of his stride. Just watching him run, the fluidity of it is mesmerising. No energy is wasted.”

“You don’t see him being super aggressive in the race, or being the one to make moves early,” professional marathoner and running coach Dakotah Lindwurm says. “He stays calm and collected and sticks to his race plan.” She adds, “I actually took something from him, which is that you can smile through the pain. It’s easier to push through the pain if you are tricking yourself into thinking you’re enjoying it.”

“We all do the same sort of training, we recover the same,” Montañez says. “But mentality-wise, he’s leaps and bounds above everyone else, and we’re all trying to catch up.”

There is also, unique among internationally famous athletes, genuine humility. “There’s this photo that they published around Breaking2 where there was a list of the cleaning duties at his training camp,” says Robinson, “and Eliud’s name is on it.” He stops to let it sink in, maybe for himself. “Like, the greatest runner of all time is on his hands and knees scrubbing the toilet. The guy who cleans the toilet is the guy who broke two hours.”

That humility gives running coaches a new lesson for their athletes: “He could be living in a huge mansion and driving the nicest cars,” says Wes Miller, recently named NJCAA Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with the South Plains College track-and-field team, “but he just stays in his own lane and continues to train.” Kipchoge keeps it humble, even after achieving the superhuman, even as an actual museum is being built in his honor in Kenya. It’s a lesson Miller could try to teach his runners, he says — but it’s something only someone like Kipchoge could show them.

Kipchoge’s energy transcends the elite field and reaches the amateurs. Brian Oates has run the Boston Marathon for 27 years now, and he measures Kipchoge’s feat the way mortals — defined here as “still very good runners” — do: “The guy could run Hopkinton to Boston and back to the starting line before I’ve taken the right onto Heartbreak Hill.” Oates laughs, like the physical reality of it hits him as he’s saying it. “I mean, the guy is one of one.”

Kipchoge’s pace would be about a 21 kph on a gym treadmill, a speed that would blow most of us out the back wall of the gym if we tried it, which is why we’re lucky most commercial treadmills won’t even let us try. Kenny Santucci, who’s run the New York City Marathon five times and owns the gym The Strength Club NYC, thinks about Kipchoge when he’s training clients. “We’ll do a lot of sprints on the treadmill, and when you feel what that speed feels like, the idea of holding it for longer than 30 or 40 seconds is unreal. And Eliud’s out there living it for two hours.”

Rodgers set the first of his two American records in the marathon in 1975 at 2:09:55, just shortly after getting back into running to shock his lungs into shape after quitting smoking. The man knows a little about what the human body can achieve against the odds. “Kipchoge is just a phenomenal athlete, in track and in the marathon. He’s got fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles, it seems.”

When the experts are proven wrong, often there is the sense of a dam breaking. “Nobody could do a sub-four mile until Roger Bannister did it,” Oates says. A month and a half after the barrier fell, Australian runner John Landy ran a mile in 3:58, and a year after that, three runners broke four in the same race at the British Games. After Bannister, Oates says, “then a whole bunch of people said, Oh, I can do that now.”

“Once the doors began to open for women in marathoning in the early ’70s, the barrier to break was three hours,” says Benoit Samuelson, “and then pretty quickly it was 2:20.” She added, “I think when people break out like this, it’s a positive influence on everyone.” He may not be able to share his VO₂ max with us, or his fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles, or his tech, or his team. But we can all share his spirit.

Kipchoge has broken two hours, and there’s no doubt he’ll do it again on an officially sanctioned marathon course. Just like when the sound barrier is broken, we hear a boom: “Now when you go to an airport bar in the Midwest, people are talking about Kipchoge,” Robinson says. After Breaking2, “anywhere you went, from a bagel shop to a pizzeria to a barbecue spot, that’s what Americans were talking about.” Bill Rodgers agrees: “He’s an international figure now, like a soccer star.” It’s accomplishment enough to become a star in a sport as unflamboyant as long-​distance running, but now his shine is lighting up the whole activity. “Kipchoge is someone Americans are talking about,” Robinson says. “And it’s high-​octane on the running boom.” Benoit Samuelson says it best: “How can you not love the guy?”

As you watch a human being run a marathon in under two hours, it is fair to wonder whether there is anything a person can’t do. Keflezighi is contemplating that very thing. “We’re all stronger, faster, and quicker than we ever think, and sometimes we surprise ourselves, but there is a world we cannot go to, right? For a marathon, you can’t say one hour.” Keflezighi pauses, and so do I. Because of course you can’t. Can you?

Maybe that pause is what Eliud Kipchoge has really given the world. That moment of uncertainty that creeps in after we say, emphatically, that something cannot be done. In Kipchoge’s world, we’re all a little bit less certain that limits exist at all, that there is anything the human mind, will, body, and soul can’t accomplish. The experts and the veterans said a sub-two-hour marathon couldn’t be done. And they were right. Until Eliud Kipchoge did it.

What’s your sub-two? What’s the thing the voice in your head is insisting you cannot do?

I mean, that voice is right. For now.

Maybe tomorrow it won’t be.

Take it from Eliud Kipchoge: You can’t do it.

Until you can.

The post This Is Kipchoge’s World And We’re Just Running In It appeared first on Runner's World.

RW: Why did you start running?

TS: I went for my first proper run at the age of 11 or 12, on the spur of the moment, initially to stamp the anger I felt through my feet. I was on my high school cross-country team. In 1999, when I was 20, I ran my first marathon, quickly followed by my first 100km race. Recently, I completed my 50th marathon or ultra race. Running has become my primary form of emotional release. It is how I process life and make peace with it.

RW: How do you experience your runs?

TS: I run without my hearing devices on, as I find the cacophony of sounds overwhelming when I am feeling the rhythm of my feet. Silence helps me keep my rhythm and find my pace. As my vision is also compromised [Stones’ vision deteriorated in recent years to the point that he can’t drive], I have to focus intensely on the actual act of running, to avoid obstructions and potential mishaps the best I can.

RW: Are there differences in the way you compete?

TS: I cannot hear the gun, so usually the starter holds a flag or drops an arm, and off I go. It’s not ideal, and at shorter distances, it is a definite disadvantage. But in longer races my deafness can be an advantage in a way, as I am not distracted by noise. Deafness forces me into myself. I am especially fond of multiday circuit racing: I have competed in events ranging from 24 hours through to 10 days. A highlight was breaking the South African age-group record for the latter, with 886 kilometres in 2017.

RW: What can you hear with and without your hearing aids?

TS: When I was 5 years old, I received my first pair of hearing aids and learned to read and to speak clearly with my voice. Over the years my hearing has further deteriorated. I received a cochlear implant for my left ear and wear a super-power hearing aid in my other ear. Without them, I hear nothing in my left ear, and in my right ear I can pick up some sound, but rely on lip-reading to communicate. With my devices on, I can pick up a wide range of sounds, but still need to see someone’s face for speech.

RW: How does that impact your musical experience?

TS: I cannot grasp music without my devices on. But it may surprise readers to know that there are many deaf and deaf-blind musicians who have found ways to feel the music and understand rhythm despite having no hearing at all. Some, like Beethoven, even composed songs. With the cochlear implant, music sounds a bit different, clearer, to me. The best part has been being able to hear the actual lyrics to songs for the first time. I was shocked to discover I had been singing completely alternative lyrics to my favourite songs since childhood!

RW: When did you develop your passion for music?

TS: I was introduced to music at the age of 6, starting piano lessons soon after acquiring my first pair of hearing aids. My mom hoped that by learning to understand the rhythm of music I would be able to grasp the nuances of speech more quickly. Now I play the piano and sing. Being able to enjoy music with my sons is food for the soul.

RW: How has your musical life impacted your running?

TS: Music plays a cru­cial part in my running journey. Even though I can’t hear or listen to music when I run, I hear music within. When I find myself getting tired, especially in the longer ultras, I find I can push through by thinking of a song that speaks to me in that moment, and I sing it, sometimes silently, sometimes out loud. It gets me back into a rhythm, and my feet respond to the sustained beat. More broadly, music helps me navigate the myriad experiences of a complex life. Running does exactly the same.

RW: Are there certain songs you come back to again and again?

TS: My heart goes into overdrive whenever I hear “Chariots of Fire.” Sometimes I ask my sons to play it just before I go out for a longer training run. It gets me into the groove like nothing else can. I am also a huge fan of ’60s music. Mostly, though, I opt for songs of faith that uplift and inspire me to keep on keeping on.

The post Meet the Deaf Ultra Racer Fuelled By Music appeared first on Runner's World.

Then the stakes changed. In 2017, I was blindsided by a flavour of chronic leukaemia at 35 that usually strikes those twice that age. A severe, painful relapse dominated several months of 2021. But the heaviest psychological blow landed in July 2018, when Rachel, my other half, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

By the end of that summer, she was recovering from a double mastectomy, and I was home, helping however I could. It was a new level of intimacy. I’m sure the pain was intense, but Rachel was stoic through all of it. I was not so resilient. Here was the most important person in my world, whom I had the incredible fortune of meeting when we were teenagers, hit with cancer less than a year after leukaemia nearly took me out.

I was not OK. (I’m still not, but I have a very good therapist.) And so, for an hour or so every day of Rachel’s recovery, I slipped away to the gym. I was pulled to the treadmill as if by gravity. I would ramp up the speed, faster and faster, repeating a mantra silently as I did: “Only and always forward.”

Those runs started after my first go with leukaemia in 2017 when I experienced an incredible period of what my therapist calls post-traumatic growth. One major change: exercise, which I had never done before. Sure, I half-assed track and cross country in high school, but it was purely social. Once I’d been to the edge of my mortality and peeked over, I came away driven. If I was going to survive, I was going to thrive.

“I chose songs like they were medicine. When I felt brutalised by our luck, I sought the hardest and realest hip-hop…

That’s when I discovered that an intense run delivered the effect I’d been searching for since adolescence. It erased the self, paused the mind, and allowed me to disappear completely into a song. There was no other conduit like it. It grounded and centered me to move forward through hell. I loved it.

I chose songs like they were medicine. When I felt brutalised by our luck, I sought the hardest and realest hip-hop: the Kenny Segal and Billy Woods masterpiece Hiding Places or the genius himself, GZA. When I needed calming reassurance, I lost myself in something mid-tempo and melancholy: Spiritualised or the War on Drugs. When I needed reminding that hard times are universal, Emmylou Harris, the Carter Family, and Loretta Lynn welcomed me to the great communion of those who have been through some shit. When I needed to simply shake off the dread, I grooved to Future Islands and Beck.

I only remember late 2018 and early 2019 in fragments, but somewhere in those years I started running outside. I got decent shoes. I signed up for my first 5K. I became a runner.

Then one day the music spoke back to me. I remember the date: January 4, 2022. It was a cold, clear morning. I laced up my Altras, hit shuffle on my playlist, and went. Less than a year earlier, during my spring 2021 relapse, I could hardly walk. But by that next January, I was logging more miles than ever.

I’ve been reminded, time and again, how quickly everything can collapse. I know how helpless a person becomes when cancer asserts itself. Through dumb luck and cutting-​edge treatment at the UNC’s cancer centre, Rachel and I have kept our footing. And when I’m well enough to run, I run.

That day, I started at the library, then I was off through downtown and up and down the longest hill in town—all by pure routine.

Then Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band popped up in my headphones: “Badlands,” all snap and bombast and so much saxophone, a song I’ve heard a thousand times. “It ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive,” Springsteen sang, and for the first time I truly heard him. The tension left my body. I floated forward—breath going in, feet landing on the pavement and lifting again, breath going out; my mind finally, effortlessly, contentedly blank.

The post When Cancer Invaded My Life, Running and Music Gave Me Something I’d Always Needed appeared first on Runner's World.

Consider Beats per Minute, but Don’t Be Constrained by It
Running to high-BPM music—above 130 beats per minute, according to a 2019 study from the Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada—has been shown to improve endurance, offer a quicker recovery post-run, and help maintain a steady pace. But that doesn’t mean you have to obsessively track down songs at the exact same speed, says Peloton Tread instructor Marcel Dinkins. “Your playlist would be extremely boring if every song was at the same BPM,” he says. Unless it’s for a very short run or an intense burst, Dinkins advises varying song speed across a playlist. For cruising, try songs at 120–140 BPM, like “I Gotta Feeling,” by the Black Eyed Peas. Speedwork calls for 150–160, like “Hey Ya!” by Outkast. Check your favourite songs’ tempo at SongBPM.com.

Running to high-BPM music has been shown to improve endurance, offer a quicker recovery postrun, and help maintain a steady pace

Dial Into Your Fastest Emotions
Stir up the feelings that give you an edge. Does a little anger make you run faster? Tap into that, says Prof. Stephen Gonzalez, assistant athletics director for leadership and mental performance at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and an executive board member for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. But pay attention to the length of your run and the limits of your endurance before you amp yourself too much: Gonzalez points to pro fighters who come out to hype music, get into the ring, and swing so hard that they’re exhausted by round two. “[Music can] heighten emotions to the point where it impacts [an athlete’s] physical ability,” he says. Build in calmer breaks if you tend to push yourself too hard.

Follow the Lyrics
A 2015 study out of the University of Tehran in Iran found that folks who listened to music with lyrics while running on a treadmill had a lower rate of perceived exhaustion than those without music. Gonzalez likes to take that idea a step further: When he ran track at university, he played Van Halen’s “Right Now” during intervals because the lyrics had a message that matched what he was doing physically. “[The song tells you] right now I’m going to go for this and do this,” he says. There are lots of ways to match a song’s message to your effort, from running relevant lyrics (Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” or Jill Scott’s “Run Run Run”) to tunes that encourage you to persevere (Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” or Queen’s “We Will Rock You”).

Movie and television soundtracks are designed to connect with your emotions and can make you feel like you’re in your own sports montage. One of the greatest examples: Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme from Rocky. Just try to listen to it without wanting to sprint up the nearest steps. Lanoa Curry, a group fitness instructor and run coach at Mile High Run Club in New York City, says these songs work by conjuring visuals that instantly boost your vigour. She sources songs from action movies or TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “In class I use the Buffy theme for the final sprint,” she says. “I get to be Buffy in my head and run through the opening credits [action sequence].”

Always Make It Fun
While runners are often focused on performance, Gonzalez says pairing music with your run is also about enjoying the miles, especially for easy runs. The right songs can allow you to park your brain and disassociate yourself from the running task at hand. So when you’re curating your list, add the songs that make you get up and dance no matter where you are (like Pharrell Williams’s “Happy,” or “Call Me Maybe,” by Carly Rae Jepsen). You can get a similar effect by zoning out to a podcast, Gonzalez says. But you’ll have better success with lighter, unscripted shows like How Did This Get Made? versus a more demanding listen such as Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History.

Test-Run Your Playlist
There’s no better way to know what works (and what doesn’t) than by road-testing your series of songs. Ask yourself: Are there songs you added that made you want to change your pace? Slowed you down? Sped you up? Were there songs that improved your mood or totally killed your vibe? Make those mental notes and then you can revise the playlist for next time. —Rozalynn S. Frazier

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This wasn’t a novice runner I was talking to. It was an elite, one of the best in the world, who admitted to me that they searched for an out—a hole to step in, an injury to fake, a bathroom to duck into—during every race.

This isn’t something to be ashamed of. We all do it. From the beginner to the Olympian, we all experience a strong urge to quit. During a race, we all face an inner battle. A feeling of pain, fatigue, and uncertainty arises. At first, it’s a whisper, before turning into a scream. An internal debate soon follows; an angel and devil on our shoulder argue over whether we’ve got it or should call it quits. Finally, we experience an urge to act—to quit, slow down, or find our way through.

This feel-debate-act cycle is a kind of protective mechanism. It’s our brain’s way of preventing us from pushing too far into the unknown and facing danger. This could be the physical kind, from running so hard that you put your health in danger, or psychological, in which your ego has to face the fact that it’s not good enough. The feelings, doubts, and urge to quit are just a way for your brain to keep you in check. It’s looking for an escape hatch, communicating a reminder that things are getting tough, we might be in danger, and there’s a way out.

In my new book, Do Hard Things, I set out to understand why our conventional notions of toughness—gritting our teeth and pushing through the pain—often fail. But that often backfires. When we resist, it’s as if our brain gets the message, “Aha! We must really be in danger because we’re fighting back.”

The latest science and the world’s best performers tell a different story. Pain and fatigue aren’t something we should avoid or ignore. It turns out that the best way to deal with the inner chaos we all face isn’t to fight but to learn how to navigate through it by working with your feelings, dialogue, and urge to act.

The tighter the bond between stimulus (i.e., feeling pain) and response (slow down, quit), the harder it is to interfere. When we train toughness, we’re trying to loosen that bond, to delay the jump straight to freaking out, to create space. How we master this sequence ultimately determines whether we make the “right” decision in just about whatever we face. The secret to developing toughness lies in mastering this pattern and creating space so we can choose instead of spiral. Toughness lies in mastering freak-outs. Here’s how the world’s best runners do it.

Learn How to Listen to Your Body

When you feel pain in your thigh while you’re running, do you immediately stop and make a trip to the physical therapist, or do you continue? It probably depends on the type of pain. Is it dull, achy, burning, or sharp? The feeling lets you know whether it may be a muscle tear or simply pain or fatigue. Learning to distinguish between pain and injury is a vital lesson we all have to learn.

The same applies to the discomfort we feel in racing. If we can understand the feelings, sensations, and emotions we experience during a hard workout or race, we can navigate them. We can figure out which ones we should listen to and which we should let float on by. The better we can sort through the shades of grey and understand the nuance of complex feelings, emotions, and sensations, the better we can navigate them. As with learning to distinguish between pain and injury, we all have to learn to sort through our inner world.

Research shows that tougher athletes are better able to make sense of whatever feedback their body is giving them. And it’s not just athletes. In an intriguing study out of the U.K., psychologists found that stock traders who were better at reading their internal signals not only were more profitable but also lasted longer in a business that’s notorious for turnover.

Improving this skill involves three steps: contextualising, naming, and reappraising it. The first step is adding context. Think of a preschooler. They may have a limited vocabulary and tell you they are sad. Well, what does that mean? You have to guess. An adult might say they are lonely, disappointed, or embarrassed. Nuance adds layers, which allows us to inform and categorise what’s going on.

The second step is to name it. When we name something, we take back control—converting the ambiguous to something tangible that we can understand, manipulate, and come to terms with. The nerves you feel before giving a talk? Call it your performance adrenaline. The voice commanding you to stop? Call it the devil on your shoulder. When we name something, we exert power and control over it. We are saying, “I know what you are and how to handle you.”

The final key is reframing the signal as helpful information. Now that you understand the nuance of feelings and emotions, and have a name for what you’re experiencing, take control of the message. Can you see anxiety as excitement? The fear you experience is a reminder that caution has value. The sadness after a loss reminds you to cherish and reconnect with those you still have with you. Reframing emotions and feelings as information that you can choose to listen to or simply let float on by is a powerful tool for navigating our messy inner world. The more we understand the feelings, the more we can deal with them. Your brain hates uncertainty. It does better when it knows what the feeling means.

Learn to Respond, not React

The key to navigating discomfort is to create space between fatigue and freak-out. If it’s compressed, we jump straight from a tinge of pain to finding an out. That’s reacting. The more we react, the more we feed our threat-detecting brain. We’re telling it, “Hey, you were right. This is something to really worry about!”

Responding is developing the ability to coolly, quietly, and non-judgmentally work your way through a difficult situation. When we somewhat dispassionately observe the pain and work through it with equanimity, we send the opposite message, “There’s no threat here. We’ve got this.” I like to call this having a calm conversation. You notice the discomfort, acknowledge it, and work your way through it. Your inner dialogue goes like this: “It’s starting to hurt now. It should. I’m running hard. ButI am separate from this pain. It’s going to be okay.”

The best way to learn to respond instead of react is to do hard things. Put yourself in a place of discomfort, and then learn how to quietly, non-judgmentally sit with it. While you can do this in workouts, this doesn’t have to be running-specific. You can train your mental muscle by sitting in an ice bath, giving a speech in front of a crowd, or simply sitting at your desk with your phone in front of you, trying to sit with the urge to pick the device up and check it. Or it could be in watching the mistakes you made during training or an important race. The key lies in sitting with the experience, not fighting it.

Create Distance and Perspective

Learning to sit with discomfort gets you only so far. The alarm in your brain will eventually activate, no matter how collected you are. We used to think the best runners were always focused to deal with fatigue, while beginners primarily used distraction to get through difficult moments. But that’s not true. The top marathoners in the world use just about every coping strategy they can. They can bounce back and forth, shifting their attention to deal with their present dilemma. Novices tend to get stuck, using a single strategy (e.g., distraction) and then spiralling out of control once that doesn’t work.

Elite runners develop the capacity to zoom in and out. Sometimes they narrow their world to what’s right in front of them. Other times they zone out. When we face massive levels of pain and lots of doubt, the key lies in altering our perspective. In Do Hard Things, I outline several forms of zooming, including:

Linguistic Zooming

How we talk to ourselves impacts how we handle discomfort. Research shows that when we shift from using first person (“I’ve got this!”) to second or third person (“You’ve/She’s got this!”), we create distance between the experience and our emotional response. This linguistic trick allows us to zoom out. When we create psychological distance, we slow the path from emotional reaction to inner battle to action. By simply changing our vocabulary, we regain control instead of defaulting to the easy decision.

Another linguistic trick is moving your voice from the inside to outside. Give your pep talk out loud. One reason this works is that inner talk is cognitively more sophisticated. Research from clinical psychologist Steven Hayes showed that when people used overt self-talk, it made them accountable to whoever was in earshot, as opposed to inner dialogue, which only sets the standard for yourself.

Perspective Taking

Difficult moments tend to cause us to narrow. While there are many benefits to being in the here and now, one downside is your brain over-indexes on what’s going on right in front of you. The pain you’re experiencing feels as if it’ll never stop. It can seem like the race you’re in is the most critical thing in the world, and if you don’t run up to your potential, you’re worthless. We need to remind our brains that our current experience is just a blip in time. Imagining how you’ll feel in an hour, day, or month helps bring perspective and nudge your brain out of getting stuck on the pain you’re currently experiencing. How will you feel at the end of the race, looking back on the decisions you’re making right now? Will you remember this race five years from now? Or, as former professional runner Phoebe Wright told me about lining up at the Olympic Trials, “It’s just track. No one really cares besides your family and friends. And they’ll still love you even if you get dead last.”

Physical Zooming—Mood Follows Action

When we’re feeling down, trying to alter our mood seldom works. But if, instead of trying to force your mood to change, you change your behaviour—getting out of bed and going for a run—you often find yourself in a much better, happier place. Your behaviour dragged your mood with it.

Not only does our mood follow action, but so does our thinking, and perception. In running, that often means taking bold action when your body is screaming at you to do the opposite. A short surge when you want to slow down or talking out loud when you think you’re out of breath can often be the trick to getting your body and mind back on track.

Conventional wisdom plays up the grind of trying to exert effort and push through whatever is in our way. Modern science, and the best performers, tell us it’s more complicated than that. Sometimes, we need to pause, zoom out, accept, and let go in order to navigate our inner chaos. When we practice opening ourselves up to discomfort, we’re better positioned to handle it. Our brain dampens the tendency to jump straight from feeling a sensation to sounding the alarm. And then we’re free to perform up to our capabilities.

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First, if you have a body, you have a runner’s body. Some people like to say: Everyone is a runner. Some just don’t know it yet. Ha! Now, I’m not one to convince people to do things they don’t want to do. However, if someone expresses an interest in running, but does not see themselves as someone who could ever be a runner, I’m absolutely going to help pave the pathway to becoming a runner and provide guidance along the way.

Before you begin, remember this: The key points to getting started are the same for everyone—whether you don’t see yourself as having the “ideal” runner’s body (which—I repeat—does not exist), or the concept of running to you has been a foreign idea until now. The biggest thing to remember is to start small and focus on building gradually.

Invest in good shoes.

Get the right pair of running shoes that fit your feet and work for you. You’ll be more inclined to keep up with the practice of running if you make the investment in yourself by purchasing shoes that get you up and out the door.

Develop a routine.

Establishing a routine that has a window of time for your running is critical. Life is busy—and with work, family, and other obligations, fitting in running can be impossible if you don’t make time for it. Try to block out the same time for yourself every day. On the days you don’t run, incorporate other things that can help your running—practice mindfulness, do some mobility or strength work, go for a walk, or take a little time to reflect on your recent training. Utilising the same window of time each day for your running (as best as possible) will help create a routine that will set you up for success.

Normalise walking.

Sometimes the best place to start with running is walking. Progressions take time and practice, and if you’ve never run before, starting with walking is completely okay. Build the habit and the routine by going out for brisk walks. Put some intention into the effort. From there, you can build in run/walk intervals, incorporating bouts of jogging. Don’t think the first time you head out the door needs to be a speedy run. Start with walking and build from there.

Follow a training plan or hire a coach.

Navigating a training plan or deciding how to progress in your own running can be extremely challenging. It can lead to increasing your mileage too suddenly, which often leads to injury. It can also lead to talking yourself out of a run, which is easy to do when you don’t have a plan. Instead of playing the guessing game, find a training plan that takes the guesswork out of what to do. Hiring a coach is also an option. A coach can provide a plan that’s customised specifically for you, and help you get to your goals.

Get a training partner or a running buddy.

Accountability is key. Having someone outside of yourself to keep you accountable is extremely helpful. You’ll notice that elite runners don’t train alone—they run in packs. They have running partners and teammates who challenge them, motivate them, and hold them accountable in their running. Try it! Now, this isn’t just for people looking to compete. Having training partners will not only improve your running, but also enrich your life. Start by looking into a running group near you, or visit your local running store and inquire about group runs.

Eat like an athlete.

Circling back to my story about the person who wanted to be a runner but felt the need to lose weight: I want to reshape that thinking. Instead of focusing solely on dieting, I encourage you to think and eat like an athlete. What does that mean? Athletes who take their training seriously aren’t on a calorie-deficit diet. They also aren’t eating a bunch of junk food to fuel their training. High-performing athletes focus on nutrient-dense, well-balanced diets that fuel their body and their mind. I want you to do that. Choose healthy, nutritious foods that will set you up to feel and be your best. Do this instead of cutting calories, which will sap your energy and potentially lead to injuries and an unhealthy and unhappy lifestyle.

Everyone, no matter the body, can be a runner if the desire is there. Help me spread that message. If someone looks up to you as a runner but doesn’t see that being possible for them, give them some guidance. Tell them to start with walking and make it a habit or invite them to join you on a run sometime. Running can enrich lives, and it’s our job to help share that with the world!

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I don’t know about you, but it seems like every day the early 2000s are making a resurgence. Paris Hilton just got married. Cargo pants are back in style. Legally Blonde 3 is being made. Next thing I know, I’m going to be walking around in a Livestrong bracelet, drinking a Coca-cola Light while I text on a Motorola Razr about the latest episode of LOST. We are somehow living through the year 2007 a second time.

This thought was set off by Jack Harlow’s recent single “First Class,” which samples Fergie’s 2006 hit “Glamorous” and recently blew up on TikTok (not MySpace as it would have back in the day). While listening to that song on Spotify (rather than the downloaded mp3 on my clip-on iPod Shuffle), I thought, “Why not do a 2000s flashback for this month’s running playlist?” And so I give to you, the quintessential running playlist featuring only songs that hit the charts from 2000 to 2009. Michelle Branch. Destiny’s Child. Ne-Yo. Cobra Starship. The gang’s all back together again, just like at the VMAs twenty years ago.

With the weather getting cooler and the crisp winter air starting to sneak in, many of us are venturing indoors to make use of gyms and treadmills to get our kilometres in. Why not pop in your headphones and listen to some vintage Katy Perry and Rihanna to make it a bit more enjoyable? Perhaps you can ditch the Juicy tracksuit, extra-large basketball shorts, and cheetah sweatbands for the sake of modernity—but the jams still slap like they used to. And if you’re one of our Gen Z readers who didn’t get to listen to Fall Out Boy on the first go around, you are certainly in for a treat.

So put in your AirPods (not your corded headphones from 2008), throw on some sneakers, and give this playlist a try. After all, in the words of NSYNC, “It’s gonna be May.”

The post The Best Running Music to Add to Your Playlist appeared first on Runner's World.

The reasons may vary, but our mission is constant: We believe the world is a better place when more people run. And, we believe that if you go all-in, running will change your life.

Want to join in but don’t know where to start? We got you. Here, you’ll learn all about how to run, including expert advice on exactly how to start running even if you’ve never done it before, the gear you need to get going, and how to stay motivated to keep clocking kilometres—happily and without getting injured. All it takes is these five gradual steps, and putting one foot in front of the other.

How to Run, Step 1: Commit

Starting a new habit is hard, especially when it’s one you find intimidating. But here’s the trick: Don’t go all-out in effort, and start with just one or two days a week, gradually adding more days as you getting stronger and more confident. Creating a realistic schedule (and sticking to that schedule) is key.

Treat your training time like you would an important appointment, and if you’re really struggling to commit, find a workout buddy or a group so you have a solid reason to get out there more often.

Pro Tip: If you want to run in the morning, lay your running outfit next to your bed the night before. It’s one less thing you have to think about when you wake up.

How to Run, Step 2: Set a Goal

For newbies and seasoned runners alike, it’s always helpful to set goals. Giving workouts a purpose—whether it’s to lose weight, finish that first race, or simply run a set number of days each week—makes each run more valuable. Goals also keep you consistent.

The key: determining your “why” or what motivates you to start running in the first place. Finding a training plan that works for you and your schedule (and adjusting it as needed) will help you reach your goals, as will mentally setting yourself up for success and creating a support system.

Pro Tip: Always aim to start your race or run at a slow pace—walking is perfectly okay. Using a conservative speed to start primes you for a great finishing kick and strong finish.

How to Run, Step 3: Gear Up

You really only need shoes to start running—which can put a lot of pressure on finding the perfect pair. The best way to do this is to head to your local specialty running shop. They’ll put you on a treadmill and analyse your stride to match you with the right fit and style, according to how you naturally run. If you need a place to start, though, you can check out our list of the best running shoes for every distance and style, and our guide to choosing the right shoe.

Once you have the kicks, you’ll want to add a few other essential pieces of gear to your closet to make the run more comfy, such as a friction-free pair of shorts (men’s or women’s), performance socks, and sweat-wicking tops.

Not sure how to gear up according to the weather? We also have a what to wear tool to help with just that.

Pro Tip: Consider replacing your running shoes after 500 to 800 kilometres.

How to Run, Step 4: Stay Healthy and Fuel Right

If you feel pain, it’s time to take a break—which means the most important factor in becoming a consistent runner is becoming a healthy one. When first starting out, there are a few common injuries that can plague runners. Luckily, you can avoid these issues altogether by taking some precautions.

First, make sure you don’t ramp up your weekly mileage too quickly. Even if you are feeling great, going too hard too early can lead to injuries, because your body isn’t used to the effort.

Additionally, strength training and warmups and cooldowns are key to strong, pain-free running. Squats, lunges, glute bridges, and planks are great for strengthening your legs and core—two muscle groups that help you run faster and longer.

Finally, you need to nourish your body in order to make it through the miles. Nutrients such as carbs, protein, fibre, iron, healthy fats, and electrolytes will give you energy, build your muscles, and ensure you don’t “hit the wall” (runner-speak for not fuelling enough to get through a workout).

Pro Tip: Up your weekly mileage by no more than 10 percent to avoid injury (at least in the beginning). That means if you run 10 miles the first week, don’t run more than 11 the next.

How to Run, Step 5: Maintain Motivation

You’re never going to head out the door if you don’t have a reason. So think about what you love about running—or what you want to gain from the sport—and keep that in mind whenever you need a reminder.

Sometimes it helps to read about someone else’s amazing journey.

Pro Tip: You need at least one easy day after every hard day of training. Go at a pace in which you could hold a conversation with someone and if you want to walk, that works too.

The post New to Running or Not Even Sure How to Start? appeared first on Runner's World.

It’s inevitable, with the New Year comes New Year’s resolutions—many of which have to do with losing weight. The problem: Concentrating on weight doesn’t necessarily end in dropping kilograms. In fact, it can lead to yo-yo dieting.

Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., study author of a recent review of research that examined the mortality risk reduction associated with weight loss compared to physical activity (FYI, risk was lower with the latter), tells Runner’s World that research shows an association between gaining and losing weight repeatedly and harmful health outcomes, including negative affects on cardiovascular health.

Previous research agrees, noting yo-yo-ing can contribute to cardiovascular morbidity, because of its effects on things like hypertension, visceral fat accumulation, changes in adipose tissue fatty acid composition, and insulin resistance. That’s why Gaesser points to promoting overall fitness rather than just shedding weight as a smarter New Year’s resolution.

This idea of focusing on fitness is what will actually lead to a longer and better quality of life, and it’s also why you must be more intentional with the goals you set.

It makes sense, too. “Losing weight is a goal that takes time and we are generally not patient people,” Haley Perlus, Ph.D.,a sport and performance psychologist tells Runner’s World. “When we do not lose weight as quickly as we would like, we get discouraged and frustrated, often leading us to counteract any progress we made in a pint of ice cream, week off of fitness, or completely throwing our health regimens out the window.”

This alone can take a toll on our mental well-being. “It’s a cycle of highs and lows emotionally,” says Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, co-owner of Texas Optimal Performance & Psychological Services, LLC in Austin, Texas and an executive board member for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. “We are rewarded with the weight loss and gain improvement in our self-esteem; confidence increases as well as other physiological responses. However, when weight is gained, we can have a decrease in mood, lower confidence, self-critical comments and an increase in depressive symptoms.”

Plus, when folks say they want to lose weight, what they really mean is “you want to feel fit and healthy,” Daniel Fulham O’Neill, MD, EdD, a sports psychologist, orthopaedic surgeon and author of Survival of the Fit: How Physical Education Ensures Academic Achievement and a Healthy Life explains to Runner’s World. “You want to feel some muscle tone when you are in the shower. You want to stand firm, strong, and balanced on your own two feet. You want to get out of bed in the morning looking forward to the day.”

This idea of focusing on fitness is what will actually lead to a longer and better quality of life, and it’s also why you must be more intentional with the goals you set. So we tapped a few sports psychologists to help you do just that, as well as discuss why more movement- and health-based goals could be the real key to your New Year success. Consider this your wellness crib sheet for 2022.

Find Your Why

It’s not just about setting a fitness goal. To be effective, you need to explore why this goal means so much to you, Cauthen says. “When we focus on the why, we can tap into our motivation to maintain progress toward the goal, then we can break down goals to be more process-oriented that will set us up for success.”

Be S.M.A.R.T.

Once you have your why or purpose, zero in in the details to get it done. That’s where S.M.A.R.T.— specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based—goals come into play. Though Cauthen offers up the catch phrase: “Don’t be S.M.A.R. T. be S.M.A.R.T.E.R.”, adding evaluate and re-set into the mix. “Having a process in place with setting the goal, knowing why you are setting the goal, and then how you will work toward your goal will enhance your effectiveness on reaching these goals,” she says. “We also need to be kind to ourselves and check in, which is why it is important to be reflective and intentional and be willing to change and adapt your goals.”

For example, if your goal is increasing your fitness and moving your body more, you have to put a roadmap in place to achieve it. Does it mean being more intentional about moving your body for 30 minutes a day? And if so, what activities might you do to fulfill this? Is it through daily 30-minute (or longer) walks with your dog or running for 30 minutes each day?

“Spending time not only setting the goal but placing it into your lifestyle and seeing how you will make small changes daily will allow you to maintain motivation and success on goal execution,” adds Cauthen, who notes that building awareness in your physical capabilities, emotions, and energy level can help shift to a mindset of overall healthy living.

Start Where You Are

There are plenty of movement- and fitness-based goals—running your first 5K, hiking a trail with a new personal record time, achieving crow pose, increasing your push-ups by five more reps—that have nothing to do with weight loss, but can truly get you to that end result if you are consistent.

The catch is that you need to “coach yourself while understanding the level you are at now, not where you aspire to be,” Dr. O’Neill says. “If you are looking to have some laughs and get fit, don’t treat yourself like something more.” In other words, you don’t/shouldn’t have to train like Eliud Kipchoge to run your fastest marathon—or even that person you envy on Instagram. Just push your own pace and mileage and focus on what you can do and how you can improve.

These goals should be set just above your current level of ability where you will feel a bit of nervous energy, adds Dr. Perlus, who notes this will give you the best shot at achieving something quickly. You can then “use your successes to motivate you, increase confidence, and help you to focus on the next similar goal.”

Change the Story in Your Mind

Don’t let your “but” get in the way. If you set a goal to run after work, you’ll never achieve it if you always say “I want to run, but I’m too tired.” “The ‘but’ story will always win in the end,” Perlus says. However, “reframing your ‘but’ story to one that supports your goal is what will help us to break through and be successful.”

Perlus’ recommendation: Instead of “I want to run, but I’m too tired,” tell yourself, “The truth is, my body has been sitting all day and is well rested. It’s my mind and emotions that are tired. Running will give my body good stress and help me recover my mind and emotions.” Perlus says that when you can create a supportive story for the goals you set, that will make them easier to achieve.

Remember Fitness Should be Fun…

…not feel like another job. Basketball, tennis, cycling, hiking clubs,  and of course, run clubs—that’s the cool stuff, says Dr. O’Neill, who notes that getting fit should usually be the best part of your day. “Know why you do some fun healthy activity every day? Because it makes you feel good, and every part of life gets easier, gets better,” he adds.

Ultimately, there are no “tricks” or shortcuts to fitness, Dr. O’Neill says. “We need to reel it in slowly and methodically, giving ourselves claps on the back for small successes along the way.” So start with an intention every day to be mindful of one area you can focus on that will help you feel better in the next 24 hours. Then, reset the next day, adds Cauthen.

Finally, Perlus suggests you ask yourself two questions every single day: What did I achieve today? And what do I get to do next? “These questions will help you to be grateful for your effort towards your goals, achievement, and future successes,” she says. “In time, you will look in the mirror and love who you see—and what you see will take care of itself.”

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Is it the post-marathon blues? Perhaps. More likely, it’s because you don’t have an upcoming race or goal to get you to lace up and head out the door.

But that’s okay. Instead of beating yourself up for missing another run, think about it this way: You don’t have to be training for anything. Free your mind from the tether of mileage and workouts, and simply run to enjoy it.

We talked to a James Randon, professional runner for the Saucony Freedom Track Club, and Claire Hewitt, running coach, about their philosophies on running for running’s sake, and tips and tricks you can use to get out the door.

It’s great to have goals, but they’re not everything

“One of the things that makes [running] so accessible to so many people all across the spectrum is that it has a lot to do with what our personal goals are,” Hewitt says. “I think that lends itself too often not being completely satisfied.”

When you’re coming off a race—whether it’s a mile or a marathon—it’s normal to think of what you could’ve done better. Maybe you didn’t hydrate well enough beforehand. Maybe you were feeling good and decided not to check your watch for a while, realising too late that you were off pace.

“It’s human nature to look back on those difficult experiences, especially when you’re outside the moment, and think of a place where you could have pushed harder or made different decisions,” Hewitt says.

Randon likens this phenomenon to the saying “money can’t buy happiness.”

“Sure, I want to make money, and there are a million ways that money can help me,” Randon says. “But if I make money my end-all, be-all, then I’m headed to a dark place.”

Translation: You don’t always need a goal to chase—it can even be liberating to run without a goal, because you’re not tying your enjoyment of running to a specific outcome.

Here are a few tips and tricks to get you out the door

If you’re having a hard time getting motivated without a running goal in mind, should you just wait until inspiration strikes?

“Motivation doesn’t build over time—it builds through experience,” Randon says.

He likens the situation to playing the guitar: You can’t start shredding as soon as you pick the instrument up—you have to practice. Once you see some positive feedback, you want to keep practicing.

If you’re looking to practice motivation, try out a few of these tricks to see what works for you. After you build a routine, it’ll get easier and easier.

1. Listen to your favourite podcast

Whether you’re a true crime fan, news nut, music lover, or foodie, there are hundreds of podcasts to listen to right at your fingertips. Find one you like and designate it as your go-to “running podcast.” That way, when it’s time to get out the door, you have something else to look forward to.

It helps to choose a podcast that fits how long you’re looking to run. It can be as short as 20 minutes or as long as an hour. Whatever gets you excited and holds your attention as the miles go up.

2. Explore a new route or break up your run

Running is a great way to explore where you live. Finding new scenery is refreshing and will get you excited to try something new.

Hewitt agrees that a new route can be exciting, especially when you find a new trail. If you don’t feel safe exploring, Hewitt recommends breaking up your regular run into pieces, such as a one-kilometre warmup, a kilometre or two of pickups, and a one-kilometre cool down. “All of a sudden, instead of slogging through half an hour, it’s chunked and over before you know it,” she says.

3. Treat it as time to yourself

Running allows you to take some time out of your day just for yourself, Hewitt says. Life is so busy and often full of distractions—such as work, school, entertainment, news, or whatever else keeps your attention—that it can be hard to find time to sit with your own thoughts. Carving out some time to run where it’s just you, your shoes, and the road beneath you can be mentally therapeutic.

4. Enjoy the weather

Everyone has those days when they’re stuck inside, looking out at a gorgeous, blue-skied sunny day, wishing they were running instead of doing whatever they were wrapped up in. Use that desire to your advantage and get outside as soon as possible, whether for a lunch break or after work, and enjoy the run.

It’s always easy to run on beautiful, sunny days. But it doesn’t have to be temperate out to enjoy a run. Next time there’s a light rainstorm, go out and splash in some puddles. If it snows, take in a picturesque winter wonderland on your jog. Just ensure that you’re being safe and avoiding dangerous conditions, like lightening or ice.

5. Meet up with friends

Whether you’re a part of a running group or have a couple friends you like to connect with, sharing a run with people is always more fun. In addition, you’ll be much less likely to skip knowing that you’re supposed to meet up with someone at a certain time.

Hewitt coaches a group of over 100 members who all have different life schedules. She hears of many casual meet ups at different times of day, but she also stresses the importance of having a consistent date and time on the calendar. Therefore, her runners know there’s always time once a week to connect with others.

6. Don’t forget that running is good for your health

When all else fails, remember that running is important to living a long, healthy life. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. That’s only about 21 minutes when split up every day—a manageable amount of time to spend on your health.

7. Know that it’s going to be hard—and that’s okay

“There are going to be times where it isn’t easy to just get out and do it,” Hewitt says. While having a motivational toolkit is nice, that doesn’t mean you won’t have hard days. Everyone from the everyday runner to the professional runner understands this.

Randon says the biggest hurdle to jump over is simply starting. No matter how long you planned on running for, he recommends forcing yourself to get out there for 10 minutes.

“You’ll be surprised by the result,” he says. Either you only run for that 10 minutes, or you end up running farther. Regardless, you overcame a mental hurdle to get a run in without needing to think of a long-term goal.

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Turns out, that’s a totally normal reaction—so if you suddenly find yourself getting choked up regularly on the run, you’re not alone.

“Your body is releasing a lot of hormones, and your mind is picking up on that and going to experience a release as well.”

Crying on the run seems especially relevant right now, given how many people are using running to cope with unprecedented amounts of stress and anxiety. In a survey conducted by ASICS, 79 percent of runners said running is currently helping them feel saner and more in control during this time, and 65 percent of runners say it’s mental benefits outweigh any other form of physical exercise.

Over 40 percent of Americans reported experiencing increased mental health issues since April 2020, according to a new study. And studies show that aerobic exercise can be as effective as anti-depressants in treating mild to moderate depression. So it makes sense that when you run during times of high-stress, you might end up confronting some ~emotions~ out on the road.

So Why Am I Crying?

Think about when you’re most likely to get emotional on the run: Did a certain song, with its empowering lyrics, trigger you? Were you thinking of a great racing experience from your past, or how frustrating it is that you don’t know when you’ll get that again?

During a steady-state endurance activity, your body is almost on autopilot, which frees your mind up to wander. But there’s still a mind-body connection, especially something on the more intense end of the spectrum, like a medium to long run,” says Megan Cannon, Ph.D., a sports psychologist. “Your body is releasing a lot of hormones, and your mind is picking up on that and going to experience a release as well.”

Essentially, your brain is receiving permission to let go. When your body gets tired, so does your brain, says Cannon—and that makes it harder to keep certain feelings that you may be able to ignore at other points during the day at bay.

In an ideal scenario, “your body can enter this flow state where you just feel really comfortable and connected with your activity,” says Hillary Cauthen, Psy.D. To scientists, the flow state is a state of consciousness where you feel and perform your best; to runners, it’s a runner’s high.

Whatever you call it, when you settle into that kind of physical state, it can bring out some deeper emotions, says Cauthen. “Flow doesn’t have to be this happy, euphoric, positive feeling,” she explains. “It’s just about being highly connected to your activity, and then allowing your emotions to come forward.”

But What Do the Tears Mean?

Honestly, nothing, really. If you’re using running to cope with certain emotions, then you’re likely going to experience an emotional reaction when you run. And that’s a good thing!

“From the moment that we’re born, we’re low-key taught to judge different emotions: We say don’t be sad or don’t be angry or don’t be stressed rather than validating these emotional experiences,” says Cannon. “But we need those emotions; they’re a part of being human.”

People are so quick to judge emotional releases, like crying on a run, but there’s really no need to read too much into it. In the moment, “don’t start exploring and trying to figure out why this is happening,” says Cauthen. “Allow yourself to just experience the release. You unlocked something in your body, and this is your body’s way of expressing it.” Afterward, you’ll probably feel a sense of lightness, like you’ve just unloaded something, she adds.

If you can label the reason behind your crying (i.e you had a stressful day at work or you’re worried about a parent who’s sick), that’s great. But it’s more about bringing awareness to your feelings and just accepting where you’re at, says Cannon. “It’s all in the way you frame it,” she explains. “Instead of worrying about why you’re crying, think ‘wow, I’m getting such a great workout that my body is tired enough, it’s allowing me to have this release.’”

Any exercise, to a degree, is a therapeutic experience. And any time you can validate your emotions instead of discounting them, you’re going to end up in a better place. “Although crying during a run may feel uncomfortable, for sure, it’s not a bad thing,” says Cannon.. “It’s really just, like…hey, congratulations, you’re human.”

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If your answer is more often the latter, you’ll come closer to reaching your potential by improving your self-confidence. As with any psychological skill, you can purposefully nurture and develop self-confidence. It’s not a psychological characteristic you should consider fragile or in a constant state of uncontrollable flux. Instead, by drawing on controllable sources, you can set about building a sturdy level of self-belief.

Self-confidence is a grounded belief that we have the abilities required to achieve a certain outcome.

What is self-confidence?

Even at the highest levels of sport, confidence is considered the most important psychological characteristic required for success.

What exactly does “confidence” mean in this context? It’s not cockiness, or self-delusion. Blasting off the start line at a pace that’s well outside your physical capacity is always going to end badly, no matter how sure you are you’re up to the task. Rather, self-confidence is a grounded belief that we have the abilities required to achieve a certain outcome. In running, this might be our belief that we can hold a certain pace throughout a race, or place ahead of the runners around us in the second half of a race. In other areas of life, self-confidence might mean believing we can successfully pass an exam, get a job that we apply for, or manage a large work project.

Before we get to specific ways to improve self-confidence, let’s consider something about confidence that isn’t always obvious. We’re not going to tell you what it feels like to be high or low in confidence—you probably know both sides of that coin already. Instead, what we’d like you to reflect on is this: Feeling more confident isn’t as random as a coin toss. It’s not a quality that relies on luck—something we can’t control, that just happens, or that inexplicably comes and goes. Building confidence can be a controllable process; you can learn to flip the coin in your favour by nurturing your self-belief with the best sources of confidence available. This is what makes self-confidence more controllable than you might previously have considered.

Here’s another potentially surprising thing about self-confidence: The beliefs that underpin our self-confidence have less to do with what we’re actually capable of, and more to do with what we think we can do with the skills we possess. Sometimes we can be crippled by self-doubt, even for tasks that we’re more than capable of completing. You might doubt your ability to answer questions in a job interview, for example, despite having the knowledge and information required to do so. Your doubts might even mean you avoid applying for the role to begin with. Similarly, you might avoid signing up for races because you think you’re not fit enough, even though your training has been solid the past few months.

But the opposite is also true. If our belief in our abilities is higher, then we are more likely to try harder or persist for longer on a task than an equally skilled person with lower self-belief. In this way, our beliefs create a self-fulfilling prophecy. We try harder because we first believe we can accomplish a task. And we ultimately achieve it because of our increased effort and persistence, not just our abilities. Thus, our beliefs are fundamentally important to how we act, and higher self-confidence—without changes in ability or skill level—has been shown to improve performance in both athletic pursuits and the challenges of day-to-day life.

Again, this doesn’t mean we can fake it. We’re not talking about make-believe and fairy dust here! Instead, to build self-confidence—the unshakable kind—we need a solid foundation to start building on.

Specific steps toward self-confidence

Many of the general things you probably already do as a runner will build your self-confidence. These include setting challenging goals and striving to accomplish them, focusing on controllable actions, and talking to yourself in a constructive way. While these are helpful, here are four more-specific techniques for tapping into the strongest sources of self-confidence.

1. Meticulously record your preparation and milestone achievements.
Previous accomplishments, good preparation, and mastery of the skills of running are key to building robust self-confidence. But the process can crumble when you fail to make the connection between the work that you’ve done and the challenge that lies ahead. For many athletes, keeping a diary is one way of logging progress. Doing so can increase feelings of being well prepared and self-confident when an important event nears. Nothing helps to ease worries and dampen doubts more than evidence of the work you’ve done to prepare for an event.

Simply keeping a diary isn’t enough. It’s also important to prominently record the progress and achievements that you make during the weeks, months, and years of preparation. This might be highlighting training sessions that went well, flagging a successful experience like using a new mental tool to stay focused, or celebrating a performance milestone, such as setting a personal record.

No matter how you choose to record snippets of information about your progress and achievements, the important bit is to draw on them regularly to feed your self-confidence. You might note them in a diary, but you might also attach them to your refrigerator door, or store them in a confidence jar beside your bed. Whatever the format, reading about them—and recalling each event— can help you overcome doubt-filled moments. The key point is that you ensure that your self-confidence is secured to controllable preparation and milestone achievements. These nuggets will provide the strongest sources of evidence as you methodically build and develop that confidence.

2. See it to believe it.
Mental imagery can serve many different purposes, each of which can improve self-confidence. Athletes use their imagination to rehearse specific skills and routines. You might, for example, visualise yourself in the second half of a race running fast and relaxed. Performing these actions successfully—even in your mind’s eye—can have a positive impact on your self-belief.

Equally, when trying to achieve a goal, you might imagine working toward that goal, step by step, and making good progress. You might also imagine the emotions that accompany a stressful situation, and imagine managing these emotions to remain calm.

Finally, you might imagine overcoming challenging situations and coping with difficult moments while staying focused and avoiding distractions. This might seem counterintuitive. After all, we often prefer to avoid thinking about things going wrong in the hope that everything works out fine. But imagining negative scenarios—the “what-if” moments—and mentally planning how to respond to each in the best possible way can be a powerful tool in our confidence-building kit. Elite runners regularly do these mental exercises, such as thinking through what they’ll do if they miss their drink at an aid station, or briefly lose contact with the pack they’re running with.

3. See others to believe it.
Learning from others who have traveled a path similar to the one you hope to follow can raise your belief about what you’re capable of. You might, for example, pick the brain of someone in your running club who progressed from your current PRs to your goal times. What was her training like? Did she steadily chip away at lowering her times, or have a breakthrough after seeming to plateau? You might learn that you’re more ready to reach your goals than you thought you were. Remember, self-confidence beliefs are more about what we think we can do with our skills rather than an objective measure of the skills we possess.

By learning from others, you might grasp how they cope with setbacks, or how they overcame the same disadvantages that you might experience. Even learning from their failures can increase your belief that you can overcome similar obstacles in your life.

4. Get a good support crew, including yourself.
Finally, getting a good support crew around you can be helpful to develop self-confidence. Support might come in the form of positive feedback and encouragement from training partners, a coach, even non-running friends and family members who might believe in you more than you do. If enough knowledgeable people tell you you’re capable of reaching your goals, odds are they, and not your inner doubter, are correct.

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, your fitness routine may have been the epitome of consistency and progress. But if that momentum sputtered when everyone’s routines were upended, or you stopped altogether, know that you’re not alone. That’s been a global trend, according to a study in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

Both increased

depression risk and decreased physical activity affected people of all ages

Researchers from 14 countries looked at nearly 15,000 individuals and assessed changes in mental and physical wellbeing from several questionnaires. They found mental health decreased considerably during lockdowns, nearly tripling to 45 percent compared to early pandemic levels.

Moderate exercise decreased by 41 percent, and the amount of vigorous exercise fell by a similar amount. The effects were higher among people over 70 , who were up to 67 percent less active than previously.

Because of the profoundly negative effects of sedentary behaviour, the researchers are calling inactivity a “pandemic within a pandemic.” That’s especially true since it brings pronounced decreases in mental wellbeing, the study’s lead author, Jan Wilke, Ph.D., researcher in the Department of Sports Medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, told Runner’s World.

“Both increased depression risk and decreased physical activity affected people of all ages,” he said. “That was particularly pronounced in people who had been active before the pandemic, but less active during that time.”

In other words, people who got higher levels of exercise before the pandemic were more at risk of feeling unwell and depressed because they were used to having more activity, but that went away when many COVID-19 restrictions were put in place.

Another issue is that exercise activates the immune system, he added, which is naturally crucial in the midst of a pandemic.

With restrictions in many parts of the world eased, the next step will be to assess whether physical activity goes back to pre-pandemic levels. Wilke said that with more public activity spaces like parks, as well as gyms, becoming populated again, it’s possible that people will restart their former activity habits. Most likely, one of the biggest reasons for the sharp decline was lockdown restrictions that shuttered gyms and even closed some parks, for example.

“However, it may cost work and effort to get the drive again,” he said. “In future pandemics, we should look at this effect as part of public health, and keep activity spaces accessible as long as possible.”

Get moving again, slowly.

For those who’d rather not think about the next pandemic, the focus now should be on that ramp back up. If you’ve fallen out of a fitness routine, the best approach is to get back in slowly, likely at a more gradual pace than you’d expect, according to Carol Mack, D.P.T., C.S.C.S.

She told Runner’s World that it helps to get outside—sunshine is a mood booster, after all, and fresh air and a change of scene are helpful, too—and to get acclimated to movement again before setting big goals. Be kind with yourself, and understand that it’s not about rushing to get back to where you were, but instead, to move in ways that feel nourishing to you now.

“At first, just focus on moving, and establishing a rhythm again,” she said. “If you’ve been more sedentary, you’ll want to focus on creating the routine and making it a habit, and then you can start thinking about goals and progress.”

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Perfectionism, according to the American Psychological Association, is “the tendency to demand of others or of oneself an extremely high or even flawless level of performance, in excess of what is required by the situation.” It’s associated with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health issues. For runners, it can also lead to burnout, an increased risk of injury, and a loss of the simple but profound pleasure our sport can bring.

Lennie Waite, Ph.D. and an Olympic steeplechaser, says that perfectionism can surface in runners in a handful of ways. Such athletes are often overly self-critical, even when they’ve given their best effort; quick to blame themselves for poor performances, despite the cause being out of their control; likely to train through injury or at an intense level for longer than is beneficial; and inclined to feel like they “should” or “must” run, rather than doing it out of desire.

As to why perfectionism is so prevalent in running, Waite offers two theories.

“There are a lot of numbers involved [in running], and hitting numbered targets is right up a perfectionist’s alley,” she says.

Secondly, as most athletes can attest, diligence, discipline, and a whatever-it-takes attitude are essential ingredients in a successful career. Runners with those qualities are sure to hit their mileage, execute their workouts, do all the little things, and generally hold themselves accountable for getting the work done no matter what.

But a darker side of perfectionism can emerge when it goes unchecked. Waite says that athletes who hold themselves to the highest of standards, with no room for error, often miss or brush off the early warning signs of burnout, chronic fatigue, or injury. They’re also easily ensnared by the comparison trap, which is a recipe for exhaustion and dissatisfaction. Finally, as Waite explains, incessant striving to be flawless can steal the joy from performances and the sport itself, as rarely do plans unfold exactly as we’d hoped.

My pursuit of perfection

This is familiar territory for me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had an irrational fear of failing and letting others down. Once I got serious about running, those worries blossomed alongside my desire to optimise every running-related variable I could think of: mileage, form, nutrition, sleep, core work, recovery, and on and on. There’s no doubt that some of that helped me jump from one level to the next, as I went from an 11:07 3,200-meter runner in high school to a 69:40 half marathoner today.

But at many points along the way, that line of thinking and striving has been counterproductive. In addition to becoming extremely self-critical and hungry for approval, I picked up some habits that have held me back. I was riddled by injuries throughout college, some of which I’m sure I could have avoided had I been more attentive and patient. More than once, I’ve started a new training log midseason after a few unplanned days off. I’ve spent full nights ruminating about poor races (and worrying about ones to come). And saddest of all, I’ve let the fear of falling short keep me from trying more times than I can count.

A prime example: One day during my senior year in university, my coach called me into his office and told me I’d been medically cleared to race the regional cross-country championship. He expected me to jump with joy—I’d been out all year due to a hip injury that required surgery, and all I’d wanted was to be back in uniform, cranking with my teammates.

But I surprised him by bursting into tears. Instead of the low-pressure opportunity to help my team and put an obscene amount of rehabbing and cross-training to use, all I could see was how unprepared I was: I’d done only a few workouts on land, zero with hills. However fit I was, I wasn’t where I’d been in prior seasons. I was certain I’d embarrass myself and let my team down.

My coach eventually talked me off the ledge, convincing me that he wasn’t asking for a miracle performance—just my best effort. Good thing, because the next weekend, I helped my team advance to the national championship by the slimmest of margins. Were it up do me, I never would have spiked up that day, and my fear of inadequacy would have been fed. But instead, I learned what it’s like to show up undercooked, give my best, and walk away a little braver. To this day, whenever I’m tempted to hold out from something until I feel fully prepared (which is still more often than not), I think of that race and what I would have lost had I sat it out.

An Olympian’s perspective

Molly Seidel, a Tokyo Olympic qualifier in the marathon, has been open about her own history with perfectionism. For years, so much of her running was focused on doing everything just right: getting in the perfect training, eating the perfect foods, and controlling every element of her life. At times, it looked like she’d landed on the winning formula.

I was so focused on making the team and making sure that everything was going to go perfect, and then I just broke.

The part of her journey that competitors and fans couldn’t see was how deeply Seidel suffered as a result. In addition to numerous injuries, an eating disorder, and a close call with early retirement, Seidel was heavily burdened by what felt like an obligation to excellence. Once she won her first title as a junior, anything less than victory was deemed “extreme failure.” The three titles that followed offered more relief than joy, and by the time her eligibility ran dry, Seidel had begun to crack.

It all came crashing down in her buildup to the 2016 Olympic Track and Field Trials. “I was so focused on making the team and making sure that everything was going to go perfect,” she says, “and then I just broke.” Seidel didn’t even make it to the starting line of what was meant to be the biggest race of her life.

She spent the next four years unlearning some of her destructive tendencies. Much of her progress was made while in intense eating disorder therapy, including the realisation that “the universe is chaos and you can’t control anything.” So many runners are obsessed with marginal gains—“a culture of optimisation,” Seidel calls it—that they don’t realise that the aggregate is what matters most. As she sees it now, if the majority of the time you’re making sound decisions and getting in the work, you have some wiggle room for things that bring you joy but aren’t necessarily performance-enhancing (like ice cream, beer, or an all-day music festival).

Seidel’s path to the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials couldn’t have been more different from her attempt four years earlier on the track. She calls her marathon buildup “the epitome of anti-perfection,” having recently left her first pro team, placed her trust in a brand new coach, and barely survived the training. She dropped out of numerous workouts and at times felt like she was just out there winging it for an event she had no experience with.

But on race day, Seidel rose to the occasion, beating all but one competitor to make her first Olympic team. Since then, she’s strung together her longest stretch of healthy training in years, and nabbed personal records in the half and full marathons. If that’s not an endorsement for an approach with some wiggle room, I don’t know what is.

Moving past perfectionism

If you, too, lean toward perfectionism, here’s some collective advice for working on it.

“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of great.” One of Seidel’s therapists fed her that line, and it stuck. It applies to running and any other domain: school, work, parenting, relationships, etc.

Give yourself a challenge. Perfectionists tend to respond to challenges, Waite says, so use that to your advantage. Challenge yourself to take a regular off day if you normally avoid them, or try a new restaurant every so often if you find comfort in preparing every bite yourself.

Write (or talk) it out. Journaling has been an instrumental in my journey past perfectionism, and some may find the same with therapy. Recognising why I do what I do and where my fears come from is the first step in replacing some of my habits with healthier ones.

Expose yourself to situations in which you have little control. For Seidel and me, traveling (especially to East Africa) has been the ultimate instructor in flexibility and adaptability. Look for opportunities that put you out of your element, and practice going with the flow.

Prioritise longevity and sustainability. Waite encourages runners to operate according to their long-term health and relationships with running, rather than the desire to tick every training box every day.

Consider the aggregate. Instead of overanalysing every detail that might impact your running, focus on “the broad strokes or the aggregate,” as Seidel has learned to do. A solid body of work gives you room for the occasional indulgent meal, poor workout, and bad night of sleep.

The post Why Perfectionism Can Hurt Your Running appeared first on Runner's World.

If you want to get technical about it, jogging would fall on the easier end of the running spectrum.

To estimate the amount of energy the body uses during physical activity, scientists use a unit that measures the metabolic equivalent for task, or MET (one MET = what your body burns at rest). According to the Compendium of Physical Activities, a common reference for health and fitness professionals, jogging uses 7 METs, while running a 10-minute mile pace uses 9.8 METs.

Math aside, a jog is basically a run at an easy or recovery pace or—for those who don’t care about paces at all—an easy, casual run.

Most experts would agree that jogging falls in the low- or moderate-intensity workout category—you’re working at an effort level of around 60 percent of your max, and you should be able to easily hold a conversation if you wanted to.

That’s obviously going to be a different pace for everyone, but we’ll let you in on a little secret: The numbers don’t matter—seriously. Just go by how you feel and call it whatever you want.

And while you’re out there jogging, think about all the ways slowing down your pace can help boost your physical, mental, and emotional health and improve your life—here are seven benefits of jogging to get your wheels turning.

1. Jogging Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Cardio—no matter the pace—is great for initial weight loss (if that’s your goal), because it engages so many muscles simultaneously that it jacks up your energy needs and, consequently, your calorie burn. Jogging—no matter the pace—will burn more calories than walking, for example. So depending on your weight, pace, and experience level, jogging can help you lose weight or maintain your current weight.

2. Jogging Strengthens Your Immune System

There’s this myth that exercise wears you down and makes you more susceptible to getting sick, but moderate exercise—like jogging—actually strengthens your body’s response to illness, according to research published in the journalFrontiers in Immunology. And while another review of the scientific literature didn’t specifically call out jogging, it did find regular exercisers were less likely to come down with bacterial and viral infections. Longer, more intense exercise has actually been shown to inhibit the process your body uses to protect itself from infections, an older study published in Exercise Immunology Review found—all the more reason to embrace the jogging pace.

3. Jogging Boosts Your Mood

Some days, a mile can feel like a marathon. But even if you’re barely pushing your pace, just one hour of moderate-intensity activity like fast walking (or, ahem, jogging) can decrease the odds of depression, a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry found. And just 30 minutes of jogging was found to instantly lift someone with depression’s mood, reports an older study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. The anxiety- and stress-relieving aspects of moderate exercise last even after your workout, according to additional research published in Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, especially when there aren’t high expectations attached to the activity.

4. Jogging Makes You Smarter

Running seems like a kind of brainless sport, even more so if you’re not chasing a specific pace and just casually jogging. But runners’ brains show different connections involved in higher-level thought than the brains of sedentary people, according to a study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience. The researchers specifically found more connectivity in the areas of the brain that help with working memory, multitasking, attention, decision-making, and the processing of visual and other sensory information. Aerobic exercise was also found to potentially improve executive functioning and protect the brain from decline related to ageing and stress in another scientific review.

5. Jogging Helps You Sleep Better

You probably already know that regular exercise can help you sleep through the night and improve the quality of that sleep. In fact, people who slept less than six and a half hours a night reported logging an extra 75 minutes of sleep per night (more than any drug, FYI) after performing moderate-intensity workouts like running or walking, a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine found. Separate research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health determined that just 30 minutes of running during the week for three weeks was enough to boost sleep and decrease sleepiness during the day.

6. Jogging Helps You Live Longer

No amount of exercise is going to make you live forever, but low-intensity jogs two or three times a week—for a total of 60 to 145 minutes for the week—were found to be the best way to increase longevity, according to research published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology. More specifically, jogging could reduce your risk of dying early from any cause by 30 percent, and from heart attack or stroke by 45 percent, reports one scientific review.

7. Jogging Is Just Plain Fun!

I think we can all agree that getting outside to move your body is a good time. If it wasn’t, none of us would be doing it. You can do it alone, or you can do it with friends, but there are few things you can do nearly every day that make you feel as accomplished and refreshed as a jog. So don’t stress about the labels. Definitely don’t stress about the numbers. Just continue to get out there and enjoy it.

The post Can regular “jogging” make you smarter? appeared first on Runner's World.

For many of us, the suffering is part of the appeal. We spend so much of our lives chasing comfort and convenience that doing something contrary to that is uniquely satisfying and sometimes addicting.

It’s hard to blame those who don’t want in. As much as I love it, my guess is that many people see racing like I see winter camping: peculiar, respectable even, but ultimately more miserable than it’s worth. I also can’t fault runners who choose not to race. Competing isn’t for everyone, and when the pressure of a race sucks the joy from the pursuit—as I saw it do for my older sister in middle school—it’s probably best not to force it.

Harder for me to reconcile are the runners who commit to races and start them, knowing exactly what they’re signing up for, yet bow out before the finish line.

Stages of Quitting

Here’s how it often plays out: A runner prepares well for a race, maybe hyping their fitness levels and race goals on social media, and approaches the starting line with big ambitions (such as running a personal record, winning their age group, or qualifying for the Comrades Marathon ). The gun fires, the runner goes out hard, and, inevitably, things start to get tough.

Maybe the splits are slowing and the goal is slipping away, or a move is made and missed, or a competitor who’s slower on paper is ahead, or it’s just an inexplicable bad day at the office. Or maybe the race is actually going well, but the runner thinks too far down the road, lets doubt creep in, and feels crushed by the toil still ahead. Whatever the cause, it suddenly becomes too much to bear, and the runner steps off the track or course, netting a DNF (“did not finish”) in the results.

Allie Kieffer, a 2:28 marathoner and coach based in Austin, Texas, offers a candid perspective on that process. While she’s turned in some world-class performances in the last several years, including two top-10 finishes at the New York City Marathon, she’s also been open about several DNFs on her résumé. “Originally I started dropping out because I had an ego,” Kieffer says. “In 2019, I dropped out of a race because someone passed me who I thought I was better than,” and she wasn’t prepared to handle it.

Soon, that mentality trickled into workouts. When Kieffer stopped hitting the times she wanted or that her coach had assigned, she stopped early, deeming the day a failure. It happened in more races, too. The thoughts that hijacked her mind would go from, “Oh, this is hard. This shouldn’t be hard.” to “If this is hard and I’m running X pace, I’ll never run my goal time.” to “This is just a waste. I’m not even good enough to hit the goal I’m thinking of.” to “I should just stop.”

And even though quitting can feel like the only good option in the moment, whenever she surrenders to those negative thoughts, it usually strikes her later as a big mistake.

Stopping early, in short, is a slippery slope. Do it once, Kieffer warns, and “it makes it easier to drop out again… It’s just in the back of your mind.” The more you do it, the less you’ll trust yourself to stick it out—a phenomenon I’ve seen play out countless times.

I remember American half marathon record holder Ryan Hall sharing that sentiment when his DNS (did not start) and DNF tally started to grow toward the end of his career. In fact, I saw him peel off a course for the final time in the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon (in which women were given a head start). That moment, and the events that precipitated it, left an indelible impression on me and the way I think about finish lines.

The Urge to Quit

The temptation to quit is one that I—like any runner who’s being honest—know well. Rarely does a race come and go without the thought of dropping out crossing my mind at least once. It’s comforting to know that even the great Meb Keflezighi thought about quitting during every marathon he ran, including the three he won. So did Des Linden, in the early stages of the 2018 Boston Marathon, which she ultimately won in epic fashion.

It’s important to note that a DNF next to a runner’s name never tells the full story. It’s easy to jump to conclusions, but unless you’re privy to the backdrop, best to give others the benefit of the doubt. I also try to withhold judgement from runners, often from developing nations, whose livelihoods ride on their performances. When a race turns south, the decision to save themselves for a better day (and payday) may have less to do with pride than the need to keep their family afloat.

But if the catalyst for throwing in the towel is a missed goal, bruised ego, poor outcome, or something of that nature, my take is that any result is better than no result. Failure is a real and necessary part of sport and not something to opt out of simply because it’s painful.

Quitting is also a dangerous message to send to fans, fellow racers, and young, impressionable athletes, who I fear will internalise the idea that a race is only worth finishing when it’s a slam dunk. Lastly, stopping early is one of the surest ways to sell yourself short. Just ask Meb, Des, and every other athlete who’s managed to make magic out of a near-DNF.

How to Make Finishing Your Default

Here’s advice from Kieffer and other elites on making finishing a habit:

• Avoid an all-or-nothing mentality by setting multiple goals and considering all outcomes. Kieffer says, “When I only think about the best possible scenario happening, my expectations get in the way of finishing the race.”
• Run for reasons other than yourself. Many runners draw extra motivation by running for a cause.
• See a sports psychologist, who can help you overcome mental blocks and replace ill-serving habits.
• Have a sense of humour about the inevitable bad days
• Train with runners who challenge you and expose you to difficult scenarios you may encounter in future races. Referring to her training partners Kieffer says, “We’re a little bit competing every day.”
• Take a note from Jordan Hasay’s perspective on her 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials heartbreak, when she entered with the fastest PR in the field but finished 26^th: “Finished will always be better than did not finish, which always triumphs did not start.”
• Recognise when you’re putting too much emphasis on results, and go back to why you started running in the first place.
• Think of the strength you gain every time you persevere through something hard.

The post Why You Should Almost Always Avoid a DNF appeared first on Runner's World.

She placed second in her debut Two Oceans in 2017 (first SA woman), and ran the fourth-quickest marathon time for a South African woman in 2019, claiming a gold medal in her first Comrades in the same year.

We caught up with Jenna to find out when her running aspirations began, and how they fit in with her future as a powerful and inspirational woman.

No Ballerina

I grew up with two older brothers, who were pretty sporty. Everything and anything they did, I did too.

I never wanted to be left out or left behind, so from a very young age I was very competitive, and tried to keep up with them. I was sport mad, and literally tried everything throughout my school career: swimming, running, judo, gymnastics, ballet, synchro (swimming), life-saving, hockey, netball… you name it, I tried it.

I loved sports, all sports, but I definitely wasn’t a ballet dancer [laughs]. I represented KZN for hockey, athletcis and cross-country, swam in the A swimming team at school.

I was very competitive at surf life-saving, and at the age of 16 I represented Durban Surf at World Champs in New Zealand. This is when I met my husband, Brett – we were in the same team. I think I would say it was at high school – Durban Girls’ College – that my running aspirations developed. I started cross-country when I was 12, and fell in love with running. I loved how it made me feel. I loved the freedom of it, and I loved being able to do well.

I never had the opportunity to have a running-specific coach; but I was very fit from all my sports and channelled that into reaching my goals I set myself…

I clearly remember sitting in a room getting ready for a party with a very good friend of mine, Kate Hector (now Woods), looking over at her bedroom cupboard and seeing all her goals boldly pinned to the door. I was in awe. Kate went on to realise those goals, representing South Africa at the Olympics for hockey, and various other achievements.

I wasn’t brave enough to write my goals down for anyone else to see; but I etched them in my heart, and I knew one day I would achieve them. I’m not scared of working hard. I’m very dedicated, driven and committed, when I put my mind to something. I knew I’d have a shot.

PBs and Babies

I was a young mum, and having three kids puts you out [of running] for a good period of time. I did run throughout all my pregnancies, but never raced after the first trimester, as I didn’t want to risk anything; and I always wore a heart-rate monitor.

“I feel like I’ve waited my whole life to step up to the ultras, because of having young kids. I didn’t want to do it while they were so little, and needed a hands-on mother. 2019 was the perfect time for me.”

After school I went on to study a B.Ed foundation phase degree. I took a bit of a break from running, and did the varsity-life thing – had fun, and kept running socially just to keep fit.

Although I ran a few PBs between having children, it was only in 2012 – after my third daughter, Tao, was born – that I felt complete, and said: “Babies done… it’s time to run!”

And that’s when I moved to the next level in training, racing and focus. I went on an Endurocad camp with Elana Meyer, and was lucky enough to be accepted into the programme. And that’s where I met my coach, Ernie Gruhn, who is still coaching me.

“My long-term goal is a podium finish in the Comrades marathon, one day – and on the right day, possibly even a win, with some luck.”

Injury With Purpose

All was well until I picked up a major injury in 2018, which forced me to stop running for six months and reassess everything. I changed a lot, and now I feel like a new athlete.

I ask for help now. I schedule in recovery, I focus on nutrition, and my sessions are so much more constructive. My injury was a blessing I can honestly say I’m so grateful for.

At the time I was also wondering if I was too old for this level of competitive racing, and if maybe it was time to retire. Well, my injury reignited a flame that is burning brighter than ever – it reminded me how much I absolutely love running, and what a huge part of my world it is. I’m definitely not ready to hang up my shoes now.

I’m loving the journey – especially the process, and the training.

I believe being a mother complements my goals. I have purpose – I run for my daughters, to teach them by example, by showing them how to dream big.

And how to be extremely committed and dedicated, and how to train and work hard to achieve these dreams. They see the highs and the lows, the obstacles I’ve had to overcome as well as the victories and incredible opportunities that have come with that.

I love that they are part of my journey; they inspire me not to give up. They are my biggest fans, along with my husband Brett, and I wouldn’t change my path now for anything.

The post Jenna Challenor On PBs, Babies & Comrades Dreams appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 20

Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 20 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power center, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 19

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Jackknife With Stability Ball

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a stability ball. Engage core to pull the stability ball toward your chest and lift your hips up as you roll the ball forward to your feet. Return to starting position and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground face up, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about 3cm off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 19 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 18

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground faceup with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 18 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 17

Side Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Side Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist/

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 17 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 16

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground faceup, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about an inch off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground faceup with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

Superman

Lie facedown with your legs extended and your hands placed on the ground next to you on each side of your head. Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, extending your arms out in front of you. Contract your glutes and thighs and relax your shoulders and neck. Lower back down and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 16 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 14

Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 14 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power center, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 7

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Jackknife With Stability Ball

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a stability ball. Engage core to pull the stability ball toward your chest and lift your hips up as you roll the ball forward to your feet. Return to starting position and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground face up, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about 3cm off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 13 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 12

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground faceup with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 12 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 11

Side Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Side Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist/

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 11 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 10

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground faceup, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about an inch off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground faceup with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

Superman

Lie facedown with your legs extended and your hands placed on the ground next to you on each side of your head. Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, extending your arms out in front of you. Contract your glutes and thighs and relax your shoulders and neck. Lower back down and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 10 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power center, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 15

Superman

Lie facedown with your legs extended and your hands placed on the ground next to you on each side of your head. Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, extending your arms out in front of you. Contract your glutes and thighs and relax your shoulders and neck. Lower back down and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Jackknife With Stability Ball

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a stability ball. Engage core to pull the stability ball toward your chest and lift your hips up as you roll the ball forward to your feet. Return to starting position and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 15 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 8

Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 8 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power center, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 7

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Jackknife With Stability Ball

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a stability ball. Engage core to pull the stability ball toward your chest and lift your hips up as you roll the ball forward to your feet. Return to starting position and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground face up, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about 3cm off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 7 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 6

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground faceup with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 6 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 5

Side Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Side Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist/

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 5 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 4

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground faceup, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about an inch off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground faceup with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

Superman

Lie facedown with your legs extended and your hands placed on the ground next to you on each side of your head. Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, extending your arms out in front of you. Contract your glutes and thighs and relax your shoulders and neck. Lower back down and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 4 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power center, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 3

Superman

Lie facedown with your legs extended and your hands placed on the ground next to you on each side of your head. Lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor, extending your arms out in front of you. Contract your glutes and thighs and relax your shoulders and neck. Lower back down and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Windshield Wiper

Lie faceup on the ground with your arms straight out from your sides so body forms a “T” and your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your abs braced and lower your legs to the right as far as you can without lifting your shoulders off the floor. Swing your legs to the left and lower as far as possible without lifting shoulders. Continue alternating from side to side for a total time of 50 seconds.

Mountain Climber

Start in a high plank position with your arms straight, wrists over shoulders, and body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Engage your core and draw your left knee as far as you can toward your right elbow. Bring your left foot back to starting position. Then draw your right knee as far as you can toward your left elbow. Continue alternating between legs as fast as possible for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Jackknife With Stability Ball

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a stability ball. Engage core to pull the stability ball toward your chest and lift your hips up as you roll the ball forward to your feet. Return to starting position and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 3 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power centre, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 2

Plank With Reach Through: Left Side

Start in a side plank with your left forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your right arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your left underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Plank With Reach Through: Right Side

Start in a side plank with your right forearm on the floor, your elbow under your shoulder, your feet stacked, and your hips lifted so your body forms one long, straight line. Stretch your left arm up to the ceiling. This is your starting position. Draw your right hand down and reach it below your right underarm as you curl your upper body forward so your shoulders are parallel to the floor. Return to starting position. Repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Hollow Hold to V-Sit

Start lying faceup on the ground. Lift your head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend your arms straight out. Your neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is your hollow hold. Next, engage your abs to lift your chest towards your legs as you bend knees so that body forms a V shape and your shins are parallel to the floor. Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position and repeat for a total of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post 21-Day Abs Challenge: Day 2 appeared first on Runner's World.

By now you probably know that runners need strong cores to maintain efficient running form and posture. But you might not realise that those muscles around your middle are one of the first parts to fire up when you start running.

“Your core is your power center, the home base of your body,” says Lindsey Clayton, RRCA run coach and instructor at Barry’s Bootcamp in New York City. “Having a strong core stabilises your body as you run, and adds power to your arms and legs to drive your body forward.”

To give you some extra motivation for building your core, we put together this 21-day ab challenge with the goal of boosting your overall strength so you can head into winter training with more speed and efficiency than before.

But before you start, Clayton has some words of advice: You don’t have to power through each move or do them as fast as humanly possible. Instead, take your time and breathe through them, fully inhaling and exhaling through each rep. Performing each move with control will help you reap the most rewards.

How to do this challenge:

Each workout listed below is its own circuit. Do Workout 1 on day one, Workout 2 on day two, Workout 3 on day three, so on and so forth. Once you finish Workout 6 on day six, start back at the beginning. Cycle through Workouts 1 through 6 every day for 21 days straight.

Clayton recommends performing each exercise for 50 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each round. For the first 15 days, aim to complete 2 to 3 rounds, and work up to completing 3 to 4 rounds for the last 15 days. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program and stop at any point if something feels off.

Workout 1

Plank March

Start in a high plank position, with your arms straight, your wrists over shoulders, and your body forming a straight line from your head to your ankles. Bend your right elbow to your lower right forearm to the floor. Lower your left forearm to the floor. Extend your right arm, then your left arm back to starting position. Continue to repeat, alternating which arm you start with each time, for a total of 50 seconds.

Jackknife With Stability Ball

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists, but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a stability ball. Engage core to pull the stability ball toward your chest and lift your hips up as you roll the ball forward to your feet. Return to starting position and repeat for a total time of 50 seconds.

Russian Twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet off the floor. Lean back so that your torso and upper body are at a 45-degree angle. With your elbows bent and your hands together, rotate your torso from one side to the other for a total time of 50 seconds.

Leg Lift

Lie on the ground face up, legs straight, and hands under your glutes for support. Lift your legs up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs straight and your back flat against the ground. Slowly lower your legs back down until they’re about 3cm off the ground. Repeat lifting and lowering your legs for a total time of 50 seconds.

Bicycle Crunch With Extension

Lie on the ground face up with both hands behind your head, elbows wide, and legs in tabletop position with knees over hips. Peel your right shoulder off the ground to bring your right elbow toward your left knee, as you extend your right leg straight out. At the same time that you extend your right leg straight out, kick your left leg straight up in the air. Reverse to draw left elbow to right knee as you extend left leg straight and right leg up. Continue alternating for a total time of 50 seconds.

The post Get Stronger With The RW 21-Day Abs Challenge! appeared first on Runner's World.

RELATED: How to Run Safely Amid Coronavirus Concerns

For some runners, that’s a challenge. Running with others can help you stick to your plans and get you through the minutes and kilometres of any level of training. Without that support, you might feel a little daunted at the prospect of running solo. You might even worry that you’ll get out of your normal running routine.

But there are lots of things you can focus on to make solo running feel easier and more enjoyable than you might otherwise think. It starts with learning to keep your regular training schedule and habits.

Don’t Kick the Habit

If you had been training for a big race like a marathon, now’s a good time to scale back your weekly volume and intensity and reset your focus. But this doesn’t mean stopping completely. Keeping some of your usual running habits will help maintain the gains you made during your previous training cycle.

Sticking to training habits can be hard, however, especially if you no longer have structured group sessions to join. Habits are usually set in motion by a trigger (like a reminder to join a group run), and when these triggers disappear, our actions can change, too.

One solution is to recognise other triggers that will maintain your running habits. You might go for a run at your normal training time (a trigger), even if your run is shorter than it had been. Similarly, putting your running gear on first thing in the morning (a trigger) and setting out your training shoes beside the door (a trigger) will help you keep to a regular training schedule.

RELATED: 6 Bad Habits That Make You Likely To Miss A Run

Creating plans to cope with challenges will also keep you on track. It can be useful to think of this plan as having an if part and a then part. The if is the event, and the then is what you will do in response. When you feel less motivated to run solo, for example, a plan that says, “If I don’t feel like running, then I will put my shoes on and step outside before I decide” might help you get started on a run. Once we get started, we’re more likely to continue! The following strategies will also help make that solo run feel easier and more enjoyable.

Tune Out

If you’re able to run safely in a park, beach, or nature trail, it can improve your solo running experience. Running anywhere is a great way to improve our mental health. But recent research has also shown that exercising in natural environments further helps to reduce stress and worry, and lift our mood. Focusing on nature’s scenery and sounds also makes running feel more pleasant and enjoyable, shifting your attention away from the discomfort you might otherwise feel.

If running in nature isn’t an option, listening to music can be a great way of passing solitary training time. Music helps make running feel more pleasant, enjoyable, and less effortful. When developing your playlist, pick songs that you find motivating. Tunes that match your steps-per-minute cadence help your running rhythm. If you’re used to chatting with a running partner, podcasts can also be an excellent way to tune out, listen to some great conversation, and increase your learning at the same time. (Remember to keep safe if you have earbuds in, especially if you’re running on busy roads.)

Tune In: Pace Like a Pro

Although tuning out can take your mind off effort-related sensations, tuning in to how you feel and developing your mental skills can make solo running feel easier and benefit your performance. Noticing tension in your muscles or face, for example, and using that as a cue to relax your hands, arms, or even to smile, can improve your running economy.

Similarly, focusing periodically on your breathing or on how you feel can build your pacing skills. One of the biggest mistakes runners make in races is going too hard at the start of the race, and then eventually suffering the unpleasant consequences as the race progresses. Tuning in to how you feel can help you avoid this scenario. Noticing that your breathing is too heavy can be a cue to slow down, for example. So, rather than distracting from these sensations, using them as a source of information can avoid unpleasant race endings and benefit your performance.

RELATED: 6 Power Exercises Help You Pick Up The Pace

Fine-tuning pacing skills will leave you better prepared when your race eventually comes around. It can also be fun to make a game of this in training. Try running a kilometre at what feels like a certain pace, (say 6 minutes / km)  and check your watch only when the kilometre is complete. How close to that pace did you get? Repeating this strategy not only passes the training kms, but will also help you learn what different paces feel like and avoid going too hard at the start of your next race.

You might even find that running without a watch can help you reconnect with the fun and pleasure of running. After an intense training period in the build up to your postponed race, simply going for a run without any plan for time or distance can be a liberating experience.

Tune In: Talk Like a Pro

Another mental skill you might not focus on when running with others is your own self-talk—those things we say to ourselves in our own heads. Often, when running gets hard, like at the 32-km point of a marathon, our thoughts become negative, like, “Why am I doing this?” or “I can’t go on!” You might repeat similar things when suddenly running solo all the time.

But learning to cope with the discomfort that leads to these thoughts is important. Studies have shown that repeating more positive or motivational statements like, “You can do this” or “Stay on, don’t give up” help make running feel easier, builds your confidence, and gets you through difficult moments.

Changing your self-talk, and developing more positive and motivational statements takes practice, however. Your solo runs over the coming weeks or months can be a great time to try this. Take the following steps:

1. Identify the kind of thoughts you normally have when running gets tough.
2. Develop a list of motivational statements to counter those negative thoughts.
3. Practice your new self-talk statements and find the ones that work best for you.
4. Plan when these might be most useful for you in future.

RELATED: Create Your Own Super-Powerful Running Mantra

Set It, Say It, See It

Staying committed to solo running over the next few months might be challenging. Setting some new goals that inspire you, like completing a rescheduled race, targeting a time you would like to achieve, or identifying a mental skill you want to develop between now and then, will help you regain focus.

There are also many things you can do to help stick with your goals. Telling others, like your usual running group, your family, or friends about your new race goals can help you stay committed to them. This tactic can help your motivation on days you might not feel like running. Your commitment might inspire others to reset their goals, too.

Using mental imagery to see yourself take the start line, or raise your arms as you cross the finish line, can build your commitment and help you stay motivated during the coming months. You can also use imagery to visualize yourself overcoming difficult race moments, like thoughts about quitting, using your new self-talk skills. Not only will this help your preparation, but also build your belief that you can handle any challenges that arise during your next race.

RELATED: 10 Mental Tricks To Run Stronger

Collectively, strategies like tuning out, improving your pacing, learning how to relax, or developing your self-talk can all help make solo running feel easier and more enjoyable to do. Not only that, refining these skills will help you feel better prepared and more confident when you eventually take to the start line for your next race. What’s not to love about that?

This article oringally appeared on runnersworld.com

The post How to Learn to Love Solo Running appeared first on Runner's World.

RELATED: 6 Beginner Running Tips To Help You Get Started!

“[My daughter] was driving, she was getting ready to go out on her own, and so it was finally time to focus on myself,” Haefele told Runner’s World. “It was finally my time.”

Since making that decision, Haefele has run in more than 250 races, including 101 half marathons, and fully adopted a new lifestyle.

“Something about turning 50 makes you realize that now is the time to do all the things you’ve ever wanted to do because you don’t know how much time you have left,” she said. “No more putting things off. You have to go and do it.”

Now 62, Haefele is a retired accountant and who is dedicated to living healthfully and pursuing her fitness goals, which include training for her first 50K race in June.

As a back-of-the-pack runner, Haefele has gained an appreciation for the sport that goes beyond finishing times. And she wants to raise awareness for runners of all ages and body types. Here are five ways that she has found joy in racing and you can too.

Find your community

When Haefele signed up for her first 5K, she was intimidated. Aside from the occasional pilates class, she hadn’t tested her fitness before the race, and she wasn’t sure if she would be welcomed in a competitive running environment. She imagined the start line would be filled with younger, fitter athletes, and she worried she would be the only person her age. But Haefele was pleasantly surprised to find runners of varying ages and ability levels.

“I was afraid that they were all going to turn their heads and say, ‘What is this fat old lady doing here?’ And it wasn’t like that at all,” Haefele said. “It was much more welcoming than I thought and much more diverse.”

RELATED: Crush Your Next 5-K!

After enjoying her first 5K, Haefele took running a step further by competing in her first half marathon in 2012. In the same year, she also took part in her first seven-day kayak sojourn along the Schuylkill River.

Over the years, Haefele has made true friends in the running community who have contributed to her life in unexpected ways. For example, when she injured her knee in the middle of a 5K and was unable to continue running, a competitor she didn’t know helped her reach the finish line. “She gave up her own race to help me. That’s always stayed with me,” Haefele said.

“I’ve just made so many connections in the running world and they’re the kind of people that want to lift you up,” she said. “And I needed that. I searched for that my whole life and I finally found it in running.”

Know that the process is an accomplishment

After completing nearly 300 races, Haefele is now training for her first 50K in 2020. By following the training programme in the book Running Your First Ultra by Krissy Moehl, she’s already discovered a sense of accomplishment in the preparation.

“The training is a challenge in itself so it feels good to look at each week’s training, plan it out around my part-time job and babysitting my grandkids,” she said.

Haefele has created a spreadsheet to track her training, which includes three weeks of build-up and a down week for six months. Every workout has a box that she colors in. Green means that she completed the workout and red indicates that she was unable to finish it. Most of the spreadsheet is green.

“If I do the training, I’m going to be more fit than I’ve ever been and that’s kind of a cool goal in itself,” she said.

Define what success means to you

In most of Haefele’s races, she finishes last or close to last, but position doesn’t matter to her. All she wants to do is continue running. For Haefele, success is rooted in effort.

RELATED: 12 Habits of Highly Motivated Runners

“It means just being able to do it,” she said. “Just being able to show up, that is a success as far as I’m concerned. Finishing is even better, but just being able to keep showing up—that’s all I want.”

While a common goal for most runners is to lower times, Haefele focuses on a different objective. When she trained to get faster, she would become injured, so she decided to celebrate the accomplishment of finishing at a pace that feels comfortable. And the results have surprised her.

By slowing down, “I can go longer and I can do more, like I can run 23 half marathons in a year,” she said. “I can do two in one weekend. I can do four in seven days, but I can’t do them any faster.”

RELATED: Training Pace Calculator

Don’t stress over your finish

Finishing last is a fear for many runners, but Haefele doesn’t think that should stop anyone from giving running a shot.

“I’ve been last many times,” she said. “First of all, hardly anybody cares or notices and the people that do are super supportive. Sometimes the last person gets the loudest cheer!”

Use your voice

The biggest challenge that Haefele faces in races is finishing within the event time limit, before the race shuts down and the roads are reopened. Most marathons are cut off around seven hours. The 2020 London Marathon mass start begins at 9:30 a.m., and the cutoff time is 7:00 p.m.

Because Haefele is usually one of the last runners to finish, she has to make sure that the time limit gives her enough wiggle room to complete the distance.

While she’s been unable to compete in certain events due to the time limit, Haefele is speaking up about pace inclusion. Before signing up for a race, she contacts the race directors to discuss the event’s time limit policy to know what she’s in for. While she hasn’t persuaded any race directors to extend their time limits yet, she believes starting conversations about pace helps give a voice to other runners who are also in the back of the pack.

“I respect their reasons for time limits,” she said. Still, “I talk about my experiences and I think race directors are starting to listen to that sort of thing. They realise we’re out there.”

This article originally appeared on runnersworld.com

The post How This 50-Year-Old Back-of-the-Pack Runner Finds the Joy in Racing appeared first on Runner's World.

Add that to the research showing that just small bursts of intense physical activity like sprints can supercharge your weight loss—as little as 8 seconds to 30 seconds of all-out effort at a time, according to one review of the literature out there—and it’s no surprise that more and more people are adding intervals to their training.

RELATED: The Difference Between Fartlek, Tempo and Interval Runs

But let’s be honest: Have you ever wondered what the real-world implications of this actually are? How much can mere minutes of exercise per week really help if you are trying to lose weight?

For David Paul Kirkpatrick, former president of Paramount Pictures, the answer was simple: a lot.

Kirkpatrick, not one to shy away from a goal—at the age of 66, he logged 100,000 steps in a day—found a sprinting routine that helped him get his fitness back. And he lost some significant weight in the process.

Years ago, when the 68-year-old lived in Santa Monica, California, as a young studio executive, he ran on the beach every morning, but did not stick with that habit. As a result, as the years went by and his schedule became even more packed, his weight creeped up along with it.

As Kirkpatrick told Runner’s World, he has a body type that tends to put on extra weight easily. When he reached his heaviest—92.5kg—and found his fitness level declining, he knew he had to do something about it.

He wanted something that was easy to stick to—and fun enough that he would want to exercise regularly.

A chance conversation last year with a friend from Chicago gave him just the impetus he needed: His friend suggested that Kirkpatrick run “like I was five years old again.”

So he did. Chasing a soccer ball is what helped him get back into it, he wrote in an article for Medium.

“It was like a switch went on. My body went into reboot. It was amazing,” he told Runner’s World.

Now, Kirkpatrick follows his sprinting regimen three times a week—taking one rest day between each interval set. He does seven sprints over a seven-minute period, sprinting for as long as he can stand it, which is about 15 seconds, and then recovering for 45 before doing it all over again.

RELATED: How To Add Speed Workouts To Marathon Training

And, his sprinting plan is actually in line with research. A recent meta-analysis found that people who engaged in sprint-interval training (exercise equal to or higher than your VO2 max) lost 29 percent more bodyweight than those who engaged in continuous moderate-intensity exercise. So, it makes sense that adding chasing after a soccer ball to his routine would help boost his weight loss.

Plus, a study published in the ACSM Health and Fitness Journal laid out the benefits of a 7-minute workout, using a mix of bodyweight and high-intensity interval training. While this method incorporates full-body moves, the high-intensity nature of Kirkpatrick’s seven minutes of sprinting follows the same principle.

And though he didn’t set out with a weight loss goal in mind, adding sprinting to his weekly routine, combined with a diet change, has led him to a 20-kg weight loss. (He cut out low-quality carbs like crackers and cookies, focusing instead on whole, plant-based foods. He gets the majority of his protein from chicken, fish, and nuts.)

Kirkpatrick also makes sure to boost physical activity throughout the day, even when he’s not sprinting. He calls himself a compulsive step counter, and makes sure to get 10,000 steps in each day.

RELATED: 4 Ways Running Is Best For Weight Loss

That, combined with sprinting and diet change, has helped him reach 72.5 kgs—the weight he was in high school.

“The leanness is surely from sprinting. I never had that with running on the beach in Santa Monica,” he says.

While Kirkpatrick’s 21 minutes of weekly sprints was not a magic bullet—he combined it with diet changes and increased physical activity throughout the day—it does show the benefits of how just a little bit of sweat can yield big results. So go ahead, listen to the research: Add some intervals to your routine, and your body just may thank you, too.

This article originally appeared on runnersworld.com

The post How Just 21 Minutes of Sprinting Each Week Helped This Man Lose 20 Kgs! appeared first on Runner's World.

Growing up in Gugulethu township on the Cape Flats, Nombewu had not only physical vulnerabilities to deal with, but also the pressure of township living. The embodiment of hope and resilience, she realised at an early age that regular exercise would be a soothing escape from her sometimes painful reality, and began jogging for about 20 minutes twice a week. This escape, and a feeling of vitality and achievement that followed, gave her a growing level of courage to accept her vulnerabilities and a desire to achieve more. “Running helped me let go of fear and self-doubt and what people may or may not have thought of me,” she says.
RELATED: Cape Town Marathon 2019: All You Need To Know!

As Nombewu’s confidence grew, she decided to join a running club. Initially she thought a club for visually impaired people would be the obvious choice, but she then realised that she wanted that same highs and lows as any other runner would experience, so she joined RCS Gugulethu Athletic Club. “I felt vulnerable because of my low vision, but the friends I formed in the running club were incredible and before long I wanted to do longer distance running,” she says.

Running-club mates began taking turns to run alongside her and support her. Her confidence grew even further, propelling her to start competing in half and full marathons around the country.

Nombewu is part of a two-member team from Ocal Global, a non-profit organisation that empowers differently abled people to reach their goals and become agents of change in their communities, which will be taking part in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. The other member, Nicolene Anley, the founder of Ocal Global will be taking part in the 10km PEACE Run linked to the marathon.

“I’m running this marathon to celebrate life,” Nombewu says. “It’s a privilege to participate in these races, because they give me the gift of movement.” She will also be using the prestigious IAAF Gold Label-status Sanlam Cape Town Marathon as a means to qualify for the 2020 Comrades Ultra Marathon.

RELATED: Get Cape Town Marathon Race-Day Ready!

“Like normal people would say, ‘The sky is the limit’, and why should it be any different for us with disabilities?” Nombewu says. “I hope that by running the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, I can show my fellow differently abled South Africans that anything is possible, that anyone can reach their full potential.”

Best of luck to Vuyo!

Click here for more information on this weekend’s Cape Town Marathon.

The post Visually-Impaired Takes On 2019 CT Marathon appeared first on Runner's World.

THE WAKE-UP

My story began almost 29 years ago. I was the fat girl at high school who wore a size 40 to the matric ball, and I carried my extra weight into adulthood. No one would tell me the truth about how huge I was becoming; instead, they sugar-coated it with compliments – looking back, did I really need any more sugar? My struggles unacknowledged, I turned to emotional eating to numb my pain.

Eventually, I grew tired of feeling uncomfortable and ugly. I remember feeling inspired by one woman’s weight-loss journey, which I followed on Facebook in 2016. After seeing one particular photo she had posted, I contacted her to ask her how she’d done it.

RELATED: How To Get Started If You’ve Got More Than 25kg To Lose

THE SHAKE-UP

Being a single mom with two jobs presents me with two weight-loss challenges: finding the time to fit in exercise around a busy schedule, and finding the money for a gym membership and fancy diet food.

Believe you me, I’d love to strengthen my upper body at the gym and banish my bingo wings! But I’ve found running holds me accountable, and it has made me powerful in other ways. I started running three times a week: twice with the Brimstone Itheko Running Club, and once on my own. I also managed to fit in races at the weekend, if my work schedule allowed.

I called myself ‘Budget Bokkie’ on social media because I wanted to prove – to myself and to others – that you don’t have to break the bank to swop cakes, pastries and scones for sugar-free options.

RELATED: 8 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight!

THE REWARD

When I transitioned from walking to running, I set myself the modest goal of running 5km without stopping. Now I’m working on running 10km a little more comfortably, and I’m training for my first half marathon.

Getting fat happens gradually; losing weight is an even slower process. But the rewards are worth the effort. I’ve made friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise. And knowing that my son, who is my biggest supporter, is watching me makes me want to inspire him to lead a healthy lifestyle, too.

Do I feel better about myself? Hell, yes!

Inspired by Jasmine’s weight-loss journey? Sign up now for our 12-week, gym-free weight-loss plan!

The post Jasmine Ran Off 25kg! Here’s How She Did It appeared first on Runner's World.

I watch as they climb the hill, effortlessly, almost poetically. My admiration for this is enough to take my mind off the fact that in comparison, I myself am finding the same elevation extremely labour intensive.

I find them relaxing at the summit, and stop for a chat. They’re 33-year-old Anda Lubelwana and 31-year-old Phumlani Nxusani from Imizamo Yethu (IY), a township in Hout Bay. It appears that they and one of the other runners from IY, 32-year-old Admire Rushika, can run a marathon in under 2hr30 – which should mean they’re capable of finishing in the top 10 at Comrades, if not winning it.

Other success stories from IY include those of Nomvuyo Spamla and Nomawethu Nika, two 43-year-old friends who finished their first Comrades in 2018.

There’s talent in IY, and these runners work hard. So the basics are certainly there. But at the same time, I’m aware of the harsh reality that athletes from low-income communities face when it comes to affording race entries, running shoes and good nutrition.

Who’s helping them?

Humble Beginnings

All of the runners I meet were born into large families in rural farming communities.

After her mother left her, Nika became one of 14 grandchildren living in one house in Tarkastad, a semi-urban settlement in the Eastern Cape. She remembers her grandfather going out to the fields to milk cows and collect wood. Rushika grew up in Zimbabwe’s Hurungwe Province, where tobacco, maize and soya beans are grown.

There used to be a competition in Anda Lubelwana’s village. He and the other children would run, and whoever covered a certain distance first would be given mielies – the first time he won this prize was the first time Lubelwana realised he was good at running.

At the time, this was his only experience of running. Many in the townships do not have access to the information on the internet about races, training programmes and advice. As with many of South Africa’s talented runners, his circumstances had effectively kept him in the dark.

Noma Nika was fortunate. Her grandmother treated her well, and she grew up to be a confident woman. But Nomvuyo Spamla wasn’t so lucky; her eight siblings bullied her for being shy. Children look to their immediate family for encouragement, love and support, and if they don’t receive this affirmation, their self-belief suffers.

“I found it difficult to talk openly about myself, and I didn’t know what I wanted,” Spamla reveals.

She dropped out of school when she was 15 years old. Her parents separated, and her mother, who is uneducated, decided they would move to Cape Town in 1990. Spamla had to look for a job to support her family. Now, she works as a house manager for a Cape Town-based company.

Nika didn’t pass matric either. She too came to Cape Town looking for work, in 1999 – and by then, she had two children to support. She found work as a domestic worker, and enjoyed looking after children. She found her calling: now, she works for a charitable organisation called Shine Literacy, which works with local and international volunteers to help children with reading and writing.

The Why

Though they come from similar backgrounds, these athletes all took up running for different reasons.
Noma Nika is well-travelled: she was the first black South African woman to climb the seven summits of the world. But it was time for a new challenge.

She remembers watching the Two Oceans participants pass IY. Members of her community were out in their droves, cheering and shouting words of encouragement. It was clear they were passionate about the race; and yet, none of them were taking part in it.

“I wanted to be one of the runners inspiring my local community,” she says.

But many race-entry systems in South Africa are set up in a way that discriminates against the uneducated and those without easy access to the internet.

Nomvuyo Spamla had dreamed of racing the Comrades ever since seeing the race on television when she was 16. But she hadn’t the confidence to even start running – until she had a health scare, in 2016.

Spamla remembers it was early in the morning, before 6am, and the weather was cold. She was waiting for a taxi in Cape Town city centre when she began to experience severe stomach cramps. Concerned, she informed her boss she wasn’t coming in to work that day.

“My boss asked me if I’d ever had a Pap smear,” Spamla recalls. “After I explained I hadn’t, she took me to Christiaan Barnard Hospital.”

A gynaecologist told her initial tests showed ‘unknown cells’, which were a possible indication of cancer of the womb. Thankfully, further tests ruled this out, and doctors later believed Spamla’s pain had been caused by a minor issue in her colon. Although her pain eventually subsided, she had gained weight. She was advised to eat healthily, and exercise.

“I couldn’t follow a strict diet because I didn’t have the money to buy expensive health food,” Spamla says. “We are what we have – I ate fruit, vegetables and lean protein when I could. I also started running twice a week.”

But when they discovered she had started running, some of the residents of IY accused her of wanting to be ‘white’. Admire Rushika was met with the same reaction back in 2010, when they discovered he was running the 5km stretch from Llandudno Construction, where he worked, to his home. Running was seen as a sport only the rich could afford to do.

And yet, none of these runners were deterred – especially Rushika, and Anda Lubelwana. When you come from a township, the prize money for winning Comrades could literally change your life.

When Lubelwana moved to IY from the Eastern Cape, he struggled to find a job, because of his lack of education – and there was a language barrier. Now he has a job pushing trolleys at a local supermarket; but that’s doesn’t bring in enough for him to afford decent nutrition and running shoes.

The How

When marathon runner and mountaineer Evelina Tshabalala [third lady at the Two Oceans Ultra in 1993] still lived in Hout Bay, she used to bring runners from IY to the Hout Bay Harriers weekly 5km time trial. Admire Rushika was one of them. He’d never run a race before, and didn’t even own a pair of running shoes; yet he won it at his first attempt, in 2010.

“When we’d run past IY in Hout Bay colours at Two Oceans, we’d get the most incredible support,” says Graham Botha, former Hout Bay Harriers Chairman. “And as excited as they were, I imagined they would be even more excited if there were people from IY among us.

“We had these talented guys, running fast times at our time trial – and they all wanted to do races, which was something we had to address. But it was never about finding super-talented runners to make the club famous; it was more a case of getting a mix of runners that would reflect our community.”
It was time to bridge the gap.

The Harriers decided to set up a development programme, managed by some of its committee members and now run by Botha. An advertisement was placed in a local newspaper calling for new runners to sign up for a 10-week beginners’ training programme, hosted by the club.

Around 50 people responded, and each was charged a fee of R300. The proceeds were used to help runners from IY with race entries, transport to races, and running kit. In addition, more affluent runners donated their old running gear.

But the real game-changer was an annual half marathon, the Chappies Challenge. The entry fees from this race alone gave the Harriers such a boost, they could afford to send their development runners to Comrades – something they’d never been able to do before.

“Last year, we weren’t given permission to use Chapman’s Peak Drive and had to cancel our race, which has had a serious impact on our development programme,” says former Harriers chairman and current committee member Gregson Lubbe. “This year, we’re only sending two runners to Comrades, and even that’s a stretch.”

Noma Nika was one of the runners who’d dreamed of running Comrades, and the Harriers made it happen. She remembers the first time she ran with the club – on a 5km route, from the old clubhouse at the Yacht Club to the Hout Bay Checkers and back. Before that, she’d been running alone on Hout Bay’s leafy Valley Road. The Harriers were keen to teach her the basics of running, from what to eat to how long to run for in training. From such humble beginnings, she eventually made it to Comrades in 2017.

“But I didn’t make the cut-off at Comrades. I had just seven kays to go,” she says. “A guy from Durban gave me his medal, on condition that I would earn my own the following year, and give his medal back to him.”

In the same year, Nika met Nomvuyo Spamla, who waited for her at the finish line of the Cape Town Marathon.

“I knew Noma was the only black woman living in IY who ran for the Harriers,” Spamla says. “I had recently joined the club, having been encouraged to do so by Francis, one of the members I’d met running up Chappies. In fact, the other members sometimes got me and Noma mixed up!”

The pair formed a close friendship: Spamla had dreamed of running Comrades since age 16, and Nika had unfinished business. They began training for Comrades together – anything between 5km and 13km on weekdays, and a long run of up to 46km at the weekend.

“It was never about making the club famous – it was more a case of getting a mix of runners that would reflect our community.”

Nika had the confidence to boost Spamla’s self-belief at times when she felt scared. And because Spamla was a faster runner (she finished Comrades in an impressive time of 9:46.34), Nika had to work that little bit harder in preparation for her second attempt at finishing the race.

“I remember panicking on race day, because I hadn’t been able to finish the year before,” Nika recalls.

“I was looking for a portaloo, but the road was closed and I had to jump over a fence to get to it.

“I never felt tired though. My legs felt fine. But I was struggling to breathe.

“I saw Graham at 13 kilometres to go. He said to me, ‘Noma, you’re going to hate yourself if you don’t finish. You have two hours and seven minutes left – walk if you have to!’

“Then, at 10km to go, there were these guys who were sitting at the side of the road drinking. I’d never touched a drop of alcohol in my life, but I remembered something my grandfather used to say about brandy being good for treating respiratory symptoms when you have the flu.

“So I asked them what they were drinking. Whisky, they replied. I told them I wanted a tot – and to make it a strong one. And you know what, it actually worked! I ran the last 10km.

“Crossing the finish line, Vuyo and I shared happiness we couldn’t share with anyone else. Even if we told other people how we felt, they wouldn’t understand.”

New heights

While the pack runs hosted by the Harriers aren’t fast enough for guys who can run a marathon in under 2hr30, the club gave Admire Rushika and Anda Lubelwana the opportunity to showcase their talent to elite running clubs that could help them with structured training programmes.

Rushika’s proudest racing achievement is winning the Prison to Prison Marathon (his time: 2:25.17), which was when he was discovered by Nedbank Running Club. Lubelwana was later signed by KPMG (now Murray & Roberts Running Club).

“I used to live in Hout Bay, and often saw Anda running there,” says trail-running star and fellow Murray & Roberts athlete Nic de Beer. “I asked some of the locals what he did for a living, and where he lived. Anda and I met for coffee, and I told him we wanted him to join us. We offered to pay for his travel, accommodation and entries to races.”

In 2013, Lubelwana started running with Phumlani Nxusani, who also lives in IY and runs for Nedbank Running Club.

“We woke up early and met outside the police station, at the entrance to IY,” Lubelwana recalls. “We started with 400m repeats, which was my first taste of serious training. The following day we ran to Noordhoek via Chapman’s Peak, and the day after that, we ran past the World of Birds on Valley Road and continued onto Victoria Road, all the way to the Twelve Apostles Hotel.”

The pair runs twice a day, six days a week. On a typical Sunday morning, they might run 50km in 3hr55; and on any given weekday afternoon, complete a speed- or hill-training session.

Since Lubelwana has followed a structured training programme under the guidance of his friend, he’s racked up a string of impressive personal bests in the marathon (2:23.13) and the Comrades (6:07.42).
“When he travelled to the Comrades in 2018, it was the first time he’d been on a plane,” De Beer recalls. “I can still picture the excitement on his face.”

As Lubelwana’s story illustrates, South Africa’s richest running talent is alive and well in its poorest communities. If these athletes were nurtured, they could become stars.

And while Nika isn’t going to win any races, her story is equally inspiring. She worries about the issue of those in IY who are overweight, and the serious health implications this has for the people in her community.

But if Nika can motivate just one of her sons to take up running, a change will have begun.

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