Train Smarter | Run Faster | Stay Healthy
Train Smarter | Run Faster | Stay Healthy
I coached runners for years before I could explain why some improve and some just… don’t. My kid isn’t the most talented one on his basketball team. Not close. But he’s getting better faster than the kids who are. Same […]
Something that most runners won’t say out loud: you’re not where you thought you’d be, and it’s not because you’re lazy or broken. It’s possibly because you walked straight into the same trap that derails 80% of runners this time […]
Running science is amazing and over the last 20-30 years has made some serious advances to help pros as well as amateurs perform their best, recover well, and avoid more injuries (ironically, now we’ve had as many if not more […]
The faster you want to run, the more expensive it gets—and I’m not talking about shoes. Einstein had this formula. It’s E=mc². Short hand for energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. Here’s why that matters for running: […]
The guilt from missing your run does more damage than missing the actual run. Never stress about missed runs. You’re actually punishing yourself twice for the same thing. Here’s what actually happens when you miss a run: That’s it. That’s […]
As I say goodbye to my 43rd year around the sun, I thought I’d share my 43 best things I’ve learned as a runner through my life. Take one and remix it, or all 43. Just don’t make the silly […]
Your Strava Year Wrapped is useless data pØrn that won’t make you faster in 2025 – Do This Instead. Most people set New Year’s resolutions. For me, that fails to work; it just feels vague and unclear. So instead, I […]
Real Running Thoughts: The Luxury Hierarchy Once you see this, a lot of the weird guilt and justification around running disappears. Okay, so here’s a framework that explains a lot about running culture. Luxury goods are interesting. They’re scarce and […]
I can tell exactly what kind of marathon runner you are in 30 seconds. Not from your time… but more from the way you talk about the race. I’m stuck between two levels. Earlier this year, I chased volume like […]
The Push of Patient Racing vs the Pull of Forced Pacing There’s something oddly liberating about letting fitness dictate the race, rather than the other way around, which is where most people pick an arbitrary time (i.e., sub-3 hours for […]
There’s a part of me that runs—not for fitness, but for rhythm, for grounding, for remembering who the heck I am when life starts feeling like a browser with too many tabs open. I landed in Ethiopia carrying more tension […]
I just caught up in real life with a long-time good friend — Chris Tubbs, aka Iron Clydesdale. He’s not one of those “soft people don’t do hard things” hype bros on the internet. He walks the walk: Cancer survivor, […]
You might’ve seen pro golfer Scottie Scheffler’s press conference after winning the British Open. He straight-up said, “What’s the point? I love this stuff, but you win; it’s great for two minutes, and then you’re like… WTF do I do […]
The Run Is the Easy Part The actual run? 30 minutes. Maybe 32 if I’m feeling wild. But the whole event? Easily 75. Every… damn… time. Because running isn’t just running. It’s: Then you run. And that’s the easy part. […]
I was standing in the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to finish my lunch, when it hit me. “I wear my running shoes all the time—but I only log the runs. What about everything else — Errands, gym time, and […]
It’s so obvious, but I never did it until a few months ago. “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal, 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. There are a […]
Meet Alex. Self-coached, thirtysomething, wears a GPS watch and watches too many YouTube videos. You probably know an Alex. You might be an Alex. In a good week, Alex nails all the runs. He hits the gym for strength training. […]
Paul Graham running even though he’s not a runner… There’s this trap I fall into where I keep believing progress should feel good. That getting fitter or sharper means riding a constant high, like I’m the poster child for some […]
Being nice is harder than running a marathon. And most people quit at mile 2. Okay, let’s talk about people. Specifically, the kind of people who make you question your life choices. You know the ones—random jerks, passive-aggressive coworkers, that […]
Here’s a slightly dangerous question to ask yourself mid-week: “Is this giving me energy or draining me dry?” It sounds simple. But runners (and those silly regular humans) are experts at ignoring that little dashboard light. We confuse struggle with […]
Ever stare at your watch mid-run and wonder, “Why the hell am I not getting faster?” You’re not broken. You’re bamboo. Here’s the thing: bamboo spends three to five years growing roots underground before you ever see a stalk. You’d […]
The 4 Burners Theory for Runners: You Can’t Cook It All at Once I got 75% into my last marathon block and hit a wall. Not the running kind, but the existential mind-melting, inner workings kind. Fifteen minutes post long […]
Running isn’t just about getting from point A to point B. Public transportation, planes and cars have covered that for most of us. Running is about figuring out how to get better, stronger, and faster without feeling like you’re going […]
I’m lazy. Not the “do-nothing” lazy but the smart lazy. The kind of lazy that makes you think, How can I get great results while putting in the least amount of effort upfront? You know, in theory, it’s not really possible, but if you […]
Comic by Mark Remy of Dumbrunner.com “Good luck in your race.” Every time I hear it, I throw up a little in my mouth. I get it because it’s a thing people say. I feel like it’s similar to saying […]
Fitness is basically a lease with zero option to buy—and if you skip a few payments, the repo man shows up faster than it will take you to read this newsletter. For years I’ve been mulling over this paradox in […]
Illustration by Liz Fosslein Want to run forever? Treat this unsexy anti-hack like a drug. The difference between success and failure is rarely inspiration. It’s something far less sexy — It’s showing up. Amateurs wait for motivation, but the pros? […]
They are all the same | You can hide in it all I’ve gone on and on about why I’m not racing before, but this feels different, so please give me two minutes of your time. I always need something […]
You know the feeling — That hunger for a new best time and the general excitement of pushing yourself harder. But somewhere along the way, that thrill turns into a weird frustration. Why do you think that is? Alan Watts […]
Alright, so here’s the thing—I used to be that person who had to do everything exactly as planned. Gym three times a week? YEZZIR! Even if it meant skipping other important stuff or forcing myself through a session, I wasn’t […]
This is more of a note to my 20-year-old self. Manipulation isn’t just from others; it’s actually yourself. Distractions make you vulnerable by tricking you into thinking they are a priority (they feel urgent right now but are not important). […]
You don’t have less fear; you just bring more soldiers to the fight | Fear, suffering, resistance and bravery In August 2024, I completed the seventh of a “half-marathon-a-year for ten years” self-challenge. For some reason, I keep forgetting about […]
January is my birthday month, and I’ve grown to kind of love and slightly hate it. As most people age, you usually don’t want to think about getting older. I kinda skip over it and, on occasion, have forgotten my […]
The perfect framework to scale anything Hey, so here are the only three things you need to do if you want to be a better runner, run farther or run faster. That’s it—more, better, new. Let’s dive into it further. […]
What Is the Anterior MidCingulate Cortex (aMCC)? Right now, I’m on this David Goggins kick. Yeah, I’m seven years late; I assumed I knew everything in his book from his social media, and yeah, I was wrong. I think the […]
WHAT IF THE BEST WAY TO PLAN YOUR FUTURE IS BY EXAMINING WHAT YOU HATED IN THE PAST? 2024 is ending, and 2025 is about to start. I don’t care for New Years resolutions so in the past I would […]
There are two ways I’ve approached running over the years. And tbh, it really goes back and forth depending on where my head is. Past At first, I started running. I played mental games. I’ll put my shoes on, walk […]
Let me tell you a story that might bend your mind a bit—it’s about when I almost blew up my own running progress by being too mindful. Sounds wild, right? How could being present and aware ever be a bad […]
What the 2008 Disney x Pixar movie Wall-E got right about humans I’m pretty sure I’m offending someone in the world with the saying, “Soft people don’t do hard things.” Hell, I have it printed out on my wall behind […]
How do you feel after this sentence; Running isn’t a real sport because real sports require skill. Is running really just a challenging competition with yourself? Does an activity like bowling take more skill than running? Does that make it […]
This past weekend, the Sydney Marathon punched me in the face, and I was not ready for how great it would feel. I’ve just wrapped up a really intense last four days of hanging out around the Sydney Marathon. I didn’t even […]
Self-honesty was non-existent The lie all started in 2018. I was struggling to figure out what race I should focus on. My kid was coming along, and I knew I needed to buckle down and focus on one race. I […]
Boundaries & Limits. They have different functions. Think about your running routine. The training schedule is your boundary. You can push close to it and flirt with those mileage markers without risking total burnout. The electrified third rail, though—that’s your […]
I found out sun tea isn’t even a thing but then found out these teas help runners recover instead – thanks ChatGPT. I read this blog from Seth Godin about sun tea. Short summary TLDR – The photos of the […]
“It is impossible to evaluate, or even understand anything you can’t measure.” Arthur Jones This is Part 1 of “How/Why I’m attempting to run faster by 1% each year over the next 10 years” series. You can read the full series […]
“Do as little as needed. Not as much as possible” –Tim Ferriss | The 4 Hour Chef Why am I running a marathon with the least amount of training? Might as well test it out and live this experiment. I’ve lived an […]
The above statements sum up what’s been on my mind over the past 12 months or so while training for something that pushes me out of my comfort zone (#understatement). So… I’m here. Where is here you may ask? It’s […]