Heya and welcome back to Five Things Running!
This might be an odd thing to write, but I really enjoy running when fall kicks in and it’s a bit cooler and lightly raining outside. I also like running in the fog, which I did Thursday morning and could hardly see the water of the river I was running next to. What I like even more is getting back inside and taking a nice hot shower. This Sunday I had a great run in the misty morning rain and I wanted to run much longer, but I had to back by the end of my daughter’s cheerleading practice.
It’s only three weeks until the 35th edition of the Adventslauf, my favorite race of the year. I’m slowly getting back into shape and I’m looking forward to running 26km around Lake Ratzeburg, where I went to high school. The race is sold out and this will be so much fun!
Remember to get your Waldlauf apparel - it’s ideal for fall days, especially when you’re not running in the rain!
Here’s this week’s Five Things Running!
Why I Run
I learned, through practice, how to stay calm under stress. There were some deeper lessons, too. To improve at running, you have to make yourself uncomfortable and push yourself to go at speeds that seem too fast. The same is true in a complicated job. Our minds create limits for us when we’re afraid of failure, not because it’s actually time to slow down or stop. Which has done more to shape my mind: running or work? I don’t know. But I do think that those two parts of my life are now deeply intertwined.
I’m really looking forward to reading The Running Ground by Nicholas Thompson. I listened to him on a few podcasts before and I love his writing about running.
Unsponsored, injured, broke – and finally at peace. My 2025 Season Recap
This was supposed to be my revenge tour. My comeback story after two years of injuries, setbacks, heartbreak. My “I knew I could do it,” my “it was all worth it,” my “Wow, she’s an inspiration and a true testament of never giving up!”
And yet, I found myself watching the USA Track and Field Championships on the TV at home. Again. For the third year in a row.
There’s two main reasons why this happened:
My Achilles flared up with a vengeance, and
I ran out of money.
I think it’s good to read about how hard running can be when you want to pursue it professionally.
Trail Running Nutrition Subscriptions: Convenience, Cost Savings, and the Future
As I prep for my next training block, I’m thinking about the nutrition I’ll need to support my long training runs. Given how cyclical training and racing are, I can’t help but wonder if trail nutrition feels ripe for disruption from a business model standpoint.
We’ve seen this playbook transform other industries. Think Dollar Shave Club for razors, NatureBox for snacks, Quip for oral care, and Netflix for TV and film. Now, it’s spreading into wellness. AG1 may be the most (in)famous example, but Gnarly, Momentous, and Cadence all offer flexible subscription plans for supplements and hydration.
I think this is a brilliant idea. Energy gels are to damn expensive and I’m not just saying this because none of the big brands are sponsoring this newsletter. I found a supplier that sells gels for around 1€ and I’m sure that it won’t make a different for my performance if I’d spend 3€ more on gels. Anyhow, I think a d2c subscription business for gels would be a true gamechanger.
Mastering the Ultra - Do Older Women Have Endurance Superpowers?
In challenging ultramarathons where women make up less than 20% of the field, we often see strong finishes from female Masters athletes - and sometimes even outright wins. So what’s going on? Do older women indeed have a super power?
[…]
The science is pretty clear on this matter – the answer is no! But, inevitably, it’s complicated.
It might be complicated, but when you look at the results of really long ultra races, you clearly see much more women leading the pack.
Goodbye to Independence
We will undoubtedly read what’s good and what’s bad about this in the usual German trail magazines and websites. Still, it will be most interesting to see what the “consumer”—what the runners themselves—will say.
For those who always paired the ZUT and the UTMB Series events every year, it will be nice not to have to choose one over the other. The traditionalists, on the other hand, will argue that the ZUT will lose its soul, having been acquired by the big bad corporation.
I have never been to ZUT, or any UTMB race for that matter, but I think it is a commercially good idea to include a German race in the UTMB.
Thanks to COROS for supporting this publication!
If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it here:
Now, go running!
— Nico
🏃🏻♂️