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I back to running! Well, sort of. I run three days in a row last week, everything was smooth, just 6km around the city park. Then I had some knee pain, then some pain in the forefoot, then I jumped down some stairs to catch a subway and tweaked my ankle, then I didnât run the rest of the week. Diclophenac is my friend, again. And adding insult to injury, I asked Gemini about the knee pain, which was a new sort of pain, and I told Gemini how it happened and Gemini replied something along the lines of âwell, we both know that running on three consecutive days is not something you should doâ, which was both condescending and probably right.
Well, I will sit out another day and then run again. Also, I like Claude much more than smart-ass Gemini, just for the record.
How is your running going?
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Welcome to Running
Sometimes running can reinforce a presentist mindset â where all that matters is this race now, regardless of the damages incurred. My caution is to resist this mindset. Have a long view of your life, including life in the years beyond sport. I often recommend that new runners find mentors both inside and outside of the sport who can provide contrasting visions of how to spend their time and honor their bodies. Eat well. Rest. Cultivate an array of hobbies. Take care of yourself.
I love reading everything written by Sabrina Little, she brings the right perspective to running.
The Price of Admission
Because hereâs what the industry would prefer you believe you need to walk out the door and go for a run:
Shoes. Socks. Shorts or tights. A sports bra. A technical top. A windbreaker. A hat. Sunglasses. A GPS watch with a heart rate monitor. A hydration vest. A waist belt for your phone and keys. A handheld water bottle.
At conservative pricesâone of each, nothing fancyâthat shopping list costs about $1,165. And thatâs if you live somewhere with mild weather. Start layering in cold-weather gear and it climbs from there.
Eleven hundred dollars to go running. The cheapest sport in the world, the one you were told just requires putting one foot in front of the other, and the price of admission reads like a down payment.
I have a drawer full of stuff and yet I mostly run in the same rotation of t-shirts and shorts that I like most. I keep the other stuff around, for emergencies or whatever. But I havenât really bought any new apparel in the last 12 months or so. And I still look awesome on the trail!
I Spent 24 Straight Hours at an Ultramarathon. Hereâs Why Runners Go Long.
There is perhaps no race that embodies the rise of ultra trail running more than Western States. âItâs our freaking Super Bowl, man,â Luke Longo, a New Jersey runner, told me. Itâs also one of the hardest races to enter. Many runners I spoke to had waited years to get a chance to compete, pinning their hopes on the eventâs lottery system. Some athletes I spoke to had never gotten a chance to run. Others who had gotten lucky enough to obtain an entry knew they might not have another chance.
This race is still on my bucket-list and I am sure I will never get to run it, but hopefully get to watch it some day. It sounds so wonderful, brutal, crazy, beautiful and larger than life.
Whatâs Gained & Lost When Trail Running Goes Mainstream?
In recent years, small races like Lake Sonoma as well as heavy hitters like Western States are inching closer and closer to full-on festival weekends. Complete with brand activations, athlete panels, shakeout runs, DJs, recovery zones, food, and merch drops. Brands have poured money into trail running as the sport has grown, helping race organizers build experiences that they often didnât have the resources to create themselves. The injection of people, interest, and cash has made trail races bigger, more exciting, and more celebratory than ever, but it risks homogenization in the process.
I am sure that we will see more and more rather absurd cash grabs and at the same time we will see a growing community pushing back the just too obvious attempts to monetize trail running. The good thing is: if we want to, we can still just run, we donât need to wait for the circus to come to town.
I Feel Mentally and Physically My Best When I Run in Nature: 10 Tips Iâd Give Any Woman Keen to Try Trail Running
You donât need any great technical skill, but it is wise to be armed with some basic information before heading out for your first trail adventure. Which is why weâve spoken to Flora Beverley, an ultramarathoner and trail runner, for her top tips. Beverleyâs 123,000 followers know her as a trail running fanatic, sustainability activist and advocate for those living with chronic illness, after her own Epstein-Barr diagnosis in 2023 led her to post openly about her battle with chronic fatigue.
Now, sheâs targeting a 200km, 5-day race across the Dolomites at the end of September. Having only started running in 2019, sheâs proof that whoever you are and whatever your circumstances, itâs never too late to fall in love with running and the great outdoors.
Marie Claire, of all places, now talks about Trail Running. Yes, there are signs this sport is going mainstream. And at the same time, running in nature really just is getting back to basics. I want more publications like Marie Claire writing about this, for sure.
If you missed last weekâs edition, you can read it here:
Now, go running!
â Nico
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