Five Things Running: Issue #43

How's your running going?

The first week of 2024 was amazing for me. I’m hot as french fries oil, as we say in Germany… but it sounds much better with the aggressiveness of the German language: heiß wie Frittenfett! I ran 60km this week and I feel great. After months of not running due to a long cold and my second COVID-19 infection, and after too much eating and drinking during the holidays, it was very necessary to get back into running. The week started with warm rain at 10 degrees and ended with running on snow, ice and mud - what an interesting contrast! And I really like running on snow, so much fun!

Also, since it’s the beginning of the year and I’m running a lot, I’m throwing in a nice discount if you go paid now. Remember, I need to buy more running shoes!

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Making People Laugh: The Life and Work of Brendan Leonard

It’s probably because Brendan Leonard is from Iowa and I went to high school there, so there’s a huge connection, but I really like his humor and enjoyed his book “I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion.” a lot. Anyhow, this is a nice profile about a semi-rad runner.

(CLICK HERE!)

This Teen Ultrarunner Wants to Take on the World’s Most Prestigious Races

Impressive. As a dad, I’d be unsure how to deal with a kid who runs that much at a young age. And yet, I’m in awe of his achievements.

(CLICK HERE!)

Strava Year In Sport Trend Report: Insights on the World of Exercise

So I’m one of the people running in Hoka Cliftons, totally mainstream. Also, younger people are faster than older people, which is not that much of a surprise to me. Still, the numbers are pretty interesting and I’m looking forward to uploading data this summer from Croatia.

(CLICK HERE!)

Your Successful Race Season Starts Now

See, it’s now. And I got a head start. What are you planning to race this year? Honestly, I haven’t decided. After three months of not running, I just want to get back in shape and be able to run for more than two hours easily. I still have unfinished business with the Hamburg Marathon as I DNF’ed last year, but somehow I find road races not to appealing. I think my goal for this year is just to run a lot and ideally stay away from injuries or sicknesses for a year.

(CLICK HERE!)

Soul for Soles

Chris Z

makes a few good points about running influencers. Let me add a few aspects to it: when blogging was still in its infancy, I had a blog. When I was sending photos to my blog, it was called moblogging, this is how long ago it was. Also, I was logging my runs on dailymile back then. I got a nice package back then from New Balance with shoes, tights and shirts. That was a great gesture. I don’t know if they got enough exposure because of me running in this, but I was happy about this deal. And I still like New Balance a lot. So it made a lasting impression, I guess. Also, I’m running exclusively (ha, the sound of that!) in Fractel caps, because I’m part of their Ambassador program and I get free caps. Amazing. My wife is annoyed by this, because according to her I have way too many caps. Which is not possible, I think. Would I run in shoes and apparel from a company I like and post photos of my runs in these outfits on Strava and Insta? Sure, why not? I do it without free stuff, so I might as well do it with free stuff. But I won’t stage anything, just to make sure that somebody sees the brand. And yes, I do think that there is too much superficial stuff on Social Media where people pose with running brands.

(CLICK HERE!)

That’s all for now!

Thank you for reading Five Things Running. Remember to go paid now! It’s better for your gait!

Now, go running!

— Nico

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