So why - just why - would any normal person put themselves through all this?

“Imagine being described as normal,” says Britton. “That would be rubbish, wouldn’t it?”

🤣

Congrats!

It's colder, there's less daylight, I'm busy at work, and I'm not signed up for any races. Even so, I got four nice runs in this week and I enjoyed them all. I'll probably sign up for a trail race because I do like working toward something.

Sweat-wicking shirts! Compression socks! Non-bouncing shades! UV-proof hats! Neck buffs! Trail shoes! Gaiters! Racing shoes, carbon-plated! Recovery flipflops! Base layers! Jackets, rain and windproof! Reflective gear! A smartwatch! Training plans! Runners' memoirs! Club membership! Race signup fees! Gels! Electrolyte mix! Protein bars!

And have you tried spirulina, it does wonders for recovery (so they say)

"All you need is a pair of running shoes!" And another. And another. And another. Ad infinitum $$$

I'd love to know more about how you run commute. Do you carry a bag and a change of clothes? Do you have shower facilities at the office? etc.

I'm about two weeks away from the ultra I've been preparing for. I had a few setbacks (plantar fasciitis, a few days lost to a mystery virus), and while I feel physically fit, I worry that at some point during the hours of running I will start dwelling on my less than optimal preparation. I'm trying to remind myself that nobody ever has a perfect race and that I should just control what I can. I suppose I should start tapering around this point, but I also feel like I should maybe plan one last really long training run to help with my confidence. We'll see if I can find the time this week.

Do you do any kind of warmup?

You can ask the store whether they accept old shoes to recycle them. If not, there may be a specialized container someplace in your neighborhood that collects old clothes and shoes.

Scott Jurek somewhere likens running to a controlled forward fall. Having that in my head as a sort of “mantra” really helps me stay in the correct form.

I ran an evening marathon on Saturday. During the day I had to run various errands, then I hopped on a bus, a train, another train and another bus to get to the start. I was pretty drenched already by the time I got there. Still, I felt pumped for the run and started out overoptimistically. I ran the first three quarters at my half marathon pace, only to finish slooowly with heavily positive splits, though I still beat my previous best time by six minutes. I reached the finish about 20 minutes before sunset, then cheered on other finishers for a half hour until it was time to catch the train for the trek back home. A day well spent!

I'm training for a marathon the weekend after next. I'm excited for it. It's an evening event, and since the sun doesn't set till almost 11pm it should be really nice. I signed up for it on a whim last week after my long runs went super well and I felt good about my running, also after going for a few "barefoot" runs (wearing sandals), which is new for me. I ran a half marathon in my racing flats not long ago, but I think for this marathon I will stick to my regular distance running shoes.

It feels a bit weird not to be on a proper training schedule but I think my instincts are guiding me well at this point (and my endurance is still pretty high from an ultra two months ago).