What runner doesnât love running shoes? How many memes have we seen stating that material goods donât buy happiness but a new pair of running shoes comes close enough? How many pairs of running shoes is enough? How many times have we gotten unexpected money and measured it in pairs of running shoes I can purchase? If you feel identified in one or all of the previous questions, you are not alone. It doesnât mean you are not a materialistic human being. You are not a hoarder. You are just another perfectly adjusted runner.Â
The point is not how many running shoes we have, but how we use them to maximize their life. When you do, you justify your purchases either to yourself or your significant other. Now there is a reason why owning multiple pairs can be beneficial to our training and your wallet.
 These benefits are mostly for those who train on a regular basis. With 10 miles per week, you can survive with just one pair and not miss a beat. But if you are training 3-6 times a week for 20+ miles, the benefits of rotating different shoes compound.
 As the term suggests, shoe rotation is having at least two pairs of running shoes and alternating their use on a regular basis. Ideally, they should be different models of your favorite brand, or even better if you handle different brands. You should identify which shoes are better for what type of training session. The shoe suitable for your 20-miler most likely wonât be the best fit for your 10×400 track session, and certainly not for a trail run.
 So, what are the benefits of shoe rotation?
Prevention of imbalances: Our feet, just like the rest of our bodies, adapt way too well to their surroundings. Running with the same pair of shoes, or several of the exact brand and model, may go in detriment to your running form and create imbalances in your legs, the start of your kinetic chain. By overloading your muscles and soft tissues in the same exact way, in every single run, you are preventing the development and strengthening of other tissues that wonât get stimulated enough to get stronger. Different models and brands will force a variety of stimuli, even if small, which may prevent those imbalances and thus, injuries.
 Cost Efficiency: If you think having 3 or 4 pairs of shoes is expensive, consider the cost of shoes lasting only 65-75% of their expected life due to overuse. Rotating will save you money. And letâs face it, we love running shoes, so having more pairs is always better. A 2023 Runnerâs World article by Ali Ball states that âJust like your body, shoes need to recover between sessions. Running shoes have soft foam in the midsole, which is whatâs responsible for providing cushioning and energy return. Over the course of a run, this foam compresses, and, if youâre not wearing the same shoe every day, will eventually decompress fully. Giving your shoes time to recover gives the foam a chance to expand again, helping you to get more distance out of them.â
Improved Training Sessions: A short recovery run, a long run, and a track session require different loads on your kinetic chain, starting on your feet. The light shoe with minimalist properties that will enhance your 5K time or your 800-meter intervals may not be appropriate for marathon day, especially if you are not planning to be in the leading peloton. Experience will guide you through your selection of your fast shoes, long run shoes, and recovery shoes. The brand/model best fit for you is individual and dynamic.
 There is no set rule on how many pairs are ideal. What is important is that to qualify as \’rotation,\’ you would need at least two. In my experience 3 or 4 is optimum. Some people I know have 10, which I believe is too much. But thatâs me. If it works for your running and your budget, go for it.
 On how to build your running shoe rotation, Tony DeLuca, from the Fleet Feet blog suggests going as needs arise. âA good place to start is by finding a daily trainer thatâs comfortable for you, one you can use for most of your training, and build from there. If you have frequent speed workouts on the schedule, a speed work shoe will be a natural next choice once youâre ready to buy a second pair. If you live close to a trail and want to spend more time off-road, consider adding a trail shoe to your collection. Maybe you have a goal race coming up and want to invest in a pair of race-day shoes.â
 If you are not sure what shoe is the best for your mechanics or which one adjusts to each workout, visit a specialized running store, and they will guide you in the purchase. They are experts in the subject and will get you in what works for you, not on what others are wearing. Access to their expertise is worth the extra $5 you may save by ordering the shoes on Amazon.
Let me know your thoughts in the comment box below.
By now, if you havenât heard about AI, you must have been living under a rock for the last year or so. This post is not to weigh into the pros or cons of this technology nor a moral judgement of it. It is a story on how a beautiful running story came to be.
My friend Ted S. had some time on his hands during a recent rainy weekend and browsing some pictures on his computer found one where he and I are running on this beautiful wood bridge in Hollywood Beach on a Saturday morning. It is one of the favorite running pictures for both of us, as it reflects so much of what running and running with a good friend is all about.
So, with not much to do, he started playing with Windows Copilot, through Bing Chat on the Edge browser, and this is what he shared with our running group chat:
[17:01, 12/16/2023] Ted S: So, dipped my toes into AI this rainy afternoon and got something pretty cool. Check it out…
[17:01, 12/16/2023] Ted S: I gave it this image:
Photo by Claudia Diaz, who was running a few meters behind us.
[17:02, 12/16/2023] Ted S: One of my favorites…
[17:02, 12/16/2023] Ted S: And told it to give me a story. This is what it wrote…
[17:02, 12/16/2023] Ted S: \”As the first light of dawn breaks, casting a gentle glow over the horizon, two intrepid runners embark on a journey across a rustic wooden bridge. The planks creak underfoot, a testament to the countless stories they hold. The runners, silhouetted against the soft hues of the awakening sky, move with determination and grace.
The bridge, a symbol of transition and resilience, stands firm amidst the wild embrace of nature. It carries them over untamed lands, where the thrill of adventure pulses with every heartbeat. Power lines stretch into the distance, like silent sentinels bearing witness to this fleeting moment of triumph over the terrain.
This is not just a run; itâs a dance with danger, a flirtation with the raw beauty of the world. And as they reach the end of the bridge, they know that this is but one of many bridges they will cross in the marathon of life.\”
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 This story truly touched me. It reflects the mood of the photo and of that particular run, which I remember vividly. It nails the experience of running with a good friend and of spending time practicing the sport you love. And it is done in such a poetic way.
If AI is coming for my job as a writer or will replace me as a blogger, it remains to be seen. But if it keeps pouring out beautiful stories like this one, Iâd better start perfecting my dexterity in the subject right away.
 May 2024 bring you countless injury-free miles and PRs in all your distances.
As a brand new year appears into our calendars, with 52 weekends primed for long runs with friends, six Abbott Marathon Majors to be completed by some of the runners we know, if not ourselves, and countless races in all distances anticipating for us to register; it comes that time to figure out what we want to paint on that virgin canvas so 10 or 12 months from now, we are not regretting a wasted running year.
Improving your sleep will help you in more ways than a PR or a BQ (Photo: Ketut Subiyanto, Pexels)
Your 2024 running goals should be set in an individual and feasible fashion. It is about what Is realistic for you and what you alone are willing and able to do. Running a sub-3 marathon if youâve never gone sub-4 is not impossible but it may be a recipe for disappointment or injury for most runners. Improving 10 minutes in your half marathon or 5K PR may be achievable but depending on where you stand. Going from a 2:40 half to a 2:30 one is one thing. Improving the same 10 minutes in 5K if your PR is 22 would make you a world-record holder. So, letâs be realistic about our goals.
If you havenât thought about it yet, here are eight quick ideas for you to consider before we get too deep into the year. This way you can hit the ground running:
1.   1000 Miles: A feasible distance for any consistent runner. It only requires 4.8 miles a day, four times a week during 50 of the 52 weeks of the year. If you already run 1000 every year, then set your sights on 1500, or 2000.
 2.   Choose your goal race, now: Not just select it, register for it, and let everybody know. Set up a road map so youâll know how to get from where you are to where you want to be and to be there in time. It doesnât guarantee youâll succeed, but it will put success within your reach.
 3.   Pick up one PR to set: Sure, we want them all, but a 5K and a marathon are two different animals and requires separate training plans. So, pick one distance where to focus and make sure everything you do is in service of that specific goal.
 4.   Upgrade your sleep: Sleep is better for restoration than your entire recovery toolkit multiplied by three. Be initiative-taking and intentional about it. Make sleeping a priority in your everyday life. Its benefits will go beyond a PR or a BQ.
Donât let streght training be the neglected aspect of your running (Photo Andrea Piaquadio, Pexels)
 5.   Strength training: For every mile you run, youâre pounding your musculoskeletal system with 3-5 times your weight, about 800-900 times per leg. If you donât prepare your bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments for such a vicious workload, they will inevitably break down. Translation: You will get injured.
 6.   Donât just run:  The constant percussion this sport places on our bodies requires us scheduling time to repair and restore, more of it as we age. Incorporating one or two days a week of yoga, swimming, Pilates, biking, elliptical or any other non-impact exercise will make you a more resilient runner.
7.   Keep a running log: Beyond Garmin, Runkeeper or Strava and the slew worthless or irrelevant parameters they measure for us, writing down your daily activity either by hand or on a spreadsheet will noticeably improve your understanding of what you are doing. Give it a shot.
 8.   Learn about running: Knowledge is always an advantage. You can delve into the history of the sport, the science of what happens to your body when you run, or biographies of its greatest icons. Pick up one book or two and make sure you finish them before December 31st.
I hope these ideas assist you in shaping the running year to be. This way, come December, you can brag about your victories, PRs and improvements, instead of setting up for a 2025 in which to redeem yourself.
As 2024 approaches (or it is already here depending on when you are reading this post) and we look forward to a blank canvas to fill out with new goals, challenges, and adventures, we quickly turn our heads back to the year that was, to reminisce and reflect on our running year.
We saw marathon world records fall to the point where it seems feasible that 2024 will give us the first sub-2 marathon for men and first sub-2:10 for women. We are just 36 and 114 seconds away from such feats. We saw the 6-star finisher list growing to 8,143 and it is a matter of time before a 7th Major is included. Many of our friends set PRs in their marathons, shorter distances or just lost their 26.2 virginities. But, for many of us, 2023 was a challenging year. One that tested our core as runner beings. I was in that latter group.
Winning my Age Group at the Plantation F*ck Cancer 5K was one of the few highlight of my 2023 running season.
I completed the 1000-mile challenge with just three days to spare. And sure, it is a nice achievement, but it doesnât tell the whole story of my 2023. At least I did not get any injury and beyond the normal aches and pains, was able to run throughout the year with no interruption. That alone is a win. Still, it was far from what I expected it to be 12 months ago.
For some reason, it was very difficult to get into the running groove during the year. In my two half marathons early in the season, I was forced to walk after mile 10, finishing in unimpressive times that are embarrassing for me, when compared to what I have done in the recent past. I also had to withdraw from the Marine Corps Marathon because my body could not adjust to the heat and humidity of summer training in South Florida. It was impossible for me to complete more than 8 miles in one run, so I focused on 5 and 10K races until the end of the year. Those are not my favorite distances, as I prefer to go longer, but this was the adjustment that was required, and I am OK with it. I even won my age group in a local 5K, a rare occurrence.
For the first time in the last 15 years if felt little motivation to lace up and run. For the first time in recent memory, I dreaded waking up early on a weekend to go run long. Anxiety from my professional life, which was at an all-time high during the year, crept into my running life and affected me negatively. I gained weight, slowed down and lost the will to dig deep when a run got tough.
My lowest point was one day around September when for the first time ever, or at least that I can recall, I went out for a run and before the first minute was through, I decided I did not want to do this, so I stopped and drove home. Not before stopping at a gas station and stuffing up on cookies and chips. I still look back and canât believe this happened.
Yet, I kept running. After more than 40 years of being active, I know how you will feel after a good run. The support of my two running groups kept me accountable and sometimes I just forced myself to go out despite not feeling it.Â
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I completed a handful of races with not many results to brag about.
I have tried to pinpoint where the problem lies but I havenât been able to do so. Maybe it is because I am approaching 60. Maybe two and a half years after my open-heart surgery I must accept I wonât be able to run the same as before. Maybe the anxiety my work life has put me through for the last 18 months is taking a toll on me. Maybe my peak running years are behind me. Maybe it is a combination of everything.
But this difficult year has been an opportunity to analyze life from a different perspective and realize I am still very blessed. My running life is not my life, it is just part of it. My value as a husband, as a father, as a friend, as a son, as a coach or as a professional, is not tied to my marathon PR or my medal rack display at home. I still have a healthy marriage with a wife I adore, a healthy and successful son, both my parents are alive in their eighties and living independently, I have a thriving coaching business, I am part of a phenomenal running community with true friends, and I am injury free. At this stage in my life this is more valuable than running sub-2 in the half once again, or setting up another PR. I call this maturity.
This does not mean I have given up on improvement. I still want to go over 1000 miles in 2024. I still want to run at least 4 or 5 halves and be part of one marathon cycle. I want to get rid of the source of anxiety and lose the extra pounds I added in 2023. I thank God that He is providing me with 12 brand-new, crisp, months to achieve it all.
 If you ran a marathon or know of someone who has, most likely youâve heard about âhitting the wallâ. And if you ever wondered why they call it a wall, imagine yourself running and hitting one. Head-on. Yes. No exaggeration. You may hit it because you ran too fast and burned out, because youâve consumed your bodyâs main fuel source, carbs, because you got dehydrated or a combination of those.
What is left after such an encounter is yourself trying to finish your race or run in a depleted state. A failure after a hard cycle of hard training.
Just like this, but without the benefit of the padding
Meeting with the wall is not always a physical process. Sometimes you may be mentally fatigued, or unprepared for the task at hand. In his book The Runnerâs Brain, Dr. Jeff Brown states that âyour brain is a pretty awesome organ, but it\’s no magician. If you didn\’t train properly or if you starved yourself for a week, you\’re asking to hit the wall no matter how great and powerful a mental organ you possess.â
But if you have trained with diligence, most likely hitting the wall will be a physical rather than a mental event. In general terms, your body doesnât have the resources needed to run a marathon. Yet, thousands upon thousands of runners complete one or more every year. How do they do it? They fuel and hydrate their bodies during the race, and theyâre mentally prepared for the challenge theyâll face.
If you are not intentional about your fueling strategy and plan to depend on whatever theyâll serve at the race, you canât be surprised when you start having issues. Weâve all seen someone jet-puking fluorescent green liquid, not unlike the girl from The Exorcist, because they overdid it with the Gatorade.
Of course, there is always the possibility you started too fast and exhausted yourself beyond recovery. That would be an error in strategy which will also lead you to the wall. But that is another issue for another day. Not the one discussed in this post.
In a recent interview, legendary ultrarunner Scott Jurek was talking about the importance of fueling your body for a marathon and stated: âRather than how do you deal with the wall at mile 20, donât let the wall happen at Mile 20. Yes, I know it is easier said than done. But when you are out there tomorrow [in your race], if it is the muscular fatigue thing, you probably went too hard, but it is usually the lack of carbohydrates.â
HOW TO PROCEED ONCE YOU HIT THE WALL
Yet sometimes youâve prepared yourself physically, mentally, and fueled properly but still hit the wall. What to do? In âThe Runnerâs Brainâ, Dr. Brown talks about choosing between four wall-busting mental strategies so you can deal with the issue at hand. Read again: Deal, not overcome.
INTERNAL ASSOCIATION: A total focus on how the body feels while running. Tuning into the contraction and relaxation of your muscles, the mechanics of your arm movement, your breathing, your heart rate, and so on. Internal association\’s boundary is your skin, and your focus stays inside of it.
INTERNAL DISSOCIATION: Doing just the opposite yet staying inside of yourself. This strategy distracts you by hitting the mental replay button on a great song, thinking of upcoming projects, or counting your steps. Runners around you may be surprised to learn that you weren\’t thinking about running.
EXTERNAL ASSOCIATION: Your focus is outside your body and outside the act of running itself, yet you keep track of important aspects of your run. You may pay attention to jockeying for position in the race, negotiating water stops, split times, etc.
EXTERNAL DISSOCIATION: means focusing outward but on events or stimuli unimportant to the race itself. You may focus on the scenery, cheering crowds, flowers, counting the number of times someone along the route yells the name written on your bib or someone dressed in a weird running outfit.
It would be easy to finish this blog post stating that I wish you never have to figure out if it really feels like hitting a wall, but if you keep training long distances, you will eventually figure it out yourself. It is inevitable. The key is to learn from such an experience, so it doesnât happen again. It is only then that hitting the wall wonât be a checkmark in your loss column.
What is your experience hitting the wall? Let me know in the comments.
I originally published this blog post about three years ago under the title âThe Trap of Information Overloadâ. I have coached many new runners since and one of the constants Iâve observed is how they get sucked into the need to track irrelevant parameters just because their watches display them. This is regardless of whether they understand what such parameters are actually measuring. Thus, I have decided to rerun this post, with a few updates. I hope you find it useful.
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Is this you while checking your watch during or after every run?
Let’s start by stating that I see nothing wrong with being on Strava, having an Instagram account to share your runs, or checking Facebook every so often to see what your running buddies are up to. It is great to live in an era where we can be in contact with people we havenât seen in decades, stay connected with that cousin who moved to another country, or your buddies from elementary school you rarely have the chance to see anymore.
It is great to make social media acquaintances with people you’ve never met in person. I follow a Dutch runner named @mistermarathon on Instagram, who follows me back. When I visited Amsterdam a few years back, he took me for a running tour of the city; we had coffee at the Rijksmuseum and had a great talk. A few years later, he visited Florida, and even though I was injured and couldnât run, we met for coffee and had another enjoyable conversation. It was great!
But there must be a limit. The data overload from social media, from our watches, from WhatsApp groups, and from measuring up to every stranger who follows our social channels is stealing the joy from many a runner. We should run because we like it. So, if something is stealing our bliss, it must go; or at least, its presence must be adjusted.
Yes, a pre-run picture with your buddies is cool, but if you missed it, you could still run. Skipping the recording of one run because your watch has no battery is not an excuse to miss a scheduled training. Checking your favorite elite runner on Strava and matching their training is a recipe for injury. Thinking that an ultrarunner in Germany, Australia, or Argentina is your buddy because he likes your posts on a regular basis is the prelude for a letdown. Wanting to run from New York to Los Angeles because so-and-so did it, is insanity.
Unless you know what a parameter is measuring, let it go!
It all starts with regulating the consumption of information we get from our GPS watches. It is wonderful to have all the information we could possibly need at a wrist flip. But, with certain exceptions dictated by a specific segment of your training program, the usefulness of such information is relatively innocuous. It is just a reflection of what you are doing, not what you are doing. It is not your worth as an athlete or as a human being. You donât have to pause the watch because you hit a red light, or because you stopped at the water fountain. You donât have to check your cadence or vertical oscillation every mile unless you are specifically working on it. And donât get me started on VO2Max: If you donât know what it measures, donât dwell on it. You get the point.
I am amazed by the data that the watch keeps track of. NASA didnât have such access to astronauts on the Moon. Most of it is great for the analysis of my training, for measuring my progress, or for keeping historical data. But your watch should just serve as a recorder of your performance, not direct it.
The more I use Strava or Garmin Connect, the more Iâm impressed by what they can do, but I donât follow or stalk people I donât know. If I want to know what a friend is doing, I call him or text her. I donât need to know what Kelvin Kiptum is doing every day, let alone compare his progress to mine. I donât need kudos from 50 strangers to validate my run.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, once said: âComparison is the thief of joyâ, and I agree 100% with him. Equaling it is part of human nature, and the right dosage of it may be healthy. But if we want to enjoy OUR running, we need to concentrate on what WE are doing and what WE can control. WE must center OUR running life on OUR progress, OUR failures, OUR injuries, and OUR parameters.
Most of the data is useless at the time we are running, anyway. It is afterward that we can learn something from it and make the necessary adjustments. If you list the top 100 reasons why you run, I bet that âto show up Alex in Stravaâ, âto have more Instagram followers than Maria,â or âto improve my likes on Facebookâ wonât make the list. So, get back to basics and take advantage of the exciting tech tools available to you, but donât become a slave to them.
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/7c526df8-85f7-4f15-a616-ddb41c881aa8/406870_3175_XL.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/65858454-9122-4780-aa98-ae13279cc61a/866878.jpg\")
Improved Training Sessions: A short recovery run, a long run, and a track session require different loads on your kinetic chain, starting on your feet. The light shoe with minimalist properties that will enhance your 5K time or your 800-meter intervals may not be appropriate for marathon day, especially if you are not planning to be in the leading peloton. Experience will guide you through your selection of your fast shoes, long run shoes, and recovery shoes. The brand/model best fit for you is individual and dynamic.
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/d417bb31-e7fc-44bf-8e8c-63d9324ac9ad/WhatsApp+Image+2023-12-16+at+17.02.28.jpeg\")
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/2aba7a6b-4007-4a95-9f46-03a1515e36e0/Scott+Jurek+Quote.jpg\")
INTERNAL ASSOCIATION:
![\"\"](\"https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c2e49f525bf02ce9657df92/59d4ebe4-02c9-4fd3-ac3b-bc5d4e282130/information-overload-2.jpg\")
