the morning shakeout | issue 502

Some thoughts on running's third "great boom," making the case for radical pragmatism in training, doing the work that's in front of you, and a lot more.

Celebrating our best boy’s 6th birthday last Thursday with 6 miles along Big River trail. (Shot on my iPhone)

Good morning! Last week I was able to get away for a few days with my wife, Christine, and our dog, Tahoe. We drove three hours north to the coastal town of Mendocino, a sleepy little spot that’s become one of our favorite local-ish getaways since moving to the Bay in 2014. It wasn’t long enough to constitute a proper vacation (that will have to wait a few more months), but man, it was pretty f*cking great to check out and slow down for a bit.

It was also Tahoe’s 6th birthday last Thursday and he got to do a bunch of his favorite things while we were up there, including but not limited to: running with us along Big River trail and splashing around in said river afterward, receiving pets (and a few fries!) from the servers at Patterson’s Pub, enjoying a fresh bone and new squeaky dragon toy, roaming around off-leash with a couple other dogs at a winery while Christine and I tasted, and sprawling out on the king bed in our motel room.

We’ve been going more or less nonstop since early January, so this short break from the day to day, a busy stretch of work, and the neverending list of to-dos around the house gave us a much-needed chance to reset, reconnect, and recharge. Mendocino itself plays a big part in that equation as there’s not a lot going on in town, cell reception is spotty at best, and there’s natural beauty pretty much everywhere you look. 11/10 recommend checking it out if any/all of that sounds up your alley.

Anyway, I’m back in the saddle and have a few things to share with you. Let’s get right to it.

Some Thoughts on Running’s Third Boom

Sean Ingle recently wrote about running’s third “great boom” for The Guardian and it’s a worthwhile read. He argues that the explosion is powered almost entirely by gen Z, particularly women, that running is trending more fashionable, and that it’s also becoming more communal. “So what is going on? Part of it is a happy confluence of circumstances,” he writes. “Running has always been cheap and accessible. Now it is also fashionable. But dig a little deeper, and there are some interesting things going on. Last month, for instance, Sport England found that while there were 349,000 more runners in England in 2024 compared with 2023, that rise was almost entirely fuelled by women.”

Ingle isn’t wrong and I don’t take issue with any of what he wrote in the piece, but there are a few points I think he glossed over or straight-up missed:

Runners want the real stuff.

For as digitally native as gen Z is—and as digitally reliant as people of all ages have become—people also want more real connection in their lives. Despite the rise of influencers, the influencer marketing economy, and the role of social media in all of this, I think there’s a growing fatigue with trying to “connect” with overly curated personas of little substance whose endgame is to benefit themselves in some way. More and more, people want to be part of something bigger than themselves or any one person, whether it’s a local running team, club, crew, group, or whatever you want to call it, or smaller online communities where they can actually get to know and interact with others in a meaningful way. I think this is important to point out.

Running groups are en vogue.

This is nothing new! Really, it’s not. People have been meeting up with other likeminded folks for runs and workouts for decades, if not over a century, at this point. What’s new, in my observation, is that people are getting fed up with spending too much time in a manufactured online world and, as Ingle notes in the piece, there are now more options for finding a group in your area that fits your interests and needs than ever before. This is a great thing! I’ve seen this play out in real time over the past 10 years through the steady growth of the Wednesday night track workout I coach in San Francisco. In 2016, if a dozen people showed up it was a big night. These days, we regularly see five dozen or more. Sure, people come to get in a great workout and better themselves as an athlete, but they keep coming because they like to play with their friends, enjoy catching up on one another’s lives while warming up and cooling down, and appreciate connecting on a deeper level with real people through shared effort and experience.

Everything is nichifying.

Along these lines, and something I’ve talked about with both Simon Freeman and Ben Rosario recently on my podcast, is the nichification of running, not just in terms of interests and groups (competitive, social, cultural, causal, etc.), but also on the brand side of things: there are more small to mid-size footwear and apparel companies in running than ever before and there seems to be a new one popping up every week. And what many of these brands bring to the table aside from unique apparel and/or footwear offerings is a point of view that helps to diversify the culture, i.e., they’re selling a sense of identity and belonging that says, “this is who we are and this is what we do.” To put this in perspective: If you go back 10-15 years the landscape was dominated by a few legacy brands that were often indistinguishable in many ways (all the way down to the kits their pro athletes wore, which, in the grand scheme of things is a minor detail but it exemplifies the point). Now, thanks to an influx of new(er) brands that are actively trying to differentiate themselves from others in the space, runners (and people who I’d call “running curious”) can better align themselves with one that reflects their interests, values, style, and/or community. Even the big(ger) brands have benefited, I’d argue, as they’ve been forced to increase the quality of their offerings, from making better products to having a more defined point of view to connecting with their consumers on a deeper level. You can no longer try to be everything to everyone. Again, this is a great thing!

New personalities have emerged.

Whether it’s online and/or on the ground, more personalities have emerged amongst these various niches, allowing people to see more of themselves in someone else. This is really powerful. In the past this was almost exclusively elite athletes that brands sponsored. They’d show up in ads, in the media, and maybe at a race expo before competing at an event. Or, it was someone like John “The Penguin” Bingham writing his monthly column for Runner’s World from the late 90s into the early 2000s. My point: There weren’t that many people to relate to. Now it’s easier than ever for everyday runners, coaches, community organizers, content creators, and others to share their stories, journeys, and perspectives, host runs/workouts where they live, connect with others, and generally make running more approachable and accessible. [Note: This applies to professional athletes as well, a number of whom have embraced and benefited from this wild new world.] In a lot of ways there’s too many personalities and too much content to sift through these days, but if you’re looking for someone whose experience, philosophy, or interests reflect your own, chances are better than ever that you’ll find that person.

Competitive running is having a moment.

Ingle doesn’t really mention the professional or competitive side of the sport in his piece, only saying that, “This latest running boom has not yet had an impact on elite track and field.” This is an odd statement and I wish he would have expounded upon it. Elite track and field and “running” aren’t exactly synonymous, but competitive distance running (track, roads, trails, marathons, ultras, etc.) at both the professional and amateur levels is also undeniably booming right now. Some of this is driven by advances in technology, as Rosario and I spoke about on Episode 241 the podcast, but also participation: As more runners sign up for more races, many of them get hooked on trying to improve their time and/or place. Or, they want to see how much farther they can go (which is getting kind of ridiculous, but that’s another discussion for a different day). I mean, look no further than how fast people are running from the high school ranks to the professionals and at every level in between. Incredible performances—whether it’s Eliud Kipchoge running under 2 hours for 26.2 miles in a livestreamed exhibition, Ruth Chepng'etich becoming the first woman to run under 2:10 in the marathon, Jim Walmsley or Courtney Dauwalter slaying ultras, Elhousine Elazzaoui and Joyce Njeru dominating the Golden Trail Series, hundreds of runners breaking 2:30 at races like CIM and Valencia, dozens of U.S. high school boys breaking 9 minutes in the 2-mile at the same meet, or Jane Hedengren rewriting the high school record books in a matter of months—beget even more incredible performances. The depth across different distances and disciplines is nuts! There’s also an upward trend in the number of people trying to qualify for Boston (and the Olympic Trials here in the U.S.), get into major marathons (and even the non-major ones), or fill up waitlists for popular ultras and trailfests. And smaller but performance-focused events like the Trials of Miles races, Tracksmith’s Twilight 5000, The Marathon Project, and even backyard ultras are undoubtedly having a moment right now. So, while running’s current resurgence may not be moving the needle for elite track and field, competitive distance running is booming in a big way.

Quick Splits

— I enjoyed this post from my former Competitor.com colleague Matt Fitzgerald in which he makes the case that the best racers are what he calls “radical pragmatists,” meaning they’re not married to any one method of doing things, but rather open to whatever approach is going to help bring them closer to their goals. I think this is a particularly important consideration for Masters athletes who are stuck in their ways, especially when those ways aren’t serving them anymore (i.e., they’re constantly injured, performance has plateaued, they’re not enjoying the training like they once did, etc.). I hear some version of the following all the time: “I need to run at least X miles per week,” or “I always run 20 miles on Sundays,” or “I feel worse after rest days,” or “Strength training makes me sore,” or whatever it may be. I think the main point Fitzgerald was trying to get across is that what got you here won’t necessarily get you there, so be open to taking a different (and likely better) route.

— There’s a special kind of magic that happens when a musician sits behind NPR’s Tiny Desk and this recent Wiz Khalifa concert is no exception. A reimagination of some tracks from Kush & Orange Juice, which came out 15 years ago(!), this 20-minute set is kind of mesmerizing and meant to be listened to straight through. In fact, he doesn’t acknowledge or address the gathered crowd until the very end. As he’s singing the last lyric (“It’s like that, Jack.”), you can see him start to choke up just a little bit. Then he takes a deep breath, says “G*d damn” under his breath, and the tears really start to flow. He doesn’t say exactly why but he was clearly moved by/grateful for what he felt from everyone in the audience. Incredible performance, and moment.

— From the archives (Issue 241, 5 years ago this week): Here’s some novel advice from the writer Austin Kleon: Do the work that’s in front of you. Kleon writes, “what I really crave, more than anything, is a continuity to my days. Not an accumulation, the sense that they’re adding up to anything, not necessarily, just a continuity. The sense that one day leads into another leads into another leads into another on and on and on. That they make some kind of chain.” He wasn’t talking about running or training but of course he could have been and all his words would still hold true. A lot of runners (and coaches) put too much emphasis on accumulating something, e.g., how many miles they need to hit for the week or sketching out the perfect block of training leading up to a race or being able to do X, and then Y, and then Z in the buildup to a marathon. And what happens? More often than not, they stress about a crappy workout and think it’s all gone to sh*t. Or worry about missing an upcoming long run for one reason or another. Take Kleon’s advice and stop doing that to yourself right now. Take care of business today and do the work that’s in front of you. Worry about tomorrow’s assignment tomorrow. If something goes wrong along the way, don’t panic. Adjust and adapt. In other words: Just keep the ball rolling.

— I’ve been using Final Surge to run my coaching business since 2017 and I can’t say enough good things about the platform. They recently released the Workout Builder into their mobile app, which allows you to create and edit structured workouts directly in the app (versus just on desktop) and then sync it to your preferred device. This is pretty nifty and useful for both coaches and athletes alike! (Also, fellow coaches: Head over to finalsurge.com and take advantage of a free 14-day coaching trial today. Use the code MORNINGSHAKEOUT when you check out to take 10% off your first purchase. Any questions? Just reply to this email and send ’em my way!)

---

A big thank you to my partners at New Balance for their continued support of my work in 2025. Since wrapping up my spring track season a few weeks ago I’ve been spending more time on the trails and the Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 has been super fun to run in on the dirt! I’ve long loved the Hierro because they provide incredible grip and protection underfoot to help you navigate the trickiest of terrain, but they’re also light and nimble enough to really let it rip down a smooth patch of dirt. The Fresh Foam X midsole provides the perfect amount of cushioning without sacrificing proprioception and the Vibram outsole with 6mm lungs provides all the traction you’ll ever need. The Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 is available on newbalance.com (men’s sizes here, women’s sizes here) and at your favorite local run specialty retail store.

---

Workout of the Week: 1 mile, 9 x 400m

This workout was introduced to me by coach Kevin Curtin when I was running for New Balance Boston—now Battle Road Track Club—nearly 20 years ago. We would use it early in a training block as a sort of reintroduction to track work but he’d also pull it out later in the season to sharpen us up for a goal 5K or 10K. The paces we tried to hit for the 400m reps differed depending on the training focus at the time. It’s been a go-to session for me and my athletes ever since. Here are the details.

---

The bottom line. 

“It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'Try to be a little kinder.’”

— Aldous Huxley in Moksha: Writings on Psychedelics and the Visionary Experience

---

That’s it for Issue 502. If it made you smile, think for a second, or reflect upon something you hadn’t considered, and you know someone else who might like to do the same, please forward this email to a friend (or five!) and encourage them to subscribe at this link so that it lands in their inbox next Tuesday. (You can also respond directly to this email or leave a comment below this post if you’re so inclined.)

Thanks for reading,

Mario