the morning shakeout | issue 523

A few words on turning 10, looking at the science of stress, reminiscing about the first run back after a marathon, and a lot more.

I took this photo ten years ago yesterday, a date that’s significant for a reason you’ll read about below. It’s one of my favorite images I’ve ever shot. The composition was unplanned. My wife is in the foreground and the runner in the background just happened to be striding past when I pressed the shutter. (Shot on my iPhone.)

Good morning! Ten years ago yesterday I published the first issue of the morning shakeout. It went out to 246 people. This one will hit 14K+ inboxes worldwide, which just blows my mind to type. The newsletter has evolved subtly over the years, but it’s mostly stayed true to what it’s been since Day 1: a space for me to share the ideas, stories, and bits of life that interest, inform, entertain, inspire, or ignite me in some way. I waxed nostalgic for far too many words back in Issue 500, so I’m not going to do that again here, but if you’re reading this and have shared, replied, and/or left a comment at any point over the past 522 weeks, I just want to say thank you. It means the world to me.

OK, let’s get right to it.

Quick Splits

— If there’s one thing that I’ve come to believe in recent years it’s that stress management is perhaps the biggest key to health, performance, and, ultimately, survival. Believe me, I by no means have this figured out, but from what I’ve observed in the athletes I coach, people who are close to me, as well as in my myself, chronic stress will wear you down, compromise your health, affect your ability to do the things you enjoy and/or need to do, and, in some cases, literally take years off your life. But don’t just take my word for it. Set aside 10 minutes and check out this animated video that does an effective job explaining the science of stress from an evolutionary and everyday perspective. As I was watching it, I couldn’t help but think about my own sources of chronic stress, most of which are self-induced and revolve around me being a people pleaser and feeling like I always need to take care of everyone, respond right away, stay on top of everything, and never let anyone down. That’s neither healthy nor sustainable, obviously, but as the video points out, stress is a fact of life: we can’t eliminate it, but we can change our relationship to it. For me, when I’m regularly practicing the lessons that I outlined here a few weeks ago, I’m far more grounded, a lot less reactive, and better able to show up for the people and pursuits that matter most to me without feeling like I’m being pulled apart at the seams. How about you? What practices or habits have helped you manage stress in your own life? If you’re open to it, please share them in the comments below this post.

— In this week’s sign of the apocalypse, two cross-country races in Ireland were recently canceled due to rain. Two things in particular from this article jumped out at me: 1. At the 1979 World Cross Country Championships in Limerick, with the rain “still lashing,” some 25,000 spectators came out to watch! (For what it’s worth, the University of Missouri is hoping to attract over 10,000 fans for this Saturday’s NCAA Cross Country Championships, which would make it the most well-attended meet in collegiate history.) 2. The diehards, including Ian O’Riordan, who wrote the article, are (understandably) pissed. “It’s no exaggeration to say the cancelling of any cross-country race in this country because of some rain is a bit of a running joke,” he writes, “even if the biblical rainfall amounts of the last few days might scare off some of the softer runners.” I shared the article with an Irish friend of mine, whose response to the situation was a bit more pointed. “Weak ass Dubliners,” he told me.

— This article by Theo Kahler for Runner’s World about his first run back after the recent New York City Marathon will feel relatable to a lot of runners (forget about how fast Kahler ran), but on this tenth birthday of the newsletter I can’t help but think how it might have sounded a little different had it been written a decade ago, before carbon-plated super shoes were cushioning the blow to our legs 40 millimeters of supercritical foam at a time. “My legs were stiff and my knee drive was practically nonexistent,” he writes about his 20-minute jog six days post-race. “Each stride felt awkward and uncoordinated.” Honestly, that doesn’t sound too bad. Back in the day, heading out for that first run a week or so after racing a marathon in a pair of 6-ounce slippers wasn’t awkward, it was pure torture. I remember my quads feeling like they were being pierced on a skewer at a Brazilian steakhouse, while my calves had hardened into rocks and my poor feet felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to them. I’d jog maybe 100 meters before needing to stop and coax my body into working again. And while the post-marathon shuffle in 2025 is decidedly less dramatic, the race itself and all the months of work that go into it still leave a mark that no amount of carbon or foam can erase. As Kahler wisely notes in his piece, you’ve gotta respect the recovery. “Make sure to take plenty of time to not only physically recover,” he writes. “But to mentally reset.”

— A big thank you to the Apple Music algorithm for introducing me to Nathaniel Rateliff’s “And It’s Still Alright,” a five-year-old song that’s new to me as of last week. Here’s a great acoustic version of it that I found on YouTube. The lyrics are heavy, but Rateliff sings them beautifully with his comforting voice over a slow, simple guitar riff, and it’s just the most satisfying gut punch.

— From the archives (Issue 1, 10 years ago yesterday): When I tell people I majored in philosophy as an undergrad, most wonder what you do with such a degree—as if the end goal of a college diploma should be some kind of well-defined career path. I’ve always felt that the lessons I’ve learned studying philosophy have given me the skills to navigate my way through life, regardless of whatever it is I’ve decided to pursue. Throughout the course of this 2-hour interview with Tim Ferriss, Alain de Botton covers a variety of topics, but one of the most relevant was his take on the shortcomings of modern-day philosophy. He contends that modern-day philosophy is too academic (I agree) and largely unapproachable for most people, which is why a majority of the population doesn’t find it to be useful or worthwhile. I like that through his own work, de Botton tries to bring philosophy back to its origins as “a type of therapy for the soul, a practical tool that can help you live and die well.” Philosophy teaches you how to ask the right questions, contemplate different perspectives and drown out the inessential—skills I think we can all benefit from, regardless of what it is we “do” in life.

— I’ve used Final Surge to run the coaching side of my business since 2017. It’s been a game-changer for how I plan training, analyze data, and communicate with my athletes. One of the additional benefits of my partnership with them has been getting a front-row seat to watching the platform develop and mature over the past 8 years. Case in point: A few months ago FS rolled out customizable workout types and colors, plus new sorting and filtering tools for the workout library, all of which make it easier to organize and find sessions. I’ve been using them for a while now and they’ve further smoothed out my weekly workflow. Fellow coaches: whether you work with a high school or college team, a club, or a roster of individual athletes, head over to finalsurge.com to check out the full slate of features and start a free 14-day coaching trial today. Use code MORNINGSHAKEOUT at checkout to take 10% off your first purchase. Questions? Just reply to this email and send ’em my way.

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I’m not racing a marathon this fall, but if I were I’d be doing it in the new FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 from New Balance, their latest carbon-plated super shoe that’s engineered specifically for racing fast on the roads. They sent me a pair earlier this year and it was love at first stride. I took them out the door for a tempo run in early spring and just WOW—this is the best-fitting, best-feeling super shoe I’ve ever worn. There’s enough protection underfoot to hold up to longer efforts without making it feel you’re running with a marshmallow on your feet, and a punch of pop that I appreciate when I’m ripping laps on the track or running fast on the roads. In short: It’s versatile! The FuelCell SuperComp v5 is now available at your favorite running speciality retail store and on newbalance.com (men’s sizes here, women’s sizes here).

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Workout of the Week: The 90/30 Fartlek

The following workout comes from Jon Green, head coach of the Verde Track Club who guided Molly Seidel to a bronze medal in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He also helped Canadian Rory Linkletter to a sub-2:07, top-10 finish at last month’s Chicago Marathon. The 90/30 Fartlek is essentially an enhanced version of the broken-up tempo run, alternating 90 seconds at around threshold pace with 30 seconds at the faster end of your easy running pace for 4-6 miles, and one of Green’s go-to sessions for all the athletes he works with. It was originally inspired by a workout Green did regularly when he was a collegiate athlete at Georgetown under coaches Pat Henner and Brandon Bonsey. “This is a sneaky hard workout,” Green told me. “The lore is that everybody hates it.” Here are the details.

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The bottom line. 

“And then I remembered that you don’t have to be fast to be a runner, but you do need to be resilient. This sport tests you; it breaks you down and builds you back up. It fosters community and peaceful solitude. It fills city streets with spectators screaming your name and etches early morning footsteps into dewy blades of grass. Running allows you to ponder life’s greatest mysteries or think about nothing at all. Running is hard work and it gives back more than we could ever imagine.”

— Wilson Carletti summing it all up in Issue 46 of Like the Wind magazine

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That’s it for Issue 523. 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.

Thanks for reading,

Mario