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Good morning! It almost goes without saying but the reasons why people run are incredibly diverse. For some of us, running is a competitive outlet. And/or it’s a social one. We might run so we can spend some time alone. Or connect with nature. Many people run for health reasons, both physical and mental. We run to tackle challenges, chase after goals, clear our heads, explore new places, or to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Whatever your reason(s), it’s valid, and, if you’ve been running for long enough, that reason has likely evolved or even changed completely over time. This is the topic of my conversation for this month’s episode of the podcast with my friend and frequent co-conspirator Simon Freeman, co-founder of Like the Wind magazine (whose tagline, appropriately enough, is, “it’s why we run”). We hope you’ll listen to it wherever you get your podcasts or at this handy link. (An excerpt of this exchange can be found in Issue #43 of LtW, which comes out this week. You can buy a copy or subscribe here.) Let us know what you think—and if/how the reasons why you run have evolved over time—by replying to this email or tagging me and Simon on social media. If I get enough responses I’ll create a roundup of sorts and share it here in the coming weeks.

OK, let’s get right to it.

Quick Splits

— This “letter” from Roger Federer to Rafael Nadal after the latter’s retirement announcement is one of the best things I’ve read in recent memory. It’s representative of what sport should be about: being honest with yourself, respecting your rivals, appreciating their differences, making one another better through competition, and cherishing the lessons learned and memories made along the way. Read this post, revisit it often, and share it widely. “I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared,” Federer writes. “Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.”

— I’d never heard of UK-based coach Andy Hobdell until a few days ago but he’s got an impressive group of world-class athletes doing some pretty amazing things and I enjoyed the insights and experiences he shared in this recent interview with Athletics Weekly. “As coaches we don’t get rich off the sport, we get rich off the memories and what our athletes do,” he says. “We get rich off them enjoying the sport and that’s what it’s all about for me. I can’t think of anything better than working with an athlete and getting them to the stage where they perform and do something way beyond what they ever thought was possible. It just puts a smile on my face.”

— I’ve written here previously about how collegiate athletics as we know it is in the midst of a major tide change and the future of Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, gymnastics, i.e. non-revenue sports, isn’t looking all that great. Along those lines, this is an important op-ed from cultural critic Ted Gioia on why and how “athletics now tends to destroy the most significant purpose for its existence.” Quick translation: Money is ruining sports (at all levels) and shifting priorities in the wrong direction. What worries me most is the trickle-down effect from the college ranks, which is already affecting high school and youth sports here in the U.S. with kids competing for influencer deals and the like, and will only get worse without intervention, I fear. (As I wrote earlier, and Gioia touches on in his piece, we need more examples like Federer and Nadal that show what the true spirit of sports—even and especially at the highest level—is all about. Hint: It’s not money.)

— My friend and coaching colleague Steve Magness has been putting out some awesome no frills videos on his YouTube channel and his latest on the truth about long runs is his best yet, in my opinion. At risk of ruining it for you, he goes into the history, science, applications, and modifications behind them in a straightforward, pragmatic, easy-to-understand way. Whether you’re new to running or an experienced athlete/coach, I’m confident that there’s something for you to take away and apply to your approach. Case-in-point: Listening to this lecture served as a reminder for me to revisit the objective, distance, and intensity of the various types of long runs I assign, as well as the experience level of the athlete doing them, when thinking about how much (and what type of) recovery might be needed in the days afterward.

— Ed Eyestone has had a pretty OK 2024. The 63-year-old coach’s two marathoners, Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, went 1-2 at the Olympic Trials in January. Both men went on to finish in the top-10 at the Olympics in August, and then did it again at the New York City Marathon last month. Eyestone also had two steeplechasers on the Olympic team, Kenneth Rooks and James Corrigan. Rooks went on to win silver in Paris in one of the most exciting races of the Games. And a little over a week ago, his BYU men’s cross-country team, which he’s been at the helm of for the past 24 years, won the NCAA title. I enjoyed listening to Eyestone chat with Chris Chavez on this episode of the Citius Mag Podcast just a couple days after his team’s latest triumph. It’s a must-listen for any coach, especially at the high school or college level, and full of insights on the importance of creating a strong culture, consistent training, being process-oriented, and keeping people healthy—you know, the big boring rocks that support high performance and set people up for success. “The only magic thing about running is consistency,” he explains. “Consistent competence equals eventual excellence. That's kind of my mantra. So we try to stay healthy so that we can be consistent. We just keep on getting the miles in, getting the workouts in, and over time, good things happen. What was special about 2024? Who knows other than having the right athletes in the right position, the right belief and faith in their parts and goals, and going, ‘Hey, maybe we can do this.’”

— This short post from Seth Godin (“Thank you” is a complete sentence) reminded me of a life lesson my Mom taught me way back when: Please and thank you will get you a long way in life. They’re the two simplest gestures of respect and gratitude that you can show another person.

— December has always been one of my favorite months of the year so it’s probably no surprise that Collective Soul’s hit song of the same name is one of my favorite tunes of all-time. This stripped-down version, performed live on the Howard Stern Show in 1997, is easy on the ears and worth 3-½ minutes of your day.

— From the archives (Issue 160, 6 years ago this week): At the 2018 California International Marathon I ran the fastest 26.2 miles of my life. It was the culmination of a yearlong project to go all-in on the marathon and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with how it all turned out. I’ve run a few more since but none have meant as much to me as that race. (As evidenced by the photo at the top of this recap post.)

— A big thank you to ​​my partners at Tracksmith for supporting my work this month (and throughout 2024). The brand recently released its 2024 holiday gift guide and it's full of ideas for the runner in your life, so check it out. I’ll add a couple of my season favorites to the mix, the Brighton Base Layer and the Varsity Runner’s Cap. I’m wearing one or both of these pieces on the daily right now as morning temperatures have been on the chilly side. I’ll rock the Brighton on its own if it's not too windy but it usually serves as the perfect insulating layer under a lightweight jacket. The Varsity Runner’s Cap is stylish and soft and packs a lot of warmth into a lightweight package. Both pieces are made of Merino, so they’re warm, they wick well, and they don’t stink when you sweat. If you buy anything from Tracksmith.com, and you’re doing so for the first time, use the code MarioNEW to save $15 on your order of $75 or more. If you’re already a Tracksmith customer, use the code MarioGIVE and you can get free shipping on your next order (and 5% of your purchase will go to support the Friendly House in Worcester, Massachusetts, an organization that is near and dear to me).

Workout of the Week: Pardon the Uphill Interruption

Tempo run or short hill repeats for your next workout? Trick question. The answer is both! I like to combine different training elements from time to time to keep workouts interesting and help us get a little something extra out of them. In this workout, we’ll “interrupt” a typical 4-6 mile tempo run with some 20-30 second hill repeats at a hard effort. Here are the details.

The bottom line.

"You don't run against a bloody stopwatch, do you hear? A runner runs against himself, against the best that's in him. Not against a dead thing of wheels and pulleys. That's the way to be great, running against yourself. Against all the rotten mess in the world. Against God, if you're good enough."

—Bill Persons, coach in Hugh Atkinson's fictional book, The Games​

That's it for Issue 473. If you enjoyed and/or found value in it, 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

P.S. My partners at Final Surge are running a sale on all their training plans right now: 10% off through the end of the week! Check out all the options right here. There are plans for every goal and every distance if you’re looking for some guidance in training for your next race. Fellow coaches: There’s some exciting new features coming that I’m excited about and will share with you soon. In the meantime, if you’re looking to streamline your coaching business as we approach 2025, 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!

​Support the morning shakeout directly on Substack and help keep my work sustainable for years to come.

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