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2025: The Year Everything Moved
Like so many people, I am sitting here at the end of the year, reflecting. And honestly, I am a little lost for words. 2025 has been the biggest gift and the hardest lesson of my life so far. I entered this year without a clear direction, but with something else instead. Faith. Faith in myself and faith that things would turn around, even if I could not yet name how. I believed I was taking the right steps, even though my dreams had not fully shown themselves yet. Somewhere deep down, I knew that this year would take me further than any year before. And it did. Just not gently. ## Carrying Old Patterns Into a New Year At the start of 2025, I felt lost. I was studying for my coaching certificates, working full time, navigating my own fitness journey and at the same time facing re emerging struggles with my eating disorder and body dysmorphia. I constantly moved between pride and self doubt. I spent a lot of time questioning how I see myself, what I want from life and how much of my childhood still shows up in my adulthood. I started to look closely at patterns and asked myself how they are formed and how they can finally be broken. My head was working overtime. And this is where sport played a crucial role for me. ## Losing and Finding Movement Again I have always been a sporty person. Movement was part of my life for a long time. Then came the years between 2019 and 2023. Years of very little control, unhealthy coping mechanisms and the wrong environment. Sport slowly disappeared from my life. In 2023, I joined a gym again. Not with a big plan, not with discipline, just trying to regain something I had lost. Through a strange mix of social media, random decisions and meeting new people, I started running again last year. At first without goals, without pace, without distance. I just ran. I made a lot of mistakes. I tried everything at once. And I ran straight into an injury. After weeks of not running, but still being surrounded by running content online, I signed up for a community run. I showed up excited and full of adrenaline, expecting an easy social pace. Instead, it turned into an all out effort and I arrived as the very last person. Standing there, surrounded by hundreds of people who seemed fitter, faster and effortlessly confident, shook me more than I like to admit. No one talked to me. I could not keep up. I felt invisible. So I stopped running again. For weeks. ## The Right Environment Changes Everything But I am not someone who can live without movement for long. So a little later, I joined a workout event with a sports community. And that changed everything. Being surrounded by people who truly support each other, push each other and welcome new faces without judgement gave me an adrenaline rush I had been missing for years. I was hooked immediately. From there, everything started unfolding at once. I fell in love with the feeling you only get from intense workouts and running. I met people who shared my values and lifestyle. People who believed in me and showed it through their actions, not empty words. I learned to say out loud when I was scared of an exercise. I learned to admit when I was unsure. I learned that my fitness level was good enough as it was and worth being proud of. I learned that I am not too slow, not too inflexible, not too weak and definitely not „not thin enough“. And somewhere along the way, without really noticing, I fell in love with running again. This time without pressure, without numbers and without comparison. ## From Personal Struggle to Shared Space With that joy came a simple thought. I cannot be the only one feeling like this. Seeing people in other big cities in Germany create spaces for slower runners and beginners planted a seed in my head. I played with the idea for weeks before finally posting a reel asking if anyone wanted to join me for a run. A few comments turned into messages. Messages turned into a WhatsApp group. And the first run happened. We were only a handful of people, but something started. With the help of friends and a lot of thinking, I created an Instagram page and another group. Move and Meet was founded. What followed happened faster than I ever expected. More and more people joined, all searching for the same thing. A space built on acceptance. A space where no one gets left behind. A space where it does not matter how fast you are, how you look, where you come from or what level you are at. With every new person, my drive to make Move and Meet more accessible grew. To give people a voice. To create something outside of the pressure of a performance driven society and social media. ## Purpose, Goals and Coming Home to Myself Through Move and Meet and my new running friendships, goals naturally followed. Running ten kilometers under an hour. Running a marathon. Running trails. Running races just for fun. I set goals and I reached them. It was and still is a process of trial and error. I experimented with fueling and paid for it with some of the worst runs of my life. I used the knowledge from my coaching education to get through an incredibly intense second half of the year without serious injury. But the biggest change was not physical. Through running, I slowly fell back in love with myself. I started to hate my body less. I started to accept who I am. I realized that some people will not like me and that others will like me even more because of exactly that. Helping people who want to start running but are scared or unsure feels like my purpose. Creating spaces where mental and physical struggles do not need to be hidden. Making Berlin’s running and fitness world feel less intimidating and more human. Giving something back. ## Looking Ahead I do not yet know exactly how I will fulfill this dream. I have ideas. I have plans. I have curiosity. What I do know is that, after a turbulent, challenging and beautiful year, I am driving home for Christmas full of gratitude. And I cannot wait to see what 2026 brings.
Running in the Cold and What Your Body Actually Does When You Freeze for Fun
# Running in Winter: What's Really Happening to Your Body Running in winter gets romanticized a lot. Snowflakes, cozy gear, breath in the air. All cute until you're facing a 3°C drizzle with wind cutting through your bones like unpaid rent. But there's way more happening than just feeling "cold." Your body is fighting for heat, juggling blood flow, and changing how it uses energy just to keep you moving. Once you understand what's going on under all those layers, you can make winter training work for you instead of against you. --- ## Warmth Is a Competition: Performance vs. Survival Your muscles want blood so they can work. Your skin wants blood so it doesn't turn into an icicle. Guess who wins? Survival. Always. The colder it gets, the more your body shunts blood away from the skin and towards your core. Great for not dying. Less great for running because your muscles get less warm blood, joint fluid gets thicker, nerve conduction slows down, and tendons become less elastic. That stiffness you feel at the start of a winter run isn't you being out of shape. It's physics. Cold tissues literally don't contract and stretch as efficiently. Until they warm up, they're more injury-prone and less powerful. **Winter rule number one:** Start easy, because your body's still figuring out its blood distribution strategy. --- ## Autumn vs. Winter: When the Shift Happens There's a real difference between autumn running and true winter running. Autumn temps, around 8 to 15°C, are often perfect for performance. You avoid heat stress without dealing with extreme cold. Your body doesn't have to work overtime to stay warm, and muscle function stays pretty normal with minimal warm-up. Winter running, especially below 5°C with wind and rain/snow, is where things change. Your body starts prioritizing survival over performance. Fuel usage shifts. The effort required just to maintain normal function goes up. It's not just "colder autumn." Your body is in a completely different state. --- ## Cold Changes Your Fuel Strategy The part nobody tells you: the colder it gets, the more your body relies on carbohydrates. Why? Because burning fat is slow and you're producing heat as fast as you can. Carbs burn hotter and faster. Fat metabolism works best when your muscles are warm and oxygen flow is steady. In the cold, your body doesn't have time for that. It needs quick fuel. Research consistently shows that cold temperatures increase glycogen use. Add wind and rain and your carb burn gets even faster. Shivering is basically an endurance effort stacked on top of your run. This is why long winter runs feel like they drain you more, even at easy paces. Your body is doing double duty. You're not imagining it. **Winter rule number two:** Fuel early. Fuel more. Carbs save your run and your core temp. --- ## Breathing Cold Air Isn't "Bad," But It Costs You When you breathe in cold air, your respiratory system has to warm and humidify it before it hits your lungs. That takes energy and can trigger airway irritation, especially when you're going hard. At near-freezing temps, you might notice a dry, burning throat, more coughing after hard efforts, and it takes longer to get your breathing up to speed. Hard intervals below zero? They cost extra. Your lungs aren't damaged, they're working overtime. The effort of conditioning that air adds up fast when you're trying to push pace. **Winter rule number three:** Save VO₂max work for warmer days or indoors. Threshold runs, hills, and easy runs actually do well in the cold. Track sprints? Not so much. --- ## Layering Isn't Fashion. It's Survival. People think layers "keep heat in." That's only half true. Layers control the rate you lose heat, not stop it completely. You want to be slightly cold at the start, warm during the run, never soaked in sweat, and never overheating. Sweat is the enemy in winter. Once you're wet, wind steals warmth faster than your body can make it. Hello hypothermia at kilometer 7. Smart layering looks like this: moisture-wicking base layer (never cotton), light insulation mid layer depending on wind and pace, and a windproof or water-resistant shell. The shell isn't about warmth. It's about blocking wind and rain. The colder it is, the more wind matters. A dry negative 3°C with no wind can feel easier than plus 4°C with drizzle and gusts. Temperature alone doesn't tell you much. **Winter rule number four:** Dress for the wind chill, not the number on your weather app. --- ## Your Brain Has Opinions About Winter Too Cold changes how running feels. Studies show that your rate of perceived exertion can actually drop in moderate cold because heat stress disappears. You literally feel "easier" at the same pace. But extreme cold increases RPE because breathing and muscle stiffness dominate everything else. That's why 8°C runs feel magical, but a run at negative 2°C with wind feels like punishment. Cold also sharpens focus. You're alert, reactive, primal. Your nervous system is on threat mode. You're not built to just chill out there. You're built to survive. That heightened awareness can make winter runs feel mentally different, even when the physical output is the same. **Winter rule number five:** Use cold for long aerobic work and mental grit. Save your peak performance days for when conditions are actually reasonable. --- ## Every Body Handles Cold Differently One crucial thing: every body is different. Some runners thrive in the cold and suffer in heat. Others are the complete opposite—crushing summer training and barely tolerating winter. Your physiology, body composition, where you grew up, even your genetics all play a role in how you handle temperature extremes. If you're someone who handles heat way better than cold, winter training will always feel harder. That's completely normal. It doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. Your body just has preferences. Pay attention to how you respond across seasons. Adjust your expectations. Don't compare your winter pace to someone who genuinely feels stronger when it's freezing out. That's pointless. --- ## So… Should You Actually Run in the Cold? Absolutely, if you do it right. Winter training can improve aerobic endurance because heat stress is eliminated. It strengthens mental resilience. It can boost running economy over time. And it builds durability through slower, more controlled training. But you have to respect the conditions. The cold isn't a training tool. It's a variable. Treat it like altitude: beneficial, but not something you conquer by being stubborn about it. Ignoring how cold affects your body doesn't make you tougher. It just increases your injury risk and tanks your recovery. Smart winter runners adjust their expectations, their fueling, their warm-ups, and their gear. They don't just "push through" and hope for the best. --- ## Key Takeaways Cold increases stiffness and slows muscle contraction, so warm up longer. Your body uses more carbs to stay warm, so fuel earlier and more often. Breathing cold air taxes your lungs at high intensity, so keep VO₂max work indoors or wait for warmer days. Sweat kills warmth faster than cold does, so dress for wind and evaporation. The cold changes how effort feels, making it ideal for aerobic training but rough for speed work. Winter running isn't about suffering but about adapting. Your body knows how to handle the cold. You just need to work with it, not against it.
Aerobic, Anaerobic & Threshold: Endurance Terms Decoded
# Understanding Energy Systems in Endurance Training If you've ever looked at a training plan and felt completely lost by terms like "aerobic base," "lactate threshold," or "VO₂max," you're not alone. These words get thrown around like everyone just naturally knows what they mean. Spoiler: most people don't. But behind all that jargon are pretty straightforward concepts about how your body makes energy, how long that energy lasts, and what you can do to get better at making it. Let's break it down. --- ## Your Body Runs on ATP (And You're Always Running Low) Think of your body as a car. To move, you need fuel. For your muscles, that fuel is called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Every step you take, every pedal stroke, every arm pull in the pool costs ATP. The catch? Your body only stores enough ATP for a few seconds of movement. So it has to constantly make more on the spot to keep you going. Your body has three main ways to produce ATP during exercise: **The aerobic system** uses oxygen to burn carbohydrates and fat. It's slow and steady, but it can go basically forever if you have the fuel. **The anaerobic system** burns carbohydrates without oxygen. It's fast and powerful, but it's messy and can only last so long before things get uncomfortable. **The phosphagen system** (sometimes called the sprint system or ATP-CP system) gives you pure explosive power from stored ATP and creatine phosphate. It's gone in about 10 seconds. Which system your body uses depends on how hard you're working. Going for an easy jog? Mostly aerobic. Sprinting up a hill? Anaerobic plus that short-burst phosphagen system. Racing? A combination of everything. This is why you hear people talk about "training zones" and "thresholds." They're just describing the points where your body shifts from one energy system to another. --- ## Aerobic Base Training: The Part Everyone Skips (But Shouldn't) "Aerobic" just means "with oxygen." When you're running easy, cycling at a comfortable pace, or doing any low-intensity exercise, your body uses oxygen to burn fat and carbs efficiently. It's clean fuel that lasts a long time. Your aerobic base is like the foundation of a house. If it's solid, everything else you build on top of it will be stable. If it's weak, you'll hit a ceiling pretty fast. Building your aerobic base creates several physiological adaptations. You grow more mitochondria, which are the tiny power plants inside your muscle cells that produce ATP aerobically. You create more capillaries, the small blood vessels that deliver oxygen to your muscles. And you strengthen your heart so it pumps more blood with each beat and doesn't have to work as hard at submaximal intensities. **Why aerobic base matters:** When your aerobic capacity is strong, your heart rate stays lower at the same pace. You can go longer without burning through all your stored carbohydrates. And you just feel better during workouts. Most people skip this part because it feels "too easy" or boring. But it's literally what makes everything else possible. Research consistently shows that athletes who spend adequate time building aerobic capacity see greater long-term improvements than those who jump straight into high-intensity work. --- ## Anaerobic System: The Turbo Button (That Overheats Fast) "Anaerobic" means "without oxygen." When you push hard (sprinting, climbing hills, doing fast intervals), your muscles need energy faster than oxygen can get there. So your body switches to a quick carbohydrate-burning pathway called anaerobic glycolysis. The trade-off? You make energy fast, but you also create lactate and hydrogen ions. Something important to understand: lactate is not the villain. For years, people blamed lactate for that burning feeling in your legs and for fatigue. But lactate is actually a fuel source your body can recycle and use. Your muscles, heart, and even your brain can oxidize lactate for energy through a process called the lactate shuttle. The real problem is the hydrogen ions that come with it. They make your muscles more acidic, mess with how your enzymes work, and cause that heavy-legged, "I can't go anymore" feeling. When pH drops inside muscle cells, it interferes with calcium release and cross-bridge formation, which are essential for muscle contraction. Think of your anaerobic system like a turbo button. It gives you a huge burst of power, but it overheats quickly if you use it too much. --- ## Lactate Threshold: Your Personal Red Line Your lactate threshold is the sweet spot between aerobic and anaerobic effort. It's the fastest pace you can hold before lactate and hydrogen ions start piling up faster than your body can clear them. Imagine you're driving on the highway. Your threshold is the point just before your engine starts overheating. Stay under it, and you can cruise for miles. Push past it, and you're going to have problems pretty fast. Training at threshold pace (usually about 20 to 40 minutes at what feels "comfortably hard" or tempo pace) teaches your body several things. It learns to clear lactate more efficiently through increased expression of monocarboxylate transporters, which shuttle lactate between cells. It gets better at buffering the acid buildup through enhanced bicarbonate buffering capacity. And it keeps the whole system balanced at higher speeds through improved mitochondrial density in slow-twitch muscle fibers. The result? You can hold faster paces for longer without blowing up. Your red line moves higher. Studies show that lactate threshold is one of the best predictors of endurance performance, often more reliable than VO₂max in trained athletes. --- ## VO₂max: How Big Is Your Engine? VO₂max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. Think of it as the size of your aerobic engine. A bigger engine means more potential power. But VO₂max isn't everything. Two runners can have the same VO₂max, but if one has a better lactate threshold or more efficient running form, they'll usually win the race. VO₂max sets the upper limit, but how close you can work to that limit for extended periods matters more in most endurance events. Still, VO₂max training determines your ceiling. Training it means doing short, high-intensity intervals (3 to 5 minutes of hard effort). These workouts stress your heart, lungs, and muscles to their limits. When your body adapts, the entire system gets more efficient. Maximal cardiac output increases, oxygen extraction at the muscle level improves, and mitochondrial oxidative capacity expands. For most endurance athletes, VO₂max intervals should make up a relatively small portion of total training volume, but they're crucial for pushing your aerobic ceiling higher. --- ## Running Economy: The Secret Weapon Nobody Talks About This is the most underrated concept in endurance sports. Economy is basically how much energy it costs you to go a certain speed. In scientific terms, it's the oxygen consumption required to maintain a given velocity. If two runners are both running at the same pace, but one is using less oxygen to do it, that person will last longer and finish feeling better. That's running economy (or cycling economy, swimming economy, etc.). And the crazy part is that economy can vary by 20 to 30 percent between athletes with similar VO₂max values. ### How do you improve movement economy? **Better technique** is the first factor. Smoother, more efficient movement means less wasted energy. Small adjustments to your stride, pedal stroke, or swim technique can make a big difference. Things like reduced vertical oscillation, optimal ground contact time, and proper arm swing all contribute to better running economy. **Strength training** is another key component. Stronger muscles absorb impact better, produce more force with each step, and take longer to fatigue. Your body doesn't have to work as hard to maintain the same pace. The elastic properties of trained muscles and tendons also allow for better energy return during the stretch-shortening cycle. **Joint stability** matters too. When your joints are stable, you waste less energy on small corrective movements. Your stride is cleaner, your form holds up longer, and your cardiovascular system doesn't have to compensate for inefficient movement patterns. This is why strength training and mobility work aren't just "nice to have." They directly make your aerobic and anaerobic systems more efficient by reducing the oxygen cost of movement. --- ## How Energy Systems Work Together in Endurance Training Understanding how these systems interact is crucial for effective training: Your **aerobic base** provides the foundation, enables long-term energy production, and allows you to burn fat efficiently. The **anaerobic system** delivers short bursts of power and fast fuel, but it burns hot and fades quickly. **Lactate threshold** marks the line between "I can hold this" and "I'm about to fall apart." **VO₂max** represents your oxygen ceiling. And **economy** determines how efficiently you use everything you've got. Good endurance training doesn't obsess over one system. It's about mixing them in the right amounts at the right times. Easy runs build the base. Intervals push your ceiling higher. Threshold sessions sharpen your edge. Strength and technique work make everything cheaper on your system. The specific balance depends on where you are in your training cycle, what distance you're targeting, and what your current limiters are. A 5K runner needs more VO₂max work than a marathoner. Someone new to running needs more base building than threshold work. An experienced ultrarunner might focus primarily on aerobic capacity and economy. --- ## Practical Application: Building a Complete Training Program So how do you actually apply this knowledge to your training? **Start with aerobic base development.** This means spending most of your training time at easy to moderate intensities where you can hold a conversation. For beginners, this might be 100% of training. For advanced athletes, it's typically 70 to 80% of weekly volume. **Add threshold training once you have a solid base.** One to two sessions per week of 20 to 40 minute tempo runs or longer intervals at threshold pace will improve your lactate clearance and raise your sustainable pace. **Include VO₂max intervals sparingly.** These high-intensity sessions (like 5×3 minutes hard with equal recovery) are powerful but demanding. Once per week is plenty for most athletes, and some training phases might include none at all. **Don't neglect strength and technique.** Two to three strength sessions per week focusing on single-leg stability, hip strength, and core control will improve your economy. Regular technique drills reinforce efficient movement patterns. The key is progressive overload with adequate recovery. Your body adapts during rest, not during the workout itself. Training stress without recovery just leads to fatigue accumulation and eventual breakdown. --- ## The Bottom Line on Energy Systems Every endurance athlete, from someone training for their first 5K to professional triathletes, relies on the same energy systems. The only difference is how developed those systems are and how they're being used during competition. Build a solid aerobic base through consistent easy mileage. Train your threshold so you can hold faster paces before lactate accumulation becomes limiting. Include some high-intensity work to push your VO₂max ceiling. And strengthen your body so it doesn't waste energy through inefficient movement. That's how you get faster, go longer, and actually enjoy the process instead of constantly feeling like you're grinding yourself down. Training isn't about suffering more. It's about stressing the right systems at the right intensity to trigger specific adaptations. When you understand what's happening inside your body during different types of training, the whole process makes more sense. You know why easy days need to stay easy. You understand why hard workouts leave you exhausted. And you can see how all the pieces fit together into something that actually works. --- ## Key Takeaways - Your body produces energy through three systems: aerobic (with oxygen), anaerobic (without oxygen), and phosphagen (immediate energy) - Aerobic base training builds mitochondria, capillaries, and cardiac efficiency for long-term performance - Lactate threshold training improves your ability to sustain faster paces by enhancing lactate clearance - VO₂max intervals expand your aerobic ceiling but should be used strategically - Movement economy (efficiency) often matters more than raw fitness and improves through technique and strength work - Effective training develops all systems systematically based on your goals and training phase
How Running Became Both Therapy and Pressure
# The Complicated Truth About Running, Bodies, and Recovery There's a moment, usually around kilometer three, when my mind stops lying to me. Some days this feels like relief—my breathing settles, my legs find their groove, and the city opens up around me like it's been waiting. Other times, it hits like a slap. My lungs are screaming, my legs feel like someone filled them with wet sand, and suddenly every emotion I've been stuffing down comes bubbling up with each footfall. Whether it feels like coming home or getting mugged, running strips away every mask I wear in my day-to-day life. It's the most freeing and most terrifying thing I do, sometimes within the same ten-minute stretch. This wasn't always the case. Growing up, my body was just a vehicle for motion—dance classes, boxing sessions, lifting weights, or simply being outside until the streetlights came on. Moving felt as automatic as breathing. I didn't analyze it, track it, or worry about what it meant. It just was. Then I moved to Berlin at twenty-one, and everything I thought I knew about myself crumbled like old concrete. Without the structure I'd built my identity around, I fell apart in the most predictable ways. Evening walks turned into chain-smoking sessions on my balcony. The endorphin highs I used to chase got replaced by whatever was in the bottle that night. My body went from being my ally to something I actively neglected, dragging my mental health down with it. --- ## The Recovery Trap My comeback wasn't pretty. I attacked weightlifting like I was trying to excavate the person I used to be, six days a week, thirty pounds lighter within months. The gym became my church, my therapy session, my proof that I could still do hard things. For a while, it worked exactly like I needed it to. I found a space where I could sit with my thoughts without immediately reaching for cigarettes or something stronger. The binge eating that had crept in during my spiral just… stopped. I was cooking my own meals, sleeping better, feeling more like myself than I had in years. My mental health stabilized. My body felt strong again. What nobody warned me about recovery was how uncomfortable it makes other people when you change too much, too fast. *"You've lost enough weight—be careful not to go too far."* *"Your life seems so restricted now."* *"You don't have to be so strict with everything."* *"You're still young. You should enjoy life."* Each comment was like a tiny splinter working its way under my skin. I started second-guessing myself. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was taking it too far. Maybe I should loosen up a little. The final straw was quitting smoking—the last thread connecting me to my old, destructive patterns. I thought it would be liberating. Instead, everything I'd rebuilt came apart. Fighting nicotine cravings while trying to maintain the approval of people around me, I started making compromises. A few more snacks here and there. Less rigid meal planning. More flexibility with my "rules." The weight crept back slowly, and with it came the familiar decline in my mental health as my body started feeling worse again. The voice in my head returned, keeping meticulous score of every calorie, every rep, every minute on the treadmill. --- ## Exercise as Currency I started bargaining with my workouts again: train for forty minutes so I could have a proper meal. If I wanted dinner out with friends, I needed to get an extra sweaty session in beforehand. Track every step so I could justify eating without guilt. Exercise became currency instead of joy. The binge episodes came back and made my mental spirals even worse. For a while, every workout felt like a transaction. My worth got tangled up in numbers—pace per kilometer, pounds on the scale, workouts completed. I wasn't quite tracking every macro or calculating pizza against miles, but the mental math was always there. The gym stopped being about strength or joy and became about forcing my body into a shape that felt acceptable to the world around me. But endurance training has this way of demanding something deeper than vanity metrics. You can't fake your way through a twenty-kilometer run. You can't charm your way up a hill repeat. Marathon training teaches patience in ways that no six-week transformation program ever could. Slowly, without me really noticing, running started showing me what my body could do beyond how it looked. It pushed boundaries I didn't know existed, broke me down completely, then helped me rebuild something stronger and more honest. The healing wasn't linear. It still isn't. Even now, as I'm learning to appreciate what my body can accomplish, the binge episodes still creep in sometimes. It's confusing to hold both realities at once—finding strength and purpose in movement while still sometimes falling back into old patterns. --- ## New Rules, Same Game Here's what I learned about escaping one trap: you usually just walk into a different one. The commentary around my body didn't stop—it just shifted focus. First came the "you're getting too small" observations when I lost weight. Then, as I started running more seriously, the training police arrived: "you're exercising too much," "don't you know what rest days are for," "running this much can't be healthy for your joints." Suddenly it wasn't enough to look a certain way and eat the right foods. I also had to train the right amount, recover according to someone else's schedule, and set goals that fit other people's definition of "balanced." Society has opinions about your training frequency. Friends have thoughts about your race times. Even fitness brands want to tell you how often you should rest. Train hard and you're obsessive. Take breaks and you're lazy. Fuel properly and you're indulgent. Restrict anything and you're disordered. The rules are designed so you can't win. --- ## Digital Distortion This constant judgment gets turbo-charged in our digital world, where every run gets documented and every breakthrough gets shared. Don't get me wrong—social media has created incredible connections within the running community. Seeing someone push through a rainy morning run at 6 AM can light a fire under you when your bed feels too comfortable. Sharing your own victories, small and large, can feel genuinely celebratory. There's real belonging in these global networks of people who understand why you'd voluntarily get up before dawn to run in circles. But the same platforms that connect us also amplify comparison in toxic ways. Strava gives you kudos for your personal best, not for the recovery jog that made it possible. Instagram shows finish-line euphoria, not the mental breakdown on your kitchen floor at 2 AM when the training felt impossible. The highlight reel becomes the measuring stick, and it's easy to forget that everyone else is also fighting battles you'll never see. --- ## Living in the Middle I'd be lying if I said I'd figured it all out. My relationship with my body is still complicated most days. I still catch myself categorizing foods as "good" or "bad"—not based on how they make me feel, but according to old, harmful patterns that are harder to shake than I want to admit. The binge episodes still happen sometimes, usually when I'm stressed or tired or just overwhelmed by the constant mental math of trying to be healthy without being labeled as obsessive. The neural pathways carved by years of disordered thinking don't just disappear because you've found better coping mechanisms. Recovery isn't a destination you reach and then get to stay at forever. It's more like a direction you keep choosing, over and over, especially when it's hard. And here's what running gives me that no diet plan or gym mirror ever could: a place where I can acknowledge all these contradictions—the doubt, the pressure, the ongoing struggle—and still come out feeling more whole than when I started. It's about learning to hold control and surrender at the same time. To push hard without punishing. To care about performance without letting it define everything. --- ## The Only Rules That Matter Endurance sports exist in constant paradox. They liberate you and trap you. They build confidence while creating new anxieties. Social media amplifies both the community and the comparison. These tensions aren't problems to solve—they're just realities to navigate with as much honesty as you can manage. What I've learned, slowly and with plenty of backsliding, is that none of us are here to meet external expectations about how we should move, how fast we should improve, or what our bodies should look like in the process. You don't owe anyone explanations for your pace. You don't need to prove that you're getting better fast enough. You don't have to justify your goals or defend your methods or make your training make sense to people who don't do it. The only obligation you have is to yourself: to move in ways that feel authentic and life-giving, even—or especially—when that looks different from what everyone else thinks you should be doing. If you've ever felt caught between loving your sport and resenting the pressure that comes with it, that tension doesn't make you broken or weak or wrong. It makes you human. And you're definitely not navigating it alone.
The World Marathon Majors: Your Guide to Running’s Ultimate Challenge
For years, serious marathoners talked about the "Big Six"—those legendary races that every distance runner dreamed of conquering. In 2024, Sydney joined the party, making it officially seven World Marathon Majors. Complete them all and you earn the coveted Seven Star Finisher Medal, plus bragging rights that last a lifetime. Each race has its own personality, quirks, and entry process that can be anywhere from straightforward to absolutely brutal. Here's what you need to know about each one. --- ## Tokyo Marathon (February/March) Tokyo is basically marathon perfection. The course is fast and flat, the organization runs like clockwork, and the crowd support never stops. Getting in requires patience—the international lottery opens in August, but your odds aren't great. Charity spots and sub-elite qualifying times (roughly 2:45 for men, 3:30 for women) offer better chances. **What makes it special:** Japanese efficiency meets runner enthusiasm. The volunteers are incredible, and the energy from start to finish is infectious. --- ## Boston Marathon (April) The granddaddy of them all and still the toughest entry requirement. You need a Boston Qualifying time from a certified marathon, and even then, faster runners get priority when demand exceeds spots. A few charity bibs exist, but they're rare. **What makes it special:** You earned your place here. Between Heartbreak Hill, the Wellesley College scream tunnel, and finishing on Boylston Street, this one hits different. --- ## London Marathon (April) Royal parks, incredible crowds, and a finish on The Mall near Buckingham Palace. Entry comes through their public ballot (basically a lottery), Good-for-Age qualifying times for UK residents, or charity spots. **What makes it special:** The roar when you cross Tower Bridge is unlike anything else in running. Plus, the costume game here is unmatched. --- ## Sydney Marathon (September) The newest addition to the Majors family. You'll run across the Harbour Bridge and finish with the Opera House as your backdrop. Entry is through lottery, charity, or qualifying times (3:00 for men, 3:30 for women). **What makes it special:** It's the only Major in the Southern Hemisphere, so timing works perfectly if you're planning around Northern Hemisphere race seasons. Plus, those views are unbeatable. --- ## Berlin Marathon (September) If you're chasing a personal best, Berlin is your race. The course is pancake flat and perfectly designed for speed. Entry is through lottery (opens in October/November), charity, or guaranteed spots for fast times (around 2:45 for men, 3:00 for women). **What makes it special:** This is where world records happen. The course is fast, the weather is usually perfect, and the finish at Brandenburg Gate is iconic. --- ## Chicago Marathon (October) Big city energy with a fast, flat course through all the neighborhoods that make Chicago special. Entry is lottery-based, though charity spots and qualifying times are available. **What makes it special:** The crowd support is massive, the course is runner-friendly, and starting and finishing in Grant Park keeps everything centralized. --- ## New York City Marathon (November) Five boroughs, five bridges, and about two million spectators. Entry is notoriously tough—lottery odds are low, the 9+1 program requires running nine NYRR races plus volunteering, and time qualifying standards are strict. Charity is often your best bet. **What makes it special:** Running through Brooklyn feels like a street party, and cresting the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan is pure magic. --- ## How the Star System Works You don't need to complete the majors in any particular order or timeframe. Each official finish gets registered to your Abbott World Marathon Majors profile, earning you a star. Complete all seven and you receive the Seven Star Finisher Medal at your final race—a serious piece of hardware that represents years of dedication. --- ## Planning Your Major Marathon Journey **Start early.** Lottery registration typically opens 8–12 months ahead, and popular travel dates book up fast. **Consider charity entries.** They cost more upfront but guarantee your spot if you can meet the fundraising requirements. **Track your progress.** Abbott provides a free online account where you can register your finishes and monitor your star collection. **Budget for the long haul.** Most runners take several years to complete all seven majors. Between entry fees, travel, accommodation, and time off work, this is a significant investment. --- The World Marathon Majors represent more than just races—they're a passport to experiencing running culture around the globe. Whether you're chasing one star or all seven, each major marathon tells its own story about what it means to go the distance.
Pre-Race Nerves: The Science Behind Race Day Anxiety and How to Use It
Race morning arrives with its familiar cocktail of sensations. Your stomach churns despite eating the same breakfast you've consumed dozens of times before. Heart pounds harder than during your easy training runs. Hands tremble slightly as you pin your race bib. Another unnecessary trip to the bathroom. None of this is random—your nervous system is simply doing what millions of years of evolution programmed it to do. --- ## The Science Behind Pre-Race Anxiety When your brain realizes that today matters, it flips the switch on your sympathetic nervous system. Your bloodstream gets hit with a wave of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Heart rate jumps, breathing quickens, and blood vessels tighten up to push more oxygen where your muscles need it most. Cortisol steps in too, breaking down stored glucose and fat so you've got fuel ready to go from the moment you start moving. At the same time, blood gets pulled away from your gut and redirected to your legs and brain. What does this feel like? Jittery energy, cotton mouth, that restless feeling like you need to keep moving. It's your body getting everything lined up for what's about to happen. This stress response happens to everyone. Your nervous system can't tell the difference between a neighborhood 5K and the Boston Marathon—it just knows something important is coming. Same ancient wiring our ancestors used when they had to run from danger, just applied to a very different situation. --- ## Why Pre-Race Nerves Actually Help Performance That hormonal surge isn't a malfunction—it's a performance feature. Moderate adrenaline levels sharpen mental focus, open airways more fully, and increase the speed of muscle contractions. Too little activation leaves you feeling sluggish at the starting line. When you get too amped up, you're basically burning through energy stores before the race even begins. Finding that sweet spot is everything: you want enough activation to feel sharp and ready, but not so much that you're wasting fuel. Most personal records in distance running happen in this middle ground, where you feel thoroughly alive but remain in control. --- ## How to Manage Race Day Anxiety: Evidence-Based Strategies You can't eliminate pre-race nerves, nor should you try. But you can channel them productively with these proven techniques. **Reframe the sensation.** Don't attempt to "calm down"—recognize it as activation. Your system is preparing to deliver the performance you've trained for. **Use breathing techniques.** Try four seconds in, six seconds out. Extended exhales stimulate the vagus nerve, which helps moderate the sympathetic surge without shutting it down completely. **Rely on your pre-race routine.** Pack your gear the night before. Map your route to the start. Use the same warm-up sequence every time. Eliminating decision-making conserves mental energy and reduces additional stressors. **Move your body.** Physical movement burns off excess adrenaline. A few easy strides or a short shakeout jog helps settle your heart rate into race rhythm while maintaining the underlying activation you need for optimal performance. **Stay in your own lane.** Other runners' splits, equipment, or warm-up routines are irrelevant distractions that only add unnecessary stress to an already heightened state. --- ## Converting Anxiety into Peak Performance Those butterflies represent oxygen, glucose, and enhanced neural firing waiting to be deployed. Each shaky breath signals your body loading the metabolic gun so you can fire when the clock starts. Instead of resisting the sensation, lean into it. Let that initial surge carry you through the inevitable chaos of the opening kilometers. You've put in the training miles. Now trust the process. --- ## The Golden Rule of Race Day Nothing new on race day. Eat foods you've tested during training runs. Wear shoes you trust completely. You don't need to feel calm to perform well—you need to feel ready. The hammering heart and twisted stomach aren't warning signs. They're evidence that this race matters to you, that the training you've invested has meaning. Take a deep breath, stand tall, and let your system execute what it was designed to do. Your job now is straightforward: show up to the starting line, trust your preparation, and spend everything you've been saving for this moment. Those pre-race nerves? They're your secret weapon.
Heart Rate Zones: What’s Happening Inside Each Zone
In the last Sweat Science, we broke down why formulas like 220 minus age don't cut it, how to actually find your real heart rate anchors, and why zones aren't neat boxes but overlapping waves. This time, let's go one step further. Instead of just numbers on your watch, we'll look at what's actually happening in your body when you're in each zone: what fuels you're burning, how long you can hold it, what adaptations you trigger—and when each zone really matters. Because knowing your zones isn't the point. Knowing what to do with them is. --- ## Zone 1 (Recovery / Easy) — ~50–65% HRmax This is the "embarrassingly easy" zone. You can chat, joke, maybe even sing without running out of breath. Inside your body, blood flow is high enough to keep nutrients moving and flush out waste products, but not high enough to stress you. Your nervous system gets a downshift, tendons and ligaments get blood they otherwise wouldn't, and you basically tell your body: "recover while moving." **How long?** Hours if you want, but usually 20–60 minutes is enough. **Why it matters:** Adaptations don't happen when you smash yourself—they consolidate when you let your system recover. That's why Zone 1 is where you absorb the work. --- ## Zone 2 (Aerobic Base) — ~60–75% HRmax This is your "all-day pace." Comfortable but steady. You can still hold sentences, though breathing gets a bit deeper toward the top. Inside, mitochondria (your energy factories) are multiplying, capillaries are expanding, and your fat metabolism is getting more efficient. Translation: you're teaching your body to go long without burning through carbs too early. **How long?** Trained athletes can stay here for hours (2–4 h), beginners often 45–90 minutes. It's sustainable as long as you fuel and hydrate. **Why it matters:** Almost every endurance study shows Zone 2 is the backbone of endurance training. More time here = bigger aerobic engine = everything else feels easier. --- ## Zone 3 (Tempo / "Grey Zone") — ~70–85% HRmax This is "comfortably hard." You can talk, but you don't want to. Breathing is deeper, your body starts pulling heavily from glycogen, and lactate production ramps up—but you're still clearing it at the same time. You're in that middle ground where you're working, but not fully red-lining. **How long?** 1–2 hours if you're fit, but glycogen runs out faster than in Zone 2. **Why it matters:** Great for steady hilly runs, long rides, or race-pace practice. But live here too often and you'll stall: it's too hard to recover from, too easy to sharpen you. That's why it's called the "grey zone." --- ## Zone 4 (Threshold) — ~80–95% HRmax This is the "edge of sustainable." Breathing heavy, muscles burning, but you can hang on. Physiologically, this is where your lactate threshold sits—the point where lactate starts building faster than you can clear it. Training here improves how your body deals with that burn: you grow more lactate transporters, buffer acid better, and raise the red line so you can hold a faster pace longer. **How long?** 30–60 minutes in one go. In training, you usually split it: 3×10 min, 4×8 min, cruise intervals. **Why it matters:** This is where half-marathon and 10K race pace often live. Improve this zone and suddenly "fast but sustainable" really becomes sustainable. --- ## Zone 5 (VO₂max and Beyond) — ~90–100% HRmax This is survival mode. Talking? Impossible. Here you're maxing out oxygen use—your heart and lungs pump at capacity, your fast-twitch fibers fire, and you're forcing your body to become more efficient at using oxygen. **How long?** Typically 3–8 minutes max. The classic workouts are 4–6×3–5 min with equal recovery. Shorter bursts (like 1–2 min hard) can still help, but they lean more anaerobic than pure VO₂max. And if you go even harder? That's "supramaximal" work—basically all-out sprints above VO₂max. You're running almost entirely on anaerobic fuel, and you'll blow up in 30–90 seconds. These efforts are great for raw speed and anaerobic capacity, but they're not the same as VO₂max training. Think of them as the spice on top of your training—tiny doses, not the main dish. **Why it matters:** VO₂max is your ceiling. Raise it, and suddenly your threshold and tempo zones feel easier. Supramaximal work pushes raw speed, but VO₂max intervals build the sustainable top end. --- ## Do You Need a Watch for This? No. A watch helps structure, but your body already knows. Runners were breaking records long before GPS and HR apps. Use your watch as a tool, not a leash. Chest straps are more accurate than wrist sensors (which lag 5–10 bpm in intervals), but ultimately, numbers only matter if they match how you feel. --- ## The Takeaway Zones aren't walls, they're waves. They overlap, shift, and depend on sleep, stress, and training history. Each zone has its role: - **Zone 1:** Absorb work - **Zone 2:** Build the engine - **Zone 3:** Stamina, but don't live there - **Zone 4:** Raise your red line - **Zone 5:** Push the ceiling (with the occasional sprint spice) Mix them smartly, and your fitness climbs on all fronts. --- ## References 1. Esteve-Lanao et al. (2007): More time in low-intensity zones (Z1–Z2) led to greater performance gains in trained runners. 2. Seiler (2010): Intensity distribution research shows "too much tempo" reduces long-term performance adaptations. 3. Midgley et al. (2007): Lactate threshold improvements strongly predict endurance performance. 4. Bassett & Howley (2000): VO₂max is the key determinant of aerobic capacity and endurance performance.
Heart Rate Zones: How to Find Yours and What They Really Mean
Every running app loves to spit out "zones." Zone 2, Zone 5, red bars, green bars, nice colors—but here's the truth: heart rate training is highly individual. The numbers on your watch are only a starting point. The real system is about how your body reacts. --- ## The Problem with "220 Minus Age" Most charts tell you to find your max heart rate with the formula 220 minus age. For a 27-year-old like me, that would mean ~193 bpm. My actual max is closer to 203–205. That's a 10 bpm difference—enough to throw all your zones off. That difference comes from genetics and training history—your true maximum is basically hardwired. But what does fluctuate from day to day is how your heart behaves during workouts. Poor sleep, dehydration, heat, stress, even hormones can all make your heart rate climb higher at easier efforts, or lag behind when you're fresh and rested. This is why two runs at the same pace can feel completely different, even if your watch shows the same numbers. --- ## How to Actually Find Your Real Numbers There are two key anchors: **Max heart rate (HRmax):** The highest number your heart can hit. You won't find this on an easy jog—you need an all-out effort. The most practical way to test: warm up, then do a hill sprint (2–3 min all out) or finish a hard interval workout with a brutal last rep. Whatever the highest number your watch shows, that's close to your max. **Threshold heart rate (LTHR):** The "comfortably hard" line where you could hold effort for about an hour. Breathing is heavy but controlled, you can't chat much. This can be measured in a lab lactate test, but in training, a 30-minute all-out time trial (take the average HR of the last 20 minutes) gives you a solid estimate. Zones are then built as percentages of those anchors. But here's the key: they're guidelines, not exact walls. --- ## How Zones Really Work Most charts list zones in clean cut-offs, like: - Zone 1: 50–60% - Zone 2: 60–70% - Zone 3: 70–80% - …and so on. But the body doesn't work in neat boxes. Zones overlap. Zone 2 doesn't suddenly stop at 70% and Zone 3 begin at 71%. For some runners, Zone 2 can stretch up to ~75% before things get "comfortably hard." For others, Zone 3 might creep in earlier. Think of zones more like waves that blend into each other than hard steps on a staircase. Training history, efficiency, even daily form can shift where those edges sit. --- ## Feel vs. Numbers This is where perception comes in. Heart rate gives structure, but how it feels tells you if you're really in the right zone: - **Zone 1:** Embarrassingly easy. You can talk, joke, maybe sing. - **Zone 2:** Steady, comfortable. You can speak in full sentences, maybe a bit shorter if you're higher up in the range. - **Zone 3:** "Comfortably hard." Talking gets choppy, breathing deeper. - **Zone 4:** Threshold. Breathing heavy, legs burn, but sustainable for 20–40 minutes. - **Zone 5:** Short bursts, lungs on fire. The zones work best when numbers and feeling match. If they don't, trust your body first. --- ## Do You Really Need a Watch to Improve? Fitness watches are great tools—they give you numbers, trends, and a way to track progress. But they're not perfect. Wrist-based sensors can lag behind during fast changes (like intervals) and often misread by 5–10 bpm. Chest straps are more accurate, since they measure the heart's electrical signals directly. But here's the truth: you don't need a fancy watch to get faster. Runners were building endurance and breaking records long before GPS and heart rate zones popped up on a screen. If you learn to listen to your body—knowing what "easy," "steady," and "hard" actually feel like—you already have everything you need. A watch helps, but it's a guide, not a requirement. Use it to structure training and see patterns, but always cross-check with your own effort. Numbers make sense only when you know what they feel like. --- ## Why Bother with Zones? Because running all your miles at one "kinda hard" pace is a dead end. Mixing intensities is what makes you stronger: - **Zone 2** builds your aerobic base (more mitochondria, better capillaries, more efficient fat burning) - **Zone 4** lifts your lactate threshold, so you can hold faster paces longer - **Zone 5** raises your VO₂max, your ultimate ceiling - **Zone 1** keeps you fresh between the hard days It's the mix that matters—not hammering every run in the same gear. --- ## The Takeaway Don't let your watch dictate everything. Heart rate zones are a tool, not a leash. Find your real max, test your threshold, and remember: the borders aren't strict, they're fluid. Slow runs aren't wasted time—they're your foundation. The fast runs sharpen the blade. Together, they build the runner you actually want to be. *A deeper dive into the different zones and the fitness watch world will follow in a future post.*
Why Heat Training Can Make You Stronger (If You Do It Right)
Training in the heat often feels like punishment. Every step is heavier, your heart pounds faster, and even easy runs feel like hard work. But here’s the secret: pushing your body in high temperatures can unlock adaptations you won’t get when the weather is mild. With the right approach, heat training doesn’t just make you tougher—it makes you physiologically stronger. After just a few weeks of consistent sessions in warm conditions, your body starts to change. Plasma volume expands, which means your blood can carry more oxygen and cool you down more effectively. Your sweat response becomes smarter: you start sweating earlier, more evenly across your body, and with less sodium loss per drop. That’s your system learning to cool itself without draining your electrolytes. Even your resting heart rate and core temperature can drop, making your engine more efficient. On a cellular level, your body builds protective mechanisms—tiny stress shields—that prepare you to handle more load in the future. In short: training in the heat makes you more resilient, not just to temperature, but to training stress overall. But let’s get one thing straight—heat is still a stressor. It’s not an excuse to run for hours under direct sun, pretending your slower pace means you’re “doing the work.” You’re not a diesel engine. You’re a human body, and heat exposure needs to be managed carefully. Think of it as a tool, not a punishment. So how do you actually train smart in the heat? It starts before you even lace up. About half an hour to an hour before your session, drink 400–600 milliliters of cold water and make sure you get 500–700 milligrams of sodium. That could be an electrolyte drink, or simply water mixed with a splash of juice and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Dress in light, breathable fabrics, wear a cap, and pick a shaded route—or even a loop where you can access water easily. Once you’re running, pace by effort, not by the numbers on your watch. Expect your heart rate to run 5–15 beats higher than usual and adjust accordingly. Sip 100–200 milliliters of cold fluid every 15–20 minutes to stay on top of hydration. If your heart rate spikes or you feel lightheaded, take a quick break in the shade for 30–60 seconds. Heat training isn’t about proving how much suffering you can endure—it’s about consistency and smart adaptation. Recovery matters just as much. Within the first 30 minutes after training, aim to rehydrate with about one and a half times the fluid you lost through sweat. If you didn’t weigh yourself, 500–750 milliliters is a solid ballpark. Replace 500–1000 milligrams of sodium—this could be through sports drinks, a pack of electrolytes, or even a handful of salted pretzels. Then actively cool down with shade, a fan, or a cold towel to bring your core temperature back to baseline. The bottom line? Heat training works, but only if you respect the stress it puts on your body. Be smart, don’t be a hero. The goal is to build resilience and strength, not to end up as a cautionary tale. If you feel like you’re cooking out there—you probably are.
From Gels to Gummy Bears: How to Nail Your Race Fuel
You Know What's Worse Than Blowing Your Pacing Plan? Blowing Your Fueling. Your body only has so much glycogen in the tank, and once it's gone, you're done — shuffling, cramping, praying for the finish line. That's why carbs mid-race matter. But here's the thing: you don't figure this stuff out on race day. You train it, just like your legs. ## What Counts as Fuel A gel isn't magic. It's just sugar in a packet. Chews, sports drinks, dates, honey packets, bananas, gummy bears — all of it works if your stomach is okay with it. Gels are easy because they're small and measured (usually ~20–30g carbs, sometimes with caffeine), but if gummy bears do the job for you? Perfect. Just know what's in your fuel and keep it simple. ## The Swallowing Problem Nobody Talks About Not all carbs are created equal — at least not in texture. Some gels are basically liquid, others are thick like glue. And trust me, in the middle of a hard run, choking down a paste bomb can feel like hell. That's why most gels are designed to be taken with a few sips of water. Skip the water and you risk cramps, nausea, or just that awful sticky throat feeling. Same goes for chews — they're harder to get down at higher intensities. That's another reason to test in training: you're not just testing what your gut can handle, you're testing if your mouth and brain can handle it when you're already gasping for air. ## When It Actually Matters Running under an hour? Forget it. Drink some water, you're fine. Once you're over ~75 minutes, especially if you're pushing in Zone 3 or higher, carbs stop being optional. That's where the mid-race snacks come in. Think of glycogen like your savings account: it gets you started, but if you don't add cash mid-run, you'll go broke before the finish. ## How to Actually Start Don't overthink this. You don't need to nail the "science number" on day one. Start basic: throw a few gummy bears in your pocket and eat a couple every 20–30 minutes. Try half a gel at the 30-minute mark and see how your stomach reacts. That's it. This is called "gut training" — your stomach literally learns to deal with carbs while running, just like your legs learn to handle more miles. ## How Much and How Often Once you've tested the basics, aim for something steady — like one gel every 30–40 minutes, or chews plus a sports drink that gets you 30–60g carbs per hour. For longer stuff (half marathon, marathon), most runners end up somewhere between 40–70g/hour. But that's individual. Don't just copy someone else's plan — test yours. ## How Long It Takes to Figure Out This isn't a "try it once and done." Give yourself at least 3–5 long runs to test, mess up, and adjust. Some products will sit well, others won't. Some amounts will feel perfect, some will wreck your stomach. That's the point. By race day, you should know exactly what's coming out of your pocket, when, and how it's going down. ## The Takeaway Fueling is training. If you don't practice it, you'll pay for it. Whether you're into gels, chews, sports drinks, or gummy bears, the best fuel is the one you actually use without your stomach staging a rebellion. Start small, test often, and by the time the race starts, your fueling should feel automatic. --- ## Fueling Gear I Use & Recommend *(You should still try them out first)* > **Affiliate disclaimer:** Links marked with \* are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Move&Meet! - **High Carb Bar:** [Powerbar Energize Original \*](#) – great for long runs or bike rides when gels alone aren't enough. - **Energy Gels:** [Powerbar PowerGel Fruit \*](#) – available with or without caffeine, easy on the stomach. - **Energy Gels:** [Maurten Gel 100 \*](#) – slightly thicker texture, but smooth digestion; my go-to for steady energy at race pace. - **Gummy Bears:** [nimm2 Lachgummi Minis \*](#) – not "sports nutrition" but they taste amazing mid-run and get the carbs in fast.
How to Properly Fuel for a Race
Race day is not the time to "see what happens" with food. Your body runs on stored carbs (glycogen), some fat, and fluids. Get it wrong and you'll be shuffling, cramping, or stuck in those blue potty-pods. Get it right and you'll feel steady, strong, and ready to race. --- ## 3–4 Days Before — Load the Tank If you're running long (half, full, ultra), it's time to fill up the glycogen stores. That's carb loading — and no, it doesn't mean pizza and cake parties. How much you need depends on how many days you give yourself: - **3–4 days of loading:** Aim for 6–8 g carbs per kg bodyweight daily from rice, pasta, oats, bread, potatoes. - **1–2 days of loading:** You'll need more — around 8–10 g/kg (up to 12 if your stomach can handle it) to get the same effect. Keep protein and fat normal, and fiber low enough that your gut doesn't rebel. **Why bother?** Muscles store ~300–700 g glycogen. Normal eating refills in ~24 h, but strategic loading can push stores 20–40% higher — delaying the wall in races longer than 90 min. **Short race (<1 h)?** A normal dinner and breakfast is plenty. --- ## Night Before — Last Top-Up Keep it familiar, carb-heavy, and easy to digest. White rice with chicken, or pasta with tomato sauce. Salt it a bit more to help hold fluids. - If you've been loading: eat 1–2 g carbs/kg - If not: aim for 3–4 g/kg Skip anything greasy, creamy, or risky for your stomach. --- ## Race Morning (2–3 Hours Before) Go carb-heavy, low fiber, low fat, moderate protein. **1–4 g carbs/kg** works for most. Good options: porridge with banana, toast with honey, or a bagel with jam. Sip **400–600 ml** water or electrolytes. --- ## During the Race **Under an hour?** Just hydrate and go. **Anything longer:** - Take one gel (~25 g carbs) about 30 minutes before the start with some water - Begin fueling around 30 minutes into the race - Keep going every 20–30 minutes - Target **30–60 g carbs per hour** (up to 90 g if you've trained your gut) - Elite athletes even go up to 120 g, but only after training months/years for it - Mix glucose + fructose in a ~2:1 ratio (that's how most gels/sports drinks are designed) **Hydration:** 100–200 ml every 15–20 min is more than enough. If aid stations are every ~3 km, you don't need to carry a flask unless you know you'll panic without it. **Caffeine:** 3–6 mg/kg bodyweight spread across the race can lower perceived effort and help you keep pace. Coffee before the start counts, so plan your gels accordingly if they're caffeinated. --- ## After the Race (0–30 Minutes) Refill with **1–1.2 g carbs/kg** plus **20–25 g protein**. Chocolate milk, a shake, or a sandwich works. Replace electrolytes, especially if it was hot. --- ## Example: Half Marathon Fueling Plan *~7:00 min/km pace, ~2h20–2h30 finish time* *Using PowerBar Gels (26 g carbs, 2:1 ratio, 51 mg caffeine in some)* | Timing | Gel | Carbs | Caffeine | |--------|-----|-------|----------| | 30 min before start | 1 gel + 200 ml water | 26 g | — | | 0:30 h | 1 gel | 26 g | — | | 1:00 h | 1 gel | 26 g | 51 mg | | 1:30 h | 1 gel | 26 g | — | | 2:00 h | 1 gel | 26 g | 51 mg | **Total:** ~5 gels (130 g carbs = ~52 g/hour) with ~100 mg caffeine during the race (on top of any coffee you had before). --- ## First Race? Keep It Simple Don't stress about hitting every gram perfectly. Honestly, just eating a carb-heavy dinner the night before, a light breakfast on race morning, and taking a gel every 30–40 minutes already puts you way ahead of the game. **One golden rule:** Practice fueling in training. Your stomach is a muscle too — it needs to learn what works for you before race day. --- ## Fueling Gear I Use & Recommend *(Try them out first to see what works for you)* > *Affiliate disclaimer: Links marked with \* are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting Move&Meet!* - **Energy Gels:** Powerbar – PowerGel Fruit – with or without caffeine available, not too hard on the stomach - **Electrolytes:** sanotact Elektrolyte Plus – light taste, not too expensive - **High Carb Bar:** Powerbar – Energize Original\* – for long runs when gels alone aren't enough
Training in Extreme Heat — Your Body’s Emergency Protocol
When you work out in heat, your body’s main mission isn’t “go faster” — it’s don’t overheat. To dump excess heat, blood is sent from your muscles to your skin so you can sweat and radiate heat away. That’s great for cooling, but it means less oxygen and fuel reach your muscles. Your heart tries to fix this by beating faster — that’s why your heart rate is higher even at your normal pace. Sweat isn’t just water. It’s plasma from your blood, carrying sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The more you sweat, the less plasma you have left, so blood volume drops and muscles get less oxygen. Lose enough sodium and your muscles and nerves start misfiring — cramps, fatigue, clumsiness. Inside your muscles, the heat makes you burn through glycogen faster and produce more lactate, so you hit that heavy-leg feeling sooner. Meanwhile, your brain starts to slow you down to protect you — reaction time drops, coordination fades, decision-making gets fuzzy. If your core temp pushes past ~40°C, your brain’s thermostat (the hypothalamus) can’t keep up anymore. That’s when things shift from “hard workout” to “medical emergency.” In short: training in heat is your body juggling cooling, fueling, and survival — all at once