Heya and welcome back to Five Things Running!

I can smell fall and it’s not just because everything is available in pumpkin space flavor these days. I like fall running. Heck, I like summer running, too. But what I’m trying to say is that I really like when the seasons change and I’m getting a glimpse of what’s to come while still having the old season for a bit. And yes, I will be running around in shorts until it snows and I hope to get lots of runs in until then.

Make sure to grab some Waldlauf t-shirts or sweatshirts for great fall running!

How was your running? I picked five articles that hopefully inspire you to run!

Here’s this week’s Five Things Running!

The Difference Between Tolerating Pain, Suffering and Performing

Toughness is about trying to create space so you can take the right action. It’s a decision-making process. Tolerance or thinking that toughness is solely about suffering can move us away from making the right decision.

Indeed. And we have to figure this out over and over again, but we will not get it right every time.

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Doping in trail running: where we stand and what needs to change

We should be demanding more systematic controls at races and, above all, the establishment of an out-of-competition testing program. There is already strong momentum in this direction, for example from the PTRA, but not every organization prioritizes funding anti-doping programs. Often, the main barrier is economic.

Relying only on in-competition testing is a poor way to tackle the problem. Yes, it’s necessary, but realistically, it rarely catches athletes who carefully plan and strategically use performance-enhancing drugs. For now, I want to focus on the state of the art and highlight some of the major issues and limitations of the current system.

Francesco Puppi is making some good points about doping in trail running. As the sport is taking off, there will be more people trying to come out ahead and choosing whatever means they find necessary to achieve their goals.

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The Future of Trail Running Training: What’s Next?

As both a coach and athlete, I find it fascinating to watch the cycles of training theory. However, what seems standard now—high-carb fuelling strategies, sauna heat training, or gut training—was almost unheard of a decade ago. The playbook is being rewritten before our eyes. Below, I’ve outlined 14 emerging areas that could shape the future of trail running training.

There are so many trail runners out there who let us in on their training secrets (or at least a few parts of it) and it is amazing to see how they push the boundaries forward in training and in their races.

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Do communities need brands?

I don’t want to believe that we’ve gone beyond the pale in terms of building sustainable communities that don’t need external support. After all, it’s always taken a lot of effort to get people to donate either time or money to anything, and yet the overwhelming narrative is that of complaints about increasingly generic options.

As always, Raziq Rauf discusses the right things in Running Sucks. I think brands can help communities, but this should be the icing on the cake while communites stay self-sustainable.

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So you want to be a race director...

Let me stop you right there. Because I had those thoughts too. And those thoughts led me to a terrible, terrible place: race directing.

Haha, what a great piece by Jenn Collins. I have been wanting to put on a race for quite a while now. But maybe not anymore… :)

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Thanks to COROS for supporting this publication!

If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it here:

Five Things Running: Issue #130 Sep 8 Read full story

Now, go running!

— Nico

🏃🏻‍♂️