Heya and welcome back to Five Things Running!

Before we dive into five great articles about running, let me start with an update about my running. I finally went running again and did so on five mornings last week. As always, getting back into a running habit is kind of tough in the beginning and then it’ll get better the more you run. At least that’s what I hope. Anyhow, it feels great to be running again, even if it is just 6 km of huffing and puffing.

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

You can also wear this sweatshirt for social occasions or just lounging on the couch.

Here’s this week’s Five Things Running!

Do You Need a Break — Or Just a Change?

Commonly, runners find themselves doing the same workouts, the same training, for months on end. Naturally, that can make a runner feel flat, burned out, and possibly overtrained.

So what’s the solution—a break from running, or just a change?

Or maybe both?

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The Evolution of the Running Shoe and What Comes Next

The latest innovations include smart shoes that record information about a runner’s gait and stride—details that could one day be used to personalize footwear and ward off injuries that can be trade-offs of running in high-performance shoes.

As an older runner, I welcome the thick and padded soles.

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The Scene at the Super Bowl of Trail Running

UTMB is different. It’s like getting mauled for five straight days. Before the event’s premier race — the 108-miler that starts on Friday at 5 p.m. — a series of different races are in play at all hours of day and evening. Which means that you could be out for a morning trail run, tucking into an aperitif or wandering back from the cable car, and likely spot some muddied athlete finishing some preposterously long race. Unbelievably, a runner who might’ve begun a journey in Italy 26 hours ago sometimes has to weave around backpackers ordering gelato, or a garbage truck in reverse, to complete their final kilometer.

The carnival is in town in Chamonix every year - an event that’s on my bucket-list, but only as a spectator.

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Climate Change Is Coming for the Marathon

As climate change makes our weather more dangerous and chaotic and hot days far away from summer become the norm, the running community is being forced to confront the reality that there are no safe times to put on a race anymore. What exactly is too hot for a runner depends on their own preferences, what their body can handle, and where they’ve been training—someone used to running in Miami, for example, may not struggle with heat and humidity as much as someone who lives in Anchorage. But what is clear is that organizing a race isn’t going to get any easier.

Will we see more winter marathon races in the future? Or will people use more cooling technology to run in the summer?

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What Happens When a Pop Star Runs a Marathon in Your Shorts?

As many soon found out, it was not Sted Sarandos out there on the streets of Berlin. Even in semi-disguise and running (swiftly) with a nom de plume, the pop star Harry Styles was easily recognizable. And from his vantage point on the course, Mr. Taylor’s friend relayed good news: Mr. Styles was outfitted in Tracksmith shorts.

For a modest-sized running apparel company like Tracksmith, which Mr. Taylor founded in 2014, it was another small but significant moment of validation. Tracksmith, which is based in Boston and has a one-person public relations department, has no formal affiliation with Mr. Styles, who has nearly 47 million followers on Instagram, three No. 1 solo albums and, as of Sunday, one sub-three-hour marathon.

I didn’t know Harry Styles has such good taste. And kudos to Tracksmith for going viral, I really like their stuff.

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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 #132 Sep 22 Read full story

Now, go running!

— Nico

🏃🏻‍♂️