Heya and welcome back to Five Things Running!
Last week I finally did a run through Berlin again, which was wonderful. It’s so awesome to wake up in a different city and take a run to explore it. Of course it was raining, but it was really nice running around Tiergarten and through the government district. Naturally, I had to run by Brandenburg Gate. I need to make more business trips and go running in other places. I’m bored by running around the same routes all the time.
Here’s this week’s Five Things Running!
Strava was formed in 2009 and like a lot of internet companies of that era turning the corner to profitability wasn’t easy. The goodwill of being a connector and offering competition and community was great for building a user base but that’s also great for setting cash on fire by the truckload.
The problem that existed for Strava was creating a compelling reason to convert from free to paid. The core components of why Strava mattered to people were free. So, obviously, the answer wasn’t to create a new reason to upgrade with compelling features but instead to take away those core components.
Strava really needs to get its act together and find out why it exists in the first place. They somehow forgot this a while ago and the product is just not getting any better. I spend less and less time on Strava and more on my Coros app, which keeps getting better with every update.
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The comfort filter approach might sound familiar, as it should. It parallels other classic running advice that puts you at the center of important decisions.
For example: “Listen to your body;” “Drink when you are thirsty;” “Find your best pace by perceived exertion;” “Skip workouts when you are too tired;” “Eat modestly but enough to fuel your training.”
You can use high-tech gizmos to enhance your running, but you shouldn’t relinquish control. You are the ultimate decider.
This appears to be especially true when it comes to one of your most important and expensive decisions: Shoe selection.
So, basically just stick with the shoes you like and buy a couple of pairs when they go on sale. Sound advice.
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With more than 2 inches of stack height, the $230 Vomero Premium is now the tallest running sneaker you can buy since it landed on store shelves last month. But it is how the ubercushioned shoe was developed—in about eight months, instead of the typical 18—that Nike’s chief executive wants to replicate across the sneaker giant.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get faster,” said Hill, a Nike veteran plucked out of retirement by company co-founder Phil Knight just over a year ago to lead the sneaker company’s turnaround.
Nike is trying hard to be innovative again, but they are currently just running behind the pack.
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Last Saturday was different.
My daughter and I made our way to Mimico Creek, a starting point familiar to me from long runs. There was a crowd of runners waiting already -- but no organizers to be seen. Mystification hung in the air with the frozen breath: this sort of thing hadn’t happened to anyone before.
Generally organizers are present hours before the race itself: their absence twenty minutes before the start should have been conclusive evidence that something was wrong. But I was confused myself until someone else said the word: “scam.”
I didn’t know that Timothy Snyder is a runner, but I do like how he made the best out of a bad situation. Also, read his book On Freedom, it is fantastic!
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< 10° F: Swap the windbreaker for my Arcteryx puffer hoodie. Shell pants over tights, or double layer tights. Balaclava + hat, hood is up on the Arc puffer. Gloves are mittens. Ski sock day. God I hate the treadmill.
10° - 20° F: Wool base layer, quarter zip / hoodie / crewneck mid-layer, windbreaker. Ski mittens. Double thermal tights, or Tracksmith’s super thick NDO tights. Ski socks. Winter hat + neck gaiter.
20° - 30° F: Mitten threshold, my fingers get cold. Hat. Base layer and tee, or thicker mid-layer. If there’s any wind, I’ll throw a jacket over all this.
30°-40° F: Tights, usually thermal. Baselayer + quarter zip. Any gloves. Closer to 30 I’ll wear a shell over a baselayer.
> 45° F: This is my long sleeve threshold. Sometimes I’ll go solo baselayer, or cotton long sleeve with a tee over. Shorts or half tights.
I love running in the cold and I use merino whenever I can. My favorite brands: Tracksmith, Darn Tough, Smartwool and Saysky. And of course Waldlauf!
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Thanks to COROS for supporting this publication!
If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it here:
Now, go running!
— Nico
🏃🏻♂️
