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One of the first things I teach my runners is the importance of learning to manage their energy throughout a run or speed workout. The ability to accurately pace yourself to avoid slowing or hitting the wall during the later miles in a workout or during a race is an invaluable skill for runners of all abilities, one you can learn through fartleks. 

Learning to Pace

The biggest culprit of mismanagement of energy throughout a race or workout is delayed fatigue. The first few reps or miles feel the easiest because you’re fresh, and the inevitable fatigue has yet to set in. This makes it all too easy to overshoot your goal pace during the early stages, accumulating excess fatigue that has to be paid back with interest. Run too fast early and you’ll slow drastically toward the end, losing far more seconds than you gained.

The key to…

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We’re recovering from the non-stop thrill of the 2024 Paris Olympics before the ultra-trail season culminates with the UTMB World Series Finale next week. That can only mean one thing: summer is drawing to a close. But from fall marathon training to high alpine adventures to homemade ice cream, we’re milking every last second of it.

Here’s the gear that’s keeping us going.

RELATED: Why Chamonix Is the Center of the Trail Running Universe

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Gear

New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer v2, $200

Men’s Women’s

I appreciate the propulsive ride of high-stack max-cushioned super shoes for longer races, but for shorter workouts and races I prefer shoes that are lower…

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Emily Sisson is beaming. In a tank top and visor, from the front seat of her car. She’s graciously made time to video-call on her phone in between her morning run and a body work appointment in Phoenix, Arizona.

Such is the life of America’s fastest woman marathoner ever as she gears up to compete at the Paris Olympics on August 11.

This race is a long time coming for the 32-year-old who’s been a distance runner standout since setting a 5,000-meter high school national record of 15:48.91. After an astonishing opener at the 2019 London Marathon in 2:23:08, the second fastest debut for an American woman, her high school dream of becoming an Olympic marathoner felt within grasp. Three spots were up for grabs at the 2020 Olympic Trials in Atlanta, Georgia. And Sisson had the third fastest seed time by nearly a minute and a half over…

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“Chicago is one of the best places in the world from May through October, with all its festivals and events,” says Dave Zimmer, “and the running scene is vibrant year-round.” The Chicago-area native should know. Zimmer and his wife, Lisa, spent the last 28 years opening Fleet Feet stores across the city. And though he admits, “you have to be kind of hardy,” to run through the winters, when it comes to routes, races, and other intangibles, Zimmer says, “Chicago is just fantastic.”

Running the Windy City starts with the bustling Lakefront Trail. Extending 18.5 miles along the Lake Michigan waterfront, north and south of downtown, the smooth, flat, and car-free path is a road runner’s paradise. Numerous running clubs offer organized group runs at all hours, seven days a week. The air coming off the lake provides a (slight) respite from humid summer heat, and there’s even a series of hydration stations on weekend mornings from June through October, staffed by Fleet Feet and the Chicago Area Runners Association.

Beyond the lure of the Lakefront, there are downtown loops under…

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There’s no denying caffeine can take the edge off when things get dicey in a race. Many endurance athletes turn to the world’s most popular drug for a performance boost, and with a long list of caffeinated gels, beverages, and chews to choose from, a turbocharged buzz is only a swallow away. But is it possible to take in too much caffeine during a workout or a race?

Well, yes—as with anything, too much can be harmful, and not everyone responds to caffeine the same way. But to get more specific, let’s dive into what science says about how much caffeine to an athlete actually needs, the point of diminishing returns, and how to use it wisely in training and racing.

What is caffeine, and how does it help your workout or race?

Caffeine naturally occurs in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans, and cola nuts. It is also synthetically…

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As the 2024 Olympic Games wind down, the final weekend brings two of the most highly-anticipated races in Paris. The men’s and women’s marathon will take place on August 10 and 11, respectively. The races will not only be packed with fierce and fast competitors, but also history, heat, and humidity, plus some of the toughest hills in Olympic marathon history.

Hot, Humid, and Hellishly Hilly

Each race will include about 80 runners and start at 8 A.M. local time (2 A.M. ET) at Hôtel de Ville, the city hall in the center of Paris that dates back to 1535. Runners will make their way to the mid-17th century Palace of Versailles about 12 miles to the west before heading back to Paris and finishing at the Esplanade de Invalides, the circa 1706 golden domed complex that houses the tomb of Napoleon. Along the way, they’ll pass through nine…

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America, the search is over. Our next great sprinter superwoman has arrived.

Her name is Gabby Thomas, Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 200 meters. And her reign began just after the starting gun went off on Tuesday night inside a packed Stade de France.

Thomas burst out of the blocks, and the collective breath of American track fandom sighed. The curse of the bad starts that have plagued American sprinters in Paris was over. As her long, wavy ponytail popped up to vertical, it was clear even with the staggered start that she was toe-to-toe with the woman on her immediate right: Julien Alfred, reigning fastest woman in the world after winning the Olympic 100 meters just two days earlier.

That’s all Thomas needed.

Crossing the line 21.83 seconds later, a full body width ahead of the rest of the field, Thomas raised her arms on her…

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It’s less than an hour before the 400-meter semifinals at the U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field in Eugene, Oregon, and Kendall Ellis is in deep sh*t.

Literally.

Ellis found herself stuck in a porta-potty in the athlete area behind Hayward Field. For real. A brief moment of panic ensued when, as much as she jiggled the interior door latch, she couldn’t get out. It took a lot of banging and screaming until someone heard her and finally helped get her out. That unsavory situation would have rattled most. But Ellis, a two-time Olympic medalist—including gold in the women’s 4×400-meter relay in Tokyo—kept her cool. Once out on the track, she won her semi-final heat in a speedy 49.81 seconds, her first personal best time in six years.

RELATED: Weini Kelati Realizes Olympic Dream 10 Years after Defecting from Eritrea

Twenty four…

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When it comes to the Olympic 100 meters, a lifetime of glory can be lost or won in the blink of an eye.

And that’s both the fate Sha’Carri Richardon suffered and Julien Alfred secured on Saturday night in front of 75,000 rain-soaked spectators in Stade de France.

Alfred, a 23-year-old unsung sprinter from the small Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, ran a near-perfect race to win the gold medal in the women’s 100 meter final in 10.72 seconds. It’s Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal of any kind, in any event.

Richardson, the 24-year-old rising American superstar, finished fast but wound up a distant second in 10.87 seconds to claim silver. The 0.15-second margin of victory is slightly more time than it takes to blink an eye, but it’s forever in a 100-meter dash. And that’s how long that margin will remain in the annals of the…

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As a young girl, Marisa Howard dreamed about becoming an Olympian one day. But her focus was on another Olympic sport, gymnastics. She had no idea what the 3,000-meter steeplechase even was.

She also had no idea she’d be a mom when the dream actually came true.

Over the last two decades, Marisa, 31, has gone through numerous highs and lows, near-misses, injuries, a lack of sponsor support, and joyful life changes—most notably giving birth to son, Kai, in 2022. But the steeplechaser from Boise, Idaho, never let go of the dream. Relying on her faith, a strong family support system, and the frugal but full life she shares with her husband, Jeff, the dream came true on June 27 with a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

After chipping away at her craft for three Olympic cycles, Marisa ran…