When I first started running, I of course went to the internet to find and read everything that I could about running. And I remember it was very daunting. Like anything on the internet, there’s just too much and you have to be discerning lest you get the wrong information and end up hurting yourself and your running and life improving journey comes to a screeching halt.
You and your running are unique to you, and only to you. You can read and research and experiment and try new things, but always remember that sentence above. And another thing to remember: comparison is the thief of joy. Running should be fun and provide you with fulfillment and joy. Full stop. And you can endeavor upon that journey on your own, as I did or you can seek the help, guidance, and experience of a good coach. I good coach is like a fiduciary. A good coach should and will obligate themselves to act and work in what is in the best interest for you.
Now going back to being discerning. I read and watch a lot of content on the subject of running, training, and coaching. Most of that content I take very seriously for the athletes that I work with and for my own personal knowledge and training. Some of that subscribed content is less serious and what I’d consider more of entertainment.
A good example of what I consider less serious is Marathon Handbook. Granted, there is some useful information on their website and in their newsletter, but they’re running a business there, and their content is intended to reach a mass audience. They do also solicit individualized coaching, and that’s where you have to be discerning. Realize and understand that a lot of their (and other sources and [barf] “influencers”) content is published so they can make money by earning an affiliate commission on product recommendations, advertising revenue, paid subscriptions, and other means.
Marathon Handbook sends a lot of emails. Too many in my opinion. I think one email per week would suffice. I think they send a daily email and you can reduce that cadence to three, maybe four per week, which is, in my opinion still too much. In my opinion, there are a lot of stretches in terms of content and, if I’m being frank, clickbait.
For example:
Right from headline it’s enticing you to compare yourself to everyone else, or to some arbitrary standard. And the call to action button at the bottom plainly asks “how do you stack up?” Remember: comparison is thief of joy. Don’t click on it, or anything otherwise that asks you to compare yourself to others or some standard. Yes, they’ve include some science and research and reference Daniels’ VDOT based on VO2 Max, but ask yourself honestly, does it really matter? It only matters if you let or you want it to matter. When I look at how my mile PR “stacks up,” it puts me somewhere between “high-level recreational” and “sub-elite.” Okay. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that. Feel inadequate is my first thought. Should I train to run a faster mile so I can be within in the “sub-elite” classification? I guess I could, but why? Maybe if I were training for the mile it might mean more; but really, what does it mean? I’m not going to line up at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City and mutter, “excuse me, excuse me, sub-elite coming through.”
And then there’s this example (from the same Marathon Handbook newsletter)
I’m not going to go deep into this one, but will say that this is where discernment is highly advised. Again, there’s some good and helpful information in the post, like defining what heart rate recovery is, but don’t take the numbers (like your max heart rate and resting heart rate based on age range) to heart. Pun intended. You and your heart rate are unique to you. If you really want to know and get accurate measurements, contact an exercise science lab or speak to a cardiologist who studies and specializes in athletes.
Now I’m not meaning to slam on Marathon Handbook. I’ve exchanged friendly emails with its founder, Thomas. Amby Burfoot is their Editor at Large. Katelyn, Michael, and Alex do a really great video podcast. Alex, their contributing editor debuted in the half marathon back in October with a 65:58. There’s a ton of credibility.
The tl;dr as the kids say is: keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate running. Don’t believe everything you read, see, or hear, and definitely when it comes to “influencers.” Don’t compare yourself to others. Unless, of course, you’re racing against certain others and your goal is to beat them. Even then, if you don’t get the expected result, don’t sweat it. Learn from it and have fun with it. That’s what this whole life and running thing is all about.
