Welcome to the More Than Running newsletter!
MTR has existed only in podcast form since January 2020, and I’ve personally changed a lot since then. I began the podcast while running professionally to tell the stories of the women in and around running I felt needed a bigger spotlight.
I was sick of hearing tired sound bites about an athlete on TV and then the same sound bites from that athlete on a podcast. From experience, I knew there was more to their stories, and I wanted to help athletes share more of themselves.
But then Covid came and the podcast world BOOMED, and I started asking myself, “what value do I bring as a podcaster in this space? What is different about my work?” Oh, and not to mention my retirement from professional running in 2021…. more on that later.
So, where does that leave More Than Running today? With my background as a former professional track athlete, running industry experience, interest in athlete branding, and work with CITIUS MAG, I have quite a bit to share. I’m ready to cover everything from riling up the Twitterverse in debates on why I don’t like the sub-4-minute mile to passionate unattached gear reviews.
All this leads us to this weekly newsletter, where I will share things that interest me in and around the running world each week.
I’m going to try to stick to the following topics each week, but no promises!.
What I’ve thought about on my runs this week
Result of the week
What I’m reading/ listening to
Gear reviews
But Dana! What about the podcast? More Than Running will continue to exist in podcast form, but I will expand on topics discussed in the newsletter. I want each episode to be purposeful and to exist with a higher level of quality and a strong point of view. Check out my latest solo episode to hear more.
If all this sounds interesting to you – or you think a friend might enjoy it! – please subscribe and share. Over time my goal is to have the newsletter supported by sponsors that I truly believe in that can also provide benefit to you, the reader.
OKAY! I have written too much, and the newsletter hasn’t even started. I hope you enjoy Please email me with feedback, topic suggestions, and anything you find interesting. Cheers to this new adventure🥂
What I’ve thought about on my runs this week.
Oh, baby.
When I decided this would be the first section of my newsletter, I thought I would be doing a whole lot more running than I am. For the first time in my adult life, I’m not training seriously for anything, and it feels incredible. Moving away from running 6/7 days a week to 3/4 with no race on the calendar is a form of liberation you can only experience when you have been in the grasp of routine for so long.
I’ve still been thinking a lot on my runs, but those runs are just shorter, less intense, and less structured. A friend told me recently (and yes, that friend was my therapist) that there is a difference between “running” and “training,” and I could still love to move my body every day but not have an agenda. How very un-type A of me to run but not train?! Was that even possible? I’m here to tell you, folks it sure is.
As athletes, especially women, we are hard-wired to do everything possible to feel in control. Input = Output. However, what if we just need a break? A reset? A moment to chill out and not think about our goals. To just be. I’m leaning into my break right now, and it’s been the most freeing feeling I’ve had in a while. Don’t worry; I still love you running, it’s just training I’m taking a break from <3
Result of the Week
There is just something about indoor track that wakes you up from hibernation of the holidays and BAM, the results keep pouring in week after week. I wanted to highlight one of my favorite races this season from a few short weeks ago at the USATF Indoor Track and Field championship in lovely Albuquerque, New Mexico. This championship certainly didn’t have the hype of a World qualifying meet and was also held at altitude, so throw those distance times out the window. However, one performance that stood out to me moved the sport so far forward: Nikki Hiltz winning the 1500m, their first National Title. Wow, seeing Nikki’s joy was incredible.
In the summer of 2020, Nikki and I decided to escape our Covid bubbles for a training camp in Park City, Utah. While altitude camp was the cover, we needed a place to have some fun again with running after the Olympic Trials were moved back an entire year. We really did not know each that well outside of racing on the USA mile circuit, but in that short training camp, I learned so much about who Nikki is as a person and what they want to accomplish in the sport. I remember sitting at our Airbnb dining room table with Emma Gee and Sam Murphy, and Nikki shared their desire to keep competing until LA 2028. I couldn’t even fathom making it to the Olympic Trials in 2021, let alone another 7 years!
This sport can be absolutely brutal and tear you down again and again. It’s fun to see the ones who love the game win a national title as their authentic selves. So here’s to Nikki, the first openly non-binary athlete to win a USATF national title. I will be rooting for you until 2028 and beyond.
What I’m Reading
I just finished Lauren Fleshman’s Good For A Girl and wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had a book I couldn’t put down. Part memoir, part running feminist manifesto, Lauren nails the female running experience at all levels. So much of my book is highlighted, and I found myself yelling YES and UGH repeatedly! It was beyond disheartening to know that many of the subjects Lauren talks about at length (eating disorders, unhealthy coaching relationships, self-comparisons, bad contracts etc.) are still omnipresent within the sport. We have so much more to do.
“Nobody told [young female athletes] that the record holders and medal winners are grown-ass women, not girls, all of whom had tough years once upon a time, and that their own personal best years will truly begin in their mid-twenties.” - Lauren Fleshman, Good For A Girl
Later in March, Lauren will be joining me on the More Than Running podcast to talk about the book and the reception, so I won’t go into too much detail here, but spoiler: I loved it. I recommend this book to any athlete in any sport who wants to learn more about the system they compete within and how to break free.
Gear Review
One thing you might not know about me is that I am picky when it comes to gear, and I take recommendations VERY seriously. In this newsletter, I will always disclose if I received a product for free, point out any affiliate links, and share my honest thoughts.
Another thing you may not know about me is that I started my career straight out of college at Reebok, working on the product team. So I have some deep product knowledge about how shoes are built and more importantly, how much they should cost for how they were built.
After many years Tracksmith finally released their first running shoe, the Tracksmith Eliot runner. It’s got a beautiful clean upper with the signature Tracksmith sash in Ivory/Navy and Black colorways. I received the Eliot runner in a PR box and, as usual, was so impressed with the thought and care TS puts into their storytelling (did you miss the long-run movie??). It’s subtle and deliberate, and something you want to wear because it’s beautiful.
But how does this bad boy run? Is it worth the $198 price tag? I took them on my standard run to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Eliot likes to move quickly. The double Pebax insoles, one soft and one firmer, provide a nice responsive feel when moving at a clip. However, when I slowed my pace I didn’t love the way I felt like the shoe was slapping the ground, which is often common with a firmer, smooth rubber outsole. Save these stunners for days when you want to “look good, feel good” as you will be stopped for compliments, but you might be running too fast to hear them.
Wow, I can’t believe this is the end of the first newsletter. I’m leaving you guys excited and with so much more to say. If you liked this newsletter, leave a comment, subscribe, and send it to a friend. My goal is to keep talking about all things running that interest me and hopefully interest you! Any topics are fair game. Stay tuned for supporting More Than Running podcast episodes and hopefully, I’ll see you at a running event soon. - Dana
Edited by Paul Synder