Friday Thrive

Happy Friday! Each week, Friday Thrive rounds up some of my favorite reads and other things from the week. This week’s round-up centers around the Boston Marathon, which is on Monday! 

Molly Huddle Prepares for Her First Boston

Along with Shalane Flanagan, Molly Huddle is one of my favorites for the Boston Marathon this year. Boston is Huddle’s second marathon and she shares her training, what she is looking forward to at the race, and more in this interview from Runner’s World. 

The Boston Marathon Shoes Get More Creative 

This article for Each year, the major shoe companies release special edition shoes in tribute to America’s oldest marathon. Typically, these shoes feature some variation of blue and yellow, although each year offers more and more creative editions. Outside humorously grades this year’s shoes, from Paul Revere designs to maps of Boston printed on the insoles. (My favorites were the Kinvara 9s, which shunned blue and yellow for a tribute to New England’s favorite coffee. As a side note, I miss Dunkin Donuts out here.)

Less Running Doesn’t Equate to Weight Gain

Especially if you race marathons or half marathon and push your mileage high during training, letting your mileage dip back down can be a bit nerve-wracking. Even if you have a healthy body image, weight gain is a fear. But the body is smart and, given that you have a healthy metabolism (meaning, you didn’t deprive yourself to reach an unrealistically low weight during high mileage), your appetite will adjust. Meredith from The Cookie Chrunicles shares her experience in running less and how it affected (or more so, didn’t affect) her weight in this post, “I Haven’t Gained Weight from Running Less.” Don’t be afraid to scale back your mileage for recovery after a race, off-season, or just to enjoy life a little bit more. 

Shift Your Narrative to Control Race Day Nerves

Every runner experiences nerves before a race. Allie Burdick for Women’s Running shares tips for controlling these nerves in “How to Stay Calm Before a Big Race.” My favorite piece of advice from this article is to shift your thoughts about the race from “I’m so nervous about this race” to “I am excited to run this race.” It’s amazing what a shift in narrative and a change in the tone of self-talk can do! 

The Mental and Physical Limits of Running

Tina Muir interviews Alex Hutchinson, author of the new book Endure and the Sweat Science column, in the most recent episode of the Running for Real podcast. Hutchinson is absolutely brilliant in understanding the science of the mental side of running. He discusses pain tolerance, pacing, smiling to improve your race, and more in this must-listen podcast. 

Good luck to everyone running Boston! 

[Tweet “A #BostonMarathon themed Friday Thrive round up, featuring all things Boston, @tinamuir podcast interview with @sweatscience , and how to control your pre-race nerves from @WomensRunning “]

Which pair of Boston shoes do you like the most?
Who are you rooting for at Boston?