Aspen Valley, Cape Mountain, Glendalough, Lisbon, Ogden + Prescott

Races you'll love running + Matt Fitzgerald on coping with long Covid, why you should ditch your smartwatch, and a real-life 'Groundhog Day'

Morning, friends! ☀️

Something I’ve heard anecdotally from a few of you over the years is that, after connecting in the comment sections of our posts and discussion threads here, you’ve made arrangements to meet up to run together in person, and sometimes have even traveled to run races together.

That warms my heart so much — it’s just fantastic that THM has been a way for you to connect. I’ve been thinking over the past couple of weeks, maybe there’s a way to do that for more of you (if you’re interested)?

Perhaps we could use our Friday discussion threads to help people in a particular location meet up; we have thousands of readers here, so it’s highly likely that a sizeable number of you are clustered in cities around the country (and perhaps even parts of the world outside the U.S.).

Again, I don’t want anyone to feel any pressure — this is totally optional! But if you’d like to meet up in person, I’d love to help if I can.

Let me know either in the comments or in a reply back to me — and in the meantime, have a great Sunday and have a great run out there.

Your friend,

— Terrell

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🏃‍♂️ To run

🏞️ Cape Mountain Trail Runs. Run along the looping, meandering trails that wind across the forest slopes of Cape Mountain, high above the Pacific along the Oregon Coast. Located in the Siuslaw National Forest and within about a 15-minute drive from nearby Florence, Ore., the 17-plus miles of “the mountain’s hidden gem trail network offers miles and miles of exceptional singletrack through moss-draped old growth rainforest, enchanting creek canyons, and rare coastal headland meadows,” organizers say. You can choose among a 10K, 25K or 50K distance, all along the way enjoying one of the most scenic coastlines anywhere in the U.S., where “meadow and summit views extend for dozens of miles on clear days.” Set for June 1-2, 2024.

🇮🇪 Glendalough Lap of the Gap Marathon. A race organizers say is both “incredibly scenic and incredibly tough,” run through the scenic heart of Ireland’s County Wicklow, which lies just south of Dublin and is known for its beautifully sweeping views of the Irish Sea and Wicklow Mountains National Park, home to more than 100 kilometers of walking and hiking trails. You’ll run along quiet back lanes through the Wicklow countryside and “barren and dramatic heather landscapes,” including a stretch that passes by Glenmacnass Waterfall, all as part of your route along the famed Lap of the Gap cycling route. Set for May 18, 2024.