Berkeley, Bristol, Eagle River, Germantown, Honey Creek, Hurley + Turku

Races you'll love running + what I've loved reading, watching and listening to this week

Morning, friends! ☀️

It’s the first day of September, which in one way is hard to believe — I just got used to writing “2024” on forms and checks, you know? It also means we’re headed into the final third of the year, the home stretch when so many running events take place, and which I know many of you are training for.

Something I was wondering: do any of you use a coach to help you train, whether it’s for a specific goal or as an ongoing thing? The reason why I ask is, I stumbled across a series of tweets this weekend by a cardiologist named Dr. Paddy Barrett, on how he makes time to exercise every single day.

This post of his in particular caught my eye:

Get a coach. I was way too late on this one.

1. Stops you getting injured as often.

2. Pushes you beyond what you thought possible

3. Helps you show up each and every time.

You might let yourself down, but you won’t let a coach down.

Accountability >> Information

It struck me that, years ago, when I was going to the gym on a regular basis and lifting weights (and doing all sorts of other strength and flexibility training exercises), that I felt motivated to do it not for myself, but for my coach — he had a way of motivating me that I didn’t want to let him down.

Have you had that experience with a coach in your life too? It can be a really, really effective way of motivating yourself — and, it explains why I haven’t been able to maintain my strength training consistently since then. I don’t have Preston (that was his name) to motivate me anymore!

And, if you’ve worked with or continue to work with a coach, how did you find them? What has your experience been like?

One more thing: It was really gratifying to see your responses to this week’s post on regret — hearing how you’ve handled that emotion, one we all feel to a greater or lesser degree, and what you do about the regrets you’ve experienced in your own lives. It feels like this is a topic that really touched a nerve, and if you’ve had more thoughts since then, I’d love to hear more from you.

As always, I hope you’ve had a fantastic weekend and had a chance to get some great runs in — let me know how it goes!

Your friend,

— Terrell

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🏃 To run

Three Eagle Half Marathon

Eagle River, Wis. | Saturday, October 12, 2024

A run along the fast (and flat) crushed limestone and dirt trails that make up the Three Eagle Trail, a nearly 13-mile-long linear park built on an old railway line between the cities of Eagle River and Three Lakes, along a stretch of what was once the old Chicago and North Western Railway, whose service lasted from the 1880s to the 1950s. The rest of the trail criss-crosses through fields and forests and alongside streams and creeks, offering runners a gentle course and the gorgeous scenery of Wisconsin’s fall foliage, as the leaves will be turning every shade of red, orange and gold this time of year.