Big Sur, Great South Bay, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Niagara Falls + the Birkie Trail

Plus: Some time off for me, to recharge + rejuvenate

Good morning, my friends! ☀️

I hope you’ve had a great weekend, wherever you are in the world. One of the best things about this community we’ve built here is hearing your stories, and one that touched my heart was the back-and-forth among readers in Friday’s thread, helping a runner named Dawn find the inspiration to keep running.

New to running, she’d had trouble running as far as 3.1 miles, as getting her breathing under control was a big obstacle. You all had loads of great tips, which she then put into practice later that day — and reported back on her experience:

THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL!!! All your expert advice and it worked !!! I can’t believe it !!! I did what you all said as a consensus. Disregard time. Focus on form , breathing and mind over matter . I RAN STRAIGHT FOR 2 FULL MILES!!! I actually felt like I was running faster . (Very slow 28.5 minutes ). 😩 However , after the struggle of that first .9 miles , my breathing improved for sure !!!! Thank you 🙏

To me, this is the coolest thing about writing The Half Marathoner, and being a part of this community alongside all of you. I love the support and inspiration you all provide to me and to each other, and it lifts my spirits every time I see something like this happen. It’s just so, so amazing, and it warms my heart every time.

I wanted to let you know that I’m going to take the next two weeks off from publishing, to give myself a little time to rest and recharge.

I’m feeling a bit like I’m running on fumes lately, and when I looked back at our archives so far this year, I realized I haven’t taken any real time off since late December. So — with your permission, of course! — I’m going to put away the laptop for a little while, read and get some good running in, and then be back in action in early August.

I’m excited about both relaxing and coming back, as I’d love for us to start a new training cycle for the fall, just like we did earlier this year in the winter and spring. You all keep me motivated and enthusiastic, and I love the buildup to race day. So, if you’re in, I’m in 👍

Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of July — I’ll see you again in early August!

Your friend,

— Terrell

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Races you might love running

• Run through the forests of northwest Wisconsin just as the first days of fall are arriving at this late September race along the famed 100-kilometer Birkie Trail — and which will be this year’s USATF half marathon championship.

• This gorgeous run along California’s Old Coast Road, which once connected Monterey with Big Sur, features long, steep climbs and descents as well as spectacular scenery throughout the entire race.

• Another late September run mostly along the waterfront of this seaside town just an hour outside Boston takes you past lighthouses, through marshes, and its historic, charming downtown.

• Starting from the Bay Shore Marina near Islip, on the southern shore of Long Island, the Great South Bay race takes participants through much of this beach town’s quaint, cozy downtown streets.

• The word “stunning” probably understates the view you’ll take here along the Niagara River between the U.S. and Canada at October’s Niagara Falls Half Marathon.

A few great running reads

• 88-year-old Edna Hyer has run more than 2,300 races during her lifetime, including 19 this year. But, she says, “I don’t enjoy the running part. That’s the hard part... I enjoy the friends I have met.”

• An Olympic gold medalist multiple times over and considered the best track distance runner in history, Mo Farah revealed in recent weeks that he’d been trafficked as a 9-year-old from Africa to Britain, where he was forced to work as a domestic servant. How could Farah, now 39, possibly have moved past this?

• Yesterday, legendary ultra runner Courtney Dauwalter set a new course record at Colorado’s Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run. Here’s a fun interview she gave earlier this week, all about her pre-race routine.

• Stories like this are my absolute favorite: “Fourteen years after being forced from the sport by injury, five years after using running to lift herself out of one of the lowest points of her life,” 37-year-old Keira D’Amato is now America’s fastest female marathoner.

Words to run by

“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes the inner voice which says, 'This is the real me,' and when you have found that attitude, follow it.”

— William James