Fellow runner, it’s been busy here at Strength Running. I even have a new officemate:
Just kidding… she’s just a weird doll head I found on the side of the road that we call Aubrey. My family has accepted her with open arms and my daughter insists on having lunch with her most days.
ANYWAY…
More importantly, a busy month at SR means lots of new stuff for you.
Before we get into that, first I want to thank you.
When I first bought the domain strengthrunning.com in 2007, I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I was reeling from the high I got from Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Work Week.
By the way, if any of you have actually figured out how to only work 4 hours… please let me know. I haven’t figured that part out yet, but thanks for the inspiration Tim!
I never knew that that simple step was the first of many that would ultimately change my life.
Today we have well over 30,000 runners in our community and our cumulative progress is unreal. We’re getting faster, eating right, and staying healthy.
The world has noticed, too.
From glowing reviews of SR’s most popular coaching program the PR Race Plan, to media spots in Outside Magazine, Runner’s World, and Lifehacker, our success can’t be denied.
Because of your achievements, Business Insider recently profiled Strength Running. The best part of the piece is them including what I really do:
I’m in the results business.
I want to make sure [my clients are] running the miles they want, and increasing distance at the rate they want. Running isn’t everyone’s top priority and I recognize and understand that for people with kids and jobs and busy lives, it’s important to make sure the training fits around that.
A coach comes in and makes sure you’re focusing on the most important things you can be doing, and gives structure to your training.
And a recent personality test revealed that I’m ruthlessly results-oriented. Makes sense to me! All I care about is making sure your goals are accomplished.
And I have to say, we’re doing exceptionally well. The results keep piling into my inbox: there’s Nick’s 60-pound weight loss transformation and Michael’s back to back marathons without hitting the wall.
Want more inspiration? Don’t miss the entire collection of SR success stories, which are great morning motivation over a cup of coffee 🙂
I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to help runners achieve goals that many others think are impossible. These results are not typical and it blows my mind that we have so many of them!
And you can bet your favorite pair of running shoes I’ll keep doing what I’m doing to coach more of you to the same levels of success (later in this post I’m sharing a new project to make coaching a lot more accessible).
So let’s take a look at all the goodies I have for you today…
New downloads and posts!
I’ve added several free downloads to the members-only area on Strength Running. If you subscribe via email, you already have these new resources.
First, we talked about how to plan your running season. Check out the video below:
There’s a worksheet that goes with the video that helps you:
- Schedule your goal race (this is the most important step)
- Include the 3 elements of every successful season
- Plan and schedule tune-up races
You can download it here if you want to be more strategic about your upcoming race schedule.
Next is an all new routine! Strength Running is known for its runner-specific strength, core, and dynamic warm-up routines.
The Mattock Warm-up continues this trend.
As the name implies, it helps you prepare for a run. It’s a series of dynamic warm-up exercises that are far superior to static stretching when used before running.
And instead of ogling me and those gorgeous short shorts every time you need to warm up, you can get a photo guide to the routine with exercise descriptions that’s easy to print.
You can download the free PDF here.
Off the blog, there’s been plenty happening elsewhere on the internets.
Sometimes I also contribute my expertise on injury prevention and training to other organizations. Just in case you missed any of these, check them out:
- Runner’s World (exercises to help you become a better hill runner)
- BuzzFeed (a circuit workout that’s great at developing aerobic fitness with minimal running)
- Art of Manliness (how to dominate an obstacle race)
- Competitor (how to run your fastest half marathon)
- Competitor (how to increase your mileage)
I’m speaking at NESS & Camp Nerd Fitness!
Sometimes I speak at conferences and businesses about running or online business. Last year I spoke at the DC Fit conference on half marathon training and gave a private presentation to the Inter-American Development Bank (try to say that 5 times fast!).
This year, you can see me in two more places:
The National Endurance Sports Summit is held on the campus of Princeton University this fall. There’s a lot of great speakers lined up, including author Matt Fitzgerald, ultra runner Ann Trason, and even Christopher McDougall (of Born to Run fame).
We haven’t finalized details yet of the panels or workshops I’ll be contributing to at the conference, but it should be a fascinating weekend of endurance sports nerdery.
If you can make it, it’s not to be missed. You can also save 10% on your ticket price by using code jf10.
Finally, I’ll be at Camp Nerd Fitness in October as a running instructor. In between nerdy costume parties, healthy eating contests, and games of pick-up basketball I’ll be teaching a few classes.
The tentative list includes lots of fun topics:
- Running form and injury prevention
- Running for beginners
- Obstacle race training
- Advanced running strategies
- Programming
These aren’t set in stone yet, but it’s what we’re focusing on right now. Unfortunately, Camp NF is sold out but if you’d like more info on next year’s adventure, you should get on their wait list.
By the way, if you direct a race, manage a running club, or work at a conference and would like me to speak, check out my speaking page.
A bold new project coming soon!
Alright guys, this is where things get really fun.
For the last seven months I’ve been secretly working on an ambitious new project.
The goal: make coaching widely accessible for all runners. Right now, personal coaching is admittedly expensive. With 1-on-1 support and custom training plan creation taking lots of time for coaches, this is understandable.
But I want to change that.
I want every runner to be able to train with a program designed for their specific goals, fitness level, and background.
I also think runners would become enormously successful if they had:
- Access to a coach for questions and training strategy
- A “team” of peers for support and encouragement
- Guidance from outside experts on the specifics of running technique, injury management, and what mistakes to avoid
All of this must be affordable – which is the tricky part – and what I’m working hard to solve.
This new project is nowhere near ready, but I might be letting in a small group of passionate runners sometime in the next 4-8 weeks.
Does this get you excited? Join our early-bird list here and you’ll be the first to know about the program.
Until then, thank you for reading.
Run strong,
– Jason.
