Sara Hall is one of the best American distance runners in the marathon – and she’s been a national powerhouse for nearly 30 years.
I’m incredibly impressed by anybody who trains and competes at a high level for a very long period of time. It’s difficult!
Runners have to navigate changing bodies, goals, the stresses of life, and waning motivation levels. When an elite athlete can stay at the top of their sport for multiple decades, it’s a case study that we have to learn from.
In my own experience, I had a 17-year competitive career as a runner. I competed in cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, road racing, and some events like triathlon, duathlon, and trail races. After 17 years, I was ready to hang up my spikes.
Much like how Nick Symmonds felt after he retired, I’ve never loved running more. But I’ve never had less desire to train. It’s an interesting dynamic that’s left me with a wider appreciation for the sport and all that it offers.
But Sara Hall is different.
Sara has been a leading American competitor for the entire 21st century. And I recently had her on the Strength Running Podcast to talk about her enduring ambition.
Sara Hall on Running Longevity
Sara was the 2000 high school national cross country champion before earning 7-time All-America honors at Stanford University.
Not only has she won 10 US National Championship titles, but she’s the only American to win national titles in both the mile and the marathon. Her incredible range is also demonstrated by her gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games in the steeplechase, while also being the second fastest American female marathoner with a time of 2:20:32.
She was previously on the podcast when I interviewed 5 elite women on their preferred injury prevention and recovery strategies. You can learn more about that episode here.
Her memoir, For the Love of the Grind, is also now available for preorder!
In this conversation, we learn what makes Sara tick:
- How she stays psychologically engaged with her training
- What’s changed over the years (and what’s not)
- Fads that she used to believe but doesn’t anymore
- Whether she has a trail or ultra career at some point in the future!
For more resources on longevity and how to stay healthy, download our free Little Black Book of Recovery & Prevention.
Make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen!
Thank you LMNT!
A big thanks to LMNT for their support of this episode! They make electrolyte drinks for athletes and low-carb folks with no sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. They are offering a free gift with your purchase at LMNT. And this does NOT have to be your first purchase. You’ll get a sample pack with every flavor so you can try them all before deciding what you like best.
And BIG news! Their newest flavor is now available permanently: LEMONADE SALT!
LMNT’s products have some of the highest sodium concentrations that you can find. Anybody who runs a lot knows that sodium, as well as other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium, are essential to our performance and how we feel throughout the day.
If you’re not familiar, LMNT is my favorite way to hydrate. They make electrolytes for athletes and low-carb folks with no Sugar, artificial ingredients, or colors. I’m now in the habit of giving away boxes of LMNT at group runs around Denver and Boulder and everyone loves this stuff.
Boost your performance and your recovery with LMNT. They’re the exclusive hydration partner to Team USA Weightlifting and quite a few professional baseball, hockey, and basketball teams are on regular subscriptions. So check out LMNT to get a free sampler pack and get your hydration optimized for the upcoming season.
Thank you MOBO Board!
Invented by renowned physical therapist Jay Dicharry, MOBO helps you stabilize your stance with an innovative rocker board that’s set up on two fins. The design effectively forces you to drive your big toe into the board to improve your stability. I was pretty arrogant going into my first session on the MOBO Board. How hard can it be to balance, right? Well, I was humbled pretty quickly!
Even if you’re a good runner, better balance, stability, and proprioception is going to help you have a more powerful stride and prevent more running injuries. You’ll learn how to improve the efficiency of the kinetic chain from your hip to your big toe. Because as Jay likes to say, it’s not just how strong you are, but how well you use that strength.
I was recently at a weekend physical therapy workshop (lol I was the only running coach) and learned how important (and rare) this simple movement is. Save 10% with code STRENGTHRUN10 at checkout at moboboard.com.
