🏃 RunLetters #10

Do you think you’ll still be running when you’re 87? Ever wondered what it’d be like to run every single street in your town? Still looking for an epic race for the end of the year?

All that in this week’s edition of RunLetters. Let’s get started ⤵️

P.S. If you watch running content on YouTube, would you do me a favor and subscribe to the RunLetters channel? It will help signal to YouTube who the channel is for (runners like you!)

📹 Watchlist: Running for Eternal Youth (87-Year-Old Running Inspiration)

Can you imagine turning 87, and still running road, track, and trail? Still having a racer-back tan? Still being able to do a proper warm-up or cool down, with all the stretches you’re also doing now?

That’s Shimei Nakaoji for you. Even though he has cancer, he’s still running (and he’s keeping up the pace, too!). This video will take you 7 minutes to watch, and it’s WORTH IT.

📲 Social Spotlight: Joshlynott’s Relatable Running Quotes

The chances are high that you already know about this page. Or maybe you don’t know it by name, but you’ve seen one of Josh’s many quotes pop up.

Joshua Lynott is an Australian runner, author, poet, photographer, and entrepreneur — yeah, all of it! He mentors runners who are building brands, wrote books (“A Note to the Runners” and "Why Don't You? Thoughts Worth Thinking."), and seems to be working on another new project as well. He’s not your typical running influencer by any means, but he’s interesting, and even just for his quotes, worth a follow.

Personally, I can relate to a lot of his quotes, with this one being one of my favorites:

🗓 Events & Races: Epic Trails, Volcanic Peaks, Atlantic Views 🙌

Still looking for a race for the end of the year? A trail race in a place that may very well already be on your bucket list?

Discover the Epic Trail Run Azores. With 5 different trail run distances, as well as two walk options and a kids “race”, this is a race for the whole family. It takes place on the biggest island of the archipelago: São Miguel.

No matter the distance you choose, you are guaranteed an epic race with absolutely stunning sights. The different distances have varying starting times, with the outcome of everyone finishing on the same day (December 6). You can find the full program here.

Interested? More information on their website, and you can sign up here.

🎽 Gear & Gadgets: NNormal - Built for the Trail, Born for Change

Every now and then, you see someone wear or represent a brand that piques your interest, right? Right. For me, that’s what happened when I saw Kilian Jornet race the Western States 100 in gear I had never seen before (job well done, Kilian and team).

The brand I’m talking about is NNormal, a company dedicated to trail running, hiking, and trekking gear, co-founded by Kilian Jornet himself.

Interestingly, NNormal also offers free lifetime repairs on parts of a shoe that have become unglued (e.g., the toecap) or on threads or stitches that have come loose. I’ve never seen any brand do this. They currently only provide this in France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain but are working on expanding to more countries.

They also have a program called the No Trace Program, where they take your used outdoor gear from any brand, regardless of the product’s condition, and repair or recycle it to give it a second life. You can then take it back again. The reason for this program is, obviously, the amount of waste caused by shoes and clothes that are thrown away after they’ve been used.

All in all, I think NNormal is an interesting brand. Where many brands say they are committed to sustainability, NNormal seems to take action.

I don’t own any NNormal gear myself, but surely hope to do so one day. I’d love to try out their shoes, vest, and clothes. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to make a review video on the new RunLetters channel about it. Stay tuned 🤓

✨ Wild Card: Do You Know Your Town?

You've conquered distances, maybe even PR'd on your favorite loops, but what about every single street in your town?

There's a trend in the running community that's less about pace and more about exploration. The "Every Single Street" challenge.

Forget the race clock; this is about navigating every road, alley, and corner within your town or city. Many runners participating in this challenge use the app CityStrides to track their progress, which lets you color in routes on a digital map as you go.

Seems like a fun way to keep exploring, especially if you live in or near a big city (and if you’re tired of your normal loop around town). You can read more here.

🏁 The Finish Line

Last week I promised you’d get a virtual medal from me if you’d finish the 10th edition of RunLetters. And… you just did! So here it is:

If you have a recommendation for something or someone I should feature, please let me know. You can simply reply to this email!

Here’s to a great weekend ☀️

Caroline