Runner’s Life Newsletter

Highlights and stories from April 14-April 27, 2024

Jeff Barton

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Runner's Life

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Newsletter

4 min readApr 28, 2024

Welcome to the Runner’s Life newsletter!

If you’ve missed previous Runner’s Life newsletters, you can find the archive here.

Runner’s Life contributor and 1968 Boston Marathon winner Amby Burfoot ran the 2024 Boston Marathon, finishing just under the 5-hour mark in 4:59:58. Burfoot, who wore bib number 1968 in honor of his previous win, is 77. Burfoot is also the former editor of Runner’s World magazine and author of Run Forever: Your Complete Guide to Healthy Lifetime Running. Congratulations, Amby!

Below is the most recent edition of his weekly newsletter titled Run Long, Run Healthy, where he publishes short summaries and links to the Internet’s most recent and scientific reviews of running information so you can learn how to be better at running.

You Can Run (And Hide) From Chronic Disease; What NOT To Eat Before Races; Beware The “ANTS” In Your Head

Previous editions of Run Long, Run Healthy newsletters can be found here.

Featured Story

What 20 Years of Running Taught Me About Quitting by James Bellerjeau

This story is not about how awesome I am, winning races, or even running. It’s about learning what you are capable of, and how exploring your boundaries can help you in other areas of your life.
Running no doubt changed my life, almost all for the positive. Probably the most important thing I learned is “Do Not Quit.”
While this is easy to say, I know it’s often hard to do. And there are times when it’s wise to ignore this foundational rule. I hope the five lessons I’ve learned by testing the boundaries help you push your own.

1. You can do more than you think

One key reason not to quit is that you can accomplish great things if you keep going. You almost always can do more than you initially think.
Each time you stretch yourself and prevail, you realize your capabilities are greater than you suspected. And still, you can do more than you think.
I vividly recall my first tortured kilometer on a treadmill at the gym. I remember asking myself how on earth people ran regularly and, more importantly, why. I was agog that people not only ran marathons but ran them more than once.
I now know so many inspiring stories of people starting from nothing and going on to accomplish great things. I’ve seen it happen often enough to know that you can do more than you think.
• We quit because we are afraid of failure.
• We fear finding out that we cannot do more than we think and that we will fall short of our expectations.
That is fear talking. While fear has its place, you do not need to let it hold you back from discovering how much you can do.