There’s no doubt in the last two to three years that running fast has taken on a new meaning. We just witnessed someone break 2 hours in the marathon. A few days before, a couple Americans casually ran 2:03-2:06. Some of them close friends and companions. The days of running 2:10 and being a successful pro marathoner might just be over. What does this mean? To be honest, I am not entirely sure. And I guess that’s what this newsletter is about— sifting through what it means to be a professional runner in a sport where it feels like you’re always playing catch up.

The old playbook of a successful career was:

1. You run well at NCAA.

2. You get a contract.

3. You run track for 4-8 years, then move to the roads.

4. You have a 4-8 year marathon career.

5. You retire.

This is really simplifying things but you get the point.

What’s the new playbook? Well, first let’s dive into why the old one might be out.

The current three best USA distance runners (in my opinion) are:

1. Cole Hocker

2. Grant Fisher

3. Yared Nuguse

One is the Olympic Gold medalist, one is the 5k indoor world record holder, and the last is a 3:43 miler. (Throwing Nico Young in there as a bonus: American record holder in 5k). Point blank: the NCAA doesn’t have time to develop athletes to compete with guys like these. Granted people on this list might get beat occasionally but your average all-American colligate runner doesn’t stand a chance. It has taken years for these guys to develop such consistency in their skill level. At this point, not many pro-teams are willing to give a good college guy 4 years to “figure it out”. The best time to be a world beater was well… yesterday.

So, what should exceptional track athletes do when they graduate college? Well, the old answer might have been “go right to the marathon” which still might be a decent answer (as I’ll talk about next) but Charles Hicks just ran 2:04 in this second marathon ever, and he’s 24 years old. Now you might be thinking… So what? If they can do it, so can someone else. Maybe - I just think it’s harder than you think. We’re at a point now in running where all the best guys are training hard and smart, with the best resources, financial support, and the biggest audience running has ever had. Out training other athletes doesn’t happen much anymore. So, how do you stand out and have a good professional career even if you can’t beat Cole Hocker? Let’s talk about it.

Stick to what you’re good at

Last year, Charles Hicks and I ubered into DC together for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. He was coming off a long track season that was, as he described: “pretty underwhelming.” He’d run some PRs but was still way off what the top dogs were doing. And his races weren’t having the same impact they had when he was NCAA champ at Stanford. He started talking about the marathon and his hopes to be good at it. He loved long runs and tempos, so it might be his niche. Charles broke the American record at Cherry Blossom 10 miler that weekend and now has a 2:04 marathon under his belt. I have no doubt, Charles would have had a really solid career on the track, and maybe he even plans to come back to it but the question I keep coming back to is, why wait to be good on the roads? Running careers are over in the blink of the eye, and if there is an event that looks fun, even if its a random road race, go all in and don’t look back. It could just be your groundbreaker.

Niche down in racing

Just like the example above, Charles found his niche. It was a 26.2 mile race. Yours doesn’t have to be that. The last few weeks, I won run the Carlsbad 5k, finished third at the USATF Road mile championships, and won USATF 5k championships. All road races. All short.

Train to be good at everything

While your races will be specific, your training needs to cover everything. I just got back from practice after seeing my two marathon teammates at our morning session. I asked them what they need to do to make the next leap in their marathon training block, mileage or intensity. My dad overheard me ask the question and replied “both.” Correct answer. Super shoe technology has made it easier and safer than ever to train ridiculously hard with far less consequences than in the past. The days of being a all “strength guy” are over, in the same way that being just a “kicker” doesn’t cut it anymore either— you have to be able to do both. I think the magic is in two thing: the willingness to work on every aspect of your fitness and not being fearful of your weaknesses. If you don’t believe me, check out the Podcast I did with Joe Klecker. He is fresh off a 2:05 marathon and has been doing better track workouts than he did in his track days, all while focusing on a 26.2 mile race.

Ambassador > Athlete

The best race weekends aren’t the ones where I am holed up in a hotel room the entire time and step out to race then quickly leave. The weekend before I raced USATF Mile champs, I was at a high school track meet. Holding tapes, talking with coaches and kids… That filled my cup heading into a big road race. At USATF 5k Champs, I got to do a live podcast with a group of athletes the night before the race. It was honestly just as fun as winning the race. At the lows in my career, I’ve always leaned on the non running stuff to keep things in perspective but they have been showing up from me during the highs as well. It’s good for the culture of running and our sport too. It proves that there isn’t that much distance between pros and the recreational runner. I’m at these events, my email is all over the internet and you can easily reach out to me. It makes our sport so unique and special. I really think every runner should embrace this and lean into doing more community things a part of race weekends.

Road races are just plain fun

They are! First, the races are all part of a greater community race so the crowds are big. Second, the money is great! I came away from Carlsbad winning $5k, the same at USATF mile champs and a little more from the win at 5k champs. Comparatively, last year I won arguably the best domestic track races (excluding Prefontaine classic) Sound running 1500 and Portland track fest 5k. I think I made about $1500 bucks from those races, and had to pay for my travel, lodging, etc…

Most track races are at night and you’re basically laying around in a hotel room every day. The track meets are for the pros so there isn’t a community race and often the crowd isn’t huge (yikes.) Road races feel like the purest form of running and make my job feel a lot more fulfilling outside of just a time on a clock. Many road races are one off races, with nothing to qualify for, so it’s a good honest effort but doesn’t derail your entire season if it goes wrong. This is a different script to what track is every year. In track, we do the same build up to USA champs where 3 people are happy and qualify for worlds and everyone else is stuck doing secondary races. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed this but I think at some point we have to think outside the box a bit to create a meaningful running career— and the roads seem to be where that can be.

The new Pro Playbook: Roads and Track?

This isn’t to say that the old ways are out for good at all. I have just been dwelling on alternatives and thought this could be useful for any track star in college whose a little daunted by the outstanding caliber of pro middle distance runners we’ve got in the USA at the moment. It wasn’t always like this and won’t always be but for the time being, I’d offer this playbook as the new route for you:

1. You run well at NCAA.

2. You get a contract (or have hopes to)

3. You train to be both strong and fast

4. Go for the roads as hard as you go for the track

5. Find your niche distance on both

6. Have a great time, chase times and wins, make some money, then come home to an awesome spouse and adorable babies (;

I still have unfinished business on the track the next 2 years but this break up of road races has been invigorating and inspiring to challenge my old ideas of what makes a successful running career. People will continue to run fast, including myself, and I am ready for the challenge. I am leaning into the advice I laid out above, imperfectly of course, but nonetheless with a curious sense of adventure about where my running career is headed.

Finally: We’re going to worlds, baby.

Won the USA Champs Road 5k last weekend! I’ll get to represent the United States in Copenhagen in September. What a life.

This was my big goal for the year, as I had previously stated in another newsletter. I make big goals every year for running but it’s been rare that I actually achieve those them. I have had some excellent races the last few years but nothing that really satisfied - this one feels closer. Previously, it’s been about settling for B or C goal and adjusting the my season to them. But this year I have been set on chasing something bigger and not settling. I even texted my mom as I got sick again right before 5k champs, “my season is over in 3 weeks.” Meaning if I didn’t make the team, to hell with the rest of the year. Dramatic, I know, but I’m married to a theater girl so it’s rubbed off on me a bit. But after mile champs, I really came in with the mentality that I was going to be top 2, and if I left with anything other than that then we really needed to re-think things.

I attached my race plan before the race. Here was the map I planned out. And to be honest, it sort of went exactly how I drew it up. I started to do this before my last few road races and it has once again been something fun and unique in this world for me. When you talk to marathon athletes, fueling in training and racing is a huge part of the playbook. As well as course preparation, what shoes to wear, etc… It adds in totally new elements to your racing/strategy behind everything and I love the newness of it all.

As the title suggested, this is my rethinking my running career. Can I have a successful career running shorter road races? I think so. Am I giving up on the track? Of course not. I’m just ready to full send on both and see how they can aid my overall season.

Finally, I got so many kind messages from people and I can’t say thank you enough for them. You guys make this career feel way cooler than just running around a circle. Thanks for all the love.

— Drew