runnersworld.com

To get them to join you for your next off-road race, gift them a pair of trail runners like the Salomon Sense Ride 2 and remind them that humans are natural born explorers. And with the abundance of modern tools to help them chart their progress and measure gains, it's easy to imagine these people ticking off the days of a training program, cataloging every mile, and smashing PRs. We suggest introducing them to Strava, an app that allows them to meticulously track all their metrics and earn crowns, ribbons, and other online bling for dominating popular routes, climbing hills the fastest, and generally doing great work. Show them how blissful the lonely miles can be with a pair of wireless headphones, offering a comforting bit of home (like their favorite tunes or podcasts) while they explore the local routes or trails.

In a perfect world, we’d train hard, race smart, recover well, and live a balanced, healthy life. We obsess about the “real-feel” temperature for hours and still end up with three jackets around the waist halfway through a run. Sure, if I do 10 on Saturday and 12 on Sunday, I can still get to 25 for the week in my training log. Trying those new shoes/shorts/hat/socks on race day.