The Mile Marker

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The days are becoming shorter, the temps are beginning to drop, and the leaves are starting to turn. These signs of fall compel many people to order pumpkin spice lattes and go apple-picking in the suburbs. But for us at Mile High Run Club, this means marathon season is here!

Coming up, we have Berlin, London, Chicago, Boston, LA and of course, New York City on November 7.

Whether you are training for a fall marathon this year or in the future (there is no other option), we have five top tips to help you run smarter and achieve your goals.

1. Know the course: Adapt your training based on the race course. If there are hills, eat hills for breakfast. If there are turns, run the tangents better than Pythagoras. And if you’re local to the race, train on the course to be mentally and physically ready and make molehills out of mountains!

2. Remember your nutrition: Have a nutrition plan for the race and stick to it. Practice it during training, using fluids, electrolytes, energy gels, and even caffeine for an extra boost. Know...

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Running in the winter isn’t always fun but it doesn’t have to be terrible.

You don’t have the advantage of just being able to throw on some shorts and go. You should take a couple extra minutes to prepare for the weather outside so that you can actually enjoy your run (and not just suffer through it)!

Do a 10-minute dynamic warm-up inside. Lunge matrix, leg swings, arm swings, fire hydrants, jumping jacks. This gets your body warm to reduce the risk of injury. It also gets you feeling a little steamy so that you aren't so miserable when you step out the door.

Keep your head and hands warm. Wear gloves or mittens. Put on a hat, ear warmers, or headband. These can all be taken off pretty easily and carried or put in a pocket if you warm up too much. I also almost always wear gloves under 55°F because my hands get cold easily.

Wear layers BUT underdress by a few degrees. If you go outside and you’re comfortable, you will probably get too warm on your run. It’s okay to be chilly when you first step outside...

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The proverbial “hay” is in the barn. In these last few days leading up to the big dance, trust your training, regardless of whether it went according to plan, or you wish it had gone otherwise. You put in the work and you can only be where you’re at on race day. Trust and be proud of what you’ve done...it’s time to cash out on what you’ve put in! Now let’s talk about some ways to make the most of it:

ONE: Stay warm at the start. Right now, Sunday’s weather is looking absolutely perfect for a marathon, which means it’ll be great temperatures to run in, but it’ll be a bit chilly in the Start Villages. Layer up and keep important muscle groups nice and toasty; glutes, hamstrings, and core. A hack I’ve used in the past is using peel-and-stick foot warmers. I stick them inside my sweatpant and sweater layers so that while I’ll sitting down and waiting to line up in my corral, I’m not spending energy allowing those muscles to tighten and tense me up with shivers! Get some movement in and keep the blood flowing. It’s a common misconception...

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Mental health conversations are becoming more and more mainstream, so should conversations about falling in and out of love with running.

When esteemed American 800 meter runner Brenda Martinez tested positive for a banned substance in the fall of 2020, those of us track and field fanatics were shocked. Doping is a cardinal sin in endurance sports. In Brenda’s case however, what came to light was that she was not a product of a meticulous cheating effort. Brenda’s positive test was because her antidepressant was contaminated with a diuretic by the name of hydrochlorothiazide. After competing in both college cross-country and track, as well as becoming a running coach here in New York, it’s clear that Brenda Martinez is not the only runner to excel in competition, while also facing intense demons off the track.

Distance running is a sport that demands minimal days off and constant physical exhaustion. For folks whose mental state drastically swings from stable to insecure at best, running can quickly become a fickle...

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Although the pandemic has put a hold on our indoor treadmill classes, you can still find ways to stay motivated and keep moving with the launch of our new Mile High Audio App! Whether you tune in outdoors or indoors, try workouts that will improve your endurance with tempo efforts, test your speed with short intervals, or zone out during long runs.

Like many of you, I miss my routine. Every Tuesday morning, I would run in Coach Vinnie’s 5:30AM treadmill class and then coach the 6:30 and 7:30 classes. I engage with runners before and after classes, hearing about what they’re training for and sharing advice from my experience.

But as much as we love routine, runners know how to embrace discomfort and uncertainty. In fact, we do this every time we show up to the studio, willing to tackle a new workout and push our mental and physical limits.

As individual as running is, there’s no denying the benefits of taking on this challenge with our community. The Mile High Run Club is run better,...

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Runners (and New Yorkers) persevere. Plain and simple. Our sport, our passion, our shared love for this city and our drive to be better {together} will endure - even while we are apart. That's why amid this crisis, we are excited to launch a schedule of in-home workouts LIVE brought to you by our coaches!

Welcome to a new kind of Club.

This is how it works:

  • workout schedule updated daily
  • in-home workouts with little to no equipment needed
  • these workouts include strength, recovery, yoga, and more
  • workouts will be streamed LIVE on Instagram
  • although free, a donation page is open to help all of our coaches through this difficult time!

Right now, we need to remember that we are part of an amazing community. Social distancing doesn't mean social disconnect. Your team, your coaches, your friends are still here - and we want to connect...

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In light of what has transpired with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours and also as an act of solidarity with our greater NYC community, we will close all studios as of today, March 15th. We will closely monitor the situation and expect to be closed until at least March 31st.

This decision is being made first and foremost with your and our employees collective health and safety in mind. This vicious virus is not going to contain itself unless we do our part to help prevent its spread. The need to close is further necessitated with the news of NY state schools closing, as we have many employees who will need to be home to care for their children.

It is with heavy hearts that it has come to this, as the ethos of our brand is run better {together} and it is this community of incredible runners, athletes, and individuals that drives us every day.

As we prepare to close our doors, we have a couple things to update you on first.

Memberships and Packages

For those of you who have memberships or packages,...

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We have some important updates to share with you. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Modified Schedule: Starting today, March 14, we are modifying our class schedule across all studios. This schedule is still subject to change as new events/information come to light. Check the Modified Schedule.
  • Class Cancellation Policy: To help everyone make smart decisions without fear of losing credits or incurring cancellation fees, we are suspending all late cancellation fees and all loss of credit penalties. But please let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to make class.
  • Memberships + Packages: If you are socially distancing yourself and would...
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Welcome to a new kind of club

NEW UPDATES AS OF 3/14

  • Starting March 14, we are modifying our class schedule across all studios. This schedule is still subject to change as new events / information come to light. Check the Modified Schedule.

  • To help everyone make smart decisions without fear of losing credits or incurring cancellation fees, we are suspending all late cancellation fees and all loss of credit penalties. But please 🙏 let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to make class.

  • As you can imagine, we are receiving a great deal of emails from our runners. We ask you to please be patient as we work through them and try to respond to all of you in a timely manner. We are trying our best as we tread new ground and the situation continues to change.

  • If you are socially distancing yourself and would like to freeze your membership or extend the expiration date of one of your packages, we totally understand. Please reach out to...

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I may be biased, seeing as I train and compete in middle- distance events, but I believe the 1500/mile is one of the greatest events in track and field. To start, the event has an amazing history due to the early debate of whether or not a person could break 4:00 in the mile. Although we have long since proven men are capable of crushing this barrier, the intrigue remains and every year hundreds of people attempt that feat. More interesting, though, is the women’s 4:00 equivalent barrier - or trying to run in the 3:5X in the 1500m events. Fewer women have broken 4:00 in the 1500 than men in the mile, so every time someone dips under the barrier, it’s a history-making moment. There are countless other barriers, though, that make the race exciting. Whether it’s breaking your own personal record or dipping under 5:00 or 6:00 for the first time, the races are always fast and thrilling to watch.

The mile, however, is not just interesting due to the barriers daring to be broken. The mile is exciting due to the unique nature of fitness the event requires: it’s the perfect mesh of...

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