I Like To Motiv, Motiv
|One of the hallmarks of the morning shakeout is exposing you to informative and inspiring content along with other bits of interestingness that you otherwise wouldn’t have found on your own. Well, this week, I’ve got a whole new digital platform to tell you about: motvirunning.com.
The main editorial site, spearheaded by my former boss and mentor Brian Metzler, is chock full of original written, video, and audio content from contributors such as yours truly, Matt Hart, Lisa Jhung, Jason Fitzgerald, Adam Chase, Susan Lacke, Allison Pattillo and Matt Fitzgerald (amongst others), as well as from guest columnists like Kara Goucher, Nick Symmonds, Alexi Pappas, Kilian Jornet, Desi Linden and Joe Gray, to name a few.
“Our goal is to be authentic to all types of runners, offering strong opinions from athletes and coaches, great service content about training and gear, inspirational stories about everyday runners and faraway destinations and a touch a levity through humor columns and irreverent insights,” Metzler told me. “Some of the content will be directed to beginner and novice runners and some of it will be crafted with the long-time serious runner in mind. The bottom line is that we want to tell good stories, share advice and embellish the profound sense of community that comes from running.”
I’m excited to be contributing a monthly coaching column to the site (here’s numero uno), along with some other training-themed articles. I’ve also enjoyed—and been impressed by—the variety and quality of the pieces I’ve seen so far from other contributors. I’d recommend checking out the following links before poking around the rest of the site:
— Every Single Day: “I just don’t understand people not being passionate about something,” says Jon Sutherland, an L.A.-based runner who has gone for a run every day since May 26, 1969. “Just have passion in what you do and just do it with all your heart.”
— Finding My Way Back Home: “When I was in the thick of my career, it was never enough,” writes Kara Goucher. “I was never fast enough, didn’t place high enough. I was so hard on myself. It has taken years, but I now look back and think, “Damn, I was good!” I always left it out on the track or the roads. I’m proud of where I’ve been and what I’ve done. But my love for running now is real and raw. I love lacing up. I’m not so structured in my expectation. I’m letting my legs lead.”
— Ugly Is The New Pretty: “Honor your strength by refusing to do a disservice to the animal in you that is a competitor,” writes 2:32 marathoner Sarah Crouch (who I last wrote about waaaay back in Issue 16). “Honor your willingness to suffer by showing the world what it truly looks like when you chase your goals. Honor your hardcore moments and do not apologize for your fight. That’s what I find beautiful. That’s why running is beautiful.”
— How To Fix Professional Track & Field: “In my opinion, as a former professional athlete and as a businessman, the problem is not with the product, but rather with the way that product is packaged,” writes two-time Olympian Nick Symmonds. “Most meets are still being produced and marketed as if this were the 1980s. I have been to many track and field meets—big ones, small ones and meets in many different countries. Nearly all have been painfully boring and out of touch with the modern world, and I’m a guy who loves track and field!”
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A version of this post first appeared in the morning shakeout, my weekly email newsletter covering running, writing, media and other topics that interest me. If you’d like for it to land in your inbox first thing on Tuesday mornings, subscribe here.