Achieving health, performance, or aesthetics as a primary fitness goal requires different approaches, even though they share common fundamentals. Health-focused goals prioritize longevity, disease prevention, and overall well-being through balanced fitness and nutrition habits. Performance goals center on excelling in physical tasks (like lifting heavier weights, running faster, or increasing endurance) and often demand specialized training and fueling strategies to maximize athletic output. Aesthetic goals emphasize changes in body composition and appearance – for example, increasing muscle definition or reducing body fat – and typically involve tailoring workouts and diet to alter one’s physique. These goals can overlap (e.g. training for performance can improve health markers, and improving health can aid performance), but the training structure, nutrition, and lifestyle priorities differ for each. Below is a detailed comparison across the three goals, covering training, diet, supplementation, recovery, common pitfalls, and progress tracking, with evidence-based guidelines and practices for all experience levels.

The marathon taper can be a polarizing topic among marathon runners. Some look forward to the relative let up in training and will view it somewhat like a well-earned recovery period. Whereas other marathoners detest it and fear the anxiety that it creates.

It can be difficult for runners to cut back when their bodies and brains are so accustomed to releasing energy through daily runs and the feel-good mood boost you may get from the production of our natural endorphins from running. 

However, it’s important to remember that you can’t perform at your best if you don’t recover like the best. But what does a proper marathon taper entail? Keep reading to find out!

The marathon taper involves decreasing your mileage, intensity, and long run distance at different rates as the race approaches, in order to start easing up on your total training volume, to recover from training, and to maximize your energy and physical readiness to perform on race day.

Marathon season is accompanied by one constant question: “Is this normal?” 

Pain: no. Discomfort: yes. Losing your period: no. Taper anxiety: yes.

But what happens when “normal” gets confused for “common”? Red flags get dismissed, potentially dangerous behavior gets repeated (sometimes encouraged), and small problems get blown out of proportion. While the injuries listed below are common, that does not mean they should be ignored. If you recognize the warning signs, talk to a running specialist healthcare provider and/or come see us as soon as possible. 

Whether you’re new to the sport, or have been running for a number of years, you may find yourself overwhelmed with the various types of training that is out there. Long run, tempo run, VO2 max run, etc. What’s the difference, and when/how do I decide to utilize any of these sessions in my training regimen? Well this blog will act as a guide for you.

“XYZ just started hurting! It doesn’t make any sense! I didn’t go up in mileage this week or have any harder than usual workouts!”

Does this sound familiar?

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