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mario fraioli | the morning shakeout

Discover what’s possible through the lens of running with training tips, workouts, and other bits of goodness from coach Mario Fraioli. Every Tuesday morning, Mario shares his unapologetically subjective take on things that interest, inform, inspire, or entertain him in some way.

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the morning shakeout | issue 441

Good morning! This past week was a literal and figurative shitshow—without getting into all the disgusting details, I came home from Boston last Tuesday to a sick pup, who, after a couple rough days and sleepless nights, is thankfully doing a lot better now—and Sunday was the first day that everyone in our household was feeling like themselves again. What follows here is what I could compile in the course of a few short hours yesterday while trying to get back up to speed on everything else I...

4 days ago • 6 min read

Lead women packed up just past the firehouse in Newton yesterday. Good morning! It only took me eight years but I finally realized that trying to write an issue of the shakeout from start to finish on Marathon Monday is an exercise in futility, so I prepared everything from the Quick Splits on down in this one while flying across the country last Thursday. I spent a few hours yesterday just past Mile 17 in the Newton Hills cheering on my athletes, friends, and everyone else that ran past. I...

11 days ago • 7 min read

We live life full stream ahead around here. Good morning! I’m heading home to Boston in a couple days to take part in my favorite weekend of the year and if you’re going to be in town I’d love to celebrate and share some miles with you. Join me on Saturday, April 13 at 9 AM EST from Tracksmith’s Trackhouse at 285 Newbury Street. Please RSVP at this link. We’ll run a few easy miles along the Charles River and catch up over coffee afterward. (I’ll be racing the Boston 5K from Boston Common...

18 days ago • 8 min read

I competed in the Masters Mile at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic on Saturday. I've had this race circled on my calendar since late November after learning that Mike had passed away from glioblastoma. On the hourlong drive over to the track I re-listened to our podcast conversation from 2020 and one of the things he said that day got stuck in my head. "I like being in that position, I like being under the pressure, I like finding myself in a state of uncomfortability,” he told me. “I like...

25 days ago • 6 min read

Skirting the edges of the Northern California coast a couple weekends ago. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! I’ve got a lot to share with you this week but before we dive in I’d like to thank my longtime partner Tracksmith for supporting my work this month (and throughout 2024). I’ve been rocking the new Turnover Half Tights for a few weeks now and they’ve quickly become a go-to for easy runs, long runs, and workouts alike. Formerly called the Reggie Half Tight, this updated version is...

about 1 month ago • 8 min read

This was a lot of fun, I swear. Photo: Oakland Marathon Good morning! I opened up my 2024 racing season this past Sunday with a 10K in Oakland, a short drive across the bay from where I live. It was my second-straight year participating in the event (I ran the half-marathon last year as a tuneup for Boston) and it will be an annual one for me as long as my schedule allows for me to get over there. While it’s fun to travel and be a part of something massive there’s nothing quite like the magic...

about 1 month ago • 8 min read

Muddy Hollow living up to its name. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! I was supposed to be supporting my athlete Devon Yanko for the second half of a 6-day ultramarathon event that wraps up this morning in Palm Springs but there was an unexpected change of plans on Friday (and a few more changes of plans after that, but that’s her story to tell) and I ended up spending the weekend at home. This did open up a little more writing time yesterday, however, and as a result this issue is a bit...

about 2 months ago • 8 min read

Paddy O'Leary and Liam Meirow taking it out at the inaugural Big Alta 28K a couple weekends ago. Here's a highlight reel from the event, which became an instant classic: beautiful course, stout competition, community vibes, incredible live coverage. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! These next two issues of the newsletter are going to be a little tighter than usual. Writing time has gone by the wayside the past few days and later this week I’ll be supporting my athlete Devon Yanko at the...

about 2 months ago • 7 min read

Up we go. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! Are you absorbing your training or merely tolerating it? This is a question that I believe every athlete should ask themselves once a week. Here's why: If you’re ABSORBING your training then you’re doing a good job balancing the demands of runs, workouts, strength sessions, etc., with the appropriate amount of rest and recovery: making sure your easy days are truly easy, staying on top of nutrition, managing outside stresses, and taking care of your...

2 months ago • 7 min read

Wet one at the track last Wednesday night. (Shot on my iPhone) Good morning! A few issues back I wrote that I had started to compile my own list of training principles, inspired in part by posts from mountain maestro Kilian Jornet and exercise physiologist Stephen Seiler. What follows here is a working set of principles I know to be true, developed from 27 years of trial and error as both an athlete and a coach, countless hours of my own reading and research into training theory and the...

2 months ago • 10 min read
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