Today, the second edition of Negative Splits with Coach EK, my running-focused newsletter, was sent out! Check out the below for a sample of some of the musings, workouts, and relevant running-related things you’ll find, and subscribe if you want to get them weekly!

The Run Down

What happened in the world of running this past week? Well, way more than I could actually ever address. But some highlights include…

• The American Women’s 4×800-meter relay team broke the World Record on Saturday, right here in New York City at the Millrose Games. Their time was 8:05.89. As a high school 800-meter runner, the 2-min splits of the relay members are just gnarly to me. My best time ever was a 2:25 split, and I got beat out by a girl who peed her pants. Way to go, ladies! | via Runner’s World
• Hawaii legislators were just denied a bill that would limit marathons and half marathons to the 18-and-over crowd under the claim that ‘distance running is bad for children.’ But here’s the thing — there’s no science to back that up. So, it got the boot. While I find it a little odd that kids as young as 10 and 12 are running 26.2 miles (I didn’t run my first marathon until I was 22!), I think it’s a much healthier alternative to some of the other activities kids engage in — like playing video games 24/7, or… uh, tackle football. | via Flotrack
• TYSK* (Term You Should Know): “Plogging,” which is a Scandinavian term and practice that asks runners to pick up litter along their jogging routes. While I don’t recommend doing this during your next speed workout, your long run could probably use a few distractions…. | viamindbodygreen

  • *I made this up.

Worthwhile Reads…

Molly Huddle and the Perks of Running Dangerously

To be totally honest, I have been known to catch myself playing it safe in races. I know that’s not how to PR or really take advantage of my full strength, but I fear the alternative — which is going out too fast and possibly crashing hard later on. In this piece for Outside Online, Molly Huddle acknowledges “blowing up” (or burning out) in the last few miles of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon after starting the race at an aggressive pace. Yet despite her fade, Huddle ran a 1:07:25, breaking the American record.

• TL;DR? Sometimes, it pays to take a risk — especially in shorter distances (read:not the marathon). No, that doesn’t mean you should be totally reckless in your next race. Even Huddle knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up that pace forever — but she wanted to see where the line was. So, I’m challenging you to find YOUR line. It may be uncomfortable, and you very well could bottom out. BUT, you could also break some (personal) records.

Workout of the Week: The Call To Adventure: 20 x 400m

This workout comes from Michael Joyner, a human performance expert at Mayo Clinic. I read about it in a Runner’s World article over a year ago, but haven’t had an athlete bold enough to try it yet (myself included).

The workout:

• 20 x 400-meter repeats with a 200-meter recovery jog in between each interval.

Get the full workout (and the rest of the newsletter) here.