Importance of protein, revised qualifying times for Boston Marathon, mountain climbers & more!
#WhatsUpThisWeek?
Protein helps repair and rebuild muscle tissue after exercise, essential for recovery and improved performance. Know everything about protein at #GeeksonFeet
Mountain climbers are an excellent exercise for runners, strengthening the core, lower body, and stabilizer muscles, know how to do it at #WoW
The need for approval just got tougher as Boston revised their qualifying time for 2026, Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s Half-Marathon Debut, and much more at #RunSHORTS
Happy reading!
#GeeksPoll
When it comes to your running shoe fit, what do you prefer? #geekspoll
#WoW - Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are an excellent exercise for runners, strengthening the core, lower body, and stabilizer muscles, this enhances running posture. They also improve cardiovascular endurance, coordination, and agility.
How to do it?
Start by being in a plank position, placing your hands directly under your shoulders, keeping your body aligned from head to heels, and engaging your core.
Bring your right knee toward your chest while keeping your left leg extended and your back flat.
As you return your right foot to the starting position, immediately drive your left knee toward your chest. Keep switching your legs quickly
Continue alternating legs, and maintain a fast, running-like motion, keeping your hips low and your core engaged throughout the movement.
@Geeksonfeet - Runner’s Guide to Protein
Protein is a vital nutrient for runners, especially those training for marathons or intense workouts. Protein helps repair and rebuild muscle tissue after exercise, essential for recovery and improved performance. A common question from runners is how much protein to take. Runners should aim for 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, spread evenly across meals. Consuming protein within 30-60 minutes after a run, especially with carbs, can kickstart recovery.
Our recent article dives into the science behind protein's role in muscle repair and growth, helping you understand why it's essential for recovery and performance. It provides guidance on when to consume it, and explores various delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources that fit perfectly into the Indian diet. You'll also find a guide to protein supplements and common mistakes to avoid. Read the article here.
Training Plans
In our interactions with runners across channels, we’ve realized most runners are self-trained. We get many requests for personalized training plans tailored to help runners achieve their running goals.
We are happy to announce the first beta of our training plans. Whether you're training for your first 5K or aiming for a marathon PR, we have a plan for you. We have an exciting roadmap, and we truly need your help to make this a great product. Please give it a try & share your feedback with us at connect@geeksonfeet.com
#RunSHORTS
Boston Revised Qualifying Times for 2026
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced that a record-breaking 36,406 applications were received for the 2025 Boston Marathon, exceeding the previous high of 33,058 in 2024. Runners from 120 countries and all 50 U.S. states applied for the 129th edition of the race, which will be held on April 21, 2025.
B.A.A. also announced new qualifying standards for 2026 and beyond, lowering the required times by five minutes for athletes aged 18-59. This adjustment reflects the increasing speed and depth of marathon participation globally. The qualifying window for the 130th Boston Marathon, scheduled for April 20, 2026, opened on September 1, 2024, and runs through September 2025.
Here are the updated 2026 qualifying standards:
Sawe and Kipkemboi lead Kenyan Sweep at Copenhagen Half Marathon
The Copenhagen Half Marathon saw a Kenyan sweep, with Sabastian Sawe winning the men's race in a world-leading time of 58:05, narrowly edging out world record holder Jacob Kiplimo. Sawe's time is just four seconds off the race record. In the women's race, Margaret Kipkemboi ran a solo second half to secure a commanding victory in 1:05:11.
Ingebrigtsen's Half-Marathon Debut
The event also saw Olympic and world 5000m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen make his half-marathon debut. He did that just two days after winning the Diamond League 1500m title in Brussels. He started strong, running with a large lead group that passed 5km in 13:53. However, the pace proved too much for him, couldn't maintain the pace and pulled up at 10km. He stopped a couple more times before finishing the race in 1:03:13, setting a new national record for Norway on the roads.
Race Calendar
We have revamped our race calendar with everything you need to know about the race, route, experience, and much more. We have added information about major races and we need the help of the community to make it further robust. Thus we invite runners to share their experiences related to race routes and other information that will benefit runners.
This Month:
BMW Berlin Marathon: September 29, 2024
Next 6 Months:
Wipro Bengaluru Marathon: October 6, 2024
TCS Amsterdam Marathon - October 20, 2024
Niveus Mangalore Marathon - November 10, 2024
WNC Navy Half Marathon - November 17, 2024
Ahmedabad Marathon - November 24, 2024
Search and find races using our Race Finder at geeksonfeet.com/races.
#TipOfTheWeek - Glute Activation for the Run
We see many runners experience hip and glute weakness or are unable to strongly use them while running, leading to injuries. Learning to activate the glutes can help. So the question most runners have is - how to do it? And more importantly, how do I know if I am activating my glutes or not?!
Build Glute Awareness:
Lie on your tummy, legs straight, and place your hands on your glutes.
Practice squeezing each glute individually, alternating between the left and right. Observe the glute activation with your hands.
Once comfortable, try raising each leg individually while activating the glutes.
Once done, perform this exercise standing up to improve muscle awareness.
Stronger Glute Engagement while running:
Warm up with exercises like glute bridges, step-ups or single-leg deadlifts.
Focus on squeezing your glutes with each foot strike, using mental cues to let your glutes push you forward.
This may lead to fatigue early on, but regular practice will strengthen your glutes over time and make it a second nature.
##TipOfTheWeek - Quieting the Jingle
Running with keys is quite common, often a necessity for many runners in India, especially when running long. One has to drive to low-traffic areas with good roads to run those long miles. While carrying keys can be unavoidable, the constant jangling noise of the keys in your pockets can be distracting and annoying.
This is where a simple hack comes in: wrapping a rubber band around your keys. This simple trick effectively quiets the noise and keeps your keys secure.
Next time you hit the road, consider silencing those jingling keys with a rubber band.
#TriviaOfTheWeek - Satara Hill Half Marathon
Did you know that the Satara Hill Half Marathon set a Guinness World Record in 2017 for having the highest number of participants running on a single mountain? 4,801 runners completed the race when the Guinness record was set. The race is set in Satara, Maharashtra, the historical region that was once the capital of Maratha Kingdom. The race, which also features in the 50 best running races in the world by the Runners World, takes the runners through the scenic course of Western Ghats during the peak Indian monsoon.
Contributors to this edition: Aditi Pandya, Karthik Nadar, and Aravind Yarra