5 Emerging Running Trends for 2026
Here is a quick look at five key running trends that will emerge in 2026 based on what we saw at The Running Event trade show.
Feeling down after a race? Here are 10 tips to help fend off the post-race blues.
Back in 2007, after my second daughter was born, I decided I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I was 32, so at the time I needed to run a 3:40 to get in.
I signed up for the Baystate Marathon in nearby Lowell, Massachusetts, so I could roll out of bed and over to the starting line the morning of the race. I had a baby and a 2-year-old at the time so traveling for a race wasn’t quite as easy as it is now. I finished in 3:39 and change, less than a minute within my qualifying window. Talk about cutting it close!
I immediately turned around and signed up to run Boston in the spring of 2008. I got some good solid training in, made it right up until about three weeks before the race, and then I found out I was suffering from a sacral stress fracture. Because, it turns out, training for two consecutive marathons after having a baby is not the best idea. But that’s a different story.
I deferred in 2008, took six months off to heal, and slowly eased back into running. Mind you, I was doing only three runs a week, two days of yoga and I never did more than 17 miles for my long run. Let’s just say I was pretty nervous about getting to the start in one piece.
Alas, that year I successfully crossed the line in 3:41. I was over the moon. For about 48 hours. And then, naturally, I wanted to see if I could run it again with proper training and bring my time down. Could have called that, I’m sure. Bottom line, I stuck with it for a few more years, eventually running at 3:29 in 2011.
Again, I was elated. And then? Well, if I’m being honest, a couple days later I found that I really didn’t know what the hell to do with myself. I’d made a plan. I’d had success. I’d had a huge setback. I’d had a comeback, albeit small, but still. And I’d achieved my then goal of running a Boston time that I felt truly satisfied with. But after that post-race high wore off I found myself feeling physically unmotivated and emotionally down.
Outside of my family, my life had been so wrapped up in the marathon for those past five years that once it was over I felt lost and unsure of my purpose. It’s a classic case of the post-race blues. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional athlete or a first time marathoner. You set that big scary goal, you work your ass off to achieve it, you finally get there, or maybe you don’t. But you’ve poured your heart and soul into the process. And once the dust settles and you regroup you find yourself asking, “Now What?”
The day after the 2011 Boston marathon, my fourth and I thought final, I was walking my dogs down the street in Winchester and ran into a friend. “How are the girls?” she asked. And, “are you guys going away for spring break?” She had no idea I’d just run 26.2 miles. Why would she? She was kindly asking about my life, the life she knew about and was connected to. And it had nothing to do with running.
It was a very eye-opening moment. For me, this is when I realized I needed to take a step back and remind myself who I was outside of this sport. Because, yes, running is my passion. But while it is undeniably part of who I am, it doesn’t define me as a person.
I am also Rebecca the mom, the wife, the coach, the music enthusiast, the coffee lover, the friend, the writer, the skier, the family taxi driver. You get the point. I won’t lie to you, I have continued to train for and race marathons. Lots of them. And, yes, I got more serious about it and took it to the next level.
But after that 2011 Boston Marathon, I also did a lot of other things. I started a blog about running and music; music being one of my other passions. I started coaching high school cross country and track, first as a volunteer then full time. I made an effort to do more non-running things like going to see live music, traveling with my family and my girlfriends, taking classes, and, of course, focusing on my role as a mom, which was my biggest priority.
And because I had all of these other outlets in my life, I would finish a marathon, process it, celebrate or mourn the results, depending on the outcome, and, I know, this is a crazy concept, then move on. Sometimes the post-race blues crept up in smaller ways, sometimes not at all. But focusing on other things helped keep them at bay as I recovered and rejuvenated my entire self.
Fast forward to today. I’m 50 years old. My girls have graduated high school and are both in college. I’ve run 38 marathons. I’ve had some great races. And a lot of shitty ones. I’ve run six of them as a guide for a blind runner. I’ve run a few of them with my girls.
I’ve become the head cross country and track coach for the local high school. I’m still writing my blog, now 16 years strong, and I’ve started writing for Six Minute Mile. What else? Throw it at me, I’m game. I will run Boston again in 2026. After that? Most likely I will grab coffee with my friends and then head back to work.
Clean house
And by this I mean, clean everything. Your basement, your closets, your attic, your car, your kids’ rooms. Do a full purge. You will feel lighter when you start up again and that is a wonderful feeling.
Find a new hobby
For me it was music. I started to go see more live shows. I wrote reviews of albums and musicians. I created a blog. I also tried to start knitting, ‘tried’ being the key word here. I really wanted to make this work. You can guess how that turned out. Not saying I won’t try again. Maybe.
Dive deeper
Take your existing hobbies and passions a little further—cooking, gardening, reading, traveling. You probably love something other than running and when you’re training it probably takes a back seat. When your race is over it can hop back into the front seat and take over the radio.
Lean in
When you’re training you often feel like you have to divide and prioritize life. Work, sport, sleep, family—there has to be time for all of it. In the thick of it, I often find myself doing everything “pretty well” or “just enough.” After a race I can lean fully into my life outside of running and give it the time it deserves. Spend more hours at the track as a coach, go see movies with my kids because I have time to sit and do nothing—go out to dinner with friends because I don’t have to get to bed early.
Reach out
To friends, family, loved ones that you haven’t talked to in a while. Either because of your training or simply because time has flown. Doesn’t matter. Reconnect. Like cleaning, this just feels good.
Adopt a pet
OK, truth? I adopted a second dog after breaking three hours in the marathon in 2016. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want/need the distraction. I’d been working on that goal for years and then I really was at a loss post-race. So, yeah, I got a dog. My husband wasn’t so thrilled with this decision. Maybe check in with the family first.
Start a blog
I started Running With Music back in 2011. It was a way to vent, to communicate, to be creative, to unwind, to reset, to explore. I found it useful for so many reasons. And I still do. If you’d told me after a year or two of creating it that I’d still be writing a blog in 2025, I would have laughed in your face. This is a big reason I love it so much.
Run naked
No, I’m not talking about running without clothes. I’m talking about taking some time to run without goals, without a training plan, without a watch, without Strava— GASP!—without a route in mind. Just wander the roads or trails and soak up the moment and the simple joy of moving.
Focus on strength
Doesn’t matter how old we are, strength and core should be a priority. And, let’s be honest, is it? For me, it’s the first thing that goes when I’m busy and don’t have the extra time for the little things. But, in this case, make this the new focus. Start or end each run with a solid core routine. Mix it up and throw some strength work in. Let your other muscles get the benefit of your time off from marathon training.
Start planning for your next race
Nothing gets me more excited about starting up again than throwing a new race on the calendar. Feeling marathon burnout? Try mixing it up with an ultra or grabbing some friends for a relay. Pull back on the grind a bit and enjoy the miles with a different goal in mind.
Boston-area editor-at-large Rebecca Trachsel is a mom, a competitive age-group marathoner, a high school cross country and track coach, and music lover with a coffee problem. She’s still chasing big goals and having a blast along the way.
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