Dakotah Popehn In Two-Piece Workout Gear Is Ready For NYC Marathon

Long-distance runner Dakotah Popehn (formerly Lindwurm) is wrapping up 2024 in style. Popehn, 29, shared a picture of herself wearing a purple jacket and black active leggings, posing on a New York City street. “Last one, best one! I’ve been calling the @nycmarathon my encore of the year because I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this amazing year than 26.2 miles through the streets of New York. See you guys on the other side 🫡,” she captioned the post. Popehn’s career is going from strength to strength after competing in the Paris Olympics—here’s what’s next for the elite athlete.

1. Meditative Running

Popehn gets into a meditative state when she’s running. “I try to zone out and think as little as possible for 20 miles,” she told Mpls St Paul Magazine. “When you run 130 miles a week, a lot of your miles are blank-brained, I’d say. You’re 8 miles in and you’re like, I don’t even remember what happened. It’s like meditating almost—I feel grounded and peaceful. Then when it gets hard, you fall back on the little things that you practiced. You can’t think, Oh, I have 4 more miles, because that feels like another marathon.”

2. Dream Come True

Popehn was thrilled to be in Paris for the 2024 Olympics. “It’s so hard to describe because it’s the thing I’ve worked for for so, so long and you have this, like, little belief that you can do something crazy like that and then it comes true and it almost feels like a fever dream,” she told In the Know. “From the opening ceremonies, being on a boat with LeBron James chanting, ‘USA! USA!’ with everybody in the rain. Like, that was a highlight for sure.”

3. Hockey Player

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Popehn played hockey before she moved over to long-distance running. “When I was younger, like a true Minnesotan, I played hockey,” she told Minnesota Monthly. “When I was in middle school, I did watch [the 2004 movie] “The Miracle” [about the United States men’s hockey team beating the Soviet Union team in the 1980 Olympic Games]. I remember as a goalie, I looked at Jim Craig and was like, that’s what I want to be. That’s what I want to do. When I transitioned to running, I wasn’t incredibly great at it.”

4. What’s Next?

Popehn has big dreams after competing in the Olympics. “Right after I made the team, I had to see—I didn’t have to; I chose to see—a sports psych for a little bit,” she told Mpls St Paul Magazine. “Because I did feel like, Oh gosh, I just accomplished my end-all-be-all dream, and I’m still very young in my career. What happens after the Olympics felt like a big black hole. But I sat down and realized I still would like to win a major marathon—New York or Boston. And Paris being hot, hilly, and humid, I definitely have ambitions to get a medal there, and if I don’t, we’ll go for LA in 2028 or even Brisbane in 2032.”

5. Hard Work

Popehn is inspired by her father, and her late mother who always believed in her. “I feel like I’m just a really, really hard worker,” she told Run. “I think it comes from my whole family—just the most amazing examples. Watching my dad my whole life, wake up every day and no matter if he’s doing his job or something around the house, even dishes—he does everything 100 percent. He never slacks or does anything halfway. That example has been totally ingrained in me. Even if I wasn’t a runner—if I was a teacher, I’d be doing that to the best of my ability.”

Volleyball star Kristen Nuss is a proud member of Team USA, and ready for Paris 2024. Nuss, 26, shared a sweet video of friends and family wishing her and Taryn Kloth the best of luck, with the athlete appearing in a variety of different workout outfits in the clips. “Who’s cutting the onions 🥹 Forever grateful for our incredible support system. We love you all from the bottom of our hearts and can’t wait to represent @teamusa at the pinnacle of this sport on center stage. Let’s get this thing started!” reads the caption on the post. Here’s how Nuss stays strong, fit and ready to compete.

1. Walking and Training

Nuss loves nothing better than going for a walk for a non-volleyball related workout. Otherwise, she is constantly training with her coach. “You want practice to be harder than the game itself,” she told Mind Body Green. “That's where the resilience gets built—in those practice moments when you're in a really hard drill, he's just crushing balls at you, then you're having to do some sort of serve receive and constantly just execute. You get to the point where your brain is like, Go, go, go—but your legs are dying and just stop working.”

2. Louisiana Home

While most volleyball players are based in California, Nuss and Kloth live and train in Louisiana. “I want to rewrite the script,” she told AVP. “No – you don’t have to live in California. No – you don’t have to be mega tall. Of course, we’ll go to Cali to train with other pros. But I have no intention of moving to California in my career. I want this sport to grow all over the country. With a partner from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that feels possible.”

3. Peanut Butter and Jelly

Nuss enjoys a sandwich to fuel her performance. “Honestly, before a big game—and especially depending on when we play—a good ol' peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she told Mind Body Green. “That is a solid pregame. It's the perfect snack to give you the energy and carbs that you need. We [Kloth and I] eat them a lot when we travel. Day to day, I follow a high-protein diet. It's just about eating a ton of protein in every meal that we get. I personally love doing higher protein, lower calorie, and a lot of quantity because I am someone who enjoys that feeling of fullness.”

4. Repping the Shorties

Nuss is 5 feet 6 inches tall, and wants to inspire other aspiring athletes who are on the shorter side for volleyball. “ When I was coming up in the sport, no one looked like me,” she told AVP. “I wanted to change that. I wanted to provide the shorter kids with someone they could look up to. The desire to inspire is what motivates me the most to keep striving for success. People aren’t coming up on the street and outright telling me, ‘You will never accomplish your goals.’ But now, being partners with 6 feet 4 inches Taryn Kloth, everyone comes up to her. They ask how tall she is, and insist she must play a sport. No one is saying that to me.”

5. Competition Prep

Nuss prepares for a game by listening to music and relaxing. “My approach may be different than most,” she told Mind Body Green. “I have found over the years that if I get super focused and ‘locked in’ that I actually don't perform well. So I try to be a little more laid back. So, in warm-ups, I just try to keep it fun and relaxed. You can find me jamming out to whatever song is playing in my head. Chatting with our coaches. I'm not super focused—keeping it very light. It's just having fun. Because, honestly, that is what I find I need to perform my best.”

Olympic cross-country skier Jessie Diggins is enjoying an absolutely magical honeymoon in Chile with husband Wade Poplawski. Diggins, 32, is sharing highlights of the trip on social media, including a video of herself hiking in black and pink workout gear. “Chilean Patagonia was truly unlike any other place on earth! Thank you @ecocamp for making our honeymoon so incredibly special. 🥰 We loved staying in a place that truly put sustainability first, took us off the grid and let us play outside all day in one of the most raw and awe-inspiring places we’ve ever seen. Hiking the W, camping and seeing every side of Torres del Paine as well as getting up close and personal with Pumas (!!!) checked off a lifetime bucket list item. 💚,” she captioned the post. Here’s how Diggins stays fit, strong, and energized.

1. Daily Diet

Diggins enjoys a diet with plenty of carbs, protein and vegetables, with room for the occasional treat. “Everything, in moderation, fits into a healthy fueling plan. Do I eat only cookies for dinner? No, but it’s fine if I have one (or two! Live a little!) after for dessert, she writes on her website. “At the 2018 Olympics I never had less than 4 Hershey’s kisses in my coat pocket. I don’t have any foods that I don’t eat because I’m worried they’re ‘bad’ foods. Do I eat them every day? Probably not, but I also don’t eat carrots every day, either. I truly believe that if you can enjoy all types of foods in moderation, you never feel like you’re withholding anything from yourself, and you’re not tempted to go nuts on whatever food you’ve deemed ‘off-limits’.”

2. Three-Hour Morning Training Session

Diggins works out with her high school trainer Kris Hansen and her daughter Siri. “To build endurance when there's no snow outside, cross-country skiers train long hours with a mix of roller skiing (similar to roller blading but without breaks, and with poles), running, biking, and weight lifting,” she told Cosmopolitan. “I meet Kris and Siri at the park, and we start with two hours of easy-paced roller skiing around my hometown. Company makes the long training hours fly by.”

3. Post-Race Shake

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Diggins always has a shake ready after a race, preferring it to a heavy meal. “While I’m changing into dry clothes, before I head through the media zone and out for my cool down, I make sure I finish a Nutrimeal shake,” she writes on her website. “I like this mix because it sits easy on my stomach, it has a nice blend of carbs, protein and fats, and I can easily get at least 300 calories in right after a hard race effort so my body can start that rebuilding process right away.”

4. Cardio and Core Workouts

Diggins’ second training session of the day usually includes cardio and core workouts. “I run at an easy pace for 40 minutes, then spend 20 minutes doing a series of core exercises,” she told Cosmopolitan. “When I finish, I’m sore and tired, so I stretch and foam roll.”

5. Rest With the Family

Diggins fully embraces her one day of rest a week. “During training seasons, I work out twice a day, six days a week, so I take off one day every week to recover,” she told Cosmopolitan. “Today's the day, so I sleep in. As per my usual, I have a big mug of coffee and then a bowl of oatmeal, plain Greek yogurt, walnuts, berries, and mango.” In the evening, Diggins enjoys family time, cooking, yoga, and dancing.

This week Dakota Johnson dropped jaws at the red carpet premiere of Madame Web with a nearly naked look. The star showed off her incredibly fit physique in a crystal-encrusted, sheer spider web-inspired custom Gucci gown featuring a plunging neckline and low back. In case you are curious how she got into such amazing shape for the role, her trainer recently spilled the details on her workout routine.

1. She Did Sculpt Society Workouts with Megan Roup

Dakota enlisted the help of Sculpt Society founder Megan Roup. According to Roup, Johnson’s people reached out to her, as she was a longtime fan and member of her online dance-cardio and low-impact workout. “She's already so active, so she was in great shape [when we started],” explains Roup told The Zoe Report. “I would say her concentration was to build stamina and to build even more strength for the role, because her days on set are really long.”

2. Prior to Shooting She Took 45-Minute Classes with Her

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Prior to shooting the movie, Johnson attended Roup’s 45-minute class in person, which consists of a dance cardio warmup, followed by full-body sculpting. “So that flow of the class is arms with three-pound hand weights,” she said. “We go back into dance cardio [still] with three-pound hand weights. We do standing legs. Sometimes I'll use sliders — I really love a slider in a sitting leg section. It really causes a little instability in a very functional exercise and it's just a little more challenging. And then we will go into plank abs, again, sometimes using a slider, sometimes using a band or a ball there. Then we would go into two glute-focused combinations wearing an ankle weight. [...] And then we end with dance cardio.”

3. When They Couldn’t Meet, She Used Her App

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When they couldn’t meet, Johnson would do video workouts on the Sculpt Society app.

4. The 45-Minute Workout Involves a Warm Up, Low-Impact, and Functional Exercises

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“I really love the 45-minute full body style, because it really sprinkles in that dance cardio,” she says. “It's just a nice way to warm things up, but your heart rate is up and then you're going into low-impact and functional exercises. Your heart rate continues to stay up. So it's a very efficient 45 minutes that really builds strength, it builds endurance, and those are all things that [Johnson] was really looking to achieve.”

5. Some Days She Would Do 30 or 20-Minute Workouts

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Some days she would have a 17-hour day, so each day I would give her an option of a 45-minute video to do on the Sculpt Society app, a 30-minute video, and then a 20-minute video,” says Roup. “So she could kind of pick and choose depending on her energy level, the time she could carve out, and how she was feeling.”

6. Sleep Is Also a Priority for Dakota

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“I don’t have a regular [wake-up] time,” Dakota told the Wall Street Journal. “It depends on what’s happening in my life. If I’m not working, if I have a day off on a Monday, then I will sleep as long as I can,” she continued. “Sleep is my number one priority in life.” She says she’s “not functional” unless she gets at least 10 hours. “I can easily go 14 hours.”

7. She Also Mediates

Twice a day meditation sessions help Dakota with her anxiety. “I do transcendental meditation,” she told WSJ. “I’ve been really into breathwork recently and that’s been helping me a lot with anxiety.”

1. She’s a Runner

Dorfman started running when she first moved to New York City. "It became a cool way for me to see the city by foot, which is so much different than driving around," she told Health Digest. “I was never a runner growing up. I played tennis, and I remember I used to fake injuries to get out of the running portion of the conditioning. People will laugh — my family — that I'm a runner now.”

2. Marathon Training

Dorfman used a professional coach while training for the NYC Marathon. “I had a coach who designed a training program for me, and we worked out a running schedule for every single week,” she told Parade. “But if you don’t have a coach, there are a million great programs and apps out there. I basically ran three days a week. Two of them would be either sprints or endurance, like hills. And then each weekend I would do a long run that got progressively longer over time. So you'd start maybe at 20 minutes and then the next week is 30. The next week it was 40.”

3. Struggle With Self-Confidence

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Dorfman has learned to speak to herself with kindness. “I’ve struggled with self-confidence in the past just like so many other women and men have, and I learned that a really great way to build up your confidence is to speak to yourself like you’d speak to a friend or a family member,” she told Bustle. “We’re so often doling out compliments to other people yet can be so hard on ourselves, but giving yourself a compliment is not being self-centered or narcissistic — it’s giving yourself self-worth and self-love.”

4. Eat Carbs

Dorfman fuels her runs with carbohydrates. “People always think carbs are your worst enemy,” she told Parade. “But when it comes to running, your body needs carbs and your body needs certain proteins at certain times. So it's important to know what you're putting into your body and to eat purposefully.”

5. Rest and Recovery

Dorfman knows how important rest and recovery is for fitness. “My coach always said, ‘The gains are in the recovery,’” he told Parade. “I would take an Epsom salt bath. I was always stretching, lots of hydration afterwards. Lots of electrolytes like Gatorade Zero or Powerade. Whatever amount of time I worked out was the amount of time I also recovered. You’re never going to get your best workout if you're feeling sore and you're going to feel sore if you don't stretch.”