Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter In Workout Gear Says “Mountains Feel Like Home”

Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter is letting fans see what one of her typical daily runs looks like in beautiful Colorado. Dauwalter, 39, shared a video of herself wearing blue shorts and a shirt, hitting the trails against a spectacular mountain background. “Mountains feel like home. ⛰️😍 @salomon #WelcomeBackToEarth,” she captioned the post. “It’s where our greatest athlete should be,” a fan commented. Here’s what the athlete’s diet, training, and wellness regimen looks like.

1. Training After Coffee

Dauwalter starts her day with two cups of coffee with creamer, and a little bit of dry cereal. “My go-tos are all the sugar cereals, and right now, that means Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” she told Runner’s World. “And then I usually get going with my training. I’ll do anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour of some gym stuff, which is just hip activation and some glutes and core—basic bodyweight stuff.”

2. Two to Four Hours of Running

Dauwalter runs for hours every day. “Then I’ll head out for my main run of the day, which is usually somewhere between two to four hours,” she told Runner’s World. “During that, I’ll have Tailwind Nutrition—lemon or naked flavor—in my hydration bottles and Honey Stinger waffles or chews. On some shorter runs, I might have nothing. And then I’ll get back and usually, I just grab whatever food is convenient and easy in the fridge.”

3. Planning Her Runs

Dauwalter doesn’t plan out her runs too meticulously. “My speed workouts are usually not super planned out,” she told Trail Runner. “I just go out on the trails and mining roads and find a hill I like to do speed work on,” she says. “I’ll meander that way and when I get there I try to do something faster on a 400-meter stretch and then it kind of depends how I feel.”

4. Pizza For Running

Dauwalter fuels herself with pizza before a race, but doesn’t eat breakfast on race day. “The night before a race is usually pizza, just because basically, anywhere you travel in the world, you’ll be able to find it, and it’s pretty predictable in its ingredients,” she told Runner’s World. “But I’m not super attached to anything or picky about it… On the morning of a race, I do just coffee and usually no food. For me, I’ve dialed in my race nutrition through a lot of trial and error. I’ve found a few things that seem to consistently work for me, and during a race, I'll only eat and drink those things.”

5. Squats All Day

Dauwalter tries to do squats throughout the day. “Before a run, I’ll do some activation exercises to get the hips and the glutes activated and some core work,” she told Trail Runner. “Squats are so easy. You can be standing there at your fridge in the morning and you can bust off a couple squats. Your glutes and your hips are so important in running and if you can keep those areas happy, it will prolong, I think, the distances and the amount of time you can be out there.”

Elite long distance runner Kara Goucher may not be competing in the Olympics, but she’s still training as if she is. Goucher, 45, shared a picture of herself wearing shorts and a blue sports bra, smiling her way through an intense workout. “Y’ALL- I am having a case of the Mondays!! One bright light today- got to workout with @kinesisintegrated. Had to switch gears with my sore knee but still got some work in- and thankfully some laughs. Good grief- I need more laughs!!! Hang in there people! ❤️” she captioned the post. Here’s how Goucher is living her best life in her 40s.

1. Happy Place

Goucher is still passionate about running, even after being diagnosed with dystonia. “It’s still my happy place, meditation; I feel so happy in movement,” she told The Washington Post. “I have this rare neurological movement disorder, so I can’t run as much as I want. But I am in a pretty good place right now where I’m running most days. And I still love running so much. Some people would call it an obsession. But truly, it’s not a chore for me.”

2. Eggs and Avocado

Shutterstock

Goucher loves eggs, any style. "My stomach isn't usually ready for hardcore food right after a workout, which is why protein shakes are good for me," she told Well+Good. "But after 30 minutes or an hour, my stomach starts waking up and is ready to eat—and that's when I go to brunch. I love eggs and avocado, plus some toast and potatoes on the side. And I'm not discriminatory about my eggs—I'll take a good omelet, I'll eat them over veggies, or I'll have them scrambled."

3. Running Coach

Kara Goucher /Instagram

Goucher has good advice for anyone looking for a running coach. “It’s just someone who’s invested with you, respects you, understands you as an athlete, understands what motivates you,” she told The Washington Post. “Some people need that challenge of, “So and so is going to beat you." And some people need, “You just need to be focused on yourself.” A coach that is flexible between athletes doesn’t necessarily treat each athlete the same way. If you have a bad day, everybody should be taking ownership, not just you.”

4. Stretching and Foam Rolling

Shutterstock

Goucher uses a foam roller before bed. "My routine is all dynamic stretching," she told Well+Good. "I do lots of leg swings, walking and pulling my knees into my chest, or pulling my foot up to my butt, and I finish with some balance work to remind my tired body what it needs to remember as it gets fatigued at the end of a workout or race."

5. Take Your Time

Kara Goucher/Instagram

Goucher wants women to take their time bouncing back from pregnancy and giving birth. “I would certainly tell women coming back from pregnancy that there is no timeline and that you should not feel pressured to return to any sort of space,” she told The Washington Post. “I like to say like, yeah, I ran [a 2 hour 24 minute marathon] less than seven months after I gave birth to my son, but then I spent the next rest of my career really being injured, healthy, injured, healthy. Faith Kipyegon, [the Kenyan middle distance runner] took a year before she started training. And she’s a world champion and the Olympic champion. So I would say really take your time and don’t feel like there’s this timeline that has to be met.”

World champion mountain bike cyclist Kate Courtney used her platform to raise awareness for the annual Wings For Life World Run charity in May. Courtney, 28, shared a video of herself running outside in shorts and a sling-sleeve shirt, her dog accompanying her on the run. “Thanks to the fabulous folks at @redbull 100% of your registration fee goes directly to support cutting edge spinal cord research. Register now and join me (and @ourfullmonte) in running for those who can’t ❤️ So who’s with us? 🙋🏻‍♀️,” she captioned the post. Here’s what Courtney’s training schedule looks like, plus her best tips for cycling beginners.

1. Typical Training Schedule

Courtney rides every day and spends two to three hours in the gym. “My rides often involve a series of intervals and are done on the mountain or road bike while my double days usually involve slightly shorter rides,” she told Outside Magazine. “I ride anywhere from 15-25 hours a week and spend roughly 3-6 hours in the gym. Outside of this, I spend training time doing yoga, stretching and focusing on recovery. You can only train as hard as you can recover!”

2. Always On the Move

Courtney stays active even on her rest days. “I do yoga, I do mobility work, I work with a PT and do a lot of recovery activities outside of training like foam rolling, ice baths and saunas,” she told USA Cycling. “And number one – very good sleep! It’s a challenge for me managing how much I do on rest days, because I have to do something during and I think my dog has been my secret weapon! I’ll take him for a walk, I’ll take him to the beach; I’ve done something, but it’s quite relaxing.”

3. Dealing With Nerves

Shutterstock

Courtney still gets nervous before a race. “I think everyone does and I think nerves are a sign you really care about something,” she told USA Cycling. “For me, I think preparation is the antidote to those challenging situations, because at the end of the day you can only control what you can control. If you manage those things, hopefully the outcome takes care of itself and if it doesn’t, hopefully you’ll have more opportunities in the future.”

4. Advice For Beginners

Courtney’s advice for beginners is to practice, and work on functional core. “For those just starting out, my biggest advice is to just spend more time on the bike and to identify specific skills you’d like to the work on during your time out on the trail,” she told Outside Magazine. “While you can get increasingly specific with intervals, time in the gym, etc. – the most valuable thing you can do as a beginner or intermediate rider looking to improve is to put in more hours on the bike… A lot of the work that I do in the gym and for recovery are for injury prevention and to help me stay strong and healthy while pushing my body over a long period of time.”

5. Sports Psychologist

Courtney is a strong proponent for mental health support. “I work with a sports psychologist and I have for the past five years,” she told USA Cycling. “I personally think that the mental game is a huge part of success, but it’s also a huge part of just being a healthy, happy person in the long run. I think that dealing with situations and emotions requires certain skills and perspectives that need to be developed and for me that’s done through sports psychology, plus reading, journalling and all of those kinds of things where I give myself space and time.”

Radio and TV presenter Jenni Falconer is gearing up for the London Marathon, and sharing worlds of encouragement for her fellow runners. Falconer, 48, posted a picture of herself wearing black running gear, smiling for her selfie. “I bloomin’ love running. 💙 It can be hard, it can be challenging, I’m certainly not going to breeze round the London Marathon course next weekend but I do know that at the end, I will feel an overwhelming sense of pride and achievement. If you are running any race, whether Manchester tomorrow, London next week or another, remember the fact that doing it is enough. Good luck. If you’re running London on April 21st, I’ll see you on the course! Happy running,” she captioned the inspiring post. Here’s what Falconer’s diet, exercise, and training looks like.

1. Light Breakfast

Shutterstock

Falconer prefers a light breakfast during the week. “Getting up so early for work means I’m not usually very hungry so I don't have a large breakfast,” she told Top Santé. “I may only have a banana and toasted bagel, then perhaps a protein shake after a run, followed by eggs or a chicken salad for lunch. If I am out and about, it can be quite difficult to sit down to eat during the day, but I try to always make sure we have plenty of protein-rich meals at home as I feel that it is good for recovery. I do love carbs, though – I adore bread but try not to buy it too much.”

2. Runner’s High

Falconer swears by both the mental and physical benefits of running. Running has always enhanced my mood and lifted my energy levels,” she told Top Santé. “Getting up at the crack of dawn can be tough but I am a morning person so I quickly feel awake. Then, I love to run early. I am on the radio every morning hosting the Smooth Radio breakfast show, so once I finish work, I run my commute home to southwest London. It really energizes me and I love that part of my morning. In fact, I just love the feeling I get after a run. For me, the runner’s high is the closest you’ll get to feeling like a superhero. You feel invincible, like nothing can take the shine away from your happy mood.”

3. Weight Training

Falconer added weight training to her fitness regimen. “I'm in my mid-forties and with that, things change in your body as a female,” she told Runner’s World. “I’ve been told the ideal thing to do is lift heavy weights – so I’ve started working with a trainer twice a week, focusing on running moves with heavy weights, such as lunges, squats and deadlifts. It’s really benefiting me.”

4. She Plays Golf

Falconer loves to play golf with her parents. “Three years ago, I developed a new sporting passion for golf and am now obsessed!” she told Top Santé. “I come from a family of golfers, so I now get to spend time with my parents doing something they love. Golf is such a great way to keep fit as you can get in so many steps going around the course. It’s also led to me having a new social group of friends, too. I don’t find it too difficult to keep fit in my 40s. I actually feel so much stronger and confident in my body at this age. I also know where I am in terms of work and family life, so keeping up with exercise is vital for my well being, too.”

5. Friendly Runner

Falconer loves running with similar-minded people, especially along the coast. “Every time I run I have a big cheesy grin on my face,” she told Runner’s World. “If you see me out running, please smile back because I smile at everyone, but no one else smiles! My favorite place to run is the south of Spain – there’s a stretch near Marbella that goes on for 10 miles along the coast. If you go out in the morning, you see the sunrise, and in the evening, you see the sunset – there are loads of people out there running and walking.”

Dutch runner Femke Bol is celebrating after winning gold in the mixed 4x400m relay. Bol, 24, shared a picture of herself wearing black shorts and an orange shirt, walking on the track. “Time to get to the start line of my second Olympic Games ✨I cannot wait to enjoy and feel the wonderful atmosphere while giving it my all on the track ❤️‍🔥This will be my schedule:

03/08 20.55 4x400 mixed FINAL

04/08 12.35 400 hurdles heats

06/08 20.07 400 hurdles semis

08/08 21.25 400 hurdles FINAL

09/08 10.40 4x400 women heats

10/08 21.14 4x400 women FINAL

Thank you for all the support, the journey to the games showed me once again how amazing the team around me is and I’m forever grateful for them 🥰,” she captioned the post. Here’s what the athlete’s training and fitness regimen looks like.

1. Hard Work

Bol works hard for her record-breaking speed. “I think that speed is not the most natural thing to me,” she told RunBlogRun. “I work hard to get more speed. But with the fatigue and the lactic, I keep thinking, what is the right pace? I think that is where my talent is. Also, in a 400 flat, what the pace should feel like. I love to go through the lactic and go deeper and go faster. Or in training, when I am full of lactic, can I do one more – when we have a lot of reps in a session. I think that is it, and I need to continue to be able to think and plan because you need a good plan.”

2. Inspired By Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Bol is a huge fan of fellow competitor Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. “It's inspirational and motivational how McLaughlin-Levrone's racing and seeing how she's raising the bar,” she told Longview News-Journal. “In all honesty a couple of years ago if you'd told me people would be running 400m hurdles in 51sec, I wouldn't have believed it, and now I'm one of them doing it. The moment you see someone doing it... there's is something in your head that thinks 'maybe I can also do it'. For sure it's something that pushes me to become better and dream better on the 400m hurdles.”

3. Training Camp

Bol trains with a large team in The Netherlands. “I train at Papendal, the National Dutch Sports Center,” she told RunBlogRun. “There is a big group, I think fourteen 400m runners. And also Ajla Del Ponte from Switzerland. So it’s a pretty nice group to be in. We train hard, a lot of tough training – some do more endurance, others more speed. It’s a big group, but training is adapted to the person. I think it’s a nice atmosphere that we train in. In the end, we’re all sore and tired, but we keep having fun. We work together and push each other on. It’s a great place to be and one of the best places in which to become one of the best athletes.”

4. Clearing Her Head

Bol has loved running since she was a young girl. “It was always a way to clear your mind and just have fun and not think too much about other things,” she told Athletics Weekly. “That’s still what I like so much about it. I have sessions I like more and I like less but I enjoy every session and mostly the lactic ones because then it really clears your mind and the only thing you can think about is the pain and how you are going to recover. I just love how you really can mentally challenge yourself so much in the sport and just let go of everything a bit by running.”

5. Loving the Journey

Bol is proud of her accomplishments. “I sometimes ask how I have achieved these things, but I do work hard for it and do so many things for it,” she told RunBlogRun. “It’s not like I click my fingers, and I get it. But still, there are a lot of other athletes who train just as hard and are not achieving these things. I do ask how I have achieved this, and I think it’s amazing. I am enjoying it a lot, which helps.”