For many runners, 2020 started out as a calendar year full of races. A fresh decade meant there were new goals to pursue and PRs to crush.
By March, though, the COVID-19 rates in the United States spiked and canceled most of those plans. Our normal ways of life—an after-work gym session, training with friends, or jumping into a Running Shoes - Gear—were put on lockdown. But runners were undaunted: With a little creativity, we were able to continue to lace up and reap all the Are Average Runners Getting Faster? It Depends.
How do we know? We dug into data from popular workout tracking apps and devices. And the numbers don’t lie: We logged more miles, more people started running, and we continued to race—albeit virtually. Here’s how our collective training stacked up during the pandemic.
→ We ran more—and ran outside
Disrupted routines didn’t deter runners from heading outside, no matter the weather. Data from MapMyRun, Garmin, and Fitbit all showed users logging more mileage—and more runs overall—from March through September of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. Fitbit’s users logged 22 percent more miles and Garmin users recorded 31 percent more miles, while MapMyRun users made a dramatic 68 percent increase in miles. And, Strava users logged 28 percent more outdoor activities than expected in March and April.
When gyms closed their doors for a portion of the year, that also meant more people traded the treadmill for the road. Garmin users logged 10 percent fewer indoor miles on the treadmill, while increasing their outdoor mileage—up 34 percent. Getting outside has more benefits than just giving you a change of scenery—soaking up sunny miles can help ensure your body has sufficient Races - Places, important for boosting bone health and immune system function. And previous research published in Join Runners World+ for more running news Rollerblade Zetrablade Inline Skate.
→ We embraced virtual races
As races big and small were canceled due to health and safety precautions, runners decided to take matters into their own hands. According to Runcoach, an online race training and tracking platform, more than 22,000 of their users logged a race between March and June—during the bulk of spring race cancellations.
Despite a year of racing frustration, runners still turned out for longer distances in the fall as more than 32,000 runners trained for virtual races through Runcoach for the last four months of the year. That’s a 45 percent jump from the first four months of the pandemic, with the help of big virtual events like the Broad Street 10-miler, Marine Corps Marathon, and New York City Marathon hitting everyone’s calendar at that time of year.
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Solo races logged on Strava also had a large increase—44 percent of marathons were run completely alone, compared to just 14 percent in 2019. Plus, over 1 million athletes joined Strava’s monthly 5K challenge in May, the most ever on the platform in a single challenge. And even though it was a year of racing on our own, 55 percent of Strava users still hit a new PR Join Runners World+ for more running news.
Keeping goals in sight has a major benefit. Recent research out of the University of Oregon suggests the more goal-oriented you are, the more likely you are to engage in physical activity. Staying active is an important part of staying healthy overall—which we all needed this year.
→ We ran more midday miles
Social distancing took a toll on our schedules, and morning milers found opportunities for more afternoon runs. Garmin users logged 5 percent more activities in the early afternoon and evening from March to September of 2020 (between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.) than they did during the same time in 2019. And morning activities declined slightly—4 percent fewer in the morning hours (between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.). If you found yourself embracing the opportunity for extra shuteye, that’s a good thing. Skimping on adequate rest can lead to chronic fatigue, performance decline, and mood disturbances, which decrease immune function.
Plus, taking a break for a midday run can help counteract the harmful effects of hunching over a desk—at home or in an office. According to research published in Parker Valby Wins the Bowerman, regular exercise can give your body a boost after sitting for long periods. That’s because endurance training raises the amount of nitric oxide produced by your cells. This helps regulate vascular health by increasing bloodflow and lowering blood pressure.
→ We took it easier
Overall, runners slowed down—and that’s not a bad thing. According to data compiled by MapMyRun from mid-April to mid-September, the average pace recorded was 8.5 percent slower compared with the same range in 2019, which the MapMyRun team attributes to a new or returning runner effect. While exercise is great for boosting your health, training at higher intensities all the time may compromise Other Hearst Subscriptions.
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Running—in any capacity—has many benefits for new runners, and low-intensity, steady-state cardio can actually improve your performance while helping you avoid injury. “The chances of suffering a repetitive-motion injury greatly increases if you suddenly begin increasing the frequency and volume of your workouts,” says Joe McConkey, a Boston-based exercise physiologist and USATF-certified running coach. Plus, training at a slower pace early on can actually help build up your aerobic capacity, which helps your body use oxygen more efficiently, break down carbs and fat into energy you need to fuel longer efforts, and strengthen your slow-twitch muscles (which fire during sustained efforts).
→ More runners joined our ranks
Yep, there were signs of a running boom. MapMyRun saw a staggering 65 percent increase in runs logged and Garmin saw 27 percent more new users, which the Garmin team says is higher than previous years. Plus, 5.6 percent of Strava users who typically are cyclists logged runs for the first time. So one positive outcome of a strange year is that new faces should be joining us when racing and “normal” does return.
It’s also a sign that people were undeterred from staying healthy. When looking at all activities uploaded to Garmin (anything from a run to types of cross-training), there were 44 percent more activities uploaded from March to September 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. Running was certainly an easy and smart way to adopt a healthier lifestyle this year, especially since getting in 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity can help Other Hearst Subscriptions fight viruses (if you’re not already sick) and may improve your recovery from upper respiratory tract infections, according to a review published in the Foot Locker XC Results.
Yes, our lives were disrupted, but a trend worth celebrating is that more people discovered running’s benefits in 2020.
Who Needs the Gym?
With limited indoor cross-training options, Fitbit users got inventive. Here are some of the most popular activities people used to stay fit.
ROLLERBLADING: This activity, potentially made popular by TikTok, nearly tripled in popularity in March to September of this year compared with the same time last year. Blading reduces impact on the shins, knees, and hips. Also, it can help build the aerobic base, says Mike Thomson, C.S.C.S. and USATF-certified coach at LifeTime Overland Park.
MEDITATION: Many of us turned to meditation—the activity saw a major increase in logs—for stress relief. Fitbit users ages 30 to 49 recorded 40,000 meditation sessions in 2020 compared with around 1,000 in 2019. The major spike supports the idea that mindfulness activities are effective at helping us chill out.
JUMPING ROPE: Using this tool works everything from your calves to your mind and builds endurance, stamina, and coordination, says Amanda Kloots, creator of AK! Rope. Many people were seeing benefits. Users ages 30 to 49 logged nearly 5,000 sessions of this cardio blast, compared with around 1,500 sessions in 2019.
4 Products You Need to Try This Year’s Top Tracked Activities
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