212. 5-Time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman on Longevity, Having Fun, and His Ultra Aspirations

The Strength Running Podcast

Abdi Abdirahman is a 5-time Olympian and the oldest American runner to qualify for the Olympics. He is the oldest male to podium at the NYC Marathon, and USATF’s master’s record holder in the marathon. Abdi is also a 4-time USATF champ in the 10k and a 5-time road racing champion at distances from 10 miles to the marathon.

In other words, he’s one of the best runners ever to represent the United States.

He's also found the time to become a new author. I'm thrilled he's written his first book to get an even deeper inside look into his mind.

Check it out here: Abdi's World: The Black Cactus on Life, Running, and Fun

Today's conversation gives a glimpse of his laid back, lighthearted personality that contributes to Abdi's amazing longevity in the sport.

We explore topics of:

• Balance between training and life outside of running
• Changes that Abdi has seen over the years
• When to be serious and when to relax
• How running "strength" evolves over time

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Follow Abdi on Twitter and Instagram
• Read more about Abdi at the Tokyo Olympics
• Get his new book Abdi's World: The Black Cactus on Life, Running, and Fun

Thank You InsideTracker!

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.

Thank You PATH Projects!

PATH Projects continues to be a great supporter of this podcast! I’m grateful for their partnership and want to share more about their products that I’ve been loving because they so durable and comfortable.

PATH Projects is an online-only retailer of high-quality running gear and apparel. That means there is no retail markup, making their products quite affordable.

In particular, I’ve just started wearing their 3” Sykes shorts and they’re a little different from the 5” Sykes shorts (you can see those in action here). The material is thinner and lighter, which is perfect in a performance short, and they’re obviously shorter. I’m not sure if my wife thinks they’re too scandalous or loves them, but I’m wearing them constantly.

PATH uses new technical fabrics, like the Japanese fiber called Toray Primeflex, to create award-winning apparel for endurance athletes. In fact, their Brim shorts and Tahoe base liner won Runner’s World’s 2018 Gear of the Year award. And the Pyrinees hoodie was named one of the best six sweatshirts for running in the cold by Gear Patrol.

You know you’ll be wearing the best when you select PATH Projects!