Aiming High.

What's in Store

1. Quote of the Week

2. 🥇 Community Spotlight

3. Workout of the Week

4. Something We Learned this Week

Quote of the Week

🥇 Community Spotlight

Matt from Columbia, SC set a PR in the mile.
Kate from Fairfax, VA set a PR in the 10k.
Yasmeen from New York, NY set a PR in the 10 mile.
Drew from Knoxville, TN set a PR in the 10 mile.
Daniel from Virginia set a PR in the 30k.
Roman from Bonita Springs, FL set a PR in the half marathon.
Chris from Milwaukee, WI set a PR in the half marathon.
Justin from Old Bridge, NJ set a PR in the 30k.
The Dude from Utter, Switzerland set a PR in the half marathon.
Vanessa from Chino Hills, CA set a PR in the 10k.
Alfonso Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico set a PR in the 5k.

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Workout of the Week

Something We Learned this Week

Sydney Marathon

The Sydney Marathon took place on September 15, 2024, and is nearing the end of its candidacy process to join the AWMM series. This was the second evaluation year, and the race showed improvements in areas such as organization, crowd support, and runner experience  .

If Sydney meets the necessary standards again, it could be officially announced as part of the AWMM by mid-2025, joining the existing six majors.

2026 Boston Marathon Qualifying Times:

For 2026, Boston has also lowered its qualifying times by five minutes for all athletes under 60 to accommodate growing interest:

Men aged 18-34: 2:55:00 (previously 3:00:00)

Pace: 6:40 min/mile or 4:08 min/km

Women aged 18-34: 3:25:00 (previously 3:30:00)

Pace: 7:49 min/mile or 4:51 min/km

Men aged 35-39: 3:00:00 (previously 3:05:00)

Pace: 6:52 min/mile or 4:16 min/km

Women aged 35-39: 3:30:00 (previously 3:35:00)

Pace: 8:01 min/mile or 4:58 min/km


2025 Chicago Marathon Update (Older News):

Chicago has significantly tightened its qualifying standards for 2025, making it more competitive than ever. For men aged 18-34, the new qualifying time is 2:55:00 (previously 3:05:00), and for women aged 18-34, it’s 3:25:00 (previously 3:35:00)   .

Men aged 18-34 (2:55:00): Pace = 6:40 min/mile or 4:08 min/km

Women aged 18-34 (3:25:00): Pace = 7:49 min/mile or 4:51 min/km

The problem with aiming too high is that you miss out on the small but important foundational things.

There is a truth and a fallacy.

Truth: The processes, people, systems, and habits that get you from one level won’t get you to the next.

Fallacy: Fake it till you make it.

Ethan and I, when we first started Monarx, aimed too high. It was pure hubris. We had a clear vision of what we wanted the brand and the apparel to be—how it should feel, how it should look. The only problem was that we were completely wrong, and we spent three-quarters of our gas tank going in the wrong direction.

The funny thing is, it should always be easy—or at least obvious. The answers are usually right in front of your face. Progress should be incremental, built on small wins and small losses. If you feel like you’re stretching yourself with a goal, you’re probably aiming too high. Here’s the secret we’ve learned: Set really small and reasonable goals, but pursue them relentlessly. A deadly focus on one thing—and once you get that, then decide what’s next and what it will take to get to the next checkpoint.

The gym bro analogy for this is called progressive overload, where week by week you gradually increase the intensity of your exercise. This is an extreme example, but imagine this: You’re trying to increase your bench, and you do 5×5 every Wednesday. You start at 135 lbs and increase the weight by 5 lbs every other week. Sure, after four weeks you’ll only be at 145 lbs. But after two years? You’re benching 395 lbs. Increasing your bench is obviously a whole lot more complicated, but increasing the weight by 5 pounds every other week seems reasonable. This is the secret of consistency and compounding.

When we aim too high, we tend to overcomplicate things or focus on the wrong areas. Live in sprints and focus on what’s in front of you. The final goal is a long way away, and you’re more than likely going to need to reinvent your strategy and yourself many times over in order to get to where you want to go.

Don’t wait. Don’t overthink it. Just take one fucking step in the right direction.

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