Earlier this week, runners in the Northern Hemisphere celebrated the arrival of fall with the passing of the autumnal equinox. This annual event often coincides with an increased chill in the air, a slight dusting of snow on the high mountain peaks, and shorter days combined with longer nights. Over the years, the autumnal equinox has also come to represent a time to shift my running rhythm as I adapt to the changing times.
For many years, when I was younger and competing more heavily, fall was a time of rest and recovery — a kind of off-season from the grind of training. After months of focused training — often leading up to a big goal race like Western States 100 or Hardrock 100 — I always felt like my body and mind needed a break in order to refresh and recharge. This period of rest in the fall also allowed me the time and the space to focus on things that I might have neglected in my life during hard training, be it with family, work, or just doing things around the house. I found that this fall reset allowed me to dive into hard training again once the new year hit.
Autumn brings shorter days, longer nights, and a chance to change up your routine. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
As the years went by and my competitive urges waned, I didn’t feel the need for as much rest and recovery in the fall. Rather, I wanted to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and lack of events on the calendar to focus on things in my running that had taken a back seat earlier in the year. Most years, this meant focusing on speed. After weeks of endurance-specific training, I often felt that by the time fall rolled around, I had lost a lot of speed. As a result, several sustained weeks of speedwork in September and October — accompanied by a reduction in overall training volume — often gave me the jolt needed to jump-start my training while also providing a much-needed change of pace to combat the monotony of 100-mile training.
Today, as I sit on the edge of another fall season, I am not looking ahead to a rest period or a speedwork block. Rather, my attention is solely focused on running a fall target race. There are so many great late-season events on the calendar that I have chosen to adjust my overall training to focus on a big spring race and a big fall race. So, this autumnal equinox signals the beginning of my last big training block going into the Javelina 100 Mile in late October. It is very different than the rest periods and speed sessions of past years, but at this time and in this place, it just feels right.
AJW during the 2025 Cocodona 250 Mile, his big spring race. Photo: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
So whoever you are and whichever path you take, I urge you to enjoy the change of pace and change of focus that comes with the arrival of autumn. While many of us runners are incurable creatures of habit, fall can be a time to change perspective and take on new challenges. At the end of the day, that is one of the many things that make running so much darn fun!
Bottoms up!
AJW’s Beer of the Week
This week’s Beer of the Week comes from Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Oktoberfest is their annual release of a Bavarian-style Märzen, a crisp lager that is malty and refreshing at the same time. Brewed in the classic German style, Great Lakes does a fantastic job of putting a new twist on a legendary beer.
Call for Comments
- How do you like to spend your autumn months?
- Do you feel like you need a break after a summer of running?
