Did your workouts from the past year fit these trends?
By Jordan Smith
Dec 30, 2020

running data
David Jaewon Oh

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 spur-of
the-moment race—were put on lockdown. But runners were undaunted: With
a little creativity, we were able to continue to lace up and reap all
the health benefits that running confers.

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

2020 running year
Staff

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.
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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 vitamin D levels, important for
boosting bone health and immune system function. And previous research
published in Environmental Health Perspectives correlated exercising
outdoors with a slew of benefits for both mental and physical
well-being.

→ We embraced virtual races

2020 running year
Staff

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 in 5K, 10K, half marathon, and
marathon distances.

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

2020 running year
Staff

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.
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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 Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
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

2020 running year
Staff

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 your immune system.

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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

2020 running year
Staff

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.
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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 your immune system 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 Journal of
Sport and Health Science.

Yes, our lives were disrupted, but a trend worth celebrating is that
more people discovered running’s benefits in 2020.
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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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Jordan Smith Digital Editor Her love of all things outdoors came
from growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and her passion for
running was sparked by local elementary school cross-country meets.
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