by Gaute Bugge Drangsholt

"The louder they speak and the more bombastic they are, the faster you should run away."

Stephen Seiler has worked himself up a sweat and is really getting into his stride. At the office in Kristiansand, the UiA professor has been asked to take stock of running training in 2026. We’ve now moved on to the topic of running influencers. More specifically, how the average everyday runner should navigate all the advice on social media."

If you see an influencer saying, ‘You can go from 50 to 40 minutes for a mile in six weeks with this programme’... Trust me, you can’t. If someone tells me that six weeks of anything can have such a dramatic effect, I know they’re not being serious."

De-stress, not stress out

For decades, Seiler has been closely involved with some of the world’s best endurance athletes. The Texan, who popularised the concept of 80/20 training, has worked with Olympiatoppen and the Uno-X cycling team, among others. Now that the running craze seems to be reaching new heights in Norway, we are therefore curious to know what observations he has made.

Pointing the finger at those who want to sell shortcuts to success is really just a side issue. At the same time, it is part of the bigger picture.

"Training should really be an outlet for releasing some of our stress. Instead, many people are adding to it. We often talk about protecting ourselves physically, but we must protect ourselves cognitively as well. How much information should I allow to penetrate my brain every day?" asks Seiler rhetorically.

A stark contrast to the elite

For although technological advances have done a great deal for running too, it is clear that the professor is sceptical about the downsides. In particular, he is concerned about how dependent many people have become on digital feedback and inaccurate measurements.

"Rewards such as badges, likes, sleep scores and streaks have become a currency meant to represent physical exertion. It seems that more and more people need recognition for their own activity", says Seiler.

This gamification of endurance training stands in stark contrast to what he has observed professional athletes are most concerned with.

"The best rely on their brains. Many of them are actually not heavy users of technology, even though they can get all the gadgets they want virtually for free. Instead, they are very well attuned to their own bodies. This also makes them better at interpreting which measurements and feedback are valuable," says Seiler.

He also highlights an example that emphasises that the path to the best results does not necessarily involve extensive use of technology.

"I’m working with a PhD candidate in Ethiopia, a country that produces some of the best runners in the world. What’s fascinating is that they don’t use technology at all. The coach’s main piece of technology is a stopwatch. The sessions are divided into easy, moderate and hard. I’m not joking. So they laugh a bit at our fascination with all these things."

"Be your own data source"

Seiler has two exercises he would recommend to all running enthusiasts who want to rely more on their own judgement: tech-free training days and calibration sessions.

The first tip is exactly as straightforward as it sounds.

"Run without technology one day a week. No heart rate monitoring or anything else. Just go out and run. Let your brain experience why people love movement so much and how wonderful it is to be out in the countryside. And let that be the goal. If you absolutely must record the session digitally for it to have any value: Start the stopwatch, but cover it up for the entire session. No peeking allowed!"

Exercise number two requires a bit of technology, but is primarily designed to test the connection between your mind and body.

"You’ll be given an instruction before the session. Let’s say, ‘Run that distance in three minutes’. You won’t receive any feedback whilst you’re doing it. Afterwards, we’ll see that you ran it in 2 minutes 45 seconds. OK, that was far too fast. Try again. The aim is for you to gradually close the gap between the instruction and your pace. Then your brain will gradually become better calibrated."

The two sessions are quite different, but the main goal is the same:

"It can help us to trust what’s in our heads more. That way, you can become your own best source of data", says Seiler.



What does that mean?

Here is an explanation of some of the terms used in the article.

From the English term ‘gamification’. Elements familiar from the world of gaming are applied to a new context. Other activities are measured through various tasks or by how quickly or well you complete them.

Digital rewards you receive for achieving various milestones. Example: ‘Ran 100 km in a month’.

Streak
Digital proof that you have carried out a specific action over time. Example: ‘Days in a row with at least one training session’

Sleep score
An assessment of your sleep quality on a scale of 0 to 100, measured by a smartwatch or similar device. Actively used by many as a measure of recovery quality. Several researchers have highlighted how inaccurate these measurements can be.

Runfluencers
An influencer who specialises in running content. They may share insights from their own training and competition routine and offer advice to others.

80/20
A training philosophy for endurance sports based on the idea that around 80 per cent of sessions should be carried out at low intensity, whilst the remaining 20 per cent should be carried out at high intensity.