Morning Routine | Noah Droddy’s Typical Morning During Marathon Training – Runner’s World
Morning Routine | Noah Droddy’s Typical Morning During Marathon Training Runner’s World
Even if you don’t know Noah Droddy, you’ve probably seen him on a starting line. The 28-year-old Indiana native, sometimes dubbed the “hipster runner from …
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Even if you don’t know Noah Droddy, you’ve probably seen him on a starting line. The 28-year-old Indiana native, sometimes dubbed the “hipster runner from Indy,” is hard to miss with his full mustache and long, black hair that flows from underneath a backward baseball cap or retro sweatband. He’s the type of guy who looks just as natural ordering an espresso at a coffee shop near his home in Boulder, Colorado, as he does challenging the leaders of a road race.
Currently, Droddy is doing a lot of the latter. On March 17, he finished 5th at the NYC Half Marathon in 1:02:39, which, while it wasn’t his fastest time (he ran 1:01:48 in New York in 2017), was one of the most strategic races he’s ever run, he said.
“I’m training for the Rotterdam Marathon,” Droddy tells Runner’s World. “So I wasn’t focused on the half marathon, but I was very happy with how it turned out. I felt really strong. It’s definitely a confidence builder going into Rotterdam.”
Droddy’s upcoming race, which kicks off Sunday morning, April 7, in Rotterdam, will be his first marathon since Chicago 2017, where he finished in 2:16:26. Before that, the runner started the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials—his debut at the distance—but ended up dropping out of the race.
Watch: Noah Droddy seeks advice for his Chicago Marathon debut.
“I definitely wasn’t ready for a marathon then,” he said. “I had a lot to learn about training and racing.”
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Over the last three years, Droddy made big changes to his routine. The full-time Saucony athlete moved to Boulder and joined the Roots Running Project, an elite team led by Richard Hansen and legendary distance coach Joe Vigil. Under their guidance, he honed his speed in road races ranging in distances from 10 miles to half marathon. Then, this past winter, he began building up a base for the marathon, logging his first-ever, 100-mile week in February. His big goal is to run under the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:11 in Rotterdam, he said.
Droddy’s days during marathon training often begin with a four-hour practice—which includes running, strength training, and dynamic drills with his team—starting around 8 a.m. To prepare for his regular morning workout, he has a tried-and-true routine, which he describes here for us.
First, Buttery Espresso and Oats
I like to wake up at 6:30, about an hour and a half before practice starts. I live with my girlfriend, Emma, who’s a preschool teacher and also an Olympic marathon qualifier—she’s much more impressive than I am—and she’s out running by the time I wake up.
I get out of bed, then head to our kitchen to make breakfast. I’ll start my coffee in a stovetop espresso maker, then boil water for my oatmeal, so they’re both ready at the same time. I usually drink my coffee black, but if I need a little more energy that day, I’ll add a square of butter to the espresso, which makes it really creamy.
For my oatmeal, I’ve been fine-tuning my recipe over the last six months. My go-to is oats, brown sugar or honey, peanut butter, chia seeds, and maca powder. I’m not really sure what the chia seeds or maca powder do, but we have them on hand, and I’ve heard they’re good for me, so I figured I’d give them a go. I eat the same thing on race day, but I’ll have it about three and a half to four hours beforehand. When I travel to races, I pack all my ingredients with me, then cook it in my hotel room or the athlete tent.
(Dog) Walk It Out
After having breakfast, I take our 8-year-old greyhound, Sarah, out for a walk around the block. She’s a retired race dog and a little bit slower than she used to be, so I feel like we relate on some levels. I love spending time with her in the morning, and the walk also wakes my legs up and eases my aching joints a bit before the workout, so it’s a double win. After we get back, Sarah gets breakfast, too.
Quality Couch Time
Once Sarah and I finish walking, Emma is usually back from her run, and we both take a seat on the couch and hang out for a little while. Since Emma has such a busy schedule with school and training, we don’t get to see each other much during the day, so spending some quiet time together in the morning is really special. I usually open the New York Times Daily News Briefing and catch up on the news. Since I’m about to run for four hours, I like to focus on non-running news.
Run, Then Brunch
I leave around 7:30 to meet my teammates for practice, which is a 15-minute drive or bike ride away. Once there, we warm up with leg swings and stretching, then start the workout. After we’re done running, we usually have about two more hours of strength training and drills, so I make sure to have a good snack—like a protein drink (my favorite brand is ), banana, and some nuts—that’ll keep me full until I can make a real meal.
Once I get home around 11:30 or noon, I make a big breakfast. I’ll fry up three to four eggs over easy, toast a few pieces of bread, and then spread mashed avocado or cream cheese on the toast before putting the eggs on top. I also like making egg scrambles with a ton of veggies thrown in, like cherry tomatoes and spinach. While that’s cooking, I make another cup of coffee to have with it. I cut myself off at two cups of coffee a day—one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. I’m not one of those runners who drinks an insane amount of it.
This year, I’ve realized how much I thrive on routine. One of the benefits of dating a preschool teacher (and one who runs marathons) is that we’re in bed by nine on most nights, and we fall asleep before 10. If you have to train early in the morning, the best thing you can do is try to get as many hours of sleep as you can before midnight. And if you’re traveling to a race, bring your own oatmeal with you, so you don’t have to worry about finding something there. Your body craves that routine.