Running for the Love of it

Power couple Ariel and Adam Greenstein have been together for the last 14 years, spending the last 7 of those as husband and wife. Adam races on the New Balance x Fleet Feet Racing Team as an Elite team member, while Ariel recently trained with the Fleet Feet Training x Chicago Endurance Sports Spring Training Program, completing the Bank of America Chicago 13.1 Half Marathon in June.

While they've been together for a long time, they just recently began to share their love of running together. We sat down with the husband and wife duo to learn about their individual running journeys and how the sport has brought them together.

Q: When did you first get into running?

Ariel: I officially jump-started my running journey a little over a year ago! In April 2023 I started Peloton’s “You Can Run Outdoors” program. Over eight weeks I went from hating running to starting to like it. I took every run really slow (upwards of 17-minute miles) and was just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually I built up the confidence to put a big goal in front of myself - train to run my first-ever half marathon. Over 14 weeks I learned a lot about myself and how running can truly be a wonderful sport for self care. I also documented my journey on Instagram to keep myself accountable. Two half marathons and many group runs later, I’m loving running!

Adam: I’ve always been active but didn’t seriously consider distance running before college. I was inspired when my friend finished a marathon in 2013, and after training for a few months I completed my first marathon in 2014. I was hooked ever since. I’ve been running on and off since then, but in the last two years I’ve been much more consistent. I’ve completed 8 marathons (including the Boston Marathon) and I’m currently training to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon this fall for the third time.

Q: What was the biggest barrier to starting?

Ariel: The motivation to get my butt out the door! Honestly, I would find any reason to procrastinate a workout (let’s be honest, sometimes that happens now); however, the difference between then and now is that I know without a doubt that I always feel ten times better after a workout than not doing it at all. 

Adam: Finding time to run was the hardest part. It takes a lot of dedication to shift your schedule to accommodate the workouts needed to be successful while still trying to be a functioning, social human. Fortunately the older I get, the less of a social life I have, which means there’s more time to dedicate to running (plus, my wife now runs as well).

Q: What are your current goals in the sport?

Ariel: I’m focusing on building a strong foundation. After training for longer distances I recognize that I need to relish in an off season. This includes strength training with a personal trainer and taking a closer look at my diet/nutrition regiment. Ultimately I want to improve my mile pace to consider running longer distances in the future.

Adam: I want to continue to train consistently and get faster (particularly in the marathon and 5k distances). I have target times in mind but ultimately focus my energy on getting stronger and enjoying the experience.

Q: How do you support your partner in their running journey, and how do they support you?

Ariel: Without a doubt one of my favorite parts about running is cheering Adam on throughout his journey and on race day! It’s absolutely incredible to see his decade of growth in this sport and I admire his dedication to getting each run done no matter the elements in front of him (negative temperatures included!). He has been such a wonderful support system providing me advice about my training plans, fueling and hydration tips and overall just being a super sweet cheerleader. One of my favorite recent moments was when he biked to various points of my race. It was such a huge motivator to get the dang thing done.

Adam: Running for the past ten years, I have quite a bit of experience, but I’m definitely no running coach. Since Ariel is relatively new at running, I try to help by sharing my knowledge and tips (when it’s well received) and constantly strive to be the best teammate, which means telling her she’s doing great even when her watch says she’s not. I know how overwhelming training could be so I try to help pick up the slack around the house when she’s busy focusing on her training schedule. Ariel supports me emotionally, especially during the hard days of the training cycle when things aren’t going the way I want. She also travels with me to all of my races, even going all the way to the Netherlands for the Amsterdam Marathon and coordinating Boston Marathon logistics.

Q: What's the best thing about having a shared hobby?

Ariel: 100% has to be mutual understanding! I’ve developed such a deep respect for what Adam does when he’s training for a race. It’s incredible how different it is now that I’ve gone through my own training cycles to better recognize the highs and lows of building towards a big race day. We can connect on the good runs and the bad. And it makes it that much more rewarding when we each accomplish a big goal.

Adam: It’s just another thing we have in common and work towards together. We’re in very different stages in our running career but seeing my wife start from the ground up is very inspiring. It helps remind me how far I’ve come and it excites me to see how far she’ll go.