Newly minted “Person of the Year” Taylor Swift has had yet another massive year in an already illustrious career, with her Eras Tour event making history on both the stage and in cinemas. The 66 sold-out shows performed over eight months will also carry over into next year, with another 85 concerts happening worldwide. Did we mention each setlist contained more than 40 songs?
So, how did the superstar prepare for such a marathon of being on stage? She ran, of course.
In an interview with Time, Swift revealed that she trained for the rigorous stage time by singing the entire setlist for the shows while running on her treadmill… every day for six months before the tour kicked off.
During the interview, Swift says that she split the setlist up depending on how she was running. ”Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs,” the singer said. (“Bad Blood” fartleks, anyone?) This followed a special strength and conditioning program at her gym, Dogpound, and three extra months spent on dance lessons.
Swift said she prepared for this tour like no other to give her fans a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “They had to work really hard to get the tickets,” she said. “I wanted to play a show that was longer than they ever thought it would be because that makes me feel good leaving the stadium,” she said in the interview.
Swift even gave up drinking alcohol during preparation for the tour. “I was really disciplined about drinking,” Swift said. “I stopped drinking for a couple months before the show except for on Grammy night, which was hilarious. I gave myself a fun night for that one.” She didn’t drink during the show’s run either, noting that it would be a challenging experience. “Doing that show with a hangover,” she said, “I don't want to know that world.”
When it comes to how pop stars prepare for a grueling concert schedule, Swift is in good company. In 1983, while prepping for his Serious Moonlight tour, David Bowie began boxing to get stage-ready. The singer noted that most pop songs were three minutes long, the same as a round in the ring. Seeing how Swift’s show is twice as long, she is undoubtedly ready for the heavyweight division.
Of course, the revelation of Swift’s workout reveal already has fans clamoring for the hitmaker to get into a race. She wouldn’t be the only Time award winner to lace them up; 2010 “Person of the Year” Mark Zuckerberg clocked a 5K in a time of 19:34 earlier this year.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler and was most recently the senior editorial director at TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
