Basically title

2 years ago, there were scientific studies about carbon plated shoes, mainly to prove how much better they were than normal shoes, and as a side effect you could clearly see which one is the fastest.

Fast forward to today, and I am lost. Is Vaporfly still the king? I like running in mine, but I also like running in the Asics and the Rocket X3. However it's clear to me my Vaporflies (next%2) are the fastest of the 3. I have only raced in them and do my speedwork in the other 2. This was also 'proven' in scientific studies at the time, back then the vaporfly, the saucony endorphin and the metaspeed sky were the only reasonable options, all the rest was slower

I can't reasonably buy all the shoes out today to make a comparison, so is there a general consensus?

Reading shoe tuesday it's always 1 pair vs another pair, but I cannot find unbiased big studies. If you read the review sites, all the shoes are the fastest, they are not really critical. I know there are youtube reviewers out there, but I wouldn't know where to start, and these are all 15 minute time investments.

Willing to buy 2 or 3 pairs to try out for my Valencia marathon, but not more. Aiming for a 2:20 time, so I do care about 10 second differences.

What's everyone up to on this weekend? Racing? Long run? Movie date? Playing with Fido? Talk about that here!

As always, be safe, train smart, and have a great weekend!

I will be helping to moderate a panel with Daniels on it in a couple of weeks. What would you ask if you could ask him anything about running and his formula?

Has anyone on here actually undertaken the course & if so, what did you find good & bad about it?

I’m wanting to expand my knowledge on running more and I always hear him bring it up on his podcast episodes.

I was wondering if it was worth the investment?

Hi all, I've just launched a web app for calculating grade-adjusted pace (aka GAP) when running on uphills and downhills!

You can try it out here: https://apps.runningwritings.com/gap-calculator/

The app uses metabolic data from in-lab testing on competitive trail runners across a huge range of slopes, so it can calculate GAPs for inclines and declines as steep as 50% grade!

You can convert flat-ground effort into incline/decline pace, or vice versa. It also supports both pace and speed inputs to make it treadmill-friendly.

The source code and data behind the calculations are freely available on my GitHub for anyone who's interested. Below the app, there is also write-up on some of the strengths and limitations of the GAP calculations.

I'd love to hear whether the calculated GAPs seem accurate based on your experience, and if there are any features I could add that would make it more useful!

NY Times Unlocked Link

Any thoughts on the redesigned Boston finisher medals?

https://www.millenniumrunning.com/cheapmarathon

The Cheap Marathon (Derry, NH) was postponed this week due to the winter storm in New England.

For those not aware, it's a great flat race on a rail trail -- a double out and back which is super fast (although definitely a bit mind-numbing). It's also incredibly cheap -- I think I got in for $25, because there's no medal, no shirt, etc.

Unfortunately, this means it got delayed with only two days to go -- basically meaning that you've already tapered. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with an interrupted taper like this? Maybe do a 20 miler this weekend, then another taper?

EDIT: I don't blame them -- I live about 30 minutes away and it's really nasty here. I'd have been shocked if they could run the race this weekend, and I'm sure the town, DPW, and so on were very anti running (for good reason). I'm also thrilled that they're able to reschedule for just two weeks away -- minimizing impact as much as possible.

A place to ask questions that don't need their own thread here or just chat a bit.

We have quite a bit of info in the wiki, FAQ, and past posts. Please be sure to give those a look for info on your topic.

Link to Wiki

Link to FAQ

"The New York City Marathon is being asked to pay roughly $750,000 a year to make up for toll revenue lost while the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is closed."

New GFA times for London have been released:

https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/enter/how-to-enter/good-for-age-entry

The goal posts have been moved back again by 5 minutes.

How does this affect anyone’s race prep plans for the Spring? I had my eyes on the 3:00 time as a 18-39 male and I’m panicking now haha

EDIT: UK runners only

I am a M45 runner who has been training 5/6 times a week for the past 18 months (limited recreational running in the years prior to that). I am about to race the Manchester Marathon and attempt to run a PB and BQ time in the range of 3h05 to 3h10 (BQ=3h20). I was hoping to get some opinions on a fairly unconventional pacing strategy that I'm thinking of following for this marathon.

I consider myself good at naturally holding a pace by feel but I use my watch and manual lapping to keep things precise. In my previous two marathons I went for even splits as the most conservative option. London 2023 (debut 3h44) I ran at a conservative pace being my first marathon and managed very consistent even splits throughout. Berlin 2023 (3h26) I had an unusually high HR from early on and had to constantly reduce my pace throughout to remain in Z4.

My training block has gone very well. I have managed 6 days of running and ~70km per week, with peak weeks at 90km. My VO2Max has climbed steadily from 56 before Berlin '23 to 61 now. I have also run a 39:50 10K since Berlin and a 1:29:28 HM (VDOT marathon = 3:06:35) during this training block. I also practise progressive effort in many of my training runs, e.g. for easy and long runs I start at high Z1/low Z2 and gradually increase effort to high Z2/steady. I pay close attention to HR at all times and can usually estimate my current HR by feel to within 3-4 beats of what my HRM is reading.

Now to the key workout on which I was thinking of basing my pacing strategy. In this block and the last, I ran a 36K Canova decreasing interval long run (27K at GMP) with the following structure:

2K warmup
7K GMP + 1K steady float
6K GMP + 1K steady float
5K GMP + 1K steady float
4K GMP + 1K steady float
3K GMP + 1K steady float
2K GMP
2K cooldown

I love this session because each interval you complete is longer than the next, so you feel like it's getting easier, and it gives you increasingly shorter chunks of work/effort to focus on, and a moment to regroup mentally between each. I feel like it keeps my mind engaged and rewarded and as a result, often feels easier than a 28K run at steady pace despite being much more effort.

I ran this session 2 weeks ago and managed the following paces:

2K @ 5:01/k
7K @ 4:26/k + 1K @ 4:48/k
6K @ 4:23/k + 1K @ 4:55/k
5K @ 4:22/k + 1K @ 4:51/k
4K @ 4:21/k + 1K @ 4:52/k
3K @ 4:20/k + 1K @ 4:46/k
2K @ 4:20/k
2K @ 4:41/k
Average pace: 4:30/k (3h10 marathon)
HR analysis: Z1=13%, Z2=38%, Z3=46%, Z4=3%, Z5=0%

The very-slightly-progressive pacing was intentional and nearly perfectly executed and the floats were significantly faster relative to GMP than I managed in this session prior to Berlin last year (Canova says the floats at the major indicator of progress for this workout). Essentially, if I had run another 6K at 4:30/k pace on the day (which felt quite achievable), I would have logged a 3h10 marathon at the end of a week in which I'd already banked 60km of mileage, and my HR barely ever climbed out of Z3.

Given the success of this session, I decided to plan a theoretical marathon pacing strategy following similar principles:

1K @ 4:40/k (a slightly slower first km to settle into the race)
8K @ 4:28/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (10K split = 44:54)
7K @ 4:27/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (18K split = 1:20:33)
6K @ 4:26/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (25K split = 1:51:39)
5K @ 4:25/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (31K split = 2:18:14)
4K @ 4:24/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (36K split = 2:40:20)
3K @ 4:23/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (40K split = 2:57:59)
2K @ 4:22/k + 1K @ 4:30/k (42K split = 3:06:43)
0.2K @ empty the tank (Final time = 3:07:xx)

I know it may appear complex, but it's fairly straightforward descending interval sequence, and luckily my progressive paces in min/k map nicely onto the distance of each interval (e.g. 6K @ 4:26, 3K @ 4:23, etc). The 1K "floats" give me a short period to regroup, take a gel, refocus mentally, etc.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this approach. Has anyone tried something like this before in a marathon and if so how did it go?

Do you have shoe reviews to share with the community or questions about a pair of shoes? This recurring thread is a central place to get that advice or share your knowledge.

We also recommend checking out /r/RunningShoeGeeks for user-contributed running shoe reviews, news, and comparisons.

Hi all,

Some friends asked me advice for tips and tricks running the beautiful marathon of Rotterdam. Being their first marathon I made a rather lengthy blog post on Medium.

I am leaving it here for others to find out if they would be in the same boat.

https://medium.com/@trainingsparkle/tips-for-running-the-rotterdam-marathon-94e7b0cb1bfe

I did Rotterdam five times, doing Paris this year.

Happy running.

A place to ask questions that don't need their own thread here or just chat a bit.

We have quite a bit of info in the wiki, FAQ, and past posts. Please be sure to give those a look for info on your topic.

Link to Wiki

Link to FAQ

Assume your training has gone well. You are in peak condition, well rested and fuelled. Your training has been based around a specific time. Let us say now on race day you want to risk everything by running a bit quicker.

My question is when, if ever do you do this and by how much?

For the sake of argument let us take the marathon. Over a marathon distance increasing your pace by 10 seconds per mile might equal around 4 mins and 20 seconds.

In my mind this doesn’t seem enough to risk much to alter your pace. You have no way of knowing if at the half way point what effect this might have. Surely it is safer to stay at your pace which you have trained for? Or isn't it?

In contrast, let’s say you arrive at the halfway point of a marathon race and decide you are doing great, and you decide to speed up. You would now need to add 20 seconds per mile to achieve 4 minutes and 20 seconds over the remaining half marathon distance. Running at this pace might be much more likely to be the difference in a tempo to threshold pace causing you to fatigue / hit the wall and lose your original goal?

So is there any point? Either run your goal time or risk it in the final 10-20% for a few seconds off your goal?

Race Information

• Name: Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon
• Date: March 24, 2024
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: Philadelphia PA
• Time: 1:28:5x

Goals

Shoes: Saucony Endorphin Elite Gels: Maurten 100 non caff before start, Maurten 100 caff at 5M

Half marathon is my absolute favorite distance and historically my most successful. My PR is 1:23 from 12+ years ago in my early 30s. I've been on a comeback journey post childbearing/ post challenging life events/ post peak performance condition (now in my mid 40s). Ran NYCM after 12 years away from marathons last fall. I've done 4 HM since turning 40 ranging from just sub 1:31 to 1:41. The HM I ran during my marathon cycle last fall was a workout, not a race level effort.

Training

My first goal signing up for this race was simply to capitalize on my marathon fitness post-NYCM. I took a complete break from running for 2 weeks in November, built back to high 30s by end of December, and began the HM focus on Jan 1. I ran 5 days a week and peaked at 51mpw: conservative but I'm happy to leave space for future mileage-based improvement.

Most weeks included a Monday run with some "comfortably hard", a Weds interval or tempo run totalling 8-11M, easy miles Tues/Fri, Saturday long runs which often included progression work. My longest LR were ~16M.

Although I chose this race because Philly is relatively flat, I live in a hilly area and ended up getting ~1200-1500ft of average weekly elevation. The race does have one significant hill so I'm glad I was prepared. I tried to do most workouts on flat-ish loops. Each time I had an interval workout that might have gone well on a track, the track was covered with snow, so I did 99% of my runs on the road. Had a couple of absolutely brutally cold (sub 18°) early morning long run workouts - they were good for shoring up my mental toughness and confidence, if painful.

Insomnia plagued me throughout this training cycle. I still got up early - I only shifted an early AM plan to PM once - and didn't miss any assigned runs. It feels good to be in the routine that way - when I'm not in a good routine, a 3am, 2+hour bout of insomnia will often lead me to turn off my alarm when the time comes.

Pre-race

I felt good and healthy in the week leading up to the race, but I was worried about the increasingly cold and windy forecast (what was I going to wear?) and, as you'll see in my post history, about pacing strategy. Given the wind in the forecast, my coach and I decided that tucking into the 1:30 pace group for the pacing AND drafting benefit was a good plan.

I got to Philly on the Friday evening (race was Sunday), got my bib and swag at the expo right away.

Saturday it rained most of the day. I did my shakeout run on the river, had a hearty breakfast, visited an art museum (sitting as often as possible!). Spent the rest of the day relaxing at my hotel. With the forecast between 31°-34° and 10+ mph wind, I settled on a race outfit of tights, a light SS top with arm warmers, gloves and a headband. Had chicken and pasta dinner at an old school Italian restaurant. After dinner I went in search of breakfast groceries (banana, bagel, PB, plus chocolate milk for post race). Bananas were very green, I wished I had shopped earlier! I was in bed by 10. Woke up at 4:30am and never went back to sleep but rested till my alarm went off at 5:50.

My hotel was 1M from the start so I just jogged to the start area for my WU. Found the 1:30 pacer and asked about his plan - he was going for 1:29:30, doing flat miles a bit under that pace to account for slowdown on the miles with uphills. Perfect!

Race

Tucked right in with the pace group, which I don't think I've ever done before. GPS is wonky in Center City Philadelphia, which is the first 4M of this course. My watch recorded 6:30min/mi for the first 2M; the pacer said to add 10sec. The pace felt a little hot and I briefly thought "oh $#** I might have trouble hanging on" but I felt comfortable by mile 4. I didn't see mile markers at miles 1,2, or 4, but it's possible that's because my watch was beeping at a place that wasn't actually a mile marker and I was visually focused on the people in front of me in the pace group, and not my surroundings.

Between miles 4-5 you enter Fairmount Park. Beautiful and quiet with few spectators. It's entirely out-and-back on opposite sides of the road, except for the hill segment in mile 10. I took a caffeinated Maurten at mile 5. Around mile 7 I was right next to the pacer and he asked how I was feeling. As I responded to him I realized I wasn't even breathing hard or speaking any differently than I would at easy pace, which was a great sign re: my capacity to drop the pace! We could see the leaders at that point - the first man had a huge lead. There's a hairpin turn right after mile 8 and from that point on there would be no more headwind.

I knew the big hill was coming at mile 10, and I've struggled with my muscle stamina on hills lately, so at mile 9 I took off strongly but comfortably (6:38 pace) from the pace group to give myself a bigger margin of error on the hill. As it turned out, I felt really strong on the hill and that mile was 6:59. It felt comparable to the counterclockwise version of the Harlem Hills for anyone familiar with Central Park, which was a good sign because my real HM PR is on the old Grete's Great Gallop HM course (2+ loops of Central Park).

(One weird moment: while I felt strong on the hill, I briefly also felt almost woozy, and I wonder if that was linked to the caffeine kicking in? I drink a small amount of coffee daily and as I get older I seem to be much more sensitive to caffeine. The feeling dissipated within a couple of minutes. Anyone else experience this with caffeinated gels?)

So now I'm just zooming along strong and steady, passing people, not looking at my watch, and it feels great. I get to mile 12 and doing the math in my head I calculate that I'll go sub 1:29 if I maintain 6:30ish pace - very doable.

I glanced at my pace maybe once more but otherwise I just kept pushing hard. There was no freaking clock at the finish line so I went as hard as possible. I was so happy when I saw the sub 1:29 on my watch!

Post-race

I went back to my hotel quickly after the finish because I was getting too cold right away. I placed in my AG, but the race website had said they only distributed open awards at the finish (no idea if I'm getting anything in the mail, would be nice!); I have no desire to drink beer at 9am in the cold after a HM so there was no reason to stick around.

In my rosy rear view, this race seems "effortless" but I know I was working hard in the last 5k, and I know I worked hard this winter to ensure everything could fall into place on race day. I feel capable of a faster time further along on this comeback journey...I also wonder how many years I have left to drop time from here. I know my PR/open level of performance is no longer possible (barring a situation where I quit working and focused on training, LOL). An 80% PLP seems like a good next goal. For now, I'm just really happy and satisfied with how this cycle went, and really grateful I can be at peace with age-adapted performance goals.

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

Race Information

Race Name: Crescent City Classic

Race Date: March 30, 2024

Distance: 10k (6.2 miles)

Location: New Orleans, LA

Strava: Never Ran 10k Faster In My Life: Full Stop; Period.

Finish Time: >!31:41.8!<

Goals

Splits

​

Background

The Crescent City Classic is a rite of passage for many in the Gulf South.

It used to be one of the premier road races in the United States, drawing the who's who of distance runners: two-time Olympic medalist Frank Shorter won in 1979; two-time World Cross Country champion Craig Virgin topped the podium in 1980; future 10,000-meter world record holder Arturo Barrios cruised to victory in 1989. Course records are 27:10 for the men and 30:27 for the women.

Now, it has more of a local feel. After all, the motto for the 2024 edition was "A Race For All Y'all."

It doesn't matter who toes the starting line on Poydras Avenue, because you better believe the Power Miler Track Club will be there. This is often our spring goal race, unless we're running the Boston Marathon – but even then, there is usually enough time between them to give it a hard effort.

Nobody planned to run Boston this year, so that meant the Classic was our Super Bowl.

I use the term "our" loosely, because I went all-in at the Azalea Trail Run the previous week.

That being said, I registered for both the Azalea Trail Run and the Classic, so I was going to race in our backyard. Plus, I had unfinished business with the Classic after DNF'ing back in 2022. That meant my last finish in the Classic was four years prior to that in 2018. My time? 35:27. (I ran Boston in 2019 and the Classic was the following week; 2020 and 2021 were both canceled due to the pandemic; and I had a big long run in my training block for Grandma's Marathon last year, so it didn't line up).

After lopping 24 seconds from my lifetime PR in the 10k the previous week, I figured I could get cheeky with either the Portuguese Surge or a Chug N Run (I'm only partially kidding about the Chug N Run idea). The Portuguese Surge is when you do half of a tempo right above marathon pace and then send the last half. Nate Jenkins says that it's best reserved for tempos between 3k and 6k.

I ran both ideas by my coach and he said, "Just race it. One weeks is plenty of time to recover."

I was about to remind him that I am closer to 40 than 30 and certainly 20, when we used to have to race back-to-back 10ks in college, but kept my mouth shut and planned to give it another go.

Training

Nothing notable changed from my last post.

After all, it has only been one week between races.

The fastest run I did all week was a 3 x 1k workout on Tuesday.

Other than that, it was all about easy miles and trying to recover.

I did a new strength regimen on Tuesday immediately after that workout, though, and it left me quite sore for the next day or so. Maybe not the smartest idea, Tyler.

Pre-Race

You probably know my morning routine by now.

Being that the race was in town and a point-to-point course, I could either jog 1 mile to the finish and catch a bus down to the start line or do an extended warm-up to the start. I chose the second option and plodded 2.5 miles from my apartment to downtown.

During the jog downtown, I ran through some permutations in my head: I'd get out hard, but give myself leeway if I felt like I didn't have it after the previous week. I would feel no shame in slowing down to tempo pace, if that's what I needed to get across the finish line. I owed myself that after 2022.

Maybe – just maybe – lightning would strike twice. I mean, it was overcast and humid.

Fast forward to the National Anthem and I learned there were several runners from the local university racing unattached, plus one of my rivals. Chances are they'd get out quick and it could be fast. I thought that it would be best to let them go and focus on my race. I'd reel them in.

Race

Sure enough, they got out like gangbusters.

A big group shot off the starting line, including several kids who looked like they were in middle school. I always laugh when I see that, because I figure they're going for an 800-meter PR.

My plan for the first mile was to rely strictly on power since GPS isn't reliable downtown. As long as I kept my power between 400-410W, I knew I'd be right around 10k pace. Anything above 415W would be pushing 5k pace and that's not where I wanted to be. Well, the first mile came through in 5:11 and when I checked Stryd after the race, my average power output for that section was 404W.

This part of the race sends you down Decatur Street. You run past the gorgeous St. Louis Cathedral, the world famous Cafe Du Monde and the French Market. Makes for great race photos.

It was during this time that I ran alongside two other guys. Not much was said between us and we wouldn't be together for much longer, as I held pace and they faded. I split the second mile in 5:06 with an average output of 411W. Both were in a respectable range of where I wanted to be.

This next part of the race will test you – not because it's tough physically. You run up the entirety of Esplanade Avenue, all 2.5 miles of it. Don't get me wrong: It's a stunning, tree-lined street. You just need to keep your focus, because it's easy to space out when the road seemingly never ends.

I checked in with myself several times over this stretch and began to reel in a few of those guys who started hot, including a faster teammate. I urged him to go with me, but he told me he was already riding the Pain Train. I hit the official 3 mile split in 15:23 and manually took 5k at 15:54.

I was right where I needed to be for another sub-32. How great would that be? Running back-to-back sub-32s after not running one in the previous 37 years? I couldn't get ahead of myself, though.

10k pace didn't feel as natural as the previous week, but it wasn't uncomfortable. At least not yet.

Esplanade Avenue mercifully ended and spat me out on Carrollton Avenue before a quick right on City Park Avenue. This part of the race is evil, because you still have 1.5 miles left and you can see the finish line in front of the New Orleans Museum of Art. You'll pass the 5 mile split here, too. 25:36 for me.

We turned into City Park and I feel at home. I run those roads nearly every single day.

I am ready to power it home, just like I did the previous week – but my legs wouldn't go. I threw in a surge or two to try to wake them up. Nothing. That's fine, I thought. Let's get to the finish line.

I passed the fifth place runner and locked in on fourth place, my aforementioned rival. We have crossed paths numerous times over the years between the Classic, the Cajun Cup in Lafayette, as well as the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. We actually traveled up to New York together to do the Trials of Miles 13.1. Speaking of 13, he's actually 13 years younger than me. He's a notorious fast starter and I am a normally a ferocious closer, so it usually comes down to the final mile.

I inched ahead of him into third place and could see the finish line. From here, it's about 800 meters to go. Weave down Dreyfous Drive, take two hard lefts and sprint it up Lelong Drive. A 400-pound gorilla named cumulative fatigue jumped on my back as I hit the final stretch. My rival soon sprinted ahead and all I cared for at that moment was the clock. Could I PR again!?

My legs nearly gave out with 150 meters to go. I stumbled. Hold it together, Tyler.

I charged through the finish line and stopped my watch well after the mat: 31:41.

I had to wait to confirm a PR. It was excruciating since I didn't have my phone.

When I finally saw the result (aka chip time), I couldn't believe my eyes. Did that say 31:41.8?

Officially 0.2 seconds faster than the previous week. A PR, no matter how slim, is still a PR.

Overall Thoughts

I don't have words, even after writing all that.

I'm three months from my 39th birthday with two sub-31:45 10ks in back-to-back weeks.

I need a break. I don't know if I'll truly race anything until Hood to Coast. I might get pulled into a time trial or two, but I am not seeking out race opportunities. Figure this will be a good time to stack miles for the summer when I'm likely doing Hood to Coast and the NYC Marathon soon after that.

Hey advanced runners!

I've been hitting the pavement for years now, but I'm always looking for ways to optimize my training regimen. Recently, I've been focusing on incorporating weightlifting into my routine to improve my running economy and overall performance. Whereas before I was very "gym-bro" split not focusing on it to improve my marathon PB (3:20).

Currently, my weightlifting program consists of a two-day split:

Day 1:

Bulgarian split squats 3x5

Dumbbell bench press 3x5

Nordic curls 3x6

Dumbbell calf raises 3x8

Hip abductor machine 3x5

10-15 minutes of core work

Day 2:

Single leg RDLs 3x6

Bent over rows 3x6

Pull ups 3x8

10-15 minutes of core work

While I've seen some gains from this routine, I'm eager to refine it further specifically for enhancing my running economy. I believe there's always room for improvement, and I'm hoping to tap into the collective wisdom of this community to fine-tune my approach.

So, fellow advanced runners, I'm all ears! Have you experimented with similar weightlifting programs? Any exercises you've found particularly effective for improving running economy? Any tweaks or additions you'd recommend to my current routine? I'm open to all suggestions and eager to continue pushing my limits.

Here's a chance to reflect on what took place in March.

Monthly Questions:

• What was your mileage for the month?
• What did you learn this month? Any reflections?
• What would you like to do moving forward in the next month? Any goals?
• What races do you have on your calendar in the next few months?
• What was your favorite run this past month?

Race Reports

Did you run a small race that you didn't want to post a full report for? Feel free to post about it in here.

Photos / Social Media

Do you have an interesting photo to share from the past month? Anything on social media catch your eye?

Race Information

• Name: NYRR United NYC Half
• Date: March 17, 2024
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: New York City, NY
• Website: https://www.nyrr.org/races/2024unitedairlinesnychalf
• Time: 1:19

Goals

Splits

| Kilometer | Split Time |------|------|------| | 5 | 18:40 | 10 | 18:51 | 15 | 18:49 | 20 | 19:28 | 1.1 | 04:03

Training

I raced the Tokyo Marathon two weeks prior to racing the NYRR NYC Half (you can read about my training for Tokyo race from the Tokyo race report I wrote), and I spent the two weeks in between vacationing in Japan and spending time back home recovering from my travels afterwards. When I returned from my travels, I had to get myself ready for the NYC Half and I focused on lots of easy runs plus I did a small fartlek workout to get things going but not have my body do too much because I was still recovering at the time. In the days leading up to the NYC Half, I was fighting off the effects of the cold I caught while I was in Japan, plus residual jet lag from traveling back home from Japan. Otherwise, I felt like I could still give this race an honest effort.

Before the race, I set up a few goals for myself: 1:16-1:17 for my A goal, sub-1:20 as my B goal, and the NYC auto qualifying standard (sub-1:21) as my C goal. My A goal looked more like a stretch goal in hindsight but at the time I was feeling ambitious and thought I could aim for it. If I fell short of that goal, I was aiming to stay under 1:20 (and in hindsight, that goal was a lot more realistic for me). Above all, I wanted to finish with a time under the NYC auto-qualifying standard (sub-1:21) so I would be eligible for a time qualifier guaranteed entry to the NYRR premier half marathons next year and have the option of deciding on whether to exercise those options when the time comes.

Pre-race

I took the train to NYC early on Saturday morning and went straight to the expo after I arrived in NYC. The expo had a similar setup to the expo last year when I ran the NYC Half. I picked up my bib and t-shirt, quickly browsed through the vendors that were there, and was out of there in an hour. I dropped off my belongings at my hotel, did a shakeout run through Central Park, and went to find a couple of friends who were spectating the St. Patrick’s Day parade. I spent a few hours with them watching the parade, catching up with them, and eventually getting lunch with them and hopping around Irish bars once we were done spectating the parade.

In the evening, I had my usual pre-race pasta dinner, and went to Trader Joes to grab some light breakfast for myself. Went back to my hotel and did my usual pre-race prep by getting my racing kit and my gear check bag ready before heading to bed around 10 PM. I woke up around 4:30 AM and did my morning routine plus had some light breakfast, and I was out the door by 5:15 AM. It took me almost an hour to get there; I arrived at the designated subway stop, exited and was greeted by bag check trucks right in front of me. It took me five minutes to drop off my bag at bag check, then headed over to security check and got through security check in a few minutes. I was surprised how quick and efficient that was; when I raced NYRR half marathons in the past, the bag check and security check took some time and I found myself scrambling once I got past the security checkpoint.

I did a warm up jog around the start area, and I went to the porta potties a couple of times while waiting for the race to start. I lined up in my corral with about 20 minutes before the start, tossed my throwaway layer, and waited for the race to start. After the usual pre-race introductions and the singing of the national anthem, the gun went off at 7:20 AM and I was across the start line about 20 second later.

Race

Start to 5K

The first 5K featured an uphill-then-downhill out and back stretch on the first mile, rolling hills while navigating through Prospect Park during the second mile, and a downhill stretch heading into downtown Brooklyn on the 3rd mile.

On this stretch, I made sure to go by effort on the uphills and kept the effort consistent on the downhills and reminded myself to not overdo it. I remember this stretch feeling hard but smooth for me, and nothing notable happened to me here. I went through this stretch in 18:40.

5K to 10K

This stretch took me downhill into downtown Brooklyn, then a gradual uphill onto Manhattan Bridge followed by a downhill off the bridge and into Manhattan Chinatown.

Taking advantage of the gradual downhill into downtown Brooklyn, I settled into my race pace and maintained a hard but comfortable effort as much as I could, knowing that the Manhattan Bridge was looming ahead. I reminded myself to back off the pace and go by effort once I started climbing onto the Manhattan Bridge. I began the climb onto Manhattan Bridge sometime before the 4.5 mile mark, and as planned I backed off my paces and went by effort instead. The climb seemed forever, but I was rewarded with a nice view of the Manhattan skyline as I approached the top of the bridge. Once I started to descend Manhattan Bridge into Manhattan Chinatown, I took advantage of the downhill to ease myself back into race pace. We were greeted by loud crowds once we got off the bridge, which was a much-needed boost for me. I took a gel here and washed it down at the water stop shortly before the 10K checkpoint.

I covered this stretch in 18:53. Looking back at it was surprising to me that I covered this stretch a few seconds per mile slower than the pace I ran during the first 5K. Did I go too hard on this stretch? Who knows?

10K to 15K

This stretch had us navigating through the rest of Manhattan Chinatown and onto FDR Drive, which made up most of this stretch. The crowd support in Chinatown was solid, but I knew that the crowd support was going to fade away once we got into FDR Drive.

Navigating onto FDR Drive, we were fully on the northbound lanes of it by the time that we crossed mile 7. Having ran the NYC Half 3 times before, I knew that FDR Drive was mostly flat but also had some minor rollers in there, mostly caused by running on overpasses en route. But I also knew this stretch was probably the last opportunity to run comfortably at race pace; once I turned off FDR Drive and head into Midtown for the final portions of the race, it was going to be uphill from there.

I comfortably maintained race pace here through this stretch and picked up Gatorade from the only water stop on FDR Drive for hydration. Coming through the 15K checkpoint, I covered this stretch in 18:49.

15K to 20K

With the UN Headquarters in full sight, I took the offramp onto 42nd Street and headed straight into Midtown. By this time, however, I was starting to feel fatigue, I was gradually fading away and it became hard to hold onto the pace. It did not help this stretch featured a gradual uphill from the offramp until I reached Central Park. It was going to be tough for me from here on out, and I had to hold on the best that I could.

The crowd support returned on this stretch after the mile 10 marker, and the crowd support was thick when I made a right-hand turn and ran through Times Square (which is one of the favorite parts of this race). As I ran through Times Square, I looked ahead and all I saw was a gradual uphill with Central Park in the distance, and I had my work cut out for me the rest of the way. I began to mentally set waypoints to distract myself from the fatigue and keep myself focused. Get to Central Park South. Get to Central Park and cross the mile 12 marker. The crowd support was quite loud as I made a right hand turn onto Central Park South and ran towards the southeast entrance of Central Park, where I would enter Central Park to finish out the race.

Sometime after mile 11, I looked at my watch and I realized that I was likely going to finish under 1:20 in the half. It was going to take everything I had to squeeze under 1:20 in the half. My B goal took on a greater importance from here on out.

20K to Finish

With less than three quarters of a mile to go, I was doing what I could to hold on for dear life within Central Park. I made a left hand turn onto the 72nd Street Transverse and reminded myself that I was getting close to the finish line. Shortly after, with about 600 meters to go, the 1:20 pacer and his group passed me, and it set off alarm bells in my head. If the 1:20 pacer is passing me, my goal of going under 1:20 is in serious jeopardy. A quick look at the Race Screen App on my watch confirmed as such; my estimated finish time was mere seconds under 1:20. I picked up the pace, dug deep and gave it my all, followed the 1:20 pace group the rest of the way and kept them in my sights all the way to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 1:19, and I managed to stay under 1:20 by a few seconds.

Post-race

After crossing the finish line, I quickly found the nearest fence and leaned over to catch my breath and hyperventilate for a moment, and did what I could to calm myself down. Never have I had to fight for my life in the closing meters of a race like this. I found out a few moments later that I finished seconds under 1:20 for the half, which was good enough to secure my auto-NYC qualifier.

After putting myself back together, I walked through the finishing chute collecting my medal as well as my post-race finish bag. I walked all the way to the end of the finish chute and hung around just long enough to run into friends who finished behind me and were walking out of the finishing chute as well. We greeted each other and quickly exchanged pleasantries and asked each other about how our races went. Later, I ran into a couple of friends, and we eventually made our way out of the post-race finish area towards a local bagel shop and while we were munching on some delicious New York City bagels we talked about how our race day went. Once we parted ways, I headed back to my hotel to clean up and pack up my belongings.

After I showered and packed, I checked out of my hotel and went to look for brunch and celebratory drinks. After I had brunch on my own, I spent the rest of the day wandering around NYC and hopped to a couple of bars/breweries, until it was time to take the train to head back home.

Final Thoughts and Lessons Learned

It turns out that there was a silver lining to my NYC Half performance after all. The day after the race, it dawned upon me that my result might be good enough to be eligible for an auto time qualifier entry to the 2025 NYC Marathon, in addition to auto time qualifying into NYRR premier half marathons for next year. I quickly emailed NYRR that morning, and they responded back to me hours later confirming that my performance met the auto-qualifying standard and that I will have an entry to the 2025 NYC Marathon waiting for me sometime next year. On the same day I made that inquiry, news about this year’s non-NYRR time qualifier entries for the NYC Marathon came out (for context, you can read about it here and here), and I was shocked at how steep the cutoffs were. I took a different perspective on my race and performance because of this situation, and especially as a fuller picture developed over the next few days. I realized how fortunate I was to be in this situation (securing an auto time qualifier entry to the NYC Marathon next year), and that I had a lot to be proud of from my race.

The combination of two weeks’ worth of partial recovery and racing on a hard, hilly course like the NYC Half meant that I was not fully 100% going into the race. Not only was I starting off with a disadvantage right off the bat, but I was going to feel the effects of being partially recovered and the hilly course one way or another, which is what happened to me. I didn’t realize it then, but hindsight is 20/20. This was a big lesson learned for me; I should have been smarter with my racing had I understood what I was going against, and I’ll remember this lesson if I ever attempt a similar full marathon/half marathon double with such a short turnaround in the near future.

Made with a new race report generator created by /u/herumph.

The Weekly Rundown is the place to talk about your previous week of running! Let's hear all about it!

Post your Strava activities (or whichever platform you use) if you'd like!

It’s pretty hard to wrap my head around what it would be able to feel like not feeling the ground while running. “like I'm blindfolded and I'm stepping on freshly Zamboni'd ice.”

Pretty scary. Kara shares a lot about her dystonia in this conversation: https://youtu.be/hra7PDlEGeo?si=HFiE4yA6brI3GyvI

After watching the utter dominance of the East African countries in the cross country world championships, what would the Olympics look like if say it was just the 200 best runners in the world competing?

I’m most interested in the marathon but what would the 5k and 10k fields look like as well?

Starts in 30 minutes.

Where to watch

Might be available to livestream on WA's Inside Track in your country.

CNBC in the United States.

Timetable / results

A place to ask questions that don't need their own thread here or just chat a bit.

We have quite a bit of info in the wiki, FAQ, and past posts. Please be sure to give those a look for info on your topic.

Link to Wiki

Link to FAQ

I'm a decent runner, but haven't been running that long. Down the line I wanna 'professionally' coach people, but want more experience and also more time to read and learn about different running theories.

That said, I know all the basic stuff and definitely more than the average runner. As running has become a bigger part of my life, friends and family are starting to seek guidance from me regarding running. Everything from running watches, running form, training to running shoes. I'm a perfectionist, so I don't feel very comfortable sharing knowledge I'm not a 100 % sure on.

But I also feel like I have a lot of knowledge to share, and honestly don't want family paying big bucks for coaching, especially when it's just basic stuff that I could easily help with.

What do you think? Is being a good runner generally enough to be able to give advice to average runners, or would you guide friends and family towards others peoples coaching?

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The WIKI has a list of books here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunning/wiki/recommendedreadings/

Are there any other running related books not on the list that anyone recommends?

Any sub-category of running, fiction, non-fiction, training, biographical, motivational, etc.

[EDIT: I collected the responses and Chat-GPT categorized them] - Thanks!

[EDIT-2: added 3]

Memoir / Biography

1. 26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career by Meb Keflezighi and Scott Douglas
2. A Cold Clear Day: The Athletic Biography of Buddy Edelen by Frank Murphy
3. Choosing to Run: A Memoir by Des Linden
4. Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World by Lauren Fleshman
5. How She Did It: Stories, Advice, and Secrets to Success from Fifty Legendary Distance Runners by Molly Huddle and Sara Slattery
6. My Year of Running Dangerously by Tom Foreman
7. Running Home: A Memoir by Katie Arnold
8. Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Desir
9. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
10. Sometimes Courage: One runner's journey to learn that sometimes courage comes just one step at a time by Kitty Robinson
11. The Long Run: One Man's Attempt to Regain his Athletic Career-and His Life-by Running the New York City Marathon by Matthew Long
12. The Pants of Perspective: One Woman's 3,000 Kilometre Running Adventure Through the Wilds of New Zealand by Anna McNuff
13. Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes
14. What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami

Non-fiction

1. A Race Like No Other: 26.2 Miles Through the Streets of New York by Liz Robbins
2. Build Your Running Body (A Total-Body Fitness Plan for All Distance Runners, from Milers to Ultramarathoners—Run Farther, Faster, and Injury-Free) by Melissa Breyer, Pete Magill, and Thomas Schwartz
3. Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon by John Brant
4. Inside a Marathon: An All-Access Pass to a Top-10 Finish at NYC by Scott Fauble and Ben Rosario
5. Kings of the Road: How Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, and Alberto Salazar Made Running Go Boom by Cameron Stracher
6. Long Run to Glory: The Story of the Greatest Marathon in Olympic History and the Women Who Made It Happen by Stephen Lane
7. Master the Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide for Women by Ali Nolan
8. Marty Liquori's Guide for the elite runner by Marty Liquori and John L Parker
9. Meb For Mortals: How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner by Meb Keflezighi and Scott Douglas
10. Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to Be Your Own Best Coach by Matt Fitzgerald and Brad Hudson
11. Running with Raven: The Amazing Story of One Man, His Passion, and the Community He Inspired by Laura Lee Huttenbach
12. Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall
13. The Endurance Diet: Discover the 5 Core Habits of the World’s Greatest Athletes to Look, Feel, and Perform Better by Matt Fitzgerald
14. The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners by Sabrina Little
15. The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb
16. Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu
17. What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen by Kate Fagan
18. Win at All Costs: Inside Nike Running and Its Culture of Deception by Matt Hart
19. Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson

Fiction

1. The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner by Alan Sillitoe
2. The Olympian by Brian Glanville
3. The Running Man by Stephen King
4. The Slummer: Quarters Till Death by Geoffrey Simpson - OP

Breathing - OP

1. Runner's World Running on Air: The Revolutionary Way to Run Better by Breathing Smarter by Budd Coates and Claire Kowalchik
2. The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter by Patrick McKeown
3. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
4. Breathe to Perform: Simple Breathing Exercises to Reduce Stress, Improve Energy, and Peak Athletic Performance by David J. Bidle

Additional List (has overlap, no training books in it)

https://citiusmag.com/articles/100-books-all-runners-and-track-fans-should-read

What's everyone up to on this weekend? Racing? Long run? Movie date? Playing with Fido? Talk about that here!

As always, be safe, train smart, and have a great weekend!

I'm looking at premium priced racing singlets from Nike (Aeroswift), Asics (Metarun), and running fashion brands like Bandit and ciele athletics. Buying new, these run $70 – $120 for a single racing singlet.

I'm reading reviews that a lot of the nice ones still chafe in some way or fit awkwardly, etc.

Additionally, both Nike and Asics released revamped singlets significantly this year and some reviews say they are upgraded. Around $90 each for a single singlet.

Is there actually a magic fabric that won't chafe, or is it better to go with something cheaper and use some kind of protection? I think I'll try Aeroswift tanks next, but the fabric still feels pretty brittle to me.

In my ongoing quest to train my gut and find foolproof fueling, I reached out to Skratch inquiring about the glucose:fructose ratio. The reply is below. I thought many of you would find it useful.

TLDR: it’s 90% glucose 10% fructose “after digestion”

Anyone use this for marathon level efforts? (Close to threshold for ~3 hrs). I’m curious about this and ucan super starch for marathon races. Everything I’ve read and listened to suggests you want the more instantaneous glucose and fructose rush of simpler carbs for higher intensity endurance events but I just get such sweetness fatigue and GI issues around 2 hrs.

I’d also by interested in adding bulk cluster dextrin to an existing glucose:fructose based drink/mix.

Anyway, FWIW, This is the reply I received:

First, check out this blog post from our founder Dr. Allen Lim for all the details on Super High Carb https://www.skratchlabs.com/blogs/science-products/super-high-carb-science-practice

After digestion Super High Carb is 90% glucose and 10% fructose. We are using a very complex carbohydrate molecule called Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin or Cluster Dextrin. It’s a carbohydrate made up of 60 to 70 glucose sugars linked together in a really branched pattern that connects back on itself like a wreath. It’s basically a smaller version of how our own body stores carbohydrate in the body as glycogen.

By using a bigger carbohydrate molecule, we’re able to get more calories into a solution while keeping the molecular concentration or osmolality low. This is important because it’s the number of molecules in a solution that determines water movement across the intestine into the body. It’s like putting heavier people on a plane. We can get the same weight or calories but have fewer people on board which creates a solution that stays closer to water and that doesn’t impair water absorption. Normally water likes to move towards the side of a membrane that has a higher molecular concentration. So by using a bigger molecule, we’re able to keep the molecular concentration of the drink much lower than blood.

We took a different approach with the glucose / fructose ratio on this product and went primarily with glucose in a very complex structure. This was primarily to prioritize a lower molecular concentration or osmolality to keep the drink closer to water. Unfortunately, fructose doesn’t come in a more complex form in nature. So ultimately, we opted for the slower and more steady release of glucose at a very low osmolality and at a very high calorie count. This would not be possible if we added more fructose.