Run4PRs

Before getting into the running, I was actually a SMOKER who couldn’t even run down the block. I used to hold onto the belief that marathons and races in general were for people who were not like me. I genuinely didn’t know that it was physically possible for me to build up to be able to run long distances let alone a FULL MARATHON. Now I have 27 marathons under my belt and have helped thousands of people go from beginner runners to marathon finishers. In this episode we are going to talk about what it takes to build up to a marathon and how to do it safely so that you can continue to run for a lifetime and not just be a ‘one and done’.  Marathoning maybe USED to be just for elite, but with the recent running BOOM we are starting to see that normal every day people with no experience can achieve amazing things and build up to a marathon. If your goal was to run a marathon in the next 6-9 months and you had NEVER done a run before, where should you start? Start with walking  Run/Walk intervals every other day Start with 10-20 min and build up Cut back weeks every 2-3 weeks Find a half marathon half way through the training Join a a group or find someone/something to be apart of community is everything Don’t worry about workouts- go at a zone 2 pace How do you know if you are running the correct pace? Zone 2 is going to be the safest place to be- grab a HR monitor and 60-70% of your max HR Another way to do this is think of a pace that you are not needing to take breaks from- should feel super easy. Breathing is light Your long run pace should be the same as your easy run pace How to build the long run You have to have increase long runs to be able to finish a marathon Old rules state to not have a long run be more than 30% of your weekly mileage, but these rules may not apply if you are newer to the sport and just can’t run high mileage yet. - to balance out the fact that it is risky to have such a long run relative to weekly mileage (ie a 12 mile long run when you only run 20 miles a week) we will want to keep these long runs extremely slow. Confidence is key Everyone is nervous about the marathon distance I’ve done 27 marathons and still freak out about long runs It’s good to find something to distract yourself and remain calm in the early miles FUELING! This is no joke. You can get ‘away’ with faster on shorter runs but when you make the jump to doing 60-90 min runs, it’s going to hit different. Fueling is EVERYTHING Eat a carb rich breakfast Take 60 grams of carbs PER HOUR minimum.  Aim for 1000mg of sodium PER HOUR Train the way you plan to race Don’t ruin your race by putting too much time goal pressure It’s fun to push yourself but it’s not fun to overshoot your capabilities and end of hitting the wall.

Winter is upon us! We are located in Minneapolis, MN where it can be sub zero temps and often hits -40 f windchills every winter at least once. When you running outside in January it’s usually a sea of ice and snow so much so that our ‘running trails’ now become ski trails with natural snow. We like to think of ourselves as experts in training outside during the winter months since it can snow here 6 months out of the year. We decided to do a podcast with our top tips for training in the snow. Gradually getting used to it: some people go out ‘no matter what’ Ice/snow Treadmill is a good tool Fall gradually expose yourself  How do you dress for different temps Windchill vs air tempo Footing/snow

As we approach a new year, there are tons of athletes setting new years goals and resolutions for 2025. But in order to really achieve goals in the future, it is important to reflect back on what we have done in the past. Is there anything we want to change going forward? How can we become a better version of ourselves in the future? Many people set intentions to become better in the future but they fail to recognize the things that have held them back in the past. We often repeat the same patterns over and over again without realizing the issue at hand. Stuck in a rut of the same old training over and over Comfort zone Over training? No workouts? Same goals every year Law of diminishing returns Juggling kids practices & working out Too many goals in too many directions BQ PR Orange Theory Ironman Lack of accountability for when things get challenging Anyone can stay on track for a few weeks or months- what happens when you get sick or are not feeling great? Process drive goals vs outcome based goals You have to commit to the process

How do you fuel a marathon Need to fuel every 20-30 min  60 grams of carbs per hour 1000 mg of sodium per hour This is not something that should be new, This should be practiced How to handle upset stomach due to gels during the marathon Fueling during training How much speed work should you do in the offseason: I won’t actually run a 5k until the spring Type of training during the offseason from the marathon training Lots of ways to approach this Consistency is most important: not just runs but workouts/specifics Not overdoing it Depends on your long terms goals

How to get into the right mindset before a race Practice race mindset during workouts Do races in the build up Visualization How do you incorporate heavy lifting Start light- make sure you have proper form Do it on hard days or day after hard running workouts Consistency is key You don’t build during peak marathon training Offseason How do you know whether or not you need a trainer/coach No one really needs to have a coach just like no one needs to have a financial advisor or needs to have a house cleaner It is a benefit to you because it can save you time/stress It is a perk you can give yourself This is your hobby, why would you not invest in it? Better results, less chance of injury, part of a community

If VDOT says I should run 8:00 pace for a marathon pace but I plan to run 9:00 pace, when do I practice/switch to running 9:00 pace in training? If my goal is to run a faster marathon (I am a new-ish runner_ would you recommend doing shorter races during the spring OR focus on building mileage/base and long runs. I am currently running 25 miles per week and ran my first marathon in 2019 but not since Do you believe sub 3 is achievable for most runners?

ASK THE COACHES. Here are the questions covered in the episode: Racing specific  HRV has been great but tanked during the taper How to run CIM Top 3 things to consider when buying marathon training shoes Training specific  How important is strength during the winter months?  If I can hold threshold for 1-1.5 hours, how long can i sustain zone 3 work (lower HR)

262. STRENGTH TRAINING BENEFITS) Runners love to go hard. We love to keep moving and push ourselves. When we get into different exercises practices that are not as ‘fast paced’, it can feel strange. I have heard runners describe strength training as ‘boring’ or not feeling like they are ‘doing anything’. I have also heard runners say that they are ‘too sore’ from strength training to do their workouts. Even in my own experience, I have had my ego hurt when I visit the gym for strength training only to realized I am weaker than 90% of the other people strength training. It is tough when you are considered ‘advanced’ in one sport IE running and then novice/beginner at another. These feelings and experiences with lifting can hold people back from doing what needs to be done in the weight room. So often runners neglect strength training and it ends up coming back to bite them later in life through an injury or low bone density or inability to stay active. How should a runner start strength training If you don’t have a lot of consistent experience: BODY WEIGHT Always do less than what you should  Do NOT go to failure You need to REST between sets You should be doing a strength workout NOT a cardio workout HR shouldn’t be that high Lifting with a purpose Follow a plan! Don’t overdo certain muscle groups Progressive overload How many sets and reps Total body vs lifting every muscles group 2x a week 20-40 min of total body Repeating the major lifts like deadlift and squat can give you amazing results

Breaking down the barriers to tri Jason and I recently finished Ironman California. We were asked to do a podcast episode of our experience and answer some of the FAQs we have been getting. I think many runners and endurance athletes have a bucket list goal of doing a tri or an ironman, and we wanted to shed some light on what it might look like to take the dive. I did my first ever tri less than 3 months before the ironman and learned how to swim as an adult. If I can do it, I am confident others can too! At what point in the last year did you decide you wanted to train for an ironman? Do you think you will do another one? Why did you not share the training on social media? What is the time limit for each event and the whole thing? Did you listen to music? How did you learn how to swim as an adult? How did you fuel for the event? What is the hardest part? Biking: did you do most inside or outside? What is a tri bike vs a road bike How do you prevent butt from hurting? How many hours per week did you train? How was sleeping after? How sore were you?

261. ASK THE COACHES 1. Muscle cramps at 38k. How much sodium an hour should I be taking? Only drank water and 1000mg of sodium in gels 2. Best snacks during carboloading & traveling 3. My HR zones and different in training peaks vs Garmin: which is accurate? https://help.trainingpeaks.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017420092-Zones-Calculator-Overview 4. What are your personal favorite gel brands to use? https://www.cranksports.com/comparisons/gu-energy-gel/ 5. How to ideally pace a 5k. I struggle to nail negative splits!

You may have heard the phrase the ‘reverse taper’ lately. It can be all the rage on social media to use the term, but what does it really mean? I personally don’t love to use this term because after a goal race you don’t literally reverse the taper. If you did literally reverse the taper, you would probably end up injured and burnt out. The idea behind the reverse taper is that you would gradually get back into training slowly. It is important to take time off after a goal race. Sometimes athletes will experience a ‘come down’ or ‘post race blues’ after a goal race because the endorphins all start to wear off and the building towards that big goal has stopped. It can feel like a strange time, but this is a great time to start planning for your future and not get lost in the post race blues Have you ever had ‘post race blues’ Using the reflection time as a place where you can find ways to improve for next season Come up with a plan for the next 6-18 months blueprint Sign up for or research your next race What if you don’t feel like running after the first 1-2 weeks off? This is a normal feeling  Sometimes you need to take more time off but sometimes you do just need to ACT before you get the ‘feeling back’ Seasonal changes can make you feel weird during an already weird time Don’t focus too much on how you ‘feel’ during this time of year Consistency is the key to success Don’t do too much too soon A reverse taper is not a literal thing You want to take time off then rebuild mileage back to 50-70% of peak marathon mileage Workouts should be 1 month after race and very short like 6x 1 min ‘effort based’ pick ups Don’t focus too much on comparing Don’t look at your marathon training cycle through rose colored glasses You can’t peak forever

Intentional training is key to success. We all know this in regards to marathon training or half marathon training. We will try to find the perfect plan leading up to our goal race. We stick with it, we train with a purpose! We practiced our fueling. We hit the mileage. We run the workouts… But marathon training blocks are usually only 12-20 weeks long. What are we doing the other 40-32 weeks out of the calender year? Those weeks add up and they matter! A lot of athletes as we head into the offseason or winter months will throw in the towel on following a plan and instead just do what feels good or run when they want to. As a runner, you may find improvements doing this approach in the early years of your running journey, but if you are inching towards wanting to reach your potential in the sport, the law of diminishing returns will come in. You will be to be more intentional about how you train during the MAJORITY of the year not just the 16 week marathon block How many miles should you be running year round? MORE MILES = improved running efficiency and body adapts to the load We all know this intuitively, we think people who have been running for a long time have an ‘advantage’ Is it appropriate to run workouts year round? The types of workouts matter Let's say peak training for a marathon you run 6x 1 mi workout.. During offseason this may be 3-4x 1 mile What are some of the key workouts you want to keep year round? Threshold Top End speed/strides Medium Longer runs 90-120 min Setting & defining goals If you don’t know what your goals are with running, you can’t actually structure training You have to know the direction you want to go in

With fall marathons occurring soon, we are right around the corner to offseason training. If you follow runners on social media you will notice a few trends… Either there are the athletes who take time off after their goals races and then there are those athletes who appear to continue to train and put in some serious mileage even after 2 back to back marathons this fall. Why do some people appear to never take an offseason? Can you get away with that? Is it helpful or harmful in the long run? Today we are going to give you the guidelines to perfect your offseason and avoid any burn out or injuries in the future. We always take a little bit more of a conservative approach for this reason. Whenever we talk about any topic in running it’s important to remember out background is to help you stay in the sport of running for decades and reach your potential along the way. What is the typical protocol for the offseason after a 5k, half & full marathon Depends on how long the cycle was How does athlete feel? When was last time off? How long do you need to take completely off? 1-2 weeks is typical Can get away with less  Forces you to take the time before you ‘need it’ It is uncomfortable Helps you get used to not doing the same thing constantly/avoid black and white thinking What is a reverse taper? What is sounds like Spread out over more time than a taper No workouts for a few weeks How much mileage should you run during the offseason 50-80% of peak mileage How long should your long runs be? Not very long Less than 50% of your peak mileage long runs What if you have a spring marathon or another goal coming up with a deadline? Doesn’t matter Plan better What happens if you feel good and want to keep training at a high level without an offseason? Why do some people appear to never take an offseason but yet still crush it? When should I reintroduce workouts again? What is it normal to feel like? Should you strength train?

Pacing properly in a race is key to actually racing to your potential and being able to run a time that is reflective of your fitness. The biggest mistake more athletes make is going out ‘too fast’ in a race. There can also be the mentality of holding back too much or starting too slow, but they are rare. We want to aim for our races to be even split or even a slight negative split. In recent years, we see more elites and pros positive splitting races and some even setting records doing so, but historically the way that MOST world records were set was from negative splits. This means starting a little slower than you finish. In a marathon it might look like a 3:59 marathon splitting 2:00 the first half then 1:59 the second half. It doesn’t have to be drastic.  The biggest barrier to pacing is not necessarily knowing where your fitness is at going into the race, but it is more the execution of the pacing plan. We need to remember that you are NOT a robot. Pacers and pace bands are a great idea in theory but today we are doing to do a deeper dive as to why it may not be the best approach Does your watch help or hurt? Should you use a pace band Are pacers a good or bad thing What if you are following the pacing plan and you feel good or you feel bad How can you learn to listen to your body more?

256. HELPING WITH RACE NERVES Worrying is suffering twice :) We have all been there. We all get nervous on race day to an extent. Some suffer from more race day anxiety than others. We care about our performances. We put a lot of time and energy into our training, and we hope that it all pays off on race day. It is good to care about your running, but we don’t want to be so nervous for a race that it makes us miserable! Today we are going to be chatting about ways to find zen and peace in the days and weeks leading up to race day!I like to find what my triggers are and things that really make the race day anxiety worse. Imposter Syndrome: You don’t have to run a certain time PRESSURE on ourselves Running FOR YOURSELF & NOT OTHERS You aren’t alone in feeling nervous What are some things that make race day anxiety worse for you? What are the ultimate fears associated with anxiety. Sometimes it’s the same 1-3 ‘what ifs’ that we continue to circle back to in our mind. If we are able to isolate what exactly we are worried  may happen, we can then ask ourselves ‘realistically, if this did happen, would you be okay?” 1.More confidence 2. Experience racing when things go wrong Taking the scary monster out of the dark and exposing it Don’t put pressure on yourself by talking up big goals or oversharing. Some people love pressure: others do not! Journaling Talking with someone Meditation Trusting your process: you did the work. This is what you do every day Putting your running in perspective: it is a hobby Remembering other people are nervous too!

A lot of our content on the podcast and social media is about running marathons. Naturally many people want to improve their running which is sometimes measured in running your ‘fastest times’. This podcast episode is going to be talking about all the ways you can run your fastest marathon time. We won’t limit this episode to just ‘training tips’ but we will also add ways you can select a fast course, fast shoes & fueling optimization to get the best performance you possibly can. Why would someone opt for the fast shoes and a fast course? If you have a specific time goal you want to run to qualify for Boston or something, this is going to help you shave the most time off. Remember: revel races are BQ races. Not everyone ‘agrees’ with that, but Boston is the one who makes the rules, not us! How to train to run your fastest marathon Base mileage You have to WANT IT- you have to be ready to RACE IT- it’s going to be uncomfortable A, B, C races Specific training Long runs & threshold workouts Fast half Find the fastest possible course & refuse to race in insanely hot temps Summer, spring & early fall marathons all have the potential to be hot. It’s just simple math that you will NOT run as fast in 70 degrees as you would in 50 degrees. You want to consider having a few races to select from and not be tied down to one specific race because if it’s 80, time goal is likely out the window. Why waste your training? Go for courses that are FAST. Downhill or pancake flat. Hilly races will be more challenging and will lead to slower times Fueling Carb Loading increases your performance  Fueling DURING Super shoes Carbon plated shoes can lead to an increased performance

As we get closer to fall races, more athletes are getting ready to run their fall races. As we get closer to these races, it is good to talk about one of the most important parts of your training plan: the taper! What exactly is the taper? It’s not exactly a time to kick back and relax/do nothing. The taper is going to give you a chance to peak for your race at the right time. If you do too short of a taper, you run the risk of feeling heavy legs on race day. If you do too long or extreme of a taper, you might feel out of the swing of things when the gun goes off on race day. We will be tapering by reducing the volume but keeping in some intensity so that your legs still have the bounce in them. During the taper, you may feel worse because your body is in recovery mode. This might cause athletes to freak out mentally, but don’t worry! This is all apart of the process. How long should the taper be for a marathon or half marathon? Marathon 2 weeks vs 3-4 weeks Half Marathon 2 weeks Should you taper for all races or just A races? What are your goals? B races are most of your races Tapering & recovery is a bit of a waste of time What % of weekly mileage should you be running during the taper First week 70-80% of peak miles Second week 70-80% of previous week Third Week 70-80% of that prior week but it’s race week so it might be more What should you eat? What should your sleep look like? Is it okay to go faster on your easy days? What if you feel like crap? Phantom pains What if you feel really good and want to test your fitness?

We focus a lot on setting time based goals. Round numbers always sound and look cool, but what else is there when it comes to setting goals? Did you know there are other ways to measure progress? Non-time based goals can be great for all athletes because they allow us to measure progress against

Most athletes are on a quest to improve. People like to see progress and no one wants to see that their hard work is actually moving them in the opposite direction of where they want to go. However, when there is not enough recovery in your training program, your body is not able to recover from the stressload of training. If you cannot recover from the stress of training, you will not be able to make adaptations that will make you a better athlete. Instead of improving, you will end up frustrated and sometimes injured as the stress continues to pile up. OR there is also the athlete who isn’t pushing hard enough. They may be stuck in their comfort zone doing the same workouts or training for the same. There are warning signs that this process has begun and that you may want to consider backing off. Today we will chat about the signs that you may be flatlining and how to stop it from happening MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER TRAP What do you think is more common: athletes who are doing too much or athletes who are not doing enough “I felt good”---> your body is so used to not feeling good that you have forgotten what feeling good actually feels like Stress variables actually make you feel really good→ fight or flight mode for too long is not great Cut back weeks Mileage Workouts & easy runs What is a sign that someone has too much stress in their training? How will your workouts go How will your resting HR be impacted How will your races go Will female athletes lose period How long does it take to start to see these things What are signs someone is not working hard enough Not doing workouts 20% hard running Easy running can only get you so far You need new stimuli Need more directions & specificity  Cannot do the same training/workouts over and over and expect different results. What are signs YOU ARE IN A SWEET SPOT Making steady improvements in workouts Adapting to the load… maybe 1 year ago 40 miles a week was out of reach but now you do it regularly Adaptations happen over time so you need to look back 2-3+ months. This becomes harder when we are constantly in a marathon training cycle or recovering from our latest event. Are we racing and recovering or are we able to train consistently?

Many athletes want to know when they should start training for their goal races. You may have trained for a race in the past and felt that you either were not prepared enough OR you felt the training cycle was a little long and you felt a bit burnt out. Today we are going to chat about different ways you can break up training so that you will have more longevity in the sport over the long term AND peak for your races at the right time.  I have heard a lot of people on IG say the phrase ‘I peaked too soon’ for a race. This is likely referring to the feeling that about 1-2 months BEFORE the goal race they were feeling amazing then slowly you started to not feel so great and potentially got slower and were not mentally in it. This ‘peaking too soon’ is something we would like to avoid as athletes and we are going to discuss how Example mileage if you peak at 50 miles/week for marathon training OFFEASONS You may have gotten away with not doing one in the past but if you are in the sport for a long period of time it will catch up with you All sports have offseasons Avoid black or white thinking Making sure that you take rest/recovery time OFF after a goal race Full week NO running if not longer Solid 4+ weeks without ANY workouts  Solid 4 weeks with no more than 60% of peak mileage (30mpw if 50) have a proper offseason after a big race Offseason mileage can build back gradually but want to keep it still under 70-80% of peak (40mpw is 50 is peak) BASE BUILDING Making sure you have a solid aerobic base in place before you begin a new training cycle I like to see 6-12 weeks of running at that 70-80% of peak mileage Adding in fartlek workouts Increasing long run but not having much longer than 20-30% of weekly mileage (cap at 12 for the 40 mpw runner) When you start ‘marathon training” Base building phase lasting 4-10 where you are either increasing Mileage Workouts Long runs Peak training for marathon or half should be limited to 8-14 weeks at right around peak mileage Cut back weeks TAPERING 2-4 weeks First week 25% reduction (38 miles) Second week 25% less than 1st week (29 miles) Third week would be basically nothing