Everything you need to be a smarter, faster runner.
A well-executed marathon is the intersection of three key variables: fitness, strategy, and race execution. You could also argue that a solid dose of good fortune can also help, but experience has shown that even perfect temps and a slight tailwind can’t compensate for not being in shape, having no plan, and making poor in-race […]
With the Goofy Challenge mere days away, and the growing popularity of more hard core running events that let you stack up serious miles like Reach the Beach or Bay to Breakers, this article is meant to address the need for almost instant run recovery. Success in endurance running events has less to do with […]
With the New Year upon us, your peers and countless websites are undoubtedly urging you to make resolutions to be a newer and better you. While I think this annual exercise can be a useful one, the changes we pick almost never turn out to work the way we planned — sometimes this is good, […]
The holidays are upon us and if you are anything like me, you are probably a little disenchanted by the rampant commercialism of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and friends and love to make them happy…but do any of us really need what we are giving? There’s a tiny — but […]
I had a successful second marathon, finishing in 4 hours and 12 minutes. I set a personal record. I didn’t qualify for Boston (needed 4:05) but was very happy with my day after just 10 weeks of training on a tougher although very beautiful course in Grand Rapids. I trained for this second marathon using […]
Today was the 1st vDot test I’ve taken in a while, since the last one was done during my half marathon build up. Looking back, it’s been about 2.5 months. To be honest, I knew I could improve my time from my last test (19:20), but since I’ve been on the road to recovery after […]
When we think of treadmill running, most of us instinctively look down on it as a second-class form of running. But there are times that even the strongest opponent to the treadmill will line up and start pushing the buttons for a workout — could be weather, could be travel, could be anything…and here you […]
If marathon training is hard, then training for a marathon though the winter is downright difficult. Instead of just worrying about mileage, you now have to take the weather, daylight, and countless other factors into account. If you are training for Disney or a similarly timed event, you have little choice but to get tough […]
I took your advice and did 8 miles total, with the 10K at steady half-marathon pace (it’s a new pace for me, about 0:45 faster per mile than I’ve run HMs before I joined MN.) I focused on keeping an even 180 cadence even on the hills, and made a new PR for that particular […]
Hi Patrick, just wanted to say thank you for the good advice you gave me a few weeks ago. I ran a 1/2 marathon in preparation for a full I am doing in a few weeks.
Note: The following was posted to the Marathon Nation forums by Jerry W after his first half. I think it’s a great example of how we work together as a team despite miles (and time zones!) between us. If you’d like to learn more about the team, please consider creating a free trial membership! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ […]
This weekend marks the 17th running of the Philadelphia Marathon, the final installment of the US fall marathon classics. The Philly Marathon is not as popular as some of the other big marathons, but that means you get a world-class race in a great city without all the craziness and crowds! Fall in Philadelphia is […]
photo credit: OiMax With the change in Daylight Savings complete, dedicated and newbie runners alike are having difficulty transitioning to running in the dark. Night running is a different animal for sure, but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your running fitness or race goals. With the right preparation and focus, you can make […]
This weekend marks the 35th running of the Marine Corps Marathon, another one of the US fall marathon classics. Marine Corps is one of the more popular US events with tens of thousands of avid marathoners making the trip to the Nation’s capital for the 26.2 mile journey. With the Boston Marathon closed out for […]
Training for a marathon takes months of guts, determination, dedication and a ton of good luck. Racing a marathon takes all of those components and crams it into just 26.2 miles. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the final few hours before your race when–all of a sudden–you get that feeling in your stomach […]
Getting ready for the big dance, the full 26.2 miles, is a huge undertaking. As the day approaches, the true significance of the event becomes readily apparent by virtue of just how panicked you become. Not all of the worry is necessarily bad, but it can lead you down the path to some poor deciscions […]
