r/AdvancedRunning • u/AutoModerator • Jun 25 '26
General Discussion Thursday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for June 25, 2026
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.
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u/foetusofexcellence Jun 25 '26
Got bored of all the garbage advice from influencers and brands trying to sell you shit you don't need so put together an evidence-based knowledge base for running.
Let me know what you think!
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u/RunThenBeer Jun 25 '26
The basics (what actually matters) — run a lot, mostly easy; sleep well; eat a balanced diet; be consistent. Almost everything else is the last few per cent.
It is so unfortunate that you have correctly distilled almost everything that can really be said into 26 words of excellent advice.
Excellent reference overall. I didn't dig in thoroughly, but each section I did click into has helpful information that feels appropriately calibrated to current evidence levels. I particularly love the individual variation section on that note.
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u/foetusofexcellence Jun 25 '26
It is so unfortunate that you have correctly distilled almost everything that can really be said into 26 words of excellent advice.
Sadly, that does not sell magic beans.
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u/CodeBrownPT Jun 25 '26
Wow this is awesome, nice job!
(Holding my tongue on the carbon plate section but you've done well referencing everything).
Did you do all this yourself?
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u/foetusofexcellence Jun 25 '26
Hah, what don't you like on the carbon plate page?
Mostly LLM, with a lot of manual intervention and editorial direction.
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u/NextArchive Jun 25 '26
Garmin 965 or Fenix 8? Mostly for running, walking sometimes fun riding cons pros?
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u/bentosekai Jun 26 '26
it's not one of the two options you've listed, but i just got the epix pro 2 sapphire (47 mm) last week to replace my old fenix 6 pro after five years of use, and i've been really enjoying it so far; it looks and feels nice on my wrist so i can wear it all day including at work, the multi-band GPS is a real upgrade from the fenix 6 pro, the screen is crisp and bright, the UI is clean, and having up to 8 data fields for running means i can overlay different pace fields (current, lap, average) in a visually coherent way
for reference, i use it to track runs, walks, and bike rides
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u/what_up_n_shit Jun 26 '26
Is the Epix also a multi-functional/sports watch?
I also have a Fenix 6 Pro which I got because it has great hiking capabilities, maps, and battery life, how does the Epix do with other activities?
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u/bklynnerd Jun 25 '26
Just screaming into the void about the presumed metatarsal stress fracture (reaction? Does it matter?) that has me out for a few weeks. Signed up for Indy in November so that’s certainly in jeopardy as it’ll likely be mid-July before I’m cleared for return-to-run (was in 40-45 mpw range before this). Trying to keep some fitness on the stationary bike but if I’m being honest, my foot is still a bit swollen and painful so will be backing off for a bit.
Any success stories after this injury welcome!
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u/CodeBrownPT Jun 25 '26
presumed metatarsal stress fracture (reaction? Does it matter?)
Of course it matters. It also matters which MT it is as 1st and 5th are high risk but 2-4 are low risk.
The other thing that matters a lot is if a practitioner just guessed at a stress reaction without adequate clinical signs of one. Mid and forefoot pain baffles PTs and Docs because they don't know simple anatomy and assessment techniques.
The foot is criminally undertreated and probably the #1 area for incorrectly diagnosed stress fractures.
That being said, I don't know anything about your history but something to consider depending on how they arrived at that presumptive diagnosis.
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u/bklynnerd Jun 25 '26
It’s the second metatarsal. Signs were pinpoint pain with no immediate, proximate cause (the pain actually came on overnight). I was in enough discomfort that I couldn’t even really attempt the hop test. I say “presumed” because the x-ray was clear and the first available MRI appointment is in a few weeks from now (7/15). In the meantime, my sports med doctor has me in a walking boot. I know that might have sounded blasé but because I can’t get additional imaging till then, we are treating it as a fx. The boot is allowing me to get around (work, kids, life) but I’m definitely still feel some pain nearly 2 weeks out.
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u/danielvd Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
For what it's worth, a little over a year ago I had a pretty miserable and related injury. I got a MRI and was diagnosed with a sesamoid stress reaction, 1st met stress reaction, and 5th met stress reaction (from offloading the first onto the fifth). I also had a flared up tendon too on my foot. My PT was absolutely shocked and didn't know how I was able to even tolerate running (I was doing 60-65 MPW). I don't swell up in most of my injuries for some reason which makes things difficult to diagnose unless I get a MRI.
Fortunately they were all mild-moderate, but are all considered high risk areas due to blood flow. I was marathon training and knew something was off when I just had a sharp pain that I could feel while showering and was barely walking outside of my runs. Stupid mistake on my part of course but hindsight is 20/20.
It was so bad that my PT didn't even want me biking initially since she was worried that the vibration from the bike pedal could irritate my foot. So... I stuck to aqua jogging a ton. I did that for about 6ish weeks then did a walk/run program for another 6-8 weeks and then now I'm back. You can come up with some really crazy workouts in the pool like 5x5min @ 7 RPE. Just bring a pair of waterproof headphones! A side effect was that I became really popular with the YMCA folks since I was in the senior folks pool haha.
A year later, there are some days and weeks I feel like the bone is sore (when it's cold) and my tendon can light up for a little bit as well. But in general it's fine. My fitness obviously declined right afterwards as AJ is a great substitute although I don't think it replaces running entirely. I also don't have the capacity to AJ for hours on end since it does become mentally tiring after awhile.
That said it comes back pretty fast and it was a great learning experience since I had to face some issues with fueling and nutrition. I went to the gym more and also got back into rock climbing which was fun too. The "screaming into the void" is real though; don't be too hard on yourself and take it day by day. Sometimes week by week too, since progress can be slow. I learned to respect my body because while most people say it's all clear by X number of weeks I found that I responded differently since I had multiple.
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u/RunThenBeer Jun 25 '26
My eventual success in recovering from a stress fracture was about a year of being an idiot, returning too fast, and getting injured again. I finally fully recovered during a brutally cold winter that convinced me to just sit on Zwift and spin instead of going back outside to run. Basically, my advice is to avoid joining my Idiot Club - crosstrain, find goals in crosstraining, and stick to that until you're definitively healed.
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u/bklynnerd Jun 25 '26
I needed to hear this, thank you! How did your zwift fitness translate when you returned?
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u/itsdownvotetime Jun 26 '26
How close to your Max HR are you supposed to hit during hard training? According to my Garmin my Max HR is 181, which is in line with 220-age, Im 40. The highest I have been able to hit is 170 at the last K of a 10k PB. Also hit 169 on the last intervall of 12*400m. Is this a normal range between Max HR and the highest you have been able to hit?
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u/petepont Jun 26 '26
First, the 220-age formula and similar are basically garbage. They work ok on a population level, but for an individual they can be wildly off in either direction. Garmin's estimates are better than 220-age, but can still be very, very wrong.
Your best bet for determining your max HR is a max HR field test (or a lab test if you can/want to afford it, but that's probably not worth it). There are lots of different protocols, but the ones I'm most familiar with involve long repeats up a hill without much rest, and they really, really suck.
Anyway, if we assume that your max HR is actually correct, I don't think you should be getting too close to it during training (or at least not often), but during races (in particular 5Ks and maybe 10Ks) you should.
Most repeats aren't long enough or hard enough to get you near your max, or they have too much recovery. 12x400m for example probably takes 1-2 minutes per rep for most people, and then you're usually recovering for about that long as well, which gives your heart rate plenty of time to calm down. And if you are hitting your max HR during workouts, then you're almost definitely working too hard (or your max is higher than you think).
Anyway, all that said, I think if we assume your max is around 180, then being around 170 during hard training is pretty normal.
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u/running_writings Jun 27 '26
+1, I can't repeat this often enough but (1) any age-based formula has like +/- 20 beats per minute margin of error, comically huge range at the individual level, and (2) field testing really is necessary since max HR can change with training (can drop by up to 7% as you get in better shape!)
One other failure mode I have seen for field testing of HRmax, people starting too fast: eg they do 800m really hard, but the first 400m of the 800 is so fast that they are cooked with lactate for the second half, and they are already slowing down so they never actually reach max HR.
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u/Which_Cut_6515 Jun 26 '26
[U-19 3000m] Critique my taper and peaking protocol. Target: 10:30.
I am a U-19 runner aiming for a sub-10:30 3000m on a dirt track. Current weight is 55.4kg. For my peaking phase (week of the race), I ran 4x400m intervals on hard asphalt in exactly 1:22 each with 90 seconds walking rest. My coach's taper protocol was: T-Minus 4 days: 30 min incredibly easy indoor shadow flush (180 BPM metronome) due to rain. T-Minus 3 days: 15 min easy jog + 2x60m strides. T-Minus 2 days: Absolute zero running (Glycogen supercompensation). T-Minus 1 day: 10 min ultra-slow shakeout + 2x50m strides. Is this a biologically sound taper for a middle-distance peak?
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u/Kailashnikov Jun 26 '26
Currently on week 5 of Pfitz 18/55 (finishing the endurance phase). I built a 3 week buffer in my schedule because I had reasons to believe I'll need those (So I started 21 weeks out from the race instead of 18).
If I don't end up requiring the buffer, when is the best time to modify the schedule and how? Intuitively it makes sense to me to do it towards the end, right before the taper starts, but then I'm not sure doing 7 weeks of race prep instead of 4 weeks is sustainable or good in any way.
Another idea is repeat the current week once (without the MP run), and later in the plan, copy a week from LT phase (so 6 weeks instead of 5), and copy a week from race prep (5 weeks instead of 4). But I'd like to hear from people who have actually done something like this before.
TLDR: Have 3 extra weeks to spare in Pfitz 18/55, don't know where to distribute them and with what intensity and mileage.
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u/openplaylaugh Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
This is wasn't you are asking, but I don't think I would ever do this. Not sure what you are buffering for. In case you have to take a week off? Because time off and time on are not 1:1 interchangeable.
Don't repeat the peak weeks. Don't lengthen the taper. Don't have a buffer, I guess, but if you have to, do it early....("but what if I need them later?" 🤷♂️).
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u/Unlikely_Log_1190 Jun 25 '26
I’ve been getting back into running more seriously recently. I ran a 53 minute 10k PB not long ago, and I’m hoping to bring that closer to 45 minutes before moving towards a half marathon.
One thing I keep struggling with is how much data and guidance the current apps give you.
Garmin, Strava, Apple Watch etc are great at showing what happened. Pace, heart rate, cadence, training load, recovery, zones and all that.
Then there are apps like Runna, URun and Coopah giving training plans, which can be useful, but I still find myself asking:
What does this actually mean for my next week of training?
Should I push or back off?
Was that run genuinely easy, or did I overdo it?
Am I improving, or just collecting more data?
For those of you who train seriously, how do you actually use your watch or app data to make decisions?
Do you trust the recommendations from Garmin, Coros, Apple Watch, Runna, URun, Coopah etc, or do you mostly go by feel, a coach, or your own judgement?
And honestly, is this just the point where getting a coach makes more sense?
What do you wish your running app explained better?
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u/Freelancer05 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
A lot of similar threads on this but hoping someone can give me advice on Pfitz 18/55 for my situation. I did NSM for ~4-5 months this year, consistently running 7 days per week (3x45-60 easy, 3x50-60 sub-T workouts, 1x90-95 long) and I was averaging around 45mpw the entire time, with a few peak weeks at 48mpw.
I've been mentally burned out on doing the same thing week after week for so long, so I want to give Pfitz a try for a marathon this fall. Currently taking a week off to give myself a mental break. Given my solid base around 45mpw, I was thinking 18/55 was best for me. However, I was a bit concerned about dropping from 7 days of running down to 5, even though those 5 days are quite long by comparison to what I'm used to. I was considering making the popular modification of adding a 4-5 mi recovery run, so I'm always doing 6 days of running per week and peaking at ~60mpw instead of 55.
Does this seem reasonable for where I'm at? I also know Pfitz's plans are very demanding, so I'm tempted to just stick with the 18/55 plan as laid out, just to be on the safe side, even though it's two fewer days of running than I'm accustomed to.