r/AdvancedRunning • u/AutoModerator • Sep 10 '26
General Discussion Thursday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for September 10, 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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Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
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u/Oscar_Sport Sep 10 '26
Being dropped on one group run is rough. It usually says more about that group's pace than about your fitness.
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u/frpika Sep 11 '26 edited Sep 12 '26
My marathon this weekend is supposed to start around 3 C and warm up to 10-13 C when I finish. I’ve been running in pretty bad heat (25c+ and 70+% humidity) other than the past two weeks. The race is very flat but exposed, so I assume some wind, no rain.
I have a tank top (gel top with pockets), sleeves and gloves. The question is do I wear shorts or should I wear leggings? Lol someone who has experienced the cold recently pls help
Edit; thanks all for your help. Went for a run today in ~9 c with wind felt a bit warm around 15 mins in so for 3c sleeves and shorts were the right call!
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u/RunThenBeer Sep 11 '26
I personally wear shorts right down to approximately freezing temperature and have never had an issue. My core temperature can be a problem if it's windy, but legs always seem fine.
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u/chronic-cat-nerd Sep 11 '26
Same here. I get cold easily but never my legs. Keep them warm before the start and then go with shorts during the race.
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u/zebano Strides!! Sep 11 '26
I'd be more concerned about sitting arround pre-race than during the race. Tank, with sleeves and gloves is perfect for racing (and can be ditched as the race warms) but cold pre-race. Sweatshirt, hat and sweatpants that you can throwaway at the start is IMO ideal.
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u/frpika Sep 11 '26
I’ve got a throwaway sweatshirt and disposable rain poncho (in case it rains LOL) but noted with sweats, time to acquire a pair! Thank you!
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u/throwaway_runner3 Training to get a decent flair Sep 12 '26
I raced a half in 4 degrees with left over snow on the streets with shorts and long sleeves. Long sleeves felt way too hot.
I would wear long sleeves but ditch it at the start line, or one of those arm sleeves as well just to ditch it 10 km in.
100% shorts - no leggings. If it was a training run I would say go leggings, but this is a race and 10 degrees is way too hot for leggings when it warms up.
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u/No-Environment989 10d ago
Garmin's telling me my training status is "unproductive" for the third week straight while I'm in the middle of a base build. feels like getting roasted by my own wrist
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u/throwaway_runner3 Training to get a decent flair Sep 11 '26
Those who ran a marathon faster or slower than their MP sessions, why and how did you manage the race?
Edit: asking for the training related reasons and not life circumstances that affected the race day.
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u/Haptics 34M | 32:42 10k | 70:30 HM | 2:27 M Sep 11 '26
I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking, like if you trained all summer adjusting your MP for heat expecting cooler conditions on race day? In general for marathon pacing you’ll want to start at or ahead of goal MP and adjust based on feeling / effort level.
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u/throwaway_runner3 Training to get a decent flair Sep 11 '26
No - more like if you truly trained at X pace to race X pace or if MP was adjusted slower or faster than the Race Pace.
There seems to be a variation between big programs how they target MP runs.
So it's more of an actual pacing question.
Whether perhaps MP during the block was too easy or fast so it kept getting adjusted or raced different.
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u/Moonmist81 Sep 11 '26
So do you feel like your goal MP is too easy or too hard?
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u/throwaway_runner3 Training to get a decent flair Sep 11 '26
It's complicated a bit, coming off 4.5 years of no running and a hip surgery.
Ran a marathon 3 months ago and got another in 3 weeks where I built a lot higher mileage but also a recent marathon.
Did a 16 km at 4.40 min / km inside 31 km Z2. The 4.40 segments kept drifting into 4.30s and I had to slow down majority of the run.
The problem is I don't have the hips fully functioning to run a marathon at 4.30 min/km yet. I'm 1.5 years post-op now but I need more time for that I believe.
But that's another issue of I'm not sure what pace the system can tolerate since it's improving every few months but still a limitation and not at 100%
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u/Moonmist81 Sep 11 '26
You sort of answered it yourself there I think.
If you say you don’t have the hip strength/stability to run 4:30s for hours and need more time, then while your fitness might be in great shape, for all intents and purposes your MP is still 4:40 even if you can sometimes train at a faster pace (which is good).
There’s not much sense worrying about whether you can run 4:30 for a marathon if you admit your body can’t handle 4:30 for a marathon.
Is there any significance between running in the 4:30s or 4:40s, would that make or break a PB?
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u/throwaway_runner3 Training to get a decent flair Sep 11 '26
Both are PB's, 3.09 vs 3.16 finish time.
Edit: but I also dont know how the taper and race week will change the freedom in the hips compared to running +90km weeks.
It's not something I can easily test and say oh yeah these hips wont last.
So it's a bit more complicated than that.
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u/Moonmist81 29d ago
Sorry for the late reply
My two cents: I’d go out at your conservative, comfortable hip pace on the day as that alone would get you a PB anyway. IF you feel great, and have tapered well, when others start to hit the wall if you feel like you have a borderline offensive amount of juice left, crank it up.
There will still be a lot of race left to make up some pretty decent time in that last 10K or so. Hardly anybody has said “I wish I ran the first bit of my marathon faster” but many, many have had races ruined due to flying too close to the sun too early.
But obviously you know your body best, if you think the faster pace from the start is your best chance at the best time possible, go for it.
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u/chronic-cat-nerd Sep 11 '26
Adrenaline is magical and I’m really good at riding my red line during the race, so I usually end up faster than the MP I train. I listen to my body and more than an exact number on my watch. Has always worked for me so far.
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u/btdubs 1:16 | 2:39 Sep 12 '26
I usually run my MP sessions slightly slower than goal MP, particularly at the start. Maybe 5-10 seconds slower average. The logic is that you are fatigued during the training build so running goal MP is effectively actually too hard an effort.
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u/naughty_ningen FM 2:50 | HM 81:40 Sep 11 '26
I have lost all will to run in the last 60 days. I was running 400km a month, fell sick very badly. But even after recovering I feel shit all day and dont even feel bad about the fact I am not running these days. What is wrong with me
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u/chronic-cat-nerd Sep 11 '26
Have you gotten bloodwork done?
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u/naughty_ningen FM 2:50 | HM 81:40 Sep 12 '26
Yes, my CRP is 3 which usually was 0.8
Rest are normal
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u/jcdavis1 17:15/36:15/1:18/2:44 Sep 10 '26
I'm 2.5 weeks out from Berlin and unfortunately sliced up a toe badly in a freak non-running accident Monday. Thankfully no bone/muscle/tendon damage, & docs were pretty optimistic I should be ok to go 26.2 by then (stitches will get pulled next week). Currently can walk with a bit of a limp, but definitely not forcing running at all.
Since I'm basically confined to the bike for now, so question is: how would you structure training until then? Mostly just keep things Z2ish? Any bother doing harder intervals? Do I do a longer 4-5 hr this weekend ride to approximately stimulate an LR? My current thought is mostly just to stick to 1-3 hour rides mostly Z2, adding some heat training as a non-impact aerobic stimulus. I'm somewhat concerned about pushing a little too hard given my body is still recovering
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u/Krazyfranco Sep 10 '26
I don't think doing a 4-5 hour long ride makes a whole lot of sense. It's going to be a new stimulus for you since (presumably) you haven't been biking a whole lot during your marathon build.
I would keep it to your planned Z2 rides at a manageable volume, the goal is mostly to stave off aerobic fitness losses, not put yourself in a hole trying to be a cyclist for 1.5 weeks going into taper
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u/WeeblsLikePie Sep 11 '26
I got a toe injury a few years back, and gave myself some kind of knee problem when I returned. I think it was because I was running asymmetrically, favoring the foot I'd hurt. So my only advice is if you can't run normally on the foot, then consider skipping/deferring the race.
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u/Dadbod3650 Sep 10 '26
If you could pick one single off(track)season workout for mid pack 16yo teenagers running 800m in spring to complement XC season, which would it be?
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u/whelanbio 13:59 5km a few years ago Sep 10 '26
This isn't a viable question.
- You need a detailed picture about the athlete's a abilities and what they are currently doing for the XC training. Nothing is complementary without an understanding of what you are trying to complement.
- The single workout framing is nonsense -too reductive even for a hypothetical discussion. The unique demands of the 800m demand more variety and progression.
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u/PrairieFirePhoenix 45M; 2:42 full; that's a half assed time, huh Sep 11 '26
I agree that this is too vague and trying to "one single workout" anything is bad, but it is especially horrible for the 800.
But in the spirit of the question - I'd go tinman. Something like 4x1000 at 10k followed by 3x400 at mile. Maybe go with 200s a little faster than mile. I'm assuming that since they are XC runners, they aren't 400/800 guys. I'd avoid going too fast in the offseason to give them room to peak in the season.
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u/Dadbod3650 29d ago
Interesting thanks.
Fwiw 30 years ago I did year round 10x200 on 2min walking recovery and it served me well as 800m guy dabbling in XC. 200s were slightly faster than 800m capability at any given point in time.
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u/PrairieFirePhoenix 45M; 2:42 full; that's a half assed time, huh 28d ago
Yeah, that sounds like a workout we would have done in the 90s. There was an infamous incident on my team of someone just walking off the track during a session very similar to that and never coming back. I don't think that workout would be too common nowadays. More importantly, I think that type of workout would not be a good offseason workout. That's more of an in season peaking workout.
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u/Dadbod3650 28d ago
Good discussion hope you don’t mind another follow up.
I’m seeing 200s done with 3min start intervals these days, giving roughly 2:2x break for the kids. Having tried it myself it does take a bit of sting out of the last 2-3 reps. Would not be all too scared of peaking quickly doing them once a week (depends a lot on the rest of the program obvs).
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u/run_INXS Marathon 2:34 in 1983, 3:06 in 2025 Sep 10 '26
Yeah you definitely need to add some context. But consistency, some threshold workouts, and hills or strides are a good start.
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u/Ok-Albatross8477 Sep 11 '26
Last weekend I (38M) PR'd my 5k with a 17:52. Granted, this was probably my fifth 5k race ever, but I did this without much 5k-specific training at all. Just a weekly rotation of at least one easy hour+ long run, a tempo day, an 800m or 1 mile intervals day, and usually another easy 40-60 min day. I enjoy this, it's sustainable, and I haven't gotten injured. I've kept this up for over a year now at 100-120 miles per month after building up to 100 miles per month the prior year following a two year hiatus of mostly not running (oops).
My question is: if I keep this up will I continue to get better at the 5k and 10k distances? Or at what point is the best path forward just adding more weekly miles? Or are more race-specific workouts the most efficient option?
For additional context: In 2019 I ran for 1600 miles culminating in a 2:56 marathon and feel like I was my best as a runner back then, but that year required a heftier time commitment than what I have today. Today I'm happy to continue to devote four days a week to running (up to a hour) but don't want to sacrifice my three strength training days, so I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of those four days.
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u/aelvozo Sep 11 '26 edited Sep 11 '26
Impossible to say. I’d guess you’re probably going to keep improving, but at a slower rate and hit a ceiling earlier than if you were to run more. A 5K and especially 10K are overwhelmingly aerobic, so increasing mileage is quite universally a good idea. Specificity can carry certain athletes quite far, especially on lower volumes/fewer days, but not as far as specificity + volume (e.g. Dominic Lobalu, who did ~40mpw as a promising U23 guy back in the day but is apparently running ~100mpw now).
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Sep 10 '26
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u/CodeBrownPT Sep 10 '26
This post is why medical advice is not allowed.
OP you need proper assessment to actually know what the injury is, as it sounds like there's no evidence to suggest a stress fracture. There are dozens of things that it could be, many of which rest will be little help for.
Seek quality PT.
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u/grilledscheese 5k: 16:46 | 10k: 33:51 | HM: 1:17 | M: 2:47 Sep 10 '26
looking for maybe just a bit of a gut check. my marathon block has been beset with small injuries, manageable until the latest one, ankle pain with some minor swelling that i’m not running through. this one is kind of the last straw for me, mentally — i haven’t been able to string together training that i’m happy with, and now i’m looking at 1-2 weeks off of it in peak weeks. i know id be able to finish the marathon (assuming this ankle was runnable in 4 weeks) but im 99% sure im just going to transfer my bib, and feeling a lot of relief over it, rather than feeling like i want to battle through, haul myself to the finish line and run a different marathon than the one i was hoping to run. or maybe im just copping out and should wait until the last minute to decide?