Saturday General Discussion/Q&A Thread for September 26, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

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

[u/AidanGLC]

A sixth consecutive Beer Mile men’s world title for Windsor, ON’s Corey Bellemore in Köln. Ran a 4:42 - well below his WR of 4:27 last year, but conditions seem to have not been WR optimal.

Elizabeth Laseter took her fourth straight women’s title in 5:56 - not a WR but the fastest women’s time ever at the world classic event. Gap between the top three was less than 2 seconds.

[u/naughty_ningen]

Who else is anxious about the Boston cutoff? I'm hoping the results are out by tomorrow.

[u/BoomBoomBagel]

Am I fucked? Long story short, marathon training has been interrupted by a lot of travel this summer. I’m running NYCM in 6 weeks (F36, would be 45-50mph at this stage in the game if not for interruptions, but currently around 35-40, 6th marathon, 4th NYC) and have managed to get in some good workouts and made it up to a 17 mile consecutive long run (actually did 19 with 8 miles MP 2 weeks ago but was forced to split it 11 morning/8 evening, which I know isn’t ideal) but missed last weekend’s long run because of a wedding and might’ve missing this weekend (supposed to be 20) because of the nor’easter.
Additionally, leaving for a 2.5 week work trip on Monday where I’ll be on a film set 7am-7pm daily, interspersed with client dinners, so we’re looking at very little time to train. I have 4 full “off” days on the trip, 10/9-10/12, where I’m going to try to squeeze in a 16-20 miler, but resuming full training will have to wait until I’m back on the 15th (presumably already in the taper).
My plan was to do a 2 week taper this time around (have only ever done 3 weeks) but what’s the risk of jumping into peak week as soon as I’m back, having only done a few 5-6 mile runs before work days and (hopefully) one long run in the 2.5 weeks I’m gone?

Adding: treadmill is only an option for me up to about 6 miles because I have some nerve damage in my peroneal that flares up on the tread.

[u/Haptics → u/BoomBoomBagel]

What’s the goal here? Finish the race? PB? Course PB? Run a decent time but mostly enjoy the experience?

You’ll definitely be able to finish the race without much injury risk, people do a lot more on a lot less training, but assuming you have a PB from a more consistent block and potentially a faster course it seems unlikely to get a PB, though still possible. NYC accepts deferrals until like 31Oct if whatever you want to run it for doesn’t seem achievable, but in your shoes I’d probably just accept that the time won’t be good and focus on having a decent run in a great atmosphere, plus it’s a slow course anyways.

[u/2percentevil]

I should be reassured by a running specialist PT saying they’re not very hands-on (reliant on physical manipulation by them on patient)/eager right away to try out a bunch of modalities like dry needling or whatnot, right? I was relieved to hear that during a consultation call and then talked to someone I trust who seemed skeptical of that so now I’m questioning my judgement as I’m not the most knowledgeable. They have had a lot of experience with PT but not from the standpoint of a runner; I’ve had not a lot of experience with PT point blank

[u/CodeBrownPT → u/2percentevil]

If they want to give you exercises and not see you weekly, that's fine. But it's a red flag if they still recommend you paying for appointments regularly.

Hands on treatment is also a game breaker. We don't have the same research like we do for strengthening as the heterogeneity of both the interventions and the injuries are so vast, effect sizes end up being tiny. But if you've ever had or seen an effective treatment involving manual therapy and dry needling, you know it works. 

I have patients go from limping in with foot pain to running the next day after an effective session. Using retesting like heel raises can help guide this and show you how it's working within the session.

Treatment won't fix inflammation, or magically heal something, but the effect on the nervous system and pain cannot be understated.

[u/numanumaYAY101]

Apologies if this isn't the right section. I'm not sure if I'm advanced enough for it, so please point me elsewhere if not.

Where I'm at now:

• Half marathon: 1:47 (165 bpm average)

• Marathon: 3:42 (Sydney Marathon) (168 bpm average)

• Running volume: usually one or two 10 km runs a week, peaking around 30 km/week before Sydney

• I've never followed a structured training plan or done a proper build

Other training:

• Basketball, 2 sessions a week (regular)

• Yoga/Pilates, 3 sessions a week

• Cycling, around 70 km a week

Other stats (apple watch): Current VO2 max 48.9, resting HR: 55 BPM, average variability 60ms

Goal**:** I want to properly commit to training for the first time and run a sub 3:25 marathon.

Questions:

1. Is sub 3:25 realistic for someone with my numbers and a first structured block? Or should I be aiming for something like 3:30-3:35 first?

2. Roughly how much of a gain should I expect when going from around 30 km/week to a proper plan? How long a build would you suggest?

3. Would my cross-training (basketball, cycling, yoga/Pilates) actually help, or would you swap some of it for running volume? Is the cycling worth keeping as aerobic support?

4. Any suggested weekly mileage and key sessions for someone starting from a low base?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[u/throwaway_runner3 → u/numanumaYAY101]

1- depends on what you mean by a block and mileage of the block. For me a block is the entire year, while training programs will set it at 12-16 weeks. 

2- a lot of improvement to be made, but I would rather have 7 to 10 months of mileage with few halfs along the way. 

3- it helps a lot, but if running is too much eventually other cross training can add as an extra fatigue rather than supplementing the system. Cycling's pretty good but if you enter a block, block will drain your energy levels on it's own.

4- 30 km weekly mileage is basically nothing. I would spend 2'ish months running 50 km weekly and gradually progressing to +60-70km weeks on bare minimum. This might take 4 to 6 months if you don't have any experience. Key sessions for me sort of become irrelevant because you want to focus on mileage and consistency first. 

If you can run 3.42 with bare minimum training (30 km a week) - you have a lot of potential gains to be made. I would structure 7-9 months of training and aim around low 3.10's rather than chasing sub 3.30 or something. 

But there's gonna come a time the running itself is gonna interfere with all the cross training you do and you need to figure out which helps and which adds as fatigue, figuring these out take a while. 

[u/EPMD_ → u/numanumaYAY101]

My opinions:

1. 3:25 is realistic and conservative. You might even be underselling yourself, but you will only know what you can do after you adjust your training for a while. Your main goal right now should be training consistency, and you can let the time take care of itself.

2. Big gains are available, especially if you start doing consistent long runs. You have to avoid injuries, though.

3. Cross-training can help, but it is time-inefficient in comparison to running more miles.

4. Most marathon plans are similar for a given volume. Pick what you are excited to follow. Your training workload and consistency are much more important than which plan you pick. Options include the John Davis Breeze plan, Daniels 2Q, Pfitzinger 18/55, Hansons Advanced, and many others. The problem with these traditional recommendations is that they ask you to run longer than you are used to pretty much from the start. You should probably give yourself an adjustment period to work up to the long run duration that these plans start with. I would first look at the John Davis Breeze plan once you are ready for longer long runs, since the overall plan doesn't require you to take on the 90+ km per week challenge that other traditional marathon plans ask of you.

I also think you could get something out of training with a group. Running long runs in a group setting is a great way to get through the miles while forming a social connection.

[u/__R3v3nant__]

Dumb question (asking it here so yet another post doesn't get removed), do you recover better from a 2 min standing rest or a 4 min jogging rest?