I genuinely think dating another marathon runner is one of the greatest life hacks. Going to bed at 8:30 PM is considered perfectly reasonable. Neither of us thinks twice about spending $300 on another pair of running shoes. And perhaps most importantly, nobody has ever questioned the need for a second dinner. It’s a pretty incredible arrangement.

12 weeks until the Houston Marathon. Somehow Chicago was already two weeks ago. First full week back to training, although still very much easing into things. 10 miles this morning to finish it off. Feels good to be finding my rhythm again.

My girlfriend had her entire race day outfit picked out for the Indy Marathon in two weeks. Then ASICS sent her these Metaspeed Edge Tokyos in a colorway you can’t even buy online. I mean, LOOK at these things. How could she NOT wear them? Only problem is the outfit she had planned doesn’t really match anymore. Which is where we could use some help from the ladies on here. Any race day outfit recommendations that would go with these? She’s a big Bandit fan but open to other brands.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have when they start running is that running a lot automatically means they’ll be lean. A lot of people assume they can suddenly eat whatever they want. Yes, running burns a lot of calories. And yes, you absolutely need to fuel your training. But it’s still remarkably easy to eat more than you burn. Running doesn’t make you immune to a bad diet.

Earlier this year I deleted my Instagram account that I’d had since high school and made a new one. Now I mostly just document my training on Instagram stories every day. What’s fascinating to me is that there are people I haven’t spoken to in YEARS who watch my stories every single day. They don’t follow me. But apparently they still need to know how my morning run went.

I feel like we don’t celebrate the last big long run of a marathon build enough. My girlfriend is out finishing hers right now, two weeks before the Indianapolis Marathon. Months of early mornings, hard workouts, and showing up even when you don’t feel like it. Getting through that final big long run is something to be genuinely proud of, regardless of what happens on race day. Figured that deserved some flowers waiting for her when she gets home. That’s worth celebrating, don’t you think?

I’m obviously thrilled for her but I’m having a really hard time getting over the fact that she now owns a pair of Metaspeed Edge Tokyos in a colorway I literally cannot buy anywhere.

I’ll happily spend hours running, biking, or doing just about anything related to training. But for some reason, spending a few minutes on skincare before bed has always felt like a massive inconvenience. My girlfriend got me into having a skincare routine when we first started dating, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. Can’t say I’ve ever particularly looked forward to it though. We’ve been using Wild Roman recently, and somehow I’ve become the guy who actually enjoys doing his skincare at night. Never thought I’d see the day.

85 days until the Houston Marathon. An hour on Zwift this morning, working through 15 min each at 200/220/240/260W. Then 7 easy miles with Cate in what might genuinely be the best running weather we’ve had in a while. Some days you finish a run wishing you could’ve stayed out there a little longer. Today was definitely one of those.

Something I think about a lot as a coach is how important it is for athletes to understand the decisions they’re making, rather than just being told what to do. Before the Chicago Marathon, my coach and I had a conversation about my race plan. Instead of telling me what pace to run or exactly how to approach the race, he wanted to hear how I was thinking about it. We talked through pacing, strategy, and different scenarios, and he challenged some of my thinking along the way. At the end of the day, he’s not the one out there running the marathon. I am. And I think there’s a lot of value in being prepared to make those decisions yourself.

You can go back and see your exact pace, heart rate, and splits from a run six months ago. But do you remember how you actually felt that day? I think one of the most underrated things runners can do is take a minute to write down a few notes after their runs. Nothing crazy. Just things like: - How hard the run actually felt - Whether you felt like you had more left - How you were feeling before you started - Anything that made the run easier or harder than usual - How you felt the following day Doesn’t need to be anything formal. Just leave a few notes wherever you track your runs, or even in the notes app on your phone. When you look back at your training months later, you’ll have a lot more to go off than just the numbers.

86 days until the Houston Marathon. Got back to some harder work on the bike this morning with 10 × 30/60s. First 5 at 405W, next 5 at 420W, with some steady riding at 225/245/265W before and 15 min at 265W after. Then got in the pool after work with my Ironman brother. 10 × 50 with fins, 10 × 50 with the pull buoy, and 22 × 25 swimming, all with ~15 sec rest. It’s pretty funny going from a sport I’ve spent years obsessing over to one where I still need someone to explain how to breathe properly. Having a lot of fun with it though.

I think this is the wrong question. The goal isn’t to train as much as possible or recover as much as possible. It’s to figure out how much training you can consistently handle and recover from. That’s what actually allows you to keep improving.

Was about to recommend the singlet I wore for the Chicago Marathon. Then remembered it was $295.

I think one of the hardest things about running is knowing when to hold back. It’s easy to feel disciplined when you’re pushing through a tough workout or adding more miles. It’s a lot harder when you’re feeling great and know you could do more, but choose not to. That takes discipline too.

Okay maybe I was actually underselling how good I’m feeling

87 days until the Houston Marathon. Less than two weeks removed from Chicago, and I’m honestly surprised by how good my body is feeling. 7 miles this morning with 10 × 30/30/30s, followed by my first strength session in a few weeks. Still keeping things pretty easy for now, but it’s hard not to get excited about Houston when I’m feeling this good. Trying not to get ahead of myself just yet.

Back in 2022, we had to ruin our own marathons the old-fashioned way. No AI. No coach. Just me showing up to my first marathon with absolutely no idea what I was doing and an unreasonable amount of confidence. Simpler times.