Twenty-three miles into twenty-six point two, my left knee was hurting so bad I knew I had to stop.

This is my first marathon recap. I went into the Maine Marathon with a public goal of sub 4:30, a year of training built around attacking my weak links, and a fueling plan I trusted. For 23 miles it all worked. Then it didn't.

We go through the whole race, start to finish: taper paranoia, a chaotic night before, the pacer who was "behind schedule" when I thought I was way ahead, the boredom in the middle miles, and the last 5K where every goal I had disappeared one at a time on my watch. Then I get honest about what actually cost me the goal, the questions I can't answer, and why I'm both proud and frustrated at the same time.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Mile 23

0:14 Welcome

0:37 The goal: sub 4:30

1:42 Attacking the weak link: how I trained

3:27 The taper and maranoia

5:02 The night before

6:26 Race morning

8:39 Four minutes behind the gun

9:05 The custom Garmin screen I built for pacing

9:50 Going out too fast

11:45 The 4:35 pacer who was "behind schedule"

12:32 Gun time vs chip time

13:28 Driving the course and my downhill strategy

14:42 Nobody warned me about the boredom

16:07 Mile 17: the hill that snapped me out of it

17:48 Latching onto two strangers

18:28 The last 10K

19:12 Mile 20: the knee

19:38 Trying to walk

20:17 Mile 23: I had to stop

20:56 Road camber and the sidewalk trick

22:17 The downhill that ended 4:30

23:09 Calling my wife

23:39 Walk, jog, walk, jog

24:55 The finish

25:53 Why you should grab the emergency blanket

26:51 The hot knee

27:20 What actually cost me the goal

28:24 Was 4:30 ever in me?

28:42 Did the downhills cost me the knee?

29:57 Did capping long runs at 18 miles matter?

30:38 Proud and frustrated at the same time

31:30 How far the knee has come

33:02 One more thing: your spouse

34:20 What's next

If this helped you, the best thing you can do is hit subscribe. It's free and it actually helps the show grow.

Podcast links, socials, everything else: https://linktr.ee/evanblakeney

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Maine Marathon - Portland, ME

How to Run Your First Marathon (book)

Jigger Johnson 20 Miler - White Mountains, NH

Tailwind Nutrition

Garmin

Quick disclaimer: I'm not a coach, a doctor, or an expert. I'm a newer runner sharing what I learned the hard way. Take what's useful and check anything important with a professional.

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running

Does too much sodium hurt carb absorption? Are runners overdoing electrolytes? I went looking for the research on how much sodium runners need per hour and whether stacking drink mixes, gels, and salt tabs is helping or hurting your fueling.

I was all set to record an episode telling you that too much salt could be wrecking your fueling. Then I went looking for the studies, and they didn't say what I thought they would.

Sodium is actually part of how your body absorbs carbs. The real question is whether your sodium matches how much water you're drinking, and how hot and long the effort is. I walk through the studies on sodium and carb absorption, what happened when cyclists and runners took in 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of sodium an hour in the heat, why your blood sodium can go up even while you're sweating salt out, why salty drinks can quietly cut into your carbs, whether you need electrolytes every day, and what the research says about cramps. Plus what I do on 12 hour days sweating on a construction site.

I'm not a dietitian or a researcher. This is what I found and what I've experienced, not medical advice. If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, talk to your doctor before adding salt.

Follow the show so you don't miss the next one. New episodes every other Friday.

Everything else: https://linktr.ee/evanblakeney

QUICK CORRECTIONS

In the sodium math example, each of the 2 gels has 250 milligrams of sodium. That plus the 1,000 milligram drink mix is how you get to 1,500 in an hour.

The daily sodium guideline is an upper limit. Most guidelines say to keep it under about 2,300 to 2,400 milligrams a day.

The ACSM range of 460 to 690 milligrams of sodium per liter is a general recommendation, not an optimal number for everyone. Your sweat is yours.

STUDIES MENTIONED

Hargreaves et al. (1994), Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Sodium and glucose absorption during exercise.

Gisolfi et al. (1995), Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Sodium concentration and intestinal absorption.

McCubbin (2025), Performance Nutrition. Sodium intake for athletes review: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s44410-025-00011-9

High vs. low sodium sports drink during 3 hours of cycling in the heat (2022), European Journal of Applied Physiology: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-022-05025-y

McCubbin & Costa (2023), International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. Sodium replacement during 5 hours of running in the heat.

Baker et al. (2016), Journal of Sports Sciences (Gatorade Sports Science Institute). Sweat sodium in 506 athletes.

Hoffman et al. (2015). Sodium intake, cramping, and nausea during a 100 mile race.

American College of Sports Medicine (2007). Exercise and Fluid Replacement position stand: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17277604/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Could too much salt be wrecking your fueling?

00:17 Welcome and disclaimer

01:15 Where this idea came from

02:54 Electrolyte basics

03:44 How sodium helps your body absorb carbs

05:05 Does more sodium block carbs? The studies

07:37 Is 1,500 mg of sodium an hour too much?

10:03 Why the sodium to water ratio matters

10:51 How salty is your sweat?

12:03 Blood sodium and the rugby player example

13:21 Is there a magic ratio?

14:13 How salty drinks can hurt your fueling

14:58 Do you need electrolytes every day?

16:44 Sweating 12 hours a day on a construction site

17:30 Sodium and muscle cramps

18:11 5 takeaways

19:44 What I still don't know

20:16 Outro

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running

Do you actually need a 20 mile long run before your first marathon? Where

did that number even come from, and what happens if you skip it on

purpose?

I ran a 2:21 half marathon in March. On October 4th I’m running my first

full marathon at the Maine Marathon, and I’m saying my goal out loud so I

can’t quietly move it later: under 4 hours and 30 minutes. That’s about 30

minutes faster than what my half predicts, because a marathon is not two

half marathons stacked together.

This one is the whole picture. The zone 2 base that took my easy pace from

14:14 to 11:30. The point where my cardiovascular system outran my

Achilles and my knee. A 20 mile trail race with 6,000 feet of climb that

cost me marathon-specific training and gave me something else in return.

Why I ran 16, 17, 18 instead of 16, 18, 20 — and why I still feel a little

funny about it. Then the race plan: 10:18 the whole way, 82 grams of carbs

an hour, and the 3 things that could take 4:30 off the table.

Everything else: https://linktr.ee/evanblakeney

Follow the show — I’ll be back after the race with what actually happened,

good or bad.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — The goal, out loud

01:07 — How I got here after the half marathon

01:34 — Zone 2, 30 miles a week, and the weak link shifting

02:38 — Working construction and training on the road

03:10 — The Jigger Johnson 20 miler

04:16 — Where the 20 mile long run rule came from

05:32 — Why a trail 20 doesn’t count

07:57 — Choosing 16-17-18 instead of 16-18-20

09:14 — Knowing it was right and still feeling like I conceded

10:48 — Race day pacing plan

12:40 — Risk 1: going out too fast and burning glycogen

13:35 — Risk 2: fueling for 4.5 hours

14:45 — Risk 3: the last 10K

15:39 — 3 takeaways and what’s next

#running #marathontraining #firstmarathon #runningpodcast #beginnerrunner

#mainerunning

#marathon #longrun #runnersofinstagram #trainingblock #mainemarathon

#runchat

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running