A practical course strategy for Boston that covers race-day logistics, pacing, hills, and fueling, so you don’t give your race away before Heartbreak Hill.

The Boston Marathon itself doesn’t test how fit you are. It tests how well you understand what you’re stepping into. It tests how well you can plan and prepare.

The course gives you just enough early to make you believe you’re having a great day. Downhills feel free. The pace comes easily. And somewhere between Hopkinton and Wellesley, it’s all too easy to lose sight of the fact that you might be borrowing energy from later you.

AIn this episide, youll learn to understand why Boston is hard, how to approach it with intention, and when to hold back even when everything feels right.

Boston isn’t about surviving the hills. It’s about arriving at them with something left.

Episode Description

In this joint episode of the Allie G Show and Legwork, Alex, Matt, and Molly break down how to approach the Boston Marathon from start to finish with three primary sections: race day logistics, a section-by-section course strategy and analysis, and race week and day nutrition and fueling.

Drawing on their own experiences across multiple Boston races, they explain why the course is more tactical than it looks—and how small decisions early in the race can shape the final 10K.

Together, they cover:

• How to plan race weekend logistics, including the expo, transportation, and starting village
• What makes the Boston course deceptively difficult despite being “net downhill”
• How to pace the early miles so you don’t give back time later
• A section-by-section breakdown of the course, including the Wellesley tunnel, Newton Hills, Heartbreak Hill, and the Citgo Sign
• Why Boston rewards restraint early and patience through the middle miles
• Common mistakes runners make in the first 16 miles—and how to avoid them
• How to think about fueling, hydration, and carb loading for race week and race day
• Adjusting your strategy based on weather, effort, and how the day unfolds, and
• What to expect in the final miles and how to close the race strong

Along the way, they share lessons from past races, including pacing mistakes, fueling issues, and what it actually feels like when the race turns.

Whether it’s your first Boston or you’re trying to run it better than last time, this episode gives you a clear framework for approaching the course with intention.

Chapter List

00:00 The Allie G Show and Legwork Joint Podcast - An Overview of our Boston Marathon Strategy Episode

03:27 Personal Boston Marathon Journeys

07:13 Role Models In Sport and Mental Approach to Boston

12:48 Getting To The Expo and Bib Pick Up

13:53 Race Morning Planning and Breakfast Strategies

15:34 Transportation To the Start

21:36 Starting Village

25:39 Leaving Starting Village and The Walk To The Start

28:59 Brief Intro to Pre-Race Nutrition

34:31 The Technical Challenge of the Boston Marathon

42:47 Experiences and Lessons from Past Marathons

46:51 The Tactical Nature of the Boston Marathon

47:35 Breaking Down the Course: Elevation and Strategy

48:44 Breaking Down the Course: Elevation and Strategy

51:47 Boston Marathon Section Analysis: The Start Through Mile 4

56:21 Boston Marathon Section Analysis: Mile 4-15

59:07 Boston Marathon Section Analysis: Mile 15.5-21 Newton Hills

01:05:31 Boston Marathon Section Analysis: Mile 21-24 Post Heartbreak Downhill Stretch

01:09:22 Boston Marathon Section Analysis: Final 2 Miles and your Left on Hereford, Right on Boyleston

01:11:06 Nutrition Leading Up To and During The Race - Carbloading!

01:17:35 Nutrition on Race Morning

01:19:06 Science of Fueling Generally and On Course Nutrition

01:22:45 Hydration On The Course (Gatorade)

01:30:15 Adjusting Your Race Day Nutrition Strategy Depending on Weather and Fueling For Recovery

01:34:22 Post-Race Recovery and Celebrations

A focused guide to using heat training during winter—why it works, what adaptations you’re actually chasing, and how to implement sauna, hot water immersion, or layering protocols safely and strategically.

Heat training is usually framed as something you do before a hot race. But the physiological adaptations don’t care what month it is. Plasma volume expansion, improved thermal regulation, and cardiovascular efficiency can all support training during winter—even if race day will be cold.

This episode is an edited and streamlined version of Episode 4, where we originally covered heat training in depth. Here, we’ve removed the broader discussion of racing in hot environments and narrowed the focus to one question: How can runners use heat protocols intentionally during winter training to enhance performance?

Episode Description

This episode is a practical, research-backed breakdown of how to apply heat training protocols during winter running.

Matt and Molly revisit the primary studies that shaped their understanding of heat adaptation, then walk through:

• Why heat training matters beyond hot race preparation

• The physiological mechanisms behind heat adaptations

• The three core methods for inducing heat stress

• How to implement layering, sauna, and hot water immersion during winter

• How long adaptations last and how to maintain them

• When to schedule heat exposure within a training cycle

• Key safety considerations to avoid digging a recovery hole

Rather than treating heat training as seasonal, this episode reframes it as a tool. One that, when applied carefully, can support cardiovascular development, resilience, and recovery during winter blocks when training quality matters most.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Heat Training and Personal Experiences Driving Our Understanding

01:11 Context for Episode And Focus On Heat Training Protocols During Winter Training

02:23 The Primary Studies We Reviewed In Preparation For This Episode

03:57 Major Reasons Why You Should Care About Heat Training

06:39 Why Running In The Heat Is Challenging

11:41 Anecdotal Experience with Heat Training In Recent Ultra Performances

13:30 The Three Heat Training Methods We Cover and General Physiological Benefits of Heat Training

14:37 Thermal Regulation and Adaptations

16:46 Protocol by Protocol Analysis

17:09 Protocol 2: Adding Layers to Augment Heat of The Natural Environment

36:28 Protocol 3: Hot Dry Sauna and Hot Water Immersion (HWI) - Actual Implementation Steps

38:39 Protocol 3: Hot Sauna Benefits and Considerations

41:01 Protocol 3: How Water Immersion (HWI) Benefits and Considerations

46:03 Maintaining Heat Training Adaptations

48:26 Timing and Strategy for Heat Training

52:31 Safety Considerations When Heat Training

Top 5 Takeaways

1. Heat training is not just for hot races.
   The adaptations—plasma volume expansion, improved cardiovascular efficiency, and thermoregulation—can support winter training blocks as well.

2. Layering and passive heat exposure are often the most practical winter tools.
   You don’t need a hot climate. Strategic layering during runs or post-workout sauna/HWI can induce meaningful adaptations.

3. The goal is controlled stress, not exhaustion.
   You’re chasing adaptation, not dehydration or glycogen depletion. Overdoing it can compromise recovery.

4. Adaptations are transient but quickly re-established.
   Benefits can fade within roughly two weeks without exposure, but can often be restored in just a few sessions.

5. Safety matters more in winter than people think.
   Heat protocols layered onto hard winter training can create cumulative stress. Hydration, fueling, iron status, and recovery awareness are essential.

Always training, never improving? How periodization fixes your running by helping you plan an entire season, not just the next race.

Most runners know how to train for a race. Far fewer know how to train for a season.

Trusting that a more holistic approach to your training over a year, can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. This episode examines why so many runners feel stuck in a cycle of constant training, frequent racing, and nagging fatigue. Matt and Molly explore how the pressure to always be “in shape” or “race ready” quietly erodes long-term progress, and why time off is not a failure of discipline but a necessary part of improvement.

Drawing from coaching experience, personal mistakes, and the realities of modern running culture, they unpack periodization as more than a buzzword. Instead, it becomes a framework for understanding when to push, when to build, when to sharpen, and when to step back. The conversation reframes downtime as productive, structure as liberating rather than restrictive, and progress as something measured over months and years, not just race weekends.

Episode Description:

In this episode of Legwork, Matt and Molly tackle one of the most overlooked problems in running: training hard all the time without getting better.

They break down periodization, not as a rigid system reserved and eligible for elite athletes, but as a practical way to think about an entire training year. From off-seasons and base building to race-specific preparation and recovery, they explain how each phase fits together, and why skipping any of them often leads to burnout, stagnation, or injury.

Together, they cover:

• Why racing too often can stall progress and increase injury risk

• What periodization actually means, beyond downloaded 16-week plans

• The role of the offseason and why time off does not equal lost fitness

• How to structure transition, preparatory, pre-competition, and competition phases

• Where Zone 2 training, strength work, and volume really belong in a season

• How to balance social running, races, and long-term goals

• Common mistakes runners make when they’re always training but never improving

Along the way, Matt and Molly share personal examples, coaching insights, and practical ways to rethink your relationship with training. Whether you’re chasing a PR, navigating a packed race calendar, or trying to stay healthy year after year, this episode offers a clearer framework for planning smarter and running better.

Chapter List:

00:00 Introduction and Reflections on Needing To Take Time Off

03:05 Managing the Offseason: Insights and Strategies

06:26 Why We Wanted To Do This Episode and Our Agenda

11:47 Overview of Running Plan Periodization And Phases Of a Training Cycle

15:05 Major Benefits of Incorporating All Of these Phases In A Training Cycle

22:07 Transition Phase: A Methodical Approach Between Major Training Bouts

38:09 Preparatory Phase: Building Your Base, Your Strength, And Engine

44:03 Preparatory Phase: Where Zone 2 Training Sits and Increased Aerobic Volume

48:52 Preparatory Phase: Balancing Volume and Intensity and Lifting

55:59 Pre-Competition Phase: Fine-Tuning the Engine

01:02:25 Pre-Competition Phase Cross Training, Strength Training, and Recap

01:09:35 Competition Phase: Race Specific Training

01:17:55 Post-Race Transition and Recovery