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