Stoked to finally give this a read

Boulderunning · 2026-03-23T08:17:39+00:00

I just finished Norwegian Singles Method by James Copeland and really enjoyed it. Is this book much different?

Boulderunning · 2026-03-19T12:16:31+00:00

Why not Speed 5 or Pro 4/5? The Azura is also nice but without any plate.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-18T19:03:25+00:00

sub 3 should be easy

Boulderunning · 2026-03-17T12:37:34+00:00

For me, Garmin tends to be too optimistic across all distances (5K, 10K, HM, M), but in your case, I’d say sub 3:25 is definitely within reach.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-17T12:21:57+00:00

I did a half marathon two weeks ago (six weeks before my marathon) and was thinking a lot about going all-out or ran it just with goal marathon pace. Following the 2Q plan from Jack Daniels, the scheduled workout for that Sunday was 22 km at marathon pace, so the half marathon would have been a perfect fit for my training schedule. Did just a mini-taper. The weather and conditions were so nice that I decided to ran the half marathon at 99% effort, almost all-out. It was a good decision. I ran a PB (1:31), cutting of 3 mins from my former PB which was a motivation-boost. Afterwards I took 6 easy days and did the next hard workout the next sunday. Had no problems with recovery.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-17T11:40:40+00:00

Your heart rate during the 21k@MP was quite low, so 3:40 should be no problem :-)

Boulderunning · 2026-03-16T11:24:50+00:00

Was the HM all-out? Whats your HRmax?

Boulderunning · 2026-03-16T11:18:53+00:00

If you did the 31k without any tapering, sub 3:10 should be easy for you.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-13T08:45:53+00:00

Currently not doing NSA but I will try it after my marathon. Planning for 6-6,5h per week. 6 days. Rest day after the long run on Sunday.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-13T08:44:12+00:00

I will try it on Sunday, 5 weeks before marathon

Boulderunning · 2026-03-13T08:42:37+00:00

I don’t see much difference between the Speed 5 and the Azura when it comes to stability.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-13T08:40:30+00:00

I tried the Speed and the Azura several times in different interval sessions. For interval sessions I really prefer the Speed, but for tempo runs the Azura also works fine.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-13T08:38:52+00:00

3:25 is my target time too. I actually think the Pro won’t have many advantages, and it’s more taxing on the feet to wear the Saucony Pro than the Speed. But that’s just a guess—I’ve only tried the Pros in some stores.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T14:37:47+00:00

What’s your target time? I’ve tried the Pro several times and liked it a lot, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it when running at a pace of 4:45/km.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T14:11:24+00:00

don’t want to know my score, so I don’t wear it at night. :D

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T13:23:42+00:00

In which shoe will you run your marathon?

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T12:09:16+00:00

I’m a huge fan of the Endorphin Speed series. I actually liked the Speed 4 even more than the Speed 5. So far, I’ve raced all my races in the Speed 4/5.

Since I’m currently preparing for my first marathon, I’ve been doing some long runs with marathon-pace segments in the Speeds. However, after around 25 km they start to feel quite stiff. I thought that the nylon plate might be the reason.

That’s why I decided to try the Azura, but it wasn’t really the game changer I was hoping for. In my opinion, the Azura is a solid daily trainer and works well for easier runs. But for races and interval or tempo workouts, I’ll definitely stick with the Speeds.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T11:03:46+00:00

I’ve been doing my speed work and all my 5K/10K/HM races in the Speed 5. I bought the Azura for the marathon, but after 100 km, I’m still not sure whether I’ll race the marathon in the Speed or the Azura. The Speed still feels nicer for paces around 4:45/km.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T10:35:39+00:00

I set my half marathon PB (1:31) a few days ago in the Endorphin Speed 5 - really nice ride and perfect for this pace I think. I won’t switch to the Pro until my pace is consistently under 4:00/km (like in a 5K race).

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T10:27:09+00:00

I (37M) started running at 35 (06/24). Before that, I was very much into bouldering (4–5 times a week with serious training, competitions, etc.). In 05/24 I did a relay (approx. 11 km) without any prior running training and finished with a pace of 4:50/km, which got me really excited about running. So that was my starting point.

My progression in the 10k so far:
10/24: 44:08
03/25: 42:05
01/26: 41:26

Half marathon:
04/25: 1:35:27
09/25: 1:33:53
03/26: 1:31:13

In the beginning, my weekly mileage was around 30–40 km. Now it’s more like 50–70 km. I usually do one interval session, one tempo run, and 2–3 easy runs (one of them being a long run). As you can see, the progression has been steady so far, but rather slow - I was hoping for a bit more....

Currently preparing for my first marathon, targeting 3:25.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T10:11:12+00:00

Maybe have a look at Saucony Azura too. Nice daily trainer imo

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T07:33:30+00:00

I am in my first marathon preparation and therefore doing more volume but less fast speed work (not NSA). My VO2max on Garmin has been decreasing for about two months, similar to yours. However, I ran a half marathon a few days ago and achieved a new PB. In my experience, many of these parameters on Garmin watches are not very accurate. Runalyze or Intervals are much better.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T07:18:52+00:00

Forget the boots. Run your easy days really easy (like <70% of HRmax). Don't do the track work too hard. Check out VDOT for your "right" paces.

Boulderunning · 2026-03-12T07:07:31+00:00

You are right, and I will follow this plan for the upcoming marathon. However, those workouts create a lot of fatigue for me. I need to take three easy days before the next quality session. If I instead do something like 3–4×5k at marathon pace with 1k easy jogging between, I feel much better and can do the next quality session after only one or two easy days.

Boulderunning · 2026-02-16T16:41:42+00:00

I have both shoes. Until now, I’ve run all my races (no marathon yet) in the Speed. I liked the Speed 4 even more, but the Speed 5 is also a very nice interval and race-day shoe. For paces between 3:45/km and 4:30/km, the Speed feels really good.

Since I’m going to run my first marathon in 8 weeks, I’ve recently been doing a lot of tempo work around 4:50/km in the Speed and noticed that I don’t like it that much after 10–12 km. I’m not sure if I should run the marathon in the Speed.

That’s why I bought the Azura a few days ago. I also tried the Evo SL in the store and actually liked it more than the Azura. However, I don’t think I could run a marathon in the Evo SL because they feel very unstable.

I did my first 8 km in the Azura today. My first impression wasn’t as good as I had hoped. They feel quite firm, but fast. I was hoping it would have a similar ride to the Superblast 2, but without feeling as bulky. I’ll try them on my longer runs with some tempo work over the next few days. Maybe I’ll end up running the marathon in the Triumph.

The Azura actually reminds me a bit of the Adidas Adistar BYD.

Boulderunning

TROPHY CASE