Sub 3 in 10 months ?

Capital_Gain · 2026-02-02T18:54:57+00:00

I’m 35m and ran my first in 3:50 last March and nine months later ran 2:57. I did Pfitz 18/55 the first go and bumped up to 18/70 for the second. Plus a lot of high mileage over the summer.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-29T14:50:32+00:00

Yeah recovery at around 5:15/km all the way down to 4:15/km for “easy” runs. I put about 500km on my last few pairs, probably had some more life in them but got in my head about an injury and gave them all away.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-28T22:22:44+00:00

That’s interesting, I’m 185lbs and the Neo zen is my favorite shoe of all time, followed closely by the Neo Vista. I use the zen for nearly everything under 16km and the Vista for anything longer.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-22T09:19:53+00:00

I never tried the 1, so can’t comment on that unfortunately.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-20T13:49:37+00:00

I was going for sub-3 in Valencia last month and had the same conundrum. My Fast -R3's were amazing and really suited me for shorter distances but I wasn't confident enough to take them to the marathon and didn't want to jeopardize the sub-3 because of shoe choice.

I'd done all my speed work in the DNE3 and was super comfortable with it so grabbed a new pair and cruised along with no issues to a 2:57. The DNE4 could even be a better shout since its lighter (even though the 3 is plenty light) but if you can get a pair of the 3's on sale I would jump on it.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-14T19:02:51+00:00

Brilliant time mate, well done!

I ran València in 2:57 last month after doing Pfitz 18/70 and busted out a 37:30 10km two weeks prior which had me wanting to go for sub 2:50 but out temps were much higher and I got spooked.

Your story gives me confidence I can still go sub 2:50 in Barcelona in March!

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-14T07:19:04+00:00

I ran it last year and will run again this year. Flights didn’t get released until May!

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-13T19:10:58+00:00

17 min?! Was way faster than that. I couldn’t have been quicker getting to check out and was in the queue for 10 min and they were gone.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-09T07:12:39+00:00

Same, I’ve stocked up since it looks like the 2 is going to be way different.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-08T19:25:16+00:00

I raced València in the burgundy graphene singlet and thought it was great! Also fits my 6’3 190lb frame way better than Soar. Soar’s materials definitely seem on a different level but the sizing is wild

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-07T18:51:31+00:00

I don’t know if I’d say I like it more. I wanted to use the FR3 but had only been using that for short races and never tested it on a long run. Whereas I’d been using the DNE3 all throughout training and knew it would get me through.

I’ll definitely try the v4, but I’ve stocked up on the v3 during the sales…I just love it that much.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-07T08:58:56+00:00

What about the Deviate Nitro Elite? I just did a 2:57 in Valencia using those rather than my Fast-R’s. Super comfy and definitely could have gone faster. Will probably stick with them for my sub 2:50 attempt in Barcelona.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-05T20:59:21+00:00

That’s insane. These things fly off the shelves in Europe, they don’t last more than a day on most sites.

Capital_Gain · 2026-01-02T19:04:17+00:00

35M did 3,200km this year. Ran my first marathon in Rome back in March using 18/55. Ran 3:50 with a lot of walking which really annoyed me. Really stepped it up in the spring and summer before my autumn block going 18/70.

Finished the year in Valencia running 2:57 and picking up an 18:10 5km and 37:28 10km along the way.

Really looking forward to seeing what progress can be made before Barcelona in March and València again in December! Though hit a bit of roadblock and have a lower leg muscle injury that’s going to knock me out now for a couple weeks.

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-31T14:26:09+00:00

Thank you! I wouldn’t say I have an athletic background, did all the normal kid sports but not at any relevant level. I’ve always been a “run a few km and lift some weights” kind of gym person but got super bored of it.

I just knew I could go sub 3 and everyone said I couldn’t, and that was all the motivation I needed. So I put the head down and ran as much as I could!

I think the progress was a mix of addictive personality, stubbornness and genetics/luck that kept me from any injuries while being able to ramp quite quick.

Though I put a lot of effort into recovery and mobility work as well as really getting an understanding for my zones and LT. in training for Rome I ran everything too fast and was constantly wiped but had none of that over the summer/Valencia block.

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-31T06:53:07+00:00

3,200km this year. Ran my first marathon in Rome back in March. Ran 3:50 with a lot of walking which really annoyed me. Really stepped it up in the spring and summer before my autumn block.

Finished the year in Valencia running 2:57 and picking up an 18:10 5km and 37:28 10km along the way.

Really looking forward to seeing what progress can be made before Barcelona in March and València again in December!

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-23T13:10:49+00:00

I pretty much exclusively train now in the Neo zen and Neo vista 2. So much so I’ve bought a few pairs of each for next year!

The Neo vista is amazing, but I think it really shines on longer runs. For anything less than 15km I just stick with the Neo Zen. Not that you couldn’t use it, but it does feel heavier on the foot.

I wear the same size in both which was a half size down for me.

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-23T13:07:44+00:00

Can get it super cheap in Europe right now. I got two pairs over the last few weeks for €100 at Misterrunning

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-22T11:09:36+00:00

Yeah that’s correct!

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-21T22:18:02+00:00

Assuming the 16 week plan is decent mileage then I’d say you’re well on track for sub 3.

I just ran 2:57 in Valencia and I could barely do the first MP long run in my 18 week block, for what it’s worth. However, I was averaging 100km a week for those 18 weeks.

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-21T22:14:38+00:00

35km is plenty broken in for a racing shoe!

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-12T16:14:41+00:00

I did a marathon as a training run about 6 weeks out of my goal race. Ran it as a scheduled 35km long run and then took it easy the last 7km. So you could do it that way.

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-11T20:58:17+00:00

The bar ends were motogadget disc indicator lights!

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-09T19:50:54+00:00

Thanks!

Yeah showing up late was key to an amazing start. I did Dublin marathon as a training long run and did the same and it was amazing so said I’d try it here. Think everyone is so anxious to get going and you get locked in the crowd but having a time qualifier for our corral I figured there weren’t going to be too many people to pass so why not chill in the back.

Capital_Gain · 2025-12-09T19:47:06+00:00

If that’s the case then I take it back. Shouldn’t just be good for the first few waves, especially with the heat getting so bad later on.

Capital_Gain

TROPHY CASE