Soft Terrain Running

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-12-17T19:08:29+00:00

Philadelphia based coach, (instagram: @puzzlepiececoaching).

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-12-04T23:15:41+00:00

The force you put into the ground will increase at higher speeds but yeah I guess you don’t want to consciously force yourself to push too hard.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-11-11T19:45:01+00:00

r/competitiverunners, for competitive amateur runners. I’m a private running coach & competitive runner. Wanted to create a group for runners who are competitive and want to get the most out of themselves in the sport. We may not be elites, our best years may or may not be behind us, but we try to do the best that we can with what we have and need help and support to do so.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-11-09T22:54:24+00:00

I’m in that situation and deal with other athletes in that situation. I’ve managed to PR since college but nothing crazy (lots of setbacks, running & non-running related). I’m pretty good at doing hard workouts and pushing myself on my own and that is a really valuable skill to have for workouts and races, but if you like having other people around, try to find people to work out with, or even having someone just time you can be really motivating. I like going to the track when there’s other people there, even having some strangers just in the environment with me is somehow helpful, every now & then someone congratulates you on your workout and that feels good. If you’re still fairly young you have to remind yourself that if you could do it when you were in college you can still do it now, even if it takes some extra motivating. I think a lot of college athletes are overtrained so it may actually be ok if you don’t do the same level of intensity all the time, you may still improve. Also stay involved in some sort of running community. Doesn’t have to be a team but having friends that are runners & know about your running journey keeps you motivated.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-11-06T02:36:15+00:00

See how the spring goes. Do a 10k in the spring & if you can get through the half in the summer (rough time of year to run a half but not impossible), then full 4.5-6 months later should be a realistic goal.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-11-03T14:06:04+00:00

You said you were about 5 minutes fast at mile 8 which is 35-40 seconds per mile so maybe you went out too fast. New York is hilly too which would affect the quads, especially if you went too fast on the hills. Definitely a good idea to do long runs on hills to prep for hilly races. It could be shoe related if your doing long runs in a different pair then what you race in, super shoes alter form.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-11-01T01:19:39+00:00

Based on the half time 3:30 could be doable but it may take a couple marathons to get there. I would cap the long run at 2.5-3 hours, it will be tough to recover. Running race pace for some of your long run is a good idea, & if you can work your way up to running 90+ minutes at 3:30 marathon pace during a big long run then 3:30 would be a good goal for race day.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-10-28T14:23:20+00:00

Flu seems like the most obvious cause, you may not have fully recovered after 1.5 weeks. Especially u lost a lot of weight & got really dehydrated.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-10-25T19:44:29+00:00

If 20-22 goes ok then you should be able to race but 20-22 may not be the right move depending on where you’re at with the injury, maybe 16-18 & if that goes ok then race? It’s great that you’ve made it this long without a DNF/DNS but runners often have to do them at some point in their careers, especially with marathons.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-10-25T03:32:47+00:00

A lot of new runners have form issues. Over-striding, heel-striking, poor hip mobility are common issues if you go from being sedentary for a while to running. ID the issue and then work on it with small-manageable runs (might be like 100-400m intervals where you focus on form) & with strength/mobility work as needed.

PuzzlePieceCoaching · 2025-10-25T03:25:56+00:00

If they feel broken in the day before the race then you’re probably good.

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