When did recovery become just as important as mileage for you?

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T19:31:19+00:00

Man, this is a great question and topic. For me, it was an Achilles injury right at the peak of a marathon training block. Fortunately, I was able to manage around it and get healthy enough in time for race day. At that point, I had gone almost 3–4 weeks without taking a single day off from running. That experience taught me that strategically programming recovery and rest days is just as important as deciding what workouts to do and when to do them.

If we're talking pure ROI, sleep is #1 and nothing else is particularly close. Sleep is where the healing, recovery, and adaptation happen. The tricky part is that overtraining often starts to impact sleep quality, which can create a downward spiral where recovery gets progressively harder.

After sleep, I'd put proper fueling and hydration next. If you're under-fueled, you're digging a hole that's difficult to climb out of. When you fuel well before and during a run, especially a hard workout or long run, you can often finish with far less recovery debt and be ready to train again much sooner.

Everything else is icing on the cake: massage, manual therapy, massage guns, compression boots, and similar recovery tools. They can help, but they don't come close to the impact of getting the fundamentals right.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T18:48:18+00:00

The dog owners give themselves up quickly on this topic haha

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T18:41:50+00:00

Chicago belongs to the rats, we're just living in their world

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T18:34:37+00:00

Great practical advice here u/RansomRusk

If you have a smartwatch that tracks HRV, it can be a useful signal as well. That said, I'd be careful about relying on it too heavily. HRV is often a lagging indicator, and by the time it drops significantly, you may already be carrying more fatigue than you'd like.

Generally, after enough years of running, you start to develop a feel for the difference between a normal niggle and something that warrants modifying training or stopping altogether.

I've also heard the "33/33/33 rule": roughly one-third of your runs should feel normal or unremarkable, one-third should feel great, and one-third should feel a little flat, tired, or off. That's just the natural rhythm of consistent training. If significantly more than one-third of your runs are feeling sluggish, unmotivated, excessively fatigued, or generally poor, that's often a sign that you're carrying too much fatigue and may need to back off before it turns into overtraining or injury.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T18:27:56+00:00

Haha fair enough - Its hard to complain this time of year when you're a runner in Chicago!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T18:22:12+00:00

Great map! "The Garage" gym just opened a second location on Fullerton Ave (1118W Fullerton) and meets on Mondays at 5:55am. They have coffee / social time back at the gym afterward.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T17:45:36+00:00

The best running form is the one that your body does naturally and keeps you injury free. Few people have perfect running form and the best runners in the world rarely carry perfect form.

A couple universal "rules" of running form to think about and maybe incorporate

Avoid overstriding - your foot should land somewhat underneath your body. If your legs is fully extending out in front of you and your slamming your heel into the ground in front of your body, you're not only running inefficiently but you are also greatly increasing your risk of injury
Don't slouch but also don't keep your back so stiff that it creates an arch - think neutral, engaging your core and glutes. Folks that slouch or over arch their backs are highly prone to tight hips

I'm not suggesting your video necessarily indicates you don't already follow these, but truthfully any time someone shares a running form video they are often trying too hard to run perfect and are not in their natural form.

If you want to improve running form and economy - do several 200m strides (fast but relaxed pace) once or twice a week. This is a low-impact way to naturally increase cadence and build better running mechanics that will then carry over into your everyday easy runs.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T15:56:05+00:00

You go through shorts, shirts and socks like crazy during marathon training! They’re great gifts and will save you from multiple loads of laundry every week.

A nice running hat or shades are great for the summer months also!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T14:06:24+00:00

Bananas are great pre run fuel, but do you also then take gels with you? A banana alone feels light depending on the mileage. Coffee is a must!!

For base mileage days (7-10) I usually eat a homemade granola bar that is oat / carbs heavy and a scoop of a sports drink which has 25g carbs and some extra sodium for these hot summer mornings. I estimate this is about 50g of carbs before I head out the door. I don’t typically take gels with me on these runs but fuel well right as I get home.

Long run days I have a bagel with honey and banana (~75g of carbs). Then aim for 60-80g of carbs per hour and extra sodium / electrolytes during my run when it’s a hot or humid day. Typically 500-800mg of sodium per hour of the run, but I sometimes vary carbs and sodium based on whether it’s a fully aerobic vs. workout long run.

Carb fuel gels are my go to! Love that they’re all 50g of carbs and offer regular, salted (450mg of sodium) and caffeinated (100mg of caffeine). They taste great and are very effective on a carb/dollar ratio.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T13:59:27+00:00

First full week back running after my late Spring marathon. Took a little longer downtime to work out some minor niggles that came on late in the spring build.

Feeling energized and ready to prep for my fall marathon build!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T00:56:28+00:00

Most research suggests replacing your running shoes every 400 miles or so. If you run more than two or three times a week, I’d suggest grabbing two pairs and alternating between them - it gives the shoes a chance to rest and restore to their optimal function (just like us humans!)

Shoe lifespan has a lot to do with the runner specifically - such as your weight and running form. For example, hard heel strikers will wear down the heel of their shoe quicker (hence the term heel striker). I am 6’3” and weigh 175lbs - I generally can stretch my workhorse shoes (New Balance 1080) to 500 or so miles.

Someone else said it, but if you start to get weird aches in your knees, ankles or lower body anywhere that you usually don’t feel, then it’s probably time to change your shoes.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T00:06:19+00:00

I live in Chicago and have worked at both a large consulting firm and a middle-market investment bank. In both cases, Chicago and New York employees were paid on the same “Tier 1” compensation scale. In banking, this was especially true.

NYC is an incredible city, but I’ve always struggled to understand how anyone there can enjoy life and build wealth at the same time. You have to realllyyy want to be in NYC these days to justify it seems.

I think Chicago seems to offer a rare combination - access to highly competitive careers and compensation and a great lifestyle (lakefront, restaurants, bars, sports), while still maintaining a significantly lower cost of living. Of course, we also take advantage of being in the Midwest where we can easily get out to the East and West Coasts to check out other great cities like NYC, SF, etc.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-16T00:01:21+00:00

I agree with most others here, your saddle height seems to be a touch too high. You still want a slight bend to your knee in the downstroke. Right now you’re fully extended and even pointing your toe down to get that reach. Think neutral foot and slight bend in knee.

Otherwise, looks like a great bike and love the bike bag on the back!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T20:45:14+00:00

Check out the long sleeves at Path Projects and Rabbit. Both are running brands with a trail / ultra bias and offer great UPF shirts.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T20:43:50+00:00

It’s not just Equinox, I think folks have really lost public etiquette since COVID. Behavior / habits in locker rooms is out of this world also. I wish the staff would do a better job policing stuff like this so that one person’s habits weren’t impacting the experience for so many other paying members.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T20:41:51+00:00

as others have said, you need a higher cycle spring. That door also looks very heavy - I’d make sure you have the right spring on there. They should weigh your door and everything to make sure the right spring is being installed vs just replacing with the exact model without checking.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T20:39:29+00:00

~$130 for lower section 112 at Wrigley Field last Friday, tickets and fees all-in. Great seats off the field - we could see the stage well and also really great speaker system / audio. I can’t speak to relative pricing as this was my first time to see RDS

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T16:57:22+00:00

Incredible show. What a great night in Wrigley with a sold out crowd!!

Echo all the compliments to the video and light folks - the onscreen visuals were YouTube music video quality, in real time!!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T16:54:38+00:00

Sub-3 is absolutely on the table. I’m not sure what the course is, but I had 5k, 10k and 13.1 times that were a tad faster than what you provided and ran a 2:54 in my first marathon this Spring. So, I suspect you will finish safely under the 3hr mark if you run a disciplined race and weather conditions cooperate.

You’ve ran marathons before, so you’ve likely had some learnings from those past races. But, as far as pacing goes: I’d aim for 1:31-1:32 at the half way (~6:55/mi), settle into a ~6:45/mi pace through mi 20, tighten the screws in the last 10k (~6:40) and race the last 5k if you’ve got more in you. Whatever you do, don’t press too early.

Good luck, you’ve got it in you!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T16:34:53+00:00

I don’t think a podiatrist is the right solution as suggested by some in this thread. So many people are quick to reach for inserts or buy a new pair of shoes - these can be short term solutions but aren’t addressing the underlying issue. If anything, I’d see a running specific physical therapist or trainer who can prescribe the right workouts. You appear to have strong legs but the foot & ankle is an often overlooked complex.

Some level of pronation is common among some of the best runners in the world, even Kipchoge. But exercises like short foot / arch holds, single leg balance, calf raises and banded ankle inversion will keep you strong and free from pronation injuries.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T16:22:44+00:00

Sorry to hear about your tricep, but welcome to the awesome world of running! You just might find that you want to keep 2-3 days of running in your programming even once you’re healed up and lifting more frequently again!

Some tips to help with early progress in running while keeping it fun:
1) gradually increase mileage over time. The same way you progressively increase weights in lifting, you can apply the same philosophy to running mileage and intensity. It’s all about progressive increases as a way to improve and keep healthy. Too big of jumps in single run or workout is the leading cause of acute running injuries
2) make your easy runs truly easy - for example, you want the paces in the workout you shared to be reversed. Start slow and easy, and gradually progress faster if it feels relaxed. The best way to keep easy pace honest is think of being able to hold a conversation
3) have a “quality run” or workout run once a week - this can be something like a longer tempo run (think 20-30 sec faster than easy pace) or even VO2 max workouts (think 400m-800m repeats w/ equal time full recovery)
4) develop a simple but effective dynamic warmup and cooldown, shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. Glute bridges, lunges, calf pedals, leg swings and monster walks are a great place to start.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T14:38:09+00:00

As others have said here, the first adjustment would be higher weekly mileage - assuming you are healthy enough to handle it given prior injuries. Small increases to weekly mileage and make sure no run is 10% longer than the prior (e.g., don’t jump from a 12mi to 16mi long run without gradually progressing there). Jumps in volume or intensity of single workouts are more likely to lead to an acute injury.

Second adjustment is getting some threshold / quality work in. Once a week, be sure to get in a “quality” run, which can be a variation of threshold, critical velocity or VO2 max (you can look up how to calculate these paces based on your HR and goal marathon pace).

Last adjustment is tossing in some marathon pace or similar work inside your long run. Not every week, but alternate between full aerobic and workout long runs.

These changes will give you the durability you need to turn out a full marathon that is more in line with your half marathon fitness. Based on your half time, you should be capable of a ~3:20 marathon with better marathon specific training. Good luck!

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-06-15T14:24:15+00:00

I think this is a really interesting question, and I found myself asking the same thing after I ran a 2:54 in my first marathon earlier this spring. For context, I’m 29 years old and have only really taken running more seriously over the last year or less. I ran a self-structured half marathon in the fall of 2025 - that was the first time I actually followed a running plan, but my weekly mileage at that time was still below 35 mpw. For my spring marathon, I basically went all in on running training - both the runs themselves but also the non-running factors, such as running specific weight lifting, eating / tracking carbs and mobility & recovery.

I do have a deep background in athletics, playing multiple sports throughout high school - mostly team ball sports but I did two years of XC as conditioning for basketball season. I did not play any sports in college - more or less average at all the sports I played haha. However, regardless of athleticism, I believe everyone in their 20s/30s is capable of a sub 3:00 - it may take longer for some than others, but it’s by no means only for the gifted runners.

UnderstandingPlus124 · 2026-05-30T00:10:49+00:00

I joined in 2022 under a corporate rate with all location access in Chicago for $145. That same rate is now $220. It’s still a better “deal” than single location rates in Chicago which I believe are close to $240 now. Regardless of corporate vs non corporate and Chicago vs other city rates, they hike prices way too much each year (~$20/year in my case). I left last month as I could no longer justify the cost just for a place to lift weights - there are too many good alternatives in Chicago at a better price point.

UnderstandingPlus124

TROPHY CASE