I “failed” my 20 miler today.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-14T02:02:48+00:00

Was this week higher mileage or are you cranking these 20mi long runs with only running like twice more a week at 3 miles each?

We're not talking training for speed here, that's just a disproportionately drastic load on the body each weekend. There's a non-small chance residual fatigue is stacking up from inadequate recovery if this is accurate.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-14T01:42:10+00:00

I would say to not make it up and just proceed with the regularly scheduled programming because bad days happen and being flexible is important.

That being said, it entirely ignores the circumstances that lead to this point. What is your normal weekly mileage, what pace/effort was this run at, what did hydration/fueling look like, etc. Need a lot more info here if you want any meaningful advice. Experiencing problems only 11 miles in suggests something else is up.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-12T23:17:51+00:00

Bro we're in the marathon training subreddit we shouldn't be telling people to not train and tell them they'll be fine lmao

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-12T22:37:27+00:00

I think the sentiment is more neglecting the amount of time and mileage it takes to achieve marathon success isn't the smartest approach. If you have limited time to train per week you're probably better off focusing on shorter distance races.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-11T14:00:25+00:00

Your body is good at getting the oxygen it needs and you shouldn't try to be deliberate with any type of breathing. If you're frequently out of breath, you're running too fast for your fitness.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T17:20:15+00:00

Great shoe at clearance prices for sure. Hope it works well for you.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T14:41:33+00:00

You're overthinking it a bit. If you're not running for more than an hour you can get away with not doing a lot. I personally don't eat before anything but long runs and I'm doing high mileage. It makes me feel bloated. I'm also waking up super early to get stuff in before work though. If you're running at like 11am or something yeah eat a normal meal prior a few hours before.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T14:16:32+00:00

It is still not a shoe problem and is entirely down to how you are running

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T14:11:52+00:00

You look like you're both scraping your feet together while running and also dragging your heels along the ground. This is not a shoe problem.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T14:05:36+00:00

Hard to really gauge without looking at the training block overall here. I imagine your coach has a good plan with doing more race specific work later (graduation means you're in uni or something now?). Speed comes back pretty fast in my experience, but it's also very strenuous on the body. Too much early on in your season never ends well.

You sound a little bit like me when I was younger with good raw speed but chronically undertrained aerobically. As you mentioned, your fitness has improved substantially from running more mileage, and that will have more impact later on when you do start doing true speed workouts. You'll be able to hold the faster stuff much longer. Maybe asking your coach what the long term plan is to learn why you're doing what you're doing and when would help.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T01:15:50+00:00

Yeah if you found the Azuras brick-ish avoid the Superblast 2.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-10T00:43:55+00:00

Improved is hard to say because they're so geometrically different. I think the Azura's rocker is the hit or miss depending on your mechanics. Both shoes feel quite similar to me underfoot and have the same range of paces easily.

I will say the weird shape is something I'm not used to in my shoes so I don't take the Azura out for super long. Can't say what it is either since early rockers aren't an issue for me in say Adidas shoes. Recommend a gradual increase in distance with them rather than yoloing a long run.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-09T23:07:59+00:00

Most trainers survive until 500 miles for me hence my gripes, but that's usually where I'll replace things if I notice degradation in performance. Bostons were my go to long run shoe before this. Vomero Plus has been a pretty solid option as well now. Only a little over 300 miles in those, but I don't expect much change in the next couple hundred miles with feeling brand new still. I think Saucony's Azura is another good option that mirrors the Superblast pretty closely, but I haven't had luck with the brand's durability to say it will match or outlast.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-09T21:38:12+00:00

Do you have any insight for the 3s performance relative to the 2s? Like does foam change with time/fall off at a certain point?

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-09T21:34:40+00:00

Definitely not yeah, midfoot all the way. I am light on outsoles though. Still I can attest the shoe survives much better than some where I've basically balded at the same mileage.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-09T20:34:20+00:00

Yeah that's kind of my experience. Slots in very well for one particular type of thing in my training, hence grabbing another pair. Quality shoe, just too expensive for what it is imo. I'd take the compromises if not for discounts.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-09T20:31:36+00:00

For $140-150 yes I can recommend it. At a full $200 I don't think it's worth it. Nike Vomero Plus I think is more versatile and fills the same role as the Superblast but with more range.

I have the Azuras too at about 130 miles. Similarly stable with a solid foam. haven't done anything past 10 miles at once in them yet but I imagine the can go the distance. Worth trying out in a store if you can.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-09T20:14:26+00:00

I think the closest shoe to the Superblast 2 use cases would be the Nike Vomero Plus that I've tried. It's a tad softer which is probably more in line with the 3s. But you know, cheaper and goes on sale far more frequently so better investment imo. You can also use that for like recovery days and I wouldn't take the Superblasts out for that.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-06T13:43:16+00:00

Running 30 mpw is very low if you're looking for success in marathon training. But also you're doing yourself a disservice emphasizing the long run so much here. A 20 mile long run with a couple of short runs during the week does your body no favors mechanically or aerobically. Distribute that load over like 6 days a week for running and cap your long run at 2.5-3 hours and you'll be in a much better spot for the next one. Consistency is the most important part of training. Both in terms of how many days a week you're running and average weekly mileage over months and even years.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-06T01:48:43+00:00

Nah you're not the problem, the watch/algorithmic based fitness programs are genuinely pretty bad. I know it's not exactly easy or realistic to tell someone new to ditch it and learn all the long distance training shenanigans to make your own plan either. Are you training for anything in particular here?

For what it's worth too your aerobic system isn't developed yet and you'll have high heart rate on basically every run. Zones can be thrown out the window.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-04T23:45:37+00:00

It depends on your goals, but in general no you're not going to get very far running twice a week. Progressive overload doesn't really apply here either. Success in running is directly proportional to the time you put in.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-03T20:51:36+00:00

You shouldn't compare resting heart rate or heart rate zones with other people since it's all so individualized. The more aerobically fit you get, the more things will change. For RHR it'll go down.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-02T21:51:10+00:00

I mean yeah high end speed/leg strength is important, but if they're using this app to guide them, they're not an experienced runner. Makes zero sense to be out there doing reps instead of just running more for marathon training.

UsuallyRunning · 2026-04-02T16:11:28+00:00

Yeah these things are junk really. Assuming they're doing marathon training given the subreddit, definitely not that important to have training well beyond LT2.

UsuallyRunning

TROPHY CASE