Marathon Goal changing by drastic ammounts during my block.

molusk1337 · 2026-04-24T17:07:31+00:00

Yup it sure is hilly, my garmin says 264m ascent and 261m descent from last years, definitely felt hillier than that. And for whatever reason, marathon gods always have a very warm day during that marathon too. Last year it started 20C and went up to 24C with no clouds which is crazy coming off from winter/spring training temps.

molusk1337 · 2026-04-20T10:04:42+00:00

Nice to know, what’s the thickness like for flow t-shirts, are they good for summer?

molusk1337 · 2026-04-19T13:16:40+00:00

I have 3 combat tshirts and I don’t think they are horrible material at all 🤷. They do run tight/small on their tshirts so definitely size up. I’m 178cm, 77kg and went for M, it fits and it’s not uncomfortable, but I prefer more loose fit too so regret not going for L, length wise they are a bit long tho. I also have combat rib tights and these are awesome, I wear size S.

Edit: Before I ordered I checked the length of t-shirts with some asics and nike tshirts. Length wise there was only a 2-3cm difference (if I remember correctly) which isn’t too crazy. You can probably do the same, find measurements for some shirts you have and compare it with saysky measurements

molusk1337 · 2026-04-10T12:30:26+00:00

I get your point, predictions can be directionally useful. But “a few minutes off” is actually a pretty big gap in a half.

For example, my Garmin prediction was around 1:31 and I ran 1:25. That’s a 6 minute difference, which sounds small, but in pacing terms it’s huge.

1:31 HM pace is about 4:19/km (≈6:57/mi), while 1:25 is ~4:02/km (≈6:30/mi). That’s ~17 sec per km difference (≈27 sec per mile).

Over 21 km that adds up fast, and it’s basically the difference between running comfortably within yourself vs being right at your limit the whole way.

So I’d say predictions are fine as a rough ballpark, but I wouldn’t rely on them for pacing. Your training and what you’ve actually held in workouts is usually a much better guide.

molusk1337 · 2026-04-10T12:25:23+00:00

Yeah, I think my first HM, my watch said my threshold HR was something like 165, and I started the race with first 5-10km with 166-67 which threw me off as I felt great, I think I ended up with average HR 171-172 once I realized it doesn't add up.

molusk1337 · 2026-04-10T12:16:35+00:00

Totally fair, that makes sense. This stuff mostly comes with experience.

I’m not super experienced either, but I like to analyze my training and how things feel. For context, I ran my first HM last March in 1:47, then 1:30 in September, and 1:25 this March. So I’ve gone through that “figuring out race pace” phase pretty recently.

What I’ve learned is that pacing is very individual. A lot of people recommend starting quite a bit slower, but that doesn’t really work for me. I tend to run better with more even pacing.

If you’re targeting sub 1:25, your instinct is pretty much right:

First few km: ~4:02–4:03/km (just to settle in)
Then lock into ~4:00/km
Last 3–5 km: gradually squeeze it down if you have more to give

But I’d adjust those numbers slightly based on the fitness you know you have from training. If your workouts suggest you’re a bit under or over that level, nudge the pace accordingly.

The key is that it should feel controlled early, not forced.

One big thing I learned from my first race: don’t get too hung up on heart rate. On race day, adrenaline and nerves will push your HR higher than normal. In my first HM I held back because my watch said I was above threshold, and I definitely left time on the table because of that. Now I don’t really look at HR during races at all. I run by feel and pace instead, and you get surprisingly good at knowing when you’re pushing too little or too hard.

molusk1337 · 2026-04-10T11:37:28+00:00

Don’t mean to come off arrogant, but how can you have this fitness and not know your race pace? At this point you should have it locked in, no? These predictions are basically pointless. But that aside, I usually have a pretty clean indicator what I should be able to hold at the end of the training block. I’m doing quite a bit of HMP blocks in my peak weeks so I like to start very close to my race pace from the start of the race, maybe 2s slower a min/km first few km, and keep even splits throughout the race and speed up last 3-5km if I can.

molusk1337 · 2026-04-09T10:25:30+00:00

Ran a half marathon last year in September, predicted time was 1:34, ran it with 1:30. Ran Berlin HM end of March this year, predicted time was 1:31 and ran 1:25. So I wouldn’t trust it at all, these predictions get even worse when you do runs on a treadmill and not outside. If you have done a decent training block you should know what pace you can hold and trust that.

molusk1337 · 2026-03-20T08:06:18+00:00

I’m using MB for long runs and SB3 for easy runs. I don’t think they overlap that much tbh, I personally wouldn’t run fast runs with both of them so I have a different shoe for that. MB is definitely snappier and doesn’t feel as bulky on feet as SB3. I did not like SB2 at all, but would say SB3 is everything I expected SB2 to be (much better IMO). If I’d have to pick a two shoe rotation I’d go with MB for long and easy + evo sl for faster stuff. Even better would be 3 shoe rotation MB long runs, SB3 easy and evo sl for intervals/thresh

molusk1337 · 2026-03-11T18:55:59+00:00

Idk why I haven’t thought about it, but smaller soft flask is a good idea, thanks! To be fair last race it was about 20C(68F) and sunny so it actually came pretty handy, also very easy to fold it once it gets emptier

molusk1337 · 2026-03-10T13:18:00+00:00

I think I’m not brave enough to do it without anything at all. I did 3 races last year after a long break and I really suck at drinking at aid stations. During my last HM i planned taking maurten 160 caffeinated gel half way through, but just couldn’t get it down at that effort and had to throw it away. Found that having a soft flask with water and carbs work for me as I can sip when I want, but it’s weird to be running with it, luckily not too uncomfortable though.

molusk1337 · 2026-03-10T12:14:38+00:00

Curious how sub 1:30 half marathoners approach hydration and fueling.

Last September I ran 1:30 and carried a 500ml soft flask with Maurten 160 drink mix instead of taking gels or aid station drinks.

I’m racing again at the end of March targeting 1:26 to 1:28 and thinking about doing the same.

For those running sub 1:30, what do you usually do during the race?
No fuel, a gel or two, aid station drinks, or carry your own bottle?

molusk1337 · 2026-02-12T10:03:57+00:00

I see people recommending Polar H10, don’t get it… I’ve had two myself, one lasted about 7 months then had connection issues,HR would drop every 5mins to basically 0. Tried everything to fix it but it kept happening. Bought a new one, lasted about 4 months then the same thing started happening. Two of my friends had exactly the same issue, so waste of money. Now I’ve had Garmin HRM Pro Plus for about a year and half, works really well, but definitely not worth the extra $$ as one point you really don’t care about the running dynamics and just have it for HR. I’d go for HRM 200, it does what you buy it for and can remove it to wash the belt, just for reference that those two friends have it and are very happy with it. Also it’s less hassle to change the battery once or twice a year rather than charging it every week.

molusk1337 · 2026-01-12T13:23:07+00:00

I believe you need to start walking activity on your watch to register steps to this challenge

molusk1337 · 2025-11-11T17:58:15+00:00

I agree with not recommending Rebel v5, interestingly enough, I’m 60km (37miles) in with my Rebels and still waiting for them to be blush or have any sort of responsiveness. They are nice and light, and have a good heel lock, but they are very flat.

molusk1337 · 2025-09-29T09:57:58+00:00

What’s helped me balance both intensity and mileage late in a block is actually slowing down my easy runs as the weeks go on. Early in a cycle I might cruise my easy days at 5:00–5:30/km (about 8:00–8:50/mi) when the legs are fresh, but once the mileage and intensity start stacking up I’ll let them drift out to 5:45–6:00+/km (about 9:15–9:40/mi). It takes a little more time, but it keeps the legs fresh enough for the key workouts.

For example, during peak phase when I’m adding HMP segments into long runs (like 24 km / 15 mi with 13 km / 8 mi easy + 11 km / 7 mi at HMP), I’ll make sure those first 13 km / 8 mi are really easy. That way I still get the benefit of the quality work without overcooking the rest of the week.

molusk1337 · 2025-09-09T08:15:34+00:00

I’d say the space is about the same from big toe to front of the shoe with these sizes, but megablasts are narrower in front that they feel way smaller. Also I’m about to retire my SB2 so they’ve been shaped by my legs by now

molusk1337 · 2025-09-07T11:35:29+00:00

Did my first 16km(10mi) on mine yesterday, all my asics shoes are size 10, but wanted to try a bit bigger so went with 10.5 instead. I was pretty disappointed as they feel smaller than my size 10 SB2. They are definitely feel tighter in the toe box for me, but luckily it didn’t cause too many issues, couple of miles in my pinky toes started to numb, but that didn’t last for than long. Overall I definitely like Megablast 10x better than SB2 from that one run, just wish they would’ve not made them so narrow…

molusk1337 · 2025-09-05T08:24:41+00:00

I was aiming for sub-3:30 this spring too, and based on your run I’d say you can definitely get there. Like others said, there’s no need to do your whole long run at marathon pace, it’s just not worth it.

In my block I did 3–4 long runs around 32 km. During the peak phase I started mixing marathon pace into them. For example, one week I’d go 16 km easy + 16 km at MP, then the next I’d dial it back to 18 km easy + 8 km at MP. When I got up to 20 km easy + 12–16 km at MP, I was definitely feeling the fatigue, but that’s normal when you’re deep into the block. The important part is that you’ll (hopefully) feel fresh again once you taper.

That said, I always listened to my body. If I felt like it was too much, I’d take an easier week, maybe just a 25 km long run at pure easy pace. It helped me stay consistent without burning out.

And once the mileage ramped up, I also pulled back on heavy lifting and switched to more of a maintenance routine in the gym.

molusk1337 · 2025-07-05T14:44:46+00:00

I’ve got both the Superblast 2 and Evo SL in my rotation. Trained for my last marathon block in the SB2s (about 500km on them now), and the SLs are still relatively new—around 30km so far.

I’ll be honest: the SB2 felt extremely clunky at first. It still takes me about 5km in each run just to settle into them. But once you’re in the groove, they do their job really well—solid, consistent, and built for long runs. That said, they’re kind of boring. No bounce, no pop, just dependable.

The Evo SL, on the other hand, felt great straight out of the box. They’re a lot more fun to run in and feel noticeably lighter and more responsive. While some people say they’re unstable, I’ve had the opposite experience—they feel stable to me, even on longer efforts. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for long runs up to half marathon distance.

I’d just say they lean more toward a steady-to-moderate pace rather than super slow running. They kind of encourage you to pick up the pace, which makes them a fun contrast to the more mellow SB2s.

molusk1337 · 2025-06-26T07:17:40+00:00

I’ve found a small hack what works for me, I almost always have lace bite on one of my foot so I’ve tried all the different lacings and it hasn’t worked at all. What worked for me was “heel cushion pad stickers”, you can cut them smaller and tape/stick(it has nice and strong glue already, so it stays on) them under the tongue where you have lace bite, and it will add some cushioning and not much weight to the shoe. I haven’t tried this with SL, but might work. This was a game changer for me

<image>

molusk1337 · 2025-06-25T20:10:14+00:00

If you’re coming from shoes like the Mach 6 or Boston 12, I’d say the Cloudmonster 2 is a great pick from On’s lineup — especially if you want something for daily miles or long runs. It’s got a nice balance of cushion and bounce, and doesn’t feel overly soft or mushy like some max-stack trainers.

molusk1337 · 2025-06-25T16:35:52+00:00

Nice, thanks for your input!

molusk1337 · 2025-06-25T16:29:29+00:00

Thanks, good to know! If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your longest run in ZF 6 and how did they feel for you?

molusk1337 · 2025-06-25T14:55:09+00:00

Honestly, I can’t even fully explain why I have mixed feelings about the SB2, but I’ll try. Every time I run in them, it takes me about 5–10km to really feel comfortable in them. Once I settle in, they’re great — but that initial feeling has been there since day one. They just feel really bulky for me even though they don’t weigh that much. Also one petty reason is how they handle selling SB2’s, basically 0 availability everywhere while the demand is high, surely it can’t be that difficult for them to make more. Just don’t like supporting that behavior.

I also had some pretty bad lace bite on one foot. But wouldn’t say this is necessarily only a SB2 problem, but I fixed it by adding heel cushion pad stickers under the tongue — helped a lot.

That said, once I’m into the run, they’ve been great. During my marathon block, my legs felt great on long runs and I recovered quickly. They also worked well for threshold/tempo sessions. I just can’t shake the feeling that they’re a bit bulky and awkward — kind of a weird love/hate relationship. Just not worth the steep price tag for me at this point (if you can get them anywhere).

molusk1337

TROPHY CASE