The #1 Easy Pace Mistake That Wrecks Your Fall Marathon Training

Welcome back to Run to the Top! After a year-long break, we're back with a new format, a new permanent co-host in Coach Sara, and a lineup of new segments designed to make this show more interactive and more useful for your training.

Most runners start fall marathon training by adding miles. The intention is right, but the execution goes wrong immediately: their "easy" runs land in the gray zone, which means every mile costs more recovery than it should.

A study of 119,000 marathon runners found that the fastest finishers weren't training harder. They were running easier, more often.

Today's show covers:

Why we've been away and what's new with the show
What easy pace actually means, with real numbers and a 3-test diagnostic you can use today
The science behind why slow running builds a bigger aerobic engine than moderate running
5 specific costs of running your easy days too fast, and how the damage compounds over a training cycle
A coaching case study: fixing a masters runner whose easy pace was 30 seconds off marathon goal pace

If you're kicking off a fall marathon cycle right now, this is the single most impactful adjustment you can make in week 1. Get this right and the next 16 weeks go better. Get it wrong and you'll spend the cycle fighting fatigue you created on day one.

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