After my week off from running I finally started running again this week, I'm very big on rest after my marathon and I'll usually take a few weeks of just easy low mileage before adding anything too intense in.  With the last World Major Marathon behind us we shift our focus to the smaller city marathons, while a lot of us move into our offseason and start putting together some goals for 2026.  While it's always exciting to look ahead, never miss an opportunity to look back on your year and be proud of some of your big moments and all you have accomplished.  Now let's dive into this week's topics.  

 

-Nick K

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned runner, one of the most valuable skills you can develop and continue to practice is patience.

 

Patience is what keeps you grounded when goals don’t go as planned. It’s what helps you stay in the sport longer, see your progress when all you can focus on is a missed goal, and remind yourself that a goal missed is not a goal denied, it’s just a goal not yet achieved.

 

In today’s running world, it’s easy to get caught up in comparisons, qualifying times, and the chase for instant results. We finish a training block, and we expect that to equal success. But endurance fitness doesn’t work on a straight line, it’s built over time, layer by layer.

 

Some barriers fall quickly; others take months or even years. For me, it took around seven years of consistent training to reach my peak. Sure, I hit plenty of PRs along the way, but those breakthroughs were the result of patience and persistence stacking up over time.

 

So what can we learn from patience?

First, that every runner’s timeline is different. Genetics, training background, and life all play a role. Second, that endurance is built through sustainable training blocks, ones that gradually increase intensity and volume in ways your body can handle. You can’t rush endurance. And while “trial by fire” training might seem faster, it often burns you out before you get where you want to go.

 

So the next time you finish a training block and fall short of your goal, let yourself be disappointed for a moment, you earned that emotion. But then remind yourself: all that hard work doesn’t disappear. It’s part of your foundation now.

 

Start your next block knowing you’re still moving forward, still building, still growing. That’s what patience looks like and it’s what makes you unstoppable in the long run.

 

-Nick K Baltimore, MD

As you prepare for your next big race and enter your final peak week long run, I want to share a little tip that can make a huge difference on race day: do a dress rehearsal run.

 

What’s a dress rehearsal? It’s your chance to test everything before the big day, just like a full race-day simulation. The night before, eat your planned pre-race dinner. In the morning, have the same breakfast you’ll eat before the race. Then suit up in your full race-day kit.  That means socks, singlet, shorts or tights, and of course, your race shoes. During the run, follow your fueling plan exactly as you intend to on race day.

 

The goal is simple: work out any issues now, not when it counts most. Maybe your shoes don’t hold up for the full distance, your kit causes chafing, or your fuel doesn’t sit right late in the run. These are all lessons you want to learn before race day.

 

So as you wrap up your training block, make sure to schedule a dress rehearsal run. A little testing now can save you a lot of trouble later and help you toe the start line with confidence.

 

-Nick K Baltimore, MD

What question do you want the Running Explained team to answer in next week's newsletter mailbag? You tell us! Is there another question you'd like us to answer in a future issue? Send us a note!

 

— JoJo

We asked, you answered and this week's question is “What's one thing you do the week after a marathon?”

 

I’ll skip the obvious answer… rest. Most runners know their body needs time off after 26.2 miles. But one thing that often gets overlooked in recovery week is nutrition.

 

Your body just went through hours of effort, and proper fueling is what helps it rebuild. The workout isn’t really over until recovery begins. So even if you’re not running, keep eating like an athlete: aim for balanced meals with carbs and protein to repair your muscles and restore energy.

 

So as you take off some time after your race to not run at all, make sure you still fuel your body accordingly. Also remember for alot of us who run World Major, or Big City marathons sometimes between leaving the athletes village, meeting up with friends and making our way back to our hotel we don't start fueling up for several hours after our race.  So knowing that, put some extra emphasis this week on putting back all the nutrition your body needs. The better you recover now, the stronger you’ll be when you start running again.

 

-Nick K Baltimore, MD

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