In this series from The Run Testers, the team answers your running shoe and tech questions.
This week Tom and Nick talk about sizing down in race shoes, how to pick a running rotation and training for speed in-between marathons.
If you have a question about running shoes that you want us to answer on the pod, send us an email to with “Points of Shoe” in the subject line.
Big thanks to Fear of Tigers for the killer intro music. You can listen to more of his stuff over at
[Music] Hey Tommy from the r testers and welcome Back to another episode of points of Shoe where we answer the questions that You sent in on things to do with shoes And watches and running in general this Week we've got loads of questions Including if you need to size down in Race shoes how to build a running Rotation and if you should be focusing On 5K distance in between your marathons Right let's dive in and do the podcast [Music] Right then Chief what's going down hey Um not a lot not a lot not much a chang As we last spoke say um yeah just Bumbling on how are you fine fine good Still no doors uh still no doors but um You know who needs them who needs them Don't need them need them like them but Don't need them yeah there are useful Sometimes but but yeah maybe I'll get Some at some point we'll see see see if The mood takes me Uh right you to do some questions let's Do it okay just kick off with Vince he Says what makes a good track session Shoe and what are your current favorites Well it used to be you know a nice low Profile fast lightweight shoe if I'm Honest I do my track session most weeks In a different shoe depending on what we Have into review uh I think any of the Modern carbon shoes are pretty good
Track shoes but I particularly like the Tumi s because it is a bit lower profile While still being comfortable enough but So if I'm doing like a Fast Track Session where if I'm targeting like 5K Races and my sessions you know it's Really it's fast reps all out reps and Know some like Tumi is very good or even Occasionally spikes but very rarely Spikes I don't like spikes I just too Much through the body but if I'm in Marathon training I'll be doing you know Long sessions on the track I would just Use a comfortable carbon shoe to uh Means I can run well again the next day So probably not yeah we're not not Traditionalist in terms of track shoes Right Tom no well I'm definitely not a Traditional track runner but I would I Would say say I I I always use my carbon plate shoes for Track but there are some that I don't Like using that just don't work very Well for track I think with the with the TU s 10 thing I like about that is that Especially if you're doing a very short Fast Track session just feels very quick To just take off very just nice turning Around the corners and everything like That whereas some some carplate shoes You know the bigger ones the ones that Are really designed for marathons I can Feel like there's a bit bit too much Shoe on my foot for this this run and
There are some that I just prefer using Yeah I wouldn't use like the myuno wave Rebellion Pro 2 for 400 met rep track I Used it on the track actually for um was A 20 laps continuous thing just changing Pace each each that but I will say you I I kind of for short reps care about the Shoe a lot less so tomorrow I've got a Track where I'm doing a mile you know Easy steady P not not too fast and then Some fours some threes and some twos and Then another Mile and it's that kind of Session I was tempted just to go down in The Brooks ghost like it does it doesn't Really matter cuz just a pure interval Of speed just turn I don't want be Anything too heavy but I have done like 400 met reps like thear and stuff like That cuz it's um I find those really Short intervals I don't mind so much I Just like a light I prefer a lightweight Shoe I would prefer something like Tumi For sure but it doesn't matter so much More sessions I really care about shoes Are the kind of long tempos those kind Of thing where I think yeah but I agree With you there's some some of the shoes On the track just don't feel so good for Short reps when you go down you're going Down the track you're not you're doing It alone aren't you you're s running Solo and doing your own yeah or a mate Yeah usually when I go down the track I'm there with like 20 other people and
It gets quite competitive like there There's groups you get you put into Groups based on the your speed and you Get slightly you know harder workout Based on that group so when I go down I Actually do want to take my fastest Possible shoe so I can keep up with the Main grp and thing so wouldn't go for The ghost I was G to hit my I've G to Hit my Paces I was tempted to do like a Whole week of trading I'm really liking The new ghost but it's also just like I've got quite a relaxed week this week I just do everything in the ghost run a Race a park on a see what happens Um but yeah I I usually just use the Carbon sho I'm using and I find they're So good these days like if I'm going Away and I know I'm going to have to go To the track at some point any any Carbon shoe is just good because it's Comfy it's fast but Tumi is a is a good Track is one that stands out as a good Track shoe I will say the Under Armour Of lost Elite too I'm not particularly Big fan of but it is a good interval Shoe and I've enjoyed using it for Intervals but again that that's not even Light but it just feels like a good yeah Yeah it's got nice it's quite responsive Okay okay here's one which I don't think We'll know the answer to why aren't There any fast carbon shoes made in wide Width
Fittings Oh I thought New Balance did Did did do that how did they what with The seite be I thought in general they Usually have a wide option um I don't I Don't know I think in general Racing Shoes are a bit more narrow so CU people Want lighter more streamlined shoes but I am surprised there's none in a wide Fit New Balance are always Brooks Usually quite good for that kind of Thing I thought and H H have not have a Wide fit that's surprising uh yeah I Would don't know whether they carplate Ones but I mean I would say they Probably it's just a commercial decision That they probably won't sell that many Of them but expensive to produce shoes And a different last so I think I think Nearly all brands I just don't think Make a lot of money on carbon shoes so They which is why they didn't make a Fuss about them for a long time because The actual volume of sale is so low Compared to the ghost the Clifton the Pegasus that yeah um yeah making Different versions is probably that's PR There yeah you're right that's the Reason isn't it they don't it's just not Worth it not a business decision yeah um Okay what is your individual favorite Brand of singlets based on comfort fit And durability good question uh the Souring I think is my favorite in terms Of just racing and the tracksmith one I
Think looks the nicest y that's a very Good I mean yeah saw all the way for me For racing I don't I wouldn't use the Saw if I wasn't racing because I just Feel it's a little bit too my body shape Is uh not designed for S sore vest body Shaming here Tom well more it's more not So much the shape more that I'm quite Hairy and what happens is it goes really Low on my chest so I just Look down in s actually for that reason Because it did it did hang a bit low on My chest hairy but I feel a bit awkward Running around in a bright like best With on my Chester showing but I would Say s definitely for racing I I say best I ever RAC in track Smith uh I do yeah I Do really like those for sort of most my Runs SEI I really like the best of SEI Yeah SE got a really good light best That's much cheaper than those other two Which is good still not that cheap so You know you can go add and Nike have Some good cheapy ones I mean I don't Mind obviously if you're a club runner In the UK and you've been and you've Been a club runner for a while you've All used like simitar vests and things Like that which are like and you know I've used them for marathons so you Don't need to buy a very expensive vest No no no and I I've I've got plenty of Vests that are like you know 20 Adidas Ones Nike ones stuff like that I fine
Just like you no issues New Balance make Good vest as well New balance's Impact Range in general I think is a really Good Yeah and also very good fitting for People like me who are a bit bulkier up Top it's quite comfortable yeah if I I Can wear a small probably in a new Balance and it fits fine I I cannot wear A small in a in a saw um just I'm a Smaller in Saw yeah but yeah but we we Both I race and I mean my I bought I Bought I bought two of our club vests Made by saw cuz I do think they're yeah Just really nice for the marathon in Particular yeah really good okay and the Same person this is from Ryan he says uh Having done 600 km in the gel numers 25 I've actually realized I would prefer a Lower stack ligh shoe for my recovery Runs I am 6 foot and 68 kg and they feel Like cinder blocks what are your Thoughts on what are your guy you guys Thoughts on how bulky recovery shoe Category is becoming well you like bulk But but you don't like all the bulky Ones you like certain ones right um I Mean I I mean there's a big difference between Certain shoes so you look at something Like the H bond bond8 that is a bulky Shoe which offers nothing back it's just A bulky shoe you love to bag on that Shoe on this podcast yeah it's just a
Perfect example of a bad bulky shoe um But if you I mean I'm not even like Amazing fan of like the Joel numers 25 Or 26 I think they're fine I think They're they're good I think I think There's thing with um it's quite easy to Go into a shop and look at a high stack Shoe and go that that's great that'll Work for me but if you look at something Like the tribe 22 the geometry of that Shoe and the the the the style of it Just doesn't work for my style of Running and I don't like the foam in it Even though it's one of my favorite Foams in in other shoes yeah I know it's Slightly different version of it but I Would say there are there are shoes that Are coming out that are probably a Little bit less so like 1080 v13 which You know is is not as bulky and Max Cushion as some of those big shoes um Which I would wear for the same reasons So um yeah we talked about um uh I can't Remember when we talked about it about The future of running shoes and stuff But one of the things that we hope to See in future is that some of these Phones actually start getting a little Bit smaller but still offer the same Benefits you get from yeah I think they I think I generally and I'm 6' 68 kilos So it might be relevant and I don't like Using a big shoe but I um I think I have A lower stack shoe for Recovery runs
Than I do for racing I prefer a lower Stack because you know I prefer just in General a lightweight shoe and so what I Like as my recovery shoe is more the Daily trainer category these days so the Velocity Nitro The Ghost and the Glycerin and the previous version of the Tri are probably about as cushion as I Ever go and I just don't like a shoe That's just too it's just a bit too much Just not necessarily even in size cuz I Like the NOA blast that's very high Stack shoe but it's just got a different Feel to it just prefer a light when I'm Tired and I'm mooching along I like a Lighter shoe to be honest like just Because it's feel it just feels better You know I'm moving slowly but the Lightness isn't helping me run fast it's Just helping me run with my normal gate It might be a a rocker I also like on a Shoe So that obviously helps as well so The Mac I like it's a really nice Recovery shoe yeah um so yeah if I was This this what was his name uh Ryan Ryan So in in the exact same bow I wouldn't Use theous I would use the velocity i' Would use this new ghost is pretty nice Or the the glycerin I really like as Well and just a sh like that dependable Shoe with a good outsole that feels good At the end of runs doesn't get too Squishy doesn't try to do anything too Fancy and get too squishy as a result
Okay and this one follows on a bit from That so this is from Ross he says Recovery Run shoes purely for absolute Plotting when your legs are done from Hard sessions the softest most squishy Shoe I love my Invincible V2 but a Replacement is imminent Nimbus 25 are Nowhere near as soft so is anything Softer than them uh I think 1080 v13 is A shoe that I would immediately comes to Mind in this category now it's really Really soft issues out there yeah so Super soft um Cloud F7 yeah but it's It's not low it's not high stack enough So it's not that soft under the 4 foot I Think after a while but it is soft I Mean the 1080 is definitely the standout I think if you're looking for that Squishy softness these days I'm Struggling to think of another Max Cushion shoe that's that's got that much Softness in it you could just go with The Invincible 3 obviously um which is Soft but yeah I mean if you're heill Striker that the Triumph I do think is Really soft but yeah it's not as soft as 1080 if you just go a squish I think That's the squish issue is a squish is Shuee lovely bit of Squish on that Shoe a new balance 1080 v13 in case we Weren't clear early yeah okay Willam Says this quite a long one so I'm just Going to have to work out love your Podcast and your YouTube channel uh
Highly value your insights uh with my Limited budget I need to look for Bargains I recently purchased the Tumi Sends cheap I can't afford marathon Races twice or three times as expensive I will run many five and 10ks but could I also attempt a half marathon with Tumis uh around five minute per Kilometer Pace the midso does feel quite Squishy PS thank you for recommending The pum velocity 2 this is another one I Bought as a bargain yeah good bargain uh 100% you can run I mean you know that Would have been the most cushion half Marathon shoe on the market eight years Ago and I've run a half marathon at Tumi Scent Pace was a bit different but I Certainly didn't have a comfort issue um Yeah I if you like there would be people Who would use the Tumi s over other Shoes they prefer the pref the feel of That lower shoe cuz it is still Comfortable I actually just ran again in The B FL 4% the other day which is a Similar stack shoe and that was again The most comfortable shoe for ever so You certainly can if you do want there Definitely will be Bargains out Obviously don't want if you don't want To spend two three times as much Definitely don't but you could probably Find things like the Endorphin Pro 3 now For surely not much over 100 quid I Reckon these days yeah you can still
Find it yeah but it'll come and go There'll be stock that they've held back For things like Black Friday so yeah if You if you do a long do a Long training Run if you do think it is not going to Be comfortable enough I would wait for a Big Sales Event and then look for that Shoe the adios Pro 3 those are the shoes I've seen with the biggest discounts as Carbon shoes cool all right all right This good from one from Instagram so This is Rory Nick would you split shorts If it was a warm weather Marathon uh I Would I just I prefer half tights to Split shorts I have no problem with Getting out my legs as unpleasantly Hairy as they are but um I is it a Warmer Marathon or half says Marathon But Marathon well just in terms of Storage I find storage sits much better In half tights as well but yeah I prefer Half tights I don't find them hot but Yeah I split great we you we don't you Don't Mike wear him for every Marathon Doesn't he I can't stand him not because Again I think it's just because I I just Feel ridiculous in them they're probably Better designed for people like you and M I think I look a bit well I look Stupid in them because I'm still wearing Boxes underne they Hang but I have worn split shorts for Marathon but I think in that one I ended Up wearing another pair of shorts
Underneath because I needed more Pockets So right uh but yeah split shs are nice I just you know I don't wear for Training cuz it's a bit much I'm F I'm Fine with my saws I don't I think they They do the job my I think the only area I ever worry about chafing as well is Inside of my thigh which just don't get At all if I wear half tights or shorts With a line a long liner so that's one Reason i' I'd have to train and split Shorts again to confirm that I'm not Getting I've got these massive muscly Thighs Tom famously definitely haven't Um right so uh this is from Steve this Is a bit of an existential question do Shoes really matter is it all feeling I'm edging towards it making it makes no Difference well it definitely makes Difference between Bondi and the Vaporfly 4% but feeling is the most Important thing I think there are loads Of in every category they do the same Job now and it's the one that you like The most is the best for you but yeah And and if you they definitely do make a Difference don't they because if if you Were if you were you know going for 2hour marathon time and somebody said Here's the Joo 20s to wear I'm Absolutely they're fine I like the Feeling of those so um yeah I think it Does definitely make a difference but Yeah ultimately depends on type of run
You are and stuff like that but well I Did a workout Christmas and I was away For 10 days I didn't think I was going To get set a workout by my coach cuz I I Just didn't think I was going to get set Anything too hard anyway and I only had The aex 26 with me and I I had to do 2 Miles 530 mil 2 miles and under 11 Minutes then a 54 321 fart L minutes and Then a mile in like 520 I did the two Miles in 11 minutes and I was gone I am Done that was so much harder than doing It it was it was less comfortable my for Foot hurt from running in a cushion shoe Like that because it just wasn't the Geometry wasn't right you know it just Took so much more out of me to do it and Then I you know what what you know was Around a pretty slow park run place we Normally League kind of thing turned Around just got slower and slower in the 53 to1 and around the last mile just Just didn't even crack 530 for it and as Obviously was was it was to be fair Absolutely freezing I was on the canal In in Scotland but um I wouldn't Necessarily have nailed the session in Any shoe but certainly it was just Unbelievably apparent how different that Was to even using a daily trainer let Alone a carbon shoe to use a big cushion Shoe like that so yeah Yeah yeah and I I have raced in some big Chunky recovery you know shoes did I did
A i' been I did Marathon TR 22 but that Doesn't really count because I could Barely move anyway but I've done races In like the Brooks Glycerin 2021 stuff And it really does make a difference When you're trying to maintain a pace so That I mean I remember the first time I Mean these these stats aren't pulled out Of nowhere like people do testing Against shoes you know I don't think it Makes that much difference between the Pro 3 and the alpha fly 3 I might Have a preference a strong preference But I don't think it I remember the First time I used the VAP 4% for a Workout I'd done in the Adidas Boston Which was the quickest shoe I owned at The time and the week later it was just This is easier this is easier to do this Pace that's ridiculous yeah yeah okay It's quite a good question from Andre What's your best race day kit head to Toe head to toe go from your top all the Way down the bottom you don't have to do Pants well I'm going to do pants D headband is the buff headband as we Know uh my so I saw Club vest I use Still my favorite is the de catalon half Tights because they have loads of Storage if I wasn't worried about Storage I would probably use the saw Half tights very good beond Bor Underwear I got some my unicorn Spork Socks from my daughter stay magic socks
And then the A6 met speed Sky Paris on My feet okay so my hat I've always said It would be the on running hat because It's just works perfectly for me it's Very simple design which is what I like Uh but it does dry off very very quickly So I probably going to stick with that I've got a lot of hats that I like now But I still say the on ones my favorite Top saw easy shorts sha sword Jewel jeel Shorts sword Jewel shorts that is Tom's Having appears to be a Stroke socks my brv socks that like They're just perfect they're just right Right am amount of padding for me but They they still um don't cause too much Taking off too much space in my shoes Did you give a shoe was it just kit M Speed Sky Paris I said but yeah go outly Once you actually done a proper racing Those for a while you need to get you Back in them for a gun a go a good Effort right last time you race was in Brighton with me wasn't it in no shoot In the FI on uh I I've used him for a Few part runs um but very seriously I Mean I've not done any I've not done a Lot of racing since for a few months so I need I need to loading the the the Paris at some point good you great you Yeah I mean M is No Object usually I'd Suggest s honest they're so expensive to Stuff but it is for racing in particular Is unbelievably good but I yeah well
Sometimes when I I've got friends who Are into running and you know it's like The 40 of birthday or something we will Club together and get them some sore Because you know that any Runner is Going to be like this is great I love it But you could there's some things you Could buy and they like I don't really Like that brand or I don't all they're Always happy with Because very expensive um okay so uh This is this is a tough one it's also Also from Rory should R shoes be a Tighter fit to easy day shoes uh should You size down half a size uh I would say Don't size down but they are cuz Brands Usually do it for you and I I do prefer A tight to fit in Racing shoes I think It's preference thing but in general They especially 5K 10K I like a very I'm Not worried about my toes bumping in the Front I want to get you know racing fit A lighter shoe but I wouldn't Necessarily size down because some Brands New Balance in particular used to Be crazy for sizing down their raoes and Things like the adios and the Boston or Were famously much tighter than Adidas's Other shoes so you don't I wouldn't size Down automatically but I I do prefer a Tighter fit for racing yeah and Brands I Think do tend to make them tighter Because one of the things you want on RAC day is to have a very secure upper
If they were too loose people would Complain about them basically because They you turn you turn a corner and you Foot starts coming out the shoe um yeah No lateral movement is key yeah so good Lock down generally a thinner upper as Well so less padding so they the brand Size it down a bit as that cuz they not Having to adjust for padding and things Like that account for padding sorry but Yeah yeah I it's preference some people Might not prefer a tighter fit at all But I definitely do some some people a Lot of people do tend to wear thinner Socks as well for race that's true just Because the shoes are a bit tighter You're not bringing out your big your Cushioned Bridge Dale socks for race day So yeah okay this is another one from Rory he's really been sending a load in Can you race in Super Shoes straight out Of the box or do the Foams need to be Broken in good question don't need to be Broken in you certainly can racing them But I would definitely always running Them if you can i' I've racing Super Shoes out of the box over a marathon and It's been fine but we we test a lot of Shoes and our feet are quite okay dep it Depends on the shoe I think there there Are some Foams that you know throughout The box maybe a little bit firmer than You're going to experience a bit later On in the running you may get a 30k 40K
In it might be a bit softer and you Might prefer that sometimes we try chew And you run 30 40K and you think this is Amazing and then you get to 40K and it's Softened up and you think I don't really Like it as much anymore so so um I think It depends on the shoe but I mean Nowadays most of the Foams and Everything are pretty bouncy and Squishy It's not like get a super hard EVA foam That's you know squished a bit the only The only super shoe I've tested the last Cple years I think the ride improved Significantly after first run was the Adios Pro 3 which I did feel was a Little bit less stiff and more bouncy After one run but I would I would Definitely always use my shoes before a Race if it's if you just bought just a Work to see how they feel but yeah I Don't think a Breakin is necessary I see A lot of people who now Delight in Bringing B fresh shoes because in theory They're the most effective the first Time you use them yeah [Music] Yeah okay uh Robert says uh best racing Trail she for a race on majority Road However has some technical elements uh In uh brackets Mountain I mean that is a Nightmare like yeah I thought we had This question before maybe um I have no Idea we had a similar one we had a Sim One if it's if it's proper Road and
You're going to absolutely gun it I Would be tempted to take a pair of shoes With me for the mountain because if it's An actual mountain with like Rocky Jagged slippery Trails then you need a Pretty serious shoe yeah peragine is Great for versatility but it's not going To feel fantastic on the road if you It's mostly on the road yeah I would say I mean it depends on the mountain really Cuz you know mountains in the UK are Going to be very different than a Mountain in it's like a fell California Um so you know if you took something Like the if it was the winter in the Lake District and you had the Haw tecton X2 that is probably not going to be do It's going to do fine on the road it be Abely perfect on the road but as soon as You get on that wet muddy stuff it's Going to be fairly tricky to grip onto Anything if you're on like an American Could be American could be another warm Place but um if you're on like the Mountains and the mountains are pretty Nice paths up there yeah te next to be Fine the north a effective pass are fine I'd be then using a road cuz I want I Want road so you could use you could use The pummer one of the pumers deviate Nitro which is a pretty Nimble shoe Which won't feel too weird on narrow Trails but has decent grip and then Obviously a super shoe on the road the
The Adidas agic terx speed Ultra their Super Shoe is phenomenal on the road and You know the pros are using it in Mountains I don't know if I necessarily Hair down a descent myself but I'm a Fredy cat and not a very experienced Descender but that is a that is a Bizarre race if the paths are good I my Preference would always be to ER on the Side of speed on the road yeah um Because that's what I'd care about yeah I mean there there's plent good trail Shoes that are actually relatively good For Road and and and some Trails but They're not great for racing some of the Big Max ones that I I quite like yeah Like so the trail Super Shoes they don't Feel as propulsive as the road ones yeah Yeah I mean if it's a bizarre race if it Is if it is like 12 miles of flat roads And then a mountain then like another 10 Miles of flat roads I would take two Pairs of shoes I think Depending on the mountain let's do your Ones oh yeah I got a couple here from The inbox these are both from Lee Berford good questions very good Questions a phrase which has come more Widely used over the last couple of Years is a shoe rotation what would your Considerations be for putting together a Rotation for clar bler who is focusing On half marathons and a marathon these Like Road Valencia is talking about in
The super half series these are fast Road marathons and half marathons so Considerations would be to how would you Build a rotation for that I would Probably base it Hard cuz I know I didn't want from Scratch but I'd probably first think About knowing that I'm going to do the Marathon knowing that I'm training for a Marathon I'm going to have to race at Some point first one I would get would Be The Rao because the ratio uh you want To test out a few times before the race And it's probably quite a useful one to Sort of gauge what the other shoes you Need for for it are so I would pick the Ray shoe based on what you'd like are we Actually picking specific shoes or we Just saying how we do it how we do it Can you want Tom no saw podcast we can Do we want I suppose well actually Before I do that it' be the sort of Training it depends how fast you are You're a club Runner so I'm assuming You're probably going to be getting you Know you're going for a fairly if going After a PB I'd say yes yeah so yeah You'd be probably looking at a pretty Good fast carplate shoe that you want to Get a PB in your daily shoe I think You're going to be doing a lot of faster Sessions to do that so you're probably Going to be looking at something like This talking off speed 4 something like
That and then you want a solid Comfortable easy to daily shoe for all Your easy miles yeah that's more or less I thing well people vary this a bit bit But on those two training shoes I like To have two pretty versatile shoes that Are both quite comfy both can do a bit Of speed one plate one not without Without a plate so that's why I always Choose the pum and one I always like my Easy my easy shoe in rotation to have a Really good outso so I can use it on Canal paths and like Trails where I like To do a lot of easy runs so that's the Consideration there but yeah and also I Basically blow the budget on the carbon Shoe and then I look for value on the Other so Ideal World I'd have the Endorphin speed 4 but if I was actually This rotation now I'd be getting a deal On an older shoe in that bracket Probably the Boston or the Endorphin Speed 3 Boston 12 Speed 3 because They're really verle shoes that a bit Cheaper and then the P velocity is cheap And really reliable and yeah so I I Wouldn't necessarily get a big block Easy shoe in myself just because I Prefer the versatility of the others Which means that they can both be used For sessions they can both be used for Easy runs and means you can rotate them A bit more easily but yeah the only Other consideration you might need is do
You need a trail shoe and if you're Training in the summer months in the UK Unless you're you know somewhere Particularly exotic like the Lakes You're probably not going to need a Dedicated Trail sh a lot of the time Anyway got another one oh yeah I do have Another one you're right so Leo wford Also asks in a recent pod Tom boned Tom's always boning um that it was hard To judge his pacing efforts due to the Windiness of Brighton what are your Thoughts of training to power obviously It's very important in cyclists for Cyclists it's popping up in some running Tech like foot pads and loads of Roches Now do it natively I think pretty much All the major brands now do power Natively uh Tom power you ever used it I Have used it I don't really like it I Just I just like Pace basically I don't Use heart rate I don't use power I just Like Pace um I've never really got on With with power how about I know you've Used it a bit no I tested it when it Came out but for everything I would use Power for I could use heart rate for I Found like running in the forest I did Try like cuz I used to I do do sessions In the forest and it's you know it's a Bit bumpy so but I've one I'll just Adjust I won't have Pace goals I'll just Be running to effort and I'll just what Pace gets spat out but the power like
Trying to hold a certain power I've Never found it it fluctuates a lot and I Don't find it as responsive as effort Feel so I just use feel uh and heart Rate is really good if I you know if you Got a heart rate sensor I think that's Fine power is good but I've never I've Never I'd never race with it I don't Think because when it comes to Flat Races I know the pace I want to go for Yeah mostly it's if I'm going to do a Session I'm either doing a session to Pace in which case I will go and find Somewhere where the wind isn't Factor so Much like the track or a loop that kind Of thing or I'm doing it to time and Effort in which case I'm not that fuss About what the actual hard numbers are It would just be I want to make sure the Effort is even throughout the session Yeah I think I if I was my problems with Running on the sea front with the wind I Think I probably if I I really did want To do something at the sea front it Would be heart r i I would use we we Need um didn't need Kier on this because He had his power phase didn't he um he Did love power when it first was getting Used and stuff we used this I I had a Stride pod I used it a lot but mostly Because at the time it was a very Accurate way of doing pace and now GPS Is better than the stride pod for Pace Strides pacing hasn't really worked for
Me since I started changing shoes so Much but yeah I just also it's the fact That it's it is different to cycling It's it's a lot easier to hold a certain Power in cycling I found and you can set Up turbo trainers to I want to do you You know they set the power and you just Have to Pedal to adjust to it and it's It's a hard number because it's based on How hard you're pushing it's it's a real Number of L obviously running a bit more Fabricated and it's can differ a bit Between Brands and I if you really got Into it it would definitely be a Valuable metric you could use but I Would always find it easier to find a Loop near me to take wind out of the Equation and just then run to um and if Wind is so bad I just stop worrying About pace and just m house to get away From it yeah Tom fleeing the wind of Bright you end up a country lanes unless You find a loop you're going end up Running into the wind half the time Anyway yeah yeah all right so we have Got one more uh question from friend of The Pod Jack durges lovely lovely to Hear from Jack always pleasure to hear From from Jack so Jack says can to hear Your thoughts on summer Racing for the Shorter distances how best to structure The week if racing regularly how often Can you really attack a 5k PB General Thoughts on the value of improving
Something as short as your mile PM when Your ultimate goal is the marathon uh so I and this is led by my coach are huge Fans of going off the short stuff as the Start of a long-term build towards a Marathon in theory Marathon for me is Still a a speed event it's an event Where you're learning to hold a far Speed and that it makes it easier to Hold a fast speed for the marathon if You're holding faster speeds over the Short distances so uh you can attack a 5k PB pretty regularly I'd say but it's This is a classic Club run I think where You are asked to race like midweek quite A lot and stuff like that and you they Almost become sessions rather than Actual races so they don't become PB Attempts for lots of people for me I Know I don't never race that my my goal Race for a PB so you have to pick one Out and then you do have to make sure You get a couple of quality sessions in Towards that and maybe miss a race or Two if you are going to race a lot That's one thing I'd say about doing Short races you can race yourself fit to An extent that you actually need to do The quality training sessions at points But it is the best thing to do in the Summer I think because there's not time To be doing marathon training really if It's hot well hotter it's not actually Hot here but um and it's a good mental
Break and you'll if you put a summer of Speed in and do well over 5K 10K half Marathon even the mile you start Marathon training and the pace that Seems so daunting for your Marathon that You had to hold doesn't feel daunting Anymore uh I think lot marathon is Mentally just the idea of so run now 328 PK in London marathon and when I first Was trying to go sub 230 the idea of Running 333 PK just for every anytime I'm running that fast that feels Ridiculously fast I've never been able To do that for marathon and it's just The mental game of bringing that pace Into a realistic frame is helped a lot By going out and smashing halfs and 10ks Are much faster Paces so yeah huge fan Of it definitely do it you can't attack The PB that much if you're doing you Need you need to get some quality Sessions in so you have to adjust the Racing schedule for that I'd say yeah I Agree um so uh I'm just trying to so Talked a little about mile PBS and stuff There mile PMS so yeah definitely the Times I actually at the moment I'm I'm Not doing this cuz I'm I'm just can't be Bothered at the moment but just search For radiators around the Yeah I always I always see the uh I've Always consistently ran 5Ks at weekends And done interv sessions all the time And my speed has never been an issue for
Me um when I used to run marathons and I Didn't do speed training and race quite A lot over weekends and things what I Would find is i' I'd have to going back To the next marathon I would sort of be Struggling again because I wasn't Maintaining that consistent speed all The time that I that I'd have so yeah Definitely uh it's what I did last Summer I basically trained all summer Just doing speed and doing short Distance stuff but um I would definitely Say you want to have I mean say you're Doing a part run every week you can race The par run every week but you can go Pretty hard on that and have that as a Bit of a speed thing and then you've got Your interval and do an interval session As well I think that's enough to Maintain and sort of benefit from that That speed level along with like a Longer run or something like that but I Don't know what I basically do you know Last summer I was basically tried as Hard as I could every Saturday at Park Run and my times were going down I got Down to like my fastest I've ever been So I think when it comes down to like 5K It is probably the easiest one to Recover from from when it comes to Distances so you can do a you can do More of them without worrying too much About it but you're not going to be Logically you probably go if you're
Going to go for a PB you probably go Actually I'm going to try it every three Weeks or something like that and TR Harder for it it's just I think even if You have got a lot of on the agenda I Would pick one in your mind and go That's the one I want to P at so I've Got like I've got a 110k and they go That's the one I want to P at that's the One I've got to judge the training for And yeah like said you saw I mate who Did like a series of 5K trap races over The summer and just didn't get any Quicker he ran the more pretty much the Same Pace like well you need a break to Do the training to get quicker and the Other thing i' say if you're doing these Short distances don't which not don't But you will benefit massively of those Distances by maintaining the kind of Mileage you're running at the marathon If you can safely you know and without Hurting yourself so maintaining mileage Is great so I ran my you know my 5K PB Over the park R PB sorry during the London Marathon block just because my Mileage was so high I was just faster And fitter at every level so if you can Maintain the mileage or do similar Mileage at least without dropping too Much I've dropped off a little bit but You know if you maintain a similar Amount and add some more speed sessions In you'll help a lot from that so but
Yeah just Racing you know early on is the best It's great it's a great way to get Faster definitely but there comes a Point when you could have put the Graft In because the training and like you Know disappearing for two weeks do hard Training you'll suddenly come out faster And and just race ing doesn't actually Give you some of the benefits that you Get from things like intervals because Intervals isn't just training you speed It's training you recovery which you Don't get from bringing as fast as you Can for 5K and then stopping get one one Go at that whereas you're sort of Training your your heart rate to go up And down quicker and and um yeah and You're running faster than the the 5K Pace in training even exactly yeah yeah Yeah yeah so yeah it talks about the Mile there as well mile is amazing one If you if you're training mile distance That's that's fantastic speed if you're Building your mile time up but uh yeah Turnovers yeah it's great and it's just Also fun to do the different I remember Doing some 5K targeting sessions with my Coach and they were different and they Were so hard but so fun and so I always Think it's a great mental break that Actually it's a mental break but Actually it is benefiting your Marathon Massively to put that in the legs um and
Come back with extra speed before you Start slogging through long sessions Without ever actually running that fast But it answer your question the main Part of your question Jack uh how would You structure your week I would next Weeks are probably quite different but I The way that I would structure it if I Was training over the summer and doing Faster stuff is an interval session Which is probably going to end up being Around 8 to 10K and I would do like a Part run on the Saturday and then I Still do like a longer run in the week And then maybe an easy run or a couple Of easy runs yeah I'm similar at the Moment I'll do two sessions one kind of Wednesday one kind of Friday or Saturday If if I race one Wednesday that Obviously takes the place of the session But like I say I don't want to do that Too much because the session is yeah the Quality really yeah well okay well That's it for another episode then it is It is and uh some fantastic questions Thank you very much uh uh if you've if You've sent something in and apologies If you've not answered you we did have An enormous amount um and we hopefully Will get to it next time uh but we'll Also do a uh shout out on Instagram yeah Look out for the shout out you can it's Still email the Run gmail.com but the Shoutouts have proved a mine of
Excellent questions so we'll definitely Do those yes yeah well they seem to be Quick sharp questions that um yeah Really easy to answer right okay uh oh I'll speak to you soon Nick see you soon Catch on the 50 flip right Tom I'm Really going to have to start editing These Out C you later Bye this episode of the podcast was Presented by Tom Wheatley and Nick Harris fry it was produced by Tom Wheatley the music was by Fear of Tigers [Music]
