Mailbag Episode: Pacing, Fueling, Shoes & Breaking Through Plateaus

This episode is brought to you by the Wahoo’s KICKR RUN – go to https://⁠wahoofitness.com⁠ and use promo code MHRUN to get 25% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY, plus a free $319 KICKR Headwind Fan with your treadmill order! In this late-fall Mailbag episode of the Marathon Handbook Podcast, Michael, Alex, and Katelyn dig into listener questions covering everything from pacing strategies (08:00), understanding the difference between 5K pain and marathon fatigue (08:00), and how to break the sub-2:50 barrier (14:45), to chasing a sub-3 marathon at age 24 (16:10), marathon pacing best practices (26:20), and shoe rotation choices between the Evo SL, Superblast, and Megablast (47:15). We also break down how to train between big race cycles (54:20), balancing road marathons with ultras (59:10), essential running books (03:40), and even long-term goals like qualifying for the US Olympic Trials (01:33:00). The episode wraps with legendary advice on training after age 60 from Amby Burfoot (01:37:45). 📩 Questions about training, race previews, or to send us your hot takes? Email us at podcast@marathonhandbook.com. 🎤 Leave us a voice memo for our mailbag episodes: marathonhandbook.com/podcast 📸 Instagram: @marathon.handbook 📘 Facebook: @marathonhandbook 📰 Join 265,000+ runners getting our daily newsletter: marathonhandbook.com/newsletter 👍 Like, subscribe, and drop your questions in the comments. 🎧 Audio version available wherever you get podcasts + watch the video version on Spotify and YouTube. 📺 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly running deep dives. #running #marathontraining #marathonhandbook #runnersofyoutube #runpodcast #sub3marathon #bostonqualifier