Research Topic
Marathon Training
10 articles
The 45-Year-Old Formula That Predicts Your Race Time More Accurately Than Your Training Pace
The Riegel formula, published in 1977, remains one of the most accurate tools for predicting race times across distances. Here's the math and why most runners misuse it.
4 min read · 2026-10-27
Your 5K Time Doesn't Predict Your Marathon — And Aerobic Decoupling Explains Why
VO2max alone can't predict marathon performance. Aerobic decoupling — the divergence between pace and heart rate over time — is the metric serious marathon runners need to understand.
5 min read · 2026-09-22
Most Marathon Runners Carry Either Too Many Gels or Too Few. The Calculation That Fixes This Takes About 90 Seconds.
Marathon energy gel count depends on finish time, not distance. A 4-hour marathoner needs 8–10 gels at 60g/hr. A 3-hour runner needs 6–7. The calculation is duration × carb rate ÷ gel carb content — and most runners skip it.
5 min read · 2026-09-22
Marathon Age Grading: How WMA Compares a 3:15 at 55 to 2:45 at 28
Age-graded performance factors let masters athletes compare times across age groups using World Masters Athletics tables. Here's the science behind age-adjusted marathon prediction.
5 min read · 2026-09-22
Heat-Adjusted Race Prediction: What Summer Does to Your Marathon Pace
Race performance degrades predictably with temperature. A 3:30 marathoner can expect to lose 10–20 minutes in warm conditions. Here's the physiological mechanism.
5 min read · 2026-09-01
First Energy Gel Timing: When to Take It in an Endurance Race
The optimal window for a first race gel is 20–30 minutes in — not at the gun, not when hunger signals arrive. Hunger is a lagging indicator of glycogen depletion, and by the time you feel it, your pace has already started to decline.
5 min read · 2026-08-25
Electrolytes for Endurance: Why Drinking More Water Makes It Worse
Hyponatraemia — dangerously low blood sodium — is more common in endurance events than most athletes realise. And it's almost always caused by drinking too much plain water, not too little.
5 min read · 2026-08-18
Carbohydrate Loading Is Not Just 'Eating More Pasta'. The Protocol That Actually Maximises Race-Day Glycogen.
Muscle glycogen capacity is approximately 400–600g in trained athletes — but most reach race day at 60–70% of that ceiling. The modified carbohydrate loading protocol from Bergström 1967 onwards can push glycogen stores to true ceiling in 36–48 hours.
5 min read · 2026-07-14
Carbon Plate Shoes and Running Economy: What Makes Them Faster
Carbon plate shoes improved marathon times by up to 4%. But what is the actual biomechanical mechanism — and does the benefit apply to all runners?
5 min read · 2026-07-14
Chews vs Gels vs Liquid Carbohydrate: Which Fuelling Format Wins on Race Day?
Energy chews, gels, and carbohydrate drinks all supply race fuel — but their gastric emptying rates, palatability profiles, and practical applications differ significantly. Here's the science.
5 min read · 2026-07-14