Let’s talk about why speed work is essential to getting faster. Speed workouts are designed to increase your running efficiency, improve your VO2 max (which is your aerobic capacity), and train your body to run faster while using less energy.The goal isn’t just to get faster during speed workouts, but to make you a stronger, more efficient runner across all distances. So, even if you're training for a marathon, incorporating speed work will help you maintain a faster pace on race day.🔥 1. Inter...
Jun 27, 2025•56 min
In this episode, we break down the huge changes coming to Boston Marathon qualifying standards starting with the 2027 race . The BAA has officially announced time adjustments for marathons run on net downhill courses — and it’s going to impact thousands of runners chasing their BQ. We cover: ✅ What the new rules are ✅ How races like REVEL, St. George, and Jack & Jill are affected ✅ The new time standards by age, gender, and elevation drop ✅ Why Boston is making this change now ✅ How to adjus...
Jun 18, 2025•46 min
. Best workouts to improve at the marathon distance Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting your marathon journey, these workouts will enhance your endurance, speed, and overall race strategy. First up, the cornerstone of marathon training: the long run. This workout is crucial for building endurance and mimicking race day conditions. Tips for Effective Long Runs: Frequency: Aim for one long run per week, gradually increasing the distance. Start with distances you're comfortable with a...
Jun 13, 2025•43 min
Long-distance running isn’t just about the miles—it’s about the mindset. Success comes when you shift from just running to training with purpose. 💡 Key Mindset Shifts for Success: ✔️ Patience is everything – Progress doesn’t happen overnight. Small, consistent improvements lead to big results. ✔️ Embrace the discomfort – Running long distances means pushing through fatigue, but knowing when to listen to your body is just as important. ✔️ Run for yourself – Success isn’t about comparing your pac...
Jun 06, 2025•42 min
Whether you’re training in the summer heat or preparing for a race in hot conditions, this episode will cover how the heat affects your body, how to adjust your workouts, and tips for staying safe while training in the warmer months.💡 Increased Heart Rate: When it’s hot outside, your heart has to work harder to pump blood to the surface of your skin to release heat. This can cause your heart rate to increase, which can make running or exercising feel harder than usual—even if you’re running at ...
May 30, 2025•39 min
Segment 1: Introduction to Trail RunningFirst off, what exactly is trail running? Unlike road running, which takes place on paved surfaces, trail running occurs on natural terrains like dirt paths, rocky trails, and through beautiful forests and mountains.Not only does trail running offer breathtaking views, but it also provides a more challenging workout as you navigate uneven surfaces, elevation changes, and natural obstacles.Segment 2: Benefits of Trail RunningNow, let’s discuss some benefits...
May 23, 2025•40 min
www.run4prs.com Segment 1: Understanding the Half Marathon First, let’s talk about what a half marathon is. A half marathon is a race that covers 13.1 miles, which is roughly 21 kilometers. It's a great distance for those who want a challenge but aren’t quite ready for the full 26.2 miles of a marathon. Training for this distance comes with numerous benefits – not just for your physical health but also for your mental well-being. Many find that the training process teaches discipline and can be ...
May 16, 2025•36 min
286. ARE RUNNING GOALS OVER AFTER YOU HAVE KIDS? 8 years ago, I was a 3:14 marathoner when I announced I was pregnant with my first kid and a lot of people had A LOT of things to say. The tone of many tended to be that I would no longer have ‘time’ for running or some variation of that statement. While I understand where people are coming from, there are better ways to phrase the message. While having kids has changed our lives and required us to adapt how and when we train, it is not an impossi...
May 09, 2025•57 min
It is the spring and a lot of people either recently ran a goal spring race or are planning to soon. After a season of build, it is important to take time off from training, but we don’t want to take so much time off that it becomes challenging to get back into things later. We want to spend the offseason more in the gray area and less of the ‘black or white’ ‘all or nothing’ mindset. Getting used to being okay with not being ‘all in’ on training and still allowing yourself to be semi-consistent...
May 02, 2025•46 min
284. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO RUN A BQ? The Boston Marathon recently took place, and it is getting runners all around the world excited to potentially qualify for Boston. Even people who are very far away from a BQ time might set a goal to run a BQ time in the future. People want to know what it really looks like to be someone who can run a BQ time Some people BQ on their first marathon- is this realistic? It can be- with the speed and background VDOT calculator What does the typical week of trainin...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr
283. SHOULD YOU RUN LONG EVERY WEEKEND? Every weekend runners around the world gear up to run long… But should you be doing a LONG run over 90 min every weekend? When getting RRCA certified 10 years ago, one of the concepts they beat into our head was that we don’t/should not run long every single weekend. The justification was about the glycogen storages needing to be replenished 1x a month there should be a cut back week where we don’t do activity over 90 min to allow for that. This is a good ...
Apr 18, 2025•54 min
A lot of runners (especially those who run high mileage) share their weekly or monthly mileage totals on social media. While it’s great to be proud of your hard work, it can also be challenging when we are exposed to so many other runners and their training that we may end up comparing our own mileage to someone else's. We may also get caught up in the trap of thinking that ‘more’ mileage is always better. More mileage can be better and faster runners usually do run more, but it’s important to l...
Apr 11, 2025•54 min
www.run4prs.com Recovery is Key: Easy runs promote active recovery by increasing blood flow to muscles, flushing out waste products, and preparing your body for the next hard effort. Building Aerobic Base: Slow runs develop your aerobic system, which is the foundation for endurance and efficient energy utilization. Preventing Burnout & Overtraining: Consistent hard running can lead to fatigue, burnout, and increased risk of injury. Easy runs provide a crucial balance. Improving Running Econo...
Apr 04, 2025•46 min
www.run4prs.com for a free week of training The Plateau is Normal: Everyone hits a plateau at some point. It's a natural part of the process. Don't get discouraged – it's an opportunity to re-evaluate your training and find new ways to challenge yourself. Life Happens: Work, family, and other commitments can impact your training time and consistency. It's important to be flexible and adapt your training to fit your current lifestyle. The Aging Athlete: Our bodies change as we age. It's important...
Mar 28, 2025•33 min
We’re run coaches who just took on our first HYROX event! In today’s episode, we’re giving you a full recap of our experience—breaking down the highs, the struggles, and what we learned from this epic challenge. For those of you new to HYROX, here’s a quick refresher. HYROX is the ultimate fitness competition that combines running, functional strength, and endurance. Athletes complete eight one-kilometer runs, each followed by a workout station like sled pushes, rowing, burpee broad jumps, and w...
Mar 21, 2025•47 min
Welcome back to run4prs, the podcast where we explore the art and science of running, and help you find the perfect balance in your training. "How many days a week should I actually be running?" Now, if you've spent any time browsing running forums or listening to other podcasts, you've probably heard a lot of different answers to this question. Some say three days is enough, others swear by six or even seven. The truth is, there's no magic number. The ideal running frequency depends on a variet...
Mar 14, 2025•50 min
277. How often should you be racing? Do you even need to race? As we gear up for the spring racing season it might seem like everyone is out there racing. How often should you race? Do you even need to race? There are a lot of questions you might have about racing, but it is not something we talk about frequently enough in the running world. Some athletes appear to race almost every weekend. How is it possible? Before we answer that question it is important to define your goals and then label ea...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr
Welcome back to the run4prs the podcast dedicated to helping you conquer the 5K and unleash your inner speed demon! I'm your host, Victoria Phillippi, and let's be honest, in the world of distance running, the marathon often steals the spotlight. But at run4prs we also specialize in shorter distances & we know that the 5K is where the real speed and grit are showcased. It's a distance that demands both raw power and tactical finesse. It's about pushing your limits, embracing the burn, and fi...
Feb 28, 2025•48 min
Strava can be a great source of motivation as it gamification of the sport of running, but can there be some downsides to the app? While it can be fun to scroll through and see what friends are doing for runs, does it promote constant comparison? In Jan 2023 I started to feel like people were ‘watching’ my training as I geared up for Boston 3 months postpartum from baby number 3.. Were people actually watching? I don’t know, but the fact that I was feeling ‘pressure’ to ‘perform’ or show up on s...
Feb 21, 2025•43 min
We talk a lot about marathon training on this podcast, but we should take a step back and chat about how to know if you are READY to train for your first marathon. It’s always about balancing risk vs reward. Training for a marathon is HARD on the body and if you don’t have a strong base going into the training you are increasing your risk of injury or burn out. We developed a prerequisite to marathon training plan a few years ago. This is a program you would do BEFORE starting your marathon trai...
Feb 14, 2025•47 min
Knowing what kind of runner you are is key when it comes to planning races. You may have seen a lot of hype on social media or the media in general about the world major marathons like NY and Boston. Even when I tell people I coach runners, I often through out names like “we help people train for the NYC marathon”. Why? Because most people have heard of these races. But just because they are well known doesn’t mean they are the end all be all of running. In fact, there are dozens of marathons th...
Feb 07, 2025•51 min
Treadmill running As we head into the winter months, it can be hard to train outside in the sub zero temps but it can also be dangerous with the icy footing. Many people opt for the treadmill for a number of reasons. It can be a topic of mixed emotions for many runners. I know I personally felt shamed by runners in the past for utilizing the treadmill despite exclusively training on a treadmill for a few marathons in my earlier years as a runner with great success. Why is the treadmill so contro...
Jan 30, 2025•49 min
271. Did you peak with running already or is it a plateau? Have you ever heard the quote “what would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” that is a good one for todays podcast episode. A lot of people would love to look into a crystal ball and see what their full potential is if they gave running their all. Many people allow fear of failure to hold them back from giving 100% commitment/effort into The truth is that most people quit before they reach their full potential OR they sto...
Jan 24, 2025•52 min
Before getting into the running, I was actually a SMOKER who couldn’t even run down the block. I used to hold onto the belief that marathons and races in general were for people who were not like me. I genuinely didn’t know that it was physically possible for me to build up to be able to run long distances let alone a FULL MARATHON. Now I have 27 marathons under my belt and have helped thousands of people go from beginner runners to marathon finishers. In this episode we are going to talk about ...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Winter is upon us! We are located in Minneapolis, MN where it can be sub zero temps and often hits -40 f windchills every winter at least once. When you running outside in January it’s usually a sea of ice and snow so much so that our ‘running trails’ now become ski trails with natural snow. We like to think of ourselves as experts in training outside during the winter months since it can snow here 6 months out of the year. We decided to do a podcast with our top tips for training in the snow. G...
Jan 10, 2025•55 min
As we approach a new year, there are tons of athletes setting new years goals and resolutions for 2025. But in order to really achieve goals in the future, it is important to reflect back on what we have done in the past. Is there anything we want to change going forward? How can we become a better version of ourselves in the future? Many people set intentions to become better in the future but they fail to recognize the things that have held them back in the past. We often repeat the same patte...
Jan 01, 2025•48 min
How do you fuel a marathon Need to fuel every 20-30 min 60 grams of carbs per hour 1000 mg of sodium per hour This is not something that should be new, This should be practiced How to handle upset stomach due to gels during the marathon Fueling during training How much speed work should you do in the offseason: I won’t actually run a 5k until the spring Type of training during the offseason from the marathon training Lots of ways to approach this Consistency is most important: not just runs but ...
Dec 20, 2024•46 min
How to get into the right mindset before a race Practice race mindset during workouts Do races in the build up Visualization How do you incorporate heavy lifting Start light- make sure you have proper form Do it on hard days or day after hard running workouts Consistency is key You don’t build during peak marathon training Offseason How do you know whether or not you need a trainer/coach No one really needs to have a coach just like no one needs to have a financial advisor or needs to have a hou...
Dec 13, 2024•39 min
If VDOT says I should run 8:00 pace for a marathon pace but I plan to run 9:00 pace, when do I practice/switch to running 9:00 pace in training? If my goal is to run a faster marathon (I am a new-ish runner_ would you recommend doing shorter races during the spring OR focus on building mileage/base and long runs. I am currently running 25 miles per week and ran my first marathon in 2019 but not since Do you believe sub 3 is achievable for most runners?...
Dec 05, 2024•40 min
ASK THE COACHES. Here are the questions covered in the episode: Racing specific HRV has been great but tanked during the taper How to run CIM Top 3 things to consider when buying marathon training shoes Training specific How important is strength during the winter months? If I can hold threshold for 1-1.5 hours, how long can i sustain zone 3 work (lower HR)...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 4 min
