Happy New Year! Welcome to our first episode of 2026.

We kick things off with our Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon race recap—Zoe ran an 8-minute PR after 4 years of training (that's 30 miles per second of improvement), while TJ ran his worst time ever and learned some valuable lessons about mental performance and showing up when things don't go your way.

Then we answer a listener question: Does shoe cushioning actually matter for injury prevention? The 2024 research from Malisoo et al. might surprise you—it's not about how soft your shoes are, it's about something else entirely.

Our main topic: 5 signs your easy runs aren't easy enough. This is the single most common mistake we see as coaches, and fixing it might be the highest-leverage change you can make to your training. We break down the physiology of why slow running makes you faster, what the 80/20 research actually says (including a 2025 meta-analysis), and give you 5 concrete signs to watch for.

In this episode:

• Athens Big Fork Trail Marathon race recap

• The math behind 4 years of training for an 8-minute PR

• How to compete hard even when having a bad day

• Shoe cushioning research: perception vs. mechanics

• The physiology of aerobic vs. glycolytic training

• What 80/20 polarized training really means

• 5 signs your easy runs aren't easy enough

• How Kipchoge's easy pace compares to recreational runners

Studies referenced:

• Rosenblatt et al. 2025 (Sports Medicine) - Polarized training meta-analysis

• Jong et al. 2025 (Applied Sciences) - Sleep and injury risk in runners

• Malisoo et al. 2024 (European Journal of Sports Science) - Shoe cushioning perception

Connect with us:

Email: [email protected]

Website: microcosm-coaching.com

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