When is the best plan, no plan?

This week, Tim and Jerrym discuss the balance between structure and flexibility in training, and whether adapting sessions to suit real life can actually lead to better consistency.

The boys also chat about nitrate supplementation, the growing number of bicarb products hitting the market and whether taking both is a good idea.

There's training week updates, race week planning (or lack of), a look at recent results from home and abroad, plus the usual Tim's clinic and things we saw on the internet.

Whether you're building mileage, preparing for your next race, or just trying to fit training around life, there's something in this one for you.

A little something different for you, Champions!

Jerrym sits down with Ben Cartwright to discuss his journey through sport and running that eventually led to the launch of onerunning.com.au. Along the way, they chat about building a brand from the ground up, product development, community, and balancing life as a runner, full time accountant and business owner.

Tim and Jerrym review the mystery shoe that's been quietly racking up the k's and finally reveal what it is, where it fits in the current market and whether it deserves a spot in your rotation.

The boys also discuss the growing role of AI in running, from training analysis through to the privacy questions that come with handing over years of personal training data.

There's training week updates, sibling rivalry, gear chat, race results from around the world and a discussion on women's safety while running following a recent social media post.

Stay tuned later in the week for a bonus episode too!

Tim and Jerrym circle back to the Enhanced Games discussion, this time looking at its potential influence on the general population.

The IOC made zero friends this week when its President suggested athletes should compete for free. Naturally, the boys have a few thoughts.

There's brief training updates, gear yarn, and some poorly researched race results from around the traps — including a look at the Launceston Running Festival.

Enjoy!

This week on Low Ceiling Athletics:

The guys discuss Tim's short turnaround to run the HBF Half Marathon, unpack a recent study on foam rolling and whether it's actually useful for runners, and work through how to find the best help for your injury management.

They also talk Taj Watson's meteoric rise on social media, and of course, the enhanced games anticlimax.

Plus:

- An Aussie brand gets some love on gear yarn

- Jerrym manages to compare Scott Pendlebury to Satisfy

- By request, the Secret Shoe Project is explained

As always, It wouldn't be LCA without some poorly researched race results and questionable tangents, so they're included too.

This week on Low Ceiling Athletics, Tim and Jerrym dive into the realities of managing running niggles, the rise of Strava’s new rehab activity feature, and whether doping in amateur sport is becoming normalised.

The boys unpack the Sage Canaday/Cameron Hanes beef, the ethics around performance-enhancing drugs in recreational running, and whether “average Joe” marathoners should be held to account.

As always, you'll get your dose of poorly researched results, shoe talk and things seen on the internet. Enjoy!

Something a bit different for you this week:

4 Stress fractures to 6 major marathons 

Runner, mum, chiro, Pilates instructor, and women’s run club leader — Amy Schiano has built a life around movement, resilience, and helping others feel strong in their bodies.

After overcoming four stress fractures before even making it to the start line of her first marathon, she went on to complete six World Marathon Majors and is now chasing the seventh.

This week on Low Ceiling Athletics, Tim and Jerrym discuss the realities of post-marathon recovery — from lingering fatigue and sleep disruption to hydration, strength training and figuring out when your body is actually ready to train properly again.

The boys also touch on blood testing for runners, discussing iron levels, hormones, recovery markers and whether regular testing is worthwhile for recreational athletes chasing performance.

A good mix of recovery chat, shoe talk and practical training discussion for Low Ceiling recreational runners trying to hold it all together.

It's been a long build and a slow burn but here we are, the aftermath of Ballarat Marathon 2026.

The boys go in depth on the recap of the travel, the expo and everything that comes with a marathon weekend as well as running the race of course!

There's also the phenomenal results from the TCS London marathon to somehow try and process!

Next week's will be shorter, we promise!

This week on Low Ceiling Athletics, Tim and Jerrym whizz through their taper week before sitting down with Australian running great Ryan Gregson to chat about the evolution of modern training, transitioning from elite middle-distance racing into the marathon, and where Australian athletics is heading next.

Ryan reflects on his career, training progression, and how he and wife Gen balance elite training and racing while also being elite parents to two young boys.

The boys also touch on the massive changes in running across the last decade — from super shoes and sports nutrition to the rise of young talent like Cam Myers and the growing depth of Australian distance running.

By the law of averages, this is our highest ceiling episode to date.