Run Now, Cry Later

Season 1 finale. Two races. Two different kinds of success.

Rin runs the GC50 Physiocrem 10K in 49:40 — his first race back since the stress fracture, 90% humidity, family on the balcony at kilometre one, crowd cheering him to go sub-50 while he’s actively trying not to. No pain through the whole race. The foot held. The comeback is real.

Zac runs the Melbourne Marathon Festival 5K in 18:44 — 92nd overall, 10th in his age group, second fastest 5K of his life, and not a single injury concern at the finish line. The contrast with previous all-out 5K efforts — hip flexors gone at Kingscliff, hamstring fears in 2024 — is the detail that matters most. This time just exhausted, nothing broken.

The Melbourne Marathon Festival itself is a different story. Half marathoners running into six-hour marathoners in the final 8 kilometres, water stations running dry, MCG finish line chaos, and a half-hour wait for water post-marathon. The race that wanted to be Australia’s premier event fell well short of Gold Coast’s standard this year.

Also: Kipchoge runs 2:09:10 in his Melbourne debut. Jimmy Whellan tries his best. Friends of the pod - Dave comes within 2 minutes of his half marathon PB without really trying. Katelyn negative splits while pacing a friend. Justin PBs at 1:42.

Season 2 is coming. New logo. And a teased April goal from Rin that requires a qualifying time and is less than marathon distance.

Follow along: @runnowcrylater on Instagram

Zac Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/zacharybradford⁠⁠ 

Ryan YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Rinfitgym⁠⁠ 

Ryan Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/ryan_lindwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/rinfitwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@rinfit62⁠ 

Tigist Assefa felt her calf and Achilles tighten at kilometre 31 of the Berlin Marathon. She was on pace for a world record. She ran the next 11 kilometres anyway — including the last two on a fully ruptured Achilles — averaged 4:02 pace and finished in 2:11:04. The Run Now Cry Later inaugural segment, the Assefa Dog of the Week, is born.

Also this week: Boston Marathon cutoff times are announced and the dream gets harder. The 2026 qualifying window saw a 5:17 subtraction applied across all age groups — meaning the 18-34 men’s category required a 2:49:43 just to get in. Zac’s current PB is 2:59. The maths are sobering.

Race previews for the double-header weekend: Zac lines up at the Melbourne 5K on Saturday — starting on Batman Avenue, finishing half a lap of the MCG, aiming somewhere between sub-17:59 and sub-19:00. Rin and Tarran head to Coolangatta for GC50 — Rin running the Physiocrem 10K for his first race back since the stress fracture, Tarran running the half as a scenic comeback run. Both keeping expectations measured, both quietly ready to push.

Plus: Rin attends the inaugural Endeavour Parkrun with 826 people and spends most of it running on grass. Zac turns 31 in a leaking tent near Ballarat, chatting with kangaroos in the fog. Jack Rayner accidentally refuses to endorse his own sponsor. Boston is getting harder. Mitch finished Berlin. And Rin is teasing a season 2 qualifying goal he won’t reveal yet.

Next week: season 1 finale. Race results from both.

Ben Parkes Berlin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qja-pFgtFmw

Study on carb intake - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13197943/

What should you actually eat before a run — and does it change depending on whether it's an easy run, a workout, or a long run? Zac researched it so you don't have to. The short answer: easy runs, largely irrelevant; workouts, fuel properly or turn a quality session into a survival exercise; long runs, treat the nutrition like race day prep. Plus the three energy systems your body is drawing from during hard efforts, why eating less during a training block is usually the wrong call, and whether a gel before a parkrun is actually worth it.

Training wise: Rin runs his first continuous 25-minute block since the stress fracture, keeps it at 6:00 pace, and quietly nails it. The IC 5.0 indoor bike arrives and instantly makes the $90 Kmart version look like what it was. GC50 10K is one week away. Zac posts 3:31 in his second fastest kilometre ever, averages 3:38 across five reps, and sets his Melbourne 5K target at sub-19.

Also: Two new Brisbane parkruns are coming — one at Scarborough waterfront, one at Mount Coot-tha with 256 metres of elevation over 5 kilometres.

And in the final minutes: Rin's pre-injury 1K splits versus now, why comparison to your past self hits differently to comparing yourself to others, and why it's easier to get back to where you were than it was to get there the first time.

Follow along: @runnowcrylater on Instagram

Zac Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/zacharybradford⁠⁠ 

Ryan YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Rinfitgym⁠⁠ 

Ryan Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/ryan_lindwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/rinfitwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@rinfit62⁠ 

Episode 20 of Run Now Cry Later is here.

This week: the Tokyo Marathon ballot result lands (it's not good), so we pivot to mapping out the fastest marathon options for early 2027 — Rotterdam, Seoul, Kyoto, Port Fairy and Ballarat all get a full breakdown. Rin makes a compelling case for Kyoto followed by Gold Coast as a two marathon BQ attempt strategy.

Then we design our dream parkrun courses. Rin builds Raiwai Parkrun on a perfect oval island with sea views, hot springs, waterfalls, quokkas and a shrine finish line. Zac builds The Remarkables — Queenstown scenery, Grand Canyon, ocean, canyon hot springs, and a strict no-fours-allowed pace policy. Both agree the cafe is non-negotiable.

We also get into post- run food (espresso in smoothies — yes or no?), the New Jersey marathon that ran through waist-deep floodwater, caffeine withdrawal, and whether you can eat your pancakes before everyone at the table gets theirs.

Training weeks are back in full, Rin graduates to continuous easy runs post stress fracture, Zac posts 3:49 intervals three weeks after Brighton Beach and sets his sights on a sub 18:00 5K at Melbourne.

Follow along: @runnowcrylater on Instagram

Zac Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/zacharybradford⁠⁠ 

Ryan YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Rinfitgym⁠⁠ 

Ryan Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/ryan_lindwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/rinfitwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@rinfit62⁠ 

Run Now Cry Later is now a video podcast. Find us on Spotify or YouTube if you want to put some faces to the voices.

This week, Connor sends Rin down a research rabbit hole on aerobic vs anaerobic training. How much of a 5K is actually anaerobic compared with a marathon? When does the anaerobic system really start doing some work? And what are the phosphagen and glycolytic systems actually doing while you run? More importantly, does any of this matter if you're just trying to run a faster half marathon? Rin digs into the research and looks back at his own Gold Coast training with a slightly different view.

We also get stuck into the newly announced Brisbane Marathon course. One lap, four out and backs, 233m of elevation and a finish through Howard Smith Wharves. Not a bad way to finish a marathon.

Plus Bridge to Brisbane results, including Dave's 10K PB and listener Jason Kelly somehow finding enough in the tank for a last 500m of pure "tempo to fin" energy. There's also a Strava Premium discount code floating around somewhere on the internet. Seriously, just Google "Strava discount".

Zac is back running after the marathon and ends up in Epping, where an innocent run takes a turn involving someone's backyard and an athletics club that wasn't particularly interested in sharing.

And finally, Rin's $90 Kmart exercise bike dies halfway through the Dolphins game. Naturally, it is replaced with a $600 Horizon IC 5.0.

Follow along: @runnowcrylater on Instagram

Zac on Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/zacharybradford⁠⁠ 

Ryan on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Rinfitgym⁠⁠ 

Ryan on Strava: ⁠⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/ryan_lindwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan on Instagram: ⁠⁠http://instagram.com/rinfitwall⁠⁠ 

Ryan on TikTok: ⁠⁠http://tiktok.com/@rinfit62⁠ 

If Strava and running social media disappeared tomorrow, would your training change? Zac and Rin take on listener questions from Chris and Connor on run streaks, Strava kudos, and where healthy motivation tips into something more dangerous. Zac's own cautionary tale: the 2000km push at the end of 2024 that ended in a hobble and a sore back.

Post-marathon immune suppression is apparently real — the science is surprisingly thin but the pattern is consistent. Zac unpacks what the research seems to say, why carbohydrate intake during and after a race matters beyond performance, and why the body seems to hold together under pressure and then fall apart the moment the deadline passes.

The art of the rat gets its own segment this week. Cam Myers wins the Diamond League 1500m final in Brussels — first Australian man to win a Diamond League distance title — and does it the RNCL way: sitting in, waiting, and sprinting past Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the final straight. This leads to a full breakdown of ratting philosophy, the Tour de Parkrun 2024 final at Kingscliff, 29.6km/h sprint finishes, and why looking back is always a mistake.

Also: Rin's suit fitting reveals quad-to-waist proportions that require double tailoring, black socks with white shoes, T-rex arms, the Ryasic era of the Rinfit home gym, and three upper body exercises for runners who've let things slide.

Rin runs for the first time in 10 weeks. Zac starts his Melbourne 5K build. The comeback is officially on.

Brighton Beach Marathon is done and Zac has run a 3:13:54, his second fastest marathon ever and good enough for 68th out of 694.

After a disrupted final month of training, he basically raced it on feel. The plan was 4:30 pace. He went out at 4:20, held it to 30km, then the hills, headwind and empty tank caught up. He walked. He survived. He also forgot to pick up his finisher shirt.

Justin ran 3:33 at Sydney on his first proper marathon build, just three minutes off his A goal. Andy Buchanan ran 2:10:14 as the first Aussie home, smashing the previous Australian best on the course.

Rin is finally cleared to run. Run-walks Thursday, parkrun Saturday and the GC50 Fractal 10K in October. He walked a full parkrun loop this week and nearly cried. We’ll take it.

Plus the best Aussie marathon debate, Perez Jepchirchir's 27 siblings, finish-time lanyards and our potential Sole Motive partnership, assuming there are bananas at the finish.

instagram @runnowcrylaterpod

strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/ryan_lindwall⁠⁠ 

https://www.strava.com/athletes/zacharybradford⁠⁠ 

Sydney Marathon week is here — and Justin is attempting to knock 60 minutes off his marathon PB.

Justin joins the podcast for his guest debut ahead of Sydney Marathon, having gone from a 4:40 marathon at Brisbane last year to targeting 3:30 after a 20-week training block combining around 50km of running per week with plenty of cycling. We break down his training, his 32km confidence-building long run, 8 x 1km intervals, race strategy, fuelling and whether a three-and-a-half-hour marathon is actually within reach. There's also a little discussion about whether Zac is really qualified to be his coach.

Then it's time for the full Sydney Marathon race preview: getting to the start line, the new expo location, the coloured start zones, whether you should wear carbon shoes while walking to the start, the hills, the infamous Mrs Macquarie's Chair and the final 500m into the Opera House. We also preview the elite field, including Peres Jepchirchir, Alphonce Simbu, Timothy Kiplagat, Andy Buchanan and the battle for Australian women's honours between Ellie Pashley, Caitlin Scott and Rebecca Lowe.
Meanwhile, Zac prepares for the much smaller Brighton Beach Marathon, revealing a 3:10 goal and a race plan based around heart rate, wind and four laps of the same hills. And, naturally, his confidence remains extremely high: "I suck at running."

Plus: the Sydney Marathon medal accidentally featuring a German stadium, Adidas Hyper Boost first impressions, marathon medal etiquette, the classic ego run, and Justin's ambitious plan to attend Sydney shakeout runs primarily for the free croissants.

Sydney Marathon. Brighton Beach. Two runners. Very different races.

Sydney Marathon Weekend Events - https://www.timeout.com/sydney/news/your-ultimate-2026-sydney-marathon-guide-the-best-shakeout-runs-and-after-parties-081926

What should and shouldn't go on Strava? Rin has opinions, and a list. Walks, indoor cycling, futsal, stride only sessions, and the one mowing activity Zac posted in 2021 that he's never going to live down. Hey you go live your life how you want to, but Zac wants excitement on his Strava feed.

The cadence deep dive this week starts with Lachie Kennedy's 292 steps per minute at the Commonwealth Games — versus Usain Bolt's 256 — and what that gap tells us about different body types optimising differently. Practical takeaways for marathon runners on what cadence is, whether you should try to change it, and how posterior chain engagement affects leg turnover.

Blake Lindwall wins the Brighton Queensland 5K Running Festival outright, taking the last Lindwall family distance record Rin had left in the mid-to-long range. The scoreboard now reads Blake: everything, Rin: the 400m and the mile. Rin responds by doing 2.5 hours on the bike watching the cricket.

Zac's big pre-Brighton marathon long run goes sideways — 340 metres of elevation, a walk break at kilometre 22, and protein shakes in both hands for the final stretch. Lower back tightens up for the week. Two weeks out from Brighton Beach and now to decide whether to run for a time or run to feel?

Also: the moon boot is finally off, Rin walks for 3000m!

Plus underrated training moments, the stretching tolerance conspiracy theory, and why Zac will never throw a baby out with the bathwater.

Coach Robert Graham - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DblvbJTomIM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Last week Zac promised a cold shower. He delivered — 7 degrees, Melbourne winter, apartment barely above freezing. Full debrief including the fumbled body wash lid, the Gladiator quote, and why he's never doing it again.

This week's deep dive is caffeine: how it actually works (it's not energy, it's adenosine blocking), why endurance is where it helps most, the 3 to 6 milligrams per kilo sweet spot, half-life timing for marathon vs half marathon, fat oxidisation as a bonus benefit, and why Mo Farah needed two espressos before London 2012. Zac has also done the full nutrition maths for Brighton Beach — 214 grams of carbs, 380mg sodium, and a caffeine strategy timed to the minute.

Also this week: the Advanced Marathoning dynamic warm-up routine (six exercises, included in the description below), Rin's week 6 of cross-training with training load trending back up, Yaso Workout returns, Andy Buchanan wins City2Surf at 2:51 pace on a hilly course, and the discovery that Rin has held the 400m Strava segment record at Zammit Oval since 2020. The challenge is open.

Dynamic Warm-Up (from Advanced Marathoning — Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas)

1. Cat Cow — 6 reps
2. Leg Swings — 12 per leg
3. Side Swings — 12 per leg
4. Side Lunges — 6 per side, hold for several seconds
5. Walking Knee Hugs — 8 per leg
6. Side Skips — 12 in each direction

Myrtl Routine (banded hip/glute prehab): steelcityendurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/myrtl_routine.pdf