This week I'm discussing three of the hot topics in big marathons that has divided opinion.

Dublin marathon has changed its general entry process to ballot only, Paris has announced no cups or bottles on course and Cape Town, the 8th candidate major was cancelled at the weekend.

I give my view on each highlighting how marathons have changed and are continuing to change and how you can try to prepare yourself for these changes or disappointments.

I also talk about what 2026 marathons are available to enter and how far ahead of time you need to be thinking about them.

You can get help with your upcoming race with the master the marathon course or a personal race prep call at ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/services

This week I am 3 weeks away from New York marathon so things are starting to get real! There's still a few big sessions to go but also most of the work is done and recovery and tapering are key.

Today, I share some of my tapering principles and focuses, how we need to lean into the uncertainty of what is going to happen on race day and how to cope with stress using 'flow activities'.

This episode will provide you with some pitfalls to avoid and tips to get you through the taper and to the start line, fit and healthy and raring to go.

You can get help with your upcoming race with the master the marathon course or a personal race prep call at ⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/services

Today's episode is a Q+A covering questions sent to me through instagram, from clients and podcast listeners. To send a question for a future episode, message me @therunningrules on IG.

To skip to a particular question, go to:

02:30 - Will my marathon time suffer if I spend a cycle tackling shorter races?

18:05 - Why should I run in different shoes for different sessions?

32:55 - What snacks do I recommend when travelling to a big marathon?

39:04 - What are XC spikes?

48:00 - Should I book a half marathon now in the build up to my spring marathon?

You can get help with your upcoming race with the master the marathon course or a personal race prep call at ⁠www.therunningrules.com/services

Today's episode is all about how to pace yourself on race day. I look at different possible pacing strategies and why going out slower in longer races is likely to help you get your best race time.

I talk about how to get around GPS inaccuracies and how to prepare mentally for the end of a long race to stop you losing a lot of time.

I also look back to a rare race victory this weekend at the Annaghmore 10k and how it was a completely different mental approach than simply time trialling a race.

You can get help with your upcoming race with a personal race prep call at www.therunningrules.com/services

Today's episode is an update on what's happening inside the Puma Project3 in terms of the help we've been getting as well as the first drop of gear including the Fast R3s.

I'll go through why I've had to make some changes to my marathon preparation even though Belfast went so well. Sometimes you might be forced into changes but it's also worth looking at what improvements you can make.

I round off with a bit of an insight into how I'm trying to manage my T1 diabetes slightly differently given the difficulties I had in my previous races.

The master the marathon course will get you ready and confident for your upcoming race by helping you plan your fuel, mindset and pacing. Sign up now at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/master-the-marathon

Today's episode gives you a look into my latest half marathon race whilst looking forward to Belfast half marathon and giving some tips for first time half marathoners.

I let you into some of the mistakes I made in my first half marathon in 2014 as well as reflections and learning points from the weekend.

Best of luck to everyone running the half marathon this weekend whether it's your first time, a big PB attempt or along the way to an autumn marathon.

The master the marathon course will get you ready and confident for your upcoming race by helping you plan your fuel, mindset and pacing. Sign up now at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/master-the-marathon

Autumn marathons are just about on us but there is still time to make a difference in your next race!

Today's episode is all about things you can do right now to improve your chances of running your best in the marathon.

I cover aspects of nutrition, mindset, pacing and planning as well as an overview of the master the marathon course that will get you ready and confident for your upcoming race.

Sign up now at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/master-the-marathon

Today's episode is half race review of the GRC Coastal 5k and half my thoughts on the pros and cons of running races.

With 9 weeks left to New York marathon, the 5k race on Friday past is likely to be my penultimate tune up race before the big day as we're now getting into the big work of the marathon cycle.

I share my thoughts going into the race and how it panned out and where it leaves me for the next block of training.

It also got me thinking about how there is a fine line between racing enough and too much and the pros and cons of doing a race. I give you a rundown of what to think about and how to plan your races.

If you want to improve in your marathon this autumn, check out my course 26.2 days to master the marathon at ⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/master-the-marathon

This November I will be taking on New York marathon as part of the Puma Project3. I was very fortunate to even get a place in New York nevermind be a part of this exciting programme.

In today's episode I reveal how it's taken me 7 years to get to New York with some of the ups and downs on the way.

I give an overview of what's in store with the Puma Project3, what I'm excited for and the things I'll need to optimise for New York.

And as always, I'll be talking about how this can relate to your own marathon journey and share some of the takeaways I've had in the early part of this marathon cycle.

If you want to improve in your marathon this autumn, check out my course 26.2 days to master the marathon at ⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/master-the-marathon

Today I talk all about parkrunning with guest Linda Harley.

Linda is closing in on 400 parkruns and has run over 100 different parkruns including all the Northern Ireland parkruns at various times (new ones are continually added).

Linda also writes a brilliant blog of all her experiences and details of the parkruns at www.dancingatlunacy.com

We discuss milestones and different parkrun challenges as well as how to get involved as a volunteer and what to know about if you are going to a new parkrun.

If you need help and accountability with your own training for your next race along with personalised guidance in nutrition and mindset, message me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/therunningrules⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or see ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.therunningrules.com/coaching