Do you have an upcoming target race and you're determining how to execute a shorter or benchmark race during the training build? We review our experiences at the Shut-In Ridge Trail Race and Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon as examples of how to "tune up" for a bigger race on the horizon.

Happy Halloween! This week we're previewing the exceptionally deep fields at the 2022 New York City Marathon and making our predictions sure to go wrong. Plus we have a review of the much anticipated Asics Novablast 3, and a debate over the best fun size Halloween candies.

We open by lamenting the near miss of Cosmo's return to the program before unpacking the last seven days of our training. Then in our feature segments we discuss best practices for running two marathons in short sequence -- and if this is something you should consider doing -- and tactical approaches to the upcoming Greenville Marathon at the Spinx Run Fest.

The Chicago Marathon exceeded expectations with Emily Sisson running an American Record, Ruth Chepngetich blazing off the front at an astonishing pace, and Conner Mantz solidifying himself as a legit marathoner in his debut. We discuss all that action plus a detailed conversation about categorizing your long runs and how to craft long run workouts for marathon success.

We take you inside the Berlin Marathon and Eliud Kipchoge's record-breaking performance and ask how much faster can he run? When will his record be broken? Is this the greatest race ever? Then, after training updates and our initial impressions of a few new shoes, We preview the upcoming marathons at London and Chicago. How fast will Sir Mo run in his marathon return? How fast will Connor Mantz run in his debut? Who will win the head-to-head battle of Furman alums Frank Lara and Wilkerson Given? Phil and Travis place a few friendly wagers while answering all those questions.

After an opening discussion of Grant Fisher's remarkable track season, we unpack a framework for evaluating training. Rather than looking at specific workout ideas, intensity zones, or paces to run, we reflect on how our training can improve, express, or degrade our race readiness. By categorizing your sessions this way, and reflecting on the impact of each of these 3 categories, you can have a more effective training cycle for the fall race season and beyond.

You've been sending us great questions and we dive into a few more this week on 5K and marathon training, super shoes, when to walk versus when to run in training, and where to run your next PR race. Plus, we review the new Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 and Brooks Glycerin 20.

Asics athlete Lindsay Flanagan continued her uber successful 2022 campaign with a personal best and course record victory at the recent Gold Coast Marathon. Lindsay’s mark makes her 1 of 4 American women this year to run under 2 hours and 25 minutes. She joins us this week for a conversation about that breakthrough win Down Under, the training that helped her cover the 26.2 miles in such dominant fashion, and perhaps our most passionate discussion yet of breakfast food preferences!

In the past 3 years Colin Mickow has ascended from marathon newcomer to a 2:11 personal best and member of the United States contingent at the World Championships in July. A tireless worker, Colin shares with us the details of his high-mileage training regimen. Plus, he takes us inside his response to race adversity after getting tripped up at World Champs, and he puts to bed any debate about the best deep dish pizza in his hometown of Chicago. More than anything else in our conversation, I left inspired by the discipline and humility that have helped Colin move to the top of American men’s marathoning.

We open with our favorite moments from the recent World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, then dive into a listener question about how running slower can help us race faster. And in our feature segment we pick the 5K sessions we would make the foundation of our training.