Running, So Far

A year of training, and the plan to go Sub3 in 2027.

Contents
  1. The secret master plan
  2. Progress so far
  3. Gear
  4. What’s next

It’s been amazing to see all the people who have taken up running over the past year. When I started training in the summer of 2025, I had a sense that there were different types of runners, but did not truly understand them until about a year in.

There are two main paths people take. The first is to settle into the yearly major marathon cycle, primarily as a social event with some pictures to post. Training seems to happen quietly and then the eventual race time is never mentioned. The other path is to take the training as seriously as the racing (or more), run whichever races serve to benchmark performance, and race a major marathon when the time is right.

There’s nothing wrong with the first path, but I really do enjoy the day-in, day-out process of training and putting in the miles for their own sake, and I’d like to be around other people who feel the same. I’m taking the second path.

The secret master plan

Primary goal: Sub-3-hour marathon in 2027.

I’ll be tracking progress against these milestones:

  1. Run a sub-20 5K
  2. Turn that into a sub-42 10K
  3. Turn that into a sub-1:25 half-marathon
  4. Finally, turn all of that into a sub-3:00 marathon

I would estimate less than a 50% chance that Sub3 is physically possible for me in this timeframe, given the potentially necessary time for training adaptation. I’m chasing Sub3 anyway because I’m still picking up rapid gains, and a full year of intensive training could get me under 3:00. If it’s not possible in 2027, I’ll try again in 2028.

Progress so far

Here is my training progress from July 2025 through the time of writing, October 2026.

PBPaceDatePredictedPaceChange% Chg
1 Mile6:336:33/mi9/17/26————
5K23:197:30/mi10/14/2621:176:50/mi−2:02−8.7%
10K49:538:02/mi1/10/2644:077:06/mi−5:46−11.6%
Half Marathon1:58:10*9:01/mi11/22/251:38:317:31/mi−19:39−16.6%
Marathon4:19:239:54/mi11/22/253:26:547:53/mi−52:29−20.2%

* Time recorded from the marathon on the same day.

Most of the past year has been ramping up weekly volume to 35-40mpw and setting up the various foundational pieces of training:

  • Adapting to much higher energy requirements with adequate fueling and nutrition.
  • Fine-tuning stride mechanics.
  • Learning the PT and mobility necessary to deal with minor aches and early injuries before they become serious. My right sartorius muscle (runs diagonally over the quad from hip to knee) has been a recurring issue over the past year, but is now completely solved with a combo of targeted mobility and strength training.

The 1mi and 5K PBs are from training. 10K, HM, and marathon PBs are from races. The predicted times and paces are from a recent Coros threshold test, so take them with a grain of salt. I’m including them here because they feel representative of roughly my current fitness (current actual 5K time is probably a touch faster than predicted, and the marathon time might be closer to 3:30-3:35 today). The changes are highlighted to represent in data what the sensation of training over the past year has felt like. I feel substantially stronger and faster today, especially at longer distances, than I was in the fall of last year.

Gear

One piece of advice I’ve always believed about gear, for running or anything else, is to start as soon as possible with what you have. Over time, the process of doing the work will naturally lead you to the best gear for you. But part of the process is looking at what other people have and use. So, here is my current gear to give a sense of where I’ve landed. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend copying these choices. People have different stride mechanics and foot types, and height/weight do play a part as well — a good running shop is a real asset and can help you get started.

Shoes

I prefer Asics shoes over everything else on the market right now. Specifically, the Superblast 3 and the Megablast are the two best shoes currently in production. Saucony also makes great mid-range shoes. The Azura is ~$150 for a solid shoe that I like for high-volume easy miles.

I can always spot a new runner with Nike Pegasus and an Apple Watch (I get it, I was literally that person). My advice, if you’ve decided to take this seriously, is to explore the market after you get a few months into training. There are much better options out there11A real shame because both Apple and Nike obviously have the talent and resources to make great serious amateur gear..

Data & Tracking

I started training last year with an Apple Watch Ultra 2, the basic Apple fitness app, connected to Strava for logging and analysis. The best thing I’ve done since is switch entirely to Coros.

I use the included app for tracking and analysis. It’s not the prettiest, but it does everything you need and then some. I’ve found it to be more intuitive and organized than Strava, which I’ve stopped using primarily because it’s bloated with social features and is organized in a way that makes finding the data you need unnecessarily difficult.

What’s next

My next race is a sub-20 5K attempt in late November (exact race TBD). After completing that race, I’ll be increasing weekly mileage to 50-55mpw through the winter, in preparation for the 10K and half-marathon in the spring.

All of this will culminate next fall with the TCS NYC Marathon.

I’ll post an update at each milestone.

Footnotes

  1. A real shame because both Apple and Nike obviously have the talent and resources to make great serious amateur gear. ↩︎

  2. The Endorphin Speed 6s are available now. I haven’t tried them yet. ↩︎

  3. I ran my first marathon in these shoes. They were very good, and the SB3s are much better. ↩︎