@emmayounggg: Turns out cross training, delusion and “I’ll just see how I go” are not a substitute for marathon training x For context: I went into Sydney Marathon with my longest run being 10km after an injury-interrupted build. Was this optimal marathon prep? Absolutely not. Did I know that? Absolutely yes. Did I still somehow convince myself that years of running, strength training + a lot of time on the bike would make 42.2km feel reasonably manageable? Also yes 🤡 The result: a very humbling practical demonstration of why we actually build long runs. Fitness can get you pretty far, but your legs (and mind) still need to be prepared for the specific mechanical demands of running for 42.2km. And unfortunately the bike cannot teach your quads what km 35 feels like. I made the decision to start after discussions with the health professionals involved in my injury management, knowing I was significantly underprepared and accepting that I may need to walk or pull out. So no, this is not me recommending running a marathon off a 10km long run. If anything, consider it free educational content for my clients: I tested it. It sucked. Please just do your long runs 😂 P.s. all my clients actually smashed it and had fun doing it, I was crying on the side of the road, and that’s your sign to join our coaching xx

Emma Y | run coach + physio

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Thursday 03 September 2026 06:24:06 GMT