296. Why Tune-Up Races Are the Key to Your Next Marathon PR

In this episode of the Marathon Running Podcast , we dive into whyyour solitary training miles might be hitting a plateau and how to smashthrough your personal bests by becoming a "skilled racer." Weinterviewed Chris Knighton ,founder of Knighton Runs and author of Run Faster Marathons , to discuss the psychologicaland physiological necessity of the tune-up race. We asked Chris about the "isolationist" trapmany marathoners fall into and how to strategically bridge the gap betweentraining fitness and race-day performance. We tease the "GoldStandard" of tune-up distances, the dangers of tapering too early, and whyyour GPS watch might be lying to you about your potential. Plus, stay tuned forexpert insights to keep you informed on the latest in running and competitivesports. · The 100% Effort: Learn why you can't replicate truerace intensity in solo time trials and how "exposure therapy" for thebrain prevents race-day panic. · The 18-Week Roadmap: A breakdown of the three stagesof development—from baseline time trials to the "Specific Stage"crescendo. · Data Over Guesswork: Why Chris advocates for VDOTformulas over heart rate or watch-based predictors to set your goals. · The "Train-Through" Method: How to race ontired legs to prepare for the final 10K of your marathon without burning out. Our guestthis episode: Chris Knighton ( KnightonRuns.com ) Connect withUs: · Our website: · Instagram: · YouTube: ·

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296. Why Tune-Up Races Are the Key to Your Next Marathon PR is an episode from Marathon Running Podcast by We Got the Runs by Marathon Journal (Letty Lundquist, Ryan Lundquist).

This episode is 00:35:45 long.

This episode was published on Jan 19, 2026.

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