Training Seasons, Speed Workouts & Downhill Racing Tips | MH May Mailbag Part 2

About this episode

The episode discusses recent race experiences and answers listener questions about training and motivation.

It was a big race weekend for the Marathon Handbook crew, and one of them won their race outright, beating every single finisher. SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Lagoon pillows help us sleep better, so we run better. Want to try? You can save 15% with code MARATHON. Go to https://LagoonSleep.com/marathonhandbook and take the 2-minute sleep quiz to find your match. Alex ran the Canadian 10K Road Championships in Ottawa, finishing 7th in 29:21. Then — on three hours of sleep after staying out for a friend's birthday party — he jumped in to pace Canadian women's marathon record holder Natasha Akhtar at the Ottawa Marathon, running 32 kilometres before a blister from his Fascia R3s forced him to drop. He came away with a renewed appreciation for the marathon start line vibe and a serious bug to go the full 42. Katelyn ran a 50K ultra in blazing 40°C heat in Costa Rica, running a patient, controlled race to take the overall win — first across the line ahead of every man in the field, a PR of 5:06. Her husband Victor came in third. Michael tackled the Cabot Trail Relay in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, one of Canada's most beloved and cult-like race weekends, running Leg 7 into a 50km/h headwind and…

Topics covered

• training seasons
• speed workouts
• downhill racing
• listener mailbag
• race experiences

Keywords

• marathon
• 10K
• ultra
• training
• racing
• listener questions
• fitness
• motivation

Sponsors

Lagoon

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Ottawa, Costa Rica, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

More episodes of Marathon Handbook Podcast

• Why You Have to Run SLOW to Race FAST (The Science of Easy Running) · June 11, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Emergency Pod: Cape Town Is Officially the 8th World Marathon Major | Analysis · June 11, 2026 · 24 min
• Learning to Eat for My Biggest Running Week & Post-Run Headaches · June 9, 2026 · 1h 10m
• Trump's D.C. Golf Course Could Change the Marine Corps Marathon's Blue Mile, CIM Doubles & Rory Linkletter Goes Trail · June 8, 2026 · 24 min
• How to Find Your Marathon Goal Pace, Super Shoes for Every Runner & Is Running Full of "Bro Science"? · June 4, 2026 · 1h 23m
• The Fastest 10K That Won't Count, Kejelcha to Valencia Exclusive, Boulder Boulder DQ & More · June 2, 2026 · 28 min