The Physiology of Endurance Running Podcast · Dan Nash and Owain Zerilli

Road to Valencia 2025 - 3 weeks to go

·1 hr 42 min·5 clips

The Rose-in session closed with 15 minutes at 3:28 per K and a 3:26 final kilometer.

1. The Physiology of Endurance Running Podcast episode “Road to Valencia 2025 - 3 weeks to go” tracks the final stretch before Valencia. 2. Jen, Owen, Dan, and Dave speak as the running group behind the Valencia build, and Jen’s training notes drive most of the detail. 3. The episode asks how much fitness has been built with only three weeks left, and whether the current training pace can carry into race day. 4. Jen opens with the idea that “one more week of training” is left before Valencia, and Dave’s advice is framed as “if in doubt, do less.” 5. Owen says most of the training is done, that he has “a smaller session this week,” and that he is trying to avoid ill people before the flight. 6. The group compares masking on the plane with masking in the airport, and they mention a past flight from Verona and risk-assessment work by Corey from the lab. 7. Jen’s Wednesday session uses 24, 18, 12, 6, and 3-minute reps, all off a 3-minute float, with pace moving from about 3:40 per K to 3:14 per K. 8. Jen says the goal was to start at LT1, move through marathon pace and LT2, and then finish “as fast as I could hammer it.” 9. She also says every Wednesday workout in the marathon block has averaged between 3:35 and 3:39 per K with an average heart rate of 177. 10. Jen describes feeling stronger aerobically than she did six to nine weeks earlier, when a different session with jog recoveries felt much harder. 11. Friday brings floodwater on Coteys, a forgotten watch start, and a reroute that forces Jen to manually input a mile into Strava. 12. Jen says the flooded route caused two cars to get stranded, which she found amusing enough to photograph. 13. The Saturday run comes after nearly 10 hours of sleep, and Jen says she felt “like a brand new human” on an easy hour at 4:43 per K. 14. That same day she practices carb loading for the first time before a long run, counts 20 individual jelly babies, and estimates 510 grams of carbs. 15. She also eats jam on toast, honey-filled wraps, rice pudding with jam, and pancakes with jam, lemon, and sugar. 16. Jen says More Mile 20/360 does not suit her taste, so she plans to use an electrolyte drink and a gel instead. 17. The Sunday long run takes place on the Rose-in loop in Redwick, where wind, horses, tractors, and repeated toilet stops all affect the warm-up. 18. Jen says the 34.6-kilometer session with 16 meters of elevation was best assessed by how well she could hold pace on the recoveries and then return to faster running. 19. Listeners focused on marathon pacing, threshold work, and race-week preparation will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a polished narrative or minimal training detail may skip it.

As heard by us

Taper nerves, pacing logic, and practical marathon advice that stays grounded.

Three weeks out from Valencia, this episode stays close to the work: taper nerves, race-day logic, and the small choices that protect the legs. The advice is plain enough to trust.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Three weeks out, you get permission to back off without it feeling like failure.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Physiology of Endurance Running Podcast