Episode Details

Welcome to the recap of my first live subscriber Q&A! It was a lot of fun connecting with you all and answering your thoughtful questions. In this post, I’ll walk through the key topics we discussed, including my marathon training approach, supplement routine, fueling strategies, and more.

Thank you Zach Bitter, Esther VanderMark, dr_cois, Barbell Mentality, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Table of contents

* My Training Philosophy: Running Less, Biking More

* My Supplement Routine (and Philosophy)

* Fueling for Long Runs and Marathons: How I Changed My Approach

* Live Q&A Questions

* Have you experienced low blood sugar or bonking during runs?

* What’s your advice for returning to running after an injury?

* Does cycling help build your aerobic base for running?

* What are your thoughts on nitrate supplements like beetroot juice?

* What’s your approach to warming up before races and workouts?

* Do you lift after long runs or interval workouts?

* What do you think about concerns over eating high amounts of carbs during marathons?

* How does race-day nutrition affect your recovery afterward?

* If I’m a slower marathoner, should I train differently than you?

* What’s your approach to returning to training after illness?

* Is cycling useful even if your running mileage isn’t maxed out yet?

* How does L-glutamine help with gut health?

My Training Philosophy: Running Less, Biking More

One of the most common questions I get is about how I structure my training week, particularly how I balance running and cycling. For my Boston Marathon build, I chose to run five days per week and ride the bike two days per week. This approach stems from years of battling injuries, particularly bone stress injuries. Every time I tried running six or seven days per week—even at moderate mileage—I seemed to get hurt.

To avoid that, I started squeezing more mileage into fewer running days, reaching 75 to 85 miles per week while running just five days. On the two non-running days, I cycled for 90 minutes to two and a half hours using Zwift. Cycling allowed me to maintain a high aerobic load without the musculoskeletal strain of running. Having two full days without running each week seemed to give my body the time it needed to recover and regenerate. I felt fresher on all my runs and stayed injury-free throughout the training block, which hadn't been the case in past training cycles.

My Supplement Routine (and Philosophy)

Supplements are something I get asked about all the time, and during the Q&A, I walked through my current supplement stack. I take a fairly extensive range of supplements, but my general philosophy is simple: if you have the discretionary income and a curiosity to experiment, supplements can be worth exploring.

Each morning, I start with a whey protein shake, usually mixing 20 to 30 grams of whey protein with almond milk. I add a greens and probiotic powder, and I take L-glutamine daily, mostly for gut health and immune support. Creatine monohydrate is also a daily staple, as is an omega-3 supplement, iron (to correct low ferritin), and vitamin D3. I also occasionally use ashwagandha to support stress adaptation. Supplements aren’t magic, but they can help support an already solid foundation of training, nutrition, and sleep.

Fueling for Long Runs and Marathons: How I Changed My Approach

Fueling during training runs and races has been one of the biggest shifts in my appr