Run Now, Cry Later

Tigist Assefa felt her calf and Achilles tighten at kilometre 31 of the Berlin Marathon. She was on pace for a world record. She ran the next 11 kilometres anyway — including the last two on a fully ruptured Achilles — averaged 4:02 pace and finished in 2:11:04. The Run Now Cry Later inaugural segment, the Assefa Dog of the Week, is born.

Also this week: Boston Marathon cutoff times are announced and the dream gets harder. The 2026 qualifying window saw a 5:17 subtraction applied across all age groups — meaning the 18-34 men’s category required a 2:49:43 just to get in. Zac’s current PB is 2:59. The maths are sobering.

Race previews for the double-header weekend: Zac lines up at the Melbourne 5K on Saturday — starting on Batman Avenue, finishing half a lap of the MCG, aiming somewhere between sub-17:59 and sub-19:00. Rin and Tarran head to Coolangatta for GC50 — Rin running the Physiocrem 10K for his first race back since the stress fracture, Tarran running the half as a scenic comeback run. Both keeping expectations measured, both quietly ready to push.

Plus: Rin attends the inaugural Endeavour Parkrun with 826 people and spends most of it running on grass. Zac turns 31 in a leaking tent near Ballarat, chatting with kangaroos in the fog. Jack Rayner accidentally refuses to endorse his own sponsor. Boston is getting harder. Mitch finished Berlin. And Rin is teasing a season 2 qualifying goal he won’t reveal yet.

Next week: season 1 finale. Race results from both.

Episode 20 of Run Now Cry Later is here.

This week: the Tokyo Marathon ballot result lands (it's not good), so we pivot to mapping out the fastest marathon options for early 2027 — Rotterdam, Seoul, Kyoto, Port Fairy and Ballarat all get a full breakdown. Rin makes a compelling case for Kyoto followed by Gold Coast as a two marathon BQ attempt strategy.

Then we design our dream parkrun courses. Rin builds Raiwai Parkrun on a perfect oval island with sea views, hot springs, waterfalls, quokkas and a shrine finish line. Zac builds The Remarkables — Queenstown scenery, Grand Canyon, ocean, canyon hot springs, and a strict no-fours-allowed pace policy. Both agree the cafe is non-negotiable.

We also get into post- run food (espresso in smoothies — yes or no?), the New Jersey marathon that ran through waist-deep floodwater, caffeine withdrawal, and whether you can eat your pancakes before everyone at the table gets theirs.

Training weeks are back in full, Rin graduates to continuous easy runs post stress fracture, Zac posts 3:49 intervals three weeks after Brighton Beach and sets his sights on a sub 18:00 5K at Melbourne.

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Run Now Cry Later is now a video podcast. Find us on Spotify or YouTube if you want to put some faces to the voices.

This week, Connor sends Rin down a research rabbit hole on aerobic vs anaerobic training. How much of a 5K is actually anaerobic compared with a marathon? When does the anaerobic system really start doing some work? And what are the phosphagen and glycolytic systems actually doing while you run? More importantly, does any of this matter if you're just trying to run a faster half marathon? Rin digs into the research and looks back at his own Gold Coast training with a slightly different view.

We also get stuck into the newly announced Brisbane Marathon course. One lap, four out and backs, 233m of elevation and a finish through Howard Smith Wharves. Not a bad way to finish a marathon.

Plus Bridge to Brisbane results, including Dave's 10K PB and listener Jason Kelly somehow finding enough in the tank for a last 500m of pure "tempo to fin" energy. There's also a Strava Premium discount code floating around somewhere on the internet. Seriously, just Google "Strava discount".

Zac is back running after the marathon and ends up in Epping, where an innocent run takes a turn involving someone's backyard and an athletics club that wasn't particularly interested in sharing.

And finally, Rin's $90 Kmart exercise bike dies halfway through the Dolphins game. Naturally, it is replaced with a $600 Horizon IC 5.0.

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Brighton Beach Marathon is done and Zac has run a 3:13:54, his second fastest marathon ever and good enough for 68th out of 694.

After a disrupted final month of training, he basically raced it on feel. The plan was 4:30 pace. He went out at 4:20, held it to 30km, then the hills, headwind and empty tank caught up. He walked. He survived. He also forgot to pick up his finisher shirt.

Justin ran 3:33 at Sydney on his first proper marathon build, just three minutes off his A goal. Andy Buchanan ran 2:10:14 as the first Aussie home, smashing the previous Australian best on the course.

Rin is finally cleared to run. Run-walks Thursday, parkrun Saturday and the GC50 Fractal 10K in October. He walked a full parkrun loop this week and nearly cried. We’ll take it.

Plus the best Aussie marathon debate, Perez Jepchirchir's 27 siblings, finish-time lanyards and our potential Sole Motive partnership, assuming there are bananas at the finish.

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Sydney Marathon week is here — and Justin is attempting to knock 60 minutes off his marathon PB.

Justin joins the podcast for his guest debut ahead of Sydney Marathon, having gone from a 4:40 marathon at Brisbane last year to targeting 3:30 after a 20-week training block combining around 50km of running per week with plenty of cycling. We break down his training, his 32km confidence-building long run, 8 x 1km intervals, race strategy, fuelling and whether a three-and-a-half-hour marathon is actually within reach. There's also a little discussion about whether Zac is really qualified to be his coach.

Then it's time for the full Sydney Marathon race preview: getting to the start line, the new expo location, the coloured start zones, whether you should wear carbon shoes while walking to the start, the hills, the infamous Mrs Macquarie's Chair and the final 500m into the Opera House. We also preview the elite field, including Peres Jepchirchir, Alphonce Simbu, Timothy Kiplagat, Andy Buchanan and the battle for Australian women's honours between Ellie Pashley, Caitlin Scott and Rebecca Lowe.
Meanwhile, Zac prepares for the much smaller Brighton Beach Marathon, revealing a 3:10 goal and a race plan based around heart rate, wind and four laps of the same hills. And, naturally, his confidence remains extremely high: "I suck at running."

Plus: the Sydney Marathon medal accidentally featuring a German stadium, Adidas Hyper Boost first impressions, marathon medal etiquette, the classic ego run, and Justin's ambitious plan to attend Sydney shakeout runs primarily for the free croissants.

Sydney Marathon. Brighton Beach. Two runners. Very different races.

What should and shouldn't go on Strava? Rin has opinions, and a list. Walks, indoor cycling, futsal, stride only sessions, and the one mowing activity Zac posted in 2021 that he's never going to live down. Hey you go live your life how you want to, but Zac wants excitement on his Strava feed.

The cadence deep dive this week starts with Lachie Kennedy's 292 steps per minute at the Commonwealth Games — versus Usain Bolt's 256 — and what that gap tells us about different body types optimising differently. Practical takeaways for marathon runners on what cadence is, whether you should try to change it, and how posterior chain engagement affects leg turnover.

Blake Lindwall wins the Brighton Queensland 5K Running Festival outright, taking the last Lindwall family distance record Rin had left in the mid-to-long range. The scoreboard now reads Blake: everything, Rin: the 400m and the mile. Rin responds by doing 2.5 hours on the bike watching the cricket.

Zac's big pre-Brighton marathon long run goes sideways — 340 metres of elevation, a walk break at kilometre 22, and protein shakes in both hands for the final stretch. Lower back tightens up for the week. Two weeks out from Brighton Beach and now to decide whether to run for a time or run to feel?

Also: the moon boot is finally off, Rin walks for 3000m!

Plus underrated training moments, the stretching tolerance conspiracy theory, and why Zac will never throw a baby out with the bathwater.

Last week Zac promised a cold shower. He delivered — 7 degrees, Melbourne winter, apartment barely above freezing. Full debrief including the fumbled body wash lid, the Gladiator quote, and why he's never doing it again.

This week's deep dive is caffeine: how it actually works (it's not energy, it's adenosine blocking), why endurance is where it helps most, the 3 to 6 milligrams per kilo sweet spot, half-life timing for marathon vs half marathon, fat oxidisation as a bonus benefit, and why Mo Farah needed two espressos before London 2012. Zac has also done the full nutrition maths for Brighton Beach — 214 grams of carbs, 380mg sodium, and a caffeine strategy timed to the minute.

Also this week: the Advanced Marathoning dynamic warm-up routine (six exercises, included in the description below), Rin's week 6 of cross-training with training load trending back up, Yaso Workout returns, Andy Buchanan wins City2Surf at 2:51 pace on a hilly course, and the discovery that Rin has held the 400m Strava segment record at Zammit Oval since 2020. The challenge is open.

Dynamic Warm-Up (from Advanced Marathoning — Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas)

1. Cat Cow — 6 reps
2. Leg Swings — 12 per leg
3. Side Swings — 12 per leg
4. Side Lunges — 6 per side, hold for several seconds
5. Walking Knee Hugs — 8 per leg
6. Side Skips — 12 in each direction

Dave and Katelyn join the pod to debrief the Guzzler — Mount Cootha's beloved trail running event — and between them they covered the Big Sipper 21K and the Glass Half Full 50K. Dave is now officially an ultramarathoner. Katelyn finished in 3:13 with a rolled-ankle pacer for company. Neither of them really trained as much as they planned.

They talk through what makes trail running different — the community, the hills you genuinely cannot fake your fitness on, the mandatory snakebite kit, the Coca-Cola at aid stations, and what it actually feels like to see Kokoda at the 18K mark when your legs are already cooked. Plus their history of running up Mount Wellington in Hobart, how CrossFit became a love story, and why Bunyaville parkrun is either a fun challenge or borderline torture depending on who you ask.

Also: Zac's week of questionable dinners (Milo cereal with water, five crackers, a broccoli smoothie), a mini intervention from the whole group, a 2am migraine that nearly sent him to hospital, and a small but significant piece of personal news dropped entirely in passing. Rin ticks up his training load by watching Commonwealth Games swimming and letting the gold medals do the cardio work.

Next up: the Melbourne Half Marathon. Ultra Dave is taking a step down from his Ultra nickname to join Katelyn in the half marathon.

Links

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*Apologies for the audio echo/troubles, I think most of it is fixed now, but Zac will be less eager to lean close to the mic next week*

Rin gets his sports doctor verdict: a low-grade stress fracture in an unusual spot, a tendon strain, and a surprisingly optimistic timeline — moon boot for four more weeks, then a gradual return to running by the 12 to 16 week mark, with the GC 50 potentially back on the cards for to join Tarran in the half.

Zac gets his three-month body scan and somehow manages to be both fitter and apparently three years older, six percent fatter, and three kilos lighter in muscle than he was before his marathon training block. Body scan or body SCAM?

Also this week: bone conduction vs noise cancelling, one earbud in vs both, what happens when they die mid-marathon, Zac's first run back after the flu — clunky, rainy, and necessary — and a 24K long run via Melbourne's Up There Athletics shop run and an egg muffin at the finish. Plus Tarran runs her third-fastest 10K at Jetty to Jetty without even trying, and next week Dave and Katelyn come on to talk the Guzzler 50K.

And in the final minutes — a hypothetical and definitely not currently relevant question — how many dates before you tell someone you have a running podcast?

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Rin is two weeks into the moon boot and starting to feel it physically and mentally. Losing the Lindwall family marathon record to his brother, watching from the sidelines at Gold Coast, a Monster can getting stuck in a vending machine. The losses are stacking up. This week he opens up about what injury actually does to your sense of purpose, the voice that says "am I too old for this now?" and how he's staying in the fight through cross-training while waiting on his sports doctor appointment.

Zac meanwhile got through Gold Coast in one piece — then got floored by the flu for most of the week. They dig into post-race blues, external validation, and why their emotional responses to racing are almost complete opposites. Plus a genuinely useful breakdown of aqua running as a cross-training tool for stress fracture recovery, bone density, plyometric progressions, and what a sustainable marathon build actually looks like compared to one that works until it doesn't.

An unstructured and honest freestyle episode.

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A special episode. Zac and Rin are joined by Tarran and Mitch to recap Gold Coast Marathon Weekend — and there's plenty to cover.

Tarran runs her first official half marathon and smashes her PB by 13 minutes, closing with sub-5 minute pace and a 10K PB buried inside the second half. Mitch, testing the nothing new on race day philosophy with brand new Alpha Flys (straight out of the box, never touched the ground), pulls out a 1:28 when work has been trying to take over his life. Zac runs 1:27:41 with his fastest 5K of the year to close the half. And Rin — officially diagnosed with a stress fracture in his second metatarsal — runs zero kilometres and cheers everyone else home from the sidelines in a moon boot.

Also this week: recapping our Saturday afternoon chat with Andy Buchanan, Australian marathon record holder, who sat with a room full of regular runners and talked about patience, vulnerability, bad race days, and why running is one of the only sports where everyday people and elites share the exact same start line. He also had some direct advice for Rin on the stress fracture — advice that starts with blood work.

Plus the Lindwall family marathon record has officially changed hands.

What's actually the hardest race distance? Zac says marathon, Rin makes a surprising case for the 10K — and the 400m gets disqualified for not being "real" endurance running. Plus a full breakdown of tapering: what it does physiologically, why "taper crazies" hit some runners and not others, and why testing your fitness in taper week is "setting fire to the barn."

The headline story is Rin's foot. Scans rule out the worst-case scenarios but can't yet rule out a stress fracture — leaving him stuck managing pain, padding his shoes, and weighing up an MRI with two weeks until Gold Coast.

Meanwhile Zac runs his last big long run before taper — 34km in the cold and rain, four high-carb gels that didn't sit well, and a hip flexor that wouldn't quit. Plus a new Rin Rant (target: roadworks), a Coros redemption arc, and the eternal question — does running in the rain make you feel like the main character in a movie?

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Is sweating a superpower or a liability for marathon runners? Zac and Rin break down sweat evaporation, electrolyte loading, and why heavy sweaters might actually have an edge — timed perfectly with Gold Coast on the horizon.

Also this week: a Coros software update bricking watches, the online firestorm following Gout Gout's underwhelming Diamond League debut, and the debut of a new segment — The Rin Rant (90 seconds, no holding back, this week's target: Queensland Rail).

But the real story is Rin's foot. Days after his Mackay PB, a mysterious forefoot pain throws his Gold Coast build into question. Zac brings the actual science on deload weeks and fitness retention to talk him off the ledge. Plus Zac's deload recap, a Puma Deviate Nitro shoe test that didn't go as hoped, and Gold Coast logistics.

Rin's back from Mackay — and so is the PB. A one-minute personal best at the BHP Mackay Marina Half Marathon, finishing 18th male out of 850+ runners, despite a dodgy ankle, tiny water cups, a wrong turn at 19km, and 23,000 steps the day before. Full debrief, race rating, and a post-race massage that did not go as planned.

Zac joins an athletics club for the first time, runs 6x1km track intervals faster than anything he's run all year, and survives a 32km long run fuelled by a banana strapped to his belt and three rows of Kit Kat. Also: a guy drops a Smith machine at the gym and quietly packs his bag.

Plus the Coros Pace 4 first impressions, the race singlet debate, and an Uber driver named Andy who accidentally became the spiritual anchor of the episode.

"We all get tired — but who cares, you can get past it."

Two 2:59 marathoners talk race weight — the numbers, the tradeoffs, and why chasing it can become dangerous. Zac walks through his marathon shortlist (Sydney no bueno, Coffs Harbour not AIMS certified, Brighton Beach five minutes from his door — easy decision). Rin breaks down his Mackay Marina Half Marathon prep: pacing strategy, a shoe dilemma, and a Coros Pace 4 held hostage by Australia Post.

Training recaps bring the goods: Rin smashes a tempo session from last year — still recovering from gastro, 11 weeks back from an 8-month injury. Zac runs 34km along the Brighton course, negative splits it into a headwind, and signs up for the marathon the moment he finishes.

Also: Pilates ball chaos, an Excel spreadsheet running brain, and what it means to post "come at me" on Strava.

This week, Ryan takes us through his Noosa 10km race weekend — from race prep, pacing plans and crowded corrals to battling the conditions and trying to hold it together deep into the run. The final result? You’ll have to listen to find out.

We also answer a listener question from Tyler: what’s the best way to start running? We talk run-walk strategies, finding your “why”, beginner mistakes, parkrun, training plans, and building consistency without getting injured.

Plus:

• Zach’s Gold Coast Half Marathon build update
• Sauna recovery and post-run heart rate science
• Strength training for runners
• Core work, hip flexors & injury prevention
• Happy tears & sad tears of the week

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Email: runnowcrylaterpod@gmail.com

We're back. Episode 2 opens with the Question of the Week — which miserable weather would you choose for a 10km race? Pouring rain in carbon shoes, 30-degree humidity, a full headwind, or frozen legs with no warmup?

From there: Zac's shop run brand deal fantasy, a Brisbane catch-up, Rin's Gold Coast video drop, and a full training week — including Zac's biggest volume week since July 2024 at 57km.

Then a full Noosa 10km preview: course, race strategy, pacing, shoe selection, morning routine, and pre-race nutrition. Plus our Cries of the Week.

Topics covered: 10km race strategy, Noosa Marathon Festival, parkrun, tempo running, race day nutrition, carbon plate shoes, marathon training, Brisbane running, Gold Coast running.

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Email: runnowcrylaterpod@gmail.com

Run Now, Cry Later is here. In our first episode, Zac and Ryan introduce themselves, explain the name, and get into what's actually been going on in life lately, including a big Melbourne move and everything that comes with it. We cover our running backgrounds, lay out our goals for 2026 (Gold Coast Marathon, Brighton Beach Marathon, and some ambitious time targets), and reveal what might be the best gym in Australia. Plus: the Question of the Week, a weekly training report, and our first ever Cry of the Week.

Topics covered: marathon training, half marathon goals, Melbourne running, Brisbane Running, parkrun, reformer pilates for runners, recovery, running shoes, and what it actually takes to chase a PB.

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