This Race Nearly Ruined our NYC Marathon Dreams - This Messy Happy

Aug 13, 2025

Intro

This is a quick summary of “This Race Nearly Ruined our NYC Marathon Dreams” from This Messy Happy. It’s a great watch — we’re breaking it down so you can try the workout today. Be sure to check out the full video for all the details.

Key Points

The 25 km trail race was used as a hard‑training run 5 weeks out from the NYC Marathon, mimicking the undulating hills of the marathon despite the flat terrain of Bangkok.
The runners aimed for a steady, moderate‑pace effort (around 4 km in 20 min, 10 km in 1:08 h, 18 km in just over 2 h) while keeping heart rate low and focusing on hill climbing.
Key training concepts: hill‑strength, mental toughness, using the race as a “mini‑timeout/meditation”, and practicing nutrition (multiple gels) on long runs.
Practical tip: use a Pacing app to adjust your own paces based on effort, heart‑rate, and terrain.

Workout Example

25 km Trail Run (5 weeks before a marathon)
- Warm‑up: 5 min easy jog, focus on relaxed breathing.
- Main set: Run the 25 km trail at a **steady, moderate pace** (aim for ~4 min/km on flat sections, slower on steep climbs). Aim for **~2:30–2:45 total** (adjust for your fitness).
- Hill work: On each major hill, **focus on low heart‑rate** and maintain a **consistent effort** (e.g., 1:56 per km on climbs). Use the climb as a strength builder.
- Nutrition: Take a **gel** every 45‑60 min (4‑5 gels total). Hydrate regularly.
- Cool‑down: 5‑10 min easy jog + stretch.

Closing Note

Give this trail‑run workout a try and adjust the paces to suit your own fitness in the Pacing app. It’s a great way to build hill strength and mental toughness before the marathon—good luck and enjoy the run!