The Dangerous Level of Marathon Running No One Talks About

[00:00:00] I can tell exactly what kind of marathon runner you are in 30 seconds, not from your time, but more from the way you talk about the race. I’m stuck between two levels and earlier this year I chased volume like an idiot ignored a hamstring issue for weeks and watch Months of dedicated marathon training vanished to dust at mile 18, kilometer 32 of the race.

[00:00:20] In this episode, I’ll be going over the five levels. Every marathon runner goes through the exact moment you move from one level to the next, and why most transitions are actually traps in disguise. Why 80% of runners get stuck at level and never leave. And the dark truth. Most runners, they should never, ever try to reach levels or I’m Daren D Lake.

[00:00:40] I’ve run multiple marathons. One where I went sub three hours and a few others where I did not. I’ve helped over 10,000 self-coach runners. Get 1% better each day, each week, each month, and through all of that, I’ve researched and experimented on myself and others safely, and I figured out which level is the best one to strive for and which one is the one to avoid.

[00:00:59] Let’s get into what you actually click for on this episode. Starting out level one, the bucket lister. This person treats a marathon like climbing Everest. They announced their training on social media like they’re deploying for war. Beginning this journey, my brother, you’re jogging in circles, not storming Normandy.

[00:01:16] This person buys a 26.2 sticker the race day before, or 42.2 for metric people. That’s like getting a college degree tattoo before passing a single. Exam and then they post on socials 47 photos with a caption. I did something today. Most people will never do, bruh. The transition moment from level one to level two, it happens the moment they cross the finish line, instead of saying never, ever again.

[00:01:40] They say, I wonder if I could go faster the next time, because they always say that. That’s the addiction talking. That’s when you stop being a bucket lister and you start becoming a repeater. How to avoid the trap. If you want, if this is your first marathon, just finish and walk away. That’s it. People will love that you did it.

[00:01:58] You got to finish your shirt and metal, but that’s too easy ’cause you clicked on this video and you’re probably gonna finish your first marathon and ask what’s next? Here’s what you need to know before you move forward. I’ve created a work smarter, not harder free training plan that allows you to run faster with less effort in a structured manner.

[00:02:14] And it’s got all the tools and tactics you need to do the thing without burning out physically and mentally. Get it at the QR code here. Or link below in description or show notes if you’re listening. Oh, while I got you, make sure to comment and tell me what level you think you are. Comment below, Spotify, YouTube, whatever.

[00:02:31] I wanna know if I’m onto something with this, and how many people are on levels? 1, 3, 4, 5. Level two. Speaking of level two, enter the repeater. This is where 80% of marathon runners live forever. They’ve done. Three to five marathons. They think they know marathons now. They do not. I’ve done four and still can’t get it right.

[00:02:50] They’re just repeating the same mistakes with slightly better gear while getting more gray hairs in the chin. They still hit the wall at mile 20, which is either a set of cramps they bon and hit the wall, or some random injury from six weeks ago. Decides to poke its ugly head out. Again and sabotage your race.

[00:03:07] You thought you had it sorted, you did not. They still don’t get negative splitting, and they blame the course. It was too long. No, it wasn’t. Your Garmin or your corals or whatever it was wrong. They blame the hills or the weather. It killed me. It was 51 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees Celsius, and cloudy.

[00:03:22] Sounds like perfect conditions to me. Here’s why they’re stuck. With science to back it up. Psychology research has found that when you repeat a behavior in the same way, it becomes automatic in about 66 days on average, I’ll get to the average in a second. Your brain literally builds a pathway for the habit.

[00:03:37] I call this the byproduct of consistency, which is a section from my upcoming book. The 1% Better Runner, more on that soon in the next coming months. But here’s the problem. That habit, it plateaus. It stops getting better. So you keep running the same way, hitting the same wall and making. The same excuses because your brain has learned this pattern and it’s not changing.

[00:03:57] 66 days was the average, but in reality, the study really showed people can take anywhere from 18 to 245 days to form the habit, but once it forms, it just stays there. Again, the pathway is built in your brain. It’s a great thing because it’s now part of your identity, but it’s just there. It’s flat. That’s level two.

[00:04:17] You built a habit of running marathons. Badly. Now you’re stuck in it. So the transition moment from level two to level three, it happens when they stop Googling how to run a marathon and start Googling lactate threshold and VO two max training. The moment they buy an actual training plan, not just run more based on feel, they have crossed into level three.

[00:04:35] This usually happens after a really bad race where they finally admit they don’t know what they’re doing. How to avoid the trap. If you’re here, stay here. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need to get serious, especially some guy named Daren D Lake and the 1% runner on YouTube. And since you’re doing so great, you should help out another runner to do that.

[00:04:51] Watch or listen to this episode until the end. It tells the algorithm that this video should be seen and toss a, like, subscribe or share this out to anyone you know that needs this. Onto level three, the student. This is where I live most of the time. And to be honest, it’s exhausting, tiring mentally, physically, et cetera.

[00:05:08] These people have read Jack Daniels Fitz’s and Phil Mafi tone’s book end to end three times. They have an honorary master’s in chat PT and a doctorate in YouTube and podcast. They know what lactate thresholds actually mean and the formula for VO two max, and they stopped asking, what pace should I run and started asking what is my weakness?

[00:05:27] They also become. Unbearable. I’m the guy explaining VO two max to someone at my son’s 6-year-old birthday party, and all they asked me was how far I ran that day. If you see yourself doing this, congrats, you are insufferable. Now, the Strava titles are ridiculous. I’m to blame for this. Eight by one K at LT with 90 seconds Float recovery.

[00:05:47] Nailed it. Cool. Diary entry, bro. Again, this is all me. The transition moment from level three to level four, this one is. Dangerous. It happens when you stop running for fun and start running for a specific goal. A Boston qualifier, a sub three hour marathoner, a 2 29 marathon ultra marathon, a hundred miles, et cetera.

[00:06:06] A random, arbitrary, round time number that starts taking over your entire life. For me, it was earlier this year. Q violins. I wanted to be super fit. I added double runs and medium long runs into my week. I was logging huge volume, touching 127 kilometers, 76 mile weeks, and feeling like a hero. Then my hamstrings started spazzing on me five weeks out from the marathon.

[00:06:26] I ignored it thinking it’s a one off. I thought I was being hard. But really I was being stupid and my hips were tighter than they’ve ever been. Race day kilometer to 30 mile 18. That hamstring, it came back months of training hours. They were stolen from me and my family and friends that I’m not even seeing.

[00:06:44] And I watched it all fall apart because I couldn’t just train smart. I had to prove something to myself and Strava and the random people that gave me kudos. A bit dramatic maybe, but that’s level three to level four transition. You stop being a student and start becoming a psycho. How to avoid the trap.

[00:06:59] Stay curious but not obsess. It is a fine line if you’re ignoring injuries or missing family and friends time from marginal gains. You’ve already crossed into level four, which is the qualifier. This person has lost the damn mind. But we all know one runner that is like this. Their entire identity egos wrapped.

[00:07:17] Around that sub three hour barrier or Boston qualifier or they got the funds ’cause they aren’t that fast. So they do Abbott’s World seven star major finisher medal. That’s what they want. Every training run is backwards planned from race pace. They’ve done the quick maths. 6 52 pace for 26.2 miles. 42.2 kilomet.

[00:07:37] They know exactly how many seconds they can lose at each aid station and have watched or listened to my episode on the Nassau proven scientific hack of how to not pee during the race. ’cause you can’t lose time going to the bathroom. Here’s the crazy part, Phil, DNF did not finish at mile 15 if they’re off goal pace.

[00:07:54] Not injured, not sick, just off the pace to run their best time. Imagine traveling six hours, paying 150, $200 or more entry fee training for 26 or more weeks, and quitting at mile 15, kilometer 25 because you are 90 seconds behind schedule. That’s not dedication. That’s a borderline mental breakdown, sir or ma’am, this is a road race, not the Olympics.

[00:08:16] You have a mortgage and a job. I flirted with this level earlier this year and it nearly broke me. The double runs at 5:00 AM. 5:00 PM Shoved it soon already. Busy schedule. The medium long runs that I swore was only 90 minutes long, but really 2.5 hours with the prep before the shower, after the eating, the hydration, the supplements, the long run hangovers that would linger into 48 hours into the week after the run and leave me fried and unable to function normally from my day-to-day task.

[00:08:43] I thought I was being disciplined instead. I was being destructive. The transition moment from level four to level five, I don’t know. I refuse to actually go there, but I think it happens when you destroyed yourself chasing times so frequently that you just stop caring. You either burn out completely or you go beyond and become some person who runs marathons, like their morning jogs.

[00:09:04] Spoiler. That’s how you know you’re level five. How to avoid this crazy trap. If your happiness depends on hitting a specific time, you’ve tied your self-worth to something you can’t control whether injury or one nagging hamstring. Have you ever wondered what happens when someone’s soul leaves their body, but their legs just keep running marathons?

[00:09:21] Anyway, you have now just hit level five. The absolute psycho. This person scares me. They’ve run 73 marathons. They don’t train anymore, they just show up. Their shoes are usually some basic Nikes that they had for seven years, and rumors are that they might be held together by duct tape in the inside ’cause they don’t wanna show people on the outside.

[00:09:40] Oh, and they haven’t tapered since 2004. They finished a marathon in three hours, 12 minutes, and immediately ask where the next race is. No ice bath, no celebration. No stretching, just what’s next. They give advice, like just don’t think about it, bro. Which is as helpful as telling someone to just relax when they’re having a panic attack.

[00:09:58] They treat the marathon distance like everyone else’s morning jog. They’re either God-like monks who’ve overcome that weak human suffering thing, or they’re running from their problems. Literally get that person therapy or a slower hobby. A-S-A-P-I will never touch this level. I’m gonna say it. Those people are broken or enlightened.

[00:10:17] I can’t tell which, either way, I’m staying in my anxious level between three and four space, where I belong. How to avoid this trap if you’re here, I don’t think you wanna leave. You’re either at peace or you’re too far gone either way. All the best. So what level should you actually be on? I’ll keep it 100 with you.

[00:10:34] The question isn’t what level should I be on? It’s what level makes me enjoy this sport? I go between levels three and four right now. Some days I’m the curious student. Other days I’m the obsessive psycho adding double runs. I don’t need the best runners. I know they stay at level three for a long time.

[00:10:50] They’re smart enough to improve, but sane enough to not destroy themselves. Chasing time. They make sure whatever they do today doesn’t ruin. Whatever they’re gonna do tomorrow and the week after and the month after, and the year and the decade after. So if you’re at level two, enjoying your races, not stressing about every second, just stay there.

[00:11:06] You’ve already won. And huge important part, I only do one marathon a year-ish because it’s a slippery slope to all the higher levels once you start doing 2, 3, 4, and more per year. But the longer I stay in the running game, the more I’m starting to think that the half marathon is the perfect distance, all the glory.

[00:11:23] Have the psychosis. And again, it allows you to keep running, which is the goal, but that’s an episode for another day. Alright, so comment what level you are if you haven’t already. I really wanna know, you know, all the five levels comment. I love to see how accurate I actually was. And again, if you want that work, smarter, not harder, free training plan that will keep you at level three without spiraling into level four obsession.

[00:11:43] Get it at the QR code here or the link in the description below, or show notes. But the marathon, it’s running before you can walk. Most people should really be focusing on the half and getting that dialed right in. I did a full deep dive on how to train for the half marathon and why it might actually be better for you than the marathon.

[00:12:00] Check the video below or link in the description. Peace.