Answering Your Questions (Running Edition)

[@FordyRuns]

Congrats bro on an amazing 10 years! Looking forward to the next 10 👊

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks buddy, you cant be far behind? I'm sure I remember your channel in my first year!

[@markrmonteith]

Great answer on the major marathons Andy, appreciate the honesty there!

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks, I debated on giving a more PC answer, but then decided against it haha

[@path2running]

Consistency. Humility. Camaraderie. Great video and happy anniversary. Please do give us another one and I’ll submit a question for sure

[@TheFODRunner]

Ok buddy will do, thank you 🙏

[@d4ve3]

Fully agree about the London marathon; it’s basically a big charity event now (note I typed “event” not “run”). Regarding Boston however, I think that the qualifying aspect is a big part of it - runners will have qualification as a lifelong goal and I think by increasing the other avenues to entry you would devalue that achievement. There are a number of charity places for Boston outside of time qualifiers. Adding to your implication about “influencers” being given places in majors, I think another related issue is the number of “celebrities” who are given places, regardless of how seriously they take the training and the event. Lots of wasted spots there. Another great video, keep up the good work.

[@TheFODRunner]

Its a shame isnt it... Londons infrastructure just couldnt handle it this year and I think they are increasing it for next year too... probably the ratio will be more charity runners to club runners as well, which is a shame! Boston - yeah I do get it... I appreciate the qualifying time and I think I said "it'll either trigger that spark in someone to train harder or for the wrong people, they will moan and whinge"... but then I also understand there will be some runners who just never have that chance to get into that sort of shape so I do feel for them in not being able to ever qualify... but now you've mentioned they've got some charity places too, that kind of ticks that box really! Yeah I think the yellow pen area in london 2022 that I did was allocated for some runners but also celebs as well, not sure if it was the same this year but there were a lot of them!

[@garethevans2499]

Your "Consistency is key" message has made a genuine impact on me, thank you. I've forced myself out on days when I'd normally find a way to get out of doing it. Today, for example, with a 30mph wind on the sea front which genuinely blew me sideways, but i was up and out there and rebuilding after a fairly lazy fortnight!

[@TheFODRunner]

Good man, that sea breeze will of dusted away the cobwebs! Good on you!

[@clemenshart]

I always say: I can't take the heat and the wind into consideration. they have to look after themselves.

[@marymcintyre706]

Couldn’t agree more on the cost of the events. If anything they should be less expensive (relatively speaking) than the local races as they have 10s of 1000s entries. In saying that I was surprised by 70£ for London. The Dublin marathon is 110€ to enter and if not enough 5.50 added for ‘handling charges’ not now nor never will be a major! I believe it’s up to our community of runners to just say no to be taken for fools. Support your local event which tends to support community charities and clubs and gives back while also being a race

[@TheFODRunner]

Yeah the prices are creeping up year on year... thats definitely why I like to balance small local races with larger races... i think its really important we jump in where we can and support our local clubs by doing their local events! Wow I didnt realise Dublin was so much!

[@shanethos]

​@@TheFODRunner yeah, Dublin is pricey, everything is in Ireland these days. Though £70 is very reasonable for a major, that's only the price for UK residents. Non-UK based entrants the fee is £225!!! Have applied to the ballot the last few years but haven't been lucky enough to get one, I'd say the pool of entries for International runners is much smaller so much less chance of getting an entry!

[@TheFODRunner]

@@shanethos wow is it? That’s crazy!! I didn’t know that!

[@JackD87]

Congrats on the 10 years! 🎉🎉🎉

[@TheFODRunner]

Cheers dude!

[@stenew_96]

Massive congrats on the anniversary! Would love a video on your daily mobility work and S&C sessions.

[@rebelsage3158]

5'40 (approx) 'take the time to appreciate that moment' where you are feeling gratitude. Yes!! Totally love and relate to this.

[@TheFODRunner]

Got to be done 👊

[@jamesdixon2141]

Wow ten years congratulations. Great Q&A as well. I've been following you for 4 years and you continue to inspire 👊

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks buddy! Appreciate it!

[@MegaInc1980]

Brilliant Q&A Session - Thanks!

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks!

[@raleyadventures]

Great Q&A, loved all the answers and definitely some helpful tips 🤜🤜

[@TheFODRunner]

Cheers guys 👊

[@greertops]

Great video Andy!! Congrats on 10 years.

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks buddy!

[@27thAveShuffle]

Congrats on the anniversary Andy! Maths was never my strong point, but in the screen grab of your first video I’m sure it said 2015… so isn’t this your 9 year anniversary!? 😂

[@TheFODRunner]

omg you’re right 😂 I won’t delete this comment, I’ll leave it here to show people I’m terrible at maths!

[@MarcusChester]

Spot on about the big events and local races.

[@TheFODRunner]

💯

[@Manuel-901]

Good job, Andy. The weekend is coming. Here is my Like. Happy friday.

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks!

[@balazsgalambos4458]

Appreciate answering my question,keep up the stunning work bud, quality content as always. Thanks a lot

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks!

[@moggy992]

Happy 10 yrs anniversary. I love your content on upwards pace trajectory. I've experienced that of late. Got myself a coach too. Looking at working on training for now as it's new to me. I find how you break things down really good to understand. Always wait your next video

[@TheFODRunner]

Thank you! Awesome news on the coach, thats great! Very best of luck!

[@tworunningbrooms]

Congratulations not just on the 10 years but the volume and quality of your output. We totally concur with your thoughts on marathon majors. For us nothing beats a club race organised by runners for runners. One question that occurred when you said you reckoned you have a few more years to get to your peak - what do you think your goals might be when you can no longer run pbs? Vets championships? Age group pbs? Something totally different?

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks guys! Yeah age group wins, local league races as we have a great 10 road race series around here organised by Gloucester athletics. Also might shoot for an England masters next year as the Forest of Dean half has been selected as a qualifier race!

[@tworunningbrooms]

@@TheFODRunner yes we spotted that and wondered if it might be up your street, or forest as it were.

[@JonWigley]

Good one. Punchy. Covered a lot. Keep being honest....trying not to upset people never works....or maybe that's just me!

[@TheFODRunner]

Thank you 🙏

[@joannebrown816]

I really enjoyed the qa , it was fast moving. Thank you.

[@TheFODRunner]

Thank you

[@ozenfant_ozn]

thanks for the insights!

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks!

[@kennyosborne5835]

Congratulations Andy. I've been watching your channel for a couple of years now and have similar habits to you. I raced in a box fresh pair of Vaporfly 2s on Sunday. I'm considering using them in my upcoming marathon over the Alphafly 1s. Any thoughts?

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks! I’ve always had my successful marathons in vaporfly… both of them v1… and v2 are similar to a degree… I’d choose them over an alphafly ! But then I’d choose the elites over the vaporfly!

[@kennyosborne5835]

@@TheFODRunner thanks. I think after my recent success I’ll give the Vaporfly 2s the race. You’re training well. Your marathon is only a week ahead of mine so I’m looking forward to watching your training.

[@garethevans2499]

Ten years! Congratulations!

[@TheFODRunner]

Cheers buddy!

[@liambrown9889]

Great video Andy. Out of interest what is your diet like? Do you relax it a bit with such high mileage? And do you drink alcohol or is it excluded completely? Appreciate diet can be a sensitive topic so please ignore if you wish

[@TheFODRunner]

Not at all mate, I dont make diet videos often because my diet is what I would class as "half decent"... lots of rice/pasta and protien in the form of vegetarian "fake" meats... eggs, milk etc... but then on the flip side I do tend to over induldge in crisps and chocolate, and during peak marathon training I often frequent to the chippy on a saturday night as a treat for the week haha

[@aidanoc19]

Great video, covering some really interesting ideas, too many to comment on but I like the take me as you find me nature of your recent vlogs. I think a lot of runners are 'spectrumy' or neuro diverse/adhd ish, myself included. That's not to say you have to be of course, maybe proportionally it's higher in running than some more team orientated sports.

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks buddy. Yeah I reckon you’re right, you’ve got to have a bit of something special about you to be a dedicated runner haha!

[@nicklyndparra702]

Valencia is an incredible event. I'm running it this year for the second time. You should make it a priority for 2025 - perfect course for a huge PB! (Also, I loved your answer to Q4 - very relatable!)

[@TheFODRunner]

Awesome! Yes I am trying to see if I can make it work next year. I couldnt this year but I will do my best for then!

[@saintsaens21]

I spilled my coffee laughing when you said you were somewhere on the spectrum. I think we all are :)

[@TheFODRunner]

😂

[@jasonhawen3272]

Are you planning on running the Great South Run? 10 flat miles, great competition.

[@TheFODRunner]

I’d love too one day!

[@JohnBirtchetSharpe]

Good Post , You are one of of the OG's of the youtube running communinity (especially in the UK) so it is nice to listen to how you feel about things and your feedback.Re Races .. while it is possibly hypocritical (as I will applying for Boston in a week or two as its a bucket list thing for me ), I have to agree that my favorite races in the last five years have been smaller UK events and not the Majors I have completed (I actually prefer the Manchester Marathon to London .. sorry) .. my favorite race is probably the Freckleton Classic (record still held by Ron Hill) , it is run very well , great atmosphere and has kicked my arse at the end both times I have run it (though I did shave 12 minutes off the end this year.. it still beat me ). PS .. get Brooks to send you a Hyperion 2 (that and the glycerine 21 has been a revelation for me )

[@TheFODRunner]

Thanks buddy! Yeah the UK has some great races that provide such a atmosphere! I am glad you love the smaller races too. Boston - not hypocrytical at all, I mentioned that there are some that I would love to do as well... I just think they are overpriced and I dont have a hankering to chase down a 6 star medal... I think there are some incredible races in europe I would love to do before worrying about majors! But as I mentioned, boston is one of my dreams too

[@SharaRuns]

Happy 10 year anniversary 🎉

[@TheFODRunner]

Thank you!

[@marymcintyre706]

Thanks

[@TheFODRunner]

Oh wow thank you very much, thats very kind!

[@karlbratby4349]

Yep… spectrum here to, adhd and dyslexic, routine is everything but being ocd as well is tiring 😢 love your honesty budd 🎉

[@TheFODRunner]

Mad isn’t it buddy… I feel your pain. I’m not dyslexic but I am OCD too, I broke our front door handle last year and I had to pay nearly £300 to get it changed because I check the door handle so much when it’s locked… takes me at least a minute once the front doors locked to walk away 😂 I have to do a full house check including pulling all the plugs out, doors locked etc… that amongst other things as well haha! I get paranoid that the most ridiculous things will happen… The one thing I am very grateful for though is that I properly hyper focus on the task at hand and I sleep really well because I’m exhausted at the end of the day 😂 But if I don’t have my routine, my life goes to shit

[@karlbratby4349]

@@TheFODRunner sleep 💤 omg I wish I slept well, sadly never have and I’ve tried everything but the mind is a funny thing. I know how important sleep is to us runners and recovery which makes it all that more annoying 😪 … latest trial was pure sport ultra magnesium… omg it left me feeling worse, lethargic and almost hungover with zero improvement in sleep.

[@TheFODRunner]

@@karlbratby4349 oh no way? That stuff knocks me out, it’s wonderful! Sorry to hear that 😢

[@karlbratby4349]

@@TheFODRunner My thinking is I get enough Magnesium from my diet so im over dosing, a symptom of Magnesium over dose is lethergy. tried all the forms as well and all do the same apart from Citrate which did nothing at all.

[@mikeommanney]

I know the pain of finding shoes in my size. I love adidas but find a lot of the shoes out of stock. Got to the point where I’m buying several pairs at once. Race fees have increased since COVID. I’ve been looking at races that I can automatically sign up for as those majors are almost impossible. 9 rejections for London now. I was going to enter the ballot for Tokyo but the price of flights was the hurdle. US races are expensive generally.

[@TheFODRunner]

Yeah I have noticed race fees have gone up.. I think councils also charge more these days for road closures... our infamous severn bridge half marathon, which has managed to close the motorway for years for the race, has for the first time failed this year and is now running alongside the bridge... I think there are so many factors that go into it but I would rather pay £12 and jump in a fast field these days! Thats the issue with the majors isnt it... often the races are expensive but getting there is another matter!

[@mats7602]

How do you stay injury free? Any recovery tips?

[@TheFODRunner]

Great question! I attribute it too: 1) daily hip mobility 2) daily glute/hip stretching 3) eating a bucket load of food every day Plus the S&C 😂

[@mats7602]

@@TheFODRunner haha thanks for the reply mate appreciate it

[@leerunsultras]

Can't believe you didn't say asics gel pulse were your favourite mind 😂😂😂😂😂

[@TheFODRunner]

😂

[@joemilewicz6847]

Sorry for the late comment as I have just watched it. Couldn’t agree with you more on the major marathons. They are not for runners anymore. I’m 58 and a good for age entry for London is sub 3.15 which is not realistic for most runners my age. I would have to knock nearly half an hour off and still not be sure of a place as the scale it down depending on how many applications they get. Someone I know has ran it many times and is a 2.35 runner and all for charity except once. This time he was asked what charity he was running it for and he said he wasn’t they all looked down on him as if he was doing something wrong. There should be more places for good runners who wish to run it for the experience.

[@TheFODRunner]

Yeah I agree buddy, it’s become a money making exhibition rather than a running race!

[@topwhiteman]

Training for my first HM race in October. I picked up a new heavily discounted pair of Saucony Ride 15s for £54. These are a great daily trainer. Can I (or should I) use these on race day? I do have a pair of Saucony Endorphin 2s but concerned about a lack of grip come 27th October with likely wet conditions?

[@TheFODRunner]

Amazing price! I would personally choose the speed 2s over the ride as they’re a bit more aggressive and a bit lighter and build more for racing… but I’d hold fire on using them much in training to save them for the race! That’s what I’d do 👊 and yes, grip is poor in them but I’d risk it for a biscuit

[@tombriggs-hx2gm]

There’s a lot of aggressive marketing of races, driving demand. Manchester Half had an entry system where they closed it, then opened it again. It’s pretty cynical. I’ve just paid over £55 to enter Cambridge Half! Completely ridiculous (I’m supporting my brother). Yet we have fell races here in the Peak District that need almost as many marshals as there are runners and entry is less than a tenner.

[@TheFODRunner]

Mad isn’t it! I can’t stand “wave entries” for tickets… they sell so many, close the books, wait for London ballot results then open another wave… it’s a proper piss take. That aside… yeah I agree, I’d rather pay £10/£12 for a fast race around Battersea park now I think! Or in your case, the fell races 👊

[@garethevans2499]

One more question: what one shoe you've not been able to try would you want to pop on and go for a 20k?

[@TheFODRunner]

Superblast

[@garethevans2499]

@@TheFODRunner version 2 has come up a bit larger, might you squeeze in?!

[@TheFODRunner]

@@garethevans2499 Oh has it?

[@garethevans2499]

@@TheFODRunner feels a bit more roomy to me. I think Ben Parkes went a half size down

[@clemenshart]

thanks for all! next question: wouldn't we have to correlate the weight and shoe size of the runner for the shoe test? I am 60 and have 10 kilos too much. I run very well in Hyperion max and Superblast (firm shoes) but in Mach 6 I can't get off the ground because they are far too soft. It could be different with less weight and the same shoe size. Many people think Mach 6 is good but I can only walk with it. Thanks !

[@TheFODRunner]

Yes absolutely... I try to remind people I am 6ft 6in and nearly 90kg... which is far taller and often heavier than most runners, so I can get a totally different experience in a shoe than others! I remember watching Seth Demoors reviews and 1/2 the time agreeing with his thoughts and the other 1/2 thinking "have we run in the same shoe"!!

[@clemenshart]

@@TheFODRunner may its better to math a relation between weight and shoe size. You have 45 ?

[@TheFODRunner]

@@clemenshart I am an EU48.5

[@clemenshart]

@@TheFODRunner wow!

[@clemenshart]

@@TheFODRunner wow ! you weigh only 10 kg more than me and has 6 numbers shoesize more ! may be thats why you run good in a soft shoe (Mach6 and SL2)

[@JackD87]

My q: how is your recovery with all the mileage you do? Do you still wake up with your legs feeling like lead? Like me 😂😂

[@TheFODRunner]

Good question! Usually fine, the day after a double threshold m they’re a bit heavy but the next day they’re grand again… daily mobility and stretching along with eating all the food in sight… which may sound like a joke but I reckon it’s one of the most important aspects of recovering!

[@JackD87]

@@TheFODRunner makes total sense. I wake up most mornings and my feet, ankles, calfs just feel f*cked! Always takes me a while to get rolling again

[@LightspeedAstronaut]

Hi Andy, my question is I'm looking to improve my 5k time over the long term. i can only do one quality session a week, because i do an all out 5 k on Saturdays, I'm currently doing a Norwegian style 4x4 Vo2 max session mid week, with 3 mins recovery between efforts, would it be more beneficial over the long term to do a threshold session say 4X 7 minutes with 1 minute recovery, at just below threshold or stick with the 4x4 session, i do them on the treadmill with an incline ? hope that made sense

[@TheFODRunner]

Hey! Makes perfect sense, great question! So I think straight away, i'd say an instant hit to improve your 5k is add some variety each week into that interval workout... if you think about it this way, you are getting 16 minutes worth of intensity in midweek and then 5k on the weekend.... if that volume of intensity never grows or changes, you will become stagnant. Moving to 4 x 7 minutes will give you short term results but nothing much in the long term as you would stagnate again... I would consider keeping the 5k on the weekend but doing either: 1) a vartiety of interval workouts midweek to change up the stimulus 2) doing the 5k each weekend but then tacking on a bit extra after... so maybe one week you could do the 5k, take a 4 minute rest and then do something like 2 x 2 minutes or 4 x 1 minutes after to get some extra volume in... its only an extra 4 minutes but then you could move that up as the weeks go on. If it was me, my preference would be to switch up the 4 x 4 midweek and do an 8/12 week block of different interval sessions each week starting at 12 minutes worth of volume (something like 6 x 2) at quite a spicy pace, and extending up to 20 minutes of volume by the end such as 2 x 4 mins > 4 x 1 min > 2 x 4 mins... that'll provide your body with a good progressive stimulus over the weeks before bringing it back down for a target 5k!

[@kophotography895]

I have to agree with some of comments made in this video, the money talks element, social media element, lack of support to new runners of all abilities is making the opportunity to run, extremely off putting. ParkRun is an amazing opportunity, however people are spoiling it for everyone else, I do not go anymore due to arrogant runners, people who think because they have been 100's of times or Volunteered that it is okay to barge, push and shove people. Shame on them

[@TheFODRunner]

Yeah we have some amazing couch to 5k groups around where we are… some of the run leaders do a grand job. But once they’re past that there doesn’t seem to be many bigger groups for them to join up with bar parkrun, and that can be hit or miss as you say…

[@stenew_96]

Massive congrats on the anniversary! Would love a video on your daily mobility work and S&C sessions.