
Show Notes
This week on Idiots Go Running, it’s the last Chasing Nick episode before Belfast Marathon — and somehow, we’ve made it to taper week without fully falling apart. In this episode, we chat with Nick — the running coach about the full marathon training process, what a proper training block should look like, and what happens when the hard work is done and the taper begins. 🏃♂️ Marathon training blocks What actually happens during a marathon build, why the weeks are structured the way they are, and how the body adapts over time. 🧠 Taper week explained What tapering is, why runners suddenly feel weird, tired, heavy, emotional or convinced they’ve lost all fitness overnight. 🍝 What to eat during taper week How to fuel properly before a marathon, what to avoid, and why this is not the week to suddenly become a brand-new person with brand-new food ideas. 🎒 Marathon prep Race kit, pacing, gels, hydration, logistics, nerves, sleep, toilet panic, and all the tiny details that suddenly feel life-or-death three days before race day. ☕ Marathon morning breakfast What to eat before the marathon, when to eat it, how to keep it simple, and why your stomach deserves a calm morning, not a surprise buffet. This is a proper marathon episode for anyone training for a marathon, chasing a PB, aiming for sub-3, preparing for Belfast Marathon, or just wondering why taper week makes runners act completely unhinged. Part of the Chasing Nick series with Nick — the running coach, following the build-up to marathon day. Hosted and produced by Colin Goodman. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts. 🌐 idiotsgorunning.com 📱 Follow us: @IdiotsGoRunning #MarathonTraining #MarathonTaper #TaperWeek #BelfastMarathon #MarathonPrep #RaceDayBreakfast #MarathonNutrition #RunningCoach #RunningPodcast #MarathonPodcast #Sub3Marathon #MarathonFuelling #LongRunTraining #RaceDayPrep #MarathonPacing #RunningTips #EnduranceRunning #MarathonRunner #IdiotsGoRunning #ChasingNick
More from Idiots Go Running
Mizen to Malin, Episode 4: Scorchers, Ice Missions & 100 Miles 🧊
Mizen to Malin, Episode 3: Mill Street to… Mill Street 🤦♂️ Colin, Andrew and Matt are back with the idiot’s guide to running across Ireland. We pick up on day three in Mill Street and somehow get ourselves all the way back to Mill Street. Plenty of effort. Familiar scenery. We talk Ryan Number One getting lost in the hills, windmills, and our route through the mountains—where “are we sure this is the way?” becomes an increasingly reasonable question. Meanwhile, a Garmin watch breaks down, apparently deciding it didn’t sign up for this either. There’s also chat about Celine and Andrew’s best “What’s up, guys?” Because when your navigation is questionable, at least your entrance can be confident. Expect running adventures, mountain miles, dodgy directions and the usual nonsense from Idiots Go Running. Whether you’re into Mizen to Malin, ultrarunning, trail running, endurance challenges or three lads explaining how it all went sideways, you’re in the right place. Follow the idiots: Instagram: @idiotsgorunning Facebook: Idiots Go Running TikTok: @idiotsgorunning Website: idiotsgorunning.com Edited & Produced by Colin Goodman. #IdiotsGoRunning #MizenToMalin #RunningPodcast #IrishRunning #UltraRunning #TrailRunning #EnduranceRunning #RunningAdventure
MIZEN TO MALIN — PART 02: MIZEN HEAD TO MILLSTREET The Mizen to Malin adventure begins. In Part 01, we leave Mizen Head and battle through the opening three days of our 350-mile journey across Ireland. By the end of Day 03, we’ve made it to our B&B in Millstreet — tired, sore and beginning to understand just how enormous this challenge really is. Two runners with MS. One brilliant support crew. A Guinness World Record attempt—and a long road still ahead. This is the honest, unpolished story of MS Runs Ireland: the running, the exhaustion, the laughs and the people helping us keep moving north. Support the journey: www.msrunsireland.com Follow the madness: @idiotsgorunning @Colin Goodman #MSRunsIreland #MizenToMalin #IdiotsGoRunning #RunningWithMS #MultipleSclerosis #MSAwareness #UltraRunning #IrelandRunning #CharityRun #GuinnessWorldRecord #TwoIdiotsOneIsland #WeMove
DAY 00… THE ROAD TO MIZEN Today is not a running day. Today is the chaos before the chaos. Cars packed. Kit everywhere. Food boxes loaded. Chargers hopefully remembered. First aid packed like we are opening a small pharmacy. Coffee ready. Nerves very much kicking in. We are making our way to Mizen Head, the very bottom of Ireland, where this whole ridiculous, beautiful adventure begins. Tomorrow we start running from Mizen to Malin. Around 350 miles. Two runners with MS. One massive challenge. A Guinness World Record attempt. A nightly podcast. A crew held together by caffeine, kindness and probably Haribo. This journey is about MS, hope, research, friendship, and showing what can still be possible when life throws something massive at you. Tonight we sleep near the start line. Tomorrow… we move. Support the run: www.msrunsireland.com Follow the madness:@idiotsgorunning #MSRunsIreland #MizenToMalin #IdiotsGoRunning #RunningWithMS #MultipleSclerosis #MSAwareness #MSResearch #CharityRun #UltraRunning #IrelandRunning #MizenHead #MalinHead #GuinnessWorldRecord #GWR #TwoIdiotsOneIsland #WeMove #WhatCanBeDone
In the final episode of Chasing Nick, Colin takes on the big one: trying to break 3 hours at the Belfast Marathon. After weeks of structured marathon training, speed work, threshold sessions, long runs, taper madness, pacing talk, race nerves and questionable decisions, it all comes down to race day. This episode is the final chapter in the sub-3 marathon journey with Nick — the running coach. From the early training blocks to the final attempt, Chasing Nick has followed the highs, doubts, lessons and reality of trying to turn a big running goal into something real. Did Colin beat 3 hours? Not quite. But this episode is about more than a finish time. It’s about what marathon training teaches you, why pacing matters, how quickly a race can change, and why sometimes the real win is coming out the other side ready for even bigger adventures. In this final farewell episode, we talk about: The Belfast Marathon race-day experience What went right and what went wrong The reality of chasing a sub-3 marathon Pacing, pressure and race execution What Colin learned from structured marathon training Why the journey mattered more than the clock Saying goodbye to Chasing Nick Looking ahead to 100 miles and the 350-mile Mizen to Malin run A huge thank you to Nick — the running coach for guiding the chaos, giving the advice, and somehow agreeing to help an idiot chase a sub-3 marathon. This may be the end of Chasing Nick… …but the idiots are not finished yet. Next up: 100 miles, then 350 miles across Ireland for MS. Listen to Idiots Go Running for honest running stories, marathon training chat, ultra running adventures, endurance mistakes, and the ridiculous reality of normal people chasing abnormal goals. marathon training, sub-3 marathon, Belfast Marathon, running coach, speed work, threshold training, long runs, endurance running, ultra running, trail running, race day, marathon pacing, running podcast, running motivation, MS Runs Ireland, Mizen to Malin, Idiots Go Running.