Your next race? Don't choose it by Instagram. The A/B/C framework. 🏁

Endurance Mindset — How to choose your next race 🇺🇸

Wed Jul 30 · 🇺🇸

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Wednesday July 30 · Coaching note

After the MMB, the most common question I get is always the same: "So what race should I do next?"

Before answering that, I need to ask you something more important: what role does that next race play within your athletic project?

Choosing a race without answering that question is like buying plane tickets before deciding where you want to go.

The framework I use with every athlete

Every race has a role: A, B or C

🏆 Race A — Your peak race

Your entire training plan converges here. Full taper, adjusted nutrition, logistics planned weeks in advance. Maximum 2-3 Race A's per year. The MMB was a Race A for many of you. Chicago could be the next one.

📊 Race B — Fitness test

You race hard, but without a full taper — just 2-3 days of reduced load. It gives you real data: threshold paces, logistics, race-day nutrition. A 10K or half mid-marathon-block is the classic example. The result is information, not a verdict.

🎽 Race C — Training with a bib

You run it for fun, community, social habit. You don't change your training week for it. You can even integrate it as your weekend long run. The result doesn't matter beyond the anecdotal.

⚠️ The most common mistake I see

Athletes who treat every race like a Race A. Mini-taper in April, mini-taper in June, mini-taper in August. Never more than 5 continuous weeks of progressive training. They never progress because they never give training enough time to accumulate. I've seen runners with extraordinary VO2max stay stuck for 3 years in a row for exactly this reason.

3 questions before you sign up

1. Is this race an A, B or C in my project?

2. Does it interrupt or respect the continuity of my training?

3. Does it move me closer to my 2-3 year goal, or just satisfy short-term anxiety?

If you can answer all three clearly, you're already thinking like an athlete with a project — not someone who collects medals.

📖 Full article on the blog — 11 min read

The full article includes: how to think in 2-4 year cycles, the real case of an athlete stagnant for 3 seasons due to over-racing, and how to build a race calendar that respects deep physiological adaptations.

🇺🇸 Read full article → 🇪🇸 Leer en Español →

And if you already have your next race in mind — Chicago, NYC, Bogotá Marathon, or anything else — make sure you voted in the poll we sent Monday. Results are almost in. 🗳️