Running, decoded
Understand the work. Then do it.
Research-backed guides, free training plans and honest gear reviews from a runner a few years in and still testing what works.
17
Articles in The Lab
18 wk
Free half marathon plan
Daily
Lottery dates re-checked
100K
Longest race written up
Start here
Training plan
18-Week Half Marathon Plan
18 weeks · 5 runs/week · peak 33–42 mi
Paces from a recent race, mileage ranges that flex with your week, and a calendar export.
View the plan →
Race lottery calendar
What’s open right now
Berlin
Open now · closes Nov 12
Western States
Open now · closes Nov 21
Chicago
Guaranteed-entry payment deadline · Nov 10
Leadville 100
Opens Nov 24
Majors, US road lotteries and ultra lotteries, checked against the official sites every morning.
See the full calendar →
The Method
How training actually works
One idea per guide, built from the coaching literature and the research, so a plan that says tempo links to everything a tempo run is.
All guides →
The Field
Tested on real miles
Gear reviews scored the same way every time, and race recaps that include the parts that went wrong.
Gear and recaps →
Free training plan
18-Week Half Marathon Plan
Two quality days a week, a long run that builds to 13 miles, and mileage ranges you set to fit your life. Paces come from a race you’ve actually run.
Runs per week
5 + 1 optional cross-train
Peak mileage
33–42 mi · week 16
Level
Beginner to intermediate
Race lottery calendar
Lottery windows, checked every morning
Who’s writing this
Jason Schmitt. Designer by trade, runner by habit.
Marathons through the 100K, Backyard Ultras, and a lot of reading what the coaches and the research actually say. Mile Twenty Labs is where it gets written down.
Get the next guide when it lands
New guides, plans and lottery dates. One email when something goes up.
