David Dack

Honest running benchmarks. No ego. No gatekeeping.
Helping everyday runners train smarter and stop falling for nonsense.

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Your 5K plan says eight miles on Sunday.

"Why the hell am I running EIGHT miles for a 3-mile race?"

Fair question. Longer easy runs can help, but you don't jump from three miles to eight overnight.

5K runners, how far is your longest run?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Going for 1:59? That's roughly 9:05/mile (5:38/km). Here's what I'd work on in training, and why breaking 2 isn't the same goal for every runner:

https://t.co/4PD7jxjyRP

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Is sub-2 for a half marathon FAST?

Online you'd think 1:59 was nothing.

Try saying that to someone who's been chasing two hours for years.

Chasing sub-2? I put the pace stuff in my reply.

What's your half PB and age? And do you think sub-2 is fast?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

You can only run on ONE of these for the next year.

A) Flat roads
B) Hilly roads
C) Dirt trails
D) Treadmill

No switching when the weather turns to crap 😂

Which are you picking?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Third in your age group and you're still smiling on the way home.

Then somebody asks, "Yeah, but how many were in your age group?"

Can people just enjoy a podium finish for FIVE MINUTES?

Ever made an age-group podium? What race, and how old were you?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

You tell people you've started running and suddenly EVERYONE has advice.

"Don't walk."
"Run every day."
"Your cadence is wrong."

Can people just enjoy their first few runs?

What advice got stuck in your head when you were new?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

If you've never trained your feet, here are 8 exercises to start with. Different routine from the 118-runner study, so no magic injury-proof promise:

https://t.co/XXNLbwtNth

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Runners spend $200 on shoes but never train their feet.

One study followed 118 runners. Those without foot training had about 2.4x the injury risk.

One study. Not some magic fix.

I put 8 foot exercises in my reply if you wanna start.

Do you train your feet at all?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@hagaonx soo fing true

[David Dack @DavidDack]

"It's just a niggle."

You've Googled "Achilles pain" eight times. Tested it on the stairs. Now you're checking it every time you stand up.

At what point is the "little niggle" not so little anymore?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@hagaonx 😂 exactly. after suffering for 4.99K Im not letting 10 metres of GPS nonsense steal the whole thing

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Fastest 5K you've ever run. Last half mile felt like death.

Upload to Strava.

4.99K.

WTF.

If this keeps happening, I put a few GPS checks in my reply.

Are we seriously saying 10 metres means no PB?

Are you taking the PB or running it again?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@modularform good tip. marking it as a race can definitely save some of that Strava weirdness

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@BSGreatBritain 😂 yep. the infamous Strava tax... apparently 10 metres is the price of admission

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@willireallyam1 yeah running through the line is always safest 😂 auto lap helps too, but GPS can still decide to be annoying

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@gobi_one 100%. if the course is properly measured, Id trust that over the watch. GPS can wobble plenty

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@scottmartin39 yeah exactly. Strava is useful, but I wouldnt treat one GPS reading like the final word on what actually happened 😂

[David Dack @DavidDack]

Cold? Another layer.
Rain? Usually fine.

That freezing rain that soaks your shoes before you've even run a mile? Nah, I'm out.

What's the weather that makes you turn around and go home?

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@LauraKa20931047 100%. agree the pace first, keep it social, then argue about where the coffee is after 😂

[David Dack @DavidDack]

You agreed to run with a friend.
They're slower than you.
Slow down or take off?
Group runs get a lot easier when everyone agrees on the pace beforehand.

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@RyanSchutte03 yeah that works if everyone knows the plan beforehand. run together most of the way, then youve still got your last 5K to play with

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@somersetlurcher that sounds like a proper social run. hard bits at your own effort, regroup after, catch up, then breakfast... pretty hard to argue with that setup

[David Dack @DavidDack]

@rosiu36 😂 the ego part is real. nothing like seeing someone working harder at your easy pace and having to remind yourself thats completely fine