5 Weeks Out From Marathon Day: Why Am I Doubting Myself? | With @CrustbyCarson

Sticking to your marathon training plan but still doubting you can finish? Five weeks out, the novelty of training can start to fade and self-doubt can creep in.

Coach Anya sits down with baker and runner Carson Gillaspia (aka @CrustbyCarson) to talk about what this stage of marathon training actually feels like - the honest setbacks, what's starting to click, and why trusting the work you've already done can sometimes be the hardest part.

Carson's food and running content has made waves across the internet. He's spent the last few years championing both the pursuit of the perfect sourdough loaf and long-distance running as tools for mental wellbeing. Now, as he trains for his fourth marathon, he opens up about the doubts that surface as race day gets closer.

As Anya builds towards her own start line in New York, they get into the reality of being five weeks out, how to handle those inevitable wobbles in confidence, and the coaching lessons that can help you trust the foundations you've already built.

Listen for more on:
🧠 The 5-Week Mental Shift in Marathon Training
🏃 Reframing a "Bad Run": why one bad run doesn't break a marathon training plan
🥐 Marathon Fuelling: raisins, cookies & gut training for runners
💛 Running for Someone Else: running in memory of his Grandad
📈 Coaching Tip: the 10%rRule

⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 – Why five weeks out is when marathon training starts to feel real
3:50 – Meet this week's guest: a baker training for his 4th marathon
4:58 – Last year's New York: high-fives, a beer, and jumping the barricade
7:05 – "Marathon training is really scary" — ahead, behind, or right on track?
9:57 – Marathon fuelling: raisins, cookies, and skipping the gels
11:16 – Carb-loading as a baker: is sourdough over-training your gut?
12:25 – Chasing a redemption race after a marathon that didn't go to plan
13:05 – Running the marathon in memory of his grandad
14:05 – Training through three bachelor parties and a week away
14:46 – Why nobody wants to run 18 miles (and the fear that never fully goes)
16:55 – The pre-race bathroom routine nobody warns you about
18:09 – The PR temptation: "If I don't set a PR, I'm gonna quit running"
19:49 – The 10% rule: building mileage and speed safely
23:17 – Coach's takeaway: training the mind, not just the legs

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