How I Used the Off-Season to Prepare for My 2025 Running Goals

Weight loss, speed, and mobility: Building blocks for marathon success

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-in-black-pants-and-black-sneakers-5327545/

For runners, the off-season isn’t about rest — it’s about reinvention. It’s the period where we pause, reflect, and rebuild, setting the foundation for the year ahead. This year, my off-season revolved around one defining question: What’s the one thing I’d like to achieve next year?

For 2025, the answer is crystal clear: to achieve a sub-4-hour marathon.

This goal became the anchor for my training, guiding every workout, meal, and rest days. It wasn’t just about improving numbers — it was about becoming the kind of runner who could achieve such a milestone through dedicated planning and executing properly. To do that, I structured my off-season around three pillars: weight loss, speed, and mobility.

First off, time wasn’t on my side. With only two months before the endurance block of training began, I had to maximize every moment of the off-season. Two-a-day workouts became my routine — strength training in the morning, running in the evening — allowing me to tackle each pillar with focus while balancing recovery and avoiding burnout.

Here’s how the off-season unfolded and what it taught me.