Personalized Marathon Training Plan Guide
Preparing for a marathon requires a systematic training plan. RunBox AI coach creates a customized 16-20 week marathon training plan based on your fitness level, goal time, and available training time.
Why Choose an AI-Customized Marathon Training Plan?
- Personalized Assessment: Based on your running experience and fitness condition
- Smart Adjustments: Training intensity optimizes automatically with progress
- Scientific Pacing: Based on your target finish time
- Injury Prevention: Reasonable intensity progression to avoid injuries
witness the history of chinese marathons xtep 160
On January 31, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) released some rules regarding competition shoes on its official website. Starting from April 30, 2020, any athlete's competition shoes must be available for purchase through public sales channels, whether online or offline, at least four months in advance (not sure if those that are always out of stock count). Additionally, custom shoes made to accommodate individual physical differences are allowed to compete as long as they comply with the rules. If shoes that violate competition rules appear, the IAAF has the right to review and judge them, and during this period, such shoes cannot be used in competitions. From now on, shoes (including spikes) that do not meet the following rules will be prohibited from use in competitions.
1. The thickness of the sole must not exceed 40mm.
2. Only one carbon plate or other functional material can be placed inside the shoe, with no size limit, and it cannot be stacked in multiple layers.
3. For spike shoes, an additional plate or other device can be used, but only to connect the spikes to the sole, and the thickness of the sole must not exceed 30mm.
Xtep's 160X shone brightly at the end of 2019, with signed athletes wearing it to run under 2:10 three times, achieving the best marathon results by Chinese athletes in recent years. Xtep also teamed up with the Chinese Athletics Association to launch the 'National Speed' plan, encouraging more Chinese marathon runners to improve their competitive levels.
The 'National Speed' incentive plan includes athlete incentive plans, event incentive plans, and youth incentive plans. It covers a wide range, has thresholds that fit national conditions, and is highly operable.
'National Speed' Record-breaking Award:
Men breaking the Chinese record will be rewarded with 1 million RMB, with an additional 10,000 RMB for every second broken.
Women breaking the Chinese record will be rewarded with 1 million RMB, with an additional 10,000 RMB for every second broken.
'National Speed' Breakthrough Award:
Men achieving a time of 2:10 and women achieving a time of 2:26 will be rewarded with 100,000 RMB.
'National Speed' Standard Award:
The 'National Speed' Personal Standard Award refers to men achieving a time within 2:20 and women within 2:40, rewarding them with equipment worth 10,000 RMB and the opportunity to participate in the Xtep 'National Speed' Elite Training Camp.
The 'National Speed' Ranking Award refers to athletes who meet the standards within the reward period, entering the 'National Speed' annual ranking, with different amounts of rewards set for the top ten.
'National Speed' Event Incentive Plan:
The 'National Speed' Event Record Award is an additional 'Breaking Chinese National Event Record Award' set by Xtep for event organizing committees. If the event already has a prize, we will add an equivalent reward on top of the original prize; if not, we will set a prize of 10,000 RMB.
The 'National Speed' Event Breakthrough Award is used to reward event organizing committees that break the Chinese national event record with equipment worth 100,000 RMB.
Dong Guojian's battle shoes at the Berlin Marathon, with a time of 2:08:28, not only set a personal best but almost broke the Chinese marathon record, achieving the best result by a Chinese runner in nearly 10 years.
The biggest feeling I got from these shoes is that they are light, very light, with thin upper materials like gauze.
The midsole is, of course, soft, with cushioning particles that look as realistic as the foam box materials we usually see.
In addition, the upper is not a one-piece weave but is pieced together, with strong lines and a three-dimensional feel, making it look quite aesthetically pleasing overall.
The disassembly of the 160X.
There is an interview with Dr. Jason, the designer of the 160X, on the internet, which is detailed and recommended for reading.
Jason is the head and chief scientist of the Xtep Science Laboratory. He joined Xtep in July 2015 and initiated the establishment of the Xtep Shoe R&D Innovation Center in the same year.
Xtep must create a professional running shoe that can compete with the world's top running shoes. This has always been Xtep's goal, so everyone from top to bottom is pushing forward. Xtep's vision is to become the preferred sports brand for Chinese runners and to be number one in the running field, so we must have leading professional products in the industry.
After five years of hard work, Xtep launched the 160X racing running shoes, selected the right athletes, and achieved good results.
The cushioning midsole was found by Xtep through external searches. According to Dr. Jason, it is a nylon foam material named Xtep Power Nest X-PB. Of course, it also requires subsequent scientific theory, engineering, and structural research, and a perfect combination of several aspects to create a very professional functional running shoe.
The application of carbon plate materials is not simply about inserting a carbon plate. The shape shows that the carbon plate is 'deliberately' designed, and of course, this 'deliberation' is the result of scientific laboratory design, supported by sports mechanics and other technologies.
So this time we made a new attempt by using a multi-curved 3D carbon fiber support piece design, including the support of the heel, midfoot, rebound fulcrum structure, and a forked support structure at the forefoot, including an L-shaped structure at the end of the forefoot. These professional design details are verified through scientific theory and practical tests. The carbon fiber piece structure in the 160X's propulsion cushioning system has been optimized multiple times to truly achieve effective energy storage and rebound propulsion effects.
So does such a carbon plate comply with the latest IAAF shoe standards? I think it does. Although it has bends on the sides, it does not form a double-layer stacking effect, so it is acceptable.
The high-strength, wear-resistant, non-slip outsole has 'X' shaped patterns (Xtep logo) on the forefoot. Dr. Jason said the wear-resistant outsole is enough to handle 800-1000 kilometers of training.
This is the condition of Dong Guojian's shoes after running the marathon. I specifically enlarged the heel and arch areas. You can see that the heel wear is not obvious, and the cushioning midsole shows signs of compression deformation. Overall, it is still quite intact. If it were me, the outsole would definitely wear out a part. This is also the difference between excellent athletes and ordinary runners.
The Xtep 160X was not created overnight but was developed and evolved over several generations of the 160, accumulating technical experience. Moreover, its initial price of 899 RMB is quite reasonable, much more affordable than the one or two thousand RMB pricing. The rush to buy at the Marathon Expo proves everything.
Finally, I wish Chinese marathon competitions get better and better, and Chinese marathon results become more and more outstanding.
Start Your Marathon Training Journey
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- GPT-4o powered personalized training plans
- Daily training guidance and feedback
- Nutrition and recovery advice
- Real-time progress tracking
Download RunBox now and let our AI coach create your personalized marathon training plan!
