EP289:– Chris Hillhouse returns to discuss his road to ballarat marathon.

Welcome to episode 289 of the Better With Running podcast! This week, Run2PB coaches Chris Armstrong and Zacca Newman check in to discuss the grit and grind of high-volume training. Chris shares his post-5k Frenzy reset, logging a lighter 45km week and prepping for his first outing in the new ASICS Superblast 3s. Zacca, meanwhile, continues to stack the bricks with a massive 91km week, highlighted by a sharp 30-minute tempo at 3:35 pace and a controlled 23km long run to keep the engine humming.

The episode hits its stride with the return of fan-favorite Chris Hillhouse for his fourth appearance on the show., Chris is currently deep in a marathon build that mirrors his professional life in landscaping. Just as a premium outdoor space requires meticulous site prep before the final aesthetic touches, Chris has been putting in the heavy "earthworks" of high mileage to support his faster track times. We dive into how his recent training block is finally shifting from the rough-in stage to the finishing phase.

Chris shares a training week and some context around some ups and downs in this marathon block.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a catch-up with Hillhouse without some literal landscaping chat and a few "out of left field" takes. We trade the shovels for spoons as the boys dive into some food and drink chat. The show finishes with some much loved world record chat.