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Hi Alex. I've read your last 14 weeks — 847 runs in your history, currently week 14 of 23 toward Half Marathon Antwerpen on 17 October. Your ACWR is sitting at 1.31 this week, the highest it's been in your build. Worth keeping in mind before we talk about what's next.

I was thinking about adding an extra easy run on Wednesday — my legs feel good and I want to bank more km before the taper.

I'd pump the brakes on that. An ACWR of 1.31 is already in the amber zone — the research is fairly consistent that injury risk climbs meaningfully above 1.3, especially in runners who've been building since February without a real down week.

Your legs feeling good is a lagging signal. The adaptations from Saturday's 19 km long run haven't fully resolved yet. Adding volume now is borrowing fitness against next week's budget, not earning more of it.

What's driving the urge to add more? If it's anxiety about the taper, that's normal — but the plan is already calibrated. If there's something specific you're worried about, let's talk through that instead.

Fair point. I did notice my right shin felt a bit tight in the last few km of Sunday's long run. It's fine today though.

That's a more important flag than the volume question.

Right shin tightness during a long run — particularly developing late, after 15+ km — is the kind of signal that turns into 3 weeks off if ignored. Your right leg is your push-off leg, and fatigue-driven gait changes at the back end of long runs put extra load on the anterior compartment.

A few things I'd want to know: was it a dull ache along the bone, or a sharper sensation in the muscle belly? And has this shown up after any other long runs in the last 4 weeks?

For this week regardless: no extra volume, keep Thursday genuinely easy (no pace target), and if there's any tightness at the start of Saturday's run, cut it short at 14 km rather than pushing through. The fitness you'd gain from an extra 4 km is not worth the risk in week 14.

It was more of a dull ache along the bone. Hasn't happened before this run.

Bone-adjacent dull ache is the one I take most seriously. Muscle belly soreness is usually delayed-onset fatigue — manageable. Periosteal ache in the shin is the early signature of stress reaction, and stress reactions don't announce themselves loudly until they've already progressed.

This doesn't mean you're injured. One occurrence after a long run at the top of your mileage range is most likely mechanical overload, not pathology. But the margin for error is narrower than usual.

What I'd do:

Cap Saturday's long run at 17 km, easy pace, and stop immediately if the ache returns before that
No quality sessions this week — swap Tuesday's tempo to an easy recovery run
If it shows up again at any point in the next 10 days, get a physio to assess before week 16

Your 1:30 goal is still very achievable. Your tempo pace data from the last 6 weeks puts you in the right window. Protecting the next 5 weeks of training is worth more than any single session.