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For Better Or For Worse

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Marathon Handbook 19 episodes Nov 4, 2026

For Better or for Worse is a running podcast hosted by Alexis D'Souza and Alex Cyr, an engaged couple with very different running backgrounds. Alexis is a beginner runner, while Alex is an experienced runner, writer, and 63-minute half-marathoner. They document their training, racing, and relationship as they balance ambition with everyday life. The show mixes humor and honesty as they try to survive the demands of the sport together.

Episodes

How Much Time Off Should Runners Take After a Race Season? Nov 4, 2026 1:00:16 Your race season is over. Now what? This week on For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis talk about one of the most underrated skills in running: taking time off the right way.Alexis took a break after her first 5K race season and now feels stuck in running’s “no man’s land.” She’s unsure when to start again, how hard to train or what her next goal should be. Alex is on day nine of a ful

I Ran a PB in the World’s Deepest Half Marathon | For Better or For Worse From Spain! Oct 28, 2026 52:31 Alex Cyr takes on the Valencia Half Marathon, which may be the deepest half marathon field in the world. Recording live from Barcelona, Alex and Alexis break down the whole race weekend.This episode is brought to you by ASICS: Sign up for a free OneASICS account over at ASICS.com to get 10% off your first purchase, access to exclusive colorways, free standard shipping, and more!ASICS US:

Biggest Takeaways from my First 5k Oct 21, 2026 59:00 Alexis ran her first 5K at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend, and it went better than either of us expected. In Episode 22 of For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis go through the race one step at a time to show how Alexis crushed her goal time!This episode is brought to you by ASICS: Sign up for a free OneASICS account over at ASICS.com to get 10% off your first purchase, access

Alexis’ First 5K Race: Pacing Strategy & Race Nerves Oct 14, 2026 59:23 Alexis’ first 5K race is five days away, and the nerves have arrived. In this episode of For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis go through her race week. They cover how to pace a sub-26 5K, whether to bank time or run even splits, handling a crowded start line with no pacer, and what to do when taper-week self-doubt shows up.This episode is brought to you by ASICS: Sign up for a free On

Should You PR in Training? Our "Prove It" Workouts Before Race Day Oct 6, 2026 56:58 Episode 20 of For Better or For Worse! Alex and Alexis mark the milestone with a game of Two Truths and a Lie. In training updates, Alex goes way too hard in his "Prove It" workout three weeks before the Valencia Half Marathon. He runs an unofficial 10K personal best of 28:56 in practice, and the two of them debate whether you should ever PR in a workout. Alexis looks back on her 7:09 Blo

I Raced My First Ever Mile (It Didn't Go to Plan) Sep 29, 2026 57:25 Alexis has finally raced. Just 26 hours after the first-ever Bloor Street Mile in Toronto, Alexis D'Souza Cyr and Alex Cyr go through her first race, from start to finish: the race-morning nerves, the porta-potty standoff, the imposter syndrome at the start line, and Alex's pacing job (he admits it was bad), which sent her through the first 400m about 20 seconds too fast. She still ran a

A 14:13 5k for Alex, Alexis Chooses Her 5k Race Pace Sep 22, 2026 1:06:17 On Episode 18 of For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis kick things off with the ultimate runner's hypothetical: 300 meters from the finish line, in the lead, and your body betrays you... do you hold the line or take the L?Then it's training-update time: Alex breaks down his Yorkville 5K (14:13, just off the podium) and gets brutally honest about whether his competitiveness has turned i

Should Your Partner Have to Attend Your Races? Sep 15, 2026 54:13 On this episode of For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis kick things off with a truly disgusting round of "worst first impressions" (snot rockets, projectile vomit, and a barrata tomato incident) before rehashing the real story of their own disastrous first date. Then it's into the training: Alexis tackles a 5x4-minute threshold workout with Alex coaching from the e-bike, followed by a

A 97-Mile Week, a Bee Sting, and Should Marathons Have Time Limits? Sep 8, 2026 1:04:06 Alex is coming off the biggest mileage week of his life (97 miles / 154K!) and just signed Alexis up for a surprise race, while Alexis is nursing a bee sting and celebrating a new 5K race-pace PB. Then we get into the big one: should marathons have stricter time cutoffs, or should courses stay open all day for anyone who wants to finish? We debate both sides: city logistics, injuries and

We Ranked All 7 World Marathon Majors (Alex Is Back From Sydney) Sep 2, 2026 1:08:36 Alex just landed back in Toronto after covering the Sydney Marathon, and Alexis has news of her own: she signed herself up for her very first race ever, without telling Alex first. They break down what actually makes a marathon a "major," the six-star (now seven-star) finisher medal, Boston's brutal qualifying standards, and then go head-to-head ranking every major from worst to best, wit

We Play "Kiss, Marry, Kill" (Long Runs vs Workouts vs Easy Runs) Aug 25, 2026 59:59 Today, we're playing Kiss, Marry, Kill... running edition. Alex and Alexis each pick which type of run (long run, workout, or easy run) they'd keep forever, marry for life, and never do again. Along the way: Alexis completes her first full week of real training for her October 5K, the two debate whether ultra running is more impressive than a fast 5K, and things get surprisingly sweet whe

I DNF'd My World Championships Qualifier... Here's What I Learned Aug 18, 2026 59:14 Alex heads to Edmonton for the Canadian Half Marathon Championships with one goal: run fast enough to punch his ticket to the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen. What actually happens is a start-line scare over recording gear, a rough patch at 5K, and a DNF at 6K after throwing up twice on the course.In this episode, Alex gives Alexis (and you) the full, unfiltered "word vomit

Building a Sub-27 5K Plan: Can a Husband Coach His Wife? Aug 11, 2026 1:00:24 In this episode of For Better or For Worse, Alex walks Alexis (and you) through the 10-week beginner 5K training plan he built her from scratch, easy pace vs. threshold pace vs. race pace, how many days a week she should actually run, strength training, warm-ups, heart rate zones vs. running by feel, and why a 5K plan somehow includes a 10K long run. Alexis pushes back on almost all of it

Her First 5K Time Trial Shocked Us Both | For Better or For Worse Aug 4, 2026 48:15 Alexis just ran her first-ever 5K time trial and blew past everyone's predictions with a 28:53. In this episode of For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis break down the splits, the pre-race chaos (forgotten cameras, a Diet Pepsi "fueling strategy," and a rookie pacing mistake), and what it revealed about how hard Alexis can actually push.Then the big reveal... Alexis is officially racin

How to Pace Your First 5K Time Trial Jul 28, 2026 1:10:39 Alexis is running her first-ever 5K time trial and the whole Marathon Handbook crew is showing up to document it.In this episode of For Better or For Worse, Alex and Alexis break down exactly how a beginner runner should prepare for a race-pace effort: pre-race fueling, sleep, shoe choice, and a full pacing strategy to chase a sub-30-minute (and maybe sub-29!) 5K. Plus: weird interactions

Post-Wedding Running Motivation & Our Fall Half Marathon Plans! Jul 21, 2026 51:00 What happens to your running motivation after a huge life event? We got married a few weeks ago, and while Alex went straight back into his toughest training block ever, Alexis hit a full week of "bride blues" and zero desire to run. We break down why that split happened, whether running couples should target the same race season, and what's next for both of us.Chapters:0:00 Cold Open0:51

Our Wedding Recap! a 5K, Burnt Veil, and Wedding Crashers Jul 15, 2026 58:45 After 8 episodes of wedding-season training talk, Alex and Alexis are officially married! In this episode of For Better or For Worse, the running couple breaks down their entire wedding week in Prince Edward Island: a 16-act talent show, a surprise 5K run for 90 guests, a burnt wedding veil, an unexpected blessing from the Pope, and six uninvited wedding crashers.They also cover how they

It's Been 6 Months... Alexis' 6 Running Lessons | For Better or For Worse Jun 30, 2026 47:03 We're recording from Prince Edward Island, Alex's childhood home and the site of our wedding in ONE WEEK!Alex walks Alexis through 6 key categories every new runner struggles with: building mileage, nutrition, run intensity, Strava and the social pressure of running, sticking to a routine, and running with friends. The answers are honest, sometimes surprising, and genuinely useful for any

Should You Run at Your Bachelor Party? + AI Coaches & Can Runners Dance? Jun 23, 2026 59:46 We're two days out of our bachelor and bachelorette parties and Alex ran through his. Every morning. Hungover. Was that crazy, or completely reasonable? Alexis has strong thoughts, and you get to decide who's right in our new "His or Hers" segment.This week on For Better or For Worse, Alex Cyr and Alexis D'Souza get into it about running on big life days, how to stay motivated when your n

Alex FAINTED at a Dinner, Got 5 Stitches & Raced a National Championship Jun 16, 2026 1:02:09 Alex and Alexis are back, and this might be their most chaotic week yet. Alex face-plants at a sushi restaurant two days before racing the Canadian 10K Championships in Ottawa, then has a close encounter with Hell's Angels on the highway. Somehow, he still finishes 7th... his best-ever national championship result.Chapters:0:00 Cold Open — Fight or Flight1:00 Welcome to For Better or For

Learning to Eat for My Biggest Running Week | For Better or For Worse Jun 9, 2026 1:09:38 Alex Cyr and Alexis D'Souza are back for Episode 4 of For Better or For Worse, the show where a beginner runner and an elite runner, soon to be married, chase goals together (and occasionally argue about hockey and boiled eggs).This week, Alexis just finished her biggest training week ever: 21.2km over four runs, but keeps getting post-run headaches. Alex breaks down the nutrition basics

I've Just Started Running: Do I Have What it Takes? | For Better Or For Worse Jun 2, 2026 1:00:57 For Better or for Worse is a weekly podcast following Alex Cyr and Alexis D'Souza: a couple soon to be married, each with a goal to run the best race of their lives this fall. Alex is an experienced competitive runner. Alexis is just getting started. Together, they're navigating wedding planning, first long runs, training blocks, and everything in between.New episodes every week. Subscrib

Wedding Planning Chaos: Are We Actually Ready? | For Better Or For Worse May 30, 2026 1:03:24 For Better or for Worse is a weekly podcast following Alex Cyr and Alexis D'Souza: a couple soon to be married, each with a goal to run the best race of their lives this fall. Alex is an experienced competitive runner. Alexis is just getting started. Together, they're navigating wedding planning, first long runs, training blocks, and everything in between. This week, Alex goes to Morocco;

The Pilot! Planning our First 10k, First Podcast, and ...Wedding May 23, 2026 51:56 For Better or for Worse is a weekly podcast following Alex Cyr and Alexis D'Souza: a couple soon to be married, each with a goal to run the best race of their lives this fall. Alex is an experienced competitive runner. Alexis is just getting started. Together, they're navigating wedding planning, first long runs, training blocks, and everything in between.New episodes every week. Subscrib

For Better Or For Worse

Episodes

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