Most advanced runners chasing a BQ or sub-3 struggle to pinpoint what’s causing them to keep coming up short.

✔️ Fading in the final 10K despite being on pace early and then having to tell your family and friends you missed your goal

✔️ Feeling fit in workouts but unable to hold it on race day even after all the months of work you’ve put in

✔️ Constantly questioning whether you need more mileage, more intensity, or a different plan

It has nothing to do with a lack of discipline, toughness, or talent and everything to do with unclear priorities and misaligned decisions.

That’s exactly why we created The Breakthrough Lab – so those big workouts in training give you the best chance to hit your goal on race day.

This program was created for the educated, experienced marathoner who wants autonomy over their training & craves knowledge, but still needs the guidance & nuance that is missing from generic running advice. You may have read Advanced Marathoning or followed the Hansons method, you’ve watched YouTube videos on running form, you’re well aware of the high carb trend and you have super shoes – but you still haven’t hit your goal. You’re fired up, but a little frustrated, and not ready to hand over your training to a 1:1 running coach.

The Truth?

If you’re running 5-6 days per week, doing speed workouts or tempo runs weekly, and getting within 10-15 minutes of your goal time on race day, you’re not lacking fitness, discipline, or toughness.

What’s usually missing is clarity around what actually matters at each phase of the build, how to adjust training without overcorrecting, and how to respond when fatigue or doubt shows up. This program helps you make specific training decisions for yourself based on your own strengths and weaknesses.

This is not a motivation problem. It’s a prioritization and execution problem. And the good news is, it’s very fixable.

If you’re feeling stuck it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Once you learn how to align your training, recovery, and decision-making with where you are in the build, you stop guessing and start training with intention. That’s when your fitness finally has the chance to show up on race day.

Practical Training Guidance You Can Apply Immediately

All content is delivered through short videos, written guides, and simple templates designed to reduce guesswork and overthinking.

You’ll also receive four pre-made, detailed training plan options via Final Surge that you can choose from as a starting point, along with guidance on how to adjust them based on your experience, goals, and how your body responds. 

Rather than following a plan blindly, you’ll learn how to evaluate whether your training is actually serving you, when to hold steady, and when thoughtful adjustments make sense.

If you struggle to run 6 miles at the threshold pace that aligns with your goal marathon time, you can start with threshold runs like 10 x 3 minutes (1 min jog) and  5 x 6 minutes (2 minute jog), then progress to runs like 3 x 2 miles (2 minute jog) and 2 x 3 miles (3 minute jog). You’ll know you’re progressing if the pace feels managagealve to hold for longer intervals.

This is not about chasing a “perfect” plan.
It’s about understanding how to make smart decisions so your training works for you.

By the End of the Program 

You’ll have:

• Clear priorities for how to structure each phase of a marathon build
• A better understanding of what actually limits you and how to address it
• Tools to stay calm and composed when training or racing gets hard
• A more confident, intentional approach to race day execution
• Completed a training block filled with workouts that make your goal feel like the logical next step
• The ability to stand on the start line knowing your fitness is there and you just need to execute
• A framework you can return to for years to come as you continue to progress and set new goals.

Training Readiness

Each plan is 20 weeks long. You can start this program 16 to 20 weeks out from your marathon. If you’re starting at 16 weeks out, you should already have a solid training foundation and be ready to handle two speed workouts per week. If starting at 20 weeks out, the first four weeks focus on aerobic base building with one hill or interval workout and one long run as your key workouts each week.

• You’re within 15 minutes of your goal time.
• For runners coming in at moderate mileage, peak weeks build to approximately 55 miles.
• If you are already accustomed to higher volume, the framework supports peak weeks of 80 miles or more while keeping the overall structure intact.
• These plans are best suited for runners who are consistently running 35 to 45 miles per week or higher and have handled 45+ miles in a recent training cycle without breaking down. If you’re newer to that range, this may not be the right starting point — even the lower mileage plans open at 43 miles per week.
• You should start any training program healthy and free of pain and discomfort. If you have a lingering injury or nagging issue, we highly suggest working with a physical therapist before joining, so you can start the program feeling your best.

Examples What Else We’ll Cover

• How to read your training data so you always know if you’re progressing or need to adjust
• How to structure each phase of your build in a way that’s specific to you and your limiters
• How to build the physical resilience to keep running strong in the final miles of a marathon
• How to fuel your long runs and execute a race day nutrition plan with confidence
• How to create a race day plan that sets you up to close strong
• How to use heat training to build fitness and also prepare you for potential warm race temperatures
• The purpose of different phases of training and how to make the most out of each phase
• Long runs with intent, not just time on feet
• How to respond when you’re tired, your legs are heavy, and it’s not going the way you planned

Here’s a more in depth view of what Month 1 looks like:

The first month is called Assess: Find Clarity. Before you run a single workout, you’ll get clear on what’s actually been limiting you. You’ll start with a detailed self-assessment that helps you identify your primary limiter, whether that’s speed, threshold fitness, mileage, durability, or power. From there you’ll choose the training plan that fits your history and goals, and learn how to adjust it around your schedule. You’ll also get:

• A progress tracking sheet and video walkthrough so you can see whether your training is actually moving in the right direction week to week, not just whether paces are dropping
• A weekly check-in guide covering volume, intensity, and fatigue trends so you always know what to look for and when to adjust
• Guidance on how to structure your week in Final Surge, including when to move workouts and how to think about rest days

By the end of month 1 you’ll have a clear picture of your limiters, a training plan dialed in to your history, and a weekly review process that most runners never develop on their own.

The Breakthrough Lab

+ Kinesis Strength App

$237.77 USD/month

• Everything included in The Breakthrough Lab
• Built by strength coaches who work with Olympic runners, adapted to meet you where you are
• Enter your upcoming races so the app adjusts your strength work around your training load and race schedule
• Tell the app what equipment you have access to, and your workouts will only include exercises you can actually do
• Set your weekly schedule and the app adapts as it learns your patterns

1:1 coaching with Sandi starts at $350/month. The Breakthrough Lab is the only way to work with Sage.

It gives you direct access to both of us, four months of structured training content you’ll return to for years, and a community of runners working toward the same goal. It’s not a watered-down version of coaching. It’s a different format built for runners who want to understand their training, not just follow instructions.

Still have questions or not quite ready to commit? Fill out our interest form and we’ll be in touch. You can also reach us directly at sandi.higherrunning@gmail.com.

Boston Qualifiers and Sub 3 Athletes We’ve Worked With

“Hello, I just wanted to reach out and share that I ran a 2:56 marathon last Sunday at the Ventura marathon, beating my previous personal best in late October 2022 of 4:23. This was mainly due to the Higher Running Boston qualifier plan that I used. The plan was amazing!” 

– Jarrett J

Meet Your Coaches

Breakthrough Lab is a group coaching program for motivated runners aiming to break 3 hours in the marathon or qualify for Boston, designed by elite runners and experienced coaches with over a decade of coaching expertise.

Since 2014, Coach Sandi has helped runners take the next step forward, from first Boston qualifiers to sub-3 marathons and performances in the 2:30s. She’s known for a caring, calm, and evidence-based approach that helps athletes train with confidence and execute under pressure.

Coach Sage started his professional running career with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in 2009. He ran his first Olympic Trials Qualifer at the age of 21 and has finished the Boston Marathon in 16th place overall and The Chicago Marathon in 17th place overall. He’s been sharing his knowledge to help runners train and race smarter since starting his YouTube channel in 2008.

The Breakthrough Lab is for you if…

You’re chasing a BQ or sub-3 marathon and keep getting close but not quite there

You train consistently and execute workouts but feel unsure what actually deserves your focus

You want clearer priorities instead of constantly second-guessing your training

You’re ready to think critically about your training rather than just work harder

You want guidance that helps you make smarter decisions, from coaches

Say goodbye to…

Guessing whether you need more mileage, more intensity, or something different

Feeling fit but flat, stale, or unable to hold pace late in races

Overcorrecting after a bad workout or race

Finishing races knowing you had more to give but didn’t know how to access it

And hello to…

Clear priorities for each phase of your marathon build

Training that feels intentional rather than reactive

Better durability and late-race execution

Confidence in how you respond when fatigue or doubt shows up

Feeling aligned with your training instead of constantly questioning it

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start training with clarity, the Breakthrough Lab is your next step.

Your Questions Answered

Can’t I just find this information on YouTube or in books? Probably some of it, yes. But if you’re close to a BQ or sub-3 and haven’t hit it yet, you’ve likely already tried that. Most running books sell you on one philosophy and one way of training, and free content online doesn’t tell you what applies to you specifically. The Breakthrough Lab starts with helping you figure out what you personally need, then gives you a structured path through the information that matters most, in the right order. And unlike books or YouTube, you have two coaches you can ask questions to every week. There’s a big difference between piecing things together on your own and working through a program with guidance that’s specific to you.

What if I’m more than 15 minutes away from my goal time? You can still join, but it’s extremely important that you meet the training requirements before doing so. Keep in mind that this program may help you get closer to your goal, but closing a large gap like going from a 3:20 marathon to sub-3 takes time and multiple training cycles.

Can you join this program if you’ve already achieved your BQ or sub-3 goal? Absolutely! The principles taught here can still benefit you as you continue to develop as a runner. We’ll also help you assess whether any workouts or mileage adjustments make sense for your specific needs.

Do the plans go by miles, kilometers or time? We wrote all our plans in miles. With Final Surge you can set your account to kilometers, but the title and the description of the run will still be in miles. For example, a title of a run might be “8-10 miles with a Threshold Run: 5-6 x 1 mile” with the pace description being “~4-6s/mile faster than threshold pace”

Are the plans different from your BQ or Advanced Marathon Plans? Yes. Our training plan tells you what to do. The Breakthrough Lab helps you understand why, and what to do when things don’t go according to plan. In addition to four training plan options in Final Surge, you get four months of video content and guides covering every phase of a marathon build, a community where you can ask Sandi and Sage questions directly, and a monthly live coaching call where you can submit your training data for real feedback from two experienced coaches.
If you’ve already used one of our plans and are ready to take your training to the next level, this is your next step.

What if I just hire a running coach instead? We’re not against hiring a coach, especially one of the other Higher Running coaches. But if you want to work with Sage specifically, the Breakthrough Lab is the only way to do it. Sandi’s 1:1 coaching is also often full.
For runners who take pride in owning their training or have been coach-curious but never made the commitment, the Breakthrough Lab is a natural fit. You get real guidance from two experienced coaches without handing over full control of your training.
A good coach with the experience and level of detail we bring typically charges $350 or more per month, with no end date in sight. The Breakthrough Lab is $199.99/month for four months, and you get two coaches instead of one.
A lot of coaches also hand you a plan and call it coaching. The Breakthrough Lab gives you actual guidance throughout the entire four months, with video content, templates, a community where you can ask us questions directly, and a monthly live call where we look at your training data together.

Do your plans contain any cross-training? No, but you’re welcome to add cross-training if you’re feeling good and want more activity without adding extra miles to the plan.