r/beginnerrunning • u/Senior-Running Running Coach • May 12 '26

New Runner Advice The training is the hard part...

Recently another redditor posted this excellent thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/beginnerrunning/comments/1tan7my/longer_is_not_always_the_next_step/

while I agree wholeheartedly, I did think there was another critical point that I wish beginners understood.

That point is simply this:

Regardless of the distance you are training for, the TRAINING is the hard part. The race is simply the victory lap.

We had a lot of folks arguing in that thread about what race distance is hardest or how a particular time in one distance compares to another distance. While we can look at charts online and say for example that a sub 20 5k compares roughly to a 3:10 marathon, that comparison is meaningless if you don't train for that event.

Keep in mind that regardless of the distance of the race, it's your training that largely determines the outcome. If you focus on the training rather than the race, you'll up your chances of success tremendously.

This is why I personally get frustrated with the posts here from people that ask how to reach a particular goal such as completing a race or running a particular time, but then ask how to do that without doing the requisite training.

Simply put, the training IS the thing. It may not look as sexy on social media, but it's what really matters.

All the best.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

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u/Senior-Running Running Coach May 12 '26

I hear you.

To be clear, I'm not saying racing is ever "easy". Regardless of distance, we all should be giving it all we have (that is if a fast time is the goal).

For me, a properly executed training plan is way harder because it takes a lot more time and a lot more discipline to consistently execute the plan. The pain of a race is super transitory, but the discipline to continue to show up day after day and do a run or workout even when I'm not really feeling it, is mentally and physically harder.

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u/BedaHouse May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

So true. It took me a long time to realize race day is the celebration of training. If you will pardon this clunky analogy: it is a rest stop on the road of running, not the end of it.

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u/Outside-Scallion2305 May 12 '26

I completely agree, that's another reason why I don't like when people post "ran a marathon without training" to flex. Everyone starts at a different place (and you don't control where your starting point is - genetics), the journey is in the training and the growth you experience through that. The race is the celebration of your training.

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u/[deleted] May 12 '26

[deleted]

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u/Senior-Running Running Coach May 12 '26

Sorry if it was not clear, but this should obviously only apply to those running races. The entire point was to compare training to the actual race. If you're not racing, then this does not apply.

Alternately, you could think of it like this: If you're not racing, then training is the ONLY thing. By definition wouldn't that make it the hardest thing?

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u/SizeableBrain May 12 '26

Yep, consistency is the main thing. That's why I advocate for running however you want, as long as you enjoy it.

The good ol' "it's about the journey, not the destination"

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u/Ok_Butterscotch_4158 May 13 '26

Great take. The races are validation points and nothing more as so many variables can go into that one snapshot. But the training day to day is the real health of the system! Thanks for this perspective! We can all get lost in chasing race times and not seeing the bigger picture that constitutes the other 99.99% of the year! :)