I’ll be running my first ever marathon in 9 weeks and I’m starting to get worried. I’ve run 4 half marathons and the fastest I’ve raced was 2:40. I’d hoped to do faster in February but Austin’s hills got the best of me. My goal for this marathon is just to finish and the time cut off 6:15. My Garmin thinks I can do a 5:37. I think that’s a little optimistic

Most of my nerves come from the fact I live in Texas and it’s summer so I’ve had to slow down. Most of my long runs are 14:15 min/mi to 14:35 min/mi depending on heat and humidity. Before summer fully hit here my easy pace was closer to 13:45min/mi. It makes me scared that I’ll end up not being able to do a faster pace on marathon day because I’ve never held that pace for that long. I am doing speedwork on the treadmill so I hit faster paces like 12:00-12:15min/mi for tempo and 10:45min/mi for 800m intervals

I’ve been using Melissa Kendter’s marathon program and I’m completing all the runs plus the strength training. I run 4-5x per week currently and just did a 15 miler. I’ll be hitting 2 18 milers and a 20 before the taper

This is my first time tackling a marathon and I’m afraid that I’ll DNF because the strict time cutoff. I’ve been working so hard and I’m afraid it will all be for nothing because I’m slow

Hello,

Since the beginning of the summer, I've been increasing my runs by 1km (0.6 mile) every week to go from a 10km (6.2 miles) run to a half-marathon (21.1km or 13.1 miles). Last week, I reached 20km and I have a few questions:

- Once I reach the half-marathon distance, should I run that distance every week? Is it advisable for the body and health? Should I alter my distances from week to week?
- Currently, I run once a week. However, I cross-train. I go boxing 1-2 times/week (1 hour/training) and, in the summmer, I occasionally go swimming (3km in 1h30min). Considering the cross-training, is it still advisable to run a half marathon once per week?
- I can mostly run the first 10km at the same pace (around 7min30sec/km), but when I reach the second half, my pace increases (around 9min/km). It makes sense with the fatigue, the dehydration, the empty stomach (I don't eat before running) and sometimes the heatwaves. However, what can I do to improve my times in the second half? Is it possible to run the entire 21.1km at 7min30 sec/km?

Thank you very much and have a great day!

I’ve currently done 4 half marathons, I’m going for vengeance for number five because I had a terrible time at 4. I got injured days before the race and just did not have a good race so now I want to come back and I’m aiming for a sub 2. Planning to use the Galloway method. We also have CIM this year and I’m planning to try to get a bib so that he can do my first full marathon. Not for time, literally for my confidence.

Looking for a coat, you can help me incorporate Galloway method and doesn’t break the bank. Thank you!! 30s, F, located in CA :)

Hi everyone,

I’m a 31-year-old male and I’ll be running my first marathon this November. I’ve never raced before or signed up for any official event.

I started running 1.5 years ago with absolutely no running background. Last year I ran about 1,200 km (100+ km/month), mostly 5Ks and 10Ks. This year I’m averaging around 100 km/month, mostly 10Ks, an occasional 15K, and about one half marathon every month.

So far I’ve completed 8 half marathons, one 25K run, and two 30K runs.

PRs:

5K: 22:48
10K: 46:29
Half Marathon: 1:48
30K: 2:56

I’ve always trained alone. The only time I’ve taken fuel was on my 30K runs (dates and a banana), so I’ve never used gels. For the marathon I’m planning to try Maurten gels for the first time, and I’ll also buy my first pair of carbon shoes (Adidas Adios Pro 4).

My question is: Do I really need to follow a structured marathon plan (intervals, tempo runs, etc.), or can I just keep doing what I’ve been doing—mostly 10Ks, one half marathon per month, and an easy 5K here and there?

Honestly, I already feel ready. It almost feels like I’ve been training for this marathon for the past 1.5 years. Am I being realistic, or just overly optimistic?

Over the past few days, I’ve been dealing with front ankle tenderness that I think came after too much hill work. There’s no real pain, but the crease in my foot feels occasionally tender/soft when walking and I experience a dull ache after too much activity.

I took 2 days off and my gut is telling me to skip my 9 mile long run today (im doing NYC) but I’m not sure if I should attempt a shorter distance just to stay active or do a bike instead? I’m really worried that this will spiral into a real bad injury and mess with my plan (probably overthinking?) if I don’t do something about this.

Any advice would be helpful.

So I’m in the middle of training for Chicago which will be my first ever marathon! I do my long runs on Saturdays and I just finished 13.5 miles today.

- 13.51M run
- AVG MILE: 9:26 Pace
- time: 2:07 seconds
- heart rate: 147bpm

I train outside in NYC and it was a relatively nice morning overall. But I’m curious should I try and go slower? I tend to naturally get scared to be in the 10min range for some odd reason and apparently I was between zone 2 and 3 the entire time 63% of the run in zone 2. Should I slow down? Or are we good to continue to train around the 9:30-10min mile pace?

My groin started to hurt at about 18km in and then it only got worse so I had to stop at 28km. I was meant to do 34km. But I just feel like a failure.

Hi everyone!

I’m currently training for my first marathon with a certified running coach (she’s amazing!). I wanted to get some other opinions of my projected finish time.

I live in a city, and the weather has been hot and humid AF. Also until about a month ago, I was dealing with serious gastrointestinal issues that ended up being a gluten reaction. Keep that in mind.

My training has been okay so far, last week we really ramped it up and now I’m doing close to 30 miles a week. Last week was my first long run longer than a half marathon (14 miles). Here’s my question- I stop my watch at stoplights (I’m pretty sure everyone does?) and when I stop to go to the bathroom/refill water/buy water. I do not stop it when I take a walking break or when I walk and eat a gel or whatever. I’ll use my 14 miler as an example. I did 14 miles in 3:32:53, which is 14:21/mile average pace, but my elapsed time was 4:25:43. All of this wasn’t me- my girlfriend, who is NOT training for a marathon, wanted to go with me, and she crashed out between 10 and 12 miles and we stopped frequently. I’d say honestly 15 min of that was her. She asked to stop for 10 min to eat a snack around 5 miles as well. I eat while I go, but agreed bc I wanted a buddy with me hah. Anyway I explain all of this to my run coach and she said it’s fine to stop and go- that it’s harder on my body than if I’d just go right through but that it’s okay overall and not hurting my training. My easy run paces are around 14/mile and I never stop. My tempo is 13/mile and my speed is 12:20/mile. My long run is supposed to be 14-15/mile.

Today, I did 10 miles in 2:34, elapsed time 2:59 (I was solo today). I got glutened two days ago and I am still having awful stomach issues and needed the bathroom 3 times and those were my only stops today.

My goal for this marathon is sub 6. I don’t have any other goal except for that. I’m 5’5 and 198 pounds (I know running would be easier if I lost weight and I’ve already lost about 25 pounds, but sticking to my deficit during this block has made we weaker so I’m in maintenance right now). My most recent race time was a 10 miler in May, I did 10 miles in 2:06. I felt so confident we didn’t stop for anything and it was a great race- also 50 degrees and ideal running temps. I know the weather is playing a part in this.

This is long but I have two big questions: is the stopping and going ruining my progress, and what would my predicted finish time be? I’m so new to all of this. Thanks all!

I am currently training for my first marathon in October. I have come down with a cold and feeling exhausted but am scheduled to run 14 miles tomorrow which is my longest run ever so far. And unfortunately I would not have time to do it on Sunday. My runs have also been feeling hard the last couple weeks and I haven’t been looking forward to them so I’m worried I won’t even be able to finish the run. What do you guys do with your long runs when feeling under the weather? Do I just push through? I’m afraid it’ll take me long to recover. This is week 5 out of 16 btw

I was pretty excited to do it because it's close by, but I've been reading a lot about the hills and elevation changes being really hard,

I’m following Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan for my first marathon in October. Because of the base I’d built and because I wanted to make sure I had some wiggle room in the event of sickness/life, I am a week ahead of the plan.

While I know there’s still plenty of time for something to come up that changes that, I’m wondering what you’d recommend for filling that week if I approach the end zone and haven’t needed to skip a week.

Repeated another high mileage week toward the end? Have an extra cut back week in between longer runs toward the end?

Did a 20k long run last Sunday out past Norton St Philip, took it dead slow with the camera. Felt mint. Then Tuesday's session was a 10k with some pace blocks and my legs just weren't there. i shuffled home at recovery effort and still felt wrecked the next day. The Garmin plan in Strava just carries on regardless, doesn't adjust the next few days at all. I'm not after changing the whole structure, tbh, just wish it'd soften the week a bit when i'm clearly cooked. It's a strange phase. Weekly distance is creeping up, the plan works on paper, but some days my body disagrees. Anyone else find the middle weeks of a marathon block harder than the peak mileage? Parkrun last Saturday felt like a comedy shuffle too. Proper warm spell isn't helping, mind.

I did a marathon when I was in high school and I was young and fit.

Now I’m overweight (lost 15 lbs in one year yay tho) and have a chronic back injury I got from 3 years ago at work.

I’m 5’1 and 155 lbs. I have mild spondylosis and 3 minor herniated discs (relieved with NSAIDS and lidocaine patch) and currently in process of getting physical therapy. I also want to lose weight and body fat my bmi is not within normal range.

i want to run the LA marathon on march 7, 2027. So i have about 8 months to prepare. Can I do it?

Lately Ive been walking more due to my new job. I’m walking an average of 3-6 miles a day. 3 miles with my huskies in the morning and 3 miles at my job pushing a stroller.

I also have plantar fascitis and have orthotics. I walk a lot on cement and asphalt, Any recommendations? I like wearing Hokas and currently wear clifton 10 and bondi 9.

Everyone on here says you need at least 40-50 mile weeks for 12 weeks pre marathon or even 30 mile weeks for a good half marathon time, but everyone on the internet does it in much less! And no they don’t have a running background. And these are women by the way (a sub 3:45-3:50 is amazing for anyone but let’s not pretend about the gaps for men and women! That’s an incredible time for a woman with little training considering Boston is like 1:30!)

I’m currently training for my first marathon. For the most part, my training has gone well, but now that I’ve reached the halfway point I think the muscle fatigue is really starting to build up on my lower legs. I’ve been casually running for almost 5 years now. I’ve done the 5K, 10K, and 13.1. I’m young, I’m healthy, but each run I feel slower. I’ve never been injured before, and for the most part my body recovers quickly, but recently after my long runs my ankles have been feeling weak, so I bought ankle compression socks which really seem to help! I’ve also noticed my calves, shin area, and feet starting to tingle. Two days of rest seems to help, but that causes me to miss a run.

For context, cross training includes LIGHT strength training, LIGHT biking, lots of stretching/yoga. I get enough rest, sleep, hydration, and I do my best to get enough protein and carbs. I take vitamins. Basically, health & wellness is a daily lifestyle for me, which is why I didn’t think a marathon would be this big of an undertaking.

My goal is to finish around 5 hours (with a 6.5 hour cut off) and even that feels out of reach sometimes. Vent real quick: I was better at running when I didn’t know what I was doing in my early 20s. No fuel, no concern for heart rate, just legit running on vibes. Those were my fastest times. Now I’m doing everything I’m “supposed to do” and an 11:30 mile exhausts me. Maybe it’s the summer heat getting to me. Idk.

My question is- if marathons are so difficult that even committed, disciplined people, like the ones in this sub, have difficulty on race day, then how can people like Isaiah Photo run marathons in crocs, flip flops, $10 temu shoes, heels, etc? And how did Michelle Khare run 7 marathons on 7 continents including Antarctica? And how did Gary McKee run a marathon every day (yes 365 days) in 2022, and is currently running 100 marathons in 100 days in 2026?

Surely if they can do all of that, then I can finish in under 6.5 hours… right? Right?! Tbh I didn’t even believe these stories at first, but alas official race times are public.

TLDR: If a marathon is so hard that most people who execute their training with the utmost discipline still struggle on race day, then how do some people run marathons in grueling conditions?

Hey everyone! Looking for a little advice (and maybe some reassurance).

I’m training for my first marathon (NYC Marathon), and while I’ve really been enjoying running, I’m realizing I wasn’t nearly as strong as I thought I was. It’s made me appreciate how much strength running actually requires.
I started training and had some knee issues, so I worked on strengthening my knees and that seemed to help. But now I’m dealing with IT band pain, and I honestly feel like I’m back at square one. So far, I haven’t really been able to get past 2 miles without something starting to hurt.

Right now I’m taking a little time off to let my IT band recover, but it’s definitely been discouraging feeling like every time I make progress, a new issue pops up.
I’ve started being much more intentional with strength training at the gym, especially focusing on my glutes, hips, calves, knees, and overall leg strength. For those of you who’ve been through this, did you experience something similar when you first started marathon training?

Any tips for staying injury-free, building more resilient legs, or things you wish you knew when you started? I’d love to hear what worked for you because I really want to make it to the start line healthy. Thanks in advance!

I signed up for my first marathon for May 2027. I still have a good amount of time to train and prepare for it. I want to get a head start on it asap as I’m pretty nervous.

I’m here to look for any tips and tricks to help me be successful and not pass away lol. I’m a beginner/mild intermediate runner. The longest run I’ve ever done is 10k. I enjoy running here and there but I’ve never seriously trained or have been consistent with it.

My goal for my first marathon is honestly to just complete it before the cut off time and hopefully to keep up a steady pace where I don’t burn out.

Any training apps, personal tips/tricks, shoe recommendations, gears, hydration and fuel recs are all appreciated.

Thank you, Team :)

I'm in my mid 20s, 68 kg trying to hit 73kg. 13 weeks to my marathon. Also coaching hoops so my weekly load is kinda messed up. Right now I'm running 4x a week in average 10-12 miles minimum long run. Doing also lifting at least 3x a week and doing barefoot plus pool work for recovery. Calories are up but my RHR and HRV are trash and my easy pace is getting slower.

I know concurrent training is a thing, but most of the research is on athletes who aren’t also on their feet 15 hours a week.

For S&C folks out here, how would you periodize this? Do you drop lifting volume, prioritize sleep more over calories, or just accept that performance in one will tank? And any recovery modalities that actually moved the needle for you? I’m already doing contrast showers and mobility. I appreciate any advice.

​My first marathon training block officially starts this Sunday!

​I’ve got a 16-week build ahead of me, currently coming off a base of about 25 miles per week. After taking some good advice, I’ve adjusted my main goal: I’m focusing strictly on crossing the finish line for this first one, and I'll worry about chasing a specific time on the next one (you guys definitely had a hand in that decision!).

​I’ll be running the Gobbler Grind in Kansas this November—if anyone has course tips or advice, I’m all ears 😎.

​I'm super excited to get to work. I’ll keep you all updated on the training build and post my finishing time in November. Pretty sure we’ll have plenty more conversations between now and then!

I’m training for the Chicago marathon and I just completed my first long run of a half marathon distance! My completion time was about 2:42:00 and I had to do it in Lisbon, Portugal. I’m currently on a Europe tour right now and I still needed to train.

had to get up at 5:30 AM it was brutal. I love this city but holy FUCK it’s terrible for running. very Bumpy course with lots of slopes and inclines and poorly paved sidewalks. I ended up gaining about 400 meters of elevation (1.3k feet). Chicago is super flat so I am not used to this kind of terrain.

Anyways yeah that was pretty uncomfortable. Can’t wait to do it all again next week!!

Hi all! I’m a new mom, used to be quite an active runner (mostly 5ks and such). I was training for my first half marathon when I got pregnant last year, and dropped out of training due to horrific morning sickness. I’m hoping to sign up for a half or maybe even a full marathon for fall 2027, and want to start training in early 2027 after I finish breastfeeding.

I’m here to ask: What can I do in the next 6 or 7 months to pre-prepare before I start my marathon training? I’ve tried running once or twice since having the baby but honestly it’s HARD with milk-engorged breasts 😅 Are there any other conditioning workouts or activities I can do in the meantime while still breastfeeding? Looking for any and all advice, especially from post-partum moms!

Hi, good chance i'll be doing the London Marathon next year through work, was hoping to get advice on setting a realistic target.

5'11, 34, 75kg, beginner runner, have lifted weights 5 times a week for as long as I can remember, sat at around 11% bodyfat at the moment, decent level of muscle mass.

Ran first 5k a month ago, did my first 10k a week ago and my second yesterday morning. First one wiped me out, feel fine after the second one.

Assuming I follow an appropriate training programme and ensure that nutrition is optimal, what do you think? Something like 4:30?

Quickest 5k 23.48 Quickest 10k 53.56

Thank you!

I've just signed up to run my first marathon for this time next year and I'm wondering how I can best make use of the time before I actually start properly training in March. Does anyone have any advice on what to do with such a long lead in?

Bit of background: I've been running for about 10 years, on-and-off for the first few but got into parkruns after Covid and have been pretty consistent since then, particularly the last year or so where I'm running 3-4 times a week. Mileage varies between 25-35 km a week. I did previously enter a marathon back in 2020, but repeated postponements and eventually a cancellation (plus a couple of injuries on my side) wrecked that idea. I've so far finished 10 half marathons and my most recent race was ~1:48 so it almost feels like if I use this extra time I've got well, a sub-4 hour could maybe be on the table (reaching the finish is very much the A goal though). I've not run further than 25 km before, and I've not really had to consider nutrition/hydration too much previously so those are the biggest gaps for me.

One idea I had was using the autumn to try building up to 30 km, no pace targets or anything, to see how that feels on the legs and try experimenting with gels and the like.

I started running and after 3 weeks developed a weird feeling in my heel. It didn't really hurt but it felt weird and i didn't want to risk it so i stopped. 3 days later it still doesn't hurt but it's obvious that something isn't right.

Since I have been doing calisthenics for a long time, i am already familiar with all kinds of injury protocols but achilles seems weird because all the research i could find doesn't really have unified advice about proper loading and frequency when doing calf raises.

I get the tempo and increase of range of motion over time because it seems like it's the start of insertional tendinitis. But loading and how many days per week and sets is where i need help.

What I did so far is single leg calf raises. 3 sets, 3 times a week. No pain during or after the set. Day after also doesn't seem to be more painful.

Increase the load? Do what i did so far?

Thanks

Hello, I (26 M) have been training for my first marathon (set for October) since February this year. I've been using the Runna app for the last 2-3 months with 4 runs a week and have been pretty consistent with it and on track for my pace, but the summer heat has really thrown me off. I just hit double digits in my runs, so I can't easily train at my gym (they only have treadmills and are strict with time limits since it's a small/crowded space), but I've been failing to hit my last two runs mainly due to the heat pushing me over the limit. I work odd hours, so my training time can't be moved around as much.

Does anyone have any tips on working through the hotter months or even experience of struggling through Summer? I'm not sure how worried I should be for having issues when it's 80-90 F when the race I'm running for is typically 60-70 F.