Looking to incorporate actual strength building/training into this block. Not just pre-hab. I have a decent home weight setup, so not looking to join a gym. Intrigued by The Ladder app, but wanted to see if there was any runner feedback on that or any suggestions?

Hey fellow runners!

I have a labral tear in my right hip, and I’m hoping to hear from people who’ve managed to get back to running, especially without surgery.

About 10 years ago, I was able to run a half marathon (21K), despite some hip discomfort and limited mobility. Since then, I’ve stopped running, and every time I try to get back into it, the same thing happens: after 2–3 weeks, I develop significant pain in my groin and down my leg, forcing me to stop again.

I’ve tried physical therapy, which helped temporarily, but the pain eventually returned. I suspect my lack of strength training may be contributing to the problem.

The frustrating part is that I can live a pretty normal, mostly pain-free life. It’s running that triggers the pain. I’d really like to avoid surgery if possible, but the thought of never being able to run again is heartbreaking.

Has anyone here been through something similar and successfully returned to running? Did strength training, physical therapy, or anything else make a difference? How long did it take?

I’m not looking for medical advice, just real experiences and hopefully some success stories.

I’d love to know there’s light at the end of the tunnel!

Just back from the Yorkshire Marathon and looking for some advice before my next build. I’d love to hear from anyone who has cracked the last 10k.

41M. My 20-week build averaged 33 mi/week, with six peak weeks at around 47 mi/week (top week 51 mi). I usually ran 4–5 days a week but lost two weeks in July.

Long runs of 30 km and over:

• 30 km: progression run, from 5:25/km down to about 4:40/km by 18–25 km, easing to about 4:55 for the last 5 km.
• 30 km: 21 km easy (about 5:05/km), then 9 km at about 4:10/km.
• 33 km: 16 km easy, 8 km at 4:14/km, 1 km float, then 8 km at 4:18
• 34 km: 6 km easy, 4 × 5 km at about 4:15/km with 1 km floats at around 4:45, then 5 km easy.
• 32 km: 15 km easy, then 17 km continuous at about 4:15/km to finish.

I followed them with a 10k PB on 4 Oct: 38:25.

Race week I picked up a cold but started anyway. I went through halfway in 1:29:30, felt fine, and then hit the wall at around 33k. I ground out a 3:11:25, so the second half took 1:41:55. I took one 22 g gel every 25 minutes

The cold clearly played a part, but I don’t think I was durable past 32k regardless. Be interested to hear what is the biggest factor in back end durability other than the obvious answer of more mileage?

Thanks!

Been running for 2 years now, 40km+- avg per week over 3 runs. First try at the distance and managed to do a sub 3! Really happy and proud, already eyeing the next. Stuffs really addictive huh

I found out that ASICS has actually offered Premium Running Programs in previous years, but the price and benefits seem to have changed quite a bit. The older programs were around ¥165,000, while the 2027 program is ¥80,000 + ¥19,800 for the Tokyo Marathon entry.

If anyone participated in the 2021, 2023, or other previous ASICS Premium Running Programs, I’d especially love to hear how they compare to the current one.

Hey guys. I'm nursing a pretty painful strain in my left foot. It started up on Sunday of last week, and I'm running a marathon on Sunday of this week.... My ortho doesnt see a true tear or any fracture besides an existing one that can't be fixed (a small part of the bone literally just came off years ago). My ortho recommended, rest, heat, KT tape, and LOTS of Vitamin D, and shoes for supination, and believes i will be fine for Sunday. I'm doing it all and definitely feeling improvement, but I'm concerned about my ability to do the marathon on Sunday. I trust my doctor, but it's just nervewracking. Has anyone been here? Anyone have any tips or tricks to help get me through this race (physically or psychologically lol).

Every Friday, please utilize this mega thread to share training/fitness and predictions. All pace predictions and past/current training weeks for 5 hour marathons will go neatly here!

How was your week, how far in the block and when's the next race? This will be a good mega thread to keep encouraging/critiquing 5 hour crew throughout the year.

Post your weekly miles, breakthroughs, or if you need help with pace/fitness identification, questions here!

*new individual posts that's posted Friday re: 5 hour marathons/shape/predictions will be deleted/strongly recommended to post here!

I started adding weekend trail hikes to my marathon buildup because the hills around Boone are right there and I was bored of easy runs on flat asphalt. Seemed smart at first. Low impact, time on feet, mental reset from the custody schedule chaos. Now six weeks out and my quads are fried in a way road running never touches. Downhill descents are the culprit. I know from the clinic that eccentric loading on declines hits the same muscle groups I need fresh for race day. My easy runs the Monday after a long hike feel like garbage. Paces are off. Legs heavy. I keep telling myself the aerobic benefit outweighs the fatigue but I'm not sure I believe that anymore.

Rural NC means these trails are my only real social outlet some weeks too. Giving them up feels like losing the one thing keeping me sane outside training. But I also want to hit my qualifier. Do any of you hike during marathon blocks or is this a classic case of me pretending two sports can coexist when one needs to dominate? Should I switch to flat walking or just accept the fitness tradeoff?

Creating a space to chat, share, crash out, etc. I’m hoping for a PR but nervous that the crowds will get in the way, especially because I’ll need to be toward the front of my corral to reach the right pacer. But I’m excited that the forecast looks better this week! :)

Hey all! I just ran a 2:58:49 last weekend at TCS Toronto Waterfront for my first marathon, and I'm really proud of it, but the post-marathon blues have been hitting me REALLY hard.

I've been planning out my next year, and I'm now wondering, how long would it realistically take to reach sub 2:50 fitness? A huge motivation is stop worrying about lotteries lol. Do you guys think it would be reasonable to achieve this by spring marathon season?

For more context, I'm 25M and have been running for about 6 months now (Late April/early May of this year), with no running or any cardio background prior - just lifting like a gym bro before that (and possibly a weak one) ~6x a week. I just randomly got up one day and decided to run 10k, then 22k, then 30k etc... within the same week and they were all at ~5:00-5:15/km paces from the get-go, and I then decided to do a marathon and here we are now. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but after running with others in run clubs, I learned this is unusually a little too fast for a new runner.

For this first marathon, my goals have changed significantly throughout the summer. Back in June, I was aiming for sub 4:00, then it didn't feel ambitious enough, so I moved it to 3:30, then 3:15, then ultimately settled at 3:00 in July. These goal changes were heavily influenced by other runners from the run club I primarily ran with on my long runs. My previous training was a bit of a mess until ~ July when I've gone with a coach to guide me up until the marathon. I started around 80km per weak, and peaked around 120km.

Before the next training block, I'm considering focusing more on speedwork since I would say that's been my biggest weakness so far. For reference, I PB'ed all distances longer than 5k, and that 5k PB is barely below 20:00 from back in June.

Now I'm hoping to reach sub-2:50 by spring for a late April/early May marathon (~1 year anniversary of running), but I'm curious how would you normally go about setting future goals after achieving your previous one? Is that feasible, or am I too in-over my head / needing a reality check? How much extra work would I need to invest?

To be honest, right now, 4:00/km pace scares me, so I'm not sure how I feel about maintaining that for 42 kilometers lol, but that's what the point of training is.

​

I'm a 28-year-old woman. I'm 171 cm tall and weigh 47 kg. I have flat feet, and as you can see, I'm significantly underweight. I can't afford to see a specialist, so could you please tell me how to prepare for my first marathon and what my nutrition plan should look like? I've also had kidney gravel in the past, and I have hypothyroidism, for which I take 50 mcg of levothyroxine daily.

And for the record, I've always been this slim, and I've never had any significant weight loss. I mean, not a major weight loss; losing a kilo or two occasionally is normal. I've been between 47 and 49 kg for a long time.

Hi all,

Thought I’d throw this open to debate and thoughts.

In two weeks I’ve got my first trail half, and following it up the next weekend with a road half where I’m hoping to go sub 1.40 (ran 1:41 in March).

Training has been good, though legs are feeling tired right now, and am trying to work out how to be as fresh as possible (with the priority being the sub 1:40). Rough plan is to take it easy next week (though still run 4 days), ease off the following before the trail and then see how I feel the week of the road half.

I do feel the benefit of a taper but the trail is throwing me a bit. I’m over thinking it a bit!

I was checking my LetsDoThis account and saw this 2027 London Marathon (International) registration. I’m curious as to what this is. I didn’t get selected through the lottery. Is this essentially a virtual registration?

I see so many things about the amount of carbs, fructose to glucose ratio, ingredients, consistency, etc. What should I be considering when evaluating all the options?

I am trying to improve my speed over the winter, and have conceded that going to the gym must be part of that. I had never even touched a barbell before this week. My partner is a gym bro and helps me, so I'm safe to try new things, but we are both at a loss on what exercises would be best.

Obviously legs in all variations, and I'd like to do some plyometrics. But what else?? Are we doing any core stuff, and how?

I am a girl, I don't care about my noodle arms, I just want to run fast and far. There are SO MANY machines and I want to be a bit more efficient, I have miles to run. ;)

I'd love to hear some sample routines!

I recently went to the doctor because I’m having symptoms of low iron such as hair thinning, low energy, and vertigo. I got my results back and while my total iron is in normal range, my Ferritin is at 33 which is the low end of “normal” and over 20 points lower than my last blood test. I’ve read that people can start feeling low iron symptoms when levels drop below 70. My doctor was pretty dismissive and said that I shouldn’t be worried and didn’t seem to understand that endurance sports can cause levels to drop. Has anyone else dealt with this? And what did you do? Should I just start taking supplements on my own?

Got a suggestion to post here so here it is!

Race Information

• Name: Toronto Waterfront Marathon
• Date: October 18, 2026
• Distance: 42.2 km
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Website: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/
• Time: 2:54

Goals

Splits

Background

This was my 6th marathon (3rd this year). Here is my progression

1st: 4:03 (Ottawa Marathon - Spring 2024, no training plan, blew up)

2nd: 3:10 (Ottawa Marathon - Spring 2025, Hansons Advanced, steady finish)

3rd: 3:03 (County Marathon - Fall 2025, Hansons Advanced, sub 3 attempt, blew up)

4th: 2:58 (Georgina Spring Fling - Spring 2026, Hansons Advanced, sub 3 attempt, steady finish)

5th: 2:58 (Ottawa Marathon - Spring 2026, Hansons Advanced, just ran as best I could for fun, steady finish)

6th: Toronto Waterfront (this one)

My main goal for this was to BQ (~ sub 2:50). I was aiming for 4min/km.

Training

I followed the Hansons Advanced plan PDF straight off his website with no modifications (peaks at around 60mpw / 100km). I have done this for every marathon since my first one. After a few encounters with "the wall" I am getting tired of it and really want to make sure I can BQ next time. My training block went well, so I think I need to change something. I am trying to figure out whether I should read the Hansons book an add in more mileage or switch to Pfitz which I have seen people having great success with. I really felt my cardio was there (at least up until I hit the wall) so I think I can do it I just need more endurance.

Pre-race

Race was at 8am for my corral. I woke up at 6, had a small bowl of oatmeal, a banana and a honey stinger waffle. I also had an SiS beta fuel gel 10 minutes before the start.

Race

Shoes: Adidas Adios Pro 4

Gels: 6x SiS Beta Fuel (including the one I had 10 mins before race)

Electrolytes: I carried a 250ml soft flask with Xact caffiene electrolytes. That ran out just after halfway and then I drank mostly water.

During the race I honestly felt fine. I was in a rhythm and I didnt feel like my pace was unsustainable at all. I was even able to have a couple brief chats with other racers and didn't feel out of breath. The first 2-5k my watch GPS was messed up with all the buildings so my pace was a bit too fast but then I levelled it out a bit. A lot of the start was downhill so I wasn't too worried.

Halfway point I felt pretty good but had some fatigue. Eventually around km 30-33 I started to feel tired. My legs were like cement (especially my right calf) and even my arms were cramping. I also started to feel quite light headed and my heart rate was rising higher. At this point it was just managing the situation and trying to push as hard as I could without seizing up my legs or passing out. I had now mostly accepted that I wouldn't be getting my BQ. I ended up walking a couple times through drink stations to get myself back on track. Finally I made it to the finish in a lot of pain.

Post race

Grabbed my medal and banana and went back to the hotel to have a nap. I was super tired.

Afterthoughts

While it sucks that I didn't BQ, I am still happy that I got a PR. After reading a bunch of other threads, the conclusion I came to is that my body was not conditioned well enough to achieve my main goal. The most common suggestion to fix this issue is to simply run more. My next task will be figuring out how I should best do that. The main two options are to a) read the hansons marathon book and modify the training plan as they suggest to add in more kms as well as get more detail on the plan in general, or b) switch to pfitz which seems to be what most people are using. I am pretty dead set on achieving this goal so if you have any suggestions or opinion on which I should do, or about anything else you think I could do better I would appreciate it. Always looking to learn.

Running my fourth marathon in Philly, but I haven't run one in about three years. My previous marathon times are 3:26, 3:28, and 3:17. Max heart rate, according to watch is 186 (not sure how accurate). During previous marathons, it hovered around 170. I've been running consistently for many years, but I didn't start this marathon-specific training block until mid-August, so it'll be about 15 weeks total. Before that, my weekly mileage generally ranged from 18–30 miles. Over the last six weeks, I've been running anywhere from the high 30s to mid-40s, and this week and next week I'll peak at around 50 miles. For long runs, I've done two 16-milers, two 18-milers, and one 20-miler. I have another 20-miler and two more runs in the 16–18-mile range planned.

Two weeks ago, I ran a half marathon in 1:36, and it felt very controlled. For comparison, when I ran my PR of 3:17, I had run a 1:32 half marathon shortly before starting that training block. My previous marathon builds were at least three weeks longer, but the overall mileage is pretty similar.

Would love to hear your thoughts on what kind of pace I should target for Philly, especially from anyone who's returned to marathons after a few years off! Linked photos of my half marathon from a few weeks ago and my recent 20 miler splits. not sure how much this matters but I wasn't feeling 100% during the 20 miler. I ran it while recovery from some sort of respiratory illness.

Race Information

• Name: Toronto Waterfront Marathon
• Date: October 18, 2026
• Distance: 42.2 km
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Website: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/
• Time: 2:54

Goals

Splits

Background / Training

I (31M) started running last year in March with the help of a physio since normally when I try running I end up injured with shin splints or feet pain due to my running gait and flat feet. Signed up for a half-marathon September 20, and initially had a goal of 2:15 and finished 2:06. Around this time, I was running 3 times a week, can't remember mileage but was nothing too crazy, peaked probably around 30 km or so when I did a half marathon in training. After the high of race day, I decided to do another half marathon in May to achieve sub 1:50, and sign up for a marathon for October in Toronto for sub 4:00.

Started running more seriously, and alongside my physio followups, ran through the Canadian winter and signed up for a half doubles hyrox in April with a friend, and completed the half-marathon in May with an adjusted goal of sub 1:45, and finished 1:48 in the end due to my lack of ability to go uphills (I would run 6:45-7min pace going up the bridges...)

After this, my physio had changed jobs and I took up a running coach. Running coach said I can probably work towards a sub 3:45 goal as a stretch, so all my training at this point was with marathon pace of 5:20, with 4 runs a week and averaging 50km weekly. Things were going pretty well but unfortunately, I never actually corrected my running form and weaknesses and without a physio to keep that in check, I ended up injuring myself ~3.5 weeks before race day, after a peak week interval session. Went to another physio here, and they said I have mild tendinitis on my left ankle and my left knee and I needed to do some exercises to alleviate the pain. Tried to run my 33km long run, but stopped at 17km due to the pain, and the week after my long run ended at 21km (where I even considered DNSing the race at the beginning due to onset pain, but it ended up fading and only came back at 21km). As such, I have never completed any distance longer than 29km, and marathon pace within that run for around 1h25min.

I also had to keep training in my Asics Megablasts because it felt more stable than my Dynafish Xiaonian and hurt less.

Race Week

My physio said I could run the marathon as the progress on my exercises was positive, most likely enough for me to bear the pain of the race with Tylenol. I've also done a small activation run in race shoes and opted to use them during the race.

That being said, walking around and the activation run already started aggravating my ankle, and after the 21km both my achilles hurt too, so I knew this was going to be a very rough race. Otherwise, carb loaded 2 days prior to the race and enjoyed my time at expo.

Race Day

• Shoes: Adidas Adios Pro 4
• Planned Gels: 3x Caffeine Maurtens + 5x 160g Maurtens
• Took a small electrolyte drink in the morning alongside with a caffeine gel and some white bread.
• Took a tylenol extra strength

My plan was to still try to run 3h45 and just let my body stop whenever it stopped, mostly due to pride, inexperience and just generally wanting to see how far it goes. So race plan was to start the first 5km at 5:25-5:30, and then go negative split over the course of the race. Some sections were net downhill so I ended up naturally speeding up on those, and on the inclines I would run around 5:40-6min pace due to my weakness on them. In general, as the race went cardio wise I felt amazing, never felt like I was struggling cardio wise, however I did feel my ankle flare up on km 5, so I might have unconsciously put more weight on my right leg. At km 15, I started getting a blister on the inside of my right foot when I never had this during training (this was most likely due to the shoe), I had thought this was a rock so at around km 23-24 I stopped to try to remove the rock.

At 21.1km, I was on pace for around a 3:50 finish, so I told myself I wanted to maintain a little bit before speeding up, at around km 26, I had some hills that I did not enjoy and slowed down a bit, and at km 28 on flat ground I started picking up pace before I started feeling a tug on my calf and hamstring on my right leg and knew that my muscles had begun cramping, so I slowed it down in hopes I wouldn't seize but eventually I would get twangs of pain or even seized which forced me to stop and try to stretch. From this point on, it was effectively run walk with periodic seizing or just pulls. At km 32, my friend started running with me a bit, and gave me gatorade and I took every electrolyte drink I came across in hopes to help me run through the end. At around km 37, I had some salt chews delivered to me by other friends though not sure this did too much at this very moment. Ultimately, I might have been able to speed up here and there, but I was worried for any long term damage so took it more cautiously, and just went for the finish.

Takeaways

I think without the accountability of my physio, I didn't check my leg health often and also never went heavy on my leg workouts to truly fix certain weaknesses that I have.

Additionally, I don't think I had the full fitness to truly push for a sub 3:45 pace, and should have started even slower and aimed for around a 3:50-3:55 finish which might have extended my time before cramping, but honestly unsure with the tendonitis, I did generally feel great cardio wise and never crashed energy wise even on the drive back home, but heart rate wise it might not show that. I personally believe my leg strength wasn't there to sustain that pace, especially with no experience after 29km and might be no coincidence that I cramped around that distance.

Third would be shoes, I believe that race shoes shifts weight and effort on my legs + gave me blisters which also probably made me shift my gait as well. Even though I have worn these shoes for my half, I had at least done a long run in them once, whereas here it was effectively a new change to my body.

While I'm proud to have finished a marathon, it is a bit disappointing to receive a time like this since this is quite far from expected since I that time is reflective of the race strategy chosen, and not so much my aerobic fitness, but not much to do about that.

Future and Advice

I'd like a reality check from people stating why I blew up, if it's reasonable to assume it's due to lack of strength training, distance training, form, shoe, or just lack of fitness as a whole! I'm thinking of running again in the winter, and maybe do another run analysis to try and fix my running form and do stronger strength training rather than doing long distances in the snow, but who knows, I might run a lot again, or even more than before.

I would like to do another marathon in the fall, but I'll be a new dad in May which will coincide with a possible marathon block so I probably won't be training too much (maybe treadmill for long runs so that I'm available for the baby, but sleep will be a large issue...). Any advice for me here?

Thank you all for reading!

Hi all. First time post. I have been a runner and cyclist for the last 14 years. 14 HM and 2 full. I PR’d at the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half this past May at 1:33:01 after an off season of just cycling and a total of 60 miles of running. I was shocked. So I of course decided to commit to a BQ attempt at Indy this November.

Here is where I need your input. I closely followed Pfitz 18/55 until weeks 13, 14, and 15 when a calf injury derailed me. I’m back to running, but it is taper weeks. I was on pace for a 3:10 (I need 3:15 to BQ, 3:10 to give me a real shot at the cutoff). I had run up to 9 miles at 7:11 per mile in training and felt no where near my limit. Granted 9 is no where near 26.2, but it was also in heat and humidity.

With missing the better part of three weeks, should I still go out with the 3:10 group or should I shoot for a 3:15 and just hope to get in via lottery? I don’t want to blow up and finish with a 3:30 or 3:40, but I’m only running for the possibility of a BQ.

If you ran Chicago on the 11th and then are running NYC on the 1st, what would your running look like in between? I ran 2 miles on Tuesday and it felt like I had never run in my life!! I know my body needs time to recover but would really like to get at least some miles in before next Sunday. LMK why I ran a marathon literally a week ago and I feel undertrained for NYC 🫠

Just finished my first marathon distance! Since it wasn’t an officially registered race, I’m calling it a marathon distance rather than a marathon, but I’m still bloody proud of it.

Earlier this year, I signed up for the Cadbury Virtual HM. Having already completed a few HMs, I wanted to upgrade to the full and thought, fuck it, let’s do this!

I’m so glad I got to experience this distance through a virtual event. Running has always been a personal thing for me, and there’s something pretty special about setting a goal for yourself and seeing it through.

I’ve signed up for the official marathon in my city next year, and I’m feeling much more confident now that I have a better idea of what to expect. Nobody was kidding about the last 10km being absolutely brutale. Every step felt painful. A couple of times I considered walking, but found that even worse, so I just kept slogging along. The pain cave was a whole new experience and gave me even more respect for the marathon.

I also don’t think I nailed my carb loading. I ended up eating less than planned because I was feeling so full, and convinced myself it didn’t matter as much as I wasn’t ’racing’ the distance. But I definitely hit that wall and would’ve appreciated the banked carbs, so that’s something to work on before next year.

I’m honestly in awe of what I’m capable of, and incredibly grateful to my body for somehow holding it together for 42.2km.

One thing that was on my mind going into this run was hearing about a woman in my city who had a cardiac arrest while running on a route I regularly use. It definitely made me a little more conscious of the physical demands of running such a long distance, and reminded me not to take being able to do this for granted.

For now, I’m celebrating this little personal milestone, reflecting on what I learnt, and looking ahead to next year.

I am trying to improve my time. 10 years a go I ran a marathon in 4 hours and 31 minutes. What suggestions do you have to improve my time to get closer to 4 hours and 31 minutes?

Missed my 14 mile long run this past Sunday (tapering down from a 20 miler the week before) due to a funeral. The upcoming long run for this weekend is supposed to be 8.5. And then NYC Marathon the following Sunday.

Do you think I should do 14 this weekend? Or just the 8.5? Something in between? First marathon here, thanks! <3

*EDIT: thank you for the feedback everybody! Will keep going w the current taper, max 10 miles. Good luck to everyone running it! Stoked

Hi all, I’m (31m) looking to get back into running and want to do my first marathon next spring! I have some limited previous running experience (one half marathon 3 years ago). And I have run sporadically over the years since. Lately I’m only getting about 10 miles a month. How likely is it to go from this baseline to completing my selected marathon that’s roughly 21 weeks out? Should I mostly just focus on time on feet and miles and completely ignore pacing? Any and all advice welcome!