Average about 20 miles weekly for about 10 weeks at most. Finished half marathon in May in 2.5 hours. Longest run was 16 miles 1 weekend ago (3 weeks from marathon and that was 3.5 hours - took a little bathroom/ coffee break)

Hoping to just finish... maybe 5-5.5 hours. So should I do 18 miles in the next 1-3 days or just do some light miles and call it.

Still excited and figure not much to optimize last 2 weeks but still wanted some advice from others that done poor training.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but I keep seeing these influencers making crazy improvements with their running times. When you look back at their post and you see some of their first runs, the times are pretty average but then a year or 2 later their times are so much faster. I'm talking going from a 2:20 half marathon to a 1:30. Is this just due to really good coaching, natural abilities, no full time job lol? I'm just wondering how this is possible

Title. Trying to plan my races for next year and was curious if people mix halves and fulls or just stick to fulls!

First off, I might sound too perfectionist but hear me out 😅 My problem is that when running, I run with only my phone and recently (on the marathon) I learned that my phone counts more distance than actual kms. It ended up 43.16 (my friends wearing watches got 42.7).

The thing is I was training counting on my phone results and when running marathon I was barely checking my phone, my legs sorta of knew the pace. The result was good for me (4h 4m official time) but it got me thinking: to which metric I need to stick so I run official distances under the goal?

How do you manage this?

The first idea to fix it prob is to buy watches but I don't want now, got used to run with my phone.

I've been training since the beginning of the year. I did two Pete's base aerobic plans going from 15 to 30 mpw and then from 30 to 45 mpw. After that I did the full 18/55 program missing only 3 runs early on. I've ran almost 1500 miles this year. Everything was great until the last week when I got a runny nose and a bit of a dry throat.

I thought it was mostly irritation from a cheap Chinese KN95 mask (which contributed to this). However, my symptoms were mild - no fever, no body aches, RHR normal. I did a 3.5 mile recover run the day before and I felt ready.

On the day of the marathon, I again felt pretty good. It was a cold 32F weather. I started running and I noticed my breathing felt a lot more labored than it should at that effort. I kept going. I tried reducing the speed. I took a break at 1.5 mile. I tried running again at a slower speed but I could tell that this was not sustainable and that something was off. At mile 2, I decided to quit and walk back. I noticed I had wheezing in my chest. It turned out I had a mild acute asthma attack because I had a mild cold and combined with the cold air trigger the asthma attack.

I felt fine the rest of the day and today. I plan on running another marathon in 3-weeks.

I just thought I share my story because there are a lot of stories about people running with an active cold. Not always a good idea. There is always another marathon.

EDIT: Thank you for all the support. I didn't expect this much support. This is one of the reasons I love dedicated running communities because people uinderstand what you are going through.

I had time to reflect on all of these:
I know quitting, especially, your first marathon can feel like the world is coming to an end but I accomplished a lot of great things this year that even if I don't end up running a full marathon matter a lot:

• My first 5k was last December, 2025 and it was 24:50
• My second 5k in March, 2026 increasing mileage to 30 mpw was 22:19.
• At the beginning of the year my longest run was 6 miles. Now, I've ran multiple 21-mile runs in the hot and humid Boston summer.
• I accomplished so many first like first time I hit 40mpw, first time I hit 50 mpw, first time I did 59mpw, etc. I cried so many times afterwards because I felt so proud. I never though any of this is possible. It felt like a dream.
• In addition, to running, I kept serious weight training, and usually did 3-4 double days per week and even increased my RDLs to 320-340lbs for multiple reps and I am 150lbs.
• I connected with many runners and fitness enthusiast and I started feeling like I am part of a community.
• My base aerobic pace improved to 9:00-9:30 min/mile. At the beginning of the year it was ~12 min/mile.
• I can keep going but this is enough. DNF does not mean the end of the world.

Hello,

I had a Bruce stress test and my max HR came out to 205 (M/47). No issues were noted during the test

My question is this: I’ve always ran my easy runs around 130 bpm. Have I been under training my aerobic base, and should I try to get it a little higher for my easy runs?

I used to be plagued by reoccurring shin splints, after working on my strength with my physio which is currently on a very decent level I have been trying to tackle my form. I had a very aggressive heel strike and over striding massively, my cadence was also very low. I have managed to up my cadence a little (about 4-5 steps at easy pace) and moved to a forefoot strike but I am still over striding. Now starting to get post tib tendon issues, instead of shin splints so I need to fix this asap as I have started to train for my first half (currently paused due to pain :( )

I know as I can tell my foot lands too far, I also make quite a lot of noise when I run plus of course the pain I am having during running/after and generally feeling heavy and dragging myself none of this nice, bouncy feeling. So I have swapped heel over stride to forefoot over stride and basically back in square one.

I have watched so many videos on YT/ reels/ read posts/ cues/ tried drills (maybe not enough?) And I still just cannot stop over striding :( I know what my form should be like, I understand how my legs should be moving but I absolutely can't achieve it.

Has anybody else struggled with this so much?? Is there anything else I can try? I'm starting to really get into my own head about this when running.

I’m training for my first marathon—Dallas, in 8 weeks. I worked up to an 11-mile long run last month, but foolishly decided to do a 5K race the next day, and my posterior tibial tendon flared up. I’m only just now feeling close to normal and ran 5 miles yesterday with only slight irritation towards the end.

I plan to work up to my long run two weeks before the marathon, which would be about 16 miles.

Am I cutting this too close? Or should I just go for it and be careful?

I ran it 11 years ago. I remembered how hard and hilly it was. Completed training block with no issues and had playlist ready to go. Love to listen to music when I run.

We took the light rail to the event and I had my headphones (just the beats ear buds not the case) in my bag. I was showing my bf my playlist when my headphones would not pair. I tried everything but without the case they wouldn’t connect. I ran the whole entire marathon with no music at all. It was windy. I heard myself breathe for 26.2 miles. I finished and was fine with my time but would not recommend.

did a marathon on no training 19m - used to run a decent bit as a young lad a good 6 or so years back (like 11 min 2 mile and 19:43 5k), but decided to jump right into a marathon recently like an idiot because a buddy was doing it. ran 10:50 for 20 miles with my heart rate sticking in a nice zone 4 threshold at 170 bpm before dying and my pace shooting on down to a nice I can barely walk 18 min miles. my quads were on fire and i have no idea how i finished, i was looking down trying to put one foot in front of the other. i had to climb on my hands and knees up my stairs to get to my room afterwards at home so i could sleep. I can just now maybe shuffle out walk 2 days later, never not training again. anyway, i do not want to not train and feel like that again unless I become some awesomely crazy ultra runner or something. best marathon training plans for me to get back into it? I am totally cool with focusing on exact numbers and sticking to hr zones or whatever is necessary. After running I got into the gym and am pretty meticulous about tracking things like calories and reps / rpe and sticking to a plan. I want to transition from powerlifting back over to cardio (but still keep my bench nice and juicy) because my overall health needs it and i realized that i really could care less about squatting 2-3x my bw twice a week anymore. thanks for the advice everyone - also sorry about the grammar

NYC would be my first marathon. I (32M) am honestly very excited about running it but the MRI results are making me hesitant.

For the past 4 weeks, I’ve had to cut off running. After the 18 miler on my program a few weeks back, my IT band started to flare up. Not on the long run itself but even the easy runs after that. This has happened before, I used to get the flare-ups after just 4 miles, I had never dreamt of even getting to run for that long (I have to thank PT, reddit and youtube to help me modify my running form)

I should’ve rested for a full week here but kept going. Did my cutback week before the final build stage. On my second-to-last long run (19 miles), I started to feel discomfort on my IT pain and I thought it was I was not pushing behind well (one of the original reasons I’d get ITBS early on my runs), so I started over-focusing in that motion and I think that’s where I started overextending on my left side. Some hip pain started to show up but I ignored it until I felt it too strong (along with the IT band pain) so I aborted the run at 13 miles.

I’ve been going to PT trying to treat the IT band issues as a possible strength imbalance, although I suspect this time I got it because of overuse. I’ve been doing strength training throughout my entire block at least once or twice a week and running anywhere from 28 to 40 miles per week. I tried to do a run last week (was supposed to be the peak week) but aborted after 4 miles because I started with the same sensation again on my quad, hip, and IT band (appeared in that order) and did not want to aggravate it.

My PT (Spear) is not aware yet of the new MRI results (got them today) but I have an appointment on Tuesday and I have an appointment with a Sports Medicine Doctor on Thursday. I’ll raise it up then and try to get a medical/professional advice there.

I guess what I’m asking is if it’s even worth running the marathon? I was aiming for a decent time (4:15) so having to run/walk it seems like a bummer. On the other hand I also saw that labral tears don’t actually heal unless you get surgery, so I’d probably still be having this same issue next year (I can defer once but the can of worms has been opened). At the same time, I’ve trained a lot and am excited to complete this marathon - the 50th year anniversary of 5 boroughs. Seems silly but I guess I had made this idea in my head for a while.

Bonus question: any pointers or questions I should maybe ask my doctors/PT?

Edit: starting to lean to defer. Something else that was on the report but my PCP failed to highlight as the more serious concern is that the MRI also showed a stress reaction. I called a friend’s husband (who’s a sports medicine doctor for professional athletes) and he mentioned to me that the labrum tear on its own would’ve been a non-issue. However he’s more afraid that the stress reaction becomes a stress fracture during the marathon. He did not look at the MRI photos (I didn’t send them) but he said he’d need to see them and evaluate me himself to give me the full medical advice. He was compelled to tell me to defer but to follow whatever recommendation I get from the sports medicine doctor this Thursday since he’ll be the one with all the info.

I’ve been training for the NYC Marathon as a charity running for several months. I run to raise money for the pediatric palliative care team that I am apart of at a children’s hospital in NYC. A little more than a month ago after my 10 mile run, I had knee pain that was quite intense. It went away after some rest and was gearing up for a 13 mile run the next weekend but due to the pain decided I’d aim for 6. Well at mile 2 my knee was full of pain and called it quits. Went to an ortho, xray showed nothing, but the MRI came back with a tibial stress fracture right by the top of my tibia where it meets my femur. I told the ortho there was no chance of me not running and we took a “harm reduction” approach. So instead of telling me to sit it out and knowing damn well I wouldn’t listen, he told me to take two weeks off and then slowly start running again -slower pace, no hills, and LOW milage. I got a stationary bike for cardio, and kept strength training. Yesterday I went on a 3 mile run and at mile 2.5 my knee just felt funky. So funky, I couldn’t sleep throughout the night fearing what I knew the ultimate outcome world be. At today’s ortho visit it was finalized that I will not be running the NYC marathon. I am completely heartbroken. I know this is the best decision for my body but I’m just struggling processing it all.

What an experience. I’m a 29 male, and have been running occasionally over the last few years. Ran my first ever half marathon last year, and signed up for the full like a week later for the following year haha.

My training went well, except for a knee injury during peak week where I couldn’t run for 2 weeks, which really messed up my confidence and had me scared I wouldn’t be able to do it. Didn’t do any speed work, and was running 3 days a week during training as I’ve been insanely busy with all things related to everyday life.

Anyway, knee held up and finished 4:08. Was hoping for under 4, but so proud of completing it. What a feeling it was for the last 6 miles to push through every ounce of my body telling me to stop. Ended up crying at the end, not sure from pain in my knee or just how accomplished I felt crossing the finish.

Can’t wait for the next one!

Columbus marathon!

As I’m writing this, I still can’t believe I’m one week removed from completing my first marathon. I ran Long Beach and put a lot of trust into the training. With 4 bathroom stops (something I need to solve), stopping at almost every aid station to refill my water bottle and fighting against some incredibly challenging headwinds, I managed to finish in 3:56:30. To say I’m happy with this result is an understatement. That being said, however, it lit a fire under me and now I want to improve my time.

I’m targeting the Surf City half marathon in February and OC marathon in May. But my question is, what do I do between now and when my next training block begins? I want to maintain my fitness but don’t want to burn out on running.

Looking forward to your advice!!

Ran the Columbus Marathon yesterday - 33 minute PR from Pittsburgh in May!! What a great course and an even better cause, can’t recommend this race enough!!! Feels so good to see the work pay off!!

Four years sober off all drugs and alcohol celebrated with a marathon had my family cheering me on at the finish. God can heal, restore anyone and any relationship.

I had Facebook remind me that 3 years ago I required the use of a powerchair full time, a day of uni could wipe me out for weeks.
And yesterday I completed my first marathon, as the only wheelchair user the race has had.
And now I’m about to go to uni for another 5 days of 9to5 immediately after😁

34M, ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon yesterday, and surprised myself with a sub-3 result! Figured it was good to write a debrief just so I don't forget what happened lol.

Background

This was my second full marathon, my first being in May in Vancouver. I bonked hard that race at 35KM - partially due to it being 25 degrees, partially due to going out way too hot. My stomach was sloshing, I couldn't take a gel down, and my legs and mind just wouldn't let me keep going. I had to walk/run the last 5KM, and ended up finishing in 03:16:47. I was pretty happy with that as a debut all things considered.

I knew I wanted to do a fall race and ended up choosing Toronto due to the flat course, as well as my wife's family being out east and giving us an opportunity to go visit.

I did an 18 week training block that mostly went well, peaking at 83KM in a week. Due to real life circumstances (moving, some work stuff, etc) I had a few weeks where I didn't get close to enough mileage as I wanted. I also had a couple of very hungover long runs in there that probably didn't help either lol.

On one of my last long runs, I did 14 KM at MP (which was around 4:18-4:20) and was feeling comfortable with that. After a brief taper, I went into this race feeling 3:05 was in the cards, 3:00 as an ideal goal. Garmin gave me 3:02 as a prediction, and Strava was giving me 3:10.

My PB's before the race were a 1:28 half, 39:31 10k, and 19:35 5k. My fueling plan was 80g of carbs per hour with 2 SIS Beta gels.

Race Day

Fast forward to race day, the conditions were perfect. A little chilly at 5 degrees to start, but I warmed up quick. Started out conservatively at 4:25 for the first KM but ended up being closer to 4:10 until 10 KM, which also had me concerned. I was feeling pretty good so I kept it going, running on feeling.

Once I crossed halfway in 01:29:11, I was still feeling good. 30k was 02:06:33, and my legs were starting to feel it but my stomach felt good. I was optimistic that 3ish might be on the table, but I definitely had the anxiety of hitting that 35k wall again.

Once I hit 35km and STILL felt good, I made the decision to just send it and see what I could do. I ended up in no mans land at one point and had to either try and catch up to the pack ahead or try and tough it out alone. I dug deep and sprinted to catch up with them, and let the pack carry me to the end.

When I turned the last corner and saw 2:57 on the clock I legit couldn't believe it. Ran through in elation rather than pure pain like my first marathon, and celebrated with fam afterwards. PB'ing my half-marathon in the second half of the full was not in the game plan to say the least lol.

Major lesson for me that I would pass on is to trust your body, especially on race day. Whether that's to slow down or speed up, I think we rely on our watches/initial plans a little too much sometimes. Stoked to say the last!

Ran the Atlantic City marathon this past weekend. ‘Twas my fourth marathon. I definitely skimped on some training: skipped some long runs because of life or illness but ALSO (fatally) skipped a lot of strength training days at the gym. This cycle of training was extremely begrudging for me, to say the least.

Didn’t have any specific time goals, just wanted to finish, but boy was it rough. Weather was cold and windy, which is a fatal weakness of mine. I started having GI issues and literally thought I was finally going shit my pants at one point. But then it went away, and I was able to keep going. Finished at an extremely HUMBLE and DEMURE 5:40, but finished.

What started ultimately as giving up drinking, turned into this. 380 days later. Never ran farther then 10 miles as of last year and this year I started off training for a half marathon in June and killed it and with only 100 days I signed up for the Grand Rapids marathon and trained my ass off. Learned so much through the people of Reddit, there advice, seeing they’re failures and what they’d do different, recovery tips, eating habits, etc, like I had 0 clue what to do and solely this Reddit helped me become a marathoner. Proud of myself and how far I come within the last year. Not done yet it’s just my first and I got the itch. Just wish I could go back and redo it lol I see so many flaws but yet I am just so happy and so mf grateful and proud. I did it!

Big goal checked off today at the Mount Desert Island Marathon!

Came in with a rough follow of Pfitz 18/85, with a strong focus on listening to my body, taking rest days when needed, and accommodating an otherwise busy schedule. Peak week was 83 miles, with marquee workouts of a 22 miler @ 7:04, 22 miles w/ 14 @ 6:36 pace, and Yasso 800s averaging 2:52 per rep. Tried to train hills but couldn’t really find anything comparable to the elevation that MDI would give me.

Weather in race day was truly pristine - 33° and sunny with minimal wind at race start. First half went quite well, coming through at 1:29:30. Fueling strategy was 1 Gu every 4 miles, a swig of Powerade at each water station every 2 miles, and then a sip from my race bottle with 2 packs of Liquid IV every other mile. Felt strong through the first half and knew than sub-3 was possible, but far from secured.

The first cracks came around 17, when I became acutely aware of how sore my quads were. The whole course was rolling hills, so there was little rest for the wicked. I was still able to grind through until 21, where the last big set of hills came in. I knew at 21 that if I could average 7:00 for the rest of the race I would hit my goal.

Cramps took hold of my hamstrings first and my calves second up the final hills. Pace slowed and navigating the course and the half marathoners became more difficult. When I got to the top of the final hills at 25, I was aching for the sweet release of death. But I also knew that I needed to push it.

The last full mile was downhill, so I sent it with reckless abandon. I was completely cramping up the last .2 and had to stop twice in the last bit for a couple seconds to stop myself from completely tying up. But with a sprint finish and a collapse at the line, I came through with a 2:59:50 and a first class trip the medical tent.

Next step is to eat a whole bunch of pizza, and then start gearing towards a BQ in the spring, this time on a flat course!

First marathon in the books: 3:09:2×!

This weekend, I ran my first marathon, and I enjoyed every single kilometer!

A little background: I'm 33M. I come from a football background and used to do strength training 2–3 times a week. I hung up my football boots in the summer of 2025.

A few friends had signed up for a 15K trail race in April 2026, and I joined them. In February, I went for my first run longer than 10K, and I was hooked almost instantly. After running a few races, I eventually signed up for the Amsterdam Marathon.

I initially let ChatGPT put together a training plan for me. Thanks to this sub, I quickly realized it was rubbish. Lesson learned! Read some literature and ended up running five times a week for at least 13 weeks, consistently clocking 60–75 km per week, followed by a three-week taper.

Race day!

Did a half marathon in 1.27.3× so i thought that 3.10 would be challenging but doable. I started with the 3:10 pacers. It was pretty crowded so I dropped back about 50 meters to find my own rhythm. Which was really hars the first 10k because of the amount of runners.

The race went surprisingly smoothly. I felt good for almost the entire distance, sticking to my fueling plan with a gel every 30 minutes and a few sips of water at the aid stations.

At 27K, I suddenly got a side stitch. For a moment, I thought, Oh no, is this where my race falls apart? Thankfully, it disappeared pretty quickly, and I was back on track.

As the kilometers ticked by, I realized my goal was within reach. At 40K, I caught up with and passed the 3:10 pacers. That gave me a huge boost heading into the final stretch.

I crossed the finish line in sub 3.10 and i dodged the man withthe hammer! I couldn't have asked for a better debut, and I've definitely caught the marathon bug.

A huge thanks to everyone in this sub. I've learned so much from the advice and race recaps shared here!

What's next?

For my next marathon I'd prefer a race with a smaller field to have a little more room to find my rhythm.

I'm planning to follow a Pfitzinger training plan, most likely the 12/55 or the 18/55. I should also bring back the strength training.

Hopefully, the next training block will give me the confidence to take a proper shot at breaking the three-hour barrier. After this weekend, I'm excited to see what's possible.

On to the next one!

Hey all - looking for help setting a goal/picking a training plan for my next marathon. I have just under 27 weeks until race day (already signed up), and my first 2 marathons I technically completed, but they were slow and involved a fair amount of walking due to low volume of training. My times were right at 5 hours for the road and 6 hours for the trail race. I have ran a 2 hour HM last year, but my weekly mileage was too low for the marathons (around 15 mpw currently) which I believe is the main reason for being so slow.

I was looking at aiming for a sub 4 hour marathon following pfitz 18/55 plan next, but given that I only have 2 months until I would need to start the pfitz plan, I’m not sure I could safely build up my base to the recommended ~40ish mpw before beginning.

Should I aim for an easier plan like Hal higdon’s intermediate I, mainly focusing purely on volume not intensity? Something else? What about my goal time? 9:00 average pace feels doable with more training volume, but again I’m still pretty new so not sure if that’s realistic.

Also, I’m 34M if that helps!

Finished my first marathon in Chicago last week. I achieved my sub 4 goal and was super happy with my splits.

Honestly, everything about the race was incredible and will go down as one of the top experiences of my life.

I’ve lurked on this sub for a long time now, and I just wanted thank everyone that offers advice and encouragement here.

That’s all.

Check out these splits!