Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

Good morning, Runnit! Another weekend of races is approaching, so let's take a minute to see if any other Runnitors will be laying down those miles with us!

If you're racing this weekend, put a top-level comment below with the race details to help find other members of the community. See a race mentioned that looks interesting? Ask questions! Running your favorite race of the year? Tell us what makes it so awesome!

This thread is just an easy way to help Runnitors find each other in some sort of organized manner and help cheer each other on!

Another week is coming to a close!

What’s good this weekend? Who’s running, racing, tapering, recovering, hiking, camping, cheering, volunteering, kayaking, swimming, knitting, baking, reading, sleeping, .. ? Tell us everything.

Preface: NOT looking for any surgical or medical advice, but instead how to mentally approach a long period off of running when it has been such a core part of my life and identity.

Hi everyone,

I (22M) recently found out I need a Kidner procedure to remove my accessory navicular bone. I’ll be in a cast for 4-6 weeks, a boot for another 4, and likely won’t be running for 4-6 months.

Before I got injured 5 months ago, I was in the best shape of my life, running 50-60 mpw, hitting a 5K time trial of 18:15 off of a long run the day before, and genuinely loving almost every run over the past 2 years. After months of rest, a boot, 8 weeks of PT, and failed attempts to rebuild mileage, multiple specialists have recommended the kinder procedure which I’ll have done in 3 weeks.

I’m trying to mentally prepare for the recovery, but I’m struggling with the thought of losing all my aerobic fitness. More than anything, after so many months without a pain-free run, I’m worried I’ll never get back to enjoying running the way I used to and it’ll become some scary thing mentally and physically for me.

I know I’m only 22 and have plenty of running years ahead of me, but it’s hard not to feel discouraged.

I’d really appreciate hearing success stories or ways anyone has stayed motivated when overcoming a block like this, as well as any general tips for dealing with being unable to run after it being a pretty important part of my life and identity for a while. Thanks!

How’s your week of running going? Got any Complaints? Anything to add as a Confession? How about any Uncomplaints?

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.

If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.

As always don't forget to check the FAQ.

And please take advantage of the search bar or Google's subreddit limited search.

I swore off the marathon after a brutal summer and hot Milwaukee lakefront race day last year, but here I am with the itch again… with my family’s schedule, a spring marathon is really much better for me. recommendations for Midwest spring marathons? I’ve already run Flying Pig and loved the crowd. Any other with that same energy?

With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.

If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.

As always don't forget to check the FAQ.

And please take advantage of the search bar or Google's subreddit limited search.

It's that time of week already...the gear thread! What have you picked up lately? What's working for you now that it's whatever season you believe it to be in your particular location? What have you put through rigorous testing that's proved worthy of use? We want to know!

To clear up some confusion: We’re not actually asking what you’re wearing today. It’s just a catchy name for the thread. This is the weekly gear discussion thread, so discuss gear!

NOTE: For you Runnitors looking to sell/trade any running gear (as well as bib transfers), head over to /r/therunningrack.

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

Race Information

• Name: Baystate Half Marathon
• Date: October 18, 2026
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: Lowell, MA
• Time: 1:29:20

Goals

Splits

Training

I (40F) came out of my Spring 2026 Half block averaging ~60mpw with peak week at 73mi. It was during this cycle that I figured out what really works for me (in terms of improving pace) - 2 quality sessions per week on the treadmill (10-12mi total), 1 long run of at least 15mi with a workout included probably 75% of the time (and on the treadmill more often than not once the weather got bad), and all the rest of the mileage easy, outside, on the hills (I live in a moderately hilly area and usually get 2.5k ft elevation/week without trying). My goal race at the end of this block was the Rhode Island Half with a goal of 1:36-1:37. It was horrifically hot that day and I had some major GI issues as a result, but I did hit the goal (1:36:37).

I took a few days off and then started a little 8 week speed block where I worked on my interval and threshold pacing and averaged ~70mpw. I also started running 7 days/week more often than not during this time period. This did a lot for my confidence and technique running faster paces and set me up well for my 13 week Baystate block.

I didn't follow any specific plan. I knew that I wanted to stick to the format that worked for me during the RI block, but with a bit more mileage. I ran 2x quality sessions on the treadmill (10-13mi; 1 short interval, 1 threshold interval with float recovery - I credit this format for the progress I made), 1 long run (15-18mi; I did my easy LRs outside but I did all but 2 of the workouts on the treadmill - slogging around in the heat does nothing for me and I needed to practice actually running the paces I wanted to race at. I also did these at 4:30am more often than not), 3 easy medium long runs (12-14mi; always outside on the hills), and 1 short easy run (6-10mi; also always outside). My average mpw was 76 (including down weeks and race week) and I did 7 weeks at 80+ (3 and 4 weeks consecutive). I also raced 4 times during this block: 1 10miler during Week 2 (1:13:22, 7:22/mi on a terribly hot and humid day), 2 HM (1:36:24, 7:22/mi on ~1k ft elevation and 1:31:15, 6:58mi during week 8 - this made me re-evaluate my goal for Baystate), and 1 10k 2 weeks out from Baystate (41:30, 6:41/mi which was my trial run for the Fast R3s). I typically strength train 4x/week and I did continue this but reduced the time (20-30min per session) and optimized the exercises. I did 2x full body and 2x core/PT exercises.

I felt incredibly fit and ready to attempt a sub 1:30 effort at Baystate.

Pre-race

The Monday of race week I chose to ride the exercise bike instead of run (something I rarely do anymore) and it triggered a chronic hip issue that I have. It continued to bother me off and on throughout the week but this has happened before so I mostly ignored it.

I got up at 3am on race morning and left the house by 4:15 to drive to Lowell (a little over 2hrs for me). I was able to park in the $5 parking garage. (I have parking anxiety and wanted to make sure it wasn't an issue, so I was there 30-45min earlier than I really needed to be). I'd had my bib mailed to me ahead of time so there wasn't much to do. It was also about 30* so I didn't want to just hang around outside. Eventually I made the walk over to the high school where the start is. I went inside briefly but it was too crowded so I ended up back outside. I changed into my race shoes (I did choose the Fast R3s and I regret that choice) and did a little warmup, checked my bag, ran back and forth a little bit (I'm unfamiliar with the area, I have no idea where people were actually going to get a full mile+ of warmup), took half of my gel 30min out, hit the restroom line one more time, stripped my warm layers off, and off we went right at 8:00.

Race

Mile 1 - I did an absolutely terrible job getting anywhere near the start line so I spent probably the first mile dodging people and potholes. I live in CT and run on the roads - I know potholes, but this was a lot and really messed with my pacing for the first mile.

Miles 2-3 - Still playing catch up through the first 5k but working down to where I needed to be (6:50). My hip also started bothering me around Mile 3 and I knew it was going to be a long 13 miles. I think the first bridge is during this section - another poster described this as an audible group gasp/panic as we hit the frost covered metal and that is entirely accurate. I bambi-on-iced it down the double yellow line which seemed less slick and did make it without wiping out.

Miles 4-10 - I finally got down to pace and pretty much just locked in. I was able to hook in with a good group on a slight decline during Mile 6 and ran my fastest mile at 6:33. I also took the other half of my gel at 6. I felt very ready and capable to run my target which was great - then the lack of stability in my shoes caught up with me around mile 7 and my whole left side started complaining (less great). I like these shoes a lot for 10k and under but I would choose my DNE4s for anything longer every time going forward.

Mile 11 - I was starting to feel a little mentally fatigued from maintaining pace through the discomfort and I think there is a ramp up to a bridge during this mile. I told myself anyone can run 2 miles and just kept going.

Mile 12 - Dropped the pace back down and convinced myself that I ran this far, might as well get the job done.

Mile 13 - I don't know exactly where the mile marker for this is, but when you finish the second loop you go left instead of right. I knew this, but I had lost track of exactly where I was and when I got to the signage on the barrier (which I couldn't read) I blanked and couldn't make a decision. I had no one to follow in the right direction and the volunteer standing there just stared at me until I almost crashed into the barrier while choosing the wrong direction. I got myself turned around and kept going. When I got close enough to see the clock it showed 1:29:40 so I hit the zoom button because there was no way I was missing my goal by a few seconds.

Chip time - 1:29:20

I ended up 4th/119 Female 40-49, 25/549 Female, and 103/1187 Overall.

Post-race

Couldn't get my watch to stop with my frozen fingers but I got the space blanket and some water. My left leg was freaking out and I had muscle spasms in my hamstring and calf so I just walked around a little bit. Got my bag from gear check relatively quickly considering that it was disorganized chaos, walked back to the parking garage, and then made the 2hr drive home. I'm taking a few days off to let my hip and calf settle down and plan to resume easy mileage towards the end of the week if all is well.

I'm pleased that I hit my goal but I feel like I was fit enough to have pushed harder the second loop if I hadn't had the hip/wrong shoe choice thing going on. Throughout this block I felt like I was probably reaching my ceiling in terms of improvement but now I'm not so sure. I've only been running seriously for 3 years but I'm turning 41 and time is not on my side. I ran my first ever HM in 2023 at 1:46:36 off 25mpw and it took me until March 2026 to break 1:40 (I was off for 6 months with a wicked tibial stress fracture during this timeframe, but still). I've managed to take 10 minutes off my time in 7 months but I have to run a lot of mileage to improve and eventually that won't be sustainable. So anyway, I still think I can run faster if I can put together another good block so my early spring goal is Eastern States Half and then I'm considering segueing in a brief marathon build (since I already run high mileage) to run Sugarloaf (with no real time goal).

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

Would you rather not be a lurker?

Then what are you waiting for? Tell us all about yourself!

The LW thread is an invitation to get more involved with the /r/running community.

New to the sub in general? Welcome! Let us know more about yourself!

Back once again for everything you wanted to know about running but were afraid to ask.

Rules of the Road:

This is inspired by eric_twinge's fine work in r/fitness .

Upvote either good or stupid questions. Sort questions by new so that they get some love.

To the more experienced runnitors, if something is a good question or answer, add it to the FAQ.

Post your question - stupid or otherwise - here to get an answer - stupid or otherwise. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. Many questions get submitted late each week that don't get a lot of action, so if your question didn't get answered, feel free to post it again.

As always, be sure to read the FAQ first. Also, there's a handy-dandy search bar to your right, and if you didn't know, you can also use Google to search runnit by using the limiter "site:reddit.com r/running ".

Be sure to check back often as questions get posted throughout the day. Sort comments by "new" to be sure the newer questions get some love as well.

[Posting on behalf of u/Percinho who is currently checking the chafing in his armpits every 6mins and 22 seconds]

Shoes are a big topic in this sub, so in an effort to condense and collect some of these posts, we're introducing Shoesday Tuesday! Similar to Wednesday's gear thread, but focusing on shoes.

What’ve you been wearing on your feet? Anything fun added to the rotation? Got a review of a new release? Questions about a pair that’s caught your eye? Here's the place to discuss.

NOTE: For you Runnitors looking to sell/trade any running gear (as well as bib transfers), head over to /r/therunningrack.

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

Rules of the Road

1) Anyone is welcome to participate and share your ideas, plans, diet, and nutrition plans.

2) Promote good discussion. Simply downvoting because you disagree with someone's ideas is BAD. Instead, let them know why you disagree with them.

3) Provide sources if possible. However, anecdotes and "broscience" can lead to good discussion, and are welcome here as long as they are labeled as such.

4) Feel free to talk about anything diet or nutrition related.

Gearing up for my 14th Marine Corps Marathon! Those who run this race regularly will find a course is fairly similar to prior years, except in 2024 or 2025 they chopped off an early 0.5 mile piece, so landmarks will come quicker through the first 21 miles, and then there's a boring half-mile loop in a Pentagon parking lot just after the bridge to make it up. Here's my quick thoughts on each section and how to survive and thrive for another 26.2!

----
Miles 1 - 4 : The biggest hills in the MCM are in first few miles, one long incline up to mile 1 and another long incline up to 2.5. Add in 30,000 runners and the excitement of the start, and it’s easy to go out too fast and too hard. Relax early, don’t try to weave around traffic, settle in and focus on steady effort over the hills. There’s a long downhill from 2.5-4.0; shorten your strides and stay smooth. Ideally your first 4 miles are slightly slower than pace; no one ever said “I wish I went faster early!”
—
Miles 4 – 9 : Over the bridge and into Georgetown, soak up the scenery and enjoy the morning crowds. Includes a quieter out-and-back on Rock Creek Parkway, but a scenic run through changing leaves and undulating roadway. This is a good place to settle into a groove after the chaos of the start. It’s also an out-and-back, so watch for friends running on the other side of the street.
—
Miles 9 – 12 : Let the crowds carry you! This is a big spectator stretch, with crowds 5-deep in places. Hopefully you have a little space to run. Stick with your pace, high-five some kids, and float past the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Memorial, MLK Memorial, and to the Jefferson Memorial.
—
Miles 12 – 15 : Hains Point is a very quiet stretch of the race after the prior crowds. Mile 12 is the Wear Blue Memorial Mile, honoring fallen soldiers; this can be an emotional mile. Hains Point, especially after mile 13, is a quiet time to focus on yourself, focus on your form, focus on your breathing, and do a mental check-in for the final push.
—
Miles 15 – 19.5 : Back into the crowds and scenes of the National Mall. Crowds will provide some excitement, but resist the urge to go faster than comfortable; in a marathon, 20 miles is “halfway” - check in on your hydration and nutrition, you don’t want to be behind in either.
—
Miles 19.5 – 21 : The Bridge. You shouldn’t fear the bridge, but it should absolutely be respected. This is just a total grind. You will see racers blow apart on the bridge and never recover. It’s a difficult stretch for your body because about 3 hours in you’re running out of glycogen stores (“the wall”), and it’s likely farther than your body has been in training. It’s difficult mentally because there are no spectators. In adverse weather the highway is totally exposed to wind, sun, and heat. Between the bridge and highway ramps to Crystal City, this is almost 2 miles of concrete slab highway; it doesn’t absorb shock and jars your tired legs. The small inclines just feel taller here. Don’t fear it, but expect the grind. Focus on a target or runner ahead of you and reel it in; repeat. Be prepared mentally to beat the bridge.
—
Miles 21 – 24 :  Come off the bridge and get through the boring half-mile parking lot loop. Mile 22 brings Crystal City, and if it’s a nice day, they’ll be partying! Return to crowds to inspire you through an entertaining section of course. After the grind of the bridge, lock back in and remember why you’re here. Beware the siren call of the Fireball shots!
—
Miles 24 – Finish : This can be another quiet stretch with fewer spectators. If you held your effort back early in the race, start picking off runners ahead of you; use them as a target, pass them, and springboard to the next. Continue checking in with your body. Focus on your breathing, your form, stay tall, pump your arms. Keep remembering all the early mornings, hours, and miles that got you here. You are going to finish.
🏅
The final 0.2 is a left hand turn and up a hill to the finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial. This hill is going to feel like a wall at this point, but get up it and get to that finish line banner. Claim your medal and be saluted by a Marine Second Lieutenant. 
—
And remember, in the end, no one cares what happens between the starting line and the finish line. Your family and friends will forget your finishing time before they see you in Rosslyn, but they'll always remember you crossed the line. You are a marathoner. 💪

With over 4,225,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.

If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.

As always don't forget to check the FAQ.

And please take advantage of the search bar or Google's subreddit limited search.

Race Information

• Name: SportScheck Run Berlin
• Date: 2026-10-17
• Distance: 10 km
• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Time: 34:37 chip and watch time
• Place: 7th of roughly 800 overall; 2nd of 171 in my age group

Goals

Background

My last running PB was a 1:20:16 half marathon in 2023, after about 1.5 years of fairly consistent training. I peaked around 60 km/week, but was doing far too many all-out efforts. Cycling initially came in partly to give my Achilles some relief, then gradually became my main sport.

For the next couple of years I rode around 12–14 hours a week, often more in peak season, racing a decent amount as well with some success, to the extent that amateur cycling goes anyways. Running, on the other hand, fell to ~500 km in 2024, ~200 km in 2025–2026, until 6 weeks ago. I kept doing one or two gym sessions a week, mostly for stability, because I knew I’d eventually want to run again. Most importantly, the past 2 years were spent understanding a bit more deeply the role of rest, fatigue management, and long-term durability within endurance sports.

This race's purpose was mostly to serve as a fitness test. I have a few events lined up for the winter (main one being BCN Marathon in mid March) and wanted to figure out what baseline I am working with.

Training

I started running consistently about six weeks before this race. Weekly volume went from roughly 20 km to one week around 50 km, with one or two controlled sub-threshold or threshold sessions. I kept about eight hours of mostly easy riding, including some off-road and CX for fun. The workout paces came back surprisingly quickly, but I’d never raced a standalone 10k, so sub-35 was still a complete guess. I did one or two sub-threshold or threshold sessions a week, without much speed work. I've been trying to maintain strain as little as possible, trying to avoid unnecessary intensity before the adaptations take place.

The paces came back way faster than I expected. Key sessions were 5 × 1 km in ~3:30, then 6.5 km at 3:41/km within a longer run the week before the race. Sub-35 started to look possible, but I hadn’t held race pace continuously for anything close to 10 km.

Race

Conditions were horrible. It rained the whole day, with a decent breeze of ~12–15 km/h. The course is on the Tempelhofer Feld airport, which is notorious for having no cover from the elements.

Anyways, I went conservative. I found a group running around 3:32/km on the first lap and stayed with them, taking some relief from having to pace myself and taking the draft on the windy sections (works, surprisingly!). My heart rate was steady in the low-to-mid 170s, even dropping to around 173 for a while. I went through halfway in 17:41 feeling that I could keep going.

With 3 km left I decided to open the gas. I didn’t really know what an all-out final 3 km of a 10k was supposed to feel like, so I went by effort. The last three kilometres came out at 3:25, 3:17 and 3:18, giving me a 16:56 second half. I picked up a solid amount of runners in this part. Negative splits are a beautiful thing, and the adrenaline of overtaking one after the other played a good role there.

Splits

One very unfortunate thing was that the 10k and half-marathon runners shared the course. So the second half of the race was spent zigzagging between slower runners. Apart from that, the course then split into separate lanes (one for the finish, one for the 21 km extra loops). In the sea of people and delirious state, I took the wrong one and had to run about 20 m back to get to the correct finish. I think the course itself was roughly 40 m short, so that detour may have cancelled it out: my watch recorded almost exactly 10 km, and both chip and watch time were 34:37.

It was still one of those annoyances I'm probably not gonna forgive myself for, at least for some time. I finished one second behind the winner of my age group. Hard not to think about that wrong turn, though honestly, 7th overall and 2nd in an age group of 171 was still pretty shocking. I went in hoping to break 35 and get a fitness test out of it, and had no idea I’d be racing for a placing.

Final Thoughts

The cycling base seems to have carried a lot of aerobic fitness into this return to running. I’m excited to see where that goes, while remembering that six weeks of running hasn’t given my Achilles and the rest of my legs the same two-year head start.

Made with the race report generator created by u/herumph.

Happy Monday folks!

How was the weekend? What's on this week? It's time to get to some chit chat!

The Li’l Race Report Thread is for writing a short report on a recent race or a run in a new place. If your race doesn’t really need its own thread but you still want to talk about it, then post it here! Both your good and bad races are welcome.

Didn't run a race, but had an interesting run to talk about. Post it here as well!

So get to it, Runnit! In a paragraph or two, where’d you run and how’d it go?

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.