Hey,
I'm mid 30's and have run 3 nights a week for the past 3 years (5k's). I've recently upped this to two 5ks and a 10km per week. I managed to run a half marathon last week and feel ok.
If I signed up for a marathon next year for April, do you think I could do it if I follow the Hal Higden guide?
I just want to complete it uninjured. Not bothered about times.
Thanks!
Hi all,
Running my first marathon this weekend and super anxious feel underprepared. My training has been stop start due to injuries with longest runs being;
3 x 22 - 24km within last month within 2hr - 2hr 15
Feel super anxious and not sure whether that is just the taper or not. Anyone have any advice?
Hi everyone,
I’m running my first marathon in about three weeks, and I have a bit of uncertainty about whether I’m fully prepared to complete it.
I followed my training program closely until two or three weeks ago, when I picked up a minor injury that forced me to take a two-week break from running. At that point, my longest run had been 24 km. Last week, I resumed training without any pain or issues from the injury, and yesterday I ran my longest distance so far—27 km. It was tough, but I got through it with a decent time.
Since there are only three weeks left until race day, I don’t think I’ll manage to run farther than 27 km. I don’t think it would be wise to increase the distance at this point. My question is whether you think I have enough kilometers in my legs to complete a full marathon. My only goal is to finish—not to achieve a fast time.
Im currently 5 weeks out from my first marathon. Goal A is under 5hr30, Goal B is just to finish strong. Ive been following an 18 week training plan and have completed most runs, barring an illness. I did a 30km a week ago, which went quite well (im on the slow side so 3hr45 at an easy pace) and I was feeling good. Rested for 2 days and then ran 10km and my knee felt pretty awful. It was a bit swollen and appeared to be a case of runners knee. I rested and its now feeling back to normal but I had planned another 30km and a 32km before I taper. Following my 30km, I truly believe i can do this race but how much extra benefit will I get from those 2 more long runs vs my likelihood of getting injured? Ive already ran 25km twice and 28km. Part of me would like to complete the 32km, so I know what it feels like to be within 10km of the finish line but will that extra 30km help or hinder? And if I do skip it, what would be an adequate replacement run?
Any advice appreciated!
Hello!
Age: 35/M
MPW: 20-25
Weights: 1-3x/week - decreased load to 1x/week during taper weeks
I have few years of running experience, mostly running 1-2 half’s every year. Last two years, I’ve done the Big Sur 21 miler without a consistent fueling strategy. This year, I’ve dialed down fueling strategy and have been training consistently but in my long run before the taper, I did hit a wall at the end of the 20 miles. Felt like my legs were going to give up. I’ve dialed down my fueling strategy to 30g/25 mins and 0.6l/hr of water with 0.5 lmnt. I am still nervous.
What can I do in next 5 days to increase my odds of an injury finish within 5 hours. Any dos/donts, or course specific suggestions would be great.
I’ve been a lurker and the community is general has been inspirational.
I did my first marathon yesterday and it went differently than expected. The race was leuven and cut off was 5,5 hours. But the later groups took over 30 min to reach the start line, meaning my group (and groups slower than me) had 5 hours max.
I am a slower runner. I did my marathon in 4:56:00. However, for the majority of the course i was genuinely alone. Quite a big part of the race was through the forest and i genuinely did not see people (runners or supporters) there. I was luckily still on route because the organizers were there, but there were no other runners for lots of it. Also around km 30, it was a big stretch in direct sun, no shade and past the water and no supporters.
I thought it would be better once i reached the city, but even there were parts where it was just me and my family who showed up to support.
I can't help but feel a bit sad and disappointed. Especially because online it is shown that there is a lot of support, but even starting km 15 (when you ran past the elite), there was barely any support in my opinion.
This made it even more challenging for me.... the dj booths around the course just abandoned. I am so happy i did it, and i am so so grateful for my family (and the organisors who stayed and handed out water). but i am still also very disappointed in the fact that i had to run so much of it with no other runner/supporter IN SIGHT...... :(
Hi guys
I've seen most of the posts about sub 4h but I still need some reassurance. M28 75kg
Been following Runna marathon plan since january, have completed longs runs 21/25/28 km and feeling good so far, no injuries. I've got my longest run this weekend of 31km.
On May 10th I'll be running Copenhagen as my first marathon.. I think that sub 4h looks doable. 5:40 is a very easy pace, but I'm afraid of "breaking" in the last 30km..
What do you guys think ?
Hi I’m running my first marathon in November and have run 5ks, 10ks, and half marathon before with no watch. I did fine tracking with Strava but since my runs will look way longer I’d like to get a watch so I can target my zone 1,2, and 3 accurately. I know watches can get pretty expensive (not sure the prices) but am willing to hear any suggestions. Preferably if I’m paying more money I’d like a watch that tracks more than just my running so I can get more benefits out of it. As far as equipment I have a good amount from my half (ie: running socks-would like to see if there are other good ones other than feetures, I have running shoes- one pair for long runs another pair for tempo, a running vest, water bottles, hat, sun glasses) but wanted to hear any other suggestions as well, thanks! :)
It's a strange feeling, I ran my first Marathon on Sunday at the 39th Belgrade Marathon. I was very emotional the night before imagining how I'd feel at the finish line, all the work I'd put in, all the hours spent locking in, pounding the pavement, knowing that I'm a different person to the one I was 8 months ago when I agreed to this mad idea.
Looking back I'm extremely happy with how it all went, told myself I'd be happy to finish and get somewhere around the 4 hour mark. I did a 5:40 per km pace from 0-15km, then 5:30 per km from 15-30, had planned to lay off a bit after 30km but pushed on with the pace as I was feeling good.
At 38km the wheels fell off in a dramatic way, my right leg went completely stiff and I had to crawl to the side of the road to try stretch it out, que Garmin watch ending my activity and calling SoS, I managed to cancel that whilst on the floor, so my family didn't freak out too much. I'm on the floor for about 30 seconds and the 4 hour pacers fly by, one of them runs over to me, pours powdered magnesium down my throat and picks me up.
I spend the next few minutes running down the 4 hour paces, overtaking as they cheer me forward. The few kilometres were a blur, but managed to get back on pace finishing with a time of 03:58:36. Mission success.
After all is said and done, the waterworks never came at the finish line, the emotional outburst of knowing what I'd achieved never materialized. I think I was just too exhausted to even formulate thoughts.
I've already booked my next one, I'm so pleased, and I'm just so thankful to that friendly Serbian 4 hour pacer who saved me, you're an absolute hero.
I have decided to train full time for a marathon. Using the Nike run app assisted training. I am a complete beginner. Let's share our progress
Just ran the Boston marathon today! I do not want to say the exact time, but it was not too bad, either!
Not the post I hoped to make, but I ended up cancelling my first marathon slated for this weekend due to another flare up of peroneal tendonitis. I’d been training since November and started with a run/walk to get my fitness back up. I was consistent until an illness in January and then an immediate pulled back muscle took me out for 2.5 weeks. After that, it was hard to get back to running 4x a week without some physical ailment. Training caught up to me eventually and I developed the tendonitis. Got checked out by ortho and started weekly dry needling/exercises with PT. PT and I agreed we were only “putting a bandaid” on this injury to get through the race. This eventually led to probably the worst way to train: long run on the weekend, tendonitis flare up/rest throughout the week, feel okay enough to complete the long run next weekend (repeat for ~1.5 month). I was totally undertrained but kept hope because I could complete the long runs! It was post-run that killed me and the tendonitis.
I made the decision to finally cancel the week of the race after ~2 weeks of an achy ankle that didn’t feel 100%(can’t defer or use registration for another race since its passed deadline).
Lessons learned:
-FUELING - holy hell, some post-long runs were truly awful when I didn’t fuel properly. Some runs weren’t great because I didn’t eat enough the day before, no matter how much I fueled during the run.
-Strength Training - I seemed to feel and run my best when I kept up with strength 1-2x a week. Probably not a coincidence.
-Commitment/Time Management - I can get lazy, so once I’m out of the routine of training 3-4x a week, it’s hard mentally for me to get back into it. During my next training block, I’ll need to commit myself to early morning runs, or it’ll be easier to talk myself out of it. I also severely underestimated the time commitment for even the mid-week runs due to my pace (~11 min/mile for zone 2).
Overall, I can’t complain about pulling out of the race. I fell in love with running. I made new running friends who were super supportive during long runs. And I learned a whole lot about what not to do.
Congrats to all who are completing spring marathons! And good luck to everyone still chasing their first marathon - I hope to be back next year!
First marathon! Really glad I completed it but also sad I didn’t finish well. I think it’s cause i took Maurten 320 within the hour of the start and had a bagel/coffee before. Made me feel pretty full. When I took my fourth gel around 2 hours, I immediately threw up.. Tried to get back into but then my hamstrings started cramping pretty bad. Last 4ish miles just tried to make it to the finish without stopping.
I’m going to be running the big sur marathon this sunday and was wondering if anyone else will be tacking off their first marathon with this race? Thankfully I trained in SF for the past 4 months so feeling ok about the hills….. but truly who’s to say!
Would love to freak out/celebrate/hear about your training block/know what you’ll be wearing(???!!!)!
Any and all comments, advice, or excitement is very much appreciated!!
Completed Manchester marathon yesterday with a time of 4:10, which I am very pleased with.
Was on for sub 4 but got to 34km and had a sharp pain in both my hips around the glute region, and from then on in I was in the trenches. Managed to get round and happy I finished.
Will I do another? Yes Amsterdam in October 🤪
I finished my first ever marathon and I am still feeling very emotional. I cried like a baby at the end and it felt cathartic to me. I will remember this forever. When I was a kid, I was bullied for being fat and for not being able to run even a kilometer. Even less than six months ago, I couldn’t fathom running more than a half marathon. Fast forward to today, it feels surreal to complete one of my life goals.
I finished with a time of 4.15.48 (average pace of 09.46 min/mile). I am kind of bummed that that I missed my goal of 4.15 by just 48 seconds.
I think I went too fast for the first 17 miles with an average pace of 9.20 min/mile and it came back to haunt me when my quads started cramping from mile 17 onwards and I had to stop every km from then on to walk , stretch, and continue.
On top of that, for the last 2 miles, it was so brutally windy and the headwind slowed me down like crazy (I swear I could feel the wind pushing me back! So I was taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps back).
Also, I was quite disappointed with the race organizers - they said they will have aid stations every 2 miles but it felt like there were aid stations every 3-4 miles. Even in the aid stations, they had limited Gatorade cups and even those had just a few sips worth of Gatorade in there. I should have brought my own electrolytes / salt tabs.
Overall, these are my stats -
Total time (as per chip) - 4.15.48
Avg pace - 09.46 min/mile
Avg heart rate - 164 bpm
Avg cadence - 157 spm
Heart rate zones - 75% zone 3, 21% zone 2, 4% zone 4
Elevation gain - 581 ft
Splits -
Upto mile 17 - avg pace 9.20, HR 165
Mile 18 - pace 10.14, HR 156
Mile 19 - pace 10.07, HR 164
Mile 20 - pace 10.26, HR 158
Mile 21 - pace 10.31, HR 172
Mile 22 - pace 11.00, HR 167
Mile 23 - pace 11.34, HR 165
Mile 24 - pace 10.29, HR 171
Mile 25 - pace 11.11, HR 163
Mile 26 - pace 10.10, HR 157
My journey doesn’t end here though. I won’t stop till I get a BQ! Onto the next one! (Cheap Marathon 2027)
Coming into this training block, my fastest official time was 2:22:XX in a half marathon. Apparently, 4:45 is the average time for a marathon-completing woman (if this is untrue please never ever tell me).
My wave had a pacer pair for 4:45. I found them at the start, attached myself by an imaginary 2 metre rope, and told myself I could detach if my heart rate went over 155. 25.9 miles later I detached, hit the speed pedal, and came in at 4:44.
Feel like death, feel amazing. So proud of myself, so happy to return to half marathons.
Hi, I'm currently following the Hal Higdons novice 1 program for my first marathon.
I've raced two half marathons in 2024 and 2025, and I'm excited for my first attempt on the full distance.
My local race is an extremely small race (10-15 participants for the marathon distance). It's moderately hilly, with about 450 meters of elevation. It's the same track I've raced the half distance, just with two laps, so it's a familiar course. There won't be any spectators, there are aid stations about every 5 kms. Date august 22nd.
I've been considering switching to a much bigger race (about 10-15k runners split on all the distances - marathon, half, 10k, 5k etc). I expect there will be a big crowd, and a better support apparatus. The course is much flatter. But it will mean I'll have to drive about 6 hours on the day before, and then back again after the run. I might be able to convince my wife and kids to go with me as cheerleaders and as a driver on the way home. Date september 6th.
The local race is my district championship, so even with a 4:30 goal time the chance of snagging a district champion title for my age group, or at least a silver should be pretty good, but it's not really that big a motivator for me, since I'm obviously not a champion runner!
How much does a big crowd mean for a first timer, and how big a disadvantage is a long drive on the day before? I appreciate any advice or your experiences!
What are everyone’s experiences with RUNNA predictions? This is my first marathon and it’s so tough to know what I will be capable of. The target pace seems a little quick but I’ve never ran a full marathon before!
Training for my first marathon and running into my first scheduling conflict. My long run is supposed to be 9 miles this weekend, but I’ll be at a bachelorette party — I can realistically squeeze in 3–6 miles Saturday morning, but that’s it.
I’ve been brainstorming a couple of options:
1. Do a longer run Friday morning (before work and traveling) — maybe 7ish miles to get close to the target
2. Distribute the missing miles across the week — add 1–2 miles to each run this week to hit the total mileage
Has anyone dealt with this? What would you do — or is there a better option I’m not thinking of?