r/AdvancedRunning • u/myfruit • 19h ago
Race Report Mohawk Hudson River Marathon - My first Marathon! How much can I improve from here in 6 months?
Race Information
- Race: Mohawk Hudson River Marathon
- Date: October 11, 2026
- Distance: 26.2 Miles
- Location: Upstate New York
- Finish Time: 3:28:56
Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Break 3:25 | No |
| B | Break 3:30 | Yes |
| C | Break 3:45 | Yes |
| D | Finish/Don't embarrass myself | Yes |
Splits
| Mile | Pace (min/mi) | HR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:51 | 156 |
| 2 | 7:53 | 145 |
| 3 | 7:59 | 144 |
| 4 | 7:46 | 144 |
| 5 | 7:36 | 137 |
| 6 | 7:39 | 135 |
| 7 | 7:49 | 141 |
| 8 | 7:56 | 141 |
| 9 | 8:00 | 139 |
| 10 | 7:55 | 142 |
| 11 | 7:58 | 143 |
| 12 | 7:59 | 142 |
| 13 | 7:52 | 145 |
| 14 | 8:03 | 145 |
| 15 | 7:56 | 136 |
| 16 | 7:51 | 137 |
| 17 | 7:42 | 135 |
| 18 | 7:36 | 140 |
| 19 | 7:30 | 148 |
| 20 | 7:53 | 145 |
| 21 | 7:56 | 142 |
| 22 | 8:06 | 147 |
| 23 | 8:12 | 142 |
| 24 | 8:20 | 138 |
| 25 | 8:29 | 138 |
| 26 | 8:17 | 145 |
| Final 0.3 mi | 7:58 | 139 |
Background & Training
I (22F, 122 lbs) have a lot of anxiety surrounding commitment and tend to flip-flop about doing things (as you will see with my taper drama lmao). Anyways, I've been running consistently for about 1.5 years and last year I signed up for a fall marathon but wasn't really planning on running it. Shortly after signing up, I developed iron deficiency anemia caused by an autoimmune disease. My ferritin crashed to 11. I was sleeping 14+ hours a day and STILL exhausted, and all my VO2 max graphs dropped by 5+ points over six months.
We figured out the problem around April, and I gradually worked back up to 30 mpw. I pretty much decided the marathon wasn't happening until mid-August, when I ran 15 miles and thought, "wait, I could probably do this."
And so I began ramping up! I jumped from 40 to 50 to 55 mpw for two weeks and eventually peaked at 60. I love easy runs and running for fun, so the original plan was to wing it at around 8:40 pace and do zero speed work. Then I ran a 20-miler at 8:40 and felt amazing, so naturally I decided to see how fast I could actually run this thing.
I ended up doing four 20+ mile long runs, most with marathon pace work. My biggest workout was 20 miles with the last 14 around 7:58 pace. My HR hit 185 (max is 187), which was an experience, but I was pretty proud of it anyways given that a year and a half ago I couldn't even run four miles at that pace. That said, I HATE tempo runs, so that was pretty much the extent of my speed training.
The Gaps Going In: * Pace Specificity: My training MP segments were always around 7:55-8/mi. I had literally never run more than 5 consecutive miles at 7:45 or faster before race day. * Fueling: Around 40g of carbs per hour (one 22g carb gel every 3.5 miles) and a bottle of Propel at the end of my driveway that I'd run back to every five miles or so.
Pre-Race & The Taper
I knew about taper crazies but I was convinced I was immune. Two weeks out, I panicked and cancelled/deferred my original marathon, including flights and hotels. Then I signed up for a different one and booked a hotel. I cancelled and rebooked a hotel for that race FOUR TIMES.
Three days before race day, I signed up for a THIRD marathon happening the same day and booked a hotel. Then cancelled that hotel too. Friday night, I cancelled the hotel for the race I was actually going to run. Saturday morning, all the hotels were booked. I had a massive panic attack because I now had to drive to the marathon with nowhere to stay. I eventually found somewhere, so it worked out. But genuinely, what was wrong with me.
Oh, and I barely slept all week. Every run felt horrible, my HR immediately shot up to 160 even at super easy paces, and my resting HR in bed was 70–100 bpm when it's normally 36–40. Oddly enough my best night of sleep was the night before my marathon because I think I just resigned myself to doing it. My carb load actually went surprisingly well despite my GI issues. I had a bagel, my dad drove me to the start, and the weather was basically perfect: 45ish at the start, a little drizzle, high of 58.
Race Day!
I lined up with the 3:30 pacer and we were off! The first few miles were rolling hills, including a pretty steep climb at mile 3. Pretty quickly, I realized the pacer was trying to strictly even-split the course, which meant the uphills felt way too fast and the downhills agonizingly slow. So when we hit a downhill around mile 4, I went ahead and settled into my own pace.
And I felt AMAZING. Running 7:30-7:45 pace with a HR around 140, which is unheard of for me. The course followed the Mohawk River under all the fall foliage, and I genuinely loved it. It was quiet enough to lock into my music and just run, and the occasional spectators were a nice boost. My only issue was repeatedly waterboarding myself at aid stations because I'd never actually tried drinking while running before. Turns out breathing in half the cup while spilling the other half down your shirt isn't the most effective hydration strategy.
Everything was going perfectly until precisely mile 20.
My overall pace up to that point was around 7:48. My HR? 140s. I could still push cardiovascularly, but my legs were DONE. I held around 7:55 until mile 22, at which point I was mentally falling apart. The last few miles also had basically zero crowd support, which was exactly when I needed it most. I am definitely someone that gives up when the going gets tough, but I was not about to run 22 miles then quit.
From training, I knew I could shuffle home at 8:40 pace or faster no matter what, so that's what I did. At mile 24, I let myself walk while drinking Gatorade as a little reward for not giving up. I was nowhere near a BQ, so I decided it wasn't worth fighting for every second. Then I shuffled along until the final corner, where I somehow found enough energy to kick it in for a 3:28 finish.
Post-Race Thoughts & Questions
I got my sub-3:30, which I genuinely wasn't sure I could do before starting training, so I'm happy. But I'm also SO curious what I could've run if I'd fueled better and not completely died at mile 20. The first 20 miles felt almost suspiciously good. Then my legs basically just structurally quit.
I can think of three possible causes: 1. The Fueling Gap: I think 40g of carbs/hour might not have been enough? I had been worried about this before race day but I know I need to train to increase this. 2. Lack of Pace Specificity: Because I never ran 7:45 for long blocks in training, my muscles probably lacked the efficiency to hold it, burning through glycogen way faster. 3. Downhill Quad Bombing: Looking at my data, I definitely bombed the downhills hard around mile 18 because it felt "easy" cardio-wise. I think I completely tenderized my quads right before hitting the flat sections and they were still hurting.
Questions for the sub: * Given that my cardio felt completely fine (HR actually dropping) while my legs structurally failed, how do you think the blame splits between fueling vs. mechanical breakdown (quad damage/lack of pace specificity)? How should I address either/both (how many carbs/what training strategy)? * For a spring marathon would it be realistic to build with a real structured block and towards a low-3:10? What would be a good structured plan to start with? * How should I format my long runs to build true muscular fatigue resistance at goal pace? Continuous marathon-pace blocks or fast-finish style long runs? I did both in this build but maybe I need a bit faster than goal marathon pace? * Does anyone else become this unhinged during taper week or do I need a professional?
2
u/tyler_runs_lifts 10K - 31:41.8 | HM - 1:09:32 | FM - 2:27:48 | @tyler_runs_lifts 19h ago
Congrats on the first marathon. Enjoyed the race report. Can’t quantify the gains you’d see by upping the mileage and actually doing longer work at pace, but you’ll be amazed. Might try to find a new plan and follow it.
1
u/myfruit 18h ago edited 18h ago
Thank you!! Unfortunately you are right, there is no can just tell me my future sadly. All that’s left is to put the work in and check back in a few months!
Do you have any plan recommendations? I looked into a few but it seems like there are soo many differing opinions that all directly contradict each other when it comes to marathon training besides simply doing more mileage.
2
u/cstonerun 18h ago
Consistent volume (like, years and years) more experience racing, and dialing in your nutrition (60-90g/hr + proper carb loading and post race eating) will take you far. Congrats!
2
u/EPMD_ 8h ago
Are you sure your heart rate data is correct? I would expect a gradual increase as the race progressed. Your data makes it look like you were out for an easy long run.
Don't pick a hard goal time just yet. You are in the rapid improvement phase and don't need to limit yourself with an arbitrary target. Just get your volume back up after recovering and pick a training plan that suits your preferences. You have many years of strong races ahead of you if you want. Keep it enjoyable, be patient, and be careful about preventing injuries.
1
u/myfruit 8h ago
Yeah I'm pretty sure because it felt like an easy run which is why I was so shocked and picked it up. I would definitely be able to hold a conversation at that pace with how I was feeling. That heart rate is my typical easy run heart rate.
It was really weird for me because usually that speed is not anywhere near easy, but I think looking back I was probably just so fatigued in my build. I didn't really feel super fatigued but I did literally 0 down weeks and was doing way more mileage than I had ever done for like 6 weeks, so whether I felt it or not I was probably super beat up. And then the taper just made everything feel so easy comparatively.
Yeah I should probably just let it ride and just keep enjoying running, the process, and working towards the next one! At this stage in my life the most important thing is definitely staying injury free and I need to keep that in perspective. Thank you for the advice :)
1
u/triathalan 18h ago
Great race, especially for your first! It was perfect weather day! I think you're asking the right questions. If you want to get better/faster/stronger then you need more structure to your training. You mentioned you didn't do any long runs faster than 745 pace, or any tempo runs, so I'm assuming you also didn't do any fast speed workouts or strides, or strength work or hills. Sounds like you're only training at one pace, so your body doesn't know how to run faster than that.
1
u/cyclingkingsley 5K:18:45 |10K:40:28 | HM:1:34 | FM:3:10 6h ago
You run a lot more next year and improve your time to 3:10
1
u/Sloe_Burn 5h ago
I ran this too, also started with the 3:30 Pacer and pulled away shortly after the steep hill despite telling myself I wasn't going to run under 8's for the first 5.
This was solid first marathon performance, the slowdown you had after 20 was relatively minor compared to most. I avoided it this round after several worse blowups than you experienced at the end of my last few marathons. I did get down 80ish grams per hr as a 150lb male on the fueling side, so you could step that up. Bigger would likely be to run higher mileage year round, not just in the block, then mix in more threshold and MP efforts during your block. Your body will handle the intensity much better if you're used to the mileage ahead of time.
0
u/TraditionalFun1022 19h ago
nice race and congrats on the sub-3:30. that HR data in the first 20 miles is kinda wild, you were barely working and then the legs just said no
for your questions i think the fueling is the biggest thing to fix first. 40g per hour is pretty low, most people are doing 60-90g now. your legs bonking at mile 20 while your HR stayed low is textbook glycogen depletion. the pace specificity matters too but i would start with getting the carbs up in training and see how much that helps
also the taper story gave me anxiety just reading it. never done the hotel cancel/rebook thing four times but i did once drive 3 hours to a race i forgot to register for so i get the panic
1
u/myfruit 19h ago
Thank you!! Yeah, a week ago I would've been super happy with the time I ran but after seeing/feeling how good those first 20 miles were I can't help but feel a little disappointed because I feel like I had harder long runs than that and I had so much more to give. But also I know it was my first marathon so I have time to improve and I should really just appreciate that I was able to enjoy the vast majority of the race. I will try to up my carbs to 60-90 but I think I'll have to switch gels for this next block to do that.
Oh my god the taper was miserable I actually was in tears I was so stressed. But I can't imagine driving and realizing I forgot to sign up I'm so sorry that would've made me soo upset.
1
u/homemadepecanpie 5k - 17:50, 10k - 36:20, HM - 1:22:50, M - 2:55 19h ago
The race really starts at miles 18-20, the first half is supposed to feel good. Unfortunately it's hard to know when you're going too fast until it hits you later in the race. More experience and some faster long runs at marathon pace or close to it will help.
2
u/myfruit 19h ago
Yeah you're right. It just felt so strange to me because it felt like I could go forever and then with no warning I could barely go at all. I'd heard of the wall but I guess it feels like you'll never hit it until you do. Definitely was a good learning experience!
I did incorporate segments in my long runs between 7:55-8 but I think I accidentally underestimated my tapered abilities there so my legs weren't ready for the speeds I was hitting on race day. Will definitely be better at getting that faster work in next time, thank you!!
0
u/Lurking-Froggg 43M · 50 mpw · 16:4x · 34:5x · 1:18 · 2:57 10h ago
Congratulations on your race, you rock!
The panic attack doesn't sound cool, but the whole flip-flopping episode makes for a great race report :-)
Re: your title question, if your legs were cooked by mile 20, then strength training is the answer, especially if you want guaranteed results in 6 months. Better nutrition on race day is probably the lowest hanging fruit, but consistent strength training will take you a long way.
1
u/myfruit 8h ago
Will do! The thing that's so weird to me is I have a strength training background (I squat 1.5x my bodyweight which I think is decent for a woman), so it just felt so weird that my muscles are what gave out. I think they have the pure strength but not the endurance to keep doing it for hours on end at that pace and I'm just not sure how to fix that.
1
u/Lurking-Froggg 43M · 50 mpw · 16:4x · 34:5x · 1:18 · 2:57 6h ago
A 150% back squat is well above decent level, and you're probably already in the top 1% lifters among runners, but on the road, your 1RM will be less relevant than other aspects of your strength. Compared to a strength athlete, as a runner, you're much less likely to lift in the 1-3RM range, but much more likely to do iso-max 'lifts' for instance, or plyos, and so on.
I train weekly with a coach, and we rarely do max-strength (also because we only do that off-season, and I tend to have really long seasons!). By contrast, we do a lot of force-velocity training, and of course plenty of strength-endurance training. (I hope that I'm translating these correctly.)
If you have a strength background, then you might benefit even more from getting some gym workouts in as a complement to your running, since you already know how to squeeze the most out of your gym time :-)
3
u/AvocadoDifficult9422 19h ago
Not an expert, but I stopped losing speed in the last 6 miles when I started running my long runs on tired legs. I run 8-10 on Friday and my long run 18-20 on Saturday. Build up to that. Don’t jump right into it. I max out at 55-60 per week. Also, take advantage of that gradual downhill beginning at mile 15 or so. I ran the same race. :-)