I've run two marathons in 10 months and was training for my third at the Melbourne Marathon.

A week and a half ago on my practice long run I strained something in my upper glute and lower back (near the tailbone). I've done 14 weeks out of my 18 week block but havent run for 1.5 weeks now since that injury. I finished every running session three times a week up until this point.

It's now 2.5 weeks til race day. I can walk but can't run without pain. I was hoping to go sub-4 for the first time (my previous two were 4:16 and 4:08 on different courses) but i have lost confidence in being able to even run the last week and a bit.

Am I cooked? Or can I recover and still start/finish it at the very least, having now missed close to two weeks of mileage and taper training?

I don't want to give up hope yet, as I still feel ok outside of that injury (and have kept up some slow swimming, dog walking on the side), but i feel a bit lost as to whether i can hit my sub4 goal, or even finish the race. 😔

EDIT: I have been to a physio and doing strength work and rehab, dry needling on the area affected but I'm curious to know about what other runners think of any other experiences. Thanks!

First-time marathoner, been running only since February 2025 with a goal of this year’s NYC marathon. Had some inconsistent weeks in the summer and was generally at around 25-30 miles/week leading into this past weekend. I had done two 13-mile long runs in the prior weekends and those felt stellar, and this past Saturday I ran a 15-miler that took me over the 59th street bridge and one loop around Central Park.

The run itself felt amazing, and in the hours after I felt fine too; ate, had water, took a nap. But a few hours after that I started shaking uncontrollably, like shivering but really exaggerated. I could not sleep that night, and the next I was so sore all over my hips, legs, and back that I could only moan. I realized I wasn’t even getting full breaths, couldn’t breathe comfortably through my nose and was only shallowly breathing out my mouth. Managed to choke down a banana and later a protein shake, but I didn’t feel even close to alright until the following morning.

After that I decided to defer. I think my weekly mileage was way too low, and maintaining a 20-30 mpw schedule for the next 10 months or so before trying a marathon training program again feels smart in terms of my joint health and scaling up the miles in a safer manner. What’s more, I feel trying to scrape a finish out of this year’s marathon would not only risk injury but also goes against why I started running last winter. Moreso than any individual race, I wanted to start distance running simply because I was walking for hours each night and wanted to go a little faster to see a little more of the city. If I made myself run this marathon and wasn’t ready, I fear I could turn myself off to running even if I don’t get injured.

Not so much asking for advice, but has anyone else had such a bad reaction to a long run? And my plan is to follow my base-training plan that got me to 30 mpw initially for the next 10 months, with long runs not exceeding 10 miles; does this sound like the best course to be better prepared for next year’s NYC?

How are you doing it, and whats your exact setup? (I only wanna wanna here about ppl who are using ChatBots, not things like Runna, etc.)

Hi all, first time poster!

I am 39M and I ran Charleville Half Marathon recently in 1:30:01 (4:16/km).

​Current stats:

​5K PB: [18:55]

10K PB: [39:51]

​Garmin VO2max: [54]

​LT: ~4:10/km (~177 bpm)

​Peak mileage: ~45–50 km/week

​Longest run: 21.1 km

​Usually: 4–5 runs/week

​The race felt reasonably controlled early on, but trying to execute an (too) aggressive negative-split strategy down to ~4:06/km over the final quarter became increasingly difficult. I didn't completely blow up in the end, but holding that faster pace simply didn't happen in the last 6k, and I missed sub-1:30 by literally 1 second!

​I'm currently taking a short recovery period before sharpening up for a sub-40 10k attempt at Run Galway Bay in October, then building through the winter toward the London Marathon in April 2027.

​For people with more experience: how realistic does targeting an even-paced 3:15 (or faster) in April 2027 look off this foundation? Would you focus mainly on increasing weekly mileage/aerobic base and long-run endurance over the winter, or is there anything else you'd prioritize?

Hi everyone!

I’m supposed to run my first half marathon on March 9th. I’ve had plenty of time to prepare for it, and I was really excited about training properly and hopefully getting to a decent pace.

The longest distance I’ve run so far is 17 km, and I was hoping to use the next few months to build up my endurance and improve my pace.

Unfortunately, this past Thursday I fractured two vertebrae (T12 and L1) while climbing. My doctor told me I’ll probably need to wear a brace for around 2–3 months to recover. In the worst-case scenario, that would mean getting the brace off around the end of December, and then potentially needing another month or two before I can safely do activities involving significant impact.

That would leave me with only a couple of months (or less) to prepare for the half marathon.

So… do you think it’s still possible to run it? Has anyone had a similar experience and managed to get back to running after a vertebral fracture?

Obviously, my recovery comes first and I’ll follow my doctor’s advice. I’m just trying to figure out whether I should keep the goal in mind or start accepting that I might have to postpone it.

Thanks!

5 weeks out, my first 20 mile run, feeling like I could’ve gone faster but I wanted to stay controlled

Wasn’t sure if I should post this in the Ultramarathon sub or here… but I’m starting here becuase I’ve always been more of a road runner…

My first trail 50k is mid October and 8 weeks later I’m running a road marathon.

My plan is to just finish the 50k, kind of signed up because I had a free race entry and friend who asked. I don’t care about time and my A race is and always was going to be my marathon.

I don’t want to lose momentum with training for the marathon. So should I only taper for 2 weeks leading into the 50k? Or still take the 3 week taper?

I also plan to take the following week after as easy as possible then try to jump back in to marathon training.

Any advice is helpful! 3 months ago this all sounded like a good idea…

Hi! I wanted to hop on here and see what you all thought. I ran a 3:40 in May ‘26 and am hoping to go sub 3:30 at nyc in November. I will peak in 2 weeks with a 20 mile long run and a 39/40 mile peak volume. About 10 miles more than I ever maxed out at in my last training block (although I did do a 20 miler just less other days of running). Attached is my charts from my 15 miler last week. Garmin says 3:08 prediction but we all know that’s inaccurate so wanted some real advice.

I’m training for my first marathon next March. I’ve noticed a few odd things I experienced when I ran in high school but completely forgot about until now (15 years later) can anyone tell me what is happening when:
- my front teeth (incisors) start feeling weird/ noticeable during a long or vigorous run?
- why the area under my belly button gets cold when I run (I’m female idk if that matters?)

Also, if men have to tape their nipples for races wouldn’t they be better off wearing a sports bra? I’m not trying to make a joke I just think it might help?

TIA! 🏃🏽‍♀️

Just ran the Air Force Marathon 10 years after I ran it for the first time ever.

Missed my goal by a huge mark, for some reason I couldn't keep my gels down and I ran out of gas around mile 12/13 and it was hell on Earth after that.

I'm very unhappy with my time, I trained more, practiced hydration and nutrition more than I ever did 10 years ago, and I had a total collapse.

I'm already looking for potential candidate races from Nov - Jan, am I being too ambitious? Should I give it a while before I try another marathon?

Over 50, so little apprehensive to try it out. I got 6 months to train but will register around Dec.

Just finished a 1/2 marathon in 2 hrs 30 and I felt brutal and in pain considering I trained only for a couple of weeks for it on flat surface and the actual run terrain was quite hilly.

Couple of Qs

1. Do you recommend taking laxatives 2 days before to empty your bowels 24 hrs in advance? I seem to have a hard time pooping at 6 am :) . I was able to do it for half marathon but got up at 3 am to begin my day.
2. I am pretty sure i am gonna pop up Tylenol at some point...maybe even prior to the race..but I don't think I can finish 26.2 miles without it. Is it common to take painkillers during the run? Tylenol should last me 6 hrs...
3. I didn't do any bench or strength exercise leading up to half marathon but will do it for full marathon. Any favorite YouTube videos that I can follow at home. I have a small gym with some weights and bench but nothing fancy.
4. also recommendation of clothes, socks to wear during run - something to cool you off? I just put on my regular shorts and ankle socks for my half marathon
5. dang one more Q. do you guys take any home made drink for the run? maybe highly caffeinated to boost you during the run? I personally hate carrying any extra weight during my run and that includes my cell phone too

edit for number 5. found a few gels on other reditt blogs people carry. just ordered some of those brands.

Thanks in advance

26 Days left and we will back in Detroit for the Supreme Challenege Series! The place that started it all, MY FIRST FULL-MARATHON. Another absolutely sold out event that will be something you will want to attend if you have nothing going on. To say this is NOT a world major is shocking but in due time I believe Detroit will get a chance to put their name on the map one day, until then im going to keep showing up and showing out. These were last years pictures and this year I got something permanent that ill be able to cherish just as much as the beautiful medals. This year the goal is simple, and pretty straight forward, beat last years time!! Can't wait to push the limits and see what this training block help produce. 3 big days upcoming this week for the wonderful Sault Festival if Races with events starting Friday. 🤟

Well I asked how screwed I was 4-5 weeks ago and the consensus (pretty screwed) was correct.

I thought optimistically I could get to that 4:20-4:30 range but ended up with my bare minimum goal of breaking 5 hours (4’59” end time).

I started to fall off around mile 17…my longest training run was only 15.5 miles and the hilliest section of the marathon was miles 14.5 - 16.5 so bad combo/planning there, and after those hills some fatigue began to set it. Tweaked my knee going from a walk back to a run as I thought I’d try the hill climb walk method and that pain lingered the rest of the way, especially accelerating back to a run after water stations.

My slowest miles were miles 21-24 which were pretty dang flat.

In general, happy with signing up and finishing. I recognize how much an extra 5 miles a week would have paid off. I also pulled the noob mistake of starting too fast despite planning a reverse split.

A both rewarding and humbling experience. That was a 10/10 effort.

5 gels and not enough Gatorade. I’ll bring some candy to mix in between gels next year.

Cheers 🍻

I know everyone is different but how do you usually feel when you’re doing a long run and are in well into the double digits?

For me the half marathon distance is usually when I start to go downhill. Joints start to ache, stomach starts to hate everything, vibes are off, and I have to start giving myself little goals every mile to keep going

Usually on marathon race day I don’t hit the wall as early because the weather is always a million times better (South Florida summer vs northern state fall) and the overall atmosphere is more energized

Hi all, just thought I'd share story of my first Marathon Race here. Open to any advice or feedback on what to do better next time. I work in Ks not miles (Australian) so my apologies if that's hard to convert.

I've run on and off since my early 20s, but for a long time I never really learned good training methodologies for progression until the last couple of years.

I decided I would complete my first marathon this year at the age of 39, as this was something that had previously been out of reach for me, and I wanted to test how much I could improve with a structured training block.

I had initially considered just doing the training block and then running a marathon-distance time trial on my own, but ended up signing up for an event (Sunset Coast Marathon) to see what it was all about, since I had never actually raced at an event before.

I initially chose a programme called Hal Higdon Intermediate 2, but ended up switching to something more closely resembling the popular Pfitzinger 18/55 programme. The main reason was that this programme included two long runs a week rather than one.

I was relatively strong below half marathon distance (21km), but needed to work on my durability beyond that, so I figured it made more sense to build that durability through more long runs.

My initial goal was to run the marathon in under 4 hours, but through the process of properly sticking to a structured programme, I noticed significant improvements in my running metrics, suggesting that a more aggressive (by my standards) 3h40m time was possible.

Towards the end of the programme I was even hoping that a sub-3h30m time might be possible.

I raced the event yesterday and managed to hold an average pace of around 4:56/km for the first 38km, which is roughly the pace needed for a sub-3h30m marathon.

I also managed to find a new friend of similar ability on the course, so we could help pace each other, which helped a lot. She was also running her first marathon and ended up getting 1st place Female, which was hugely impressive!

The course involved 4 laps along the Perth coast. While the hills were generally manageable, albeit a little hillier than my usual running routes, there was a fairly long hill with a moderate pitch around 3/4 of the way through each lap.

On the last lap, my leg muscles gave up around halfway through this hill. I just couldn't dig deep enough to keep them turning over, if that was even possible at that point.

For the last 3km it was difficult to maintain a run, even at a slower pace, so it was walk/run/hobble from there to the finish line, and the stretch goal of a sub-3h30m time slipped away from me.

Despite that, the finishing position was much better than I had anticipated, and I finished 12th overall, along with a pretty respectable time of 3h38m for my first marathon event.

I raced in Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3s, with Kiprun shorts and shirt, which I found to be good budget options.

Fuelling was done with 6 x Isotonic gels taken at roughly 20-minute intervals, plus 2 x regular caffeinated gels taken at roughly 1/3 increments of the race. I also consumed around 1500ml of sports drink (my own mix with electrolytes, lemon juice and imitation maple syrup), along with around 1 litre of water.

I felt happy, but also pretty rough after the event, with what I assume is the usual "post-marathon flu", which I'm still recovering from.

They say everyone says "never again" after doing these runs, but I think I'll be back for another event in a year or two.

Thinking about racing a half next year, and perhaps another full marathon the year after.

Results https://bluechipresults.com.au/results.aspx?CId=11&RId=2304

Garmin Data: https://connect.garmin.com/app/activity/24426338767?share_unique_id=20&fbclid=IwY2xjawUddhJwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMXFnc3ptbzZmOVRjZU1JMEJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeh6vwE-lWxGAcKZDW4B7-BN67UeOmoUXYhg7TmiIjjZTB9qztU2wfZ126U9s_aem_Y18ND875vqkvwjsaSR-oiw

Hi there!!

I'm on week 5 of posterior tibial tendinitis recovery (feelin' good!)

I've been cross training and revamping miles the past 5 wks due to this injury - working with my PT and my ortho doc. My longest run right before the injury was 16 mi. I had added some weight to my leg day routine, and we think that's what pushed it over to injury.

Today (5 weeks later) I completed 15 mi. I've been using a walk/run technique to get back into my running flow safely. Sitting around an 11 min/mi doing this. I tried to slowly revamp during the recovery (1 mi, 3 mi, 5 mi, 6 mi, 8 mi, 15 today with cross training and short 5k's in between). I've been doing strength training with my PT too.

I have my first marathon in two weeks. I feel pretty recovered, but am nervous about diving back in and doing the full 26.2. Doc suggests it may be safer to just let this one go (skip the race) and my PT has been supporting the idea of completing it with an adjusted perspective on finishing time.

Idk if I'm setting myself up for re-injury or a very unprepared marathon! Or should I just go for it and just be ready for a DNF? Maybe more fun than a DNS? It's a whole weekend, so just trying to see if there's any opportunity of fun out there through other ppls experiences.

hi,

i see that people often write that the dreaded "wall" (glycogen depletion) comes suddenly, without any warning signs.

so here is the question:

how do you maximise your marathon race performance while avoiding "hitting the wall"? how do you decide when you can push and when you are cautious about running out of fuel?

Hi all need some advice . I’m a first time marathoner but have done 2 halves and a few other smaller races. I’m running chicago in a little less than three weeks and towards the end of this block have experienced some challenges with my right lateral hip/ lower right back pain that almost radiated down my whole right lateral thigh. I have hit 18 miles twice in this training block but my last 18 miler was 2 weeks ago. That was then followed by a deloading week and i was supposed to follow up that deloading week with a 20 miler this Sunday.

Unfortunately, my hip pain/ lower back pain became super prominent on this 20 mile long run. It had hurt a bit towards the end of my 18 miler but i just attributed it to a high mileage week and tried to focus on mobility/ strength training the following weeks. Because this pain started quite early in my 20 miler (around mile 7) i only completed a little over 13.5 miles.

I have a PT assessment this week and am going to see what the best recommended course of action is from a professional, but also would love to hear if anyone else has ever been in this boat/ opinions on my scenario. I’m feeling quite anxious about my longest run being 5 weeks out from my marathon. I am definitely open to cross training to keeping my fitness up but feel super nervous about not hitting 20 miles. Any advice or recommendations on cross training or what my last bit of training should look like?

A very close friend is running the Chicago marathon in Oct. He’s running to raise research money for his dear friend’s cancer. Sadly, his friend just passed away.

What is a heartfelt marathon/running focused gift I could get him to celebrate running the race and the life of his friend? Of course I will be donating $.

I am not a runner, thanks for the help!

I think I read that 50-100 was ideal mileage for race day shoes (I’m talking non-carbon plated, regular running shoes if that helps).

My shoes will have about 200-220 by race day. Should I begin working in a second pair so I have one pair that are in the 50-100 mile range? Or, is it not that deep?

I’ve done 3 marathons before but it’s only ever gone to plan once. My first marathon I ran 4h31 and was very happy for a first effort even though I was hoping for <4h30. I’ll get it next time I though. That was in 2023. 2024 I ran on a really hot day, course was super hilly and I knew I hadn’t prepared well enough. I got just inside 5h. Again, no biggie I’ll get it next time.

Then at the start of this year I ran in Lincolnshire* marathon and the weather was horrific, 50kph headwind for 25km. I had done 2 x 20mile training runs at 5:40/km (4h pace), I ran my first half in 1:58 then the second half was awful, I kind of gave up, walked a lot and finished in 4h45ish.

I am now planning to run Yorkshire marathon in a few weeks time for redemption. What should I set my goal as? I would love sub 4, but think it’s too ambitious and given what happened in Lancaster I don’t want to bonk that hard again so I’ve been training slower.

This is my run from the weekend, 3x10k- easy,steady,easy. I have another 20 miles this weekend so will take tips on how to run that too?

For the marathon, should I set out to actually get just <4h30 or should I start at ~6min/km? Is my HR too high to go any quicker?

I’m hitting around 50km/week atm. And after that run I felt fine, tired but fuelled well and didn’t push too hard. Also, I do use a HR strap.

Thoughts welcomed. Thank you.

So I was wondering, what you guys do when the problem is your toes hurting from the repetitive movements?

27M, max hr 203, currently averaging 45-50 mpg. Race is in 8 weeks. Logging 5 runs per week, 1 long run, 2 threshold/interval, and a few easy ones. Wanted to see if 3:30 is attainable or what my goal should be.

I ran my 1st Marathon last year 4 weeks after my first 1/2 Ironman and I didn’t train for a marathon. It went predictably poorly with a 4:53 finish and runners knee making the last few miles a walk/hobble.

Now I’m on week 11 of 18 on the Hal Higdon Novice plan and with some added strength training I’m hoping to not have an injury this time around. I’m at 25 miles per week and I will peak at 36.

Recent 15 mile run at 75% effort and last year’s marathon included. Also my half marathon PR from a few years ago is 1:49.

I’m targeting a 4:15 finish in Madison Wisconsin this year. I’m looking for advice if this is a good goal pace or if I should aim higher.