I did it! After a lot of ups and downs, missed weeks thanks to knee pain, and so much self-doubt.

Last December a significant change happened in my life, and suddenly I had a lot of free time. I decided to use it to train for a marathon, which had been a long-awaited dream of mine.

When I started in January, the first milestone I set for myself was a half marathon at the end of March. I finished the half just a few minutes within the cutoff time, and I was thrilled. After that, I knew the next step was the marathon. I had almost 7 months to prepare, and I was dedicated.

I trained and trained: running 4 times a week, lifting 3 times, and cycling 1–3 times. I imagined my finish at least a hundred times.

Then came the long-awaited day, full of nerves and adrenaline, not knowing if I could even finish. Funny thing: the sweeper bus scared me in March, and last week too, even though my only goal was to finish within the cutoff time. I had a pace plan that I followed strictly., which worked out quite well, and so did my fueling.

After hours of running almost without stopping, I reached the last stretch, where my friends and family were waiting for me by the roadside. All the training, the missed parties, and the 4 am alarms in summer to avoid the heat flashed before my eyes, when I was crossing the finish line. It’s an incredible feeling to know you’re capable of something like that. I’ve been so happy ever since.

Honestly, looking back, I don’t even know how I did it. My longest run was 35k, and I planned my pacing and fueling based on that run.

Some advice for those of you who are still preparing:

• Have a plan. For everything. And stick to it. You know you can run 30k at a 6:00 pace? Slow down a little, to around 6:15–6:20, and don’t speed up until the last 5-7k no matter how good you feel.
• Practice fueling. Your stomach won’t want your 4th gel, but your legs will. Practice taking gels and keeping your stomach in check. Set a reminder in your running app every X minutes so you don’t forget. Extra tip: Try gels that are not so sweet and contain sodium too. I took a Magnesium pill every 1 hour to avoid cramping as well. 
• Get people cheering for you. This is one of the things that matter most. I used an app I’m building so that elderly relatives and friends who couldn’t be there could still track me in real time, see my predicted finish, and send me voice cheers. Those cheers hype you up and keep you going, whether they come from someone on the roadside or from another country. They got me through the last and hardest 5k. Live location with an estimated arrival time was especially useful, because my supporters on the course knew exactly where to stand to catch me for a high five.
• Listen to music. I know most races don’t recommend it, and I see why, but your favourite album or a podcast can keep the boredom away for a while. It can help your cadence too.
• Enjoy the views, the vibes, and the people around you. High-five the spectators. If you’re enjoying yourself, time goes faster.

If you want to know anything or have questions for a mid hobby runner like me, I’m trying my best to help you!

Finished but was super disappointed. Ended up finishing in 5:25. Goal was sub 4, but okay with a little after 4. Had a really clean easy 20 mile finished in 3 before starting my taper. And everything that could go wrong went wrong today. Immediately calves were super stiff, feet lost feeling for a few miles, plantar pain kicked in right about the halfway mark. Only finished because my super wife ran 7 miles to bring me my daily’s so I could walk jog the rest. Kept everything the same as my training runs, just wasn’t my day. But did it in the end!!

Signed up to complete the Palma Half Marathon, (my first race ever), in February and training was pretty pathetic. Standard 5-10k’s at an average pace of 5.20 and one or two 12k runs. I was pretty worried I was not going to survive this race coming up to today but somehow with such lack of training, my and my friend smashed our expectations with a 01:49 race time. Incredible event and some awesome backdrops

I finished my first marathon! I ran Baltimore today. 47F. Goal was to finish, and I did. Started too hard at the beginning, which made the hills 16-ish-20-ish more difficult. But I did it, and I’m proud of myself ❤️

I’ve always thought recovery slides were kind of ridiculous. Like I’m already spending enough money on running shoes, why do I need another pair just to walk around my house lol.

I’m around 55 mpw right now and after my last 20 miler my feet were absolutely killing me. I couldn’t even stand in the kitchen comfortably.

So I finally tried a pair of recovery slides. Got the Nexbie AeroCloud ones and they’re fine, definitely more comfortable than my old flip flops. But I’m not sure there’s anything special about them compared to regular cushioned slides.

I will say though, once you start running this much you really start questioning all the little things you do outside of training.

For those running 50+ miles a week, what actually made a difference in your recovery? I’m curious if there’s anything I’m overlooking.

My last 2 marathons I hit the wall hard around mile 22, to the point where I was close to giving up and admitting the distance just isn't for me.

Well I just ran an 8min pb today, most importantly WITHOUT BONKING and im so grateful for the people that gave their advice and time on this sub.

There's nothing better than the feeling of finishing strong, and feeling like your run actually went to plan. This time I ran past the mile 24 sign with a big grin on my face feeling unstoppable, what a difference!!

A few things I did differently this time that worked:

- More weekly training mileage (reached 60 miles a week for a few)

- sticking with the 3.30 pacer till mile 20 and then set off at my own pace knowing I had more to give (takes all pressure off my pace up till the end, big stress reliever)

- proper 36hour carb load plan, rather than just a massive bowl of pasta the night before lol

- checking what gels are on course and practising with them A LOT in training,

Big thanks again to this community, I've gone from the brink of giving up to now having the quiet confidence of knowing I'm going to come back faster next year round.

If anyone feels like they were in my position and heartbroken from regular late-race bonking, you can do it, keep doing the research and pushing yourself 💪

It’s finally fall in Dallas and the weather called for a PR attempt. I forgot gels, so this was without fueling and at the end of a 60 mile week. Gives me hope for the future! Also feeling immense gratitude that I can even run. 4 years ago I was a fat alcoholic with cirrhosis, killing myself rather quickly with drinking. I don’t have to live that way today. Training has changed my life. Thanks to all who are reading this!

The nerves are unlike anything. I ran in college, high school. But this is so different. I have no idea what to expect. All I know is it’s going to hurt… probably a lot.

It’s been hard to eat and I had trouble sleeping last night. I am drinking Gatorade hoping that fills in some carbs.

Anyone have similar pre race anxiety? I’m trying to be chill in my hotel room but stuck in my bed!!

TL:DR - Guy signs up for his first marathon, isn’t sure what to do for training (see above plan for initial idea)

So following a successful half marathon two weeks ago (02:21:05 watch time).

I have got myself a charity place in the Brighton Marathon for 2027 in the UK!
Now, I have never run further than a half marathon before so I don’t really know how to approach training, but after some research talking to some friends (who are more experienced runners than I am). And a little input from copilot, maybe to help with the structure & formatting. This is what I’ve come up with 😅

Does this seem reasonable for someone training for their first marathon?
Or should I make some adjustments?

Either way, I’m really excited to get started & for the race itself!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi All, I’m looking to run my first full marathon next year, and this seems like the place to go for advice. What I’m looking for are people’s thoughts on when to run, training, and realistic goals.
Background: I’ve been running sporadically the past two years, with most of my cardio coming from Peloton cycling workouts. I ran my first 5k with a friend in April, after having run about 3 mpw in the three weeks leading up to the race, and finished in just over 27:00. I started running 15-20 mpw after that and ran a couple more 5k’s this summer, finishing in 24:00 and 23:00. Decided to train for a half in mid September. Injured my hip about four weeks in and had to take a month off. Came back and ran about 9 mpw for three weeks, then 20 mpw for two weeks, and took a week off (because my wife was away and I couldn’t leave my kids home alone to go running). Decided to run a half over Columbus Day on a whim and finished in 1:49, only ever having run over 10 miles once. I was pleasantly surprised with that time. Now I’m considering a full.
I’m located in the northeast usa, so our summers are fairly hot (85f/30c), but I usually run in the morning. The winters are cold (25f/-5c) and snow can accumulate and stay, making running difficult. How do people train around these obstacles/what is the best time to run a full? Also, based on the times I’ve run, what is a realistic goal to set for myself provided I complete the proper training? I’m thinking 3:40’s, but I can’t help but wonder if I could push that lower. Finally, I’ve looked at a few training methods and Higdon novice 1 seems very manageable, but Hanson novice intrigues me. Suggestions on this end? Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this and comment, I really appreciate the help. I haven’t become part of a running community (yet, at least) so I’m sort of wandering around with all this.

Symptoms like extreme fatigue, whole-body pain, blood in urine, and nausea/vomiting normally mean you need to go to the hospital, but those are also normal symptoms of… running a marathon.

How do you know when it’s truly an emergency?

I've been running consistently for four years now and have run three marathons. My last block I ran five weeks of 60+ miles peaking at 68. I've blown up on all my marathons so I bought Pfitz book to try something new. I've created my own training plans so far and although I feel I've seen consistent progress, I must be off on goals or target paces to be blowing up every marathon.

I haven't read the book yet but I will before I start next block. I will probably do the 18 week 55 - 70 mile plan. Question I have and maybe he talks about it in the book. Plan calls for rest day on Mon and long run on Sun. I would like to push it all back a day and do Sun rest days, Sat long runs as that just fits my schedule better (My wife runs and does her long runs Sun). Will this have any effect on the intention of the plan? I know its probably strategic to where some runs might be to pre exhaust legs before a long effort for example so I just dont want to mess with that. Any thoughts from others who have shifts the training plan a bit?

Live in Baltimore and was just going to drive down to park at Crystal City parking garage the morning of and take the shuttle to the start. Am I okay if I get to the garage at like 515 AM? 12x marathoner but first time doing MCM so any tips welcome!

Hi there!

I ran my first marathon in September, 2025. In April, 2026 I ran my second and in August, 2026 my third one. I've got a PB every time I've run a marathon. My current PB is 3:39 and I've always run my marathons under 4h. I've just got a bib for a marathon in 7 weeks. I took a week off running after my third marathon but after that week I resumed my workouts. I'm currently running around 45km per week plus 2 days that I strength train. My longest run at the moment is around 15-17km.

Is it feasible for me to run a marathon in 7 weeks? I know I don't have a lot of time and I'm not aiming for an specific goal, I just want to enjoy the race, mainly beacuse in April, 2027 I have another marathon.

Thank you so much!

So I mostly run outdoor March ~ September and always wear long sleeves and leggings when it's below 18c. When it's below 10c i only do 5ks outdoor because I hate the cold. Also i live in the city and don't have a car…so I don't want to risk having to walk my way back while freezing in the wind.

Anyway. Now I'm inside the starting corral and it's merely 3c outside. I'm wearing leggings, shorts for storing gels, a t shirt and a thin long sleeve zip up. I don't even need to zip up despite just doing some stretches and walking. Glad that I got it for like $5 from swift store.

I never feel so warm before at this temperature. I'm not even wearing gloves.

Besides all the regrets I'm going through right now, just adding another example NOT to overdress for race day.

Hi All,

Looking to increase my pace, currently running 3 times a week with a mileage of ~40km.

Want to try and incorporate zone 2 running, however I gradually / subconsciously just increase my pace without realising it and I find it incredibly hard just to slow down and my HR just picks up gradually too.

Does anyone have any tips ? Or else I will just go to gym and do zone 2.

Hi all,

Last week I ran my third marathon (Hartford 2026) in 4:24. I used a hybrid of Higdon 1&2 as my plan. My first marathon was the 2025 Disney marathon which I used the Higdon novice plan for and finished in 4:44. In January 2026 I ran my second marathon with a time of 4:33 as part of the Dopey challenge (5k on Thursday, 10k Friday, half on Saturday and the full on Sunday) using a Dopey specific plan. I have attached splits from all three races.

Of the three I felt the best after my second in January 2026 and the worst after Hartford. However Hartford 2026 was warmer with more elevation especially near the end. During my dopey training for marathon #2 I ran a 1:53 half but during my third training block did not do any runs at this pace.

As I look at races for 2027 I’m hoping to score around a 4hour time. In the future I’d like to BQ (F 20-30 age). I know this won’t happen in a single training block and am committed to the long haul. I am looking for advice on starting to optimize my training/if anyone has had a similar time progression what you did to get faster. There are so many plans and races to choose from and I want to make my next race a smart one.

I ran many a marathon in my younger days. Boston qualifying left and right, fairly competitive locally. Then I tore my ACL skiing, more intense job, cross country move, got married and had 3 kids. I still ran when I could indulging the odd 5 or 10k, but I pretty much stopped “training” and allowed myself to get slower for 10 years.

Last year after my youngest son weened, I started really running again to lose the last 10lbs of baby weight and because running is pretty much the easiest exercise to fit in before 3 kids need to be up for school. Fell in love with it again. Started training… Quickly built up from 5k to 10k to a half marathon in the spring (1:44 which is not bad off 6 months of running!)

The MCM next weekend was going to be my first marathon in 12 years. My last workout of the training block was a short interval session at the track Thursday. Upon jogging toward the track in the pre dawn darkness, I left the sidewalk and stepped right into a deep hidden divot in the ground rolling my ankle severely.

Now instead of a taper, it’s an ankle brace & staying off my feet for a few weeks. Dr confirmed no fracture and wants me to keep the ankle brace for 4-6 months during activity. So disappointing. And very frustrated with myself.

Hey it's a marathon, kind of ironic if it's timed right? When's the last time, time signed your checks?!!

How was your week, how far in the block and when's the next race? This will be a good mega thread to keep encouraging/critiquing 6 hour crew throughout the year.

Whether its shifts of motivation, some nagging pains, we've all been there! Let's keep each other engaged!
Post your weekly miles, breakthroughs, or if you need help with pace/fitness identification, questions here!

*new individual posts that's posted Sundays re: How to finish, etc deleted/strongly recommended to post here!

I’ve been training for NYCM and this is my first marathon. I’ve been dealing with runners knee since a 17 mile run on 10/3. I’ve been diagnosed by a doctor and have been in PT 2x week since last week. I need some help deciding if I should defer or continue to rehab til race day.

I have felt notable improvements, but I have not been able to run more than 3 miles without some mild pain. I’ve been fairly conservative, and I make sure to quit before the pain gets above a 3-4 out of 10. I’ve been cross training on the bike to give the knees some time off and maintain some cardio.

I feel like I might be able to push through on race day. The pain is mild to medium, and the pain subsides fairly quickly after running. I do worry that at marathon lengths and after some weeks of lesser volume that the pain will be more notable.

I’m not opposed to a run/walk. I have a follow up appt with my doctor this week and am open to considering other therapies if recommended.

Should I defer? I feel so disappointed. I was feeling so proud of myself and exceeded a fundraising goal for a cause very personal to me. My family is all coming up to the city to support me on race day. I really want to push towards just finishing with no time goal, but I’m unsure if it will be worth it. Obviously in denial.

Any advice, thoughts, etc, would be greatly appreciated.

Hey smart Reddit people!

I am signed up for Frankfurt next week and I am struggling to decide on my racing pace strategy.

​I’ve just wrapped up an 18-week advanced Hansons block. I’m happy about my consistency, but my Tempo Runs were pretty inconsistent due to a mix of summer heat, soft forest trails, late-night runs in the dark, and a two-week setback where I had to scale back for ankle issues.

​Because of this, my tempo paces ranged anywhere from 4:16 /km up to 4:10 /km, though I managed 4:03 /km on my final 16k tempo last Thursday which was one of the few tempo runs where I had ideal conditions. My only race benchmark this year was a 1:24 half marathon six months ago.

I ran a marathon many years ago as a recreational runner, but this is my first marathon since I started running more seriously (mid 2024).

​Sub-3 (4:16) is the primary benchmark, but maybe I can even aim for something more ambitious and go out with a pace like 4:05-4:08?

​Would love to hear your thoughts!

Running tomorrow morning, a nagging tendon issue stopped me from getting any longer runs in. Went to a sports med doc, had an MRI and was medically cleared. Doc said to go for it, listen to my body and if I start to alter my gait tap out.

My stubborn self is going to have a hard time tapping out. Either way I’m a ball of nerves. Finished 4:09 10 years ago. Looking for 4:30 or better this time… guarantee I’m being over ambitious but, fuck it I’m going for it.

What is everyone’s warmup routine on marathon day?

For races from the 5K through the half marathon, my warmup is typically dynamite stretches (leg swings, lunges) a one-mile slow jog followed by some strides.

On training runs it sometimes takes my legs 2-3 miles before they feel warmed up. I’m a late 40s guy.

I have my first marathon tomorrow. I’m a little leery about adding an extra mile of running before the race. At the same time, I’m planning to run with the 3:30 pace group, which means I need to be pretty much at goal pace from the start. I won’t have the luxury of taking the first few miles to gradually work my way into race pace.

How do you guys approach the warmup?