Ran my first full in Victoria last weekend!

36 F. 3:15:38 & likely another BQ for 2028

Marathon #2 in the books this past weekend in Chicago and almost a 7 minute PR from fall 2025 at Toronto Waterfront. Immediately cried at the finish. A relief to have 20 weeks of a slow progressive build pay off. IT WAS SO HARD on Sunday. The sun was relentless even in wave 1. I can't even imagine the experience of runners who started later than me. Kudos to them for battling through hotter weather and even sunnier skies.

Things I did this summer that worked for me as a very novice marathon runner:

-Running 50km+ every week of 2026 except the last week of my taper. I came down with a nasty cold that persisted past race day.

-Peak week 104km but with 8/20 training weeks @ 80k+

-No track workouts

-3 x 5k and a 3 x 6k @ MP as part of my last two long runs

-Four runs 30k or longer (max was 34k)

Moral of the story, I ran a lot more this training block and also started with a better base to start the year before I ramped up for Chicago. I continued to incorporate fast finishes and faster than MP into my long runs. I also did 2 double days a week so I could continue to do funruns with my local running group in the evenings after doing my solo runs in the morning before work. That helped a lot to break up all the solo running and still feel connected to my friends who weren't preparing for a big race.

Any tips for Boston in April? Living in Canada, I'm not expecting to be as fit for it throughout winter training and it's also a much more challenging course than Chicago, so I want to set a realistic goal.

To be honest, I'd prefer to enjoy the day and take in all the sights and sounds of a world major without a crushing time goal I'm not prepared for that takes me out of the joys of running Boston. Obviously I want faster times in the future but I'd rather execute a successful Boston Marathon by feeling prepared for the hills, regardless of the finishing time.

I work 7p-7a three nights a week as an RN and I'm trying to train for my first marathon in October. The problem is my body has no idea what time it is anymore. I'll finish a 12 hour shift, run at 8am after work, sleep until 4pm, then try to flip back to days on my days off for long runs with my group. My watch thinks I'm dying. My heart rate variability is all over the place. I tried fasted morning runs but nearly passed out at mile 8 because I'd eaten dinner at 2am like a gremlin.

The real kicker is my long run nutrition. I'm very nerdy about this stuff and I've been testing gels and chews but nothing sits right when my digestive system is running on night shift time. My soccer teammates think I'm insane for doing both. They're correct.

I found one weird trick that works: running immediately after my last night shift before I sleep, when my cortisol is already peaked. But everything else feels like a guessing game. Anyone else training on a rotating schedule? How do you handle the flip? Do you just accept that some weeks your body is confused meat and move on?

Hi all, Last Sunday, I ran my first “proper” marathon in 2:58, following the P&D 18/70 plan.

Technically, this wasn't my first marathon, but my previous one was poorly prepared and wasn't an official race. I've kept running since then, but it wasn't until this year that I really started taking my training seriously.

After following the P&D plan and achieving a sub-3 marathon I want to see how much further I can improve. I don't have a specific marathon race in mind yet, but I'd like to run another one next year. In the meantime, I want to keep improving my overall performance rather than immediately jumping into another marathon specific training block.

I'm just not sure what the best approach would be for the next phase of my training.

Would it make sense to focus on shorter distances first like the 10K, and follow a dedicated training plan to improve my time? Or would it be better off maintaining my mileage and using selected training blocks from the P&D plan to focus on specific areas, such as lactate threshold and VO2max, without following the full marathon plan?

Anyone doing the Palma this weekend. We’re at the Barcelona airport waiting for our flight. I’m running as is my son’s girlfriend.

Feeling ok but my training was interrupted by an adductor strain. Have been hoping to Boston qualify but now going to have to just see how it goes. There will be more races if this isn’t the one.

The good news? The forecast is low 60s with light rain.

Anyone have advice for running a race in the rain?

Let us know if we’ll see you in Palma on Sunday!

I have a few half marathons coming up over the next 7-8 months but i'm trying to decide on the best carbon plated shoe (for heel striking) for me.

context:
- 5'11, 74kg, (hoping) to be approx 1:30 for the half-maras.

I do actually have the Puma Fast-R's and while I can just about get away with them for 5kms, I don't trust them for my running style over the longer distances.

I've narrowed it down to three choices

• Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4
• Adidas Adios Pro 5
• Asics Metaspeed Edge Tokyo

What are your opinions?

I’ve been training consistently for a marathon originally scheduled for late November, but recently got notification that it’s been moved to December. This has completely messed up my travel plans and, to be honest, really knocked my motivation.

I’ve been running 40–60km a week for months, completed a 30km race in September and a 34km run earlier this month in 2:59, finishing feeling pretty comfortable. Previous marathon times are 3:58 and 3:45, and I was hoping to push towards 3:35–3:45 this time.

I’ve now got the opportunity to run another marathon next week, but obviously haven’t tapered properly for it. To make matters worse, I’ve picked up a slight hamstring tweak.
Feeling pretty deflated by the whole thing and half tempted to pull the pin altogether until spring. Equally, I hate the thought of wasting months of consistent training.

Would you take your chances next week or call it a day and target a spring marathon?

Where the data is from: I work on a running app. Runners connect their GPS watch, and some of them also have an official marathon result on file. I'm not naming it here because of the sub's rules.

What I did: for each runner I took the 16 weeks before their marathon and cut every training run into 30-second pieces of moving time. Races are left out. A runner's "everyday pace" is their median piece: half their training time was quicker than it, half slower. Then I grouped runners by finish time (everyone who finished near 2:30, near 3:00, and so on) and counted how much of each group's training time was at or faster than their own marathon pace. Thousands of builds in total, each with at least 25 runs in the window.

Reading the chart: each distribution is one group's training time spread by pace, lined up on everyday pace so the groups can share an axis. The real paces are written next to each row. Red is time at or faster than that group's marathon pace.

What it shows:

- 2:30 runners: marathon pace is 27% quicker than their everyday pace, and 9% of their training time is at or faster than it.

- 3:00: MP is 13% quicker than everyday pace, 16% of training at or above it. 3:30: 4% quicker, 33%.

- Around the 4:00, marathon pace and everyday pace are the same. Past that, most training is faster than race pace: 57% at 4:00, 78% at 4:30, 87% at 5:00.

- The slow side of the distribution barely changes between groups. The fast side does. Minutes per 100 that are 20% or more quicker than everyday pace: 12, 7, 5, 4, 3, 3 from 2:30 to 5:00.

Caveats, because this is a correlation:

• The faster groups also run way higher mileage and more frequently.
• "Everyday pace" is relative to each runner, not a lab threshold.
• It's watch data, so a 30-second piece blurs a short interval (or any faster segment) with its recovery. The fast-minutes numbers hold with 15- and 60-second pieces, with grade-adjusted pace, with walking pieces removed, and with heart rate instead of pace (time 15% above each runner's own median heart rate comes out around 12% for the 2:30 group and 1% for the 5:00 group). The at-or-above-race-pace shares are from the 30-second reading.
• It's a self-selected group: people who opted-in, and wear a watch + sync it.

Hey everyone!

I'm in a pretty tough situation right now and could really use some advice from experienced runners.

In just over two weeks, I'll be flying from Germany to the US to run my first-ever marathon – the NYC Marathon! 🗽🏃‍♂️

It's a huge personal dream of mine, and I've been looking forward to it for a very long time.

Unfortunately, my preparation has been far from ideal.

Earlier in my training, I was sidelined for about 5 weeks due to illness. Between that and a physically demanding job with long working hours, I haven't been able to complete nearly as many long runs as I had planned.

And now, with the marathon just around the corner, I'm recovering from another flu-like illness.

I'm honestly getting pretty nervous.

Part of me wants to get back out there as soon as possible and squeeze in some extra miles before race day. But another part of me knows that rushing back into training while recovering from an illness could make things much worse.

My biggest fear is having to cancel the marathon altogether after everything I've been working towards.

So I'd really appreciate your thoughts:

• How would you approach the final two weeks in my situation?
• Is there any low-intensity training or activity I can safely do while recovering?
• Would you try to fit in another longer run, or focus entirely on recovery and tapering?
• Has anyone been in a similar situation and still managed to finish their marathon?

At this point, I'm not chasing a specific finishing time. I just want to make it to the starting line healthy and hopefully cross that finish line.

I know I can't make up for months of missed training in two weeks. I'm just trying to figure out the smartest way forward without putting my health at risk.

Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot!

Thanks, everyone! 🙏🏃‍♂️

I ran Chicago this past Sunday and my body is feeling pretty good; just a little tired still.

When and how do you start exercising after a marathon? I won't be running another race until March or April, so I don't need feel the need to start running right away. I haven't worked out since the race out of caution but want to start working out again.

Had my second marathon last week and whilst I averaged 158 HR and a significant faster time, compared to last years average of 172, in terms of endurance it felt like an easy run and my and my brother could basically talk the whole time.

Still couldnt go faster because my body started to hurt relatively fast and that turned out to be the main limitation. At least, thats what I concluded.

I never bothered with strength training but it appears that if I want to take the next step and set for 3:30 (3:52 this year) next year, I am going to have to include it somehow.

So asking for help on strength training for those of you who do it and made it as efficient as possible because you dislike it as much as I do.

Edit, thanks all for all the responses! The general idea is that a kettlebell is a really good idea because you can do just about everything thats needed with just that, and adding more kms, both are doable.

Hi, has anyone had/have plantar fasciitis and was able to run. What did you do, what helps, how long were you in pain?

I have plantar fasciitis since February this year. I thought it will be gone in 4-6 weeks. But sadly it's still sore. I've been doing exercises and stretching but it doesn't work. I've shifted into cycling for now. But I would like to lace up my shoes again

Every Friday, please utilize this mega thread to share training/fitness and predictions. All pace predictions and past/current training weeks for 5 hour marathons will go neatly here!

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 5 hour crew throughout the year.

Post your weekly miles, breakthroughs, or if you need help with pace/fitness identification, questions here!

*new individual posts that's posted Friday re: 5 hour marathons/shape/predictions will be deleted/strongly recommended to post here!

I've been looking at the Amazfit Balance 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch and how they hold up during marathon training. For longer runs, I'd want pace, distance, and heart rate data that I can actually rely on, plus enough battery to get through a full week of training without charging every night.

The Amazfit's advertised battery life caught my attention, while Samsung has its running tools built into Samsung Health. I'm also curious about the recovery and sleep tracking on both, since those numbers can be interesting to look back on as weekly mileage increases.

One thing I'm unsure about is how much confidence to put in the data over longer distances. Do GPS and heart rate readings stay consistent on long runs, and have the recovery stats been useful alongside an actual training plan? I'd be interested in hearing what differences people have noticed after using either watch for a while.

Hello, two part question:

My wife is running her first full in December in Honolulu as a life goal prior to turning 40. She mentioned off hand it’d be funny/morale booster if I was in costume at different points along the way. I’ve got a couple sign ideas but looking for more, with Halloween approaching I thought I could probably pick up some costumes pretty easily and surprise her. Looking for any funny suggestions. I’ve never been to Honolulu, are chickens as prevalent as Kauai?

Second, our VRBO is close to the finish line but I was thinking about an e-bike or something similar vs trying to drive around to different points. Anyone have any experience with this? It’s just her and I for this trip.

I had to DNF my 20 mile peak week long run for NYX Marathon last weekend after getting attacked by an angry nest of wasps. This week was supposed to be my taper. But I wanna do my last longer run on Saturday. My training included two 14 milers, two 16 milers and an 18 miler. How many would you recommend i do this weekend with the race coming up so close

Hello, Is it first come first served?

I pre-registered, and received email today.

Registration period is 20 october to 3 november.

According to this information, all runners who register in this period, they will receive the personal link.

After receiving this link, just register as fast as possible?

I’d like to know the details. Thank you in advance.

Just ran Chicago in 3:27 and I’m already thinking about how to get under 3 hours!

I’m 42 and currently running 5 days a week, usually 40–55 miles. My training is generally one long run, one hard session and three easier runs. I absolutely love running and have definitely developed an addiction to marathons! I’m also doing 3–4 gym sessions a week, so I’m fairly active outside the running itself.

I do most my running early in the morning as I’ve a 17-month-old baby, I’m a school principal and I run a sports massage business in the evenings. Early mornings are what work for me, but I have to be realistic about recovery and fitting everything in.

I’m happy to put the work in and increase the mileage if needed, but I want to do it sensibly and stay injury-free.

For those who’ve made the jump from 3:25–3:30 to sub-3, what made the biggest difference? Was it getting up to 60–70 miles a week, running 6 days instead of 5, adding another quality session, or simply being more consistent over time? Would an easy double day help?

I’d be particularly interested to hear from anyone who’s done it in their 40s, especially if you’re balancing family and work alongside training. Is sub-3 a realistic target from here, and what would you change about my current routine to give myself the best chance?

Last weekend I ran the Chicago marathon after training for 18 weeks with Runna. My peak mileage week was only 40 miles for the training block (most weeks in the low 30s). In the past, I’ve ran a 3:52 and 4:12 (both about 6 years ago) and was hoping to break 4 hours in Chicago, but ended up having to stop and stretch a million times between miles 20-26 bc my hip flexors were cramping terribly. Ultimately came in at 4:23. My question is…is January 11th too early to try again with another marathon? Was thinking of taking it easy for 2 weeks following Chicago, and then doing a 12 week training block with higher weekly mileage than last time. I would def be shooting for a sub 4, but would be happy with a 4:10. Is this a terrible idea? Open to any and all advice! TIA!

Training for my first. I am a heavy sweater and live in a pretty dang humid climate. The race is in January, so it will be cooler, but the humidity never really goes away much here, though it should be less.

I've never done any sort of official race, so I'm curious - can you really get enough water and electrolytes from the little cups at the aid stations? I think the race I'm doing has a lot of stations (maybe every 2 miles?). I'd hate to have to carry something extra, but I'd also rather be hydrated well.

When it's crazy hot out here during training, I've been doing like 3 of the 500 mL hydration things with water/electrolytes during a half and then still feel like I need a lot of water to "catch up".

This is the course: https://www.celebrationmarathon.com/uploads/1/4/0/3/14038217/generic_route_map.pdf

Has anyone used the Garmin pace pro plan strategy for running in a marathon? I’m weighing my options and trying to decide to use it or pace myself. I’ve not run a marathon in 7 years so there’s new technology I’m not up to speed on.

Just ran the Chicago marathon and I was shocked by heavy I felt, much more than my 20 miler peak run. After peak week, I continued to eat like I was before and even eating a bit more carbs to try and stockpile energy for the marathon, especially the week of. I haven’t weighed myself so perhaps it’s all in my head but I visibly look a bigger and clothes feel a bit tighter. Now that I’m done with the marathon, I worry I’m gonna rubber band in weight without a race coming up.

Any tips on counteracting the weight gain without having to get back to peak marathon shape to negate the gain?