Ran my first full in Victoria last weekend!

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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

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.

More often than not it is not poor fueling or dehydration or lack of electrolytes if you bonk and run the 2nd half waaaaaay slower than the 1st half. A smaller positive split of 2-8 minutes could possibly be attributed to that, but anything more than that or where you have to walk, it is most likely you were simply running too fast for your fitness.

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?

I posted about running a full marathon without long distance training (around 20km a week), but a good fitness base: https://www.reddit.com/r/Marathon_Training/comments/1ww4mfw/marathon_without_enough_training/

I finally reconsidered because I was worried I would get injured. I finally went for the half instead.

I started conservatively at around 5:15/km. Probably too slow, but I did not really have a recent benchmark to base my pace on. Well, except my Garmin prediction of 1h43, which I considered not realistic given the lack of longer runs. But it turned up being very close. Anyways, I felt fine for the first couple km, I would say I felt even better as the race went on, so I picked up the pace and settled into roughly 4:30/km around km 12. Unfortunately, I cramped up around km 17 - 18 and had to stop for a quick stretch, which cost me some time. Still, I managed to finish in 1h45min.

Overall, it was a lot of fun! Cardio-wise, I felt great throughout and honestly think I could have pushed harder. The cramp was the main thing holding me back. Most likely legs not used to longer distances at that pace.

Looking back, I probably could have started a bit faster, with a more constant pace and had a better result, but I'm happy with how it went. Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on my original post!

Edit: added some additional info about my training

I just ran my 33rd marathon, and somehow this was the first time I tried a three-day carb load. I had always been skeptical about whether it was really effective. I’d read articles years ago questioning the need for such a long carb-loading period so I never adapted it.

I’ve generally had decent luck with marathons. If I was properly trained, uninjured, and didn’t go out too fast, I never really bonked. Yes, the last six miles or so were always difficult and somewhat painful, but I usually managed to push through and maintain my pace.

Now that I’m 57, I’ve been looking for ways to maintain my performance as I get older, so I decided to try the three-day carb load for the first this time.

The first day did not go well. I ate too much protein, filled up, and had trouble reaching my carb target. The next day, I focused on reducing my protein, fat, and fiber intake while maximizing carbohydrates. I also started loading earlier in the day, which worked much better.

Race day turned out to be a little warm in Chicago, but I didn’t adjust my goal. I decided to go for it. My heart rate was a little higher than expected right from the start, probably because of the heat and the excitement of the race. That worried me because I thought I might crash later.

I was dreading hitting the 20-mile wall, but then it never happened. The weather was getting really warm by this time, but I barely noticed. I was completely focused on maintaining my pace through the finish. My heart rate was a little more elevated near the end, but never reached a point where I felt the need to back off.

I ended up finishing about 11 minutes under my BQ time. My second half was only 16 seconds slower than my first half, and my final mile was the second-fastest mile of the marathon.

In retrospect, I don’t think I could have run that race without the extra carb loading. I set my PR 20 years ago and didn't really come close to it this time but I think this was my best marathon performance ever. Looking back, I think the one day carb loads I used to do were severely lacking. I didn't really track, just ate pasta for two meals which I now think was not sufficient.

I just recently ran a half marathon this month and wanted to sign up for a full in the spring. It gives me plenty of time but where I live has heavy winter december-february. I use a Garmin vivoactive 6 but the indoor treadmill setting is so inaccurate regardless of calibration over and over. I want to buy a stryd pod or some sort of fitness tracker that can sync with my watch for indoor training so that my training plans are accurate with respect to the execution of the workouts. Is the price of a stryd pod worth it and would it be effective for accurately tracking indoor treadmill runs and workout? If not, what are people doing for winter training- do you ditch the built in workouts all together and just track your progress, pace, effort, execution without a watch app plan?

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.

I’m running a half marathon on November 1st. I have not done a complete half marathon block. I know that I can easily run it, but I’m wondering if I should race it due to limited amount of LT Training. There’s a different Half Marathon and 5k this Sunday, and I’m also wondering if I should use either as a tune up race to help predict time. I could also use the half as a fun way to get 13.1 in a last time, and I could run it at easy pace. Here’s some data about my recent training.

Background**
- Started running outdoors ~spring 2026; previous aerobic base from indoor cycling and jump rope
- PRs: 5K 21:44 (Sept, rolling course), 8 mi 1:08:12 (Aug, San Diego), 8K 41:25 (May)
- Never raced past 8 miles. Longest run ever 15.7 (June). 5k is the only race that I’ve raced hard.
- 6 days/week, jumped very late into Pfitzinger Faster Road Racing Half Schedule 2. Followed his 5k plan before that.
- Easy pace ~9:50–10:30. Most of this block was in US South summer heat/humidity
- Most recent LT: 4 mi continuous @ 7:44/7:37/7:37/7:44 (Oct 7)
- Workouts column excludes strides (done ~1-2x/week)

Hey there!

Some background:

2 half marathons completed. (1:59:55, 1:54:19)
I ran about 12 miles a week before the plan.
I started the 16 week plan during the first week of august, and my race is in december. I’m about halfway done with my plan.

I hit strength at least once a week but I don’t have a proper strength routine set up.

I also cycle frequently, with about 30 miles a week, and I swim laps once every two weeks.

I have been running on treadmill since it’s so hot in Texas, but plan to transition to morning runs as it becomes colder,

I am currently training for a marathon using Hal Hidgon’s app, so I can’t really place a difficulty on it. If I had to say, It probably is between intermediate 1 and Novice 2.

Peak weeks have about 43 miles.

————————————

My main issue is that my knee pain has been becoming more and more of an issue as this plan progresses. I’ve noticed that with more rest, the PFPS (I think) subsides and I am able to run stronger and longer.

This brings me to my question. Since I have about another half of the plan left, I am debating cutting back a run day and either replacing it with a strength day or a rest day, effectively bringing me to 4 days of running a week and 3 rest.

I need opinions if this is a smart move, or if there’s something else I should be focusing on. I am already considering a PT, but since the pain goes away with rest I am deterred from spending money.

Got a marathon coming up on 11/8, so a few more weeks to figure out something that will work.

I think if I have to down one more gel I’m gonna hurl.

Anybody got some creative solutions that don’t get too melty?

Hi I’ve picked up jump roping with some consistency over the summer and have also applied to run for the Chicago marathon next year. I just wanted to check in with this community to see if anybody has ever directly used jump roping as cross training for long distance running. I’m hoping it’s a good idea but kinda just checking to see if anybody has had any direct experience with this.

Random thought but felt like I’d check in with this group.

Thanks!

r/mildlyinteresting, perhaps. Ran a 3:23:19 in Chicago last Sunday. I’m 28F. My avg HR for the marathon was 176. Garmin and Strava predictions updated after where Garmin is overestimating my ability by about 5 minutes and Strava is underestimating by about 7 minutes.

This was my first marathon, I was shooting for around a 3:35ish time in Chicago, that did not happen. Ended up with a 4:06.

Came out maybe a tad hot but nothing that was too unmanageable. Max HR is 185. Ended up blowing up pretty hard. I cramped pretty hard in mile 18 and that essentially lasted the last 8 miles.

Training block went really well, got in basically all of my prescribed mileage including 2 20 mile runs and 2 18 milers. Never blew up in any training runs and I believe the main culprit here was the heat and me not adjusting my pace to reflect that.

I’ll be back to get after it again soon. Despite how brutal and humbling this experience was, I am honestly just proud that I finished. Already excited to train for the next one(after I give myself some time to recover).

Hi guys,

I do work in logistic, the last week and begin of this week were physical, and i today woke up with my low back almost fully blocked.

I feel it going down my right leg, so sciatic nerve directly or indirectly concerned.

I am actually in my peak week of marathon block, i should run 85km this week, but i know i have to rest first. (i keep some mibility and yoga tho)

My marathon is on the 8th of November and i have 3 weeks or taper going like this: 55km, 42km and 30km + race.

Should i move to next week at least my long run (31km with some tempo) and/or my long tempo run (3x6km at pace), or just following the plan, and don't run them at all ??

It's gonna be my 1st full marathon, and i'll try sub 3h30 (10km pr 39min, HM 1h40 (Last november), 900km ran since may 2026.

Please give me your advice !!!

Thanks

Starting point

37M. Started running at 35. I then participated in a relay where I ran 11k@4:50/km without any running-specific training at all. At the time, I was bouldering a lot, around 4-5 sessions a week, eating healthily, etc., so I was in good shape. I got hooked, bought running shoes, became fascinated by shoe technology, and bought a second pair (nylon-plated) – now I’m up to 6 (which isn’t necessary, of course). Since then, I’ve been running regularly without any longer breaks, while still bouldering 2-3 times a week, which is my „strength training“.

Half marathon

In my first year, I ramped up slowly, from 25k/week to 50k/week. I raced a few 10k’s and got my time down to 42:00. Exactly a year after the relay, I ran my first half marathon in 1:35, followed by a 1:33 a few months later.

Marathon

My first marathon took place exactly 2 years after I started running (at the same event, actually). After that, I knew the marathon was my favourite distance, so I signed up for another one in fall. Here’s a comparison:

Take aways

How you feel during training doesn’t necessarily predict how you’ll feel during a race. For example, I did a workout of 28k w/ 21k@MP in both build-ups. During the first, it felt really easy, with a pace of 4:48/km and an average HR of 149 (my max is 190). During the second build-up, it felt really hard, with a pace of 4:42/km and an average HR of 164.

Spring and fall marathons are very different. Basically, training in perfect conditions and racing in warm temperatures vs. training in horrible conditions (I tried to avoid this by getting up very early) and racing in cooler temperatures. In my case, the spring marathon was the warmest run of my entire marathon block, while the fall marathon was the coolest run of the whole block.

How you feel during the first half of a marathon doesn’t necessarily say anything about the outcome either. I felt much better during my first marathon (at the first half), but I couldn’t maintain the pace after 30 km. The final stretch was pure torture. During my second marathon, things already started getting a little harder at 15 km, but I managed to maintain that effort all the way to 40 km. Taper tantrums are real. During both blocks, I was nervous while tapering and felt like I had injuries everywhere.

Don’t calculate your required pace for sub-x:xx based on 42.2 km. My watch showed 4:40/km in Munich, whereas the official result gives a pace of 4:43/km.

Forget heart rate during races. I won’t wear a heart rate monitor in races anymore, regardless of the distance. However, heart rate is important when going for a recovery or easy run.

Tips for improving

My ultimate lifetime goal would be sub-3, but I can’t imagine that happening. There are so many stories of people who cut their time by 20 min in a single training block. In my case, I have to accept that my progress is slower, also in shorter distances (my 10K PB is now 40:47, which I ran in my second build-up. That’s not much of an improvement over 42:00, which I ran when I was running way less, but maybe I’m just being too greedy). My next goal is to go sub-3:15 next spring. What was your biggest game changer in training? One problem I’ve had since I started running is that my threshold pace doesn’t improve, no matter what kind of training I do. It’s always around 4:15/km. I ran a 1:31 half during my first build-up, and I don’t think I’d be much faster now. I’ve just built up more endurance.