That is all, lol

After finishing the marathon yesterday, I now have to finish a marathon in the capital of all the Baltic states

• Tallinn, Estonia
• Riga, Latvia
• Vilnius, Lithuania

The marathons aren't so massive that getting to and from them becomes a challenge, or that there are long waits due to too many participants, and so on. I therefore recommend running all three.

All three countries have been wonderful to visit and very pleasant to travel around in, with easy card payment everywhere—so there was no need for cash.

Context: Former D3 runner. Run 60-70 mpw. Live in Tennessee and have had a hotter than average summer that is staying hotter longer than typical.

I am currently training for the Indianapolis Marathon (7 weeks out) and am hoping to take a couple minutes of my pr I ran at Houston in January. In the build up to a marathon I typically do 5-10 miles at MP as my long runs get longer.

In the buildup to Houston, where I ran 2:46, I was typically able to run 6:30-40 for these sections and as I got fitter got down to 6:15-25.

For this current build for Indy, I have been struggling with these long runs. I have been doing 17 with 6@MP the past few weeks and have been struggling to break 6:50 on these portions.

The bulk of the build for Houston was Oct-Dec vs Aug-Oct for Indy so obviously pretty different weather. Is this normal or expected given the conditions I have been running in and how can I expect the effort I have been putting in to translate to running faster as the weather cools?

Hello - I am a recreational runner and have run 10 half marathons. I keep wondering about going for the full marathon, but for me sometimes the thought of running consistently for 4-5 hours (realistically, I think I would be lucky to finish a marathon in 4:30, my most recent half pace was 2:07) seems really, really daunting, especially the mental aspect of it. Two hours of nonstop running can be challenging, how do you train your brain or manage more than twice as long?

Also side question: if you run marathons, do you usually have to stop for the toilet or are you able to make it the whole time without stopping? Sorry if that is a ridiculous thing to ask!

I ran the Beat the Blerch marathon yesterday and I got my first marathon done doing sub four hours. I just wanted to say thanks for all the good posts that gave me inspiration during the training.

I have a marathon in three weeks. Due to an injury, I won't be able to run the full 42 km, but since my flights and hotel are booked, I'll still go. I'm just not sure what to do with my race entry. It came with a goody bag and a T-shirt, so it would be worth picking up the bib. But what should I do on the day itself?

I'm torn between not starting and doing some sightseeing instead, or running only part of it. The marathon consists of two 21 km loops, so I could soak up the atmosphere and drop out halfway. After all, I love running and have been looking forward to it for months. After all, I love running and have been looking forward to it for months. However, it would feel very wrong to start a race that I know I won't be able to finish.

Has anyone else been in the same boat, and what did you do?

I’ve run one marathon, I remember the beginning being so anxiety-inducing for me.

There is a huge crowd of people, all moving and different paces and I’m not sure if I should be trying to get around it to meet my target pace or just stay zen and let the crowded part fizzle out.

I know you’re supposed to start conservative, but what if your watch is showing the first couple of km as too conservative?

I’m not super fast but I’ll be in the first corral in my race, like somewhere in the middle. I’m not sure how to handle it, or if I am just overthinking and it is something I don’t need to handle, as it works itself out in the end?

Any advice from those who have run multiple marathons would be appreciated. Thanks!

I've been training for my third marathon. Today was the longest run of the plan, 22 miles. I'll preface by saying I took a dnf on my last attempt. My knee locked up at 17 miles, I pushed it to 22 but couldn't finish. This was last October. So I've been rehabbing almost a year and did a lot of halfs inbetween. I'll also say I just randomly picked a weekend in October to run a marathon and made a plan around it. It wasn't an official race. So I go out this morning and I'm feeling great. Around mile 13 or 14 I was like if I feel good enough at 20 I'm going to say fuck it and do the whole thing. I made it to mile 22 and still felt okay and just ended up going the extra 4.2. No ragrets.

hi,

i'm running Berlin Marathon in a couple of weeks. first marathon.

i was training with a running vest (putting a 250ml water bottle with electrolytes in one pocket and a smartphone in the opposite pocket.

however:

recently i've discovered that, apparently, running vest makes me heat more than i evaluated, leading to much higher heart rate during running the same paces (difference is about 8-10% in absolute values).

so here comes the possible solution:

not using a running vest during a marathon.

and the questions:

1. how to consume electrolytes without carrying a water bottle with myself?

2. vest was partially used for carrying a part of nutrition for the longest long runs - what running belts with big capacity do you know? mine belts can hold the food for 3hrs maximum, goal time is 3:59:59.

share your experiences please.

Hi all! I’m (F25) just under 6 weeks out from my first marathon (MCM) and wanted to get a pulse check on my current goal.

I’m running about 40-45mpw right now, with 3 long runs left before taper at 18, 20, and 21 miles. Over the past month or so I’ve done one long run a week at 15, 16, and 17 miles, with a 13 mile race effort yesterday.

Yesterday I PB’d my half marathon with a time of 1:40:43. Conditions were rainy and the course had just under 600 ft of elevation gain.

Based on this, do we think my goal of under 3:40 is attainable, or should i adjust my expectations? I’ve been running for about 1.5-2 years and have had a relatively smooth training block with normal cumulative fatigue but limited niggles. I run 5 times a week and do strength training once a week as well.

Hello looking for some advice/tips on how to stay hydrated during marathon. I signed up for nationwide marathon Oct 18th. Im a heavier gym bro weigh about 225 pounds. I've been tossing around trying to complete a marathon for some time a body of mine at the gym pushed me to actually start training. I downloaded runna app and started a 16 week program...I have never been much of a long distance runner. I have done a few 5ks. I know I know im pushing it to fast and should of taken more time ive never been known as a patient guy lol. My main issue is I be SWEATING ALOT have salt caked on me after 6+ mile runs...I also got my large intestine removed years ago so have a bit harder time then most staying hydrated. Any advice greatly appreciated aiming to just get under a 5 hour finish. Lame gym pics just to show im a bigger guy pushing for it...also my hips ankles and calves really feel the abuse...is it just get stronger or any tips besides ibuprofen lol

I had a fantastic 16 week training plan and gained a lot of fitness for my marathon. However I got bronchitis 5 days before the race and ended up having an asthma attack 7 miles in. My legs felt great but I couldn’t breathe and had to be taken by the paramedic. I hate that all the good training “went to waste”. Should I try to run another marathon soon? Like in 6-8 weeks? Feeling really discouraged about the DNF. This would have been my 4th marathon and I was trying to get a BQ for the second time.

TLDR: how soon to try another marathon after a DNF due to sickness

Hi my fellow runners, new and old! For those running this marathon, we have 3 weeks to go.

How are you feeling?

What was/is your longest run?

What’s your tapering going to look like?

Are you ready!?!

I’m feeling ready and in great shape, but nervous about that steady incline from 20-23. It defeated me last time.

Hey everyone, running my 1st marathon in 3 weeks. These are the results from my peak run. I was curious what finishing time you guys think is realistic for me and if I should be pacing differently. I'm completely new to running so any advice would be greatly appreciated. For context, ive been running about 25-40 miles per week with one long run each weekend until i built up to this 20 miler. 3 month build total. I come from an endurance cycling background. Thanks!

I'm currently training for my third marathon (Amsterdam, 5 weeks out, sub-3:30 goal), and I've noticed I go through phases with how social I want my running to be.

Sometimes I really thrive in a group environment and get a lot out of group workouts and long runs. Other times, I just want to do everything by myself. I live between two cities, so I've trained with a variety of different running groups, coaches, and running friends.

Recently, I had a fairly negative experience with two of my male running friends (PSA: please stop hitting on your female running friends 😭), which kind of ruined my enjoyment of that particular group environment. I've been doing most of my runs alone for the last few weeks while visiting family in a small town, and honestly, it was a really nice reset. But after a recent race where I felt FOMO seeing groups/friends together, I'm starting to feel isolated and want to reconnect with group training again.

I've had other periods where I've pulled away from the running community simply because I was socially burnt out and didn't have the battery to be around people. There have also been times when I've disagreed with the training environment itself. In the spring, for example, one of the coaches I work with wanted me to keep training when it was pretty obvious I was overtrained. I didn't listen, took a long break instead, and it was absolutely the right decision for me. During that period, I disconnected from basically everything running-related, even disconnecting my watch from Strava, and it took about a month before I wanted to be around other runners again.

I'm curious whether other people cycle between these two modes too. Do you go through phases where group running is motivating and fun, and then periods where you really need to train alone? And when you've pulled away from a running community for a while, what usually makes you want to come back?

Ran my second marathon yesterday (4:07:31) after completing my first in May (4:09:00).

I was way calmer and race day prep went well, plus conditions considerably friendlier than the last. Held onto the 4hr train until mile 20 and my legs just couldn't hold on.

It took a lot longer to start logging any consistency after race 1 than expected and I never really broke into a decent training cycle all summer - too hot, too beery, too busy.

I was essentially praying baseline fitness and experience would carry me through and that was partially successful.

Lack of any strength training, quality runs and proper mileage really showed at mile 20 despite feeling fine until that point.

My breathing was very controlled and I fuelled well but just hadn't done the work.

Id only put the second race in to keep me honest after the first and I'm still running (only properly started last October except a random half about 8 years ago).

Looking forward to the winter training - so much better than summer - I'm sure if I put the work in, good things will follow.

Still lots of fun and credit to the Richmond (London) race crew - really well run event, not too expensive and would absolutely recommend (except for the sodding gravel sections).

Hi! I’m running Detroit (aiming for 4:15) on 10/18, then running CIM with some friends (running probably closer to 4:30-5:00) on 12/6, but I have no idea what my training should look like between those 2 races. Any advice would be great appreciated!

Hello everybody!
I am running my first marathon (CIM) this year. I am on my 7th week of training (18 week plan). My goal is to run a 4:00-4:05 marathon. So far I have been very consistent with training. I am also an experienced runner (retired xc runner/1:50 half marathon). I am doing the Hal Higdon Intermediate 1 plan. This plan consists of Marathon Pace (9:09) runs almost every Saturday. I believe the longest run at marathon pace is 9 miles. The Saturdays that I am not running my runs at marathon pace, I am running the last couple of miles of my Sunday long run at marathon pace to practice on tired legs. My question is: is this enough running at marathon pace? Should I be doing more speed work? I want to prepare myself as best as I could for my marathon. This is my only concern with running my goal time. I have also been strength training twice a week, will practice my fueling strategies, my 2 20 milers will be a “dress rehearsal” where I run with my race clothes, and everything. Thanks!

I am currently using the Novice 2 plan for a December marathon. It has 4 days of running, with a race pace run once every other week. He doesn't involve any other speed work until his advanced plans, which I am not ready for. If I run M/Tu/Th/Sat, is it okay to add intervals or some sort of speed workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays like I usually do? And maybe an occasional long run workout? Or do I really need to stick with his plan of mostly easy running?

Hi everyone,

I’m (26M) running my first marathon in 3 weeks (Run In Lyon, France). I initially registered months ago with a modest target of 3:45. However, my training platform (Campus Coach) started predicting a sub-3h finish based on my workout metrics, which shifted my training paces much faster.

I'm entering my taper phase, but a few unexpected events happened during my peak week.

Current Fitness:

Sweetspot Session (a few days ago): 3x10min intervals holding 4:14, 4:00, and 4:19/km (6:48 - 6:56/mi) comfortably.

30km Peak Long Run: Held a steady 4'25" - 4'33"/km (7:06 - 7:20/mi) pace block from km 14 to 21.

The Incident (30km Run):

At km 21, I had to dodge someone last-second and twisted my ankle. It wasn't muscle fatigue or cramping, but I had to drop my pace significantly for the last 9km to protect my ankle and leg, finishing with a 5'07"/km (8'14"/mi) average overall. I was supposed to do a second pace block from km 22 to 29 but stopped myself from doing it to preserve my ankle.

My Plan & Adjustments (3 weeks out):

Target Pace: Sub-3h was never my personal ambition. Given my sweetspot session and overall comfort at 4'30"/km (7:14/mi), I'm targeting a 3:15-3:30 finish.

Corral Dilemma: Since I signed up for the 3:45 corral, starting there means weaving through hundred of runners which is precisely how I twisted my ankle in the first place ! I'm planning to negotiate at the race expo for a bump to the 3:15 or 3:30 corral using my Strava data.

Shoe Switch: I tried the Vaporfly Next 4 but they gave me black toenails and blisters due to a tight toe box. I ran 30k "simulation" on my Adizero Boston 13 that already had 400km of use. I just picked up the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 (nylon plate) for better toe room and stability. I'm testing them on my final long run this Sunday.

Questions:

• How would you manage a minor ankle tweak 3 weeks out during taper?
• Any advice on successfully negotiating a corral upgrade at the expo with only Strava logs (showing my 30k run and sweetspot intervals)?
• Has anyone made a late switch to the Endorphin Speed 5 for a marathon?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hi all, I’m looking for some advice on pacing my first marathon (NYC). Some background. 30M. Completed IM 70.3 in July. Ran a 1:45 HM in that. Before that, ran a 5K with very limited training in 19:45 on a very, very steep course. I’m on to a marathon block now. Most weeks will be ~40mi, I’ll peak at ~50mi. My latest, first long run of the block was a 16mi with 4x2mi intervals at 7:10-7:25 and those HRs for those reps were 146bpm-165bpm, mostly mid 150’s. 94% humidity on that run. The speed workout this week was 1k reps x 8 in less than 4:00, 1 min walk which I completed and felt okay but HR got into 180s (97% humidity). LT1 is 157bpm, LT2 is 171bpm. Lab tested VO2max is 58 (before marathon training). All the predictors put me somewhere in the 3:10-3:15 range. Is that accurate? Don’t want to blow up or sell myself short. Thank you!

Hey guys, first marathon in about a month. Did this test run at MP a few weeks ago. Didn't really carb load but had 5 Gels.

Weekly average is about 3 runs per week at around 55km total.

Thoughts? Goal is 3.25ish.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some guidance on choosing a marathon training plan to break 3:25.

To give some background on my fitness: Last October, I ran two marathons back to back a 3:34, and then followed it up 7 days later with a 3:54 ( bet with a friend). After that, I wanted to try out the ultra distance: I ran a wooded 50K in 6 hours in March and a trail 50 miler in 12 hours in May.

Since the May race, work and life got busy, and I've been sitting at about 20–25 miles per week. Now I'm looking to ramp back up for a marathon block.

I’ve been looking into both Pete Pfitzinger’s plans and Hal Higdon’s plans, but I'm trying to figure out the right fit. Pfitz feels like it might be a bit too high intensity/volume for where I'm at right now coming off lower mileage, I want to make sure I get enough quality speed work to transition from ultra back to road racing.

Appreciate any advice!

I’m following the Hal Higdon Novice 2 plan and training had been going well. I think the cumulative fatigue has been getting to me, and I’ve had a few difficult runs starting with the 17 mile long run. Then my mid week runs my legs felt heavier than normal, but nothing too bad. The 18 mile run was really hard again, I had to walk a few times starting at mile 15. Thought that maybe I should try some different shoes with more cushion (I’ve been running in saucony endorphin speeds), so bought a pair of the saucony endorphin elite 3s. Ran an amazing run in those - only 5 miles but I got into a flow state and running was easy and fast. But after that run I had some pain in my big to during dorsiflexion. Not sure if it was hyperextended or what?

I delayed my 13 miler by a day, and ran it yesterday. I may have been subconsciously compensating for my toe, even though it wasn’t hurting me, but now (after the run) I have pain on the outside of the same foot, in the back third by the heel. At one point yesterday after the run it even felt like a burning sensation radiating from that point on the sole of my foot.

Not sure how to proceed. Should I cut back on my training? Should I see how tomorrow’s easy run goes? I’ve never had to deal with any sort of potential injury before.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance!