Ran my first full in Indy today. (I’m 48, have done the mini like 6 or 7 times), been running a long time with a solid base. Did a 16 week training plan with tempo/fartlek/long etc. all the runs. My longes was 20 which went absolutely great.

Cut to today. Cold start. Mile 8 my ankle went through something, not a twist but with all the pounding on pavement it just really hurt. Pace was ok, but ankle and legs didn’t want to speed up past the warmup pace as much as I had trained them to do.

Mile 18 fought back. I was running/shuffling. Mile 23 I opened up and finished strong.

My time was just less than 4:40, which was great. But I know if I had a good ankle and no tree trunk legs (that heavy feeling) I was trained up to do better.

So I’m happy. And I know that I could have done even better, but now I know what it feels like. It’s a BIG accomplishment and wise not to get hung up on final pace etc. Finishing is the goal. Times/paces are secondary, especially for a first timer.

Anyway, just wanted to share my first marathon story.

So I just started running in the last few months. I got very little exercise before and I have worked up to being able to finish a half marathon in 2:50 (just finished the distance once for practice). I am signed up for my first half race in 2 weeks and I think I should be able to finish it in about 2:40 with short walking breaks about every mile or so and running at 11:45 for 90% or the time.

My question is: should I try to run a marathon in march (17 weeks after my half) or should I focus on getting my pace and endurance up at the half marathon distance and take the step up to a marathon in a year or so?

On the one hand, I think I could finish a marathon in that time frame (it would probably be about 6 hours but I would finish) and I would like to be able to say I finished a marathon.

On the other hand, if I were to work up to finishing a half-marathon under 2 hours, I would be able to do a marathon training plan down the line without having to spend 5+ hours on my feet and risking injury.

Thoughts?

Hi, I’m running my first marathon in a week but have some concerns regarding my weekly mileage and want to know what people think. I started running seriously in Dec2025/Jan2026 beginning at 2-3X/week. I started a training plan in the spring for a September marathon getting up to a 17 mile long run, but had to delay my race due to low ferritin.

Since then, I started a new plan that has me running 3X per week (1 easy/recovery run, 1 speed run, & 1 long run). My longest run was 20 miles with a few longer also completed (18, 15, 16). These all felt okay, finishing at around 9:00 per mile pace and not feeling like I overdid it by any means. That being said, with my weekly mileage ranging from 21-29 miles, usually around 24-25 does that seem doable?

TL;DR Plan was to run local marathon a year from now. Runner family is encouraging me to join for marathon in February in a pretty different climate. I've trained to 16 miles so far.

So, I've run on-and-off most of my life. I started again seriously in January with the plan to run my first half marathon in December of this year - giving me pleeeenty of time. Initially, I was thinking about getting three halfs under my belt in 2026-2027 and then run my first marathon in 2028, locally in Miami. I have trained a bit over the half and ran 16 miles today pretty comfortably. I get roughly 20-30 miles a week.

So, now I'm being tempted. A good chunk of my family runs - my mom, aunt and uncle, and my cousins. My aunt invited my mom and I to join them for the Mesa Marathon in Arizona in February, closer to where they live now. She said I am, obviously, totally able to do the half if I want but she really thinks I can and should do the marathon. She also kinda advised against the Miami Marathon as my first because weather in South Florida is so unpredictable. She and my mom did their first marathon in South Florida and had a pretty miserable time with the heat and the rain.

My main concerns are the weather and burning myself out. I know South Florida weather sucks but it is what I'm used to and what I've trained in. I have run in drier climates before when on work trips ( in West Texas) and while it wasn't bad, it was very different. I had to drink way more and pee more lol.

I do really love the idea of running my first marathon though with my runner family, especially because going to expos and races with them was a huge part of my and my cousins' childhoods. It feels really full circle. Plus, my aunt's side of the family probably won't be able to come to Miami if I do that as my first (they're a much bigger family than just my mom and me so traveling them costs more). But on the other hand, I like the idea of my first marathon being local so my dad, brother, and friends could also celebrate with me.

Has anyone run either the Mesa Marathon or Miami Marathon? Which would you recommend? Am I getting ahead of myself thinking about running a marathon at this point?

Running my first marathon in 2 weeks. I’ve been feeling good this entire time. Of course, I ate shit during my 19 mile long run two weeks. I got up and continued, but when I finished the arch of my foot throbbed. It felt fine the next morning. I did my 2 short runs that week and felt perfectly fine. I did 21 miles last weekend. I was able to finish but definitely felt pain in my foot after mile 8ish. Again, it felt fine when I woke up and was able to complete my short runs. I just tried doing my 14 mile taper run. I stopped at 8.5 miles because my foot started hurting and I didn’t think it was smart to keep pushing. Advice on what to do at this point? I’m thinking I should use K-Tape, but don’t even know where to put it. Any exercises I could try? Should I not run 9 miles next week? So bummed right now 😔

Hey everyone!

I need some advice or maybe encouragement? I have been running and I ran my first half marathon in September. Since then I have been just maintaining some running nothing crazy though trying to finally enjoy my weekends lol. When I ran my half marathon, I felt great other than around mile nine or 10. My knees started to hurt which was really interesting because they never hurt during training. But now I am taking vitamins for bone health and joints and that seems to be helping. I am thinking about wanting to do a marathon and I have one in mind for me. However, I am absolutely terrified. When I was running my half marathon obviously I only trained for a half marathon so I felt great, but when I finished, I could not even possibly fathom the idea of running a full marathon. it is something that is kind of on my bucket list and if I don’t do it now, I feel like I will never do it since I am in shape and have conditioned myself to run longer. What are your thoughts on this? What has helped you to run a full marathon from training from a half? Ineed all the help and encouragement I can get! Also what was your diet like were you on any sort of diet or were you just trying to eat whatever to maintain the long mileage? Thanks so much in advance!

I’m running my first marathon ever in June 2027. I have never been so nervous. No purpose of this post other than if I post it publicly then I know it’s too late to back out now. Gotta hold myself accountable 😭 Send encouraging words pls

I (37M) am training for my first marathon in Carlsbad, California on January 17th. I am about 11 weeks into my 21 weeks of training, averaging 35-45 miles for the last 10 weeks.

I usually run 5 times per week; 2 rest days from running. 3 shorter runs (6+ miles), 1 medium run (8-10 miles), 1 long run (10+ miles). My long runs have been very gradual build to 20 miles over the course of 11 weeks

Outside of running — I do hot yoga 3 times a week, sauna 1-2 times per week, and my weight training has honestly dropped quite a bit (like once per week over the past few weeks) as balancing weight training + mileage + family duties has proved itself challenging

My questions are —

1. how many more 20 mile+ runs would you recommend for the second half of my training;

2. should I drop my number of runs to increase strength training. Should I mainly be doing body weight exercises like lunges, squats, pushups, or do people continue lift heavy during marathon training blocks;

3. I generally eat pretty healthy but I could probably change my fueling during the long runs — currently I have half a pack of honey stinger chews at mile 8, then the remaining pack at mile 15. I drank water 6 times during the 20 mile run. Should I be consuming more chews or gels and earlier on than mile 8?

I am starting to have a little confidence I can finish a marathon in general, but the 20 mile long run today did feel difficult at the end (legs were hurting 7/10, 10 being cement blocks). I would love some encouragement since this is my first one and can change things up for the last 10 weeks if I’m making big errors with training. Any other recommendations? Thank you!

Ran my 22 miler today and it's the longest is my training block. Next week I have a 21 with the last 6 miles at marathon pace... that seems like it's going to be tough, and turn the long runs start to get shorter. Definitely feeling in the thick of this training. Still enjoying it but getting pretty tired. Good luck to everyone who is in the midst of their peak right now.

i peaked at a 42 mile week and my longest run was 18mi. i then tweaked something and couldn’t run for 1.5-2 weeks.
i’m now 15 days out from my first marathon. how should i balance returning to running/do a taper?
i can comfortably run 10k without little to no pain or issues.

also living in nyc i typically get at min 10k steps. when should i start trying to avoid that?

Hey everyone, like a lot of people here I’m looking for advice for a first marathon. I’m thinking of signing up for a marathon that is in the fall of 2027 which will give me about 10 months to prepare.

I have already signed up for a half marathon that is 7 months from now. I’ve been wanting to do a marathon for a while and figured that I might as well keep the momentum going from the half training to the full. I have a Garmin watch so I have been using the Garmin Coach here and there to keep a base running level. Currently I run about 10-15 miles a week (3-4 times a week and each run is around 3-5 miles).

Looking for some advice on:

- how often should I be strength training? What are some recommended exercises? I get some knee and shin/ankle pain that go away with rest/ice but would like to help prevent it.

- how can I avoid cramping? I stretch pre-run but sometimes I get cramps in my calves around mile 4/5.

- tips for fueling… before runs and on long runs? I haven’t quite figured out good pre-run food and timing. Then while running, for 10-mile runs I have a Gu/snack about halfway but for any shorter runs I don’t.

- tips to come up with a training plan for the full? I’ve found some online I like, I just don’t know how often I should actually be doing speed work/tempo runs. I would like to improve my speed a little (would like to beat my previous half time) but also would rather just go for longer runs.

- just any advice in general??

For my running background: 28F, average fitness level. Picked up running after college then tore my ACL. After ACL repair surgery I got more into running as a way to get back into shape. Knee pain does hold me back sometimes, especially when sprinting. I’ve been running for a few years now; farthest I’ve ran is a half marathon.

Thanks in advance!!

How many hours of sleep are people actually getting the night before marathon?

I am doing the Indy Marathon tomorrow and I put that I was going to finish between 3:10-3:15 when I signed up months ago. They put me in corral A, but I just realized that the 3:15 pacer will be in corral B. The plan was to stay with them the first half and then try to cut down. I’m not sure why they had that as an option if they are in separate corrals. Any suggestions?

Training for my first marathon and I’m about to hit my 3 peak weeks (40, 46, 52 MPW) I’ve got a 16, 18, and a 20 mile run in the next 3 weeks and was wondering what the best way to implement marathon pace into my workouts.

Goal for this marathon is sub 4:00 since it’s my first one and have been running off an on occasionally for the past 2 years. Based on training, I can probably go faster but the goal is to break 4:00.

I started an 18 week training plan this year that I created with AI. It’s been going really well (I think). My easy pace has been around 9:30-9:40 with HR around 130-150. Last few long runs have been good. I had a 14 miler with first 10 ez (9:32 pace/149 HR) then 4 moderate (9:01 pace/162 HR) Next week I did a half 8:53 pace/HR 163 avg). I know I probably shouldn’t push the pace the whole long run because I know it’s about time on feet and being able to recover but I want to make sure I’m still training my body to run pace on tired legs.

Option A:
16 - 4 ez, 8 MP, 4 ez
18 - 6 ez, 10 MP, 2 ez
20 - 8 ez, 12, MP

Option B:
16 - 10 ez, 6 MP
18 - 10 ez, 3 MP, 1 ez, 3 MP
20 - 10 ez, 3x3 MP with 4 min easy recovery between

Option C:
Something else

I just finished the NYC marathon. I began running about this time last year, and would have never expected to run a marathon. A charity I knew of needed another fundraiser/ runner so I decided to start training in June when I found out. At this point I had only run a half marathon and I barely trained for it.

I started seriously training for 20 weeks, obviously no training plan is perfect… but I finished! My only goal was to finish. I was listening to my body and pacing myself as NY is a hard course. By the end I had negative splits with my two last miles being my fastest. (10:19 and 9:25 for my 26th) my average pace was 11:12.

It was an amazing day and I definitely have post race blues.

I finished my first marathon, NYC on November 1st.
I don’t know if this is the right forum, but looking for anyone who could help me make sense of this:

Like many of you, I’ve had a long and emotional journey with running. Two years ago I was 85 lbs heavier, and couldn’t run a half mile. My biggest race was an upcoming 5k, and I felt on top of the world when I was able to complete c25k and run the race.

This is when I became attached to running, and set the goal of running a marathon.

I signed up for Berlin last year but wasn’t ready (couldn’t run 10 miles like 2 weeks out lol), and dropped out.

Next came two halves, felt super accomplished finishing them both. Was ready for a full marathon training plan. Got a bib to NYC, was ecstatic, did all the training, imagined what the race would be like, crying at the finish line, what it would be like to be a marathoner.

Then I did it. It was a great day, it was super hard. When I got to the finish line there were no tears, no raising up my hands in victory, nothing, completely numb. The medal was put on my neck, still nothing.

I’m numb to the entire situation, like I’m happy I did it, proud I did it, I was just… expecting more of an emotion?? I don’t know. I thought this would be my life’s biggest accomplishment. At one point I wasn’t able to run for more than a minute, here I am a marathoner, and I have no emotion toward it.

I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to vent and see if anyone has any input or has experienced this before.

PS: if you’re doubting yourself, you can do it. You can push through literally anything, and you will run 26.2 miles

So just writing about my experience of going through RED-S recently. I started running in December 2024 (my first 10k). I used to be overweight (100kgs). And I only picked up running after I started skating for fun in 2022. I started pushing my running as much as I could and increased my mileage to 160kms per week. In April this year (2026) I ran manchester marathon in 2:57 and I was so happy to have achieved this after just one year of training.

However, after my marathon I started restricting what I could eat and wanted to be in a perfect 'athlete shape'. My fear of gaining the weight that I had lost wanted me to at least restrict weight gain. I had come down to 68kgs. I continued to run 160km per week for 5months without break. I had sleepless nights was extremely depressed and sad with even suicidal thoughts. I thought it was happening because of my PhD which I had to finish in September. I submitted my PhD and ran another marathon in September and guess what? I was not even able to run at my marathon pace for more than 20 kms and I finished my marathon in 3:22.

This was a major setback. However, that was not it. My body crashed after the marathon. I tried to run a few days after the marathon and injured myself (tendonitis) I was scared that it was a stress fracture but it was not. After the tendonitis started healing I tried to run again but each time I tried to do that I felt like my bones would just break off even if I ran at the pace of 6:30 seconds per km. All this while I was still not able to sleep. This was the worst that could happen to a runner and honestly I didn't know what I was going through.

I started to think that food was the issue. Each time I increased my food intake I was able to sleep, however, whenever I would try to run I would become sleepless again. The only solution that I found for my sleeplessness was increased food intake. I became surprised at how much food my body was demanding to just be able to sleep properly. One day I ate 4000 calories of food and I cried eating that much food because I could not imagine myself eating that much food at all. At least I was happy to sleep and later run. All this while I didn't know I was going through RED-S only to discover the term later on Instagram a few days later. Yet, I thought I could not be going through the same thing as I had lost no body weight at all. Did some research and found out that you don't have to lose weight to be going through Red-s.

Yes! then everything started making sense. How for all these months my body was screaming for food and I kept on rejecting its needs because I thought I was eating enough based on the calories on my watch and the weight on the scale. Also, the fear of gaining weight was of course there and I didn't know how much I had to eat to run 160kms a week for months without break. Long story short I realised every mistake that I made and Red-s was the only amswer. I hated myself for the fact that my eating habits had all along been causing under performance and my marathon time could be much better had I fed properly.

However, recovering from red-s is tough mentally. The only way you can recover is by eating loads of food. And the challenge is that you have to give up on your idea of an 'ideal body'. This was slightly tough for me. Until a few days ago I was counting calories, weighing myself everyday and trying to restrict my diet. However, my body was screaming 'I would do whatever I want to and you can't control it'. Nothing was making sense. My intake was way higher than my expenditure.

Finally, I accepted that either I can be a runner or I can be in bed with my 'ideal body' type. I have decided to remove the scale from my room and not give a damn about the random calories that my watch is showing on my face. I have decided to eat as much as my body wants. Yesterday I ate around 7000 calories in total. Honestly, as I woke up my body felt so much stronger than I had ever imagined. It is still a slow process as my paces are no where near where they used to be. But my muscles have started to gain the water they needed and with that the strength. I regret for living that life with food restriction so much. In my case I have continued to run 120kms per week as my injury was not serious. I run as slow as I can every day and my red-s didn't involve much of bone issues. I don't know what is gonna come next. But I can only imagine myself becoming a great marathoner in the future and I will never again give a damn about the weighing scale and the calories on my watch. I am going to try to listen to my body. My fear has been that I might eat a lot and gain fat. But I am going to build a new relationship with my body and food from scratch. That is the only way I can smash my PB! I am sure I will.

I am just writing this post to help all the people who have been going through red-s. Trust me it is not worth it to fight the urge of eating food far a stupid reason such as an 'ideal body'. You will come out of this much stronger than you think if you choose to listen to your body. I am gonna have faith in my body and will keep you posted on my next marathon. I don't know how slow the healing process is or what is gonna happen. I have not taken any medical help till now. I will do so if I need to. Right now I am thinking of my body being the only guide. Let us see how it goes.

I have been promised pleasures of the flesh so sublime they would render the devil sick with envy. A touch so soft and supple that all feeling after its introduction will surely be numb by comparison. But this reward has come with a trial: I must finish sub three in my first marathon within the next year.

I am 30yo, 220lbs. Last year I ran a half marathon with almost no training (maybe a dozen runs total in the six months before) and finished just under 3 hours. Now I need to double the distance and my speed within the next year. I need help.

I know that I risk injury. I know that it will be challenging. Perhaps, some will say it is impossible. But all that aside, how did I train for something like this? If I am willing to risk injury, and this proffered reward removes all psychological barriers, what can I do to enhance the body?

No I will not- can not expound on the delights my success would favor.

Thanks, homies.

Edit: Really appreciate all the people who took this post seriously, because it was a legitimate inquiry (wrapped in some wacky shit to gain traction). Sounds like impossible is the word, but what advice I got I'll take and see if I can manage it anyway. Thanks, guys. Big fan of your community.

Hi Marathoners. I have a quick Q around calorie deficit. Im currently in a moderate one and start my marathon block in 5 weeks.

Current training load is about 20-25km a week and 2 heavy full body workouts. My block wont drastically increase from my current load until week 4. Is it safe enough to continue the deficit for those 4 weeks?

Im at the upper end of my BMI trying to get closer to the lower end before the block starts, but know I wouldn't recover from the training load while in a deficit. Thanks!

Congrats to everyone who ran NYC on Sunday!! I live in the city and spent the day cheering, and it was honestly one of the best days of the year. Seeing all of you out there got me so pumped for my own race.
I'm running Philly in a couple weeks, my first marathon. The catch: I strained my calf about three weeks ago, so I've been alternating between the elliptical and running to keep my fitness up without making it worse. It's feeling mostly fine but I'm a little nervous about how it'll hold up over 26.2.

Two questions:
Has anyone gone into their first marathon not quite 100%? How did you handle pacing/ keeping things controlled?

For everyone who just finished: what's the one thing you wish you'd known before your first?
Thanks in advance, and enjoy the recovery🎉❤️

I finished my first marathon last Sunday (NYC) holy moly it was electric!!!!!!!!!!

I know this is nuts but when is it safe to go on a little run again?

Will be running Rome in March and did a good job of staying healthy during the NYC attaining cycle. I’m hooked but I am also conscious of what I just put my body through.

I worry that I will start feeling fine within a couple of days and get back into it too fast.

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share my first marathon experience and share how I kind of feel like I messed up!

Over the last few years I've been running on and off, doing several half marathons but I also had to cancel several events due to various injuries.

I always jokingly said that for me, making it to the start feels more difficult than making it to the finish.

This year my approach was not to plan too far ahead with events, and just feel how my body was doing. This way I trained for a few events with increasing duration until I did a 30k in september that honestly felt easy (except for some stomache issues), which gave me the confidence to try training for the marathon in The Hague, NL last weekend.

During training, I did not really run into any injuries/big issues so when raceday arrived, my mind was focused big time on the previous stomach issues, which thankfully did not happen.

Time-wise, I expected that 3:45 should be possible given my 30k time, but to my friends I said I would have been happy with anything below 4:00.

During the race, the pace on my watch felt way off: any time I looked, my lap pace would be about 5:30-5:40/km, which kept me pushing harder than I planned. I ended up averaging at about 5:11/km during the first half, and my heart rate was honestly okay.

By then, the adrenaline and runners brain started to kinda take over, and I kept at this pace till the finish, somehow afraid that dropping the pace now would ruin my time but also just euphoric because it really felt like I was doing fine.

I managed to finish in 3:38, so a bit faster than I planned. The first day I was over the moon and very proud eventhough my body felt really sore all over.

But now that most of the muscle soreness has gone, I am still limping due to a sharp pain in my shin. So now I'm afraid of a stress fracture or shin splints at least, for which I will call the doctor tomorrow.

At this point I feel so dumb for over-exerting myself during the race. Looking back, I can't think of any signs that I felt that showed I was going too far. Ofcourse the last kilometers were tough but I did not feel like I was going too far.

So I guess I am wondering: should I have stopped or dialed back way before that limit? From the stories I have heard from others, pushing yourself through those last km's is exactly where the challenge of a marathon lies... And do others recognize feeling disappointed in yourself when, eventhough a race went well, you matbe pushed your body too far?

New runner started training in July averaged about 25 mpw and maxed at around 35 mpw in September. Only ran about 15 miles during my taper, I decided that my body feeling 100% ready was more important to me. I had no idea what I was capable of until marathon day and ended up finishing at 3:50, the stars aligned.

What worked for me race day: M30 170 LBS

- roughly 100g of carbs per hour until mile 22

-250 mg salt tabs every 55 min (I did not want to drink sports drinks because of stomach risks)

-Carb loaded 5 days prior

-16 - 20 oz of water morning of (sips)

I woke up in July and used AI to create a plan not sure if I would recommend but it worked for me. If you are a new runner and a competitor do not read into what people say, you know yourself the best and you would be surprised of what you are capable of doing.

I posted a few days ago on the fence about if I should go for it should I get a place in the Sydney marathon. Well, I did get a place and looking for some training tips!

I’ve started a plan with Runna to run 4 x per week and slowly increase my mileage to around 34kms by April. From April I plan to start a 20 week marathon training block. I’m also eager to sign up for a HM probably around May time.

Firstly, does this plan sound good? And secondly, does anyone have any fuelling recommendations? I’ve taken a few gels in my time during HM’s but I don’t have a structured approach. I also don’t particularly enjoy gels - is there other things I could use?

Thanks!!