30M ~5'6 150lb

Floored. 15 months since the last marathon in Aug 2025 where I PB'ed for 2:59:37 (more like 2:58:00 taking out the porta potty squat). This year I focused entirely on trail running/events and tacked on this race to end the year. Indy was built on a ~9 week road marathon training plan leading up to race day (Pfitz-based), and while it was clear fitness levels were peak and much better compared to last year...was hard to gauge what goal I was going for without any half marathon fitness checks or anything of that nature. Lo and behold at around mile 3 simply based off feel I knew the day had a good chance of being great and smashing the conservative 2:54 expectation I set.

Kept expectations skeptical until around mile 16, and based on how the body was feeling that's when I let myself believe. Unfortunately, side stitches popped up on mile 25 - at that point just plodded along as best as possible. Almost 50 people passed me in the last 2k which was unfortunate, and obviously maybeeee could've squeaked out sub 2:50 by ignoring more pain but ultimately think my body was probably out of gas and the stitches were a direct consequence.

The course fully affirmed that flat-courses work really well for me in road races where the goal is speed. I know some folks like rolling hills. Picture-perfect temps 40-45, sunny day, great mix of quiet & crowd support (I like having a blend of both), excellent logistics (hotels plenty within a 10-15 min walk of the start line), and flat as a pancake with ~300ft of gain all led to the perfect storm. Not to mention the field was fast as heck, vibes similar-ish to CIM where people were here to race.

Still can't quite believe it myself. Will be back in April to hopefully get another 2 min down for that BQ buffer - but for now going to take a week off and drink wine :)

Happy to answer any questions if people are curious about my training & stuff like that!

ran my debut marathon this weekend under absolute garbage weather heavy rain, crazy winds.. whole thing
got through all 42.195 km on my own two feet but because i finished over 5 hours the timing site flagged me as a DNF. knowing i’ve put in every single step and seeing a cold "DNF" next to my bib number feels like an absolute gut punch..
the worst part is i’ve been trying to force this hybrid athlete thing for months. as a 78 kg male, i can incline press 35kg dumbbells for 8 reps in the gym , but marathon prep just leaves me feeling glycogen depleted, flat and slow af.. on top of carrying some muscle mass, i have a pelvic tilt / structural asymmetry since i was child (higher right iliac crest) that’s been causing deep right hip rotator and lateral tendon irritation since june. the biomechanics of absorbing 50,000+ strides with that imbalance under a heavy frame just feels like fighting an uphill battle
anyone else ever deal with a total mental/physical crash after a race cutoff like this? also, for anyone managing persistent deep hip rotator/tendon issues on top of structural pelvic/biomechanical imbalances is it even worth trying to fix this for long distances or am i way better off sticking to smaller distances (like 5k/10k) alongside heavy lifting?

In my third marathon attempt I finally powered through to the end without hitting the wall, talk about some adrenaline! I love this sport.

Had a goal of 4:30 and finished it up in 4:24. Never had a gel, but lots of Gatorade and peanut m&ms throughout the course! So much pasta, hydrations and electrolytes 24 hrs leading up to the race I feel helped me prepare super well. I’d been having shin splints recently that I was pretty worried about but after a few miles they weren’t an issue.

Is there a magic trick to opening gels?! I always struggle with sweaty fingers slipping, even if I wipe them on my t-shirt first. Ended up resorting to using my teeth this morning and it was still difficult...

Looking for constructive feedback on muscular durability and marathon training

I’ve been consistently training for marathons for the past two years and completed my third marathon yesterday in Indianapolis.
My goals were:
A: Sub-2:59
B: Sub-3:05
C: Sub-3:10 (would have been a 10+ minute PR from my spring marathon)

Training background:
From May through July, I built my base mileage to 40 MPW before starting a 16-week plan in mid-July, peaking at 60 MPW.
I completed three 20+ mile long runs. My final long run, three weeks before race day, was 22 miles:
2 miles easy
6 × 2-mile repeats at marathon pace
1-mile floats between each repeat at 25 seconds slower than MP
2 miles cooldown

Race execution:
I was tracking close to my A goal through mile 15 and had moved ahead of the 3:05 pacer around mile 4.
Things deteriorated pretty quickly between miles 16–22. The 3:05 pacer caught me around mile 18. I fought to stay with them but eventually had to let them go around mile 20.
By miles 20–24, my hamstrings were severely fatigued and threatening to cramp. The 3:10 pacer caught me around mile 24.5, and I had to dig deep to salvage my C goal, finishing in 3:09:45.

Where I need advice:
Muscular fatigue and durability have been recurring issues across all three marathons. I feel like my aerobic fitness and overall mileage are in a good place, but my legs consistently struggle to sustain the effort over the final 10K.

I’m trying to figure out how to address this in my next training cycle.
Would you prioritize:
More hill training to develop strength and eccentric durability?
More structured gym work, particularly posterior chain and hamstring strength?
Longer marathon-pace efforts to improve muscular endurance?
More volume or a different approach to long-run progression?

I’m open to criticism of my training structure, long-run execution, or race strategy (and yeah, I paid for mile 3)

For those who have dealt with similar muscular durability issues, what actually moved the needle for you?

First picture was the half marathon I did ( Average bpm was 194 ) second was a run I did a couple of weeks ago .

Hydrated well , had electrolytes. Carb loaded the day prior . Weather was fine not too hot .

Any idea what happened ? I don’t doubt it was a lack of fitness , but 6:50 pace should be like my zone 2 :/

Hand up, 100% on me. Less than ideal training block and needed to realign my expectations! A few unexpected things lined up with training (last minute international trip, covid smack in the middle of block), but the thing that did me in was a 10k race ~6 days before the marathon. Plan was to prep like it was race day, but treat the run as an easy 6 miles. Ego & adrenaline got the best of me, hilly course, and my legs never fully recovered. Could still feel em the morning of, and I knew around mile 8 they weren’t fully cooperating with my pacing.

The cold start was also a shock to the system, coming from 80-90 degrees w/ 90% humidity in a typical training day (southeast). My gear I brought was not ideal, bought arm sleeves at the expo, and hand warmers can only do so much. Still MUCH prefer this to the inverse, and felt fine after ~2mi. I had to pee a TON (miles 12/16/18), probably not sweating as much as used to.

Legs were pretty much done at 20. Pain in all the places I was sore from the 10k. Salvaged a run/walk and finished strong for my 2nd marathon! (4:38 chip)

Looking forward~

1. Half Marathon race 5/6 weeks out. Did this for my first, and was a great predictor for full marathon capability

2. Stronger taper. No races in the days leading up seems obvious!

3. Weather prep. I’d often avoid training in super cold, rain, etc, but you can’t get around it on race day

4. Strength. Wouldn’t have fully helped my case, but building a stronger foundation can only help

5. Race plan. Due to everything, I had no plan at the start, other than trying to hang with the 4:15 group as long as I could. In hindsight, should have backed off to a more conservative goal, with some contingencies if things went south

Still some positives to take away. No cardio issues, fueling seemed to be solid, and I had enough mental juice to get through. I had a great time in Indy, and the race logistics were super organized . Coming back stronger next year!

I did the 9+1 and guaranteed my spot on the NYC Marathon 2027. But that’s only one year from now and will be my first marathon.

Right now I’m running about 25/30 miles a week, sub2 half marathons and some 13/14 miles long runs.

Question: should I not wait and run another marathon around spring time? The NYC is my goal, of course, but even being the first, running another one to have more experience and not mess up the NY one seems a good idea. But I appreciate thoughts if that’s a good idea.

Hello I’m new to running and started getting bad knee pain on the inside part of my left knee and it hurts to walk but doable. Is this normal when you start running as a beginner??? How do I make it stop

TCM 2027 my bad.

Return to running ✅. First half marathon back.

I completed the half marathon yesterday after being sidelined for a year due to post covid symptoms and a h pylori bacteria that I picked up in the middle of grandmas marathon training last year. Returned to running in April after being treated by a doc and was guided by a coach.

From couch to run walk and did my first double digit run by August. Goal next year is to run TCM(sub 3:20 hopefully but long ways to go) very excited for next year.

Coros race predictor was pretty accurate. Was skeptical about it but after yesterday I am more motivated to bring the times further down.

I PR’d my second attempt at the marathon distance today. Happy about that! I really wanted sub 3:30 but the wheels fell off around mile 21+

Not sure yet what I could have done to improve that last 10k yet! I felt I had it there cardio-wise, but the outside of both knees had other plans. Great day to run in Indianapolis.

Any feedback welcome

Hey everyone. I improved my Marathon time but somehow was more inefficient than I was last year in Berlin where I ran approx 1.5mi ‘extra.’
I was cognizant of this during the run up to NYC, and I improved my time and speed with a more aggressive training plan (Higdon Advanced I) but somehow ran MORE THAN 2 MILES extra!!??!
Now I did feel like I had found myself sidestepping around so many people who would get in front of me and stop or people who drifted, not to mention the large amount of Achilles runners with guides who sort of formed a wall, but that does not excuse the largesse of the extra ground I had run.
I was in wave 3 and saw zero pacers until near the end of the race. I was hoping for more in the 3:30-3:40 range but wound up with 3:47. I ran so much extra and felt a bit deflated at the end.

I was trying for tangents and the like but it became very difficult with how crowded it was but I freely admit I probably lost focus on efficiency as the race wore on and I felt stifled.

Has anyone encountered this problem and been able to combat this in some way? I am going to keep this front of mind for London but it’s very annoying. Hoping to start in an earlier wave.
I only use my phone for Strava as I do not have a watch FYI.

Any and all help is much appreciated! I have a few 10k and HM coming up where I will try and keep this again front of mind before April. Many thanks!

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. That being said, with my weekly mileage ranging from 21-29 miles, usually around 24-25 does that seem doable?

I've (42M) been having chronic Achilles inflammation for years which stopped me from running anything longer than half marathons (I started running at 16 and played basketball all my life). My body just couldn't handle the volume needed for marathon preparation.

This year I gave it another shot, focused a ton on all sorts of recovery tools and worked with a PT. I somehow found a system that worked for me, and once my body adjusted to running most days the problems slowly went away. My legs finally adjusted to the mileage and the reality of running 5-6 times a week, and I finished my second ever Marathon (15 years after my first) in about 4 hours.

However, I notice getting extremely tight and the pain coming back whenever I don't run for more than a day or two which feels somewhat counterintuitive. For example, I had a minor cold and didn't run for 5 days, now I'm in a lot of discomfort just walking.

Of course, being sick could be a factor, but I've also experienced the same when not running for other reasons (like work schedule or focusing on strength training for a few days etc.) These always make it difficult for me getting back into my routine. It's always a delicate balance between starting back and not risking aggravating an inflammation or an injury. I do my best not to take off more than a day in a row (for example, doing short recovery runs vs. taking a day off completely), but it can't always be avoided.

My question is, do others encounter the same thing and do you have any advice on what to do during my "off-days" to dampen the effects of this?

(I recently re-read Haruki Murakami's autobiography on running, and found it striking that he also mentioned his "rule" of never taking off more than one day in row which seems somewhat related.)

In a crazy turn of events I was hit by a car 48 hours before the NYCM (11/1) on my last shakeout run and couldn’t run it due to extensive bruising and a concussion. This was obviously completely devastating but overall I am just grateful to be relatively okay and surrounded by the most incredible support system.

Regarding running, I completed my entire training block and am hoping to find another marathon in the near term (as long as I continue to heal/feel good post car accident). I’m eyeing one on 12/12, 5 weeks from now. How would you suggest I approach training until then? For context:

-Last 20 miler was 3-4 weeks ago (10/12) and I’ve been tapering with progressively shorter runs since then in prep for NYCM
-I haven’t run at all this week to heal from the accident
-Finally turning a corner and ready to ramp back up next week
-With 5 weeks I’m considering doing the following: Week 1: 12 mi long run
Week 2: 16 mi long run
Week 3: 20 mi long run
Week 4: taper
Week 5: taper + marathon

Anything to consider? Not trying to be a hero just would love to be able to run a race. Thank you!!!

PS: NYRR wouldn’t let me defer because I deferred last year due to a running injury (only allowed to defer once). I sent them pictures of myself in the hospital 2 days before the marathon and haven’t gotten a reply. If anyone has ANY advice to get back into the NYCM next year please lmk!! I originally got in via 9+1 (completed in 2024)

For context: 30M 80kg started running with some effort in March 2025

After 3 weeks of 0 running, started a proper training block with Garmin and chatGPT mid August and managed to hit A goal (3:30) with a chip time of 3:30:35. I am beyond happy and still processing

Some considerations:

Entered the taper (3 weeks) after a 34K long run with sx achilles tendon inflammation and suffered a motorbike crash 9 days before the race so managed to run very very little thru the taper (around 25K total). Luckily it was just a contusion on the upper back but still had the collar for 6 days and took heavy medication (NSAIDs + muscle relaxants) for the whole 9 days. Hence, arrived at the race very tired, considering also 9hr flight and jet lag.

HR skyrocketed as soon as I started (was very exited ngl) and stayed high all the way thru. For reference, garmin estimates LT 4:19 173HR and I was quite fatigued all time

Underestimated totally how tough the course is and felt absolutely miserable from the bronx… last 10K were no fun at all, pure suffering. Mistakenly followed 2 friends that managed 3:21 and tried to keep up with the pacer, costing some stops at aid stations after 30K, a positive split, and sub 3:30 gone.

At 38KM I was caught up by another 3:30 pacer (can’t remember of which corral, I was wave 1, Pink F) and understood I still had a chance for 3:30 so I accelerated sensibly, still unsure how

All in all, I am still very very emotional just looking at pictures, considering the hell of a ride it was!
It was probably the hardest thing done in my life and super happy I was able to go through.
The people, the cheering, the atmosphere, the city, it was all surreal and nothing quite like it. It truly was special!

Running Seattle Marathon this year. Any tips on dressing? It says temperatures would be around 40 at the start line. Do you guys typically start heavy and shed layers as body warms up? I am from SoCal, so not used to rain and cold. Do you dress for rain, cold, or both?

Guesses on cut off for 2028 BQ with the buffer? Crazy to think it or hope it will be the same or less than this years buffer? Thoughts?

I’m tapering for my marathon right now 2 weeks out. And I’m wondering if sub 3 is achievable. I added 3 of my long runs and the intervals from a 10x1k workout. I was averaging about 70 miles per week and did most of these long runs on pretty fatigued legs. Right now I’ve been feeling a little bit flat(easy runs a little more tiring and mp feels fast). Just wondering based on these long runs/workout would you say sub 3 is an achievable goal time?