Quick info: M27. I just finished my 4th marathon this Sunday and I’d like to take a step back from racing marathons for a while and focus on structured training with a clear goal.

I originally started running in summer 2022, where I ran consistently for July–September, but had to stop for almost 8 months due to an injury caused by overpronation. After that I only ran occasionally here and then but never consistently. I restarted properly in April last year with the goal of finishing a marathon — which I’ve now done a couple of times.

Now I want to shift my focus toward improving performance, with a long-term goal of qualifying for NYC.

My marathon progression:

• 30 Nov 2025: 4:50 (cramped at km 37)
• 1 Mar 2026: 4:40 (cramped at km 39)
• 12 Apr 2026: 4:25 (ran with knee pain from the very start of the race)
• 26 Apr 2026: 4:52 (ran while sick with a cold in Padova + the crazy heat did not help)

I know this is probably far from ideal — I basically signed up for races too close together and kind of went with a “YOLO” mindset. I do regret that part, especially because I didn’t really give my body time to properly adapt.

Training context:

• No structured plan so far
• ~65 km per week total (peaked at 78km)
• 3 runs per week, mostly Z2
• Occasional intervals
• One bad mistake: a 38 km long run two weeks before my 3rd marathon

Now I want to run a sub-4 marathon next time, ideally healthy and without running through pain or illness. Any tips are appreciated.