so my marathon training has me usually running 3 mile easy runs twice a week and then a long run that can be anywhere from 9-20 miles. and then 1 tempo or interval per week. is this bad. i dont get why the easy runs are so short

Anyone else in here or just me?

Just wondering how other people go about it with a small capacity stomach.

I'm training for my half next month, and whenever I've done one of the longer runs I always just wonder how you all do it. Specifically, running through the niggles like it's normal and expected.

I know the generic answer is strength training/mobility/nutrition etc, but I don't think I'm all that comfortable with the thought that I'm overexerting my joints that I can sometimes feel the minor niggles that come and go at the middle/beginning/end/the day after my long runs, which I understand is the "nature" of these long distance races and you WILL feel better after resting, but how do you just mentally accept that you're going to experience a little bit of pain during the run itself? It feels like sometimes I'm ruining my body for the sake of fitness, and not for actual health (Do we really need to do a full marathon to prove we are a healthy? When doing 5ks multiple times a week, maybe a maximum 10km is often more than enough to take care of your cardiovascular health)

I'm asking this because it's been holding me back from doing a full. I think I'm able to get away from not exerting too much stress on my body for my half training as I only run 3 days a week, the other 2-3 days are for strength training which (for me) provides the right balance in maintaining my bone health while building endurance. The idea of having to multiply this current load while probably not letting my body have adequate time to rest feels a bit 'cruel' to my joints. (Also I'm pretty sure I'm hypermobile, I don't think I can run without a proper leg session so I need to strength train!)

Appreciate any thoughts to this.

Agree? Anything to add?
Doing some training with hills as well though mostly flat in FL.
Aware of Philadelphia hills...
Thanks

Philadelphia should feel substantially easier than Tampa in your current August training conditions...."

Effort	Tampa now	Philly equivalent
Zone 2 easy	10:28/mi / 6:30/km	9:15–9:40/mi / 5:45–6:01/km
Steady / Zone 3	~9:15/mi / 5:45/km	8:30–8:55/mi / 5:17–5:33/km
Marathon effort	~9:30–9:45/mi / 5:54–6:04/km	~8:50–9:15/mi / 5:29–5:44/km
Sub-4 target	—	9:09/mi / 5:41/km

Tampa now vs. Philadelphia Marathon

The 2026 Philadelphia Marathon is November 22, 2026.

Factor	Tampa now / August	Philadelphia late November
Typical temp	~90°F / 32°C	~48–56°F / 9–13°C
Typical morning	~76–82°F	~39–48°F
Humidity	Very high	Moderate
Dew point	~75°F / 24°C	~35°F / 2°C
Muggy conditions	Essentially 100% in August	Essentially 0%
Altitude	Near sea level	Near sea level
Elevation gain	Depends on route	~651 ft / 198 m
Main advantage	—	Cool, dry air

Tampa's August conditions are particularly brutal for running: daily highs around 90°F, lows around 76°F, with essentially continuous muggy conditions.

Philadelphia in November averages roughly 56°F high / 39°F low, 64% RH and a 35°F dew point. More importantly, November has essentially no muggy conditions.

So you're effectively training in:

90°F / 75°F dew point → racing around 40–50°F / 30–40°F dew point.

That's a massive physiological difference.

How much easier?

For you specifically, I would estimate:

Current Tampa pace → Philadelphia equivalent

If you're running at the same cardiovascular effort:

~5–10% faster is a reasonable expectation.

On a particularly brutal Tampa day, the difference could approach 10–15%, but I wouldn't automatically assume that much.

"Philadelphia should feel substantially easier than Tampa in your current August training conditions...."

Effort	Tampa now	Philly equivalent
Zone 2 easy	10:28/mi / 6:30/km	9:15–9:40/mi / 5:45–6:01/km
Steady / Zone 3	~9:15/mi / 5:45/km	8:30–8:55/mi / 5:17–5:33/km
Marathon effort	~9:30–9:45/mi / 5:54–6:04/km	~8:50–9:15/mi / 5:29–5:44/km
Sub-4 target	—	9:09/mi / 5:41/km

I'm trying to figure out carb loading before a marathon. I'm seeing 8-12g per kg of bodyweight on the preceeding 48hrs. So each day that would be approx 800g which would mean I'm at 3.5-4k calories as i won't be able to eat pure carbohydrates.

So my question- for any one who has purposefully carb loaded- how many grams relative to bodyweight did you have and how many calories did you consume? 8k calories over 2 days while resting seems excessive!

Training for my first marathon in October, and following Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan. I am struugggggling with those midweek runs and timing. Due to nasty summer heat and a baby, the best time for me to run is in the mornings before work. But if I run 8-10 miles before work, I'm waking up at like 4:45am in order to prep, have enough time to run (I am slow!), and get back in time to get ready for work. Yes, people do it and are much more badass than me.

My question has to do with my research for marathon training, where I've come to the following conclusion: the longs runs are extremely important, and the overall weekly mileage is extremely important.

That being said, how would it affect my training if I, say, took 3-4 miles off that 10 mile run and put them somewhere else in the week (like on Sundays that are for "cross training")? I mostly just want to finish this thing, ideally under 5 hours, and hopefully not feeling too much like I want to die.

Thanks for any thoughts and advice you have!!

With sports season quickly coming up, I have been debating just running to the bar for early games (Premier League) and then either ubering or catching a ride home.

Only issue, is I sweat like crazy and really don't want to sit in soaked clothes for two hours while watching the games.

Anyone who may have done something similar to this, how are you carrying extra clothes? Do i just throw them in a backpack? Maybe a ziploc back tucked into my running vest? It's only about 4.5 miles one way, so nothing crazy.

I’m training for London Marathon 2027,
I’m struggling with fueling mid run, I’ve tried gels, gummies, amongst banana’s and lucozade drinks, however about 3km later I get an awful stitch…
Any advice on how to get through this? Or other bits of fuel I can try to keep going

Thank you

Marathoners I have my 5th marathon scheduled for October 19th but Friday (August 14) I fell off my bike and have a non displaced radial head fracture (bone which connects wrist to elbow, at the elbow).

Saw the fracture clinic today and they cut off the cast the ER doc gave me. He said I can try to jog again around the week of Sept 8-12 depending how I feel and I don't necessarily need to not run the marathon. So far this cycle I got up to 17 miles as my long run and now I'm just walking each day, will restart lower body strength (machines and body weight as I can't load my left hand or grip a bar) this week as well.

If I can get an 18-20 miler in by September 30th do you think it's salvageable, with the goal now of just finishing? I've already given away my September 13th half marathon bib, I am ok to let it go but I'd much rather not.

What would you all do?

So I've been into amateur bodybuilding for about 6 years. Recently been feeling like its just not enough and that I want something more. I saw a video from higherupwellness about the concept of a "misogi". I've never really been into running. Ran track in hs cross country but never loved it and 26.2 miles seems like a crazy thing to me, so thats what I landed on. I'm 3 weeks in to a 9 month training "plan" admittedly using a combination of AI and ideas from instagram run coaches because i can't afford a run coach or anything like that and don't want to go just off vibes. Im fairly fit as I never skipped liss cardio typically 30 mins a day on a treadmill with incline and have a physically demanding job. Fit enough to the point I can run 5 miles at a decent pace without stopping. I accidentally fell in love with it at the end of week 2. Any advice for someone like me? Thanks a ton!

Tldr: first time marathon runner. Planned race in 9 months. Looking for general and specific advice that those with experience would have!

Fall race season is almost here, and for a lot of people that means the trip to the start line involves a flight and a few time zones. If you’ve ever flown to a race, you know the problem: you’re trying to get your sleep, fueling, and taper right while your body thinks it’s a completely different time of day.

The WHOOP Performance Science & Health Outcomes team recently worked with researchers and sports medicine clinicians to review research on travel, jet lag, and athletic performance and what you can actually do about it.

A few takeaways that stood out for marathoners:

1. Adjustment takes time.
The review cites roughly 1 hour of circadian adjustment per day as a general estimate, though there’s individual variation.

What you can do: Build adjustment time into the itinerary when you can. The review recommends roughly one recovery day per time zone before competition. If you’re flying in the day before or only traveling for a short weekend, another option is to stay as close as possible to your home time zone for sleep, meals, exercise, and light exposure rather than trying to fully adjust on a tight timeline - a strategy referred to as time zone maintenance.

2. Direction matters.
Eastward travel generally creates more severe jet lag because shifting the body clock earlier is harder than shifting it later.

What you can do: Before crossing multiple time zones, gradually move your sleep and wake times toward your destination schedule. The review suggests shifting by 30 to 60 minutes per day for 3 to 7 days before travel.

3. Light is one of your most powerful tools.
Light is the primary cue your body uses to set its internal clock. Getting light, and avoiding it, at the right times can help your circadian rhythm adjust to your destination.

What you can do: Be intentional about when you get bright light after you land. The right timing depends on your direction of travel and biological clock, and getting it wrong can actually shift you in the opposite direction. Strategic bright light, paired with light avoidance at other times, can help shift your circadian rhythm toward your destination.

4. Your fueling plan should travel with you.
Travel can disrupt appetite, meal timing, and digestion, making it easier to underfuel at exactly the wrong time. Circadian misalignment can also affect how your gut functions, which may help explain why eating normally can feel harder after crossing time zones.

What you can do: Start the trip well-fueled and pack familiar, easy-to-digest snacks so you’re not relying on whatever you can find at the airport or on the plane. Once you arrive, shift meals toward local time and prioritize foods you already know sit well.

The full paper gets into the evidence and practical strategies. It’s peer-reviewed and open access for anyone who wants to dig into the research: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-026-02455-y

For those who’ve done destination races: how many days before the race do you try to arrive when you’re crossing time zones? Anything you’ve found that actually helps?

Hi,

I am coming back to you guys with a question with the hope that you can guide me to take the best decision.

So, I am currently training for a Marathon in October, using Pfitz's 18/55 plan. I intentionally started a bit earlier, just to make sure I have a buffer period which I can use to do runs that I might miss, but now it hit me: is that a good idea, or it should be better to extend the taper block?

Thank you!

[supprimé]

Did you just set a recent PB? Or a breakthrough long run?

If you were curious on marathon predictions, post recent results screenshot (race, trial, LR. progressions, etc) with a brief description of history, mileage, etc.

Some other deadlines for other world majors for reference.

Marathon	Registration Dates	Notes
Tokyo	Mid August for two weeks	Championship qualifying times 2:28 and 2:54. :Run as one" only picks top 25
Boston	September Deadline
London	Few days before Aprils Race and open for a week
Sydney	Opens end of September
Berlin	Early October- Late November
Chicago	Middle October to Mid November
New York	Feb - Early March	9+1 entry, also qualifying HM time in their two HM would be auto entry

I had a 13.1 easy long run scheduled for last Saturday. I ran with a friend instead and ran 12 miles (3.5 easy 5 at 7:50 and 3.5 easy) it was difficult but got it done.

I have a 15 mile practice run this Saturday with 3 easy and 3.5 at race pace (7:55-8:10) —> 2.5 easy —> 3 at race pace —> 3 mile easy.

I feel fine; runs this week went as planned. Do I make this Saturday run an easy 15 or stick to the original plan? I have 2 more 15 mile practice runs in the plan.

Anyone else been but in the super late start group 4? Apparently starting time is anywhere from 8am…….which means we’ll not even be halfway (10am) and the heat will really be out in Sydney!

Is this correct? Are there any later groups? I had mentally prepared to start at maybe 7am latest and be battling the sun at 10am for the last one hour. But now it looks like I’ll be cooking from 18km onwards truly scared.

Do you guys think that a good amount of us get sucked into marathoning bc it gives us something to focus on for the future and we can get those small wins everyday of chipping away at the plan to be successful and then we get to test it and measure it with real numbers a clock time? I feel it helps me not be stuck thinking about the past and always thinking about the future and the present. Idk just a thought I had and was curious on how other people view the topic.