Hey everyone — looking for some honest feedback/advice on whether sub-2:50 at the Beantown Marathon (Sept 6) is realistic for me.
That puts the race about ~15 weeks out for me right now.

Some background:
Age 24, Male

Ran 2:57 at Chicago Marathon in 2025
Ran 3:03 at New York City Marathon in 2025
Ran 2:57 at Boston Marathon in 2026

I honestly think my Boston time may have been a bit faster than my actual fitness at the time due to race-day factors (weather/wind/course conditions), but I did close the last 4 miles at ~6:30 pace which gives me some confidence there’s more there

This past Sunday I ran the Sugarloaf Marathon trying to chase 2:50 and had a hard time making it up the hill at mile 8 slowed down then blew up around mile 16, finishing in 3:04 on a warm sunny day (~65 degrees/full sun)

Course info for Beantown:
6 loops of ~4.3 miles

relatively flat overall
~500 ft gain / ~500 ft loss total

so basically a rolling but fast loop course

Past Training:
Training-wise I’ve mostly been around 50–70 MPW, and I’m starting to think I respond better to higher mileage and more aerobic-focused training rather than pushing intensity too early.

For Beantown I’m considering:
- building gradually toward higher consistent mileage (70–80 MPW if healthy)
- one threshold session per week
- one VO2/economy session per week
- long run every week, with more marathon-specific work later in the cycle
- I feel like the fitness is close, but I need to actually become durable enough to hold pace deep into the race.

Do you think sub-2:50 is realistic off a proper uninterrupted build?

Or is the jump from 2:57 → sub-2:50 bigger than I’m giving it credit for?

Would really appreciate honest feedback from anyone who’s made a similar jump.

Thinking back to my full in early May- all systems were good at mile 21 but was feeling a tad nauseous. I held my gel for a full mile before deciding take it at mile 22 with nausea building.

Took the gel and my stomach was a mess the rest of the way- adding to other struggles for the last 3 miles. That saw my 3:10 pace slip to 3:16.

Question for the crowd- would you take that gel? Is it worth it? I was doing dumb marathon math at that point- would I even feel the effect of the gel before the end of the race? What if I throw up?

Thoughts?

Looking for a running vest for my long distance running/training. I am planning for a marathon next year. And for bringing ng my phone on shorter runs.

I was hoping to stick with a running belt but I feel it’s having some pressure on my belly.

Should I get the ADV skin 12 or would that be overkill for my current needs?

No plans to do any ultras

This idea came from a recent half I ran where for some reason my watch was completely out pacing wise, I managed to just get my target time but it was a few mins off what my watch said! I am guessing there was some GPS issues on the route, not sure! I also thought, it would be really handy to remember where the water stations were, when to take gels etc.

My idea is a custom temp tattoo with your race info. You pick what's on it — mile splits, halfway times, clock-times, gel reminders, whatever. Apply night before, glance during the race. Decorate with whatever you want, or your running club/charity etc. I know a lot of people rely on sharpies, but I thought this might be a bit more readable and look cool!

I first posted this idea in r/ultrarunning a few days ago because I saw that you can already get elevation tattoos, I got some very nice feedback but that it's not really suitable. Fair!

Before I spend some actual time/money on this, would really appreciate some feedback from this community:

• Would you wear one?
• Does the design matter, or is it pure info?
• Am I overthinking this entirely?

I mocked up a little example (see pic)

Anyway! Thank you in advance! Keep grinding!

Hi all - I’m 10 days out from my third marathon. Training has been going well (following a Ben Parke’s plan) - my goal is 3:20 but I’ve done the majority of my sessions using the 3:15 paces / splits in the plan.

The pacers only go every 15mins - so 3:15 or 3:30. I don’t think I’d have a 3:15 in me unless I REALLY pushed it. My last long-run was 37k 3 weeks out at 4:45 avg (so would come in just over 3:20). Should I go out with the 3:15 pacers and just go at steady marathon pace, or go out with the 3:30s for a couple of km and then try build up pace to 4:40/km?

All advice welcome 🙃

As titled. About me:

I ran a 4:35 marathon last year and one in 2019 4:52. I got ambitious and cocky and signed up for the ballot on two flagship marathons.

Against the odds, I got picked for both.

Took the holidays period off running totally, but am now back into it and am ticking along nicely on an 18week HH Novice 2 plan hoping to get closer to 4:20 this year.

I think I'm all set training for the August marathon. But how do I best use the 6 weeks between to both recover and prepare for the October marathon?

Male, late 30s, dad-jogger (far from athlete level).

Hello guys. Am running in the bali marathon on August 23. Have 14 weeks left, and am trying to target a sub 4. https://strava.app.link/vkWGmeCEj3b strava link

Current PR's
23:49 5km (2 weeks ago)
50:15 10km (11 months ago)
1:55:00 21km (9 months ago)

I've been running since september 2024, and I started training consistently for this marathon starting March of this year. Been progressing quite well, and so far no injuries. I think I can get to running 60kms consistently per week by the middle of June.

I run 4-5x a week, long run on sundays (around 15-17km).

I attached here my past 3 months mileage, as well as strava's current time predictions. Based on everything I've seen on calculators, I am fast enough to hit sub 4. But what really concerns me is my easy pace, and how my hr drifts during any runs where I don't take a 5 minute rest.

My easy pace, or roughly 140hr pace is 6:40 per km. Am 32M. I can hold this for maybe 45 mins, before my hr will start to go up to 145 ish.

My marathon predictor on strava is 4:19 vs my half of 1:49. My coach has me do VO2 work, and intervals once a week, and am wondering if I should ditch it for more volume. After 12 weeks of consistent work, I dropped 11 minutes from my strava predictor. I dunno how to drop the 19 minutes in 14 weeks hahaha. Please help.

I’ll be real with yall I’ve been loving marathon training (my first one, I’ve done many half marathons comfortably) and I feel amazing and am enjoying the process.

However, I come from a restrictive eating disorder background (currently in recovery) and I’m terrified from all the things I’ve been reading that insinuate weight gain is inevitable while training.

I understand it’s easy to out eat a run but, if I am watching my calories (I have used a food scale for years at a time and have most foods nutrition facts, serving sizes and calories engrained in my skull) is this weight gain still inevitable??

If so, why do I see plenty of lean marathoners. Am I destined to no matter what gain weight during this process?

I eat extremely healthy, couldn’t tell you the last time I ate pizza and my biggest indulgence is if I don’t weigh out my reduced fat feta cheese sprinkled on top of a salad… I say this to show that I’m the opposite of someone who would complete a long run then eat back double the calories after because I think it all weighs out- I’m hyper aware of how easy it is to eat back calories and that’s not what I do.

Please be kind, I am not trying to garner hate with this question, just trying to understand if, assuming I don’t let running hunger influence my choices, I can avoid weight gain during this process.

I am considering taking a trip to Utah to visit all 5 national parks one week after my first marathon (NYC). I wouldn’t be doing extremely strenuous hiking as we’d have young kids with us, but would like to do the narrows still (about 3 miles maybe) and the other shorter 1-3 mile family hikes. Is this too soon after the marathon? I really don’t know what to expect.

I still have one long run and then a couple easy/taper stuff left. This is my first marathon and I've been training so hard for it. This has really got me down and feel hopeless.

What can I do to give me the best chance on race day?

I am a 60 year old female. Ran first marathon last December with a 4:33 time. Would need to do this one at about 4:00-4:10. Just ran a 10 miler at 1:23:13. Do I have a chance? Pointers and advice welcomed. I average about 20-25 miles a week right now. 🙏

This is my first post on here so hopefully I’ve put this in the right forum 😅

I’m running my first proper marathon at the Sydney Marathon (hoping to get under 2:50) and I’m trying to figure out how to get someone to pass me my hydration. I was thinking of putting my electrolytes in a disposable plastic bottle for my fam to give to me while I run and just throwing it away once I’m finished drinking it, that way I don’t need to worry about giving it back to them.

Any suggestion or help would be really appreciated!!

THANKS HEAPS FOR THE HELP GUYS!!

Hello,
I’m running my first marathon (CIM in December)- 25F. I have been running consistently for almost 3 years now, and have recently run my first half marathon in 1:50:53. I want to set a goal of sub 4 hours, with a decent training plan, is this realistic? Or should I aim for 4:05-4:10? Also any recommendations on training plans as this is my first one? Thank you!!!

Mega blast vs superblast 3

Which one is better for marathon training/long runs/racing a marathon in?

Pros/cons??

Thanks

Hello, I signed up for the Barcelona marathon that's taking place in March 14, 2027. I've been running on and off for the past 2 years, but not consistent at all. My longest run was a 10.5km in 1h 14m earlier this year.

Since I didn't know where to start with training, I gave Claude my running data, told it my goal is a sub 4, and asked it for a training plan from now until the race day. This is what It came up with, I'm really curious to get some feedback. I also go to the gym 3 times a week, so it included some gym related advice too.

Phase 1 — Base

May 15 – August 31 (~15 weeks)

Session	Details	Progression
Tue — Easy	Zone 2, HR 120–145, conversational pace	40 min → 55 min
Thu — Easy	Zone 2, HR 120–145	45 min → 60 min
Sat — Long run	Zone 2, HR 120–145	See below
Gym	Full sessions, prioritise glutes and posterior chain	3×/week

Saturday long run progression:

Weeks	Duration	Approx Distance
1–4	60–70 min	~7–8 km
5–8	75–85 min	~8–10 km
9–12	90–100 min	~10–12 km
13–15	100–110 min	~11–13 km

Rules:

• Every run at fully conversational pace — if you can't hold a sentence, slow down
• Deload every 4th week: cut run volume by 30%, gym stays normal
• No quality work until Phase 2
• Knee prehab every gym warm-up: clamshells, lateral band walks, single-leg glute bridges — 2×15 each side

Target by Aug 31: 110 min long run with no knee pain, pace at same HR visibly faster than today

Phase 2 — Development

September 1 – November 30 (~13 weeks)

Session	Details	Progression
Tue — Easy + Strides	50 min Zone 2, then 4×20 sec accelerations at 85% effort, 60 sec walk between	Builds to 6×20 sec by Nov
Thu — Tempo	5–7 min warm-up + sustained effort at HR 145–165 + 5 min cool-down	25 min → 40 min tempo portion
Sat — Long run	Zone 2, final 10–15% at marathon pace from October onward	See below
Gym	Heavier compound lifts, reduce total volume, shorter sessions	3×/week

Saturday long run progression:

Month	Distance
September	12–15 km
October	17–21 km
November	22–26 km

Notes:

• Strides give the neuromuscular benefit of speed work without targeting the wrong energy system for marathon
• Tempo HR ceiling is 165 — hard but controlled, short sentences not gasping
• Deload every 4th week

Target by Nov 30: 26 km long run, tempo sustained at 6:00–6:10/km

Phase 3 — Marathon-Specific

December 1 – February 14 (~10 weeks)

Session	Details	Progression
Tue — Intervals	10 min warm-up + 6×800m at hard effort (~5:20–5:30/km), 90 sec jog recovery	Builds to 8×800m or 4×1.5 km
Thu — Easy	Zone 2, 50–60 min, full recovery	Stays easy throughout
Sat — Long run	Peaks at 30–32 km, final 5–8 km at marathon pace (5:41/km)	26 km → 32 km → back down
Gym	Maintenance only	2×/week (Mon + Fri)

Notes:

• Wednesday becomes rest or easy walk as running load peaks
• One or two peak long runs of 30–32 km in January, then begin stepping back
• 800m intervals replace sprint sessions — same VO2 max stimulus, correct energy system for marathon

Target by Feb 14: 32 km completed, comfortable at 5:45–5:50/km over 20+ km

Phase 4 — Taper

February 15 – Race Day (~3 weeks)

Week	Run Volume	Gym
Feb 15–21	–40%	1×, light
Feb 22–28	–60%, one short race-pace session	1×, very light
Race week	–70%, easy shakeouts only	Nothing

Hi

This has probably been asked before. (Sorry)

I am running my first marathon in October and have been using a Nike run club plan so far.

I am aiming for a 4:30, and am 3 weeks in to the plan… i have another 18 mile race two weeks prior

Is it worth spending the money for runna?

Any input is appreciated :)

Hello everyone,

For a bit of content : I’m a women, 23 and I just ran a marathon a week ago after a year of running regularly.

I’m currently in a phase where I want to lean out, gain muscle but also keep progressing in my running before beginning a new marathon training block. So I have approximately 2 months.

Monday : Upper body 1
Tuesday : Easy run + Lower body 1 (Heavy)
Wednesday : Rest
Thursday : Upper body 2
Friday: Lower Body 2 (running focused) + speed session
Saturday : Rest
Sunday : Long run (Approx 14-16km)

What do you think of this program? Would you change something about it or is it optimal to get the results that I want ? Also if you have some advices for nutrition (besides calorie deficit ahah i know that) and everyday life habits I would be happy to hear it!

I know 2 months is not a lot which is why I want to optimize a maximum my program so that I get the most out of it.