r/firstmarathon

Hey runners,

I’m a female 34 year old and I have been running since I was in 3rd grade for the cross country team. Running is my escape and happy place. The past couple of years, I have had some rough diagnosis medical wise. But I refuse to give up training, ( they haven’t told me to stop) but my main issue is, most races are in the morning.
and it makes sense.
But unfortunately for me, my mornings are the worse part of my day, I wake up around 4 am in pain and have to do loads of stuff to get stable by like 10 am.

After that I’m good enough and able to tough out the day.

I’ve ran so many races and I’m training my son to run with me.

I just know I won’t be able to compete in the mornings which scares me bc that’s when races are ( that I’m aware of )

Does anyone know of any half’s/ marathons that are at night or start just not in the mornings?

I’m also interested in ultra events, basically anything that isn’t in the morning.

I would really like to have these memories of finishing races with my son together, I have a stage 4 cancer diagnosis so I know I don’t have long, but I wanna create all the memories and it was always the goal to run these races together and finish together. We wanted to do all the worlds together when he got older but right now, I’ll settle for any nighttime race in the us.
I just wanna run an official marathon with my son just incase well… you know.. life happens.

If you know of any races, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you and happy running everybody!
Hope you all have a good season!

I see a lot of posts of all the things people will work on in their next one. I have no doubt I will wish I did some things differently. But I want to hear from those who had a good first marathon: what are you glad you did in your training block, week of, and day of?

Thank you for your insights!

I am 26M and I walked the equivalent of a marathon somewhat easily at 4-5kmh (2-3 mph) but my body totally fails at running. After ≈ 3 miles I feel tired, my heart races and can't breathe well.

Realistically how long would it take me to be able to run a marathon? Thank you

I’ve always been reasonably athletic but age and life started getting in the way so my athletic fitness was at a lifetime low in Spring 2025. I biked throughout the summer and started running in October 2025 when it got too cold to bike.

I originally thought I could do a Marathon by spring 2026 but every time I tried to increase my mileage I’d run into issues like knee pain or shin splints. But other than breaks for illness and injury, I kept running throughout the winter.

Now that it’s warmer again I can add biking back into the mix and I can tell it’s helped my running a lot by giving my joints that little extra recovery time. I recently ramped up to 7.25 miles for my long run and my knees and joints are feeling good.

My goal is a November marathon. Plan is to add 1 mi per week with an easy week every 4th week. I want to run a minimum of 3 days per week with 2 or 3 bike rides the remaining days. I’d like to do more runs per week if possible but my plan is to use the biking to hopefully prevent the injuries I dealt with over the winter while continuing to build my aerobic base.

My main goal is just to finish. Based on what I’m doing now I’m probably looking at a 5 hour marathon. Would obviously love to go a lot faster but we’ll see what 6 more months of training does. Does this sound reasonable?

Hi, 18M and picked up running consistently this past month and signed up for the dallas marathon this December. While I’m stoked for it I’m honestly scared that I wont be ready for it when the time comes. I was sedentary and lazy throughout most of highschool so right now I can only run for 1 - 2.5 miles at a time and my pace is around 11:20. Last year I ran a 12K in an hour and 40 minutes with a lot of walking in between but I wanna be able to do the full marathon with minimal walking. Any advice to stay confident? I’ve just tried staying consistent despite undertrained heart and aerobic base

Casual runner. Have done a Spring Half the past 3 years. PR is 1:55. Recent half was 2:00. Due to many injuries and life I wasn’t really able to properly train for this recent Half.

Anyways I’m currently recovering my Achilles tendonitis. PT cleared me to start running next week but will likely have to start from scratch 5-10 miles per week of easy running, slowly ramping up with 10% rule assuming no set backs with my achilles.

What I’m wondering is if this is enough time to ramp up for my first marathon in 5 months? My intention was do use the Half this year to be my initial ramp up but didn’t work out like that.

Still figuring out what training plan I’ll be going with. Likely a novice Hal Higdon or Runna.

I've been having issues with my achilles for about 2 months now but it's slowly starting to get stronger and heal after seeing a physio. I haven't been running more than 6km~ during this time so training has been written off completely. I am not fussed about a time or anything like that but I would like to run it.

Recently my running has been virtually pain free but there has been very low volume. I was debating trying to run for 9 mins (slow pace) walk 1 min, repeat. My worry is just injuring myself further. Is this realistically achievable or should I just swallow my pride and support the others running instead?

At the end of the month I’m doing my first half marathon. However I do not plan to run or jog it, I will be keeping a pace of 3mph so it’ll be a walking half marathon.
Do other people walk it or will I be the only one doing that? I’ve been training for 3 months now and have done a few 13mile walks in the past 3 months so I know I can walk it but I have severe asthma that starts to kick in once I get into a jog for more than 30 seconds.
I’m not doing the marathon for time or anything like that. I’m doing it just because it’s something I really wanna do.
Maybe in the future I can work up to jogging some of it but for my first one i’d like to take it easy because I have no idea what to even expect.

So yeah I guess what I’m trying to ask is do other people walk marathons or take their time or will people laugh at me for doing that?

I completed my first (& likely only) marathon 9 days ago. All my niggles felt resolved so I went for a run today.

I only managed 1.5 miles and everything was screaming at me to stop - tight calves, knee pain, ankle pain, heavy legs, the lot.

What to do now? Considering walking more, stretching and waiting a few more days?

Hi all, I’m about 6 weeks in to a base building routine. My ultimate goal is obviously to run a full marathon and I plan to start Higdon Novice 1 training plan when 18 weeks out from a race after working up to a solid base.

My weekly mileage has been slowly climbing to now about 20mpw and I’ve been able to get full recovery between runs and am regularly stretching, no niggling issues so far and generally feeling pretty good on the runs.

However weekly mileage is sort of the only thing I’ve seen improvement on so far. I still have the same issue as when I started 6 weeks ago (and obviously a common one for beginners) — my heart rate quickly climbs to 160bpm which according to my watch is just between Zone 3/Zone 4 at my usual pace of 10:00/mile. It doesn’t feel that hard to maintain that pace for 7+ miles and I can sustain conversation. But even slowing down to 11:00-11:30 doesn’t bring the HR down much, and I don’t feel I can go much slower than that without just walking, which I do occasionally, but then it jumps right back up again. 10:00 pace feels really comfy and maintainable but anything faster than that is a real struggle even for short stretches.

Can I trust that my heart rate & pacing might eventually start to improve a bit if I just keep with it? The only thing I’ve really been able to see improvement on so far is just my total weekly mileage and long run distances that I’m capable of. I’m not sure if I should do more intentional tempo work or really, really slow WAY down to force myself in to that mythical Zone 2 range.

I am planning on running my first marathon this December. I haven't started officially training yet but I've been starting to stack up weekly miles just to get my body "pre trained" and get comfortable with it. It's been hard but really enjoyable (I've even ran 20 miles twice so far just to prove to myself that I can do it). When I initially started my goal was just to finish, then I wanted to go sub 5, then sub 4:30, but just today I decided I think it might be possible to go sub 4. My garmin seems to think I can do it in 3:50 which is encouraging (even though I've heard Garmin can be pretty optimistic). I've put my data into runalyze and it says right now I should be able to do it in 4:05. I'm leaving for vacation for a couple weeks and will start actual training in mid Jume which will give me 26 weeks to get ready. Anyway I'm just posting this here so that hopefully in December I can come back to it and give a good report.

TLDR: 44 year old Dad thinks (hopes) he can run first marathon in sub 4 :)

I finished my first marathon yesterday and it went pretty much as badly as it could have. I stuck to the Hal Higdon Novice 2 plan, the whole 18 weeks, carb loaded appropriately, slept, hydrated, fueled, sports massage, the best prep I could manage, and the weather was perfect, but around 17k I felt my right leg start to get janky, and by 28 it was in full blown rebellion. My hip, glute, and IT band felt like they were being wound up like a jack in the box and they would not release no matter how much I walked, stretched, or punched them. By 30k I was walking alone in the woods crying with pain and disappointment. I kept trying to even do a super light grocery store type of jog and but my leg was completely seized up.

I limped my way to kilometre 34 where my incredible partner, son, dad, and two sisters were still faithfully waiting with cheering and electrolytes, and my sister chucked her jacket off to keep me company for the final 8k. I could hardly speak for the pain sometimes while we were walking, so she offered to try to massage my glute. I will never forget leaning on a garbage can in the forest while my sister grinded her elbow into my butt. 😂

We went on and on, and every time my leg relaxed a bit I tried jogging. At the final km I decided to just get through the pain until the bottom of the final hill. Then my son was there (age 11) and he jogged up next to me, and there was my dad, still cheering after nearly 6 hours. Then we were at the top of the hill and I was still moving, still breathing, so we started down. Then there were my mom, partner and three sisters, with a makeshift finish line ribbon made out of toilet paper, dancing and screaming like maniacs. And then I was done.

I had to walk away and cry, I was so crushed by how my leg had failed me. I felt like I had wasted everybody’s day, and all of my training hadn’t helped at all. I was absolutely beating myself up when my son walked over, hugged me, and said, “But you’re not disappointed in yourself, right mom?”

And that distinction turned everything around. I’m disappointed in the run, but not myself. I persevered in a really hard experience. And my family is extraordinary. And I can try again.

Looking back, there are lots of things in the week prior that I can see contributed to how this run went. So. Now I know.

Thanks for reading. I’m so proud of all of you and the work you’re putting into yourselves. I hope you are too.

I completed my first marathon in 4:12:27 yesterday and unfortunately missed my goal of sub-4 hours. Very disappointed in the outcome and not really sure where everything went wrong, or how likely I am to get sub-4 in the future.

In the last year leading up to the marathon I ran 950 miles, 570 miles over the course of Hal Higdon’s 18 week Intermediate plan. In training I covered 18, 20, 22, & 20 mile runs. I finished every one of those runs with the last 8-10 miles ~8:45/mi pace and felt great.

I practiced carb loading numerous times during training so no surprises week of. I took in SiS Beta Fuel (40g of carbs) every 30 min during training and the marathon. I stuck to lots of Gatorade in training and the marathon and sprinkled in water time to time.

I do live in an area that experiences all the season meaning most of the training was done in the winter and spring. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year to date. Temps started at 65 degrees and by the time I finished it was 80. Not a cloud in the sky, humidity was 80%, and dew point was 65.

The course was also difficult. Elevation was only around 550 feet, but mentally exhausting. At mile 12.7 the marathon and half split from each other. The marathon closed out the last 13.5 miles of the marathon were straight out, straight back with miles 23-25 being all uphill. This last 13.5 was also along a stretch with no breeze, no shade, just concrete jungle straight out, straight back.

I made it through the first 20 miles with an average pace of 9:11. I was right there and had nothing left to close that gap. I finished the last 6 miles with an average pace of 10:46/mi. I was experiencing spasms in my groin/inner thigh that forced me to stops, take 10 steps walking, and then start running again multiple times. Finally, as I was 0.25 miles from the finish, both hamstrings simultaneously cramped, I could feel the knots with my hands. Completely debilitating and I lost another 2 minutes there stretching those out so I could take another step. My pacing plan was miles 1-4 at 9:25/mi (actual 9:27), miles 5-20 at 9:05 (actual 9:08), miles 21-26 whatever I had left.

Any tips, feedback, or what needs to change next round to make the sub-4 realistic is appreciated

I started running just over a year ago as a way to get a quick but effective workout after the birth of my second kid. I had no idea that this is where I would be a year later. Jogging turned into pursuing a 5k, which became a half marathon last October, culminating yesterday with my first marathon.

I could write a novel on the trials and tribulations of my pain-filled 18 week marathon training plan (and a prequel for the half marathon) but I'll keep it moderate length and sweet and just recount the race.

The first 16 miles of the race went absolutely perfectly. The weather was great. The course was scenic. And most importantly, only one pee stop so far. My IT band flared up during my taper (after months of no issues. Yes I panicked.) and it started acting up around mile 6, but I knew it would happen eventually. Thankfully, it was manageable discomfort.

Around mile 15 I noticed my friend I was running with seemed to be having a harder time than I was. We had the same goal time (sub-3:43) and had agreed before the race that if either of us bonked, the other would leave them and go beat the goal. Around mile 17.5 I took my final pee stop and he kept going. After I caught up, he confirmed that the bonk was upon him and he wanted me to go on.

I ran my next mile like an idiot, trying to shave off the time I lost during my pit stop in one go rather than incrementally over the rest of the race. I think some of that was the adrenaline of now being on my own. Fortunately, I settled back into my target pace after one reckless mile and was on my way. Around mile 22 it started to hit me that I was going to complete a marathon. I started getting emotional but then shook it off and refocused. Same thing when I saw the mile 23 and 24 signs. At mile 25 I decided to fully send it and empty the tank for the last 2.2.

18 long weeks of training. Hundreds of miles logged through a cold, dark winter. Dozens of 4am weekend wake ups so I could finish my long runs before my girls were awake. Endless doubt about my body being able to endure this new hobby I love. It all hit me when I crossed that finish line at 3:42:13 and became a marathoner. I dropped to the ground and had myself a good ugly cry until my wife found me and let me finish crying on her shoulder.

Running is so humbling. I'm still learning how to remove my ego from it. It's extremely hard for a guy like me, who often fixates on where I've failed instead of my accomplishments or gets lost in comparison to others. If running, and marathon training specifically, has taught me anything it's to be proud of myself. I'm still learning how to run without ego and to focus on the journey, but I think yesterday was a breakthrough moment.

I can't wait for my next race.

Overall very happy how the race went. My pacing could have been a little better but for my first one I’ll take it. I have a new found respect for the marathon distance. The last 10 kilometers really are where the race starts.

I ran my first marathon yesterday and I’m so happy with how it went. My only goal was to finish, but I told myself it would be a cherry on top if I ran sub 5 hours.

I finished yesterday in 4:58:11! Everything went as well as it could have. Fueling and hydrating was easy, the weather was perfect, and I felt really good until about mile 23 when my legs started to get tired but at that point I knew I could push to the finish line.

I honestly didn’t know if I’d even make it to the finish line. I posted in here two weeks ago, but I was originally supposed to run a marathon the first weekend of May but got the flu the day before the race. There happened to be another race near me yesterday (two weeks out from my original date) so I decided to sign up and try it even though every run between my original date and my new race date pretty much sucked.

Recovery has been ROUGH, I felt like I got hit by a truck yesterday but got a good nights sleep and am feeling much better today. Mostly I feel proud of myself and also so proud of anyone else completing their first marathon. No matter your time, this is HARD and such a huge accomplishment.

I did it! I’ve been running for about 4 years now consistently, averaging around one half marathon a year. This year after I completed a half in 1hr 48 minutes I decided to try my hand at a marathon given my sister had already signed up.

Goal was to finish and then ideally complete sub 4. My watch died 10 miles in, and two potty breaks but I was able to negative split, catch and pass the 3:50 pacer in the last 10k, despite the last of the racing having some uphill and a brutal cold probably 30/35mph headwinds.

My legs are easily the sorest they’ve ever been but I’m so proud.

Total time: 3:49:23, 8:45 min/mile average.

I ran my first marathon two days ago, after training for about 4–5 months. I’ve always been training something, but in recent years I haven’t really been running at all, just doing other forms of high‑intensity exercise. At first I didn’t think about any time goals, but when the long runs started to feel relatively easy and even a 30 km run went surprisingly smoothly in 2:50 (avg heart rate only 139 bpm?!), I got into my head that finishing in 4 hours is possible for me. 

Well, marathon week arrived and that’s when the panic started. I only began increasing my carbs during marathon week and my stomach was absolutely not used to that. I felt horribly bloated and nauseous from all the honey and porridge I was eating haha. Luckily I managed to get the stomach issues under control, and on marathon morning my stomach was in perfect condition. 

A couple of days before the marathon, I visited a friend in another city, and I didn’t realize the day would involve a lot of walking up stairs and going to the sauna. The next day, one day before the marathon, my calves were on fire from all the stair climbing. I also panicked about the sauna the night before, wondering if it had made all the fluids I’d drank evaporate. 

On marathon morning I felt good overall despite the discomfort in my calves, and in the end I didn’t feel them at all while running. I tried to start at a pace of 5:50–5:55/km, but the first 5 km were difficult because of the crowds and bottlenecks. My pace fluctuated a lot, and I also ran way too fast at times, sometimes even 5:20/km. I had blisters on my toes that had only just healed a few weeks earlier, and I put blister plasters on them before the marathon. At 17 km I felt one of the blisters burst. The pain was horrible! But I kept running. At 18 km I saw my partner, and on a sudden impulse I decided to jump into the air because I got so excited :'D Immediately afterward I realized the jump had taken a lot of energy, and for a moment the running felt really heavy. I managed to get back into rhythm, but at some point another blister burst. Again, a very sharp pain, now in both feet. 

Already at 24 km I realized the run felt much heavier than my 30 km training run. Finally, at 28 km I completely hit the wall. I started feeling nauseous and dizzy, so I had to stop and walk. I had never felt nauseous during running or stopped to walk, so I felt confused and like I had failed. At that point the thought crossed my mind: what if I just quit the race. But I kept going, alternating between walking and running. At some point, maybe a bit after 30 km, a third blister burst, and that’s when I noticed that one of my shoes was bloody from the burst blisters. My toes hurt so damn much!! Somehow I made it to the finish in 4:12. 

I honestly think that all the shitty and painful things I’ve experienced over the past year helped me keep going. During the last 10 km I thought about the physical pain I have experienced over the year. My comforting motto for this year has been “pain is just another feeling,” and I said that to myself during the run. It was a funny coincidence that shortly after that thought, there was a sign along the route that said “pain is just a feeling.” I didn’t have any energy left but that gave me something extra 

After the marathon I thought, of course, that I would never run a marathon again. But the following morning I decided to sign up for my next marathon in 4 months :D The human mind is strange. I have to say though that this was a very welcome blow to my ego because I’ve always been a bit too perfectionistic and goal‑oriented. I also learned that walking during a marathon does not mean failure! But anyhow I’m still confused what made me lose all the energy so early. Maybe the fluctuation of the pace was the main reason. 

So for my next marathon, I’m thinking of trying an even pace the whole way and sticking behind the 4 hour pacer. Any tips for training to hold a steady 5:40/km pace? 

8 months ago I had abandoned my love for running for about 5 years. One night I decided I had enough.

I signed up for a marathon. And last Saturday I crossed the finish line in 4:22 with no walking.

I built an AI coach to help me train for all these months, and it was really super helpful.

At first it felt ridiculous to run super slow for 3km and call it a workout, but over time the easy runs just started compounding. By the end of the training I was 30% quicker on my easy runs and running 20km was a breeze.

I had dreamt of running a marathon for years, and I always thought it'd be way harder than it turned out to be.

Can't wait for the next one in September.