r/firstmarathon

Hi, I am planning to complete my first marathon in early Dec, about 21.5 weeks from now.

I ran my first HM about 1-2 months ago with timing 2h55m which isnt that good, but it is what it is.

Current weight is 80+ kg with high BMI (overweight).

The plan is two pronged - lose 11kg body weight in fat before race day, and complete the hal higdon training while increase mileage.

Through that I hope to improve my timing to within 4h50m. Currently running speed is close to my HM speed which isnt fast at all. Any tips for finishing faster would be welcome too. Is the goal realistic?

Currently running 25km per week, but this number will go up starting this week.

Any flaws in the plan? Should i even do it? Any advice welcome. Oh yeah I have not actually signed up for the marathon yet.

My 2nd toe, longer than my first, is getting bruised and sore and I am training for Chicago.
I have purchased larger socks and shoes and it is not quite working.
What do you all do to protect your linger toes from damage or pain?

A few weeks ago, I posted here and got an interesting mix or responses, rightly so - peaking at 40-50km for 3 weeks before the taper is not really the best idea. I had gotten injured the year before and took most of that year off before returning to running earlier this year. All up, i had 350km when i made that post, and was on about 500 just before the marathon.

Here’s a quick recap of what went down yesterday.

Carb loaded 3 days in advanced but wasn’t counting accurately. I was eating as much pasta and bread as i could as well as drinking 2 gatorades a day, with sweets in between. I also avoided meat or fried things.

On the day of, I woke up after sleeping for 2 hours due to nerves and having to fly in the day before. I drank more carbs and ate a few pieces of toast before heading out.

I started the race pretty mellow at around 6:00/km pace, keeping in mind some of the comments I had read around being even more conservative. I had figured that I would rather slow down and stop than to finish the race not knowing if I had more. I crept the pace down to 5:50/km from the second km as my heart rate was well within z2. For reference, my easy runs are usually at 6:15/km pace.

At around the 21km, i still felt fresh but i was a little more cautious because this was the furthest i had run, so i kept my pace even though i felt a lot more energetic than i’d imagined. I think at around 30km is where I started feeling the first signs of being tired. It was getting warmer too, and my heart rate was no longer in z2. I remember hearing that this is where the real race started, but i still felt okay which gave me some confidence.

At around 36km is where I really started feeling moderately tired. I started going a little faster just to push it, knowing that there was only 6km left. At around 39km i got a pretty bad stitch which was probably caused by the 9 gels I had along with all the random water stops i had drank from. I also started feeling my left quad feeling really tight so i downed a cramp shot which helped a lot.

The last 2 km was quite hard, the stitch wouldn’t go away and i didn’t want to stop so I was just counting down the meters left til the finish line. I saw the final 1km sign and i just went hard out, last km at 5:00/km.

Honestly felt so happy crossing the line without having to walk any of the race. Finished 4:10 and not completely out of energy. Pace was even, no negative or positive splits.

I think for my next one, i’ll follow a proper training block and aim for something faster instead of half winging it. It would have been more enjoyable not having to second guess when that wall would be coming during the race.

19weeks from first marathon. I already have a base of ~50mpw.

Trying to figure out what plan I should use... Or maybe just do my own thing? Hal Higdon has a bunch of plans and Idk which one (if any) to choose. I already do 2hr long runs on the weekend (14-16 miles).

I have a time goal that I believe is reasonable for my first marathon, have two 10ks in the middle of the training block.

Any suggestions from those wiser than me? Feeling overwhelmed.

I did a 20 week training plan with Runna.

My peak week was 76.6km.

Runna estimated my race time to be 3:52 - 4:03
Garmin estimated 3:57:15
Strava estimated 4:10:12

I did the Gold Coast Marathon which is a nice flat course with top temperature being 20 degrees Celsius when I finished and wind got to 20km/hr so conditions were decent.

I finished in 3:59:27

So in conclusion, trust in the Runna training 😊

I was running 30+ miles a week consistently before the end of May. Then I got sick.
I went to multiple doctors throughout June. I was tested, prescribed antibiotics, told it was probably viral, and basically got, “It just has to run its course.” That was the extent of the help.
Now it’s July, and I still feel like a completely different runner.
Before this, 10 to 12 mile runs were normal. Now I’m exhausted after 3 miles. If I push past that, I can finish the run, but it feels like I’m dragging my body the entire way. My lungs feel like they just never recovered.
The frustrating part is that I don’t know if I’m making myself better by continuing to train or if I’m just digging a deeper hole.
I am training for my second marathon in October, with another in December and one in February. Before I got sick, I thought I had a legitimate shot at breaking 4 hours. Now I’m honestly wondering if I’ll even be close and whether I’ll be lucky to finish around 5.
Has anyone else had a virus completely destroy their aerobic fitness like this?
How long did it take before you felt normal again?
Did you just keep running through it, or did you completely back off until your lungs recovered?
At this point I’m honestly looking for some peace of mind because this has gone on way longer than I ever expected, and my doctors haven’t given me much beyond “it’ll get better.”
TL;DR: Healthy runner averaging 30+ miles per week. Got sick at the end of May. Multiple doctor visits, little improvement, and now I’m still exhausted after 3 miles more than a month later. Training for marathons in October, December, and February and wondering if anyone else has experienced a recovery this slow.

Hi all-

I’m training for my first marathon and today is a rest day before my long run tomorrow but I’m feeling so guilty.

Today I already took my dog for an hour long walk and will walk more but I’m tempted to go train more because I feel bad for being so lazy

Here’s my usual weekly schedule (I walk a total of 20-25k steps per day including my run steps). I run 35-45 mpw right now and my race is in October.

My strength sessions are progressive overload and around 30 mins- 1 hour

• Monday: easy run and lower lift focus on squats
• Tuesday: tempo run and upper body lift focus on overhead press / core
• Wednesday: easy recovey run and lower lift focus on deadlifts
• Thursday: mid week longish run (10-20k) and lower lift focused on leg press and then back accessory
• Friday: “rest”- some weeks I end up doing 30-60 mins stair intervals though
• Saturday: long run (where I’m at in my plan till race day week minimum is 14 miles)
• Sunday: shake out run (5k minimum) and accessory work/ core

I just feel so lazy and bad about eating as much on fridays if I take a true rest day. I’m sure I probably am but curious to know any thoughts

okay so I wanna run my first marathon in oct. the longest run I have ever done was 11 miles 2 months ago. I remember training for a half but had to cancel last minute bc my cat passed away. I did not run for two months until 2 weeks ago got back into it. I just ran a 5k and it was 34:33 and my fastest 5k ever is 29:32 a few months ago I ran a 10k in 1:00. do you think I can run a full marathon in 3 months. I know I could run a half if I had 2-3 weeks to prepare. I already signed up and I'm just planning to follow my Garmin plan but I wanna know if this is even possible.

Thank you!!!

I started running last October 2025 and decided that I want to do my first marathon in January 2027! What is a realistic goal time I should train towards and when should I start my training block/start increasing mileage?

For context, I’m 26 y/o female and never ran more than 2-3 miles before October of last year. I never played sports competitively and the only fitness background I have prior to running is going to the gym consistently (been going for over a year now). I signed up for my first 10k in December 2025 and did a 8-week training block through Runna & ran my first 10k in 54 minutes. At the time, I ran only twice per week in October-December but after my first race, I started taking running more seriously. By February 202), I started running 4x per week and structured all of my runs (1 tempo/track, 1 long run, 2 easy). Since then, I’ve ran 20-25+ mpw consistently aside from reload & race weeks. By April 2026, I ran my second 10k and cut my time down to 47 minutes & ran my first half marathon at the end of May 2026 where I ran 1:41! During the half marathon training block, I peaked at 33 miles for 2 weeks in a row, but mostly ran \~25 mpw for the two months prior.

Since my half marathon, I’ve continued to run 20+ mpw to maintain and started biking/swimming as well since I signed up for my first triathlon in August. I’m thinking about starting my marathon transition block after the triathlon and want to build from 20-25 mpw to hopefully 45-50mpw (gradually increasing \~10% per week). Is this a good plan? If I started my marathon block at end of August, I’ll have 18 weeks plus an extra week to deload. Or should I start increasing mileage earlier?

Based on this information, what goal time should I train for as well? My overall first goal is to finish the marathon and I have a second goal of subbing 4 hours, which I feel somewhat confident that I can so as long as I increase my weekly mileage as planned. But I’d like to set a third “timed/competitive” goal. Maybe sub 3:45? 3:35? I further plan to run another half marathon in October with the goal of sub 1:35 as another factor to consider. Is 45-50mpw with a peak of 55-60mpw enough or should I aim for more weekly mileage? I just don’t want to overdo it as I’ve been running for less than a year and go to PT for lower leg strengthening as I previously dealt with mild shin splints when I started running.

Appreciate any suggestions ahead of time, thank you!

I am doing a 23 week training block but I am freaking out about the 6:26 prediction. I don’t have a time goal so that aspect doesn’t bother me but I am worried about being able to be on my feet for that long.

Edit: Damn I am getting roasted in the comments so adding some more context 😅 I have done 3 half marathons. I did 9+1 last year to qualify for the NY marathon so I am not a complete newbie. Max miles I have run continuously are 15. I know I can do this just needed some support. And NY marathon is generous with the cut off times so I know even if I am the last runner to finish the cutoff time will not be the issue. Having said that it’s still daunting to stay on my feet for that long.

Thanks to everyone that posted a supportive comment ❤️ Much love.

Hello group,

new-ish runner here, currently training for a half-marathon later in august. I'd like to run a Marathon in 1,5 or 2 years. It is likely going to be the only one I do ever as I'll be 40M and I am a heavy runner so I don't know about my knees.

What Marathon would you suggest for me?

I am in eastern Canada and don't mind traveling for it, I could coincide it with vacations :) I'd really like to run in a nice place.

Cheers

It was rought took around 5 minutes but I did it. I think I can do the marathon in november

Got into running in the last couple of years having lost a ton of weight. Now running a lot (25-30 miles per week) and done a few half marathons.

Entered a marathon a while ago to give myself a goal, which is now 10 weeks away. At the time I booked it, the distance was incredibly intimidating and served as real motivation to get to grips with long runs.

Now, however I'm used to long runs and fairly comfortable with them. Ran a half in 1:53 at the weekend and aside from some aching quads for 24 hours after no issues.

So in terms of the marathon distance, I'm confident that with the correct training plan I can do it. My problem is now I look at my training plan, and I feel no enthusiasm whatsoever for my long runs. In fact it's making me feel negative about running - I see a Parkrun or 10k I'd like to do and I think "can't do that, supposed to do a 28km training run on Sunday".

I suppose what I'm asking is - has anyone gone through this kind of mental block before a first marathon? And if so, is it telling me what I think it is, that I just don't want to do it badly enough?

I’m running my first marathon at the end of this month, the SF Marathon. I’ve been dealing with on-and-off shin splints and IT band pain during this training block, so I’ve cut out most interval and speed workouts and have mostly been sticking to long runs and slower/easy runs.

My legs have been feeling heavy lately, and I’ve also had some burning sensations, so I’m trying to be careful and not make anything worse. That said, I’m starting to feel like I’m losing my speed and fitness from skipping faster sessions.

If the pain stays manageable and doesn’t worsen, what would be the safest way to add a little speed back in this close to race day?

For context, this is my first marathon, so I’m not trying to do anything reckless. Just trying to figure out how to sharpen up a bit without aggravating the shin/IT band issues.

I am a total new runner but really enjoying it. I have found that it feels great physically, which I was anticipating, but also helps so much mentally. I currently run 5 times a week (three of those are easy runs, 1 is a speed session, and 1 long run). I find that even with running more than I have ever run in my life I have a hard time taking rest days. I conceptually realize the importance of it but still can't help feeling crappy when I skio those days. My question is... if I take REALLY slow "runs" on these days (like zone 1) is that physiologically similar to an actual rest day? Does anybody do this or am I just being stubborn and stupid?

for context i am a 16yr old female, i’ve done cross country for three years, but I didn’t do it last year because my other extracurriculars always fell the same time as practice. i’ve been running nearly every day since my 5K PR is 22 mins but that was over a year ago.

Since I’m not running with my schools team anymore, I’ve been trying to run every day, but it usually ends up being like 4 to 5 times a week instead and I haven’t been doing that many hill, workouts or tempo, I do them sometimes but maybe once a month.

For context, I have ran 10 miles at a time three times before and my average mile pace was between nine and 10 minutes for each of those three runs but again those were all over a year ago and the last time I ran even 5 miles was a few months ago. I still have been trying to run every day and I run a mile to 2 miles but I haven’t been getting my mileage up and I want to run a marathon by may. i’ve obviously never ran a marathon so I also don’t know if this is a completely unrealistic goal to have either??

I’m currently figuring out running in the heat of the summer does not pair well with me. right now where I live it’s around 90° every day and my blood sugar also drops easily. I know a lot of people on the Internet say that you shouldn’t be needing gels unless you’re running over 20 miles, but I wanted to see what the sub Reddit had to say and if people do recommend that I take gels to keep my sugar up what gels taste the best? I know a lot of people also say to use the treadmill, but I feel like my feet drag on the treadmill and I have no motivation or willpower to keep running after like the 1st mile because I feel like I’m not going anywhere and I’ve tried YouTube videos of like videos on trails that progress as you go forward, but those don’t do anything for me.

Also, if anyone could give me like a rough outline to try to run one with a consistent mile pace between eight and nine minutes by the end of may, I would greatly appreciate it? and this might be crazy, but does anyone think that it would be somewhat realistic goal to have an average mile pace, sub eight minutes?? Also, any other running tips or workouts/exercises that help a lot of people?

I ran my first half marathon last weekend and surpassed my expectations pretty significantly (1:45 goal but ended up running 1:39). Im coming to you all for a bit of a reality check.

Some background. Ive been running for roughly 9 months with specific marathon training planning starting about 6 months ago. Outside of missing about 2 weeks in March due to an injury that we dealt with via PT I have been pretty religious about my training plan.

6 foot 2 and 185 lbs. 40 years old.

Weekly runs:

• 2 easy runs at about 830-845 pace
• 1 interval session with 4-6 5k or lower blocks
• 1 tempo run around HM pace
• 1 long run ( max of 14 miles so far). For the HM training I added increasing blocks of HM pace at the last half of this run

PBs:

• 5k- 21:01
• 10k- 46:21 (set during my HM and have never specifically tried to set a PB time at this distance)
• HM- 1:39

I now have roughly 14 weeks until my first marathon and with the progress I've made so far im looking to possibly set a 3:30 goal for the marathon.

My long runs will peak around 22-24 miles in the coming block, and I anticipate running about 55-60 miles in my peak training weeks.

The marathon is a completely different animal than the half, im very much aware of this. With all of this background how feasible do you believe a 3:30 would be for a first time marathoner?

Thanks in advance!