Hey guys I’m new to this sub

I’m 34 and went from a couch bound addict and crippling alcoholism to resetting my whole life over the past two years

Got into physical training back in June for the first time since my early twenties and it’s a game changer

Ran my first half marathon in 2:01 after 4 months of doing 5x5 strong lifts and running about 20-40 miles per week

Just wondering what everyone’s fitness goals are do you guys strength train too?

It was really hard to manage my weight training routine and the distance running with working 50-60 hour weeks in retail

Idk how you parents do anything for yourselves !

Anyway just curious if anyone else in this sub was doing hybrid training

My goal is to do my first full marathon by 35 but I also want to keep getting bigger and stronger and it feels counter intuitive to be running 40 miles a week while trying to gain muscle mass

I have put on about 20 pounds since I started training back in June

Is it possible to keep progressing on StrongLifts while training for the full ?

In my head it feels like the hardest thing will be getting enough calories

My headstrong 15yo son has been inspired by my brother and I (5 Majors, and a Boston) and has decided to “run a marathon.” I explained that there’s a little more to it than just setting off and running, but he said that he’s done some training ( three or four runs of 15-20km) and he’s good to go. I woke up late this morning and he’s left the house - told his mum - not me, and is currently ~22km in! I’m wondering what to do? Let him keep going? Pick him up in the car? Wait till he bonks and phones us for a ride? I am concerned about overuse injuries..etc.. or should I just let him FAFO?

I have a few weeks to go for my marathon. Hitting 18, 20 in the coming weeks. I have been thinking about how to optimize these runs.

Is working on Zone 2 for a majority time, then negative splitting with intended pace a good strategy? I am slow and still new to running in general. Half marathon easy runs are about 2:50. I would target 2 hours then finish at 9 min miles.

Is there a max time when zone 2 training has diminished returns? Should I just run my target pace from here on out instead?

Just wanted to share my splits from my third marathon with you. Super proud of the pacing this time. For reference, my first was barely sub 4:00, my second 3:17. I am 34, 75kg. I have been running for more than 7 years, but only seriously started marathon training a year ago. Mileage was around 40k per week with peak around 55k. I know that’s not much, but that is what I could do. I noticed that this time around the strength training I did was so pivotal. The last 7k I slowed down noticeably, but I somewhat kept my form and didn’t completely fall apart like before.

Now, sub3 feels in reach and yet super far away, because this past race went almost perfectly ignoring the 2 min lost on the second half. Gotta train harder next year :)

Hi all,

I have a long shot goal of qualifying for Boston and/or running sub-3 marathon, and just wanted some input as to how realistic it is, how far off in the future it’ll take, and what to do to get faster.

I’ve only ran one marathon about four years ago. Woefully undertrained and unprepared and did 4:01 with a serious bonk at 22 mi.

Im currently doing about 45mi per week and my times are as follows:

5k- 19:20 10k- 40:58 Half Marathon- 1:35

I can comfortably run at a 6:50/mi pace, down from ~7:15/mi a year ago.

At this point I can do about 10-12 miles at a 3 hr marathon pace.

I hate fueling during runs, and I know I need to get into the habit of doing so. How often, what to use, etc. would be helpful.

I don’t do much in terms of cross-training, and I reckon I should be. What sort of exercises are best and at what frequency?

Assuming it’s possible, what a realistic time frame to target? I was hoping for maybe 2026 or ‘27.

You won’t hurt my feelings if you think this is unattainable. Just looking for honest feedback.

Thanks all. Happy running.

Starting a 3 week taper. I let my diet get away from me, and ended up gaining 10lbs over the last month or so.

I know the extra weight slows me down a bit. I know I could fairly easily drop those 10lbs over the next 3 weeks.

On one side, I know the taper is to let your body recover, and you need protein and stuff to do so. On the other hand, since I’m not going to be running as much, I feel I could just cut way down on carbs, up my protein, and perhaps still see my body heal and maintain muscle during the cut. Losing 10lbs is 5% of my weight, and I think would give me that 5% as extra speed.

Any professional advice here?

During my current vacation, I somehow registered for the local marathon tomorrow morning. I have never run one before but had the idea back in mind of running one someday.

Based on my recent training (October, image), I think I am kinda prepared to finish sub 5 hours. What do you think? Should I lower my expectations and hope to get at least to the finish line?

For years I have wanted to do a parkun before a marahon, but that is not easy - do to Parkrun start at 9:00 and lots of marathons starts before that.

And then the loglistics, but today I did it.

My Parkrun code and my marathon medal

I had fond a place there there is a small parkrun (mostly less than 30 people) and also a small marathon (most did half and 10K, with later starts).

So they shared the same parking... and I had 1 hour from Parkrun start to marathonstart :D

I did suffer a lot the last 6-7K on the marathon... and my legs are tyred now.

29yp reasonably fit I’ve got my first race in 3 month time My schedule is 5 runs a week Saturday long runs building on each week. The week includes hill sprints 3 miles 5 miles runs and chuff running in between my run this morning was 5 miles in 50 mins not awesome I know but this was trail running huge hills up and down

Any tips fellas ?

So I went to the track to do my last short interval day before marathon, and the first two I was feeling some tightness in my hamstring, which isn’t super abnormal early in a workout for me. During the 3rd it started to get worse (I’d say a 4/10 pain) when I would expect it to go away, so I called it quits.

I have strained the biceps femoris on that leg twice, most recently 2 months ago, but this was definitely one of the the 2 medial muscles in the hamstring.

My plan is to treat it like a strain and do no stretching/running for 3 days. Thinking swim/sauna for a few days, lift Tuesday and then run again Wednesday. Obviously I don’t want to skip the marathon but honestly I don’t care to run it if it’s going to further an injury. I’d rather run a sub-3 in a year than a 3:30 that injures me in a week. Thoughts?

I have a Garmin watch and my phone with me. I thought about using WhatsApp live location, but will that drain the battery during 4 hours ?

Just had to stop a 19 miler about 6 miles in because of this pain, which sucks because I was feeling great and crushing the pace. I’ve never dealt with this before. I ran 21 last weekend, 18 the weekend before so I have some long runs under my belt already. With 3 weeks until the race, do I rest for a few days and maybe try some strengthening exercises in the meantime? I was due to run a few times this upcoming week and 13.1 next Sunday and then into taper. This was my biggest fear all along, getting a random injury at the 11th hour. Any words of wisdom or advice to talk me off the ledge would be greatly appreciated.

I've been doing the Jack Daniels Blue plan after my first marathon. Since winter and freezing cold is coming here pretty soon I have to change track workouts to treadmill.

I have experienced a pretty good progress while doing this blue plan.

Would it be good idea to do only M, T and I pace workouts in the winter months since doing those on a treadmill. I think R pace workouts would be kinda hard to execute properly.

Also would it be possible to do like a 5/10k time trial on the dreadmill to get new training paces?

Im trying build some speed for next year when I'm starting the 2Q plan.

This will be my second marathon and I'm working to hit a pretty big PR. One thing I see varying information around is food on the morning of the race. Last time, I believe I just had a bowl of oatmeal, maybe with some peanut butter, and possibly a banana (honestly, I can't remember exactly). The race was tough, but I was able to pick up speed at the end so no major issues.

Looking in the Hanson's book, they suggest 100g of carbs 2 hours prior or 150g of carbs 3 hours prior. This seems like a crazy amount of food. Two packs of oatmeal (40g), one scoop of peanut butter (16g), and a banana (30g) don't even hit these and that's the maximum that I would want to eat. I'd also have a gel 5 minutes before the race.

I know the general guidance is to do what you normally do, so I'm not planning to overdo it or deviate from the norm. The book just had me curious if people hit these carb totals the morning of the race and, if so, what you typically consume.

So for a little back story, I'm 26(m) I used to be extremely active sports year round in school and then after high school, lifting and multiple 3k, 5k, 10k runs for small charities in my area yearly. The last few years after I moved states I haven't been in the gym much. More just walking outside with the occasional couple mile run/jog.

I'm not in amazing shape, but I'm not overweight either.

My question is, I've always wanted to run a marathon, there is a Marathon in my town at the end of May 2025. Is it feasible to be able to run that if I start now? That would be roughly 7 months of training. (or would be setting my goal for the Fall run a better option) I don't mind pushing the limits of my mental and physical strength.

Also what are some good ways to start training for one? I figured my first week of the gym I would do a few miles walking/jogging daily or every other day at least, that way I'm not just destroying my body when it's not ready for a full time run. And then start running more, as it's getting cold here most of this will be treadmill running, but I figured if I add incline that should help with the way a road would be like.

Any tips on diet? (I have maybe one soda a month, rarely drink, and I quit smoking. I drink a gallon of water daily. My eating habits aren't great usually one meal a day maybe two if I'm really hungry)

Also what app is everyone using to collect split times and such?

I'm sure this is a frequently asked question so I do apologize for that.

I’m running my first marathon tomorrow (woooo!) and rested yesterday, ran 3 miles the day before that. I was going to do a slow 3 miles this morning before chilling the rest of the day, but idk if this is too much?

Training for my first marathon coming up on the 24th. On my long runs when I get to 16 miles my hips really tighten up and make it extremely more difficult to keep going. Thoughts on what I can do other than power through it? 6ft 225lb

Also still deciding on shoes for the marathon any ideas? Looking for more of a comfort/stability shoe.

Hey guys, this was a half marathon effort I did in September 2023, I was just looking back at it as it was my first race and I didn’t know much back then, but my heart rate was apparently in zone 5 for nearly an hour and a half. That can’t be right, no? My heart rate zones are based off of a guided lactate threshold test I did last summer as well. Is it possible that the test gave me bad results? Or that my LT number changed a lot in the 2 months leading up to the race?

I ran my first marathon this year in a time of 4:10 and I am looking at training plans for my next marathon in 2025. I'd love to be able to go sub 4 (or better) and I am thinking of using one of the Higdon intermediate plans. My question is are these plans a good idea for my time goal? I like the philosophy of doing my quality work on a weekend when I have time as I work a pretty time consuming job. Or should I look into a Daniels plan (however the midweek long run intimidates me). Thanks everyone!

preferences on hydration bags for first time marathon runners?

Hey guys, Been training my running for years now. Have never once signed up for a half or full marathon. Just wondering if anyone knows any good marathons in Canada that would be great for my first rip!

Background: Former Division I lacrosse player who transitioned out of the sport into running, the past 2 years. I am a 22 year old male. 

HM PR: 1:29:25

Garmin Race Predictor: 3:05

Vo2 Max: 62 

In three weeks I will be running the Philadelphia Marathon, being my first Marathon, after completing 3 HM the past two years. This has not been an ideal prep, coming off an injury this summer. I made my own plan and it has looked like this the past few weeks: 

MPW (32, 35, 39, 47, 35, 39.5, 45, 50, 52.5, 48…) 

This week I will aim to peak at 55 ish, then taper down to 40, 30-35, and then race week… 

Coming into this race I have no idea what to expect out of myself. I feel fit, yet I would have liked to get higher mileage and more consistency into my block. My longest run on this block has been 18.5 miles. I train primarily in Z2, typically with 1-2 tempo sessions a week. 

My plan was to start with either the 3:20 or 3:30 pacer, and if I am feeling good, push it faster. Any advice for me heading into this thing, or if anyone out there has gone through a similar situation as me.

Possible advice: Philly course, my current taper plan, pacing during the race, am I aiming too high or too low…

FYI: I will be running in the Hoka Mach x2 for the race.

I appreciate all of your help! Best of luck to you all with your own respective races!

Recently completed my first marathon! Starting really running at the beginning of this year and started to stick to my 17 week training program on July 1. Super happy with how it turned out, but wish my hamstring didn’t cramp up at mile 23 or I think I could’ve finished anywhere from about 8-12 minutes earlier. Miles 17-19 were mostly uphill and I think that put a lot of strain on my hammy which led to the cramp, definitely panicked for a minute but was able to get it back on track and finish the race at a run, which was awesome because I really thought I was gonna be walking the last 2+ when the cramp first came on. My goal was sub 4 so I accomplished that but definitely hungry to improve my time and overall readiness for whichever marathon comes next! If anyone has any suggestions for a marathon at the beginning of 2025 that you can still register for feel free to comment below!

Hey all - I know usually when people complain of bruised toes while in a training block, it’s recommended to go up a size, change laces, etc. But, if my toes only were an issue after my marathon, is that just to be expected since it’s so long on feet/swelling etc, or still an issue with shoes?

TLDR: even if shoes fit great, are bruised/sore toes still normal after a marathon?

How realistic is my goal for a marathon sub 3:30? I’m 32yo (male), vo2max is 54 (measured from Garmin watch). I started 6 months ago with running. My goal is to run my first marathon in May 2025. My watch currently predicts a time of around 3:36hrs. I’m following a training plan since recently 4/5 times a week (various kinds of running, mobility, strength). How realistic is my goal for sub 3:30 in May/ what should a realistic goal be (besides finishing and sort of enjoying as it is my first one)? Thanks for your answer/insights :)

Hi guys. I will be participating in my first marathon later this month. Im struggling to find a good affordable hydration backpack. Something not too big or not too small.

Hi all!

I (22F) finished my first marathon, the Akron Marathon, on September 28th. I didn’t really set a time goal going in, but knew I was capable of 4:15 based off my training. I ended with a 4:09 official time (I had to urgently use the restroom 3 times around half way… luckily no cramps or anything). So around 9:30 avg. elapsed pace, and a 4:02 moving time around 9:12 avg. moving pace.

I included interval training, tempo runs, and hill work in my plan in addition to the long runs and easy runs. I peaked at ~46mpw and 21 miles longest run. Did a 2 week taper before the race. Felt good. The race itself felt pretty good (the late teens had the bulk of elevation gain, but the last 5k was a blast). I finished my last mile in 7:30, making me wonder if I was too conservative in the beginning or if it was just a result of the adrenaline/crowd. The course was pretty hilly for Ohio, ~1000ft. gained. Also took gel every 30min + stopped at every water station except the last 2.

My next marathon is the last weekend of April. It’s the Toledo marathon which looks like it has ~400ft elevation gain. Currently, I’m just doing a running maintenance plan ~25-30mpw. Once I get to about 18 weeks out I’ll start a more marathon specific plan. I have a big goal to get a sub 4hr marathon, and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to prepare myself for this. Thank you!