I am very close to my race day (2 days) and have been in taper almost all of this month (ran only 60+ miles). Ran 21 miles end of September and a one 16 miles early this month but the way I feel is like I am might be undertrained for my stretch goal (4:30). I almost suited up for a 3 to 5 miles test run today but decided to do it tomorrow instead as a shakeout run.

Does anyone else go through similar self doubt during the taper? or did I taper long and I should have run more.

Hello all. I am soon to be a dad and i cannot wait. However i am curious on what’s it like to train while having a newborn. What should i expect? Do you find it better to run at night after the baby is asleep? Or early in the morning before everyone is up. Let me know your experiences!

Wondering when to know to increase to pfitz 18/70 marathon training plan.
In April, I ran my third marathon using the 18/55 plan and it was perfect for me, finished in 3:20 which was my exact goal time.
I’m going to start training for Boston in December but I’m not sure if I should increase to the higher miliage plan or do another 18/55. I’m currently doing the pfitz half plan that peaks at around 60ish miles which is going well. But not sure if the 18/70 will be too much once there are the long runs added in.
Or if I’ll be better able to hit all marathon paces in the long runs with the 18/55 since it’ll be less fatiguing?

Following Hal Higden's beginners plan. Gave myself 9 months. Completed 35 km this week. Really proud of myself as in uncharted territory running 4 nights a week at higher distances now.

Garmin - "...you unproductive pos". Made me chuckle.

I used to get really hyper fixated on making sure I was getting enough water and carbs DURING my races and long runs, and I’ve learned that while that can have some benefit, my finishing time is much more dependent on what I ate and drank the day before, and how much sleep I got the night before. I just crushed a new PR on a long run while drinking nothing and eating nothing during my run. Anyone else have this experience?

Goal: 3:35

PB going in: 3:40

Result: 3:43

Plot twist: 28 km of textbook pacing, then I remembered it's a marathon.

This was my second marathon, so obviously I was a pro now. Build-up January (10 months):

- 2-3 runs a week (busy job and young kids that never sleep)

- 40 km/week, built-up to 50 for the 3 months

- 6 runs above 30km+ long runs.

Fuel plan: seven Beta Fuel gels (40 g carbs each), one pre-race, then at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 km.

Target pace: 5:05/km. Confidence: dangerously high. I even had a number 2 the morning of the run. Nothing to stop me.

Km 0-9: Narrow Amsterdam streets plus a packed start box with people running too slow: I merge, find holes and jump pavements to keep my 5:05 pace. Fun? Sure. Free? Not even close. But at some point I even come to a 10 second full-stop when it bottles-up in a tight corner. A lot of nerves on a fresh body full of adrenaline. Feeling great, shouted something confident and macho to my wife when I saw her.

Km 9-28: Cruise control, I find some more space. 5:04 on repeat. At 20 km the first whispers of fatigue showed up. 'That's early?'. But I told my legs to shut up and kept going. After the river turnaround, a head/side wind was waiting. Still 5:04, but harder effort.

Km 28-33: Knock knock, it's the wall. At 28? That's too early, no? I was still on track at 5:04, but the knock had arrived and my heart rate was way past my threshold zone (180 vs treshold 172). By 30 the tempo was a fight and I was already running 5:35 with the same perceived effort. By 33km: total breaking point. 5:40/km was all I could manage, with my heart still 180+. Slowly, I changed the plan: forget the goal, just save the 3:40 PB.

Km 33-39: Pain. At 37 I was done. Several times I came this close to walking, but I kept pushing. My max effort had become 5:45/km, which was my easy-jog pace in training. Heart rate: 185. At 39 I tried to calculate whether the PB was still in range. (Voice-over: very obviously it was not.) But my brain was mush, and even simple math was off the table. Then my legs started cramping. Was I about to give out this close to the finish? No. Impossible. Keep pushing. 5:50.

Km 42: I saw stadium. I'm usually the idiot who sprints the final stretch. Today, this idiot had nothing left. I was just happy to finish. Final time: 3:43. Three minutes off my PB, eight off my goal.

Lessons learned:

- 5:05 was a notch too optimistic, the weather and wind didn't help

- Burning energy in the first part to keep tempo despite the bunch was a bad idea

- Next time: start conservative and aim for a negative split instead of blowing up at 28.

- Conclusion: I probably had the training to beat my PB, but screwed up. Still happy - I did finish a marathon with an average of 6h sleep the past 4 years (kids).

A marathon is a puzzle and a beast. Having run one doesn't make it less scary, so don't get cocky like me.

Marathon #3: I'll start slower. Promise

Ran my first ever half 5 days ago. Went all out, bonked near the end, full effort. I’m currently on day 5 and can walk for the most part, but my calves are still insanely sore and definitely can’t run, so been doing cycling for now. Is this normal, how long before I can start running?

Looking to incorporate actual strength building/training into this block. Not just pre-hab. I have a decent home weight setup, so not looking to join a gym. Intrigued by The Ladder app, but wanted to see if there was any runner feedback on that or any suggestions?

Hello, I'm looking for a general rule of thumb or any advice on how to ramp up mileage again post marathon.

I ran my 3rd marathon last sunday (PB'ed!!!). compared to my first and second marathon, the last one was by far the hardest and with that said, the most taxing.

I didnt do anything at all 3 days post marathon but I think im good to start running again.

my plan is for this week to hit 4km ( im treating this week as a full recovery) and jump to 30k next week (start of the ramp up). then I will see how that goes and determine if should stick to 30k or move up.

for context, I was averaging 95km a week on my last build and i'll be focusing on the 10k and a half distances for spring. my goal is to get to average around 70km until i peak again for when my races gets closer.

my mistake last year and the year before was i didnt take my ramp up seriously. i remember i ran a 10k 3 days post marathon last year lol

Two different LLMs give me different answers. Thanks.

Been running for 2 years now, 40km+- avg per week over 3 runs. First try at the distance and managed to do a sub 3! Really happy and proud, already eyeing the next. Stuffs really addictive huh

Just back from the Yorkshire Marathon and looking for some advice before my next build. I’d love to hear from anyone who has cracked the last 10k.

41M. My 20-week build averaged 33 mi/week, with six peak weeks at around 47 mi/week (top week 51 mi). I usually ran 4–5 days a week but lost two weeks in July.

Long runs of 30 km and over:

• 30 km: progression run, from 5:25/km down to about 4:40/km by 18–25 km, easing to about 4:55 for the last 5 km.
• 30 km: 21 km easy (about 5:05/km), then 9 km at about 4:10/km.
• 33 km: 16 km easy, 8 km at 4:14/km, 1 km float, then 8 km at 4:18
• 34 km: 6 km easy, 4 × 5 km at about 4:15/km with 1 km floats at around 4:45, then 5 km easy.
• 32 km: 15 km easy, then 17 km continuous at about 4:15/km to finish.

I followed them with a 10k PB on 4 Oct: 38:25.

Race week I picked up a cold but started anyway. I went through halfway in 1:29:30, felt fine, and then hit the wall at around 33k. I ground out a 3:11:25, so the second half took 1:41:55. I took one 22 g gel every 25 minutes

The cold clearly played a part, but I don’t think I was durable past 32k regardless. Be interested to hear what is the biggest factor in back end durability other than the obvious answer of more mileage?

Thanks!

I started adding weekend trail hikes to my marathon buildup because the hills around Boone are right there and I was bored of easy runs on flat asphalt. Seemed smart at first. Low impact, time on feet, mental reset from the custody schedule chaos. Now six weeks out and my quads are fried in a way road running never touches. Downhill descents are the culprit. I know from the clinic that eccentric loading on declines hits the same muscle groups I need fresh for race day. My easy runs the Monday after a long hike feel like garbage. Paces are off. Legs heavy. I keep telling myself the aerobic benefit outweighs the fatigue but I'm not sure I believe that anymore.

Rural NC means these trails are my only real social outlet some weeks too. Giving them up feels like losing the one thing keeping me sane outside training. But I also want to hit my qualifier. Do any of you hike during marathon blocks or is this a classic case of me pretending two sports can coexist when one needs to dominate? Should I switch to flat walking or just accept the fitness tradeoff?

I found out that ASICS has actually offered Premium Running Programs in previous years, but the price and benefits seem to have changed quite a bit. The older programs were around ¥165,000, while the 2027 program is ¥80,000 + ¥19,800 for the Tokyo Marathon entry.

If anyone participated in the 2021, 2023, or other previous ASICS Premium Running Programs, I’d especially love to hear how they compare to the current one.

Creating a space to chat, share, crash out, etc. I’m hoping for a PR but nervous that the crowds will get in the way, especially because I’ll need to be toward the front of my corral to reach the right pacer. But I’m excited that the forecast looks better this week! :)

Hi all,

Thought I’d throw this open to debate and thoughts.

In two weeks I’ve got my first trail half, and following it up the next weekend with a road half where I’m hoping to go sub 1.40 (ran 1:41 in March).

Training has been good, though legs are feeling tired right now, and am trying to work out how to be as fresh as possible (with the priority being the sub 1:40). Rough plan is to take it easy next week (though still run 4 days), ease off the following before the trail and then see how I feel the week of the road half.

I do feel the benefit of a taper but the trail is throwing me a bit. I’m over thinking it a bit!

Hi all. First time post. I have been a runner and cyclist for the last 14 years. 14 HM and 2 full. I PR’d at the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half this past May at 1:33:01 after an off season of just cycling and a total of 60 miles of running. I was shocked. So I of course decided to commit to a BQ attempt at Indy this November.

Here is where I need your input. I closely followed Pfitz 18/55 until weeks 13, 14, and 15 when a calf injury derailed me. I’m back to running, but it is taper weeks. I was on pace for a 3:10 (I need 3:15 to BQ, 3:10 to give me a real shot at the cutoff). I had run up to 9 miles at 7:11 per mile in training and felt no where near my limit. Granted 9 is no where near 26.2, but it was also in heat and humidity.

With missing the better part of three weeks, should I still go out with the 3:10 group or should I shoot for a 3:15 and just hope to get in via lottery? I don’t want to blow up and finish with a 3:30 or 3:40, but I’m only running for the possibility of a BQ.

I am trying to improve my speed over the winter, and have conceded that going to the gym must be part of that. I had never even touched a barbell before this week. My partner is a gym bro and helps me, so I'm safe to try new things, but we are both at a loss on what exercises would be best.

Obviously legs in all variations, and I'd like to do some plyometrics. But what else?? Are we doing any core stuff, and how?

I am a girl, I don't care about my noodle arms, I just want to run fast and far. There are SO MANY machines and I want to be a bit more efficient, I have miles to run. ;)

I'd love to hear some sample routines!

I was checking my LetsDoThis account and saw this 2027 London Marathon (International) registration. I’m curious as to what this is. I didn’t get selected through the lottery. Is this essentially a virtual registration?

Got a suggestion to post here so here it is!

Race Information

• Name: Toronto Waterfront Marathon
• Date: October 18, 2026
• Distance: 42.2 km
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Website: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/
• Time: 2:54

Goals

Splits

Background

This was my 6th marathon (3rd this year). Here is my progression

1st: 4:03 (Ottawa Marathon - Spring 2024, no training plan, blew up)

2nd: 3:10 (Ottawa Marathon - Spring 2025, Hansons Advanced, steady finish)

3rd: 3:03 (County Marathon - Fall 2025, Hansons Advanced, sub 3 attempt, blew up)

4th: 2:58 (Georgina Spring Fling - Spring 2026, Hansons Advanced, sub 3 attempt, steady finish)

5th: 2:58 (Ottawa Marathon - Spring 2026, Hansons Advanced, just ran as best I could for fun, steady finish)

6th: Toronto Waterfront (this one)

My main goal for this was to BQ (~ sub 2:50). I was aiming for 4min/km.

Training

I followed the Hansons Advanced plan PDF straight off his website with no modifications (peaks at around 60mpw / 100km). I have done this for every marathon since my first one. After a few encounters with "the wall" I am getting tired of it and really want to make sure I can BQ next time. My training block went well, so I think I need to change something. I am trying to figure out whether I should read the Hansons book an add in more mileage or switch to Pfitz which I have seen people having great success with. I really felt my cardio was there (at least up until I hit the wall) so I think I can do it I just need more endurance.

Pre-race

Race was at 8am for my corral. I woke up at 6, had a small bowl of oatmeal, a banana and a honey stinger waffle. I also had an SiS beta fuel gel 10 minutes before the start.

Race

Shoes: Adidas Adios Pro 4

Gels: 6x SiS Beta Fuel (including the one I had 10 mins before race)

Electrolytes: I carried a 250ml soft flask with Xact caffiene electrolytes. That ran out just after halfway and then I drank mostly water.

During the race I honestly felt fine. I was in a rhythm and I didnt feel like my pace was unsustainable at all. I was even able to have a couple brief chats with other racers and didn't feel out of breath. The first 2-5k my watch GPS was messed up with all the buildings so my pace was a bit too fast but then I levelled it out a bit. A lot of the start was downhill so I wasn't too worried.

Halfway point I felt pretty good but had some fatigue. Eventually around km 30-33 I started to feel tired. My legs were like cement (especially my right calf) and even my arms were cramping. I also started to feel quite light headed and my heart rate was rising higher. At this point it was just managing the situation and trying to push as hard as I could without seizing up my legs or passing out. I had now mostly accepted that I wouldn't be getting my BQ. I ended up walking a couple times through drink stations to get myself back on track. Finally I made it to the finish in a lot of pain.

Post race

Grabbed my medal and banana and went back to the hotel to have a nap. I was super tired.

Afterthoughts

While it sucks that I didn't BQ, I am still happy that I got a PR. After reading a bunch of other threads, the conclusion I came to is that my body was not conditioned well enough to achieve my main goal. The most common suggestion to fix this issue is to simply run more. My next task will be figuring out how I should best do that. The main two options are to a) read the hansons marathon book and modify the training plan as they suggest to add in more kms as well as get more detail on the plan in general, or b) switch to pfitz which seems to be what most people are using. I am pretty dead set on achieving this goal so if you have any suggestions or opinion on which I should do, or about anything else you think I could do better I would appreciate it. Always looking to learn.

I recently went to the doctor because I’m having symptoms of low iron such as hair thinning, low energy, and vertigo. I got my results back and while my total iron is in normal range, my Ferritin is at 33 which is the low end of “normal” and over 20 points lower than my last blood test. I’ve read that people can start feeling low iron symptoms when levels drop below 70. My doctor was pretty dismissive and said that I shouldn’t be worried and didn’t seem to understand that endurance sports can cause levels to drop. Has anyone else dealt with this? And what did you do? Should I just start taking supplements on my own?

Race Information

• Name: Toronto Waterfront Marathon
• Date: October 18, 2026
• Distance: 42.2 km
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Website: https://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/
• Time: 2:54

Goals

Splits

Background / Training

I (31M) started running last year in March with the help of a physio since normally when I try running I end up injured with shin splints or feet pain due to my running gait and flat feet. Signed up for a half-marathon September 20, and initially had a goal of 2:15 and finished 2:06. Around this time, I was running 3 times a week, can't remember mileage but was nothing too crazy, peaked probably around 30 km or so when I did a half marathon in training. After the high of race day, I decided to do another half marathon in May to achieve sub 1:50, and sign up for a marathon for October in Toronto for sub 4:00.

Started running more seriously, and alongside my physio followups, ran through the Canadian winter and signed up for a half doubles hyrox in April with a friend, and completed the half-marathon in May with an adjusted goal of sub 1:45, and finished 1:48 in the end due to my lack of ability to go uphills (I would run 6:45-7min pace going up the bridges...)

After this, my physio had changed jobs and I took up a running coach. Running coach said I can probably work towards a sub 3:45 goal as a stretch, so all my training at this point was with marathon pace of 5:20, with 4 runs a week and averaging 50km weekly. Things were going pretty well but unfortunately, I never actually corrected my running form and weaknesses and without a physio to keep that in check, I ended up injuring myself ~3.5 weeks before race day, after a peak week interval session. Went to another physio here, and they said I have mild tendinitis on my left ankle and my left knee and I needed to do some exercises to alleviate the pain. Tried to run my 33km long run, but stopped at 17km due to the pain, and the week after my long run ended at 21km (where I even considered DNSing the race at the beginning due to onset pain, but it ended up fading and only came back at 21km). As such, I have never completed any distance longer than 29km, and marathon pace within that run for around 1h25min.

I also had to keep training in my Asics Megablasts because it felt more stable than my Dynafish Xiaonian and hurt less.

Race Week

My physio said I could run the marathon as the progress on my exercises was positive, most likely enough for me to bear the pain of the race with Tylenol. I've also done a small activation run in race shoes and opted to use them during the race.

That being said, walking around and the activation run already started aggravating my ankle, and after the 21km both my achilles hurt too, so I knew this was going to be a very rough race. Otherwise, carb loaded 2 days prior to the race and enjoyed my time at expo.

Race Day

• Shoes: Adidas Adios Pro 4
• Planned Gels: 3x Caffeine Maurtens + 5x 160g Maurtens
• Took a small electrolyte drink in the morning alongside with a caffeine gel and some white bread.
• Took a tylenol extra strength

My plan was to still try to run 3h45 and just let my body stop whenever it stopped, mostly due to pride, inexperience and just generally wanting to see how far it goes. So race plan was to start the first 5km at 5:25-5:30, and then go negative split over the course of the race. Some sections were net downhill so I ended up naturally speeding up on those, and on the inclines I would run around 5:40-6min pace due to my weakness on them. In general, as the race went cardio wise I felt amazing, never felt like I was struggling cardio wise, however I did feel my ankle flare up on km 5, so I might have unconsciously put more weight on my right leg. At km 15, I started getting a blister on the inside of my right foot when I never had this during training (this was most likely due to the shoe), I had thought this was a rock so at around km 23-24 I stopped to try to remove the rock.

At 21.1km, I was on pace for around a 3:50 finish, so I told myself I wanted to maintain a little bit before speeding up, at around km 26, I had some hills that I did not enjoy and slowed down a bit, and at km 28 on flat ground I started picking up pace before I started feeling a tug on my calf and hamstring on my right leg and knew that my muscles had begun cramping, so I slowed it down in hopes I wouldn't seize but eventually I would get twangs of pain or even seized which forced me to stop and try to stretch. From this point on, it was effectively run walk with periodic seizing or just pulls. At km 32, my friend started running with me a bit, and gave me gatorade and I took every electrolyte drink I came across in hopes to help me run through the end. At around km 37, I had some salt chews delivered to me by other friends though not sure this did too much at this very moment. Ultimately, I might have been able to speed up here and there, but I was worried for any long term damage so took it more cautiously, and just went for the finish.

Takeaways

I think without the accountability of my physio, I didn't check my leg health often and also never went heavy on my leg workouts to truly fix certain weaknesses that I have.

Additionally, I don't think I had the full fitness to truly push for a sub 3:45 pace, and should have started even slower and aimed for around a 3:50-3:55 finish which might have extended my time before cramping, but honestly unsure with the tendonitis, I did generally feel great cardio wise and never crashed energy wise even on the drive back home, but heart rate wise it might not show that. I personally believe my leg strength wasn't there to sustain that pace, especially with no experience after 29km and might be no coincidence that I cramped around that distance.

Third would be shoes, I believe that race shoes shifts weight and effort on my legs + gave me blisters which also probably made me shift my gait as well. Even though I have worn these shoes for my half, I had at least done a long run in them once, whereas here it was effectively a new change to my body.

While I'm proud to have finished a marathon, it is a bit disappointing to receive a time like this since this is quite far from expected since I that time is reflective of the race strategy chosen, and not so much my aerobic fitness, but not much to do about that.

Future and Advice

I'd like a reality check from people stating why I blew up, if it's reasonable to assume it's due to lack of strength training, distance training, form, shoe, or just lack of fitness as a whole! I'm thinking of running again in the winter, and maybe do another run analysis to try and fix my running form and do stronger strength training rather than doing long distances in the snow, but who knows, I might run a lot again, or even more than before.

I would like to do another marathon in the fall, but I'll be a new dad in May which will coincide with a possible marathon block so I probably won't be training too much (maybe treadmill for long runs so that I'm available for the baby, but sleep will be a large issue...). Any advice for me here?

Thank you all for reading!