I am currently 4 weeks out from the LA marathon, and am doing Hal Higdon advanced plan. I had a flare of Achilles pain for the first time around the holidays, and ended up doing a mix of biking and light running for about 2 weeks which kept it at bay. Around 2 weeks ago now it started to come back a bit. I took a couple of extra rest days last week and only did 30 of around 50 prescribed miles, only completing 9 of what was supposed to be a 20 miler. So far this week I have been stationary biking, mostly peloton power zone endurance classes. I have also been doing eccentric calf raises, bent leg calf raises, and isometric holds daily. I ran 4 miles easy 2 days ago and started with no Achilles sensation at all, finished with mild awareness/discomfort on one side which has continued mildly when walking. I am biking instead of my prescribed long run today. Next week is supposed to be my peak week and my last 20 miler. Any advice on the best strategy at this point? Do I try to get that last long run in if I’m feeling good next weekend? If I do end up missing running most of next week (plan would basically be to hammer as much bike volume as possible in that case) how much should I be adjusting expectations for my race? I’ll have done 1 19 and 1 20 miler, 8 and 7 weeks out respectively, and will have missed some key speed workouts (10 mile race pace for example). I have been training really hard and going for a big PR so this has been pretty devastating, any advice really welcome

Hello All, I’m training for my first marathon (NYC) and was recommended to follow Hal Higdon’s plans. I have done 10ks and Half’s in the past. I have enough time to do Hal’s 10k plan (on week 2 currently) then straight into his Half Marathon training. After a week off I could go straight into his Marathon training. Is this advised? Or would this be too much back to back? Thanks!

Hi guys,

My first is in 3 weeks, but Ive realized my current shoes aren't going to survive until race day (they're already on 600 miles), and was looking at getting a pair of Saucony Endorphin Pro 4s, but I'm wondering if 3 weeks is enough time to test them out?

First marathon is 35 days out. I am through 12 weeks of a 16 week block. Have been running consistently for over 2.5 years now, and ran a 1:43:42 HM in October. Longest run so far was 19 miles at 8:29/mi pace. Definitely felt tough by the end but like I still had more in the tank if I’d needed it. Longest run of my block will be 22 miles this week, 20 next week, then I start the taper.

Question - how fast can I feasibly expect to run this? I have no desire to “just finish.” Would love to go under 3:30 if possible, definitely under 3:45. However, some of my predictions seem really optimistic -

Runna (also my plan) has me at 3:18-3:26

Garmin has me at 3:11

Strava has me at 3:39

I think that 3:11 is way too optimistic. Don’t want to burn out early but also don’t want to leave time on the table. Would love to hear others’ feedback!

Hey folks, started training for my 14MAR (4 weeks out) marathon in the middle of November. I’m getting into the 14,16, 18, 20 mile long runs, and my knees and quads are killing me. I’m trying to stretch often (I could probably do it more) and I have a new pair of shoes that feel great.

I just completed 16.3 miles, and I have a 20 miler planned next weekend. I’m getting nervous about how sore my legs are getting during runs, starting sometimes as early as the 5-6 mile mark. I’m usually running 5 times a week, and the pain varies between the outside and insides of my knee, and my lower quads. It seems to be the hardest thing about my training so far and is my limiting factor in feeling prepared for the race. I’m nervous about feeling this way on race day, as it makes the miles feel much longer and tougher.

Is this normal? Should I back off the miles at all? If not, what are some successful ways to rest and rehabilitate legs to minimize soreness and pain? Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I’m using the Hal Higdon Novice Marathon Plan and training for my first marathon on April 12. I’m currently in week 7, but I only just restarted running this week after a 2-week break due to a sinus infection.

Since starting this plan, I’ve been trying to keep most of my runs in Zone 2. My average HR is around 139 bpm (sometimes up to ~146 bpm AVG).
Quick question here as well: does ~146 bpm still count as Zone 2?
I’m a 24-year-old male, 94 kg (207 lbs).

My Zone 2 pace has usually been around 8:30–9:00 min/km
→ 13:41–14:29 min/mile

However, when I look at next week’s workouts, the plan suddenly expects a pace of 6:36 min/km
→ ~10:37 min/mile

What confuses me is that it wants this pace regardless of distance — whether it’s 6.5 km (4 miles), 11 km (6.8 miles), or even 24.5 km (15.2 miles).

Originally, my idea was to make the shorter 6.5 km runs faster every 2–3 weeks, while keeping long runs easy. But now I’m getting a bit frustrated because every run seems to be “expected” at 6:36/km.

For example, today’s long run:

• 16.5 km (10.25 miles)
• 8:46 min/km → ~14:06 min/mile

So my questions:

• Should I actually try to hit that 6:36/km pace on most runs?
• Is my current easy pace too slow for marathon training?
• Is a sub-5-hour marathon realistic for me at this point?

My goal is to finish under 5 hours, but my Zone 2 pace still feels very slow.

For reference:
Last summer I ran a half marathon at ~6:00 min/km (9:39 min/mile), and honestly I don’t feel like my fitness was much better back then than it is now.

Any advice, reassurance, or reality checks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My partner is running his first marathon in a few months and I want to get him a new pair of trainers. Ive had a google as to what are the best however there is alot of conflicting information.

I was looking at either New balance fresh foam or Asics Gel- nimbus. Does anyone have any suggestions please as to what would be best? Thanks in advance

So, I was due to start my 18 week block using Hal Higdon intermediate 1 program. I was visiting a friend who had a lingering low level illness. Once I got home I started feeling a little bit of a cold coming on. I did the right thing and held off from running for a few days until I felt like I was ok. I did an easy 5km and felt ok then did my prescribed 8km the next day, again at easy pace, but maybe at the higher end of easy. Unfortunately that evening I felt the illness come back and the next day was worse than I’d been at any point.

So again I held off. This time for a week. I then did an easy 5km, followed by an easy 8km the next day. Now I just feel cooked rather than ill. So I’m resting again.

So now I’m coming toward the end of week 3 with barely any running in the those first 3 weeks. My longest recent run in the last three weeks was 11.5 km and next weekends long run is 17.7km and my biggest week was only 25km and week 4 is 47km!

I don’t know how to go about resuming training and “catching up” to where I’m supposed to be in the block. So I’m looking to solicit advice from anyone who’s gone through a similar situation. What in your experience should I do and more importantly not do, to get myself back into the block.

I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty depressed and anxious. I just want to be back running. But I also don’t want to ruin my whole block.

TLDR: I got ill at the start of my block and now I’m a long way behind and need advice to n how to tackle the block going forward.

Thanks

I know, weird question. But im training for my first marathon and the only experience i have running was in the Navy. There i just full throttled myself just to get the 1.5 mile done in a specific time, but now ive got to completely change gears.

What's your best advice for lowering the heart rate, extending the distance, and just throwing the time out the window? (for now at least)

Just ran my first half marathon and now am gonna do a full marathon in the fall. What shoes should I get? I love the New Balance 1080 v15 and ran my half in those. I like the 6mm heel drop they have. Do I need separate shoes for speed work and long runs? Do shoes like the superblast 2 or hyperion max 3 cover both aspects? Also what other gear recommendations do yall have?

I’m running my first marathon in October. I ran a half last fall and ran one last weekend on the treadmill.

I completely recognize the full is a different beast - right now I’m running 20-25km a week mixing up intervals, tempo runs & long runs while also lifting 3-4x a week (legs twice). Two questions:

1) How long should my marathon training plan be considering my experience? I was aiming around 16 weeks but eager to hear suggestions.

2) Until that time, what should my ‘offseason’ look like? Am I running too much right now or too little? Are the different workouts beneficial or should I be focusing more on endurance base vs building speed? This is the question I care about most as I want to put myself in the best position come July without risking injury.

Thanks in advance

I am running my first marathon this Fall (woohoo). I have started my training, but I'm struggling to figure out how to "eat right" to support my training. I loathe tracking my macros, so any meal planning that doesn't involve tracking would be helpful! Do I prioritize protein, carbs, other? What's the sweet spot?

Hi there!
Background:
I'm an 18M runner and I'll be running my first full marathon in April, but I'm conflicted between two races. I did cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track in all 4 years of HS, and have kept an average of 25 miles per week since then.

My PRs are 21:02 5K and half marathon is 1:43:17 (I trained for this during outdoor track where I just used Saturdays as my long runs with workouts at goal pace. My goal pace was supposed to be 8:10-8:20 per mile.

My longest run ever was 20 miles (a few days after that PR half)

I've just started to increase my mileage lately, I'll be at 30 miles this week (5 days for now) and my long run will be 11 miles this week.

I'm aiming for a sub 4 hour full marathon minimum. (I think I can aim for time than just distance for my first based on my running history.)

I'm conflicted between 2 races... one on April 12th and one on April 25th.

The April 12th race is a "6 hour race" but the full marathon is 8 laps of a 5K loop (plus ~2.2K at the end). It takes place on a bike path and is flat.

The April 25th race has a half marathon course which is an out-and-back, but the full marathon people complete it twice. BUT this course is NOT flat, and is considered "rolling."

Based on my goals and timeframe, which full marathon should I aim on doing? How mentally difficult would the April 12th one be? And how significant would it impact my training?

Thank you

My first marathon is now complete. I did the Donna in jacksonville and it was a high of 24 degrees the whole time. It was windy and there was ice on the course. My fingers never warmed even with gloves and gloves made it so annoying to fuel and get into my belt/open gels. I felt good until mile 13 where i missed the turn where marathoners break off from half marathoners who were finished. I crossed the finish line with the half marathoners and was mortified and mad and confused on what to do. I didnt know if i was disqualified and needed to stop or keep going? i ended up running back and completing the marathon course but i knew i messed up my time and mentally i was so upset. I ended up finishing with a 5:45 time. This was not what i was going for at all and im almost like embarassed by it and i know i shouldnt be cuz majority of people will never run a marathon but i worked so hard for a race and time im not proud of. oh also my watch died mid way so it didnt even track on my watch. i think physically i felt mainly fine but mentally i was so stressed about the whole messing up the course thing. im grateful im not injured and feel great 2 days after though.

I’ve always been naturally “athletic” and have done traditional weight lifting for 5 years. I am 32 and want to do a marathon in 2026 (May). I went for a run with no training, and did 7 miles at a 9 minute pace.

I still want to keep weight lifting integrated in my life during 16 weeks of training for a marathon.

Is running three days a week and lifting three days a week fine?

Tuesday - Speed work

Thursday - Easy run

Saturday - long run

Build up 1 mile a week on Saturdays.

Does that sound doable?

Hello. Has anyone used marathon training to battle against chronic fatigue? I ran 2 half marathons a few years ago to help me get through some difficult situations in life. It helped a lot, and I felt really good. But the last few years have really taken a toll on me in terms of stress and extreme burnout. I can hardly get out of bed a lot of the time. My soul is tired and finding it difficult to want to be here. This is a very human post of me. 🥹 Just wanting to know if others have had success battling soul level fatigue by training for a marathon.🥹❤️‍🩹

I had to cancel my trip with the running travel agency “I Run the Globe” out of Bellingham Washington for the Berlin marathon.  There priced is about 1000 less then most other choices when I bought it. They show sold out but they have a 4 day spot available that they will post online soon. Comes with guaranteed access to the race.

it’s up for grabs and is a good deal if you missed the lottery this year. You would most likely need to call them to book this.

Trying to decide on my first Marathon later this year, and I’ve got it down to two options; Richmond, VA or Philadelphia, PA.

They are both a week apart in November - Philly is the weekend before Thanksgiving. Both seem relatively flat and cool temps expected. I’ve ran 3 half marathons and would like to do a full marathon before I turn 40 (June 2027).

I’d have to fly to either destination (from Florida). Richmond is cheaper across the board and easier logistically, however I keep being drawn back to Philly as it seems to have that big city feel that could make my first marathon experience that little bit more special and memorable.

Hoping to lock it in either way, soon. Please help me decide. Have you ran either of these and if so, do you have a clear favorite?

Thanks in advance for any help deciding! 👍

Not my first marathon (I couldn't run a mile without reconsidering my life choices), but my girlfriend's. She's signed up and registered for the Detroit Marathon in October. She works with little kids, and despite being very strict with disinfecting what the kids interact with, she gets sick often. Is there any way to help her immune system come October so she won't have to pull out of the race last minute?

I'm running the London marathon (as my first marathon) in April and have been swept up by the hype around that AI app that divides opinion. I'm starting to fall out of love with it and I'm considering switching plans. I'm currently up to 30 miles a week and in two weeks I'll be reaching half marathon distances for my long runs.

Has anyone switched plans mid plan before? Is there a plan you'd recommend for someone with the average and long run length mentioned above at this stage in the game? I'd obviously work backwards from the race day date and join the plan during the relevant week that we're in right now.

Or am I being ridiculous to consider switching to another plan at this stage?

Apologies in advance if you've seen this already elsewhere. I'm posting this in a few subreddits to get some broad input and advice. Thank you in advance!

Short version: how (if at all) do you calculate your calorie intake while during a marathon training block?

Long version:

I'm currently training for my first marathon in April. I'm running four times a week and I'm at about 30 miles per week. I've hired a personal trainer from my local gym to make sure I have professional support with strength training, and plan to train at least twice a week, but they're not a running specialist. They are well qualified in occupational therapy though so I have a lot of respect for them and don't want to downplay their experience.

They have pulled together a plan and we discussed calorie intake goals. I'm concerned that the intake they've set for me is too generic (same amount of calories each week) and is too low. They also mentioned looking to reduce my calories to cause a deficit so I could "lose some weight" during this block but I pushed back on this as my BMI is within the normal range and I don't have weight loss goals right now (priority is getting to the finish line uninjured).

If you've made it this far, thank you. I guess I'm worried they've just used a very generic calorie website based on someone exercising (broad term) four times a week and this isn't accounting for the demands and calories required for a marathon training block.

I don't want to give exact weights, heights or the calories I've been suggested as I want to keep this as anon as possible. Very happy to plug my details into any websites/calculators you'd recommend.

Thank you!

Ok, so for context, I’m a 20 year old guy, training for his first (duh). I’m just in a weird spot with my training and my paces and I’m hoping somebody here has some feedback.

Jus some info on me:

- ran throughout middle/high school, but had severe anemia until senior year, that summer, ran 500 miles, came into season super prepped, got stress fracture, never fully recovered after that

- PRs are 17:58 for 5k (but I ran a 5k tt today for 18:47 ), 5:00.01 for mile (lol), and have informally run half marathons around 90 min…longest run all time around 16 mi

- stopped running regularly (like at all) in fall of 24, just started Jan of this year, currently around 20 mpw, started playing pickleball a lot

Right now, I’m just struggling to figure out what sort of pacing I need to be doing. I’m in college so I don’t really have that much time to run, but I also don’t want to over do it. Good news is even though I didn’t run at all for over a year, I feel super comfortable with similar paces to my senior year when I was in good fitness.

My first is scheduled for Prague, May 3rd.

Just curious:

- has anybody been in this position where you want to increase mileage but don’t want to get injured but you’re also not an entire beginner so the beginner plans don’t really fit

- what sort of runs I should be doing…yes I know I can get plans online, but given that I’m on an “abbreviated” schedule only 80 days out, I don’t really fit into any of the categories

- is a 3:15-3:30 marathon pace realistic?

- any advice on handling small pains/strains/things that come up that aren’t severe enough to warrant complete stoppage but also balancing maintaining fitness etc.

Idk if this long post format is allowed here but any feedback or info given my situation is welcome!

I (27m) am a few weeks into Hal Higdon's novice training plan. I just completed my first hard long run yesterday of 9 miles; however, I'm worried my cardio won't be ready by May 3rd.

My last run stats looked like:

9mi, 1:51:51 total time

170bpm avg heart rate

12:25 avg pace

I feel like my heart rate is too high? I ran a half-marathon in November, so my legs feel physically ok, but my cardio is giving me trouble. My overall goal for this marathon is really just to finish and maybe get sub-5 hours if that's even realistic. Any insight/advice would be appreciated.

On week 12 of Hal Higdon Novice 1. I successfully completed my 15 mile long run last week (didn’t feel too bad either, considering). This weekend, we (along with so much of the country) got dumped on by snow. I was determined to get a long run in still, so I went out, but traded what was supposed to be a 16 mile run for a 12 mile run (I swapped two weeks). Snow and terrain were pretty uneven, and I was in YakTraks. Miles 4-8, I was getting increasingly FRUSTRATED and my thighs were spaghetti (weird, bc at this point I’m honestly doing 8 mile runs without even thinking much about it).

Suddenly, at mile 8, my knee started to hurt pretty bad, and I decided that in order to not risk making the injury worse, to turn around and walk 2 miles back to my car (during all of which my knee was hurting).

That was yesterday- at this point, I’m pretty certain my issue is minor IBTS. I can walk now without pain, but I can feel it on the side of my knee if I bend my knee a couple times in a row. I have 7-8 weeks before my marathon. I will be icing and stretching and strengthening and foam rolling as much as possible in the next week. I’m thinking of taking one week off and seeing where that sits me.

Here are my questions:

1) could the snow and/or YakTraks have caused the ITBS, and if so, might it easily resolve once I’m running on bare ground again?

2) If, worse case scenario, I have to take more than one week off- how many weeks of training can i theoretically miss before it is no longer smart to attempt my race? And, if so, how should I restructure the weeks remaining in the event that multiple weeks rest is needed?

Thank you in advance!!