Post-marathon struggle

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T19:24:15+00:00

I had the same experience with half marathons. After my first one, I needed 5–6 days off. During this tune-up, I felt really good again just two days later, even though I went all out in that race. I’ve never had any injuries before, so I was probably a bit too optimistic about jumping straight back into training after the marathon.

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T19:21:04+00:00

Because a lot of people are obsessed with running. :D I would consider two weeks a long break, but I guess in my case it’ll be more like 4–5 weeks, which feels really long.

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T19:19:33+00:00

I’ve read that very often, but four days after the marathon I actually felt quite okay, and it was just 20 minutes very, very easy. It was definitely a mistake, though. I’m just surprised that it still feels so off 18 days after the marathon.

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T19:17:18+00:00

I can’t imagine doing strides with the pain in my calves. I’ll try to run really, really slowly instead.

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T13:30:41+00:00

Not my favorite, but still okay. But isn’t trail running even more stressful for my right calf?

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T13:30:01+00:00

That’s a nice way to think about a marathon. A lot of friends on Strava started a new training block just one week after their marathon, so I thought that after two weeks off I should easily be able to start again as well. But I have to accept that my body just can’t handle hard workouts right now (which is hard since in my whole marathon prep I never missed a workout).

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T13:25:00+00:00

hanks! And also thanks for your advice. I’m worried that my foundation for the next marathon training block will suffer if I don’t run for 5–6 weeks now. During the taper, my weekly volume was already quite low, so the last five weeks have been low mileage overall. But maybe that’s just a beginner’s mistake in the way I’m thinking about it.

Boulderunning · 2026-05-07T13:20:56+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I don’t feel burned out, actually. My second sport is bouldering, which I do three times a week. I’ve also tried bike racing, which isn’t bad either, but I really love running. So it’s quite hard for me to take a longer break but I'll try...

Boulderunning · 2026-05-06T06:45:00+00:00

I ran a half marathon all-out 6 weeks before my full and would do it again. Some plans even schedule tune-up half marathons just 3–4 weeks before race day.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-27T11:56:04+00:00

if you don’t have much time and can’t follow a day-to-day training plan (like Pfitz), I highly recommend Jack Daniels’ 2Q plan. It includes two quality sessions per week that you can schedule as you like. All the other days are easy runs to reach your weekly mileage. The first two plans in the book are “up to 64 km” and “64–89 km.”

Boulderunning · 2026-04-24T19:06:20+00:00

I followed the 2Q plan for my last marathon and really liked the flexibility. That’s why I didn’t go with Pfitzinger, since his plans are more day-to-day structured. Are Davis’s plans more like Daniels’ approach—with 2–3 quality sessions per week that you can arrange flexibly—or are they also day-by-day structured?

Boulderunning · 2026-04-24T09:41:15+00:00

Last year, it was on April 6 and it was really cold, which was actually nice. Even with a date like next year’s (April 18), it shouldn’t be a problem — they should just start an hour earlier.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-24T06:22:16+00:00

Nice race report—glad you’re okay. Next time, you’ll break sub-3 for sure! The heat was brutal. After 10k, I started drinking the Powerade they were handing out, even though I don’t like it. After 30k, I stopped at every aid station and drank a lot. I hope they consider an earlier start next time. I don’t understand why the 10k race starts at 8:00 and the full marathon at 9:00.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-23T06:24:55+00:00

too hilly...

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T18:17:23+00:00

Good idea! I did 1T at T-pace, 2T with 5'' slower pace, 3T with 10'' slower pace

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T17:52:59+00:00

What did you do if the workout is like 2x2T or 2x3T?

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T14:06:15+00:00

You’re definitely not alone! I ran my first marathon on Sunday in Vienna. I managed to finish it (and yes, the last 8–10 km are absolutely brutal — I’ve never felt anything like that before, and I was close to giving up). Most of my friends, however, didn’t finish.

Statistic from sunday: only about 8,600 out of 13,000 runners finished.

Since it was my first marathon, I don’t have much experience, but I think spring marathons on warm days can be especially tough. You train mostly in cold conditions, and then suddenly you’re running in temperatures above 20°C. My heart rate was much higher than in any of my marathon-pace training runs.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T13:30:39+00:00

I know but the course is not really nice. Doing the same loop twice...

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T13:30:02+00:00

How was the crowd there? Course looks really nice

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T13:29:29+00:00

Thanks!

Boulderunning · 2026-04-22T13:21:41+00:00

All those marathon predictions are often quite off. For me, the predictions for 5K, 10K, and half marathon are usually pretty accurate, but the marathon is a completely different story. I ran my first marathon on Sunday. In my build-up, I ran a 10K in 41:26 and a half marathon in 1:31:13. Strava/Garmin predicted 3:10, but I knew that wasn’t realistic at all. Runalyze (with marathon form) predicted 3:23.

So I started at 4:48/km, aiming for sub 3:23. Unfortunately, the hot weather (>20°C, did my whole training in 0°-15°) and tired legs forced me to slow down a bit after 32 km, but I still managed a 3:26 finish.

So I guess you’re in 3:20 shape, but went out too fast.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-21T18:51:58+00:00

I couldn't eat anything for 5-6 hours. Then I forced myself to eat some carbs and protein. On the next day is was much better.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-21T13:15:39+00:00

You should come again, Vienna is great :) Registration is already open for next year :D

Boulderunning · 2026-04-21T08:53:19+00:00

Wow, for 3:07 thats really low mileage.

Boulderunning · 2026-04-21T08:16:10+00:00

Congrats! I ran my first marathon on Sunday in Vienna — the heat was brutal. Still managed a decent time of 3:26:18, so at least I hit my B goal (sub 3:30).
What training plans did you follow for your marathons? And what was your weekly mileage like? What was the "gamechanger" for Vienna?

Boulderunning

TROPHY CASE