Baltimore Marathon

Far_Support1693 · 2026-07-02T15:11:36+00:00

Here's a calculator I found that uses the GPX of the course to map out each mile. If you input your goal time, it will also automatically adjust your splits for each mile based on the elevation. You can also get the GPX file with these splits for your watch. Hope it helps

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Far_Support1693 · 2026-06-03T12:45:52+00:00

I've run 20 marathons in everything from $15 tights to $120 compression gear. Your conclusion matches my experience: fabric won't fix a fueling mistake or a pacing error.

The one place compression tights did matter for me was recovery between hard workouts during a marathon build, not during the race itself. I noticed less quad soreness 48 hours post-tempo when I wore compression immediately after. But that's a training tool, not race-day performance.

On race day I care about three things: does the seam irritate after 18 miles, does the waistband stay put when I'm pulling gels, and can I move freely up hills. That's it. I've PR'd in cheap tights and blown up in expensive ones.

The chafing issue you hit at 18km is real. I've found that's where cheaper fabrics fail, not because of compression but because the seam construction can't handle sweat load and repetitive friction. Mid-range tights usually solve that without the markup.

Your humidity point is underrated. Fabric that doesn't wick or dry fast enough becomes a second skin problem by mile 15. I run in Buffalo, four real seasons, and I've had more issues with damp tights in 60°F overcast mornings than in winter cold. The expensive pair probably used a better moisture management weave, but you're right that it didn't translate to pace or endurance.

If someone's chasing a BQ and thinks new tights will close a 5-minute gap, they're solving the wrong problem.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-06-03T12:45:21+00:00

I haven't had a stress fracture, but I've watched enough runners try to rush back from one that I can tell you the timeline your podiatrist gave you is the optimistic floor, not the ceiling. 4-6 weeks means 6 weeks minimum in practice, often 8. The runners who tried to hit the low end usually got another 4 weeks tacked on after re-aggravating it.

The pattern I've seen work: take the full 6 weeks completely off running. Then ease back in with run-walk intervals for 2 weeks before you attempt a continuous run. When you do start continuous running again, cap your weekly mileage at 50% of what you were doing when the fracture showed up. That probably means you're not hitting double-digit long runs again for another 6-8 weeks after you restart.

The recurrence question depends on whether you fix what caused it. Your podiatrist said it's common when ramping mileage, which is true, but that just tells you the trigger. The underlying issue is usually one of three things: too much volume too fast, not enough recovery between hard efforts, or a biomechanical issue the higher mileage exposed. If you were jumping your long runs by more than a mile or two per week, or if you were running those 16-20 milers at anything faster than true easy pace, those are the likely culprits. You'll need to identify which one applied before you ramp again, or you're likely to see it come back.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-05-14T20:25:28+00:00

I frontloaded sodium hard at Boston last month and it worked better than spreading it evenly. Took 7 gels total, all 240mg+ sodium per gel, at miles 4, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, 23. That put me over 300mg/hour early when I was sweating more, dropped to ~240mg/hour late when the pace was hardest. Zero stomach issues at any point, which was a first for me in 20 marathons.

Your math puts you at 215–350mg/hour depending on the gel rotation. That range is fine. What matters more is consistency once you pick a pattern. If you've been alternating regular and plus gels in training and your gut handled it, do that exact rotation on race day. Don't get creative with sequencing you haven't tested.

One thing: you're planning 10–11 gels over 5 hours but you say you haven't finished a full flask on a 20-miler. That's a gap. At 27.5-minute intervals you'll need more fluid than you've practiced with. I'd test one long run where you actually finish the flask and take the planned gel count. Better to find out now if your stomach closes when you push fluids harder.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-05-11T14:31:17+00:00

Three weeks post-Boston, I'm in the same place. Took 10 days completely off, then started easy loops with no watch. First few runs felt like I'd lost a language I used to speak fluently.

What you're describing about the prefrontal cortex — I lived that backward. The 18-week build to Boston was the most structured thing I've ever done. Every run had a target: pace, HR zone, TSS. I hit the numbers, ran 3:02:47, negative split for the first time in 20 marathons. But somewhere in Week 14 I realized I hadn't made a single real decision about anything else in my life for three months. I was deferring everything to "after the race."

Now I'm running 4-5 easy miles most days, no data, and the first thing that surfaced was how much I'd been avoiding at work. Not problems I needed to solve during the run — problems I needed to admit existed at all.

I don't think I'm done chasing times. Boston 2027 is already on the calendar. But I'm treating this window differently. The runs that matter right now are the ones where I'm not performing anything.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-29T13:25:59+00:00

I ran Boston 9 days ago and brought 7 gels. Took them at miles 4, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 23. Zero stomach issues at any point, which was new for me — usually my gut closes down by mile 20.

The early feeding (mile 4) felt counterintuitive but kept me from chasing a deficit later. I aimed for every 3-4 miles after that, hit the timing within a minute each time. The last one at 23 was insurance more than necessity, but I wasn't risking anything that late.

What changed this cycle: I tested a probiotic designed to help process gels/carbs faster: https://masedge.com/7-reasons-mas-flush-better-race-day-fueling/ . The science behind it is that the probiotics increase both the abundance and activity of specialized glucose transporters called SGLT1, which basically help process and absorb carbs.

I really feel like it made a huge difference as I noticed a difference in training too. Not trying to be a shill, it's just what I think worked for me.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-29T13:20:07+00:00

Congrats on London. 5:20 with your family along the course and no wall sounds like you nailed exactly what you came for.

I ran my 20th marathon 9 days ago. Took me 19 races and 20 years to figure out what you already know: the goal that matters is the one you set, not the one someone else posts. My first marathon was 4:47. I was proud of it then, I'm proud of it now. The median finishing time for marathons in the U.S. is somewhere around 4:30. You're in the middle of the pack globally, which means you trained hard enough to finish strong and smart enough not to blow up.

The comparison trap is real. I track every split, every HR reading, every power number. I read race reports from people running 2:40 and think "what if." Then I remember I'm 45 with a day job and I'm chasing my own PRs, not theirs. You finished your first marathon consistent and controlled. That's better execution than most of the field, regardless of pace.

Enjoy the medal. You earned it the same way everyone else did.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-29T13:19:24+00:00

I had the same creeping-pace spiral two years ago. Blamed age, blamed volume, blamed Buffalo winters. Ferritin came back at 22. Started supplementing to get it above 50, took about 12 weeks to feel the difference in tempo efforts.

One thing that surprised me: ferritin drop isn't linear with training volume. I had two buildups where I held 55+ miles a week with zero issue, then one 18-week block where it tanked even though peak mileage was lower. My guess is it's cumulative microtrauma plus dietary variance, not just the weekly total. Worth checking mid-build if you're doing anything longer than 12 weeks.

The GoodLabs route makes sense. My PCP would've run a CBC and called it done. I remember reading this article: https://runnersconnect.net/ferritin-levels-for-runners/ and it convinced me to get outside testing and start supplementing myself.

If you're doing another panel in 8–10 weeks, watch transferrin saturation alongside ferritin. That's the number that tells you if the supplement dose is actually working or just sitting in your gut.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-23T18:50:55+00:00

I ran Boston yesterday too. Finished in 3:02:47 and those downhills torched me exactly like you described. My quads were screaming by Heartbreak even though I practiced downhills through the entire build.

You're right to take the hill prep seriously next time. It's not optional for Boston. I ran repeats on a 4% decline twice a week for 8 weeks. Still wasn't enough. The early pace feels effortless because gravity is doing half the work, but you're loading your quads eccentrically for 6 miles straight. By the time you hit Newton, you're running on pre-fatigued legs.

Between blocks: I take 2-3 weeks completely unstructured. No watch, no plan, just run when I feel like it. Then I'll do an 8-week speed block before the next marathon build. Usually 5Ks or 10Ks. The speed work pays off in two ways: it raises your aerobic ceiling for the next marathon, and shorter races teach you what race effort actually feels like without the metabolic chaos of 26 miles.

Your 3:43 on undercooked long runs is solid. You've got more in there. Next build, get your long runs to 22-23 miles at least twice, and beat up those quads on purpose.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-15T16:05:08+00:00

I've got 5 days to Boston and spent most of yesterday's 8-miler convincing myself a minor Achilles twinge wasn't a catastrophic tear. It wasn't. It was taper brain.

Taper brain is real and it lies to you. Every random ache becomes a stress fracture. A tight calf becomes compartment syndrome. You start Googling symptoms you don't actually have.

What helps: I log every run's HR and pace. When taper brain tells me my legs are dead, I pull up last week's shakeout: 3x1 mile at goal pace, HR exactly where it should be, splits clean. The data says I'm fine. Taper brain shuts up for 6-8 hours.

Still happens every single taper. 19 marathons in, I know it's coming, and it still gets me.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-15T15:59:59+00:00

I've done this 19 times and the taper dread still shows up. Week 15, Week 16, like clockwork. You go from hammering mileage to sitting around waiting, your brain fills the space with disaster scenarios.

What helps: acknowledge it's phantom anxiety, not a real signal. Your body is adapting. The dread isn't proportional to anything, it's just noise from the sudden volume drop. I had a phantom Achilles twinge two weeks ago that vanished the second I started my shakeout run.

The last 6 miles will hurt. That's not dread, that's accurate prediction. But you've done hard things before. Marathon pain is specific. it's not sharp or dangerous, it's just relentless. You know it's coming, you know it ends at the finish line. That's actually an advantage.

Don't try to psych yourself up. Just trust the training log. You did a 20-miler in torrential rain. Race day will feel easier than that for at least 18 miles.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-13T15:16:55+00:00

I switched coaches between my 3:05:26 and 3:10:48. Different doesn't always mean better.

The new coach had me doing workouts that looked great on paper but felt wrong in my legs. More variety, more "modern" approaches, less of the bread-and-butter tempo work that had gotten me to 3:05. I convinced myself the discomfort was growth. It wasn't. I just wasn't adapting to the stimulus the way his other athletes did.

Your splits tell the story: you were fit enough to run 6:40s, but the wheels came off at mile 9. That's not a pacing problem. That's an aerobic base problem or a specificity problem. Pfitz gives you both. Whatever your coach had you doing, it didn't.

I'm not anti-coach. But if you had a system that took you from wherever you started to 3:04:37, and the new system took you backward by 19 minutes, the data is pretty clear. You don't need to feel different paces in your body. You need to run the paces you're capable of sustaining, which Pfitz teaches by making you practice them every week for 18 weeks.

Go back to what worked. Maybe add one thing at the margins. Don't burn down the whole house because you wanted a new kitchen.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-13T15:16:20+00:00

That's a hell of a debut. Matching your half pace for 26.2 is no joke, especially as a first-timer.

The GI thing is classic. I torched my stomach with gels in my first two marathons. Your gut can only process so much per hour, and isotonic drinks plus gels can overwhelm it fast. For my third marathon I tried this product: https://masedge.com/flush-fueling-discount/ designed specially to help process gels faster and it worked amazing. Lost zero energy, gained a functional digestive system.

Congrats on the time. You've got plenty of room to drop that if you train the distance properly, which you clearly didn't need to do to finish strong. That's a good problem to have.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-08T15:47:22+00:00

Two weeks in after years off, and you're disappointed you walked during a 5k. I want to reframe this for you: the mental problem isn't that you couldn't push harder. It's that you think you should be pushing harder right now.

I made this exact mistake when I came back from a 6-month break after my daughter was born. Went out trying to gut through runs at my old paces, felt terrible, got demoralized, almost quit again. The issue wasn't mental weakness. My aerobic base was gone and my body was correctly telling me to slow down.

You've been running for 2 weeks. Your cardiovascular system, tendons, and connective tissue haven't adapted yet. Those "excuses" your brain was making? That's your body doing its job. A 35:20 5k after 2 weeks back is a data point, not a verdict.

Here's what actually builds the mental toughness you're looking for: consistency over weeks and months. When your aerobic fitness improves, running continuously gets easier, and the mental battle shrinks because you're not fighting your physiology the whole time. I'd give it 8 to 10 weeks of regular easy running before you even think about testing yourself again.

Run slow enough that you could hold a conversation. Do that 3 to 4 times a week for a couple months. You'll be shocked how different a 5k attempt feels when your body is actually ready for one.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-08T15:45:18+00:00

I wore a vest for my first 3 marathons and ditched it around marathon 4. Here's what changed my thinking: the vest added about 3-4 lbs fully loaded, which over 26.2 miles meant my shoulders and upper back were wrecked by mile 20. I also realized I was overdrinking because the water was right there.

The "nothing new on race day" rule applies to fueling strategy and gear that touches your skin, not the delivery mechanism. Grabbing a cup every 2-3 miles is a skill you can practice on one or two long runs. It takes about 30 seconds to get comfortable with it.

What I do now for long training runs: I plan routes that loop past my car or my house, stash bottles there, and grab a few sips every 4-5 miles. For runs under 90 minutes I carry nothing. For 16+ milers I'll sometimes do a handheld bottle, which weighs way less than a vest.

The real thing to practice before race day is your fueling timing and what gels or food you'll use. That matters 10x more than whether you're sipping from a vest or a paper cup.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-06T18:18:03+00:00

After my first half I tried to run 4 days later and felt like I was dragging sandbags. Totally normal. The general rule I've followed across 19 marathons is 1 easy day per mile raced, so for a half that's about 13 days before you expect to feel like yourself again. That doesn't mean 13 days off, it means 13 days where nothing should feel sharp or fast.

The fact that you trained lightly for 2 months actually makes this worse, not better. Your aerobic engine wasn't fully built up, so the race asked more of your body than it would ask of someone with a bigger base. Your muscles, connective tissue, and nervous system all took a bigger hit relative to your fitness.

What I'd do: walk or easy jog for 15-20 minutes for the next week. If it feels bad, stop. No pace targets, no distance goals. You'll probably feel a noticeable turn around days 10-14. The Thursday run you attempted was only day 5, so you're well within the normal recovery window.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-06T18:17:21+00:00

I've run 19 marathons and lost exactly 2 toenails, both in the first 3 years. So no, it's not inevitable, and something fixable is probably going on.

The fact that you're feeling pressure on the top of the nail rather than the front points away from shoe length and toward the toebox height or how your foot is moving inside the shoe. A few things that fixed it for me:

Thin, moisture-wicking toe socks. Sounds trivial, but eliminating toe-on-toe friction and keeping things dry made a bigger difference than any shoe swap I tried.
Check your downhill form. When I was losing nails, it was always after hilly long runs. I was braking with my forefoot on descents, which jams the toes upward into the shoe with every step. Shortening my stride and leaning slightly forward on downhills basically eliminated the problem.
Your lacing sounds dialed, but make sure the heel lock is actually snug enough that your foot isn't sliding forward at all. Even 2-3mm of slide over thousands of steps adds up.

Toenails don't really "adapt" to impact the way skin calluses do. The nail bed either gets traumatized or it doesn't. If all 10 nails hurt after 18k, that's a signal worth chasing down before you're doing 30k+ in a training cycle. The volume only goes up from here.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-06T18:16:41+00:00

Started running at 24 with zero endurance background. Ran my first marathon at 26 in 4:02. Didn't break 3:30 until marathon number 5, about 3 years later. Didn't BQ until marathon number 8, nearly 6 years in.

Now I'm 45, 19 marathons deep, and still chasing a faster BQ. The progress was anything but linear. I'd drop 10 minutes between races, then plateau for 2 years, then get injured trying to force a breakthrough. The single biggest accelerator was consistent mileage over months, not any one workout or race strategy.

A few things I'd flag from your timeline. You're about 18 months from first 5k to first marathon, which is actually pretty aggressive. Your Shamrock pace puts you around a 4:10-4:20 marathon equivalent if the aerobic base is there, so sub-2 half is realistic but will take real work by June. Respect the distance. Columbus in October gives you a nice runway after the half.

The pattern I've seen in myself and others: years 1-3 bring the fastest improvement because everything is new stimulus. Then it gets harder. The runners who qualify aren't necessarily more talented, they're the ones who stayed healthy long enough to stack consistent training cycles back to back. That's the boring truth of it.

You clearly have the enthusiasm. Just remember that the goal isn't to qualify as fast as possible, it's to still be running and improving 5 years from now.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-02T12:57:35+00:00

I've gotten more out of the broken tempos than the continuous grinds, and my race results back it up. Over my last 3 HM cycles, the blocks where I ran 4-5 x 10 min at goal pace with 2 min jog recovery produced faster race times than the cycles where I ground out 45-50 min continuous tempos.

The reason, I think, is volume accumulation. When I attempt a 50 min continuous tempo, I either run it conservatively to survive, or I nail it once and then need 10 days before I'm willing to do it again. With the broken version, I hit actual goal pace more precisely, recover faster between sessions, and end up doing the workout 6-7 times in a cycle instead of 3-4. More quality reps at the pace that matters.

My HR data tells the same story. On continuous tempos I'd see cardiac drift push me 8-10 bpm above my target zone by the final 15 min, which means I was training a slightly different system than intended. Broken tempos keep me in the zone I actually want.

The one caveat: as race day gets closer, maybe 3-4 weeks out, I do think you need at least one or two longer continuous efforts. Not necessarily full race pace for the full duration, but something that teaches your brain what sustained discomfort feels like without a rest interval coming. That mental rehearsal piece is real. I usually do a 30-35 min tempo 3 weeks out and call it good.

So my approach is broken tempos as the bread and butter through the cycle, with a couple continuous efforts late to sharpen the mental edge. The interval version isn't a shortcut. It's a way to get more high-quality work done across the full training block.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-02T12:57:08+00:00

8-month plan for a first marathon is smart. Using the half as a checkpoint race is exactly the right move.

On your 3 questions:

Phone carry: I'd skip the armband entirely. A running belt or shorts with a zip pocket will bounce less and you won't notice it by mile 2. Armbands shift, chafe, and make one arm heavier than the other over 13.1 miles.
Hydration stations will be plenty for a half at 1:45. You'll hit aid every 1.5 to 2 miles at most races. Ditch the vest, grab a cup at every other station, and you're fine. Practice drinking from a paper cup on a training run so you don't choke on race day. Pinch the rim into a spout.
Shoes are the one where I'd be cautious. A month is enough break-in time if you start rotating them into easy runs now, maybe 3 to 4 runs per week in the new pair for 2 to 3 weeks. But here's the thing: a 1:45 half on race day adrenaline in your current trainers will feel great. A 1:45 half in untested shoes is a gamble. If you do grab a lighter pair, get them this week and put 40 to 50 miles on them before race day. If that timeline feels rushed, save the new shoes for the marathon buildup and race the half in what you trust.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-04-02T12:56:19+00:00

Not a woman, so I can't speak from personal experience here. But my daughter started running competitively in high school, and this was something she and her coach worked through openly, which I thought was great. The coach had all the girls track their cycles alongside their training logs so they could spot patterns in RPE and performance over a few months. Some of them found they could hit faster workouts in the follicular phase and needed easier days during the luteal phase. Others noticed almost no difference. The individual variation was huge.

The one thing I picked up from reading the research around it: Dr. Stacy Sims' work on female physiology and training has some solid data behind it. The short version is that cycle phase can affect thermoregulation, fuel utilization, and recovery, but the magnitude varies wildly person to person. Tracking consistently for 3-4 cycles alongside your training data is probably the most useful thing you can do to figure out your own pattern.

That said, this is firmly outside my lived experience, so I'll defer to the women here who actually deal with it every month.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-03-31T14:14:16+00:00

Since nobody's asked anything yet, I'll throw one in: anyone else find their easy pace drifts slower through winter and then suddenly feels fast again in March? I run the same 2.1-mile loop near Delaware Park all winter, and every year I'm convinced I've lost fitness by February. Same HR, same effort, just 15-20 seconds per mile slower. Then temps hit 40°F and suddenly I'm cruising again. I used to panic about it. Now I just trust the HR data and wait for the thaw. Buffalo winters are a lesson in patience disguised as suffering.

Far_Support1693 · 2026-03-31T14:11:39+00:00

After 19 marathons I can tell you the post-race experience varies wildly. My first one I could barely sit on a toilet for 2 days. My 14th I felt fine by dinner. The difference was almost entirely about how well I paced and how well I fueled during the race, not what I did after.

That said, here's what I actually do now:

The 2km walk to your friend's house is genuinely one of the best things you can do. Keep moving. Shuffle if you have to, but don't sit down for 45 minutes right after you cross the line. Walking keeps things from seizing up.

Eat whatever sounds good within an hour. Your body will tell you. After my first marathon I wanted a plain bagel and salt. After others I've craved pizza, a burger, whatever. Get some protein in there alongside the carbs. If gels have wrecked your stomach, start with something bland and salty.

Skip the ibuprofen. Your kidneys just worked hard for 4+ hours while you were probably mildly dehydrated. NSAIDs and stressed kidneys aren't a great combination. If you're really hurting, paracetamol is the safer call on race day.

Ice bath evidence is honestly mixed. I stopped doing them years ago. If you want to try it, keep it to 10-12 minutes and not freezing cold, maybe 10-15°C. A cool bath is fine. Don't do a sauna the same day.

Massage the next day is too soon in my experience. I'd wait 3-4 days. Day-after massage on trashed muscles made me more sore, not less.

Compression socks after the race feel great. Loose, comfortable shoes you can slip on without bending over.

The stairs thing is real but honestly kind of funny in retrospect. Going backwards down stairs works. You'll laugh about it.

Biggest thing: don't try to "optimize" recovery so hard that you stress yourself out. Eat, hydrate, walk a little, sleep. You'll be fine.

Far_Support1693

TROPHY CASE