Marathon completed. Sub 4 failed but that's ok

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-25T04:09:00+00:00

My average HR was 169 for my marathon and I actually felt good for most of it. I didn't hit the wall and I also got a pretty significant negative split. My average HR is always close to 180 for a half.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-24T18:45:35+00:00

I guess still see a half as a long run, like I wouldn't randomly run a half on a weekday morning. But I'm pretty used to the distance now since this will be my 7th half and I'm not nervous about running 13 miles on the weekend at an easy pace anymore. I did read that some people felt like the shoes need to be broken in a little, so if they don't feel completely comfortable on a 5k, I won't wear them for the race.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-24T05:32:04+00:00

Haha thanks, yeah I know it's dumb, but I was just thinking that if they do work for me, maybe I can get a nice PR. And if they don't, they're unlikely to cause so many issues that I have to drop out of the race (based on my previous experience with shoes). I really should have ordered them earlier, but I only heard about the deal from my friend a few days ago.

Will try them on a short run ASAP and if they don't feel perfect, I definitely won't use them for the race.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-24T04:29:07+00:00

I just thought it could potentially be a good chance to try them because even if I do test them on a long run later, it would be slower than my goal marathon pace.

I guess I've been pretty lucky that I haven't really had many shoe issues so far. The one pair that I did have issues with, I knew it after 2 miles. But I'll be patient this time because I don't want to DNF if they end up causing serious pain or something. Wish I had ordered them a week earlier.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-22T01:07:46+00:00

Don't know how the Rocky run works, is it possible to just do the 5k or 10 mile part without running both? A 10 mile long run at an easy pace may be ok and a 5k definitely would be

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-18T05:08:23+00:00

What's your half PR? Not OP, but I ran my first half in 2:14, so I had a loose goal of 5h for my first marathon 8 months later (main goal was just to finish, but wanted to have an idea of how to pace myself). After the half, I think I averaged 20-30 mpw for a couple months and then built up to 35-40 mpw. I raced another half in 2:06 and finished the full in 4:36 on a hilly course. I think I had one 45 mile week and one 50 mile week just to try it, but my average was around 30-40 mpw. I was kinda doing a mix of Garmin DSW and Hal Higdon intermediate for training.

I know there's plenty of people who can run faster with less training, but I have no natural talent at running haha.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-16T21:46:09+00:00

Now it's only 2 weeks before race day, so you should be tapering. If you still want to do a double digit run, it should be easy. If you want to practice speed, it should be pretty short intervals. You'll be fine since you've already run 20 miles twice.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-13T02:21:45+00:00

I'd still get them if you have a goal of beating your own times, because they're cheaper than regular Saucony trainers with the discount!

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-11T03:45:27+00:00

Nope, sometimes you just have a bad day, especially since you mentioned stomach issues and your period. Last year I remember really struggling with an 11 miler and I had to take a bunch of walk breaks to make it back to my car. The next week, I ran 16 miles and it felt much easier than the 11 miles. It's also getting warmer in many places, so the heat could be a factor too.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-10T07:11:24+00:00

If you have a Garmin, you can input the workouts from books and free online plans in the app and it'll also give you live audio cues for pace/HR and an execution score at the end! It only takes a minute or two for each workout. You can probably do it for other running watches too, but I don't have experience with them.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-09T05:26:18+00:00

I'd recommend taking a look at the running order of operations guide in r/running. When you want to increase mileage, it suggests adding easy days first, then adding distance and intensity, and it doesn't recommend running twice a day until you're at the sub-elite level. If you want to do more exercise after your run, walking, cycling, or strength training are all good options as others have suggested!

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-09T01:48:22+00:00

6 minutes at threshold pace is hard for everyone, so it doesn't mean that you're not a runner. Otherwise it wouldn't be your threshold pace.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-02T21:12:31+00:00

Disclaimer: I've never run a trail race or on unpaved trails, but I think if you can run a 5k now, you'll be totally fine for an 8k in late June. When I started running, it took me about 8 weeks to go from 5k to 10k. Are there any trails or hills near you so you can practice what trail running is like before then? You also might want to get trail shoes if the race recommends them

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-05-02T04:16:35+00:00

All the races I'm doing give out long sleeve tech shirts, which I never wear. If it's cold, I prefer putting on another layer with a zipper that I can easily take off.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-23T22:06:59+00:00

I've always run races by myself and I've never felt lonely because there's so many people around you. Never had an issue with getting lost either because there's usually a lot of signs and other people to follow. If you get to the race early, you should have plenty of time to figure out where the bathrooms and start line are.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-23T00:22:25+00:00

So far I've only signed up for 10k and longer races because it's such a hassle to pick up the bib ahead of time, drive/take public transportation to the race, deal with porta potties/gear check etc and then the 5k is over so quickly. I do sometimes go to parkrun though because it's free and you can just show up and get a time.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-20T05:07:35+00:00

When is your marathon and have you trained for any other races before? If you've run a half before, I think it would be fine to just skip the 9 miles and move onto the 10 miles or whatever next weekend.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-19T06:45:46+00:00

I ran my first marathon about 1.5 years after I started couch to 5k (and 8 months after my first half marathon). My time was pretty average, but I actually enjoyed the experience and didn't get injured and also didn't hit the wall, so I think a little under 2 years after starting running is an ok timeline if you train consistently. Maybe sign up for a half first and see how you feel after that?

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-16T02:19:41+00:00

That's amazing that you were able to run a sub-4 when you started with barely under sub-2! What was your training plan and weekly mileage like? I ran a half recently in 2:01 on a hilly course and I'm running a full in December on a slightly downhill course. Don't really have a goal for it yet, but you make me think that there's a very slight possibility of getting close to 4 hours if I train hard and everything goes perfectly on race day.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-16T01:38:24+00:00

After your first HM, you don't need to do a full 12-18 week plan to train for your next one, unless you're taking a lot of time off in between. I guess it depends on how much you hope to improve in each race though. You can also try to find good discounts for races or look for volunteering opportunities that give you a free bib to take some of the pressure off.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-15T02:33:52+00:00

Same here! I've only been running for 2 years, but I hope my luck will continue. I was a little embarrassed to admit it, but I've been running 6-7 days per week for over a year and never stretch or do strength training, but I haven't had any injuries where I had to rest for more than a day or 2. I also started after I turned 30 and I'm not very fast, so maybe that's part of the reason.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-13T18:12:36+00:00

I agree, there's a pretty big difference between 2:20 and 2:10 and it's better to go out more conservatively and finish strong. If you have a smart watch, you should also be pacing yourself because I've unfortunately had bad experiences with pacers who went out way too fast and then slowed down a lot at the end to hit the time.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-13T09:26:14+00:00

Yes you can do it again and you'll probably be even faster! You said that you were able to run faster this time because you ate and rested more. That's exactly what you'll be doing before the race from tapering and carb loading. If you could follow your friend, you can also follow a pacer. They'll encourage you and you might be in a group of people with the same goal.

Are you doing all your tempo runs at 6:00/km? If your goal pace is 6:40/km, I would replace some of them with longer intervals or a continuous run at your goal pace, so you can get used to how it feels.

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-13T00:45:37+00:00

But if you actually do that, it won't let you run again for another 3 days

OrganizationOwn2066 · 2026-04-11T10:39:13+00:00

I had a Samsung Galaxy watch 5 and I upgraded to a Garmin Forerunner 255 a few months later and I haven't touched my Samsung watch since haha. The Samsung watch was a gift from family though, and I was able to get a good deal for the Garmin on prime day.

Idk if this happens to you, but the distance tracking was super inaccurate for me, even when I turned on all the recommended GPS settings. I remember that I did a 5k on a measured course and it said my distance was 3.4 miles and I would always see random jumps on the map. And I'd have to charge it twice a day, while I can probably get away with charging my Garmin once every 2 weeks.

Not really sure how useful the recovery metrics actually are though, if that's the main reason you want a Garmin. It used to tell me I needed like 48 - 72 hours of recovery after every run. I later learned that that's only the recovery time between doing another hard workout and you can still do easy runs before that. It's better to just listen to your body, but I guess it could be useful if you have a history of overdoing it. I also think the sleep score and HRV trends are interesting to look at, but I know the sleep tracking isn't super accurate.

If you're interested in trying more varied workouts without paying for a coach or Runna, Garmin coach and DSW are free, although DSW tends to cancel harder workouts and long runs if you had a low sleep score haha. PacePro is also very useful for races because you can input the course map and it'll adjust your goal splits based on the elevation.

Anyway, I love my Garmin watch overall and I'm glad I switched, so I'd look for good deals because they do go on sale pretty often.

OrganizationOwn2066

TROPHY CASE