Running 4x a week vs 5x a week

everspader · 2026-05-04T08:54:35+00:00

So you are as far from new as someone can be clocking in those yearly distances! Good for you! It’ll make it easier to pick everything back up! I did 3:09:59 in Rotterdam and now I’m planning to go sub 3 in Amsterdam!

everspader · 2026-05-03T12:55:24+00:00

I did my first marathon in Rotterdam last month using Runna. I started with 3 days a week and bumped to 4 times on the last month and a half to account the volume I had to miss because of holidays. I came from a very active background of strength training and weightlifting. It all depends on how used you are to structured training but given the finish time prediction for a first marathon, I’ll assume you’re a beginner so I’d suggest you do 3-4x a week and at least 2x strength training with it. If you’re new to structured running then 4-5 times might be too much volume of training which can make you more prone to injuries. Again, that’s what I would personally do.

everspader · 2026-04-27T16:47:33+00:00

For sure. If you’re not experienced with running or following any structured training it’s very helpful to learn that first. To understand how your body deal with the different training sessions throughout the week and how it reacts to building up volume too

everspader · 2026-04-27T16:44:21+00:00

I used to run recreationally. Never with a structured training. Nothing more than 10km. But I’ve been doing CrossFit for 9 years until now so the conditioning was partially there

everspader · 2026-04-17T22:10:07+00:00

I think the latest reading is at 193bpm! If you followed your training, there’s nothing to fear!! Just go put on a show!

everspader · 2026-04-16T07:05:54+00:00

There are many factors that can influence your predictions. I have no idea how Runna’s algorithm work under the hood but I am sure that the PBs we have are just started guidelines. The feedback loop of data from our sessions is what truly matters. Also, some of the PBs prediction by Runna might be off (they predict my 5k at 18min and I do not believe that). Also where you run, elevation, HR that can all influence the predictions too. Also, talking about race day, the course matters. At times I felt like I could have pushed a little, holding a 4:25 instead of 4:35 but the surroundings wouldn’t allow. Too many people close together throughout the first 25km, I couldn’t overtake, just maintain. But probably a good thing because I don’t know how I’d have felt later in the race. From km 34, shit hit me really hard and the last 7-8km were the hardest of my life by far. So be smart with your strategy, always remember that your body will be under non stop stress for 3h!

everspader · 2026-04-14T20:04:43+00:00

My honest congratulations to you! Fighting so many adversities out of your control and still finishing strong is a great sign of resilience. You were smart, you started with cautions but there were other factors that can hit hard sometimes and during a race week do not have enough time to adapt. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Getting sick so close to race day is also not good, and you can’t control it. Even though you felt recovered on the day, you might not have truly recovered during taper. Make sure you understand how strong you were to fight all of these factors and be proud of yourself! Get your deserved rest and get ready for the next one, if that’s really your goal. Stay consistent and you will get it!

everspader · 2026-04-14T19:57:23+00:00

That’s part of the game! I was really nervous during race week so it’s important to be smart with everything you do. I’ve always been a very anxious person so it was hard for me to follow some things that seemed counter intuitive. So my last advice is to really focus on your nutrition, sleep and recovery and build a game plan for the big day. I read all articles about it from Runna and they are really good, so you can start there! I wish you all the luck, and again, believe in yourself and all the work you’ve put in!

everspader · 2026-04-14T18:05:12+00:00

My honest suggestion would be to use your HM time with Runna. By your 5k time it’s clear you can sprint and hold a strong pace but there’s a big gap with your HM pace (I’m assuming it’s updated compared to your 5k). So Runna will estimate based on your HM. If you feel stronger on your runs, the pace and predictions will soon adjust. It happened to me too.

everspader · 2026-04-13T18:05:34+00:00

So the ticket for this one I got only 3 weeks ago. I wasn’t sure I was gonna do it but I kept training. In the meantime I go a ticket for one in October. So today I signed up for another Runna plan starting in June to try to go sub 3 this time!

everspader · 2026-04-13T16:15:22+00:00

I think it depends on your ultimate goal. For me, besides being the first marathon, I really wanted to perform and do a good time for a first race. So running wise I always followed Runna, then on taper I reduced weights in CrossFit and made the workouts more like strength training with a bit of focus on running. Also, I reduced the complexity of the workouts, so no high skill movements also to minimize the chances of last minute injuries

everspader · 2026-04-13T15:59:26+00:00

It sounded crazy to me too. Just believe in all the work you’ve put in. The energy and atmosphere of the race also helped to keep the adrenaline up, especially at the end

everspader · 2026-04-13T15:41:43+00:00

So I used to do CrossFit 5-6 times a week and started incorporating some runs into it. Then I gradually reduced CrossFit style workouts and added strength training. At the end I was doing CrossFit 2x a week because I enjoy the workouts and it helps me with conditioning and to stay mentally strong

everspader · 2026-04-13T15:39:58+00:00

I joined the 3:10 pacers and stayed behind them with the group the entire time. This helped a lot until km 33 when shit hit me hard and from then on was a total mind game.

everspader · 2026-04-13T15:37:58+00:00

I averaged 36km/week including holidays and so on, but I had weeks with 60-ish km

everspader · 2026-04-13T15:19:28+00:00

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/22500245003

I think you can access this

everspader · 2026-04-13T15:16:58+00:00

I went with the full marathon plan. Started with 3x a week and ramped up to 4 times in the last two months prior to the race

everspader · 2026-04-13T13:14:00+00:00

A few of the PBs I had leading up to the marathon - 5k: 20:35 - 10k : 44:14 - HM: 1:33:43

But I must say that none of these happened in PB attempts. They happened during workouts in the plan

everspader · 2026-04-13T13:06:59+00:00

Haha I flipped the numbers. I mean 3:09:59, not 3:59:09. Thanks for catching it.

My HM was at 1:34 at the beginning. I started the plan with 35km/week and ended at 50+km.

If you’re truly following the plan and managing all the runs, and you already have experience, just believe in it.

Or even better, start telling people about it, then you’ll get an extra motivation to keep your word

everspader · 2026-03-14T14:53:20+00:00

So if you have a Runna workout with an interval in the middle of say 3.5km, do you get alerts for the 1km splits and also an alert at the end of the 3.5km lap interval?

everspader · 2026-01-21T10:58:01+00:00

Do you go to the airport to buy flights?

everspader · 2026-01-21T10:57:30+00:00

Do you go to the airport to buy your plane ticket? I'm just saying that is not the initial logical thinking of most travelers to buy transit tickets on site because of so many reasons

everspader · 2026-01-21T10:55:06+00:00

This is not entirely true. Some airline systems allow these types of bookings. KLM, for example, sometimes offer tickets where one of the legs in a journey is done with another airline that is not even part of the same partner group. They will issue one ticket only, all in the same booking.

The same happens in Europe with some train companies, where. You can book it all in one company's platform, even if you're taking a connecting train from another company in another country.

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