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I'm 6 weeks out from my first marathon and I still don't know why. I love running so I run. My longest run so far has been 28km but the whole time I still loved running.
I ran Copenhagen Marathon last sunday (my first marathon at age 47). Felt confident in my training and had a goal time of 3:20. After 17k my quads were so sore, this never happened in any training session, so I just blocked it out and kept on. The race was so hard but kept calm but it only became harder. I wasn't far of an even split but 30 meters before the finish I all of a sudden started wobbling and the tank was physically empty. Ended up being escorted in by samaritans and DNF. Not sure what I learned from this. Maybe more energy, more water, more salt intake or less push...or that my mind is stronger than my body and I can push myself over the limit, which is kind of not ideal. It never struck my that I would not finish and certainly not literally 30 meters before finish, so this is kind of scary and would never want this to happen again. The thing is I find it hard to analyse what exactly went wrong, could be a number of things which makes it harder to correct next time. I don't feel sorry for myself or anything like that but it is frustrating that I can't pinpoint the deciding factor.
Sometimes things happen out of your control. Without knowing a lot more details its near impossible for others to give advice. A friend of mine had something similar. For him the most likely explanation was that training was done in cool temps and the marathon was the first hot day of the year. But in the end no one knows... I hope your next experience wil be much better!
I'm sorry to hear that happened to you! Quads seizing at 17k is really early. Was it hot that day? So how close to the 3:20 goal were you at 30 meters away?
Absolutely does!! Those last 6 miles of a marathon are kind of a "different" type of beast, but 100% every other kind of race you'll do will get very hard and push you into that pain cave where you need to dig deep!!
This could probably be an entire video but I’m curious how you determine marathon race pace for your coaching clients. If it’s too fast, you die and lose a lot of time at the end, but if it’s too slow you can’t make up some of that time. I have Fargo in a week and I’m trying to determine my race pace. I’m pretty confident I can run 3:05ish but there’s an outside chance I could break 3. Do I play it safe & start at 7:00 pace or try for the stretch goal? It’s a conundrum.
Great question and yes, I think could be a great topic for a video! You're obvi trying to figure this out for this weekend! My questions to you are: what makes you confident in the 3:05 that don't make you confident in the 3:00? Could be a good reason for that. Are there signs from training that show you're ready for the 3:00 - such as running high volume, nailing speed workouts, running long run sessions with lots of steady miles at a 3-hour marathon pace? Those are the main things to look for. But experience in the marathon distance is also a factor (have you already run a really strong marathon in the past with negative or even splits) and you should have a shorter race that already shows you're able to hit that sub 3. This video somewhat hits on what you're asking but is more for someone to watch at the beginning of a cycle: th-cam.com/video/aXu4jA-SJsM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QxSJNXUocSTXmdx8
@@runningwithjane ok here’s what happened. Curious what strategy you would have suggested. I was pretty confident I could run 3:05, less so sub-3. It was warm-basically same weather as Boston. My last 2 marathons were warm & I did not adjust my goal pace & the 2nd half of each was a painful fade. So, I decided to run with the 3:10 pacer for the first half, evaluate then & play it by ear in the 2nd half. I was prepared that 3:10 might have to be ok. I ended up running 1:35/1:28 for a 3:03. I think more even splits could’ve gotten me close to 3 but still unsure about sub-3. The problem is 6:52 is too close to my threshold.
I’ve ran 5 marathons now…. And only 1 has went decent. Last 2 been horrible and only 1 of them I had cold weather…. Other 4 marathons 60-70 degrees high humidity …. Maybe I’m just more built for half, I have tried Everythibg always breakdown after mile 18-19 no Matter what I try
i am same way- I did 11 marathons and mile 21-to finish awful- i just decided this year to go back to halfs- i am going back to basics to see if i can sub 2hr the half ( recent one 2;02) in figure if i can not do this i will not be able to succeed as i want in full....i am sick of feeling that defeated after marathons
Hey Dnice good luck on that sub 2 half! i agree with you it gets frustrating putting in so much time and dedication only go through that demoralizing feeling afterwords. You know whats funny? my half is way faster but my full has gotten slower even though my half time is faster. Because the last time i ran a COLD full marathon was nov of 2017.......in charlotte nc. I live in myrtle beach sc and do the myrtle beach marathon and EVERYTIME its race day its always 60-70 and 90 percent humidity....after training months in mostly cold weather. I even did a 22 miler a month out at 9 18 pace pretty easy it was 40 outside and still did WAY worse hit wall marathon day. Humidity always high on race day so its hard to figure out pace plan as your heart rate sky rockets no matter what. Good luck on that sub 2! i know this can be frustrating sport
@@SuperTreybo thank you- my struggles are more with fueling and feeling depleted - i try gels and carb loading ( pbutter sandwich even ) never feeln like i have enough in engine
I truly believe everyone can run a strong marathon!! There are a lot of variables though and certainly poor weather will make it so tough. I thought for a long time "I'm not cut out for this" but I was wrong. Slowing down significantly on most runs, fueling really well, adding in electrolytes and learning to pace conservatively at the beginning of the marathon is what helped me the most. (And on those days taking the starting pace ever farther back than normal and adjusting to effor instead of pace.)
Halves are GREAT!!! If you love halves, you should do those and don't ever feel like marathons are the only respectable distance. Every distance is hard for a different reason. BEst of luck on your sub-2!!
Interested in 1:1 Coaching, a custom plan or coaching call for your next marathon or race? Learn more here: readysetmarathon.com/run-coaching-services/
Trust your training, and Training gives you trust is my #1 quote.
Love it - great mantra!!
This is all such good advice. I'm trying to run a PB next weekend, and will do all of this!
Wishing you best of luck!!
Love your advice and content
Thank you so much, Ellen, glad you find it helpful!!
Thanks again Jane! Definitely needed all of your advice!
You're very welcome, Peter - thanks for the support of the channel!
I'm 6 weeks out from my first marathon and I still don't know why. I love running so I run. My longest run so far has been 28km but the whole time I still loved running.
You know what, that's probably enough! Maybe it's as simple as I love the way this makes me feel even when it gets tough. Wishing you best of luck!
Best of luck! Savor the moment.
Just in time, got my first marathon on Sunday 😀
Oh best of luck to you! Which one are you running?
🍀
🍀
Great advice. I need all of this badly.
Hi Kevin! I'm glad it will be helpful for you!!
I ran Copenhagen Marathon last sunday (my first marathon at age 47). Felt confident in my training and had a goal time of 3:20. After 17k my quads were so sore, this never happened in any training session, so I just blocked it out and kept on. The race was so hard but kept calm but it only became harder. I wasn't far of an even split but 30 meters before the finish I all of a sudden started wobbling and the tank was physically empty. Ended up being escorted in by samaritans and DNF. Not sure what I learned from this. Maybe more energy, more water, more salt intake or less push...or that my mind is stronger than my body and I can push myself over the limit, which is kind of not ideal. It never struck my that I would not finish and certainly not literally 30 meters before finish, so this is kind of scary and would never want this to happen again. The thing is I find it hard to analyse what exactly went wrong, could be a number of things which makes it harder to correct next time. I don't feel sorry for myself or anything like that but it is frustrating that I can't pinpoint the deciding factor.
Sometimes things happen out of your control. Without knowing a lot more details its near impossible for others to give advice.
A friend of mine had something similar. For him the most likely explanation was that training was done in cool temps and the marathon was the first hot day of the year. But in the end no one knows...
I hope your next experience wil be much better!
I'm sorry to hear that happened to you! Quads seizing at 17k is really early. Was it hot that day? So how close to the 3:20 goal were you at 30 meters away?
Once again great video, most of the teachings applies to half marathon as well ?
Absolutely does!! Those last 6 miles of a marathon are kind of a "different" type of beast, but 100% every other kind of race you'll do will get very hard and push you into that pain cave where you need to dig deep!!
Thank you @@runningwithjane
This could probably be an entire video but I’m curious how you determine marathon race pace for your coaching clients. If it’s too fast, you die and lose a lot of time at the end, but if it’s too slow you can’t make up some of that time.
I have Fargo in a week and I’m trying to determine my race pace. I’m pretty confident I can run 3:05ish but there’s an outside chance I could break 3. Do I play it safe & start at 7:00 pace or try for the stretch goal? It’s a conundrum.
Great question and yes, I think could be a great topic for a video! You're obvi trying to figure this out for this weekend! My questions to you are: what makes you confident in the 3:05 that don't make you confident in the 3:00? Could be a good reason for that. Are there signs from training that show you're ready for the 3:00 - such as running high volume, nailing speed workouts, running long run sessions with lots of steady miles at a 3-hour marathon pace? Those are the main things to look for. But experience in the marathon distance is also a factor (have you already run a really strong marathon in the past with negative or even splits) and you should have a shorter race that already shows you're able to hit that sub 3. This video somewhat hits on what you're asking but is more for someone to watch at the beginning of a cycle: th-cam.com/video/aXu4jA-SJsM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QxSJNXUocSTXmdx8
@@runningwithjane ok here’s what happened. Curious what strategy you would have suggested. I was pretty confident I could run 3:05, less so sub-3. It was warm-basically same weather as Boston. My last 2 marathons were warm & I did not adjust my goal pace & the 2nd half of each was a painful fade. So, I decided to run with the 3:10 pacer for the first half, evaluate then & play it by ear in the 2nd half. I was prepared that 3:10 might have to be ok. I ended up running 1:35/1:28 for a 3:03. I think more even splits could’ve gotten me close to 3 but still unsure about sub-3. The problem is 6:52 is too close to my threshold.
I’ve ran 5 marathons now…. And only 1 has went decent. Last 2 been horrible and only 1 of them I had cold weather…. Other 4 marathons 60-70 degrees high humidity …. Maybe I’m just more built for half, I have tried Everythibg always breakdown after mile 18-19 no
Matter what I try
i am same way- I did 11 marathons and mile 21-to finish awful- i just decided this year to go back to halfs- i am going back to basics to see if i can sub 2hr the half ( recent one 2;02) in figure if i can not do this i will not be able to succeed as i want in full....i am sick of feeling that defeated after marathons
Hey Dnice good luck on that sub 2 half! i agree with you it gets frustrating putting in so much time and dedication only go through that demoralizing feeling afterwords. You know whats funny? my half is way faster but my full has gotten slower even though my half time is faster. Because the last time i ran a COLD full marathon was nov of 2017.......in charlotte nc. I live in myrtle beach sc and do the myrtle beach marathon and EVERYTIME its race day its always 60-70 and 90 percent humidity....after training months in mostly cold weather. I even did a 22 miler a month out at 9 18 pace pretty easy it was 40 outside and still did WAY worse hit wall marathon day. Humidity always high on race day so its hard to figure out pace plan as your heart rate sky rockets no matter what. Good luck on that sub 2! i know this can be frustrating sport
@@SuperTreybo thank you- my struggles are more with fueling and feeling depleted - i try gels and carb loading ( pbutter sandwich even ) never feeln like i have enough in engine
I truly believe everyone can run a strong marathon!! There are a lot of variables though and certainly poor weather will make it so tough. I thought for a long time "I'm not cut out for this" but I was wrong. Slowing down significantly on most runs, fueling really well, adding in electrolytes and learning to pace conservatively at the beginning of the marathon is what helped me the most. (And on those days taking the starting pace ever farther back than normal and adjusting to effor instead of pace.)
Halves are GREAT!!! If you love halves, you should do those and don't ever feel like marathons are the only respectable distance. Every distance is hard for a different reason. BEst of luck on your sub-2!!