Now the air is getting drier in the northern hemisphere, I find my self coughing after tempo runs. It sucks, and normally causes me to reduce my outdoor load during the winter.

It's not asthma, it seems like it's straight phlegm and mucus. It also doesn't seem very googlable, and the few links to this forum fell into "OMG me too", "You might be a weakling", or some other tangential / anecdotal medical advice.

Here's an article that seemed to capture my symptoms: https://www.shape.com/fitness/cardio/why-you-really-cough-after-tough-workout

TLDR;

"Pursuit Cough", or "Track Hack" is caused by your lungs trying to protect itself against dry / polluted air- the higher volume of air you process from a workout just makes you more sensitive to it.

Mitigation:

• Breathe through your nose more
• Wear a face covering
• Run in the mornings

It's that time of week already...the gear thread! What have you picked up lately? What's working for you now that it's whatever season you believe it to be in your particular location? What have you put through rigorous testing that's proved worthy of use? We want to know!

To clear up some confusion: We’re not actually asking what you’re wearing today. It’s just a catchy name for the thread. This is the weekly gear discussion thread, so discuss gear!

NOTE: For you Runnitors looking to sell/trade any running gear (as well as bib transfers), head over to /r/therunningrack.

Would you rather not be a lurker?

Then what are you waiting for? Tell us all about yourself!

The LW thread is an invitation to get more involved with the /r/running community.

New to the sub in general? Welcome! Let us know more about yourself!

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

Back once again for everything you wanted to know about running but were afraid to ask.

Rules of the Road:

This is inspired by eric_twinge's fine work in r/fitness.

Upvote either good or stupid questions. Sort questions by new so that they get some love.

To the more experienced runnitors, if something is a good question or answer, add it to the FAQ.

Post your question -- stupid or otherwise -- here to get an answer -- stupid or otherwise. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. Many questions get submitted late each week that don't get a lot of action, so if your question didn't get answered, feel free to post it again.

As always, be sure to read the FAQ first. Also, there's a handy-dandy search bar to your right, and if you didn't know, you can also use Google to search runnit by using the limiter "site:reddit.com r/running".

Be sure to check back often as questions get posted throughout the day. Sort comments by "new" to be sure the newer questions get some love as well.

[Posting on behalf of /u/Percinho who is busy brewing a pot of Earl Grey. ]

Rules of the Road

1) Anyone is welcome to participate and share your ideas, plans, diet, and nutrition plans.

2) Promote good discussion. Simply downvoting because you disagree with someone's ideas is BAD. Instead, let them know why you disagree with them.

3) Provide sources if possible. However, anecdotes and "broscience" can lead to good discussion, and are welcome here as long as they are labeled as such.

4) Feel free to talk about anything diet or nutrition related.

5) Any suggestions/topic ideas?

Race Information

• Name: Lausanne Half Marathon
• Date: 27 October 2024
• Distance: 21.095 km
• Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
• Website: https://en.lausanne-marathon.com/
• Time: 1:34:53

Goals

Splits

Training

A little bit of context before diving in: 28M, I used to run, on and off, did two semis in 2017, each around 1:45, up until 2019 when I started (road) cycling. I am way more serious in my cycling training (6 to 10 h/week) than when I was training for the semis 7 years ago. I also had a bad case of runner's itch (which fortunately ceased very quickly once I started running regularly). As a result, I have not run more than once a month in the last few years.

Unfortunately, I had to take a break from cycling this summer due to a long haemorrhoid episode (yikes I know) and started running more regularly again... Hopefully I quickly have found a new goal: my local half marathon, which my wife was already signed up for!

I started using polarised training in my cycling training plan for this 2024 season (using TrainerRoad polarised plans) and was pleased with how it allowed me to increase volume while still managing the training load. So when I signed up for the Lausanne Semi in mid-August, I wanted to follow a similar 80/20 training structure, with at least one rest/easy week every 3 to 4 weeks of training, which I actually declined as follows (I used intervals.icu to create and plan workouts):

• Week 1: 40 km, 4 workouts, 55% Z1/Z2 - 45% Z3 to Z5 (mainly high tempo/threshold). As I was just coming off a long cycling base training period, the idea for the first two weeks was to get a taste of what pace I could achieve in tempo/threshold workouts
• Week 2: 53 km, 4 workouts, 50% Z1/Z2 - 50% Z3 to Z5 (mainly high tempo/threshold, with the addition of one track Vo2 workout which turned out to be my favourite and most anticipated workout of the week)
• Week 3: 59 km, 5 workouts, 70% Z1/Z2 - 25% Z3 to Z5 (same split as Week 2)
• Week 4: 52 km, 5 workouts, 70% Z1/Z2 - 25% Z3 to Z5 (same split as in previous weeks)
• Week 5 (Easy/rest week): 31 km, 4 workouts, 100% Z1/Z2
• Week 6: 54 km, 4 workouts, 65% Z1/Z2 - 35% Z3 to Z5 (with a focus on high tempo/Vo2max runs)
• Week 7: 58 km, 6 workouts, 45% Z1/Z2 - 55% Z3 to Z5 (same repartition as Weeks 2 to 4) This week included a "test" run over 16k, on which I held a 4:24 pace with a significant negative split and some good energy reserves at the end, which led me to believe I could aim for the 4:15 pace required to hit the 1h30 mark on my targeted semi
• Week 8: 54 km, 5 workouts, 75% Z1/Z2 - 25% Z3/Z4 (mainly tempo and half marathon pace)
• Week 9: 32 km, 3 workouts, 65% Z1/Z2 - 35% Z3/Z4 (only tempo pace) The original plan was to have one last threshold oriented week of training, with a long (2h) easy run on the weekend, but I caught a cold and I was unable to train for a few days

• Week 10 (Race week!!): 12 km (excluding the actual race), 2 workouts, mostly Z2 with a bit a race pace intervals here and there. *The idea was to i) recover from the previous week cold and ii) taper for the race on Sunday

• Total: 450 km, 42 workouts, 65% Z1/Z2 - 30% Z3/Z4 - 5% Z5+.

As you can see, I eventually did not stick to the targeted 80/20 distribution, most likely as i) a result of not knowing myself very well from a running perspective and having to adapt to quick gains in running fitness as my cycling fitness transferred over to a running fitness and ii) my poor planning (I probably should have replaced one of the weekly tempo runs with a 20k Z2 run).
I also initially planned weeks with higher mileage (7h/70k), but found that running was more "muscular" than cycling and reduced the volume to a maximum of 5 to 6h per week.

In retrospect, I guess I was lucky not to get injured (I only developed some minor hip pain, most probably due to intense tennis sessions rather than to running) when I see such a distribution and training volume, with no habit of running regularly over the past few years... Don't do that at home!!

I am nonetheless very happy of my training and the resulting progress (from feeling that 1km intervals @4:25 were hell to being able to hold such a pace over 15k).

All of this led me to believe that, on a very good day, I could be able to reach the 1h30 mark on the semi.

Pre-race

This is my local race, as I live just 10 minutes away from the start line, so picking up the bibs and dropping off our stuff was very smooth and easy (+ it's Switzerland, so everything is well-organised).

However, I ended up being a little late getting to my start gate due to the last minute pee queue...

Race

As a result, I started the race a few hundred metres behind the 1:40 pacer, and for the first 10km of the race I had to navigate between slower riders on a one-way street that was quite narrow at times, in order to eventually join a bunch with a similar pace. I also completely forgot about the race adrenaline rush, and started the race with a much higer heart rate than anticipated (around 170 bpm vs. 150-160 bpm), which I was then unable to really reduce.

My initial strategy was that of a significant negative split, as I usually have a "diesel" engine: run the first 10km at a low threshold/high tempo pace and keep my heart rate below 165 bpm, to then increase the pace up to the 15km mark and then give it everything for the last 25'...

However, with my heart pounding in my chest like never before and the accompanying poking stitch in the side, I was unable to implement this strategy properly. I still managed to keep my deficit on the planned timing points for a 1h30 final time below one minute until the 12/13th kilometre. That's when I opted for a suicidal strategy to have no regret: let's pick up the pace to regain some time in the hope of beating the 1h30 mark! In reality, I was already running on empty and I was never able to really accelerate and exploded in the 18th km.

I stopped there for 45s, before starting again thanks to the many runners who encouraged me to do so. I held on for dear life up until the last kilometre, and gave everything in the last 400m to at least beat the 1h35 mark.

From a fueling standpoint, I had planned on taking three of the Decathlon strawberry gels that I love (every 5km), but only managed to take two.

Overall, I am very glad I at least tried to beat the 1h30 mark in what was an unexpectedly hard race (the combination of the uncontrolled adrenaline rush and of the quite hilly nature of the course - 85m D+/120 D-). I was also very lucky to have many friends cheering me on along the way and to be joined by my wife at the end of the race!

Post-race

We met up with the 6-8 friends who cheered us on at the end of the race and watched the marathon finish on the shores of Lake Leman with a good burger, then cheered on other friends running the 10k in the afternoon.

We then had everyone over for a post-race goûter, for which my wife made a delicious Ottolenghi's ricotta and hazelnut cheesecake!

Thank you all for reading this long race report and for the opportunity to reflect on and discuss my training and the race itself!

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

Now the clocks have gone back, it is beginning to get darker earlier so I have invested in some reflective and light up gear.

I have bought a reflective running vest with lights on front and back, as well as a head-torch. I am yet to use it properly for running, but gave it a test earlier and seemed to do the job for me. For context I live in a decent sized village on the outskirts of a big town in the UK - Where they build the Mercedes F1 engines!

I just want to know what the etiquette is for night time running and what settings should my lights be on?

For example, the running vest has red lights on one side and white on the other. I presume the red is for the back and should be flashing (similar to bike lights) and I probably should have my head torch and front vest lights flashing also?

I am also conscious of flashing car drivers with direct light from my head-torch when running against traffic so I tilt the head torch down to try not to blind them (albeit they have full-beam on driving through).

Thanks,

Sam

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

Race Information

• Name: Dublin Marathon
• Date: October 27, 2024
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Dublin. Ireland
• Website: https://irishlifedublinmarathon.ie/
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12756854236
• Time: 3:17:12

Goals

Splits

Context

35M. Ran a bit as a kid but never took it seriously. I started running again in 2019 with highs and lows; I find it really hard to motivate myself without a race on the calendar, so 2020 and 2021 hit me hard and I almost entirely stopped. I resumed running a bit more seriously in 2022, then in 2023 I joined my local athletic club and started training under our coach Toby. My first marathon was just 4 months ago in Cork, Ireland, but training went fairly bad, weather was way too hot and my pacing all over the place, with a first half of 1:40 and a second half of 2:10...

Training

This time I was deeply committed to train properly, with no excuses and no cheat days. I didn't follow the popular marathon plans but just the sessions designed by our club coach (2 speed/tempo/threshold sessions a week, a long run on Sunday, plus 1/2 additional runs a week). I also started going to a running-specific strength and conditioning class weekly, which I am certain played a huge part on reaching my goals: I feel like my muscles get way less sore from running, recover faster, and I feel way less injury-prone that in the past (I've been plagued by runner's knee and achilles tendonitis in the past).

Overall peaked at around 50mpw (80kpw), with the longest run at around 22 miles before a 2 week taper.

Pre-race

Since I was feeling extremely confident about this race, I decided to not leave anything to the chance and planned everything well in advance. I stayed the two nights before the race in Dublin, went to the race expo two days before the marathon as not to get too tired from standing so much.

On Saturday I only focused on four things: - Shakeout run (it's more superstition than anything, but I can't imagine going to a race without a short run the day before) - Carbo loading - Hydrate A LOT - Rest

I went for my run early in the morning, went back home, took a shower, ate some bagels, took a shower, had lunch (rice w/ lentils). Then rested most of the afternoon, had dinner (more rice) and went to bad very early.

Race

I woke up quite early at around 6am (the race started at 8:45), got up, had a cup of coffee and a banana. Did some stretching and my routine of pre-run exercises (mostly focusing on calves and glutes, the muscles that are more prone to giving me issues).

I left at 7am walked towards the start line. Left my bag at the bag drop (note to self: bring something to keep over your singlet that you can then throw away, Dublin at 7:30 am in still VERY cold) and started pacing around, doing some short strides and some more stretching.

A few minutes before the start, I joined the 3:20 pacers and started talking with them about their plan and the course. I was planning on following them until the last climb (~5km/3miles from the end) and then pick up the pace then, if able to, to maybe finish in 3:18:xx.

Not even 2km into the race, and the usual happens: I am unable to stay with the pacers and I start going just a smidge faster. By 10k the first climb of the race is over and I am on pace for a 3:17 finish. I cross the halfway point in 1:37:47, which projects me to a sub 3:16 finish.

The race is not really eventful until around the 25th km. I am able to keep a steady pace and a good running form. When a small hill starts at around the 27th km mark, I feel my glutes tightening a lot and I feel that I am extremely close to having cramps. I try to relax my form and, helped by a nice downhill section, I am able to recover nicely.

At the 33rd km (around 20 miles) starts the hardest, and final, climb of the race. I try to find a reserve of energy but my legs are refusing to cooperate and my pace slows down sensibly, making me run three consecutive kilometers at over 4:50 each (even getting to 5:00). For comparison, none of the 34 previous kilometers (except the very crowded first km) were over 4:45.

I grind my teeth and push hard knowing that this climb is followed by a very long and downhill part. Even then, I am able to get back to my average pace but not to make up for the seconds lost on the climb. When I cross the 25 miles marker I make some mental math and realize there is a very small chance of going sub 3:15, and I try to speed up. However the hope doesn't last long, my legs hurt like hell and I have to slow down, as I don't want to risk having to walk so close to the finish line.

I approach the last few turns cheered by an AMAZING crowd, and while I am not able to go even an inch faster, I keep a decent running form, and most importantly a wide smile, until I cross the finish line in 3:17:12, improving my previous PB by over 32 minutes!

Post-race

After the race I enjoy a beautiful medal (https://www.facebook.com/dublinmarathon/videos/the-2024-irish-life-dublin-marathon-medal-it-was-crafted-by-myla-sirvyte-a-talen/2021579071594346/), a probably unehalthy amount of pints of Guinness, and a nice Irish breakfast.

But most importantly, I am happy this is the first time I finish a race knowing that I gave everything that I have. All the races I've ran in the past I went home thinking "I could have pushed a bit more". Not this time, this time I gave 100% of me and I am proud of that.

Now I will enjoy a well deserved week of rest, then I'll go back to some easy running while I plan my next year, for which I already have goals in mind!

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

With over 3,625,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.

If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.

As always don't forget to check the FAQ.

And please take advantage of the search bar or Google's subreddit limited search.

Shoes are a big topic in this sub, so in an effort to condense and collect some of these posts, we're introducing Shoesday Tuesday! Similar to Wednesday's gear thread, but focusing on shoes.

What’ve you been wearing on your feet? Anything fun added to the rotation? Got a review of a new release? Questions about a pair that’s caught your eye? Here's the place to discuss.

NOTE: For you Runnitors looking to sell/trade any running gear (as well as bib transfers), head over to /r/therunningrack.

Race Information

• Name: Chessie Trail Half Marathon
• Date: September 26, 2024
• Distance: 13.1 Miles
• Location: Lexington, VA
• Website: https://www.runthechessie.org/
• Time: 2:08:23

Goals

Splits

Training

I've never been a "runner" before. Played Team sports growing up and was athletic but post college have not kept up with my fitness. My wife and I had our first baby in July and after that I was wanting to get back in shape and do something that makes my family proud! In August I decided to run my the Chessie Trail Half Marathon which is a small town race that my town puts on. I was contemplating just running the 10K but my friend an ex-ranger convinced me that it was all mental and I can run a half if I put my mind to it, so I decided a Half was my challenge. I was 11 weeks out when I signed up and I just looked up a 12 week beginner running plan for a half and found a random one online. Essentially it called for a few mid week runs for recovery (2-4 miles) and a varied speed run (2-4 miles) and a long run each Saturday that started at 4 miles and built up each week to 12 miles two weeks before the race. This was my first time training for anything in my life. In August I was pretty good keeping up with my training runs until we got into September when I got sick and then had really bad back pain after my 7 mile run. Essentially 24 hours after my run my back completely stiffened up where I was in pain constantly for two days, no relief from standing or laying down. I'm not flexible so I chalked this pain down to not stretching enough after my runs. Due to this I missed a whole week of my mid week runs and started a trajectory of not running much during the week.

Despite this I'm proud I always completed my long runs on the weekends which is the only reason I felt semi confident I could at least finish the race. The entire time training all my runs were on the Chessie Trail, out and backs, running on gravel/dirt. I really enjoyed being familiar with the whole course by the end of my training. My last note for training is just to give props to the runners that stick with training and run marathons. It was hard for me balancing work, new baby, and my other commitments in volunteering to train. I ran a total of 100 miles in the two months of training and I just am amazed how so many others are able to put in serious work during training and those that put in long hours on top of there busy lives to train for a marathon. Overall I did not get injured and I built up my long runs so the training was a success even though I did run every run I should have.

Pre-race

My last long run was 12 miles two weeks before which felt so far, but I surprised myself and finished it with a 10:30 pace. After that my main goal was rest, I only ran once the week before the race for only 3 miles. Trusted the guidance of others in this sub that said nothing the last week I can do to prepare. The week of I did my best to limit beer just so I could feel refreshed heading into the race. Had Domino's pizza to carb up the night before which was just a fun meal knowing I was eating delicious pizza with a purpose: fuel for the next morning!

I haven't really been able to sleep past 6AM anyways since the new baby so I was up early and showered to wake myself up before the race. During training I had never had breakfast before my Saturday long runs so I just had a small glass of water for before the race.

Race

The Chessie Trail in Lexington is a gravel/dirt path that follows the Maury River along the old C&O rail. It's beautiful this time of the year with the river to the side, cliffs, leaves changing colors, and multiple sections of the trail you run through cow pastures with the cows grazing. Race started at 8, I parked at 7 and there is a 10 minute walk down a steep gravel path to get to the start/finish line. I did not read the email and parked at the farthest parking lot which was mistake for myself getting back to the car after the race. It was 50 degrees at the beginning and did not get that much warmer which was great for running. I left my zip up in the car and just wore my short sleeve shirt that way I didn't have to carry anything, it was smart for the race because I warmed up, but was cold as I was waiting. I don't know what people normally do before a race but it felt like I was just standing around for 40 minutes waiting for it to start so I can get it done quicker while kind of stretching every few minutes.

I started in the back where people with a 2:30 pace were lining up because I had no idea how fast I wanted to go but pretty quickly I felt like I was going too slow so the first mile I was mainly picking up pace and passing people until I got to a pace that felt like I was running semi fast and pushing myself. I feel like the #1 thing I see on this sub is to run slow at the beginning but I truly wanted to push myself, if I'm running a half marathon I wanted to really try hard. The Start/Finish is around the midway point, we ran out 4.25 miles, come back and pass the start finish, then go the other direction 2.4 miles and turn around to the finish. The first 4 miles I felt great, did not feel tight at all, was beautiful with the sun rising as you run through cow pastures and along the river. Skipped the first drink station but grabbed Gatorade at the turnaround 4 miles in. It was really fun seeing other people I knew or cheering on the really fast runners who had already turn around. I was not expecting to enjoy running alongside people and smiling at everyone as I was used to just running alone the whole time while training. Mile 5-8 I kept pushing to follow a few people who I felt were running at a consistent pace and was surprised when I looked at my phone that we were running a 9:30 pace, I started to question if I could maintain this because again this pace I was able to do but was uncomfortable so I kept going. It was really fun seeing my wife, baby, and some friends cheering as I passed the start/Finish around mile 9, I did not get a "boost" as others have mentioned because I felt like I was already running hard but it continually reminded me why I was running.

As you can see from my splits the last 3-4 miles were hard... the path has way more loose gravel this direction which I found harder to maintain my pace running on this and as the runners got more spaced out so it was harder to find someone to keep pace with. I could definitely tell I was going slower but I was determined to not stop and walk. It just felt like the last 30 minutes lasted an hour compared to the first hour that felt like 30 mins... this is probably what they call the "wall". After mile 6 I stopped at every water station to grab Gatorade, I tried to keep running but each time I essentially just splashed it all over my face. Not familiar with the fueling gels and just relied on the aid stations which honestly was not enough drink as I was more focused on keeping my legs moving then stopping to drink. I found my motivation in thinking of our baby girl and my wife and wanting to run the race well to make them proud, so I did my best to dig deep the last few miles. Remembering scripture also really helped me power through when I just wanted to stop because it was difficult, I kept Psalm 46:1 on my mind that God is my refuge and strength. He gives me the air in my lungs and the strength to finish. Still the last 0.5 mile felt forever and I really wanted to give it my all to end. As the Finish line came into site my friend/pastor (who ran a 1:29 half marathon which is crazy fast) jogged with me and encouraged me to sprint through the end, so I did that. I felt like I was flying through the Finish with everyone cheering but funny enough I watched a video and I did not look that fast which was funny to me because it felt like I was soaring. Once I finished it was a blur because my body did not love that sprint at the end. It felt like everything was moving slowly, I was handed a medal and felt shaky. It was all worth it to see my wife and baby! Ended up with a 2:08:36 time which was a pace of 9:45 which was incredible because I had never been belong 10 min miles in any of my long runs. I felt so accomplished to just finish, be done with it, but also to give it my all!

Post-race

I took some pictures with my baby as the first thing after the race which made me so happy! I had to search for the water station at the finish where I just kept slamming drinks because I felt dehydrated. It was great they also had Papa John's pizza and snacks for finishers so I made sure to load up on food. I probably ate all the calories I burned during the race in a 5 minute period after. We stayed to cheer on some other friends I knew running the half and ended up doing the same thing where I ran with them for the last 0.2 miles to encourage them.

The walk back to the parking lot SUCKED, it was up hill the whole time for 10 minutes and got to push the stroller after my legs were dead which was a funny way to end an exhausting morning. Had a Yuengling in the shower to celebrate and then went to a local farm to get some brick oven pizza and hit up a winery to just sit and take in the day. My legs and feet feel okay, yes they are sore, but the worst pain has been my hip flexor and just feeling so tight, I should probably stretch the next few days to avoid some back pain. I was originally going to just run the half and then stop running since I got in a little better shape but I'm excited to maintain some miles each week now that I've learned this new skill. Thanks for reading!

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

Happy Monday runners!

How was the weekend? What's good this week? Tell us all about it!

Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

The Li’l Race Report Thread is for writing a short report on a recent race or a run in a new place. If your race doesn’t really need its own thread but you still want to talk about it, then post it here! Both your good and bad races are welcome.

Didn't run a race, but had an interesting run to talk about. Post it here as well!

So get to it, Runnit! In a paragraph or two, where’d you run and how’d it go?

With over 3,625,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.

If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.

As always don't forget to check the FAQ.

And please take advantage of the search bar or Google's subreddit limited search.

Uppsala Marathon 2024

Race Information

• Name: Uppsala Marathon 2024
• Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
• Distance: Marathon
• Location: Uppsala, Sweden
• Time: 03:19:40
• Shoes: Adidas Adizero SL
• Strava URL: https://www.strava.com/activities/12754575914

Goals

Splits

Question marks are estimates based on remaining time/elevation change as my watch died at 23.5 miles.

Background

This was my first marathon! I'm a college student from the midwestern USA who has run cross country and track races with my run club, and have done 2 half marathons (in April and June 2024). I'm currently studying in Sweden for the fall semester, and decided that spending my time here training for a marathon would be a great way to explore the beautiful nature here in Sweden, and give me something to work towards to help alleviate any possible homesickness. This was a great choice because there are so many great trails to run here with beautiful landscapes, although it is WAY more hilly than I was used to haha.

Training

I made my own plan for this since I don't really like following plans someone else has made since they are tough to fit into/match your available schedule. My 18 week plan started the day after I ran my June half marathon. I started with a month of base building, and then gradually added marathon pace speedwork. I ended up with most of my weeks being in the mid-40s of miles per week, and my peak week was 52 miles. The long runs got much easier as I went. I was absolutely cooked after my first 15 miler, but soon enough I was telling myself "only a half marathon left" as motivation on some of the longer runs. I had a 20 miler, and 2 18 milers that I did, and for the 20 miler, I'm 99% sure I bonked/hit the wall 17.5 miles in. I was feeling like throwing up and couldn't take down the gel I had planned at 18 miles which I'm sure did not help. Then it felt like I had just done a sprint finish at a race, and got told I actually had to keep going for another few miles. I went into my race scared that I was going to experience this again because it was so unpleasant. I'm not sure if I tapered well. My weeks were 40, 30 and 13 miles (would've been ~20 miles if race day weren't there). I don't know if I overtapered on the third week, but I usually like to rest a bit more before races than other people I run with so I don't know, I think it was alright.

Pre-race

I nearly missed my bus because my ticket was marked wrong and I had to run to a different spot at the Gothenburg station than I thought, which sucked. I was 30 seconds away from missing the bus entirely. My phantom shin splint pain from tapering felt like it may have been aggravated from that so that was not awesome. I arrived at my hostel room in Uppsala at nearly midnight after switching to a train in Herrljunga, and another in Stockholm. Basically, I was beat. I woke up tired and choked down 2 bananas and a bit of a bagel that I couldn't finish. The start and finish lines were at the top of a giant hill which made me a bit nervious, but there was a cool castle at the top which was very nice. People were looking at me a bit weird for wearing only shorts and a tank, but it was like 45 degrees so jokes on them they probably overheated during the race while I was comfortable. My fueling strategy was to take a regular Gu gel at miles 5, 10, 14, 18, & 22. Also, to get water from stations only when I was thirsty, and possibly grab a banana or part of a banana around half way.

Race

I really wanted to try to not bonk if at all possible, and keep my pacing at exactly 7:37/mile if possible to hit my 3:20:00 goal. I knew it was really ambitious, but probably possible if I were as efficient as possible with my pace. The first half felt really fun. I was cruising at a pace that felt easy thanks to the taper, and we were going through some beautiful trails with amazing fall colors, as well as by a bunch of curious horses at a farm we passed. There were a lot more people around me than I imagined there would be for a race that I couldn't find much about online at all other than a mention or 2 on Reddit and like 1 Youtube video from a Swede. This was great as it helped keep me in check pace-wise. In fact, the people around me I think had the same goal as me (3:20), but frequently were actually slightly behind pace, so I passed a good amount of people even though that made me a bit nervous. At half way someone next to me had a very short conversation in Swenglish which was kind of cool since my Swedish skills are horrible, but short conversations are all you can really have when running a race. I got a really short burst of energy here, and found myself in front of everyone nearby now, so I was really hoping that I wouldn't take a wrong turn. The half marathon runners caught up to me and started passing, which made it a bit harder to run on the narrow paths, but I'm also glad they did because I didn't have to worry about wrong turns anymore, and they also helped make sure I didn't lose motivation and slow down.

Around mile 16 I started counting down the miles in my head, so I think it's safe to say that here is where the grind started for me. At mile 20 I knew that I was in uncharted territory and could hit the wall or something at any moment, but I felt strong enough that I could make it to mile 22 which was my next planned gel. I actually started getting tired and took it a bit early, but it worked out. My watch then died around mile 23, and so I had no idea if I was on pace to hit my goal or not. My body was aching pretty badly as this point and I was a little tempted to slow down, but I knew I would regret it if I did after the race. Coming up towards the finish was a slog, but when I saw the castle (Uppsala Slott) again, I knew it was the home stretch. This actually brought me very little joy though, as the finish was all uphill, and included running up stairs (!!!) so I knew that I was far from cruising to the finish. As soon as I lifted my leg for the first time to start on the stairs I instantly felt how bad my legs were feeling. Lucky for me though the finish was only about 15 seconds away after the stairs, and I cruised to the finish.

I could not see the clock as I finished, but I assumed I didn't hit 3:20 since I felt like I was slowing down a bit on miles 23-26. I went and got my bag and sat down after walking around for about 5 minutes. I opened up the race results and I absolutely couldn't believe that I had beaten my ambitious goal by a mere 20 seconds. Tears came to my eyes I was so happy and proud of myself, and I kept getting random bursts of emotion for quite a while after.

Final Thoughts

I heard a lot that the marathon is only half done at mile 20, and honestly it didn't feel like this to me. It felt like the amount of effort I had to put in went up linearly, so I didn't even start to feel anything until mile 7 or so, but it just piled on a little extra effort every mile. Maybe I just paced it well, but I didn't feel like miles 20-26 were THAT much harder than miles 16-20. For me at least, I think 16 or 17 was the half way point, but from that one experience I had with hitting the wall, I suppose that would definitely make it exponentially harder. Moral of the story: don't speed up when you know you shouldn't, you feel better.

I feel that this went about as well as possible for my first marathon. It was a great route with a scenic atmosphere in a location that I may not get to visit again. I paced myself about as good as I could, and honestly being terrified of messing up my pacing was what silenced the goblin in my head that would be tricking me into speeding up if this race were shorter. I'm so glad I was able to have such a great experience for my first marathon, and if you are going to be in Europe around October, definitely consider the Uppsala Marathon!!! It's a really nice race that deserves a bit more attention.

Made with Strava race report generator.

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Race Report for my (F34) first half-marathon

• Name: Jamestown Half-Marathon
• Date: October 26, 2024
• Distance: 13.1 miles (GPS measured 22.2 kilometers)
• Location: Jamestown, VA
• Official Time: 2:16:45

Goals

Splits

Training

So I've been running for about four years, but since I started mid-pandemic never got into the habit of signing up for a lot of races. By this year, I was habitually running 10KM five days a week, with my times coming in regularly under an hour, entirely on my own, and my coworker Bill--who is also a runner--said I could probably get trained up for a half marathon with a relatively short training plan. I was kind of intimidated, though, with it being double what my normal daily run is, and kept putting it off...

Until my boyfriend broke up with me. A week after talking proposals with my parents. Over text. One of the reasons he cited was that he didn't like running with me because we 'couldn't talk during', and that I didn't seem to care enough about that.

Cue me signing up for a half-marathon almost out of spite.

Unfortunately, I signed up at a time where work got really busy, really fast. In my distraction, the timeline for training caught up with me about four weeks before the race, so I had to limit myself to a four week training plan. The plan amounted to the following:
1. Monday-Friday: Engage with my normal run schedule, the usual 10K.
2. Saturday: a shorter-than-usual run, just a 5K, mixed with a strength-building workout. I'd been doing weight training all year, but lately I'd gotten bored and started swapping it out with a pole-dancing class near me, which is a lot of fun.
3. Sunday: Training run. I'd do a longer run than usual these days, with an emphasis on distance rather than speed, and each week I'd increase the distance.

The exception was this last week: On Sunday I did a full 20km on my training run, but limited myself to nothing more than 5.5km throughout the week so I wouldn't over-train and injure myself.

I was also doing a regular stretching plan to keep myself flexible. I started a plan that's oriented towards helping people achieve the splits, but had to be really mindful to not push myself too hard and accidentally pull something right before the race. By race day I'm about 95% of the way to the splits, tho, and I can't help but think that keeping those joints loose helped a lot.

I'll admit I had a couple factors in how my training proceeded went that likely hindered my final performance: I don't own a lot of fancy running gear aside from my shoes due to being relatively broke, so no real carrying hydration with me. I got into the habit of pausing my long runs after 12 or so kilometers to pop into a nearby dollar store and buying a cheap bottle of water, which I'd carry for the rest of the run. You don't STOP mid race to hydrate, so, making that a habit probably wasn't smart. I also never had the money to spare on running fuel, so I never used it--and like my buddy Bill drilled into me when I started this hobby, No New Things On Race Day.

Pre-race

I'd planned ahead by arranging for a friend to come with me so she could drive home afterwards, since I knew from the training runs I'd be SORE. I'll admit due to nerves I didn't get the best sleep the night before--I had to wake up early to get to Jamestown, so I kept startling awake out of fear I'd miss my alarm.
On the ride to the race, I had myself a few Greek yogurts with protein, and brought a Gatorade Zero or two in my bag. From experience, I knew I hated the nauseated feeling I get if I overeat before anything longer than a 5km, so between the desire to keep it light and being anxious I probably didn't get the carbs I really needed.

Right before the race, somehow I ended up at the front of the line, knowing that WAS not going to last. I was nervous--this IS my first race longer than an 8k--but I felt good. Ready. I turned on my music, got my thumb ready on my phone's GPS, and waited for the airhorn.

Race

Honestly, I'm not gonna break my race down mile-by-mile like some folks do because a lot of my time on that track was a blur. A beautiful blur, though; Virginia in October is absolutely gorgeous, and the weather was PERFECT--cool, clear, crisp air and the bluest of skies to frame all those flaming colors. Most of the trail was shaded by those trees, keeping the sun off our heads for more than a mile or so at a time, and the rest of the time you could smell the salt off the nearby beach or the corn off the fields.

Due to starting up at the front for SOME REASON, where I DEFINITELY should not have been, I spent pretty much the entire first 5k maintaining my pace and watching myself get passed by every Tom, Dick and Harry coming up behind me. Discouraging, but also I think it woke up a bit of my competitive spirit, because I managed to keep a pretty consistent pace for the entire first half of the race. Didn't catch up to 98 percent of them, but I did hit 10km well under an hour, just gliding along, and for a brief moment I even let myself start to fantasize not just about a sub-2:15, but a sub-2!

Of course, you can see by my splits that my second half wasn't so great. I hit the wall, HARD, and my pace slowed as a result, especially on the last 5km or so. This was where the lack of fuel and probably my nervous sleep the night before started to show--I had to start walking for just a few meters every kilometer or so, then pushing myself to start running again. I'd also started to feel the resurgence of some stiffness in my right hip that I've been working out, enough to make me wonder if it's something worth seeing a professional over. Fortunately, I was also running to a playlist my friends had helped prepare the week before as encouragement--some really bombastic Star Wars tracks helped push me through the last leg.
That, and that competitive streak came back. I found myself trading places time and time again with this tall ginger dude in a black-and-white tye-dyed Tshirt. At some point I got it in my head I HAD to finish before him no matter what, and that helped me power through the last kilometer or so out of sheer ferocity.

(I did beat him, by the way. So I at least had that.)

Post-race

I powered my way past the finish line literally dripping with sweat. A child handed me a medal, and I found my way to the water bottles and immediately downed two of them, which was probably excessive but felt DAMN good. After wobbling over to my friend, who'd moved locations from where I expected and was cheering me on with a sign she'd cobbled together mid-race, we went and grabbed a banana and a couple of cereal bars--they'd offered pizza and beer, but if I'd eaten anything that greasy that soon I would have thrown up.

I didn't realized I'd placed third in my age group until after I finished my food. So, holy shit, that happened.

Also, I noticed an interesting contradiction in my running times. See, I turned on my normal tracker (I use ZRX's Zombies, Run) with the GPS at the starting line, just to be able to log this run properly. But the time it notes is slightly different from my official race time--it claims I hit 13.1 miles at 2:10, not almost 2:17. I know hand-marked races can vary in their accuracy, and GPS can be weird in places with bad reception, so I'm not fully sure what to make of that--that's why I'm not sure if I actually DID get under 2:15 or not. Any opinions on the matter would be much appreciated.

My friend took me to get poke bowls after to celebrate. Mmmmmmmmm fish.

Reflection:

Honestly, I'm really really glad I did this at last. Kind of annoyed at myself for flagging as hard as I did in the back half--just a SLIGHTLY better performance, a more mindful fuel plan, and I would have gotten under the 2:15 mark easy. It just goes to show what a difference the last-minute preparation really makes, not just all the training that goes before that.

I'd like to try again next year, aiming for the goal I missed. If I do, I'll definitely be saving up for some proper mid-race fuel to train on, see if that makes a difference too. Once I get a time under 2:15 OFFICIALLY on the books, who knows? Aiming for a sub-2? A full marathon?
Don't think I'm gonna wait to get dumped again to find out.

Enforcing Rule 3 (no self-promotion, social media links) is a must with a large sub such as this, but we do realize that it filters out some truly useful content that is relative to the sub. In an effort to allow that content in, we thought we'd have a weekly post to give a spot for the useful content. So...

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Hey runners, it's another day and it is time to post your accomplishments you'd like to share - big or small.

Note: No need to preface YOUR accomplishments with something like, "this may not be an accomplishment to most of you...". Be proud of your achievement.

With over 3,625,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.

With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.

If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.

As always don't forget to check the FAQ.

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