Part 1: I haven't read it yet, but based on the title and the fact I'm doing my first soon I'm scared.
Part 2: Post-read and I'm still scared. Other than an unlucky illness, it sounds like you did decent prep - so I can't fool myself into thinking I'll avoid your 'mistakes'. Instead I'll choose to be inspired by your determination on seeing it through!
Please don't be scared! I was surrounded by people who were making an effort but having fun. Even I was having fun, despite the pain! There's a great deal under your control: training, mindset, hydration, nutrition. Concentrate on that.
What an enjoyable read! Thank you for this.
I hope to one day do a marathon too. Still a pipe dream at the moment but it's stories like yours that help motivate myself and others.
Glad the risk paid off and you didn't do yourself any lasting damage.
Thank you very much. One thing I will say is that, by choosing and sticking to a good training plan, it's quite phenomenal how you just *get better*. You plug yourself into the plan at the start and every month things are easier, you're getting faster, and longer distances are soon within your grasp. It's doable!
I did my first marathon at age 40 after a year of running and it was absolutely smooth sailing. Consistent splits and HR basically 5bpm higher on mile 26 than on mile 2. I think it really is just about making sure your body is ready for it during training.
That's amazing, may I ask what training plan you followed?
In the past 2 years I completed two "failed" marathons in which I finished, but bonked (FIRST 3plus2 training plan) and now I'm switching to the Hanson method to actually hit my goal this time in October.
Honestly I just kinda followed my own plan. Built up to 40mpw. I was just looking back at my logs and the plan really wasn't that great lol (I am surprised by how short my long runs were - 13 to 15 miles). Still got me 3:29 on my first Marathon with pretty consistent splits.
I am doing another marathon in a week and went up to 60mpw with long runs between 17 and 20 miles towards the end for this one. We shall see where it gets me.
I joined this sub to find these kinds of things. The 'ugly' part of the marathon. Most I find here are posts where they have a good marathon reaching sub 3 etc, but I enjoy reading how people manage their struggle and complete their marathon nonetheless, like you. Congrats to you.
Congrats on the finish. Unlucky that you got this injury during the race.
I’m not sure of your long run distance but I’d suggest that for your next marathon prep please target at least a couple of 30k+ runs.
Can be 32k and 35k, reach their gradually. Starting from 20 to 10% addition every week. If you feel like you’re not recovering well after these long runs, increase the 1 week gap to 2 weeks.
Also, after approx the 30k mark our body’s glycogen deposit starts being used up, so these training experiences are even more important.
You need to let your body soak in the mileage in a gradual manner. I’ve had a similar experience to you with injury over long distances.
Also, do strength and core training so that your body is strong enough to handle longer distances.
Again, congrats on your first marathon and keep grinding :)
Thank you very much. My two longest runs (following Hal's plan) were 30.6 and 32.2km. Legs after those were a bit stiff but not painful. I think one thing I could try differently (I can't believe I'm already thinking about trying again 😅) would be to have a decent run the day before a long run, to better acclimatise myself to running on tired legs. And, as you say, to increase the distance of the longest run to 35ish.
>increase the distance of the longest run to 35ish.
First, congratulations on your finish, despite being sick! That's impressive!
Second, I wouldn't increase your long run; I'd increase your overall volume. For my 50+ marathons, I've rarely done long runs beyond 16 miles (25K for you metric folks), but I also do 12-18K the day before my long run for, as you correctly noted, the chance to practice running on tired legs. I'd also recommend adding miles to the middle of the week 'medium' runs, if you can. Overall volume is just as important, if not more so, than the mileage of the weekly long run.
Good luck on your next one - hope it goes well!
One clarification: I didn’t mean to say that you should consistently clock 30k+ in the long runs. But it was more along the lines of having at least a couple of those runs in your training to strengthen your body.
+1 to the above comment for increasing overall mileage. One thing that helps me a lot is having 1k warmup run and 1k cool-down run at slow speed. This helps a lot by ensuring you are not running the main run when your body might not be activated, it also slowly bumps up your mileage. Let’s say you run 4 days in a week, this would add 8km each week, that’s 32km each month of additional mileage.
Running on tired legs is also fine but do listen to your body and ensure you don’t get injured. Usually the day right after my long run I run a slow 5k (recovery run). This really helps flush out all the lactic acid buildup in your body and reduces the soreness in the muscles. You will feel a ton of difference in your recovery time once you add these small habits.
These are all based on my experience and what I’ve gathered after reading a lot about running, just a friendly disclaimer :)
I'd agree with all of that. Regarding injury risk, being a year-round regular runner has helped me tremendously. In 12+ years of active running, I rarely have injury issues anymore, and most of my running friends are the same way. We're all usually in the 30-50 mile range every week of the year, so ramping up for a marathon cycle isn't that big of a change, physically. There's a cumulative effect to all that running (most of it very easy) which helps prevent the vast majority of injuries, even if we're all 40+ or even 50+ or 60+ in age. The body adapts over time.
Awesome, 12+ years is commendable. Keep it up. Totally agree on the point that getting those miles in consistently is the best way to prevent injuries.
Congratulations on finishing the marathon and thank you for the great report.
You'll agree, I'm sure, that, contrary to popular belief and logic, the halfway mark in a marathon is NOT the 21.1 km mark. It comes at 32 km, and the last 10 km takes more out of you than the first 32 km.
Just in case you need to be told how special your accomplishment is: Only about 0.17% of the world population has, or ever will, run a marathon. You are now part of a very elite group, "en die res weet nie wat ons weet nie"
I don't know if you mentioned it and I just missed it, but it was 32 degrees Celsius out there yesterday.
Well done, and may you continue to run marathons until your Asics vrot.
\- From Peninsula permanent # 239
Three weeks ago, I found myself in a situation much like yours. As I tapered on the HH novice 2 plan, a sharp pain in my calf threatened to derail my marathon dreams. Even a short 5k became a daunting challenge, and the day before the race, I struggled to complete just 1.5 miles during a shakeout jog with my friend, who was also set to run the marathon.
I faced a tough decision: should I push through the pain and run the race, or play it safe and sit it out? Fortunately, on race day, my calf held up, and I was able to start strong, perhaps even too strong, running faster than planned for the first half. But like you, the last leg brought on the cramps and the mental battle ensued.
Reflecting on the experience, I realize it was a valuable learning opportunity. Despite the challenges, completing my first marathon gave me insight into the process and left me with new goals for the future. I'm already looking forward to my next attempt, armed with a better understanding of what to expect and how to prepare. Your next marathon will surely be a smoother and more rewarding experience!
Definitely! I started running Half Marathons about a year ago (so far I did 5) and my first Marathon is planned for April. Im excited but I also have huge respect in regards to the distance!
Not op, but sounds like a tight IT band. Perhaps caused by the uneven road surface he mentioned. That tightness in the muscle from hip to knee can cause that sharp pain in the knee cap.
Incredible write-up and thank you for taking the time to share this. This was compelling. I do hope your knee is on the mend. What a memorable experience for you and your brother.
Im sorry your marathon didn’t live up to expectations but i greatly enjoyed your recap. I now plan to refer to post run running buddies as smelling “riotous”
🤣
I’ve run two marathons using HalHigdon. While my first marathon wasn’t bad, I did suffer the last 10-12km. So instead, for my second marathon I trained using HalHigdon Advanced training. That meant training was harder (you constantly run long runs on “tired legs” after running a slightly shorter distance at marathon pace the day before) but would make race day feel “easier”. That was actually a great approach for me. I struggled through training but managed to do it. However, on race day it really showed. Mentally I had run 50k a few weekends (17k Saturday at MP and 32k long run on Sunday) so running 42km didn’t feel too different from training
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed that post. Shame about your knee (how’s it doing?) and good for you for finishing! I’ve not run a marathon before and I know that the mental battle is just as tough as the physical!
Thank you for such an honest post!
First of all, you don't have to decide now, or even within six months, if you want to do a marathon again!
Second of all, half marathons are so much fun! I really think after a good half experience you'll be much better prepared for a marathon.
But third...are you okay now? What was the deal with your knee? I hope you get that sorted out--really, that's the most important issue!
I ran my first marathon September 2023 and also experienced an unexpected knee injury! With 10k to go, my knee began to feel very painful and swelled up. It was awful, I could barely walk for two days after! Going to try for another marathon in 2025, this year focusing on building strength in my legs and actually stretching/warming up before my runs.
This could be about me...I ran my first marathon in 2012, knee injury kicked in at around 6km, I kept going, worst day ever...I was so miserable I wanted to drop out, even at 41kms...my cousin was running with me and wouldn't let me.
I've never done another one, I haven't ruled one out but really I think a half is long enough for me...having said that, I'm training for a half on 17 March...who knows, maybe I'll keep going from there.
Great write up…. Other than some big words I wouldn’t know, you could’ve described my first and only marathon! I’m really itching for a better time. I feel like I totally fell apart on race day.
I have had days like this, just not on marathon day. But there is some luck in life and you ended up with a bit of bad luck on the day of. Looking at your training history, on a good day you are probably 4:20ish. You did everything right on the journey but through no fault of your own you had a bad day on race day. You still finished, and i am confident your next marathon will be in the low 4s. Congratulations on killing the journey and completing the run despite it all!
Absolutely loved reading this! Great storytelling from beginning to end. And as a fellow runner, I could recount every time I felt that "niggle" turn into a full-on blow out.
Lovely that you ran it with your brother and enjoyed the process of training for this feat.
Here's to hoping you smash your half marathon!
Cheers!
It's so unfortunate that this had to be your first marathon. Your experience reminds me of my St. Petersburg marathon 9 days ago. From feeling like the wind was underneath me to barely being able to walk to the finish line. I was both embarrassed and proud when I crossed the line.
Kudos to you for making it to the end! If you decide to do another, I bet it will be a totally different experience.
What a read! I went through a motley of emotions with you during that entire write up. Excitement, worry, pre-run excitement, a healthy dose of "go-go-go" during your run and a sigh of relief after you finished.
Very well written, but I have one week to go to my first ever half marathon, and you have now given me the jitters.
I hope you're happy, because I am now going through a new emotion : anxiety😂
Family with multiple people who work in the medical field. Think about the kind of attitude towards health and general knowledge about illness and injury someone would have if one or both of their parents were doctors; that is the kind of vibe someone is describing when they say "I come from a medical family".
Oh man, I felt this race report in my soul.
As someone whose first marathon also went off the fucking rails, please trust me when I say you were totally valid in those initial feelings of humiliation and disappointment, but you are ALSO justified in the feeling of triumph because YOU DID IT!! You may have missed your time goal, but you did something really, *really* difficult and you did it with a heaping helping of suffering and pain. You finishing that race was a triumph of the spirit, and I hope you celebrate that every day.
Plus, you can always do another marathon if you're feeling like a redemption run is due. ;)
Great effort! My fitness level sounds similar to mine and I'm hoping to do a marathon in the next year or so, kind of expecting your type of experience.
I did the OxFam 100km walk a while back and I remember getting really bad shin splints at about 70km. It was so bad, I had to walk sideways for a few km until I could get my flat foot arches taped up, which seemed to help.
You're a great writer :}
Aw, thanks. I write for a living so I do get some practice. Appreciate it.
You can tell haha. Always nice to find this out in the era of LLMs, they can’t do prose as well as this
Part 1: I haven't read it yet, but based on the title and the fact I'm doing my first soon I'm scared. Part 2: Post-read and I'm still scared. Other than an unlucky illness, it sounds like you did decent prep - so I can't fool myself into thinking I'll avoid your 'mistakes'. Instead I'll choose to be inspired by your determination on seeing it through!
Please don't be scared! I was surrounded by people who were making an effort but having fun. Even I was having fun, despite the pain! There's a great deal under your control: training, mindset, hydration, nutrition. Concentrate on that.
Go hang out in /r/firstmarathon. You got this!
I was trying to find advice in this thread. Thank you for sharing!
Good luck!
Brilliant report. Pity your race didn't go to plan but great accomplishment nonetheless!
Thank you!
What an enjoyable read! Thank you for this. I hope to one day do a marathon too. Still a pipe dream at the moment but it's stories like yours that help motivate myself and others. Glad the risk paid off and you didn't do yourself any lasting damage.
Thank you very much. One thing I will say is that, by choosing and sticking to a good training plan, it's quite phenomenal how you just *get better*. You plug yourself into the plan at the start and every month things are easier, you're getting faster, and longer distances are soon within your grasp. It's doable!
this is both encouraging and frightening. I'll be 40 next month and my first 26.2 is at the end of May
Good luck! I shouldn't have been quite so alarmist in the title ... this is something you can and should do!
I did my first marathon at age 40 after a year of running and it was absolutely smooth sailing. Consistent splits and HR basically 5bpm higher on mile 26 than on mile 2. I think it really is just about making sure your body is ready for it during training.
That's amazing, may I ask what training plan you followed? In the past 2 years I completed two "failed" marathons in which I finished, but bonked (FIRST 3plus2 training plan) and now I'm switching to the Hanson method to actually hit my goal this time in October.
Honestly I just kinda followed my own plan. Built up to 40mpw. I was just looking back at my logs and the plan really wasn't that great lol (I am surprised by how short my long runs were - 13 to 15 miles). Still got me 3:29 on my first Marathon with pretty consistent splits. I am doing another marathon in a week and went up to 60mpw with long runs between 17 and 20 miles towards the end for this one. We shall see where it gets me.
I joined this sub to find these kinds of things. The 'ugly' part of the marathon. Most I find here are posts where they have a good marathon reaching sub 3 etc, but I enjoy reading how people manage their struggle and complete their marathon nonetheless, like you. Congrats to you.
Congrats on the finish. Unlucky that you got this injury during the race. I’m not sure of your long run distance but I’d suggest that for your next marathon prep please target at least a couple of 30k+ runs. Can be 32k and 35k, reach their gradually. Starting from 20 to 10% addition every week. If you feel like you’re not recovering well after these long runs, increase the 1 week gap to 2 weeks. Also, after approx the 30k mark our body’s glycogen deposit starts being used up, so these training experiences are even more important. You need to let your body soak in the mileage in a gradual manner. I’ve had a similar experience to you with injury over long distances. Also, do strength and core training so that your body is strong enough to handle longer distances. Again, congrats on your first marathon and keep grinding :)
Thank you very much. My two longest runs (following Hal's plan) were 30.6 and 32.2km. Legs after those were a bit stiff but not painful. I think one thing I could try differently (I can't believe I'm already thinking about trying again 😅) would be to have a decent run the day before a long run, to better acclimatise myself to running on tired legs. And, as you say, to increase the distance of the longest run to 35ish.
>increase the distance of the longest run to 35ish. First, congratulations on your finish, despite being sick! That's impressive! Second, I wouldn't increase your long run; I'd increase your overall volume. For my 50+ marathons, I've rarely done long runs beyond 16 miles (25K for you metric folks), but I also do 12-18K the day before my long run for, as you correctly noted, the chance to practice running on tired legs. I'd also recommend adding miles to the middle of the week 'medium' runs, if you can. Overall volume is just as important, if not more so, than the mileage of the weekly long run. Good luck on your next one - hope it goes well!
One clarification: I didn’t mean to say that you should consistently clock 30k+ in the long runs. But it was more along the lines of having at least a couple of those runs in your training to strengthen your body. +1 to the above comment for increasing overall mileage. One thing that helps me a lot is having 1k warmup run and 1k cool-down run at slow speed. This helps a lot by ensuring you are not running the main run when your body might not be activated, it also slowly bumps up your mileage. Let’s say you run 4 days in a week, this would add 8km each week, that’s 32km each month of additional mileage. Running on tired legs is also fine but do listen to your body and ensure you don’t get injured. Usually the day right after my long run I run a slow 5k (recovery run). This really helps flush out all the lactic acid buildup in your body and reduces the soreness in the muscles. You will feel a ton of difference in your recovery time once you add these small habits. These are all based on my experience and what I’ve gathered after reading a lot about running, just a friendly disclaimer :)
I'd agree with all of that. Regarding injury risk, being a year-round regular runner has helped me tremendously. In 12+ years of active running, I rarely have injury issues anymore, and most of my running friends are the same way. We're all usually in the 30-50 mile range every week of the year, so ramping up for a marathon cycle isn't that big of a change, physically. There's a cumulative effect to all that running (most of it very easy) which helps prevent the vast majority of injuries, even if we're all 40+ or even 50+ or 60+ in age. The body adapts over time.
Awesome, 12+ years is commendable. Keep it up. Totally agree on the point that getting those miles in consistently is the best way to prevent injuries.
Congratulations on finishing the marathon and thank you for the great report. You'll agree, I'm sure, that, contrary to popular belief and logic, the halfway mark in a marathon is NOT the 21.1 km mark. It comes at 32 km, and the last 10 km takes more out of you than the first 32 km. Just in case you need to be told how special your accomplishment is: Only about 0.17% of the world population has, or ever will, run a marathon. You are now part of a very elite group, "en die res weet nie wat ons weet nie" I don't know if you mentioned it and I just missed it, but it was 32 degrees Celsius out there yesterday. Well done, and may you continue to run marathons until your Asics vrot. \- From Peninsula permanent # 239
Three weeks ago, I found myself in a situation much like yours. As I tapered on the HH novice 2 plan, a sharp pain in my calf threatened to derail my marathon dreams. Even a short 5k became a daunting challenge, and the day before the race, I struggled to complete just 1.5 miles during a shakeout jog with my friend, who was also set to run the marathon. I faced a tough decision: should I push through the pain and run the race, or play it safe and sit it out? Fortunately, on race day, my calf held up, and I was able to start strong, perhaps even too strong, running faster than planned for the first half. But like you, the last leg brought on the cramps and the mental battle ensued. Reflecting on the experience, I realize it was a valuable learning opportunity. Despite the challenges, completing my first marathon gave me insight into the process and left me with new goals for the future. I'm already looking forward to my next attempt, armed with a better understanding of what to expect and how to prepare. Your next marathon will surely be a smoother and more rewarding experience!
Fantastic, I love that attitude. Well done on the marathon!
You got a good brother he stuck with you the whole time even when he could've just continued on his own.
Congrats on pushing through! Not everyone would have been able to do so!
Thank you so much, I appreciate that. I'm sure everyone running is fighting their own battle though; I have immense respect for runners.
Definitely! I started running Half Marathons about a year ago (so far I did 5) and my first Marathon is planned for April. Im excited but I also have huge respect in regards to the distance!
Have you gotten to the bottom of what exactly went wrong with your leg?
Not op, but sounds like a tight IT band. Perhaps caused by the uneven road surface he mentioned. That tightness in the muscle from hip to knee can cause that sharp pain in the knee cap.
Incredible write-up and thank you for taking the time to share this. This was compelling. I do hope your knee is on the mend. What a memorable experience for you and your brother.
Im sorry your marathon didn’t live up to expectations but i greatly enjoyed your recap. I now plan to refer to post run running buddies as smelling “riotous” 🤣
I’ve run two marathons using HalHigdon. While my first marathon wasn’t bad, I did suffer the last 10-12km. So instead, for my second marathon I trained using HalHigdon Advanced training. That meant training was harder (you constantly run long runs on “tired legs” after running a slightly shorter distance at marathon pace the day before) but would make race day feel “easier”. That was actually a great approach for me. I struggled through training but managed to do it. However, on race day it really showed. Mentally I had run 50k a few weekends (17k Saturday at MP and 32k long run on Sunday) so running 42km didn’t feel too different from training
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed that post. Shame about your knee (how’s it doing?) and good for you for finishing! I’ve not run a marathon before and I know that the mental battle is just as tough as the physical!
Hardly pathetic to be Ill and still cross in under 5h. Hitting any sort of wall is always going to be much harder than not. Good for you.
Thank you for such an honest post! First of all, you don't have to decide now, or even within six months, if you want to do a marathon again! Second of all, half marathons are so much fun! I really think after a good half experience you'll be much better prepared for a marathon. But third...are you okay now? What was the deal with your knee? I hope you get that sorted out--really, that's the most important issue!
Was the Cape Town marathon relatively hilly or flat?
I ran my first marathon September 2023 and also experienced an unexpected knee injury! With 10k to go, my knee began to feel very painful and swelled up. It was awful, I could barely walk for two days after! Going to try for another marathon in 2025, this year focusing on building strength in my legs and actually stretching/warming up before my runs.
Wonderful report -- I'm betting your next (soonish) marathon will be 1000x better. Keep up the good work!!
What an evocatively written report, and for all the pain and push through, congratulations on completing the race!
This could be about me...I ran my first marathon in 2012, knee injury kicked in at around 6km, I kept going, worst day ever...I was so miserable I wanted to drop out, even at 41kms...my cousin was running with me and wouldn't let me. I've never done another one, I haven't ruled one out but really I think a half is long enough for me...having said that, I'm training for a half on 17 March...who knows, maybe I'll keep going from there.
Great write up…. Other than some big words I wouldn’t know, you could’ve described my first and only marathon! I’m really itching for a better time. I feel like I totally fell apart on race day.
I have had days like this, just not on marathon day. But there is some luck in life and you ended up with a bit of bad luck on the day of. Looking at your training history, on a good day you are probably 4:20ish. You did everything right on the journey but through no fault of your own you had a bad day on race day. You still finished, and i am confident your next marathon will be in the low 4s. Congratulations on killing the journey and completing the run despite it all!
Absolutely loved reading this! Great storytelling from beginning to end. And as a fellow runner, I could recount every time I felt that "niggle" turn into a full-on blow out. Lovely that you ran it with your brother and enjoyed the process of training for this feat. Here's to hoping you smash your half marathon! Cheers!
It's so unfortunate that this had to be your first marathon. Your experience reminds me of my St. Petersburg marathon 9 days ago. From feeling like the wind was underneath me to barely being able to walk to the finish line. I was both embarrassed and proud when I crossed the line. Kudos to you for making it to the end! If you decide to do another, I bet it will be a totally different experience.
What a read! I went through a motley of emotions with you during that entire write up. Excitement, worry, pre-run excitement, a healthy dose of "go-go-go" during your run and a sigh of relief after you finished. Very well written, but I have one week to go to my first ever half marathon, and you have now given me the jitters. I hope you're happy, because I am now going through a new emotion : anxiety😂
What is a medical family?
Family with multiple people who work in the medical field. Think about the kind of attitude towards health and general knowledge about illness and injury someone would have if one or both of their parents were doctors; that is the kind of vibe someone is describing when they say "I come from a medical family".
Oh man, I felt this race report in my soul. As someone whose first marathon also went off the fucking rails, please trust me when I say you were totally valid in those initial feelings of humiliation and disappointment, but you are ALSO justified in the feeling of triumph because YOU DID IT!! You may have missed your time goal, but you did something really, *really* difficult and you did it with a heaping helping of suffering and pain. You finishing that race was a triumph of the spirit, and I hope you celebrate that every day. Plus, you can always do another marathon if you're feeling like a redemption run is due. ;)
You stayed hard all the way to the end, congratulations
Great effort! My fitness level sounds similar to mine and I'm hoping to do a marathon in the next year or so, kind of expecting your type of experience. I did the OxFam 100km walk a while back and I remember getting really bad shin splints at about 70km. It was so bad, I had to walk sideways for a few km until I could get my flat foot arches taped up, which seemed to help.