r/firstmarathon • u/Dull_Abroad_1355 2 months to go! • 2d ago
Could I do it? Doubt setting in
Ran several halfs comfortable at 1:57. Decided to commit and signed up for Santa Cruz in Oct. This past weekend completed my longest run at 17mi. Ran a 10min/mi pace up until mile 15. Legs started to feel really heavy. Ended up walking and jogging the final two miles. Everything felt great but my legs wasn't cooperating. Curious if this is normal. I also had some side pain towards the end. I think this may have been with all the water I was chugging down with my gels and salt tabs every 30mins. Goal is to finish the marathon by 4:30. I know in reality I may just finish at the 5hr mark.
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u/cj_daking 2d ago
I dunno, if you're training at 10min long runs and running sub-2 halfs, then 4:30 is a really generous goal.
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u/Dull_Abroad_1355 2 months to go! 2d ago
According to Garmin, I am targeted to finsh a half at 1:51 and a full at 4:03. LOL
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u/Erin_Boone 1d ago
Generous meaning 4:30 is unlikely or 4:30 is very doable?
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u/nobbybeefcake 1d ago
What you felt is completely normal. Marathon training is hard, very hard. But then you taper and this is where the magic happens. 3 weeks out you start to reduce volume, then on race day you’ll stand on the start line feeling on top of the world. Done right, the actual marathon is easy compared to the 16 weeks that comes before it. Trust the process, you’ll be fine.
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u/kassiakrozser 2d ago
oh my, so many thoughts. this is your first marathon (i believe), and the first time on the course. not sure how big this race is, but that can impact your expectations. you will have cool weather for this race, though weather has been weird this year, and that helps. second, yeah, legs just dying is normal. usually it means a) you're going too fast, or b) not getting enough nutrition / liquid (since you're training the summer, both may be an issue). and i'm thinking, based on your comments, that you haven't *quite* dialed in nutrition. if i'm right about this being your first marathon, look at it as a learning experience. good luck, and have fun.
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u/OwlOnThePitch 1d ago
You just ran 15 miles faster than marathon pace. No wonder your body gave up. Don’t do that.
Slow your long runs down by a lot. 11:15 or even 11:30 pace should be perfect, as long as you can maintain good form.
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u/Gabagoon5545 Marathon Veteran 2d ago
I’ve run 1 marathon and finished a little under 4 hours.
I had the same issue in my last long run before my marathon.
The long run was hot, I didn’t hydrate enough, I was on tired legs, etc.
I hit my goals on the day of marathon bc of the taper + ideal conditions (running super early when it’s cool, tons of hydration stations, etc.)
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u/Oscar_Sport 1d ago
Legs going heavy at mile 15 of your longest run ever is completely normal, that's the run doing its job with two months still to go. Mine looked exactly like that in the summer and the doubt showed up right on cue, then two more long runs later the same distance stopped feeling like the edge. Finishing between 4:30 and 5 hours are both a marathon, so I'd stop picking one now and just let the training tell you in October.
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u/Sea_Cardiologist_339 1d ago
What pace do you normally run your long runs? What was the intent of this most recent long run?
First marathon goal is just finish. Let go of the time goal. Finishing is thr goal. It will be a learning experience you can take into future races
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u/jackdog20 5h ago
This was almost the exact scenario for my 1st marathon in May. Attempted an 18 miler and hit the wall at 16 miles and quit, I couldn’t walk another mile. A week later finished my 20 miler but it was an ugly last mile. I narrowed it down to fueling, something I neglected and passed off as a helpful tip, but it is key to running over 3 hours. First marathon was 4:28 and I had negative splits, my fastest pace was 22 - 26, and every mile over 22 was consecutively faster than the last.
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u/Healthy_Oil_5375 1d ago
I dream of an internet where every single post automatically coverts anything related to miles into KM automatically. It’s crazy how much my brain just switches off instantly to anything talking about miles/min paces.