Hi everyone! A week ago, I ran my first full marathon. First of all, I'd like to say thank you to everybody who posted here and helped other newbies. As I can call myself a marathoner now as well, I thought it might help someone if I shared my experience.
Running background and goals. At school and university, I enjoyed running during PE classes. I wasn't the fastest runner and had no additional training. The first thing that helped change my attitude was the Nike Running Club that was established here in Moscow in the early 2010s by the new generation of running enthusiasts and with the help of Nike. From 2012 to 2015, I raced 10k every year, with the best result being 42:36 (if the distance was measured correctly). Then I had a pause till 2018, when I decided to get back into running and race a half marathon (finished in 1:55:45). Then I paused again until 2024, when I had two HMs (with a PB of 1:52:52), and a 15k run next year. Overall, by 2026, I had a background of a few 5k runs, seven 10k runs, one 15k run, and three HMs.
All my previous races were in my hometown, but this time I decided to travel to a place I'd never been to - Chelyabinsk (1500 km from Moscow).
Thoughts on HR zones training. When preparing for half marathons, I used HR-based training plans suggested by Polar Flow, as I had a Polar watch, and had 3-4 workouts per week. The plans were OK, I had many super slow runs with a low heart rate and some fast interval training too.
But in 2024, I realized my suggested HR zones were set too low, as I felt massively underprepared as I finished my first HM of the season with my legs literally refusing to move after the finish line (it was also a bit hot). I tweaked my zones up a little and, in 6 weeks, finished the second race easily.
For the marathon, I switched to a more traditional pace-based plan. However, I also sorted out the HR issue. I knew my HRmax was around 195 but I didn't know my zones were also much higher than I expected. As I started my marathon training, I had a medical checkup and a treadmill test with gas analysis, which showed my aerobic threshold at around 158-162 and anaerobic threshold at 176. I set the zones based on these numbers, only slightly adjusting them during the season based on my feelings.
All in all, I learned that most HR zone formulas sucks. But if you cannot afford a lab test, use the Karvonen method. The numbers it gave me were close enough.
Marathon training plan. Choosing a training plan was rather problematic. There are many instructions on how to compose a plan of your own. I really wanted a ready-made solution. But even such solutions are different in structure and follow various approaches.
This is when comments on Reddit helped a lot, drawing my attention to the Hansons' plan. The more I read about it, the more I liked it. It's very straightforward as it gives clear instructions about pacing (I didn't want to puzzle over the Jack Daniels' VDOT tables), it's not just boring slow running, it has speedwork... nice, I thought: I can run 6 days a week. And I could.
I tried to exercise as close to the schedule as I could, with minor adjustments. For example, on Fridays, I would run super easy 5k to 7k runs with a running club. For this reason, I often added distance to my Saturday easy runs.
I didn't feel extremely exhausted at any point of the training block, except for a few runs in hot weather. I mostly trained in the evening.
It's a pity the Hansons' approach is not that popular here in Russia. The reason, I guess, is that Luke Humphey's book doesn't have a Russian translation, unlike the books by Jack Daniels or Matt Fitzgerald.
Racing during the training block. I decided to have a few test races during the season. The first one was an HM in late May. Actually, to run it, I jumped right in the middle of the Hansons' HM training block in March - I thought it was safe enough as I had some previous experience. The race was nice, I nearly beat my PB. After the HM, I just switched to the marathon block, which was still in its early weeks, according to my schedule.
I also had a 10k Night Run on Week 9 of the block, which is a week or two later than the recommended by Luke Humphey in his book. However, everything went smoothly, replacing the 24 km (15 mi) long run with a shorter easy run didn't cause any problems.
Shoes and accessories. I started with two pairs: Mizuno Wave Rider 27 and Saucony Endorphine Speed 4 for speedwork and races. As my Mizuno got noticeably worn out by 850km, I added a Saucony Ride 18 for longer runs, keeping Mizuno just in case or for very short easy runs.
Socks. They just have to be comfortable. I don't have problems with most socks. The pair I liked the most and which I used for races was Uyn Marathon Zero (black).
Shorts. The need to buy more shorts surprised me but it turned out that with this intensity of training they start to stink, even though I'm not a heavy sweater and don't live in a humid climate. Brands don't matter much, I used two old Nike pairs I had and bought two more made by the local running brands that are currently on the rise, VTR and Gri. I liked all of them.
Belt. I recommend this inexpensive Aonijie belt. Everything fits in it: water, gels, keys. I liked the 250ml silicone flask that came with it, too, and bought another one later.
Cap. I don't like caps, so I bought an Aonijie visor for hot sunny days. It's ok.
Nutrition during the training block. I had a milk+banana smoothie after most runs. Generally, I didn't change my diet much, just tried to eat less junk food, more vegetables, and also more carbs before/after long runs.
I drank more water and juices than usual. I mostly had mineral water and often bought the one (namely, Stelmas Mg+) with a higher concentration of magnesium. And also started taking magnesium glycinate.
Right before the marathon, I tried carb loading: I ate almost exclusively rice, buckwheat (it's super popular in Russia and is as useful as rice, I adore it) and pasta, with minuscule additions of protein and fats. This is psychologically challenging, I wanted meat :D
Travel and accommodation. I came to the city two days before the marathon and that was right. There's a 2-hour time difference between the cities, and I had to wake up early as the race started at 8 a.m. So, I took melatonin two days in a row. The sleep wasn't great, I woke up many times to drink water. Besides, the place turned out to be rather noisy. Luckily, it didn't affect my performance. At least it was dark and the bed was decent.
Fueling on the run. I had SiS Go gels. I took one 10-15 minutes before the start and then had a gel every 30-40 minutes. At approximately 2:40, I ate one SiS Beta Fuel gel, which has almost twice more cabs than SiS Go (40g vs 22g), and the last one was again the standard SiS Go at around 3:15-3:20, probably just as a psychological boost. I drank at every water station, mostly water but had isotonic a few times. A slice of orange also felt nice at a certain point.
Tactics and result. Initially, during the training, I aimed for a sub-4 marathon and set my target pace at 5:38/km. As the training block was at its peak, I realized that I got faster. So I decided to aim for 5:32/km as the realistic optimal pace.
On the race day, the weather was very nice (15 to 17 degrees Celsius / 59 to 63 Fahrenheit), almost no sun, cool wind. I started slowly with the 3:59:59 pacers. As I felt confident on the road, I felt that their pace was too slow, so after 4-5 km I increased my speed a little. Still, my first half of the distance was rather slow: I passed the 20 km mark at 1:53:04, i.e. my pace was 5:39/km. But I felt I had a lot of power, so I increased my effort. As a result, I ran (partially downhill) section between 23 km and 28km with the average pace of 4:49/km. Amazingly, the slower uphill segment afterwards didn't cause me much trouble, and on the final kilometer I pushed to 4:12/km. And made it in 3:51:21.
Recovery. I felt great after crossing the finish line, ate a gel, a hot dog etc, and had a steak for the dinner. Yes, my legs hurt but that was manageable. I walked less than usual for a day, but recovered in a few days, and on Thursday I had a 14.5 km hike up to one of the peaks in the Taganay National Park and back (elevation gain ~500 m). The latter was too much, I felt more tired than after the marathon :D
Final thoughts. Marathons are great! I guess I could run faster but I played it safe. It's very probable that you can do it too. Consistency is the key.