How I Trained & Ran My First Marathon
Spoiler: I survived!
Background
I was tired of being a couch potato and started running regularly in May 2024. I worked my way up to 1 mile, then 2, and have only increased the distance since. I ran my first half-marathon race in SF in July 2025, and to challenge myself, I decided to run a full marathon in 2026.
Unfortunately, I got injured and suffered from plantar fasciitis (among other minor injuries). I couldn’t step without pain for most of the winter, and only ramped up again in early February. From the races I ran in late February and March, I could tell my fitness wasn’t where it used to be.
Training
I hadn’t decided which marathon I’d run yet when I started training in late March. Nevertheless, my goal was to first build a solid base before incorporating marathon-specific training closer to the actual date. As much as I would have liked to keep increasing my weekly mileage, I was also wary of getting injured again. So I decided I would run the same mileage for about a month and assess before increasing my weekly mileage by no more than 5 miles.
I started running 37 miles across 5 days per week, including a 13-mile long run on the weekend. This was roughly my running schedule before my injury. For the next few months, I slowly but steadily increased my weekly mileage to 42, 46, and then 50. I also added a 6th run every week but kept a day off for recovery. By week 21, I began to feel burnt out. This coincided with an upcoming race, so I decided to taper. The week after, I had a planned vacation and took 3 days off from running.
For the final 9 weeks, I bought a running vest and started practicing fueling for the 17- and 21-mile runs. I never experienced any issues stomaching a PF 30 gel every 30 minutes. The taste is fine, with a hint of sweetness, but I wouldn’t say I enjoy eating them. During these weeks, my plantar also flared up. Not a full-blown injury, but definitely uncomfortable enough for me to be extra cautious. For the last two weeks, I reduced the volume to rest and recover to show up healthy at the start line.
I ran five races as part of this training block: three 10Ks and two half-marathons. I used these to gauge my fitness and to set the time goals for my full marathon. They also gave me the confidence that my fitness was improving, as evidenced by my recent new PRs:
10K: 42:02
Half: 1:32:26
Going against the prevailing wisdom of NOT setting a time goal for your first marathon, I decided on these targets:
A Goal (ambitious): sub-3:15
B Goal (realistic): sub-3:20
C Goal (completion): Just finish
Race Day
I usually don’t sleep well the night before races. Luckily, daylight saving time meant I got an extra hour of sleep! I woke up at 3:30am, ate an onigiri, and took a shower. I made sure to hydrate and stretch as I got ready, and I left the hotel shortly after 4:30. Rain was in the forecast through the night, but it cleared up by early morning.
Traffic wasn’t bad and parking was plentiful when I arrived. I wandered in the direction of the start line and found the portable toilets. I then bumped into the 3:20 pacer and had a quick chat with him about his pacing strategy (aiming for even pace). I stretched some more and started some light jogging to warm up. The temperature was comfortable — around 50°F to start and rising to almost 60°F by the time I finished.
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The full and half-marathon runners all started at the same time. I was expecting a chaotic mess without assigned corrals, but the race was small enough that the worry was unwarranted. I anxiously moved toward the front with about 15 minutes to go, but then the race was delayed by 5 minutes and started at 6:35 instead.
Miles 1–8:
My strategy was to negative split and run with the 3:20 pacer for the first 8 miles. I didn’t see him at the start line, but spotted him a couple of minutes into the race. The road on this first stretch was wide, so I didn’t have to weave at all. A dozen or so runners soon formed around the 3:20 pacer, and I tucked in behind them to shield myself from the wind at times.
My legs didn’t feel as light and fresh as I’d expected from the taper, yet I was holding the pace quite easily. I’d never run with a pacer before, and it was enjoyable not having to check my watch (though I still needed to watch out for potholes). I made sure to grab electrolytes and water at every aid station and took a gel every 30 minutes.
Miles 9–13.1:
I left the pace group after mile 8 and ran solo the rest of the way. Without a pacer, I now had to pay more attention to the course. There were a few points where the half- and full-marathon courses diverged and converged, and I didn’t want to end up taking a wrong turn. Plus, the lack of mile markers had me worried about going faster than I should have. Even when I did see the mile markers, doing quick mental math on the run was harder than I expected. Good thing I’d memorized that my halfway split was around 1:38:30, and my pace was spot on.
Miles 13.1–20:
After passing the midway point, I decided to continue at a steady pace and then reassess at mile 20 whether to push. For this stretch, the full, half, and 10K all converged so there were a lot more runners on the course. Spectators lined the sides, and their shouts of “Good job 3:20!” as I passed by were a constant reminder that the pace group was right on my heels. At mile 16, I could feel the onset of cramps in my right thigh. I did my best to hang on, but it got progressively worse. Soon, my left thigh and both my calves were starting to feel it too. The stretch after mile 16 was an out-and-back, and it was daunting to see how much farther I still had to go.
Miles 20–26.2:
The last 6 miles were the hardest and most agonizing run I’ve ever done in my life. My legs were on fire. My nipples were chafing. Each step brought fresh pain from the blisters on my toe. Surprisingly, my plantar held up well. My heart was still in the race, but my body was giving up on me.
My pace had slowed considerably by mile 20, and I was overtaken by the 3:20 pacer. I knew my A Goal was out of reach, and my B Goal quickly followed. Teetering on the brink of full-blown cramps, I hung on the best I could. Down the stretch, I felt slightly better at miles 21 and 22 and even passed a few runners who seemed to be in worse shape than I was. At this point, I just started counting down the miles. 3 more to go. 2 more. One mile at a time. One stride after another.
At last, I reached the final mile marker and knew the end was imminent. I glanced at my watch and realized I was still in the vicinity of a 3:20 finish. I steeled my resolve and emptied the tank with about half a mile left. With the final turn in sight, my right calf gave out and painfully locked up. I hobbled miserably across the finish line and looked up at a time of 3:21.
Post-Race
As soon as I finished, my whole right leg locked up. I couldn’t even walk those next five steps to get my medal. I bent over and flagged down medical assistance. At the medical tent, they checked to make sure I hadn’t suffered any serious injuries (e.g., ACL tear) and gave me mustard packets for my cramps. I recovered for a while and then slowly wobbled my way out of the finisher chute.
Final Thoughts
This was the longest distance I’ve ever run, so it’s supposed to be challenging. I had a lot of positives going for me. The weather was nearly perfect. I didn’t “hit the wall.” My pacing strategy was executed according to plan until adjusting became the wiser call. Yet I couldn’t know how my body would feel once I passed 21 miles and ventured into the unknown.
I didn’t end up hitting my ambitious goals, but hey, that’s okay. I’ll get them next time. Plus, it was my first marathon, so by definition any time was a PR!
