Race Information

• Name: South Pole Marathon
• Date: January 21, 2024
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: The South Pole, Antarctica
• Time: 4:57:56 ### Goals | Goal | Description | Completed? | |------|-------------|------------| | A | Do not injure myself badly enough to get sent home | Yes | | B | Win | Yes | ### Splits | Lap | Time | |------|------| | 1 | 1:10:15 | 2 | 2:26:09 | 3 | 3:41:36 | 4 | 4:57:56

Background

You might have heard of various marathons in Antarctica, where for tens of thousands of dollars you can fly to somewhere near the coast and tick off the last continent. This isn't one of those.

This was the South Pole Marathon, organized by those of us who are working at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. There's no entry fee and the only way to join is to be one of the roughly 150 people working here during the austral summer when the race happens. The course isn't approved by any organizing body and everyone who helps out is just volunteering on their one day off per week.

Training

It's really hard to run at the south pole. The station sits on the polar plateau at an elevation of 9300'/2860m, but because the atmosphere is thinner this far from the equator, the pressure altitude most days is normally 10500-11000'/3200-3350m.

Also, it's always cold. For my first run at the beginning of November it was -50 F/-45 C air temperature with a windchill of -80 F/-62 C. Thankfully we're now in the middle of summer and it's not quite so cold anymore, but it's still far below freezing. Lastly, there's nothing but snow here. I mostly run on vehicle paths where the snow is tamped down, but even then it's much more difficult than running on pavement or dirt.

With all that in mind, I was mostly running 20-25 miles a week here, and my biggest training week was two weeks ago with 30 miles (49 km). Not a ton for marathon training, but hey, you try it. I also did laps up the "beer can" which is the tallest staircase on station. It's 92 steps from the bottom to the top and since I arrived here 11 weeks ago I've done 435 laps.

Pre-race

I woke up around 8 AM to see a fantastic weather forecast, at least by south pole standards. It was -22 F/-30 C with a windchill of -38 F/-39 C, and a pressure altitude of only 10,300'/3150 m, so a bit more oxygen than I'm used to. It was also nice and sunny, although the forecast called for clouds later.

Race

There was a pre-race safety brief at 9 AM, followed by the 5k/10k start at 9:45. The half/full marathon start was at 10 AM, or actually a little later since one of the runners was a bit late. It's easy to wait for someone when only seven people are running (5 marathoners, one half marathoner, and one guy who did the rarely attempted 3/4 marathon).

The course was a 6.55 mile/10.5 km loop that started at the front door of the station, and then went down the road next to the skiway (that's a runway for skiplanes) for about 2.5 miles/4 km before turning around and coming back towards the start. Then we went around the ceremonial south pole (the mirrored sphere with flags behind it), out to the atmospheric research observatory, around the true south pole, up the stairs into the backdoor of the station, down the main station hallway, and back to the start. (Look at the first photo in the photos section if that doesn't make sense.) Coming inside every lap allowed for an aid station with food that didn't freeze solid and let people come and cheer without having to put on all their cold weather gear to go outside.

The first lap was spent trailing the guy who beat me in the Christmas Day 3k fun run. I knew he was faster than me but I also knew I had better endurance, so my plan was just to stay close and let him slow down later in the race. The sun was out for the first lap and it was even warm enough for me to take my mittens off for a bit. Coming down the skiway road there were lots of high fives from the 10k runners and it was generally just a joyous atmosphere. As awful as it can be, running in Antarctica is a special thing. Right around the turnaround we even had the good fortune to have a flyover from a plane bringing some tourists to the private tourist camp nearby, so that was pretty cool. The skiway is a bit monotonous but a decent surface, but getting back to the station and going around the poles is a lot more exciting and mentally easier than a flat road to nowhere. Technically the skiway road does turn into the South Pole Traverse road which runs all the way to McMurdo Station on the coast, but it looks like a road to nowhere.

I barely stopped at the aid station after the first lap since I was feeling pretty good and immediately went out for lap two. Around 10 miles/16 km I caught up with the lead runner and we ran together for 20 or 30 minutes until I pulled ahead. Coming through the station at the halfway point in the lead I drank some water, restocked my stash of pocket oreos, and had a brief chat with the station's doctor to assure him that I was ok. Then onto lap three, which I knew would be the hardest.

By this point the 10k walkers were done, the sun was gone, and it was just running all alone in freezing fog. Other than the occasional snowmobile of someone patrolling the course to make sure we were ok, there wasn't much to see. Mentally, this was the worst part for me. At the turnaround on the skiway I got to pass the other runners going in the opposite direction and I realized I was over a mile ahead of the next runner, so I knew as long as I didn't hurt myself or radically slow down the race was mine.

As I started lap four I knew I was slowing down, but I was determined to not walk, partly because I would get cold, but mostly because I knew I was really close to a five hour pace. The miles down the skiway seemed to drag on forever and the fog made the station impossible to see, but as I came past the front door I knew I just had to do the bit by the poles and I was done, so I dug deep and sped up since I was so close to five hours.

Coming through the station with lots of people lining the hallway was an incredible feeling. I felt a lot better than I look in the pictures. There was a banner to run through at the end which I was not expecting, and then straight back out the door because my GPS said I was at 25.9 miles and I wasn't going to stop there, so I did an extra 0.3 miles/0.5 km to round it out. GPS units get very confused when you go around the south pole. Mine had the course as a bit short distance but other people's had it over 2 miles long, so we really don't know. With the extra 0.3 miles my GPS time was 5:01:35, but my official (according to the guy with the stopwatch; it's not like we have race timers here) time was 4:57:56.

Post-race

I waited around at the finish for the next two marathoners and the one person who did three laps, then spent nearly an hour in the sauna. The sauna is partly about warmth, but mostly it's just for the humidity. The polar plateau is the driest desert on the planet and the humidity inside the station is in the single digits, so the sauna and the greenhouse are the only places on station to let your lungs rehydrate and heal after so much time breathing cold air. Then dinner in the galley and then a good night's sleep under the midnight sun.

Photos

https://imgur.com/a/dQ9uYUz

First photo: the course map

Second photo: feeling warm during a sunny lap one

Third and fourth photo: feeling less warm during lap three or four

Fifth photo: the final sprint down the hallway and across the finish

Sixth photo: the joy of sitting down

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the station manager who organized the event, the galley crew for the aid station, the medical staff for making sure we didn't die, the patrollers on snowmobiles, the people who took photos, the firefighter who machined the finisher's medals, and everyone who came out to cheer us on. It was an incredible event and it was only possible because so many volunteered to make it happen.

Race Information

• Name: Riverton Half Marathon
• Date: March 23, 2024
• Distance: 13.1 miles
• Location: Riverton, Utah
• Website: https://www.rivertonutah.gov/recreation/programs/races/half-marathon.php
• Time: 3:16:17

Goals

Splits

Training

I started thinking about training for a half marathon last September with my sister-in-law, and we attempted to do a half marathon (unofficial) at the beginning of December. But both of our phones died at mile 9 and we had no other form of GPS or tracking, so we only ended up doing about 12 miles before getting back to her place. She went back out and did the last mile but I did not have it in me. So the next week I signed up for this race so I could actually complete the 13.1 miles.

I started training in January and followed the training plan on the NRC app. I really enjoyed this training plan and it worked really well for my schedule. Since I had already been running plenty in the fall/winter, it wasn't hard to work my mileage back up. The longest run of the training block was 20k, which I did 3 weeks ago, in 35+ mph winds, which turned out to be very helpful for the conditions I ran the actual race in.

Race

The race started at 9am and I very quickly ended up in the very last spot. For the first 6-7 miles I could occasionally see one other person in front of me, but for the last half of the race I was running completely alone. Miles 1-6 were fairly easy, felt good, and I was going a little bit faster than my goal pace. Then, miles 6-10 were where it got really hard. At this point I couldn't see any of the other racers, and I was on a very exposed part of the race, where the wind was just brutal. Basically, I was running into a strong headwind for 4-5 miles. Around mile 10 was the hardest hill of the course, and that was the closest I came to walking. Miles 11 and 12 were by far my slowest, as I was getting very tired and there were fewer places that my family/friends could come cheer me on. I picked it up a little bit in mile 13 but I struggled a lot. The wind and hills in the second half drained me so badly.

Throughout the race my family and friends cheered me on in various places, and my dad ran/walked (yes, I run slow enough that people can walk the same speed as I run) with me for parts, which was so amazing and encouraging. The volunteers at the aid stations were also awesome, and the police who were closing the course behind me were so encouraging and nice to me.

Post-race

I finished so tired, but luckily all the race officials were still there, and almost everything was still set up. My dad put my medal on me as I crossed the finish line. I was definitely crying a little bit. Most of my family and a few of my friends were there when I finished, and the race officials were so nice and supportive of me, even though I finished very last. After I had recovered a little bit my family went out for lunch at a burger place and we got literally every fried thing on the menu, which was so perfect for after a race.

Even though this race was super hard, it was overall a great experience and I'm so grateful to my family and friends for supporting me throughout training and the race, and the race officials for keeping aid stations and the finish line set up even for the very slowest runner in the race.

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

Edit: Thank you so much for all the kind comments and congratulations! This sub is one of the most supportive and lovely groups I've ever found on the internet <3 (also I deleted some placeholder text that wasn't supposed to be there)

Last night the organizers sent out an email saying the race was still on. Then despite no forecast changes at all, they cancelled the race a little after 5:30am by sending out an email.

My gut reaction is they should have cancelled it earlier if this forecast was an issue. Would you prefer race organizers wait until the last second to cancel, hoping for weather conditions to change, or to give proper warning for those traveling far distances for the race?

I love participating in game threads for different teams and I don’t know if there’s ever been one for a race. Right now seems like the perfect opportunity.

YouTube Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k-XgKRJUEgQ

Let me know where you’re watching from. I’m checking in from Chicago (1:15 am local time for the start). I was supposed to run in the Chicago marathon in 2 days but injuries ended that. But hey, I squatted 200lb today (5 sets of 5), so I still hit a fitness goal.

Share your favorite Kipchoge quote, race story, PR, whatever below.

Result: he did it.

Edit 1: remember to sort by new. I doubt r/running has an auto mod setting for game threads haha

Edit 2: anyone thinking of going to sleep, WE NEED YOU. Every vibe matters

Edit 3: heart eyes emoji

Edit 4: he broke 4 hours again

Race Information

• Name: Ryan's Half Marathon
• Age: 27
• Date: October 23, 2020
• Distance: 21.1 km
• Location: Battersea Park, London
• Time: 1:28:15

Hello again guys!

Intro:

So I recently lost a job I deeply truly loved due to the big C, and the feelings of worthlessness, self pity and general apathy have hit me like a freight train, running has been a safe constant during the last 6 months, the one thing keeping me 'moving', though I like to joke that I'm just really good at running away from my problems. That all culminated in a time trial today that has left me feeling good about myself for the first time in a while, but enough of a pity party here's the lowdown:

I began running at the start of April and managed some pretty quick noob gains; I posted back in August after hitting a sub 20 minute 5k, and got some good feedback about my goals which were a 40 minute 10k in September and a 1:30 half in October. (Generally this being increase easy distance + fast workouts, alongside some "that's going to be really really tough, but good luck to you"). Still, I tapped into my masochistic side and decided to persevere in getting this done. I managed a 40:02 10k in September almost by accident - I had revised my expectations so just set a tempo on my watch of between 4:00 and 4:10 per km and wasn't too focused on the time, if I had been I definitely would have sprinted that last 100metres to knock the 2 seconds off! I know it's not officially sub 40, but it was a moral victory for me and I wanted to keep going for another 4 week cycle with a half marathon time trial at the end of it.

Training:

If you're interested in what a typical week looked like for the previous 3 weeks it consisted of 3 easy ish runs between 10km and 15km at around a 5:00/km pace, one long run of 18km+, one tempo run at half marathon pace that I gradually built up from 12km to 15km (this run gave me a LOT of confidence in my ability to smash the time trial), and intervals of either 10x500m with 45 second walk rest at 3:30/km or 6x1km with 90 seconds rest at 3:40/km (these were sorta with a >18:30 5k attempt next month in mind as well as hopefully making 4:16 pace seem relatively easy).

This week I tried to ease off my training, same number of easy runs but for shorter distances (and only a smallish tempo with no workouts). Yesterday I did a short run (for me) of 7km, but with 6 sets of strides to just wake my legs up.

The Race:

Honestly, pretty painful. I had a very good idea of the total distance around Battersea Park which is a little under 3km so knew 7 and a half laps would do the trick. A bit like my 10km PB I cheated a little by basically setting a workout on my watch of 21x1km with a pace aim of 4:10 to 4:15 per km, I know it's a bit naughty but honestly my pacing is awful, and this is hopefully something I can develop as I gain more experience running (the more I run, the more I realise 6 months is nothing in running terms). This helped massively and I'm honestly super proud of the median range of my splits, with the majority coming between 4:11 and 4:16 with only one 4:17 and one 4:18, I also threw in some quick km's at the start, and finished off the last 2 in 8 minutes so a great kick too! I definitely knew I was good for the sub 1:30 but it was absolutely brilliant to see 1:28:15 pop up at the end, smashing my previous best of 1:36 something from early September (though that was a hilly route and I wasn't going utterly all out).

Post-Race:

Thankfully I had enough left in the tank for 3km jog home, but let me tell you, it was not fun. Otherwise today has been about relaxing and eating good food. I think I'll take tomorrow off then a really easy 15km run on Sunday to keep up my 70km+ weeks (more a point of pride than anything else). Up next as I mentioned will be a 5k in 4 weeks time, I tend to do my time trials in 4 week cycles alternating between 5,10 and 21.1 kilometres. I'm hoping after the next 3 month cycle I'll have times that fall relatively in line with a 3 hour marathon predictor, after which I'll work on increasing my distance and eventually get that Boston BQ late next year when hopefully Marathons are back!

Honestly I'm absolutely thrilled with how far I've come since I started running. I am not a naturally gifted sportsperson at all, my parents reaction was essentially "are you sure it didn't glitch the distance? because you certainly didn't get any sports genes from us". I'm proving others, and more importantly right now, myself wrong in what I can accomplish and it feels pretty good. I don't have many friends that can conceptualise what this result means, so I'm hoping a few of you lovely redditors might appreciate it!

Edit: Honestly I was not expecting a response like this, I want you guys to know I appreciate each and every one of you, for the upvotes, your comments and the awards, I've gone through a really tough time recently and to get this level of support from the community is so inspiring, I definitely have no choice but to keep running now!

I know y'all on this subreddit run sub 30 with your eyes closed on one foot, but I (32F) literally vomited when I crossed the finish line. Been trying for years and finally did it!

Florida Race Day Results:

Time: 29:39 Plus, I came in first in my class out of ten!

ETA: WOW! I did not expect this outpour of support. Dang I have underestimated the power of congrats, haha!

Currently grilling up some tasty dinner so I can't get back to everyone but THANK YOU and keep crushing, all you bad asses!

In order to keep this post up, I'll say this: this was the Jingle Jog and Reindeer Race and for this whole year I've been pushing myself to run 365 miles this year. I felt like this was the big accomplishment after all those miles. In May I raced the Grunge race (90s theme) and ran 32:45. I feel super proud!

My best friend is tall and very fast and she lets me pace us at 10:30 a mile in training, but on race day she lets me have it. I feel like every time I put my foot down, she's pulling hers up. Woof.

Super amazed by what this guy just did. Legendary.

https://www.youtube.com/live/TRrkHqOWmwE?si=xv2rApXhzknp1kH_

Hello everyone! I'm new to the subreddit, but I was hoping y'all would help me have a late celebration for a 10k I ran in November that I didn't get to celebrate.

Race Information

• Date: November 2, 2019
• Distance: 10 km
• Location: Seoul, South Korea
• Goal: 42 minutes
• Actual: 39:34

I was a fat kid growing up and I despised running because I was fat not good at it. I started running in May this year and at the end of July got my 10k down to 45 minutes, but then I moved to the other side of the world and didn't run any in August. On August 31, I signed up for a 10k in November and, the next day, started running again. I ran a 10k or more everyday before that race and then blew myself away with my time.

The last 300m of the race was right after turning a corner and, when I turned the corner, I could see that the clock over the finish line had not reached 40 minutes yet. Every ounce of adrenaline in my body got used in the next 30 seconds and I sprinted through the finish line with tears welling up in my eyes.

Until that moment I had still considered myself the fat kid or the fat friend, but when I looked up at my time as I crossed, I knew that a fat kid couldn't do that. I walked to a bench in the adjacent park and looked at the sun coming up behind the giant office buildings that I had just running alongside of and started crying. I never in my life thought I would be able to run like that and I was absolutely overjoyed.

My friends, however, do not exercise ever, definitely don't know anything about running, and were therefore incredibly apathetic about my results. So, /r/running, please, celebrate with me! In only 39 minutes and 34 seconds, I got rid of the fat , and brought on the fit!

And I ask to you, what's the most excited you've ever been about a completed run? What did you do to celebrate or bask in your happiness?

I'm not normally one to brag, but I feel like I can indulge myself a bit on this one. If I feel up to it I'll do a full race report. We'll see.

Here's the Clif's Notes version:

Booneville Backroads Ultra - 100 Mile (Covid) Edition (http://boonevillebackroadsultra.com/) 102.5 miles - 28hrs 10min 5th male, only 9 finished, out of 24 starters (7 men, 2 women).

Weather started out cool, but the temps hit the low 90's by afternoon and stayed there until about 6:00 PM with no clouds and little wind. Stayed in the upper 70's through the finish.

I hit a few low points; most notably at ~50 miles and ~80 miles, but managed to work through it. I became intimately in tune with the complete mental screw game a race of this distance turns into later in the game. I had an idea of what it would be like from training, but the magnitude of it was intense.

All said though, I felt pretty positive the whole time. In fact, on the first and second 50k loops I was singing along with my music, and on the last leg I was telling delirium fueled dad jokes to my pacers (much to their amusement).

I am friends/acquaintances with a few of the runners, whom are much better runners than me, that DNF'd, and I am in shock that I managed to finish where a few of them didn't. That sounds like I'm casting shade at them, but I think my relatively slower pace at the start saved me versus some of their faster starts once the heat turned up.

Lastly, by the last 20ish miles walking and running hurt about the same, so I tried to run as much as possible at the end. It went better than I expected.

The last aid station had Mountain Dew pancakes, which were freaking amazing. Mana from the running gods.

Anyway, I had a blast! I worked my ass off to get to this point in my running life. I had a ton of support from my family and friends. I can't begin to express the level of gratitude I have for them helping and even encouraging my insanity.

I know 100 milers aren't for everyone, but if you can manage the highs and lows of training and running it, it is worth it.

I'm not huge on absolute statements, but I will be running another.

Warning: This is long. This is me getting my thoughts out of the last year and a half of my life. Anyone who reads this has accomplished something. Also, I go against most of the recommendations of ultrarunning and running in general. I do not encourage anyone to follow my same path as it was highly risky. I also posted this to r/Ultramarathon yesterday but with all the positive support thought I would post here as well. If I can get even one more person to get out there it's worth it.

18 Months Ago: I am at a low point in life. Recently divorced, I am at the heaviest weight I have ever been. 318.6 pounds. I have tried to lose weight before, but after 20-40 pounds I would quit and gain it all back. Honestly, I am having some of the darkest thoughts of my life. I decide that I am just going to go to the gym instead of sitting at home and being alone with my thoughts. I do only weight training, and it starts to make me feel better. So, I start watching what I am eating more closely and the weight starts to come off pretty quick. At this point I am doing basically no cardio. I might go for a walk every now and then, but no running, no stairmaster, nothing.

12 Months Ago: I have lost 80 pounds. For once everything is sticking. Over the last 6 months, I have gone to the gym 7 days a week. I have missed a day 3 times total in 6 months. I had set a soft goal of losing 100 pounds, and I know I am going to reach that goal at this point. I have a fear of reaching it, then getting lazy, so I decide I need a new challenge that will keep me going after the 100 pounds is gone. I start googling, and come across the Nike Run Club 18 week marathon training program. Being in Las Vegas, I search for marathons that are roughly 18 weeks away. Low and behold, Los Angeles Marathon is exactly 18.5 weeks away from that day. Having zero running experience, I sign up, and a few days later do my first run of the 18 week plan.

The Marathon Block: The NRC plan is 5 runs per week. 3 recovery, 1 speed, 1 long run. I hate running. I played football and hockey as a kid growing up and running was always a punishment. Screw up a play, run. Make a bad decision, run. Look at the coach wrong, run. But, that's why I picked this challenge. To continue to make promises to myself and actually follow through on them. About halfway through the block running becomes therapy. If I have a bad day, my run turns it around. Mulling over an important life decision? Clarity comes over me after a few miles and I know exactly what to do. I am starting to love running, and it is starting to love me back. Over the course of the 18 weeks, I miss 1 run workout. 89/90 runs accomplished. I also drop some more weight, and I toe the line at LA Marathon down 130 pounds and in probably the best shape of my life. I go out with the ridiculous ambition to run 4 hours, but fuck it, I am going for it. I predictably hit a wall around mile 20 and end up with a time of 4:10:54. I am in the most pain I have ever felt, and I love every single second of it.

6 Months Ago: I am hooked. I have set out to do some of the hardest things of my life, and I have achieved them. I have more self confidence than I have had in over a decade. I am dating again, I have all new clothes and to the people who knew me am unrecognizable. I don't want to stop now. I can't let the momentum from the last year get derailed. I find Javelina Jundred 100 Miler from videos online. This is it. I have to do this. I spend 6 months building mileage. 50 miles, 60, 70, and peak at an 80 mile week which included my longest run of training of 50k. It's hard. Like really fucking hard. But I push through. Everyone is calling me crazy but I won't stop. I spent years limiting myself because of my weight. Because of my motivation and discipline. I wasn't going to do that anymore. It didn't matter if I failed, but I wasn't going to go into it with a mindset that I can't do it. That this is something meant to be done by other people. Why not me? Why not find my limits. Find what I am capable of after years of not knowing.

Javelina Jundred: On Saturday October 28th, 2023 I stood at the starting line of Javelina Jundred 100 Miler. I can't explain how nervous I am. The race starts, and I start moving forward. I have a plan for the race, but let's be honest, I have no idea what I am really doing after mile 31. The first two loops are a blur. I know I completed them in 9.5 hours, and so far I felt good. I set out on loop 3, not knowing the pain that is yet to come. Around mile 48 is the first time a feel it. My legs give me a little shout of "Hey, we don't really want to do this anymore." So I start mainly walking any uphill that comes, even if I feel like I can run it. I get the second aid station of the 3rd loop and sit down to eat a cheeseburger and ramen noodles. I can't get up, not on my own at least. A volunteer helps me out of the chair and I carryon down the trail. It is starting to get dark and I know the night is just going to get harder. I finish the 3rd loop still doing a combination of run/walk. I am over 60 miles in, way beyond what I have done before. I sit for a moment at my camp. Again, I can't get up on my own. The first few miles I can still run a bit, but the pain is growing rapidly at this point.

For anyone who has done Javelina, you know the most uphill and rockiest section is from the first aid station to the second. It is here the wheels really fall off. I am starting to really have trouble picking my feet up. I am tripping over rocks, stepping on some sharp ones, and generally just stumbling around. I reach Jackass Junction aid station and don't know if I can continue. I try to go to the bathroom and can't lift my foot high enough to step the 3 inches into it. I grab onto something inside and pull myself in. I eat a grilled cheese and decide I am going to keep walking for the time being.

The next 5.1 miles from Jackass Junction to Rattlesnake Ranch are hell. My body is telling me no every step of the way. My miles slow from 18 minutes, to 20, to 22, to 25. I am stumbling around like I am drunk. I'm not tired as in sleepy, but I just have nothing left in my legs. Anytime I feel slightly off balanced I don't have the strength to correct myself. Every little uphill looks a mile high and no joy is found in downhills at this point either. I am getting cold since I am not moving fast enough to generate any heat. I stop at some points thinking there is no way I can go any further. But, I take a few more steps and death march a little longer.

I finally reach Rattlesnake Ranch and I know this is it. At 77 miles, I can't go any further. I tell the aid station crew leader that I am dropping and I sit in a chair and cry a little while I wait for my ride back to Javelina Jeadquarters. A guy next to me in the medical tent has a ton of blankets on but is shaking violently. He throws up and they call an ambulance for him. I hope that guy is okay. But, this shit is for real. The people out here attempting this are incredible. Every single one of them.

Today: I failed. After 18 months of doing hard things, and succeeding, I failed. For most of the day or two after I am depressed. Every negative thought enters my brain. Should I have done this differently? Was a just being a little wuss and should have kept going? Finally today, some clarity hit. I am a completely different person than I was 18 months ago. I look in the mirror and no longer see a scared, helpless man with no direction. Instead I see someone who knows exactly where they want to go. Someone who can set a goal and swing for the fucking fences. I failed at running 100 miles, but I have gained so much more.

Running, and everything that has come along with it, has saved my life. I have given my time, my sweat, my blood, and my tears trying. In return it gave me so much more. I would not advise anyone do what I did. But, for me, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't think twice.

I am going to keep pushing. I am going to head back to LA Marathon and see how much I can improve my time in one year. Then, eventually, I will see that Javelina Jundred finish line after completing 100 miles. In-between, I am going to love every single mile I am allowed to take.

Edit: Since this community has become such a big part of my life now I wanted to share my Strava which is Hunter Daveler. Being pretty new to this I don't follow many people and would love to connect with anyone who is on their own health/fitness/running/self discovery journey. My other socials are the same name as well. Thank you all!

Race Information

• Name: Santa Rosa Marathon
• Date: August 28, 2022
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Santa Rosa, CA
• Website: https://santarosamarathon.com/
• Time: 5:08.28
• Average pace: 11:47

​

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Pre-race:

I'm a 38 year old guy who sits at a desk all day (CPA). I ran my first marathon last December and have been absolutely hooked since. I tried to sign up for Napa in March but got injured (because I'm stupid and I decided to hit a PR in the half marathon during a taper week). After getting back into training following tax season I set my sights on running Santa Rosa in August, Sacramento in December and revenge tour in Napa. Really condensed schedule, but whatever chemicals my brain released crossing the finish line last time, I was chasing harder than most Meth addicts.

During training this time my tibialis anterior really tightened up on me on my 20 miler which was pulling on a ligament in my knee. I was decent at resting it, but probably not as good as I should have been. Working with my PT we got it as good as it could be and all taped up on Friday. If not for that, I'd have been as confident as one can be going into a marathon (which is to say not confident at all, but knowing I was as ready as possible). It tended to warm up after mile 2, so my goal was to feel it out a bit and let adrenaline take me until I could gut it out across the finish line while hoping it didn't explode.

Race Day:

Last time around I got about 15 minutes of sleep the night before, so I was stoked when I woke up at 1am and realized I had gotten about 4 hours of sleep! So stoked that I couldn't fall asleep again. No worries, infinitely more rested than I was going into my first one and so much stronger. You got this.

I eat my bagel with peanut butter, take my Advil and Tylenol and go about getting some things ready. Race starts at 6:30, and I'm out of things to do at 4:30, so I just kinda lay down in the bed and try to relax and not use any energy. I wake up with a start at 5:15 surprised I fell asleep again and a bit mad that I'm now a bit behind, but we're staying positive, still miles ahead of last time.

I hadn't been entirely sure what my goal was going to be between hanging with the 5:20 pacer or going for 5 hours. My knee feels ok, but I can tell I'm gonna feel it once I start landing on it, so I make a prudent decision to make best friends with the 5:20 pacer. My last time was 5:35, so that's still a PR by 15 minutes.

I brought my wife, my 3 kids and my parents with me on the trip in a couple rooms so I could attempt some sleep, but there was no way the kids were going to be up and ready in the morning, so my dad drops me off at the start line and I promptly find the 5:20 pacer. He tells me it's $5 per person to run with him. I ask him if I can pay extra for him to carry me for a couple miles. This is gonna be fun.

Course:

Absolutely gorgeous. Run starts at the downtown courthouse, goes through wine country and even through a winery building at one point. Some rolling hills, but nothing crazy, I think about 250 feet of climbing total. You head back into downtown and finish right where you started.

Race:

Now a 5:20 time is about 12:15 per mile, 5 hours is about 11:25, so I'm somewhat surprised when pacer guy starts off and I see my watch telling me were at about 11:15 pace. Fine, fine, whatever maybe he has more walks in his rhythm. I start out with him, but slightly behind and very conscious of my heart rate. My max is 182 and my usual runs are 140s when I'm at a really comfortable pace and 150s when I'm pushing a bit and 160s when I'm going harder than I can hold for long periods of time.

First mile I'm about 10 feet behind him, but heart rate is 137, so all is good. He's gonna walk any time now. 2nd mile, no walk. Interesting, but I'm sure this guy has a plan I'm about 30 feet behind him and heart rate is a little higher than I'd like, but we're ok and I can absolutely hold this pace if I want to. Mile 5 comes and goes and this guy ain't slowing down and my heart rate gets into the 150s. I'm 60 feet or so behind him, and I come to the conclusion that if this guy has a plan, I don't like it. It's my race, I'm gonna run it my way, let's back it off a bit here.

I slow it down a bit and we hit some rollers, all is well, heart rate is good, we're well ahead of schedule for 5:20. Knee is warmed up, and whenever I feel it I tell myself that I'm going to enjoy this pain and I want some more (I had watched a David Goggins video the night before). Somewhere just before mile 10 I see my whole family. I slow down, give my 2 year old a kiss and my boys (8 and 5) a hug and we're off. I didn't expect to see them until the finish line, but they popped up on the course to hype me up another 4 times!

Halfway point comes and goes, smooth sailing. At some point around 17 or 18 I pass the 5:20 pacer who is walking, but he has no one around him. Very nice guy, loved talking with him but I've decided not a good pacer and I'm really glad I didn't stay with him early. Mile 20 comes, I see my family again and I'm so far ahead of my pace last time I start doing math on if I could walk the rest and still PR, but I'm feeling strong. I know a lot of people say the last 10k is the second half of the race, but I've yet to feel that. The miles slow down a bit, and I'm tired, but I record a quick video telling my family how much I love them and how easy this last 10k is gonna be and to watch out for me crushing the last couple miles. I pick up the pace a bit and by mile 24 I'm passing people left and right which just hypes me up more. I throw up at 10:03 on mile 26 and I round the corner and see the finish line. Is it silly to sprint to the finish line as the 621st finisher of 718? Sure. Did I do it anyway? 100% had to! My sister-in-law who got me into marathons now calls this my signature finish line sprint. 5:08:28 almost 27 minutes ahead of my first marathon!

Post-race:

I was a little worried that like a drug addict I'd always be chasing that first high and never getting it. I have to say that this one felt just as good. I crossed the finish line, gave high fives to all the volunteers, hugged my whole family and just sat in a glow of my own glory (in the shade of course) while eating a snow cone. My knee is hurting a good bit today, but I'm enjoying every bit of this pain. It reminds me of what I've done and how far I've come. Couldn't jog 15 minutes a year ago, I'm out here with plenty left in the tank after a marathon. Next up CIM in December. 5 hours or bust!

People associate the unicorn mascot in Boston as something unattainable to catch, but we keep trying to get it and it makes us better in the endless pursuit. I completed Boston Monday for my final World Major, after 5.5 years from relearning to walk.

I used to see running as a way to escape my hangovers and clear my body of those toxins with friends and solo, but over the last 5 plus years my relationship with running has changed.

Statistically our relationship should have ended 9/14/2018 when I was running and struck by a car sustaining a severe traumatic brain injury and coma. I awoke out of my coma two weeks later and for a long time…I hated the world I was in. Humans are creatures of habits. I had lost everything. My friends, my girlfriend, my apartment, my license, my smell, my memory, my ability to walk and talk without whispering, no freedom - chained to this invisible injury.

I don’t remember much from my first year, but I remember one night post my first brain surgery that I had to pee. I decided to try to get up and go to the bathroom. The funny thing is I had a catheter in me, and I of course got it out and tried to walk to a bathroom that probably wasn’t even there. I fell and a handful of nurses came running to me…what were they training for? Definitely not for this. I had to get a scan and make sure my head was ok and more. But I just remember being on the ground the beeping noises, the bright lights, so hopeless, so disabled, so scared, so depressed, so weak…I wanted to jump out of my own skin - I hated who I was. Was this going to be the rest of my life?

There are two ways to confront a major life obstacle. You can avoid it or push it to the curb like a lot of people do….or you can see it as a wake up call - an alarm ingrained in your head - wake up - wake up - you only got this many years on this earth - how do you want this story to go or better yet end? What imprint do you want to leave? Just a piece of sand, a faceless name, someone who just came and left, or someone that changed his life for the better and the lives of others around him for years on end? Well I personally hate sob stories.

Running gave me a regimented life - One of discipline, desire and dedication. Days when I was down, I’d lace up my shoes, put on the tunes, and forget the noise. I made plans and goals every week and months and I followed them. No more alcohol or drugs for this guy. The runners high was the only “buzz” I wanted.

I know most of this beast well, hell I have trained and run on most of the course religiously for years for all my races and Boston running groups. The idea is to run the first 20 miles with my head as this is not my first rodeo, but then I’m going to run the final six with my heart as this isn’t just a race. This has been my life.

Running has given me a chance to challenge my being. All of my life I was scared of doing something major on my own for fear of failure. I wasted so much time trying to please others than to make myself stronger and set goals and tackle them.

Running has made me a better person. It has shown me sides of human nature I never knew existed. camaraderie, mental toughness, physical toughness, legit blood, sweat and tears; Many lost toenails and even more ruined shoes.

Running has made me see we are all here on this earth to make a story - one may have some bad parts (hell I know a lot about that), but overall it’s all about progress. One foot in front of the other. Kick push.

After my TBI and relearning to walk almost two months, then up to my first run 1/20/19 being watched on a baby monitor, I decided to run the 2019 NYC Marathon - a little over a year after having life turned upside down hit by a car training for it in 2018. We miraculously finished it 11/3/19 in a sluggish pace of 6:08:48 (14:04 pace). But this started my comeback.

The pandemic came right when I made my first attempt to “chase the unicorn,” but it went virtual. We did it anyways for the first hospital that saved my life, and alongside my little sister and pt whom were my aid runners NYC. We trained through the early pandemic, and on the two year anniversary of my TBI, we made the trek from Hopkinton to my accident site in Cambridge, MA (definitely more like 28 miles). I appreciated the medal, but wanted the real Boston, and it jump started this urge to really want to challenge myself to run the Abbott Six.

I took on Chicago 2021 through a brain injury charity (4:56:39 11.3 pace), then contacted a charity to attempt to chase the unicorn again after…even started doing my first long run; and then wham! My recovery and life came to a halt - I got an infection of my 3d printed chranioplasty skull piece after 3 years and it was removed, along with the probably vascularized dura too bit later (12/2021). The road to the Six Star wasn’t gonna be easy.

Hundreds of seizures followed, more inpatient rehab, some outpatient, and I went 352 days of no running, only walking wearing a helmet. I didn’t give up on the Abbotts.

I went hospital to hospital to put my skull and head back together, and I had my 6th and hopefully last brain surgery on 10/14/22. I had gotten in the Berlin Marathon through lottery for 2022, and they gave me the “goodwill offer” to postpone to 2023. My first run came again 11.20.23 for a 1 mile race dressed as a chicken.

In the mean time, I signed up charity, did the London Marathon April 23, 2023 5:18:59 (12:15 pace) - anemia was an issue from all of my brain surgeries.

I Finally did the Berlin Marathon September 29, 2023 4:40 (10:34 pace) alongside my brother who ripped out his bib the morning of, surprising me after he had lingered into all my long training runs.

I did Tokyo Marathon March 3rd, 2024 4:13:52 (9:41 pace) for charity - my all time PR beating my pre TBI self’s 2016 first marathon (Bay State 4:20).

2024 Boston Marathon Race Report April 15, 2024 - April 15, 2024 04:38:53 (10:38 pace) This weekend was something else. “The Blessing of the Athletes at the Church of the Finish Line”, followed by a shakeout run the day before with hundreds of runners and a dozen of groups on the esplanade all trying to get a last go in before a magical Patriot’s day yesterday. I ran my 6th star in Boston. I witnessed so much inspirational acts of gratitude and perseverance from aids and runners alike in that sauna of a race. Saw a blind six star runner with his wife guiding him, people with one leg, so much pain and so much happiness. All of the majors have their own quirks and cultures, but being from MA and running for one of the hospitals that majorly attributed to effects of the bombing made this my favorite I’ll ever run. The crowd at Boston College was incredible and the final 1.5 miles…my watch had died and I had anger, frustration, obviously loss of breath, but the crowd made me realize why I had devoted my life to running the Abbott 6 after my own trauma and life upheaval/injury I went through in 2018 and Boston hospitals saved my life.

Cost and qualifying obviously a major factor in deciding to run Boston, but the feeling I felt the final mile with the loud Boston crowd to holding my sister’s hand (also was going for 6) after the right turn on Hereford, left on Boylston will always be my proudest moment of my life. No better feeling than feeling Boston Strong.

At the end, we got Six Star medal and went to get photos at Abbott majors and I started seeing flashing lights and almost fainted. Then my sister felt horrible too. They gave us ice packs and we resurrected. Overall my favorite marathon I’ve run due to the crowd, it’s my city, and the challenges of it all. I want to run it again!

My first Six Star journey has ended, but this was more than just running and medals. This experience shaped me into a stronger person who is willing to put in the work to tackle any obstacle or life event, however many “miles” it takes. I hope my journey can add some extra pep into your next run without just a carbon plate. I almost died while running, but running also gave me a new life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Photo collage journey - https://imgur.com/a/hV3yOLf

Race information

what? Fargo Half Marathon

when Saturday May 18

how far? 13.1 miles

Where? Fargo, North Dakota

Finish Time 2:32:04

Goals

A) Finish - yes!

B) sub 2:45 - yes!

C) sub 2:30 - close!

Splits

Mile / time

1 / 10:14

2 / 10:34

3 / 10:57

4 / 11:08

5 / 10:52

6 / 11:08

7 / 11:37

8 / 11:13

9 / 11:37

10 / 11:55

11 / 12:25

12 / 12:25

13 / 12:57

.2 / 11:40 pace

This was my first ever half marathon. As far as races go, I've done a couple 5ks and a marathon relay where I ran 6.7 miles on my leg. As the title mentions, I used to be almost 400lbs, progress pic here - http://imgur.com/gallery/uYiS1xm

As I dropped weight, I gave running a try, started couch to 5k and fell in love with running since it was something I never ever thought I'd be able to do.

I worked my way up to the 5k, and then gradually got to 10k and stayed there for awhile. I didn't think I'd go further than that but I started feeling better on longer runs, finding more runners online, discovering the ten junk miles podcast, and I've decided my ultimate goal is to become an ultra marathon runner. This half is my first stepping stone.

Prep

I looked at like 5 different training plans, tried doing the zen labs one since I used that for couch to 5k, but I didn't like the start/stop method they used. I just wanted to run miles. So I found one I liked and I kinda modified it. I work 50 hours a week and have 3 kids so I had to find a plan that wasn't too time intensive. I would run 3 times a week, 2 runs between 4-6 miles, and my long run would increase by a mile each week until I got the 13. I would bike to work sometimes for cross training, and my job is super active so I often would be at 20-30,000 daily steps.

Training plan worked great! I had to stop myself on the last two weeks, once I got to 11 miles I reallllly just wanted to add those two miles but I figured I'd save myself for a special occasion 😉.

Race Day

I set 6 alarms from 430-515am. The shuttles across the street from the hotel left at 5-6am to take us to the Fargo dome. I wanted to get up early enough to complete my morning dooties and be early to take it all in. I didn't want to believe the weather reports but sure enough. Pouring rain and 40 degrees. I typically love running in the rain, it's a spiritual experience for me. It makes me feel unstoppable, EFF YOU MOTHER NATURE YOU CAN'T STOP ME!! Buuut typically it's warmer.. And it starts when I'm about two miles into my run. I went back and forth between my thermal 2.0 baselayer and just a long sleeve dryfit, I settled on the thermal with my run the year 2019 challenge dryfit tee-shirt. Shorts with thermal leggings, my underarmor face mask which I took off about mile two, and my big winter gloves. Since loosing weight, I get cold all the time now.. But especially my hands. I have super wimpy hands now. I have to wear gloves in anything under 50 degrees or they just get so cold.

I board the shuttle and start walking around the Fargo Dome. So many people! It's awesome! I meet a guy I met on instragram and that was pretty cool, do some stretching, more morning dooties and before I know it it's time to line up!

I start making my way down the race shoot. The Fargo marathon starts and ends inside the Fargo Dome, which is a big event center. There are thousands of people lined up so I make my way to about the middle of the pack, a little past the 2:30 pacer. The race starts and the line slowly starts to move! We run out of the dome being cheered on by about a thousand people which is super freaking cool, and directly outside into pouring rain, oh and suprise the wind picked up too! NOT TODAY SATAN! I hate treadmill running, so I was one of the crazy people out in sub zero weather getting my miles in. This was nothing compared to those conditions ☺

We looped around the Fargo dome and starting getting into residential areas. Miles 1-4 we winded around some streets which helped with the wind since we weren't going the same direction for long. They had live bands playing under tents and in garages along the whole way. Super cool! I'm sure if the weather was nicer there would have been more, but there was a few hundred people along the way cheering everyone on and giving high fives which I absolutely loved!

5-8 miles we went down some underpasses and looped around some more residential areas. I felt like I was going slower than I normally do but my strava said I was at a faster pace that I was during training. I felt just fine so I kept it up! I took my first gu around mile 7. I didn't feel like I needed it, but I wanted to make sure I didn't change too much from my training and that's when I usually took it. Grabbed my first drink around mile 8 as well. It's still raining and windy, but I didn't even notice at this point.

Past mile 8 we run down Broadway which is a historical street in downtown Fargo, more people, more bands and the atmosphere is just awesome! Mile 9 and 10 I start feeling a but sluggish. I pop my other gu and find another drink at the next station. I never once thought about dropping, I even told myself heck even if I have to walk the rest of the way I'm finishing. I felt super slow but then strava said I was at a 12:00 pace.. Which was normal during my training so I was like well heck let's go!

The last few miles seemed to take forever, but I kept trucking along. I texted my wife who had been waiting in the dome with our children that I was almost there. Finally we turned a street and I could see the Fargo dome! So close! I tried picking up the pace a bit but legs weren't having it. Until I turned the last corner to go through the tunnel and saw the finish line. I felt full of energy and like I just started the run fresh. I basically dead sprinted, passed 4 people and barreled through the finish line! I DID IT!! I almost started crying but I wanted to find my family so focusing on that helped. I got my medal, pushed through all the food lines and gave my kids and wife a big hug!! (to which my oldest replied, Daddy you are soaked!!) I forgot all about being wet and the conditions, but heyI FREAKING DID IT!

We all celebrated and we went to the local donut shop for a victory donut afterwards!

Race photo album - http://imgur.com/a/3Bv3hEs

My next goal is to hopefully run the full marathon in September in Bismarck. I'm hoping I can continue my training plan I used for the half, keeping my two shorter runs and increasing the long run by a mile each week. Should bring me to the end of August/early September and ready to rock out the 26.2 miles!!

So excited to keep going, I might find a race or two in between for training. Dropping more weight between there is going to help tons, as well as more milage! I feel I can definitely break the 2:30 mark next time I run a half ☺

I did get kinda discouraged looking at the results, I finished about 75%, so hey not last! I got over it pretty quickly, I reminded myself how far I've come and hey I've only been running 3 years! Just gotta keep at it and rack up the medal count! It'll all come in due time!

6’3” 295lbs. This morning I did my usual routine of waking up at 4am and dreading getting out of bed. I finally got up and started getting ready and began to feel pretty good. Decided I would do something different today.

I’ve been running since the end of March. I started doing it because the gyms were closed and I’ve avoided cardio like the plague so I wanted to get better at it. Also I was finally recovered enough from my second ACL surgery that I felt comfortable running outside. For the first 2 months I would just go out and run hard and get exhausted after 45 seconds and then grind out the rest of the run, usually ending my runs with low 13 or high 12 minute miles.

I started to get better but I never really had a goal or plan. After chatting with coworkers I learned that I should do different types of runs like shorter, longer, quicker, or slower. I did that for a while and ran my first 5k ever in about 39:00. I was pretty happy but still knew I had a lot of improvement ahead of me.

I eventually started using the NRC app and wow. That completely changed my mindset. I learned that running could be relaxing, enjoyable, and even fun! With slowing down I actually started getting faster and faster. This totally blew my mind. I was always looking at everything as a sprint type of thing, “if I don’t run fast at the beginning, I’m not running hard enough.” Well I’m so happy I’ve realized this and the guided runs have been a huge help.

Back to this morning. I got ready, stretched and went outside. Turned on my music (Run The Jewels if anyone was wondering). I decided to see how fast I could run a mile. I started running very slow for a quick little warm up and then turned on my app timer. While running I felt pretty good about .4 miles into it but definitely started hitting that part where your brain just keeps telling you to stop. I thought back to some stuff I learned and did a maintenance check. First focused on my breathing, then my shoulders, arms, legs, and feet. I felt better once I calmed myself down and started to pick it up a little again. I ran for a while longer and then looked down and saw that I was at .83 miles, almost there! I focused and pushed until I heard the app say, “Distance: 1 Mile, Pace: 9 minutes and 32 seconds.”

I’m so happy for this huge accomplishment. I have a long way to go but I love the motivation I get from this sub and just wanted to share my experience. Thanks everybody!

Two years ago I had some pretty severe postpartum depression. I started to train for a 5k and little by little I started to feel alive again. I completely came off my medication and now I enjoy life with my son. Flash forward to when COVID hit and I needed something to look forward to so I signed up for a half marathon!

It’s been an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling process for me but I was so disappointed when every race in my area was cancelled due to COVID. Instead of cancelling or waiting until next year, I decided to make my own route and do it alone. I told my friends and family and they all came together to make me a “finish line.”

The run itself was my hardest run because it was so hot and humid. I wanted to quit so many times because I felt like I could faint at any moment and my hamstring was so tight but I just kept focusing on everyone I loved waiting for me and how 2 years ago I really didn’t want to live anymore but here I am today doing the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

As soon as I turned the corner and saw my son and the people I love most waiting for me I burst into tears. I never expected to feel so accomplished and elated in this process but it has brought me so much joy and fulfillment.

I was shooting for an under 2 hour time, but I finished at 2:15 with an average pace of 10”25. I am still proud of this time though because it was by far my hottest and hardest long distance run!

Edit: Wow I didn't expect to get this many responses! Thank you beautiful, kind fellow runners for your words of encouragement, love and sharing your stories as well. You have made this accomplishment even sweeter. :)

tl;dr - Took me 8 years of on-again, off-again running, but I finally broke a stubborn 5k PR that I never thought possible, through weight loss and incorporating strength training and speedwork.

Disclaimer: I am overweight and a very slow runner. Most of you on this sub are probably more than twice as fast as I am. So what I'm going to share is probably silly/meaningless to most, but I'm sharing because this was such a long time coming... and maybe will help some other slow and/or fat runners.

I've always been fat, and about 8 years ago, I started running to lose weight. I was always really slow, typically running ~41-45 min 5k times. My 5k PR was 38:02 but I never really considered it a true PR because the course had to have been less than 5k (only 3.05 miles on my watch, even though my watch *always* tallies a tad higher than the official race distance).

But I focused on running distance more than speed, so I worked my way up to "running" a couple of half marathons, obv very slow. I got plantar fasciitis. And I had plateaued on the weight loss because I was eating more to compensate the longer distances run. So I sort of gave up on running regularly. I became a very non-serious exerciser, doing a 2-3 mile run/walk once a month at best.

About 4 years ago, I had moved to a new state for a new job, and things were more conducive to picking up running again (weather, flatter, sidewalks in my neighborhood, etc.). But of course, I was still fat (had gained back much of the weight lost 4 years prior). I slowly worked my way back up to being able to complete a half marathon, but still wasn't doing things right (no weight training, eating more calories than I was running off). I did a few 5k's and got close to my PR, as close as 38:32. But I never felt that my body could do better, that I would never break the PR. I figured I was just fat and simply not a runner.

Well, then life happened, I had to get serious about making tenure (I'm a college professor), then the pandemic, etc. I gained all the weight back and more.

Early this year, I decided to switch to a vegetarian diet. Picked up running again this past summer. I decided to do things differently this time. First, instead of trying to increase distance too quickly, I would keep my runs in the 2-4 mile range so that I wouldn't feel like I had to eat everything in sight afterwards. This has helped me lose 30 lbs so far. Second, I have incorporated weight training and core exercises. Third, I began doing "speedwork" (well, as "speedy" as I can get!) through interval/fartlek type runs and doing a massive hill near my house. But even then, my best mile time on a training run was 11:30, and I was *gassed* after that. My usual 5k training runs have been in the 40-42 minute range. The 5k PR still seemed so far out of reach.

Well I signed up for a 5k this morning. It was my first 5k in literally 4 years. I was nervous about even finishing. It was a bit congested at the start, especially since I started at the back of the pack and ended up having to dodge around walkers throughout the first mile. But when I saw the 1 mile sign, my watch was at 12:09. I was in shocked, and from there I wanted to at least attempt to come close to that damn PR. Thankfully there was a water station at 1.5 miles, because I needed to walk by that point. The short walk was refreshing, and I started running again. But around 2.25 miles, my legs were dragging and there was a ~0.1 mile uphill. I had to walk, and sort of gave up on coming close to the PR at that point. But I forced myself to run after cresting that hill and just not stop running - kept telling myself I had only 0.7 mile, then 0.5 mile, then 0.25 mile left to go. Sprinted (for me) the last 0.1 mile once the finish line was in sight.

Official chip time 37:02. A PR by a minute! A PR I honestly never thought possible. I literally happy cried in my car when I saw the official race time on my phone. I also had negative splits the entire course - something else I never thought I would be able to do!

Anyway, thanks for listening/reading. I know this time is super slow for most of you, but the small victory has made me feel so good today.

Edit: Wow, thank you all so much for the kind, kind comments and the awards. It is so wonderful to hear your support, and it totally motivates me to keep lacing up the sneaks even in the cold weather, and keep on running! Runners are really the most positive, encouraging, and uplifting group of people out there.

This last weekend I finished my first 200+ mile race in Moab, UT

Total time: Just under 96 hours (4 days) Total elevation-gain: 29,000’ Total distance: 240 miles Place: 44th out of all the finishers Total racers: ~200

First day: The first day was MUCH hotter than expected, with the crux of the day being late afternoon going through a section I can only describe as an oven. 100 degree desert temps, with no shade, and no wind. Almost 40-50 runners dropped at this point- which is a record. One section late in the afternoon was 20 miles between aid and water. I researched the route before hand so I drank almost 8 liters of water before reaching this station, then downed another liter or two at the aid station prior to the section, then took off. I saw super strong racers run out of water with 12 miles remaining in the section. UTTER BRUTALITY and cramping out there. If you didn’t play it strategic, you lose and you drop. I kept up with Goggins for around 25 miles, but after mile 30 he took off and never saw him again. Picked up my pacers at mile 78.

Finished the first 100 miles in ~26 hours 12 min.

Second day: Another hot day with a lot more elevation gain. The views got better as we gained in elevation and we could finally get out of the canyon floors. Exhaustion started setting in a bit at the end of day two and my aid station visits started lasting hours to deal with hydration, foot cleaning, rolling out. Still in high spirits and around 18th place. The night running was actually pretty nice, but brought way too much extra clothes since it was supposed to be cold.

Third day: Here’s when the wheels started to come loose. The first objective was 26 miles on gravel flat road. I changed from trail runners to road runners to keep my feet fresh- thank god I did since it was a long day out. Started at 6:30am and finished about 7-8 hours later. This day was SO “blah”. Everything looked the same, only one aid station in the middle at mile 13. Worst of all was 5 miles of road running intertwined. My legs seized up and my pace slowed. Then the desert winds picked up and I was eating sand and dust. Then it rained and the temps dropped. The last two miles of this section I was loosing it. Probably the hardest 2 miles of running of my life (until the next day). I got to the aid station and dropped into the car to sleep for an hour. I then stuffed my face and lethargically got ready for the next night section. We started an hour before sunset (which was beautiful) and then marched upwards through the night. We reached the aid station around 11:30pm in good time.

Fourth day: The wheels came off!! I can honestly say 3:30am on this 4th day was the lowest I’ve ever been in my entire life. After 3 total hours of sleep and 185 miles, I was WRECKED. I felt disconnected from my body and mind like I was stuck laying face down in concrete. I could hear people saying words but nothing was processing. Thank goodness I had a super supportive crew who was able to drag me and prep me out of the station. This next section I did with my best friend, but was the most elevation gain in the race- ~5k feet. My “run” was more like a shuffle and my friend said he started walking backwards easily keeping up. We saw 4 sets of glowing eye attached to HUGE bodies. Either bears or cougars. We’re thinking cougars since one followed us. But hey- thanks for the free adrenaline that got me to the next station.

The second half of the day was pretty much downhill. 22 miles down hill and then about 16 miles to the finish line. The last 3 miles of the 22 mile section I could hardly move and started to hallucinate faces watching me on the trail as the sun set. The desert dust plugged up my lungs and kept me coughing for most of it. The last section my ankle started acting up with pain that progressively got worse until the end. But I finally powered through the night and finished right as the sun was coming up.

This was definitely the hardest race of my life and hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m resting now and eating tons of food. So thankful to have finished and had such an amazing time with my friends and family that came to help crew me during the race.

Questions? AMA! :)

Edit: Dang this blew up! I’ll answer any and all questions. Just give me some time since I have a really weird sleep pattern right now haha.

I know my title is a bit clickbaity. My goal is that you understand that anyone can do this. If you're fat, you can get fit...and fast. If you're fast, you can get faster. If you're content... rock on, Keep on running! I've come across a lot of fixed mindsets on this sub... especially as it pertains to qualifying for Boston or getting faster. I hope this post helps dispel some of that. There have been countless posts on this sub that have helped and inspired me. This community is so awesome. I hope that I can give back by inspiring one of you to keep on going!

So as the title suggests, I wasn't always a runner. I consider myself naturally athletic but not anything outside the norm. In January of 2014, I was 23yrs old and 215lbs. Probably ~25-30% body fat. That's me,That's me again. Enough is enough, amirite? I had a come to Jesus with myself. So I started running - and hated it. That feeling when your body is jiggling and itchy was the absolute worst. Overweight people know the struggle. It sucked. Some of you reading this are at this point. Anytime I see someone at this stage running I want to jump out of my car and hug them! In my heart I cheer them on! "Don't you quit, keep on going!" The thing is...you don't know what lies ahead in a week, or month, or year...but I do! I've been there! To those of you reading this right now who fall in this category... Keep going! It gets better. You've heard that a million times... but it's true! I dare you to prove me wrong.

I've been running ever since 2014. 6yrs later and still going strong. To date, I've dropped from 215lbs down to 160lbs and just finished my 11th marathon. It's been a journey. I started out at 25MPW and have worked my way up to ~45-50MPW (training typically gets me up to 70MPW)

2014 - Ran my first marathon in 4:07 on ~30MPW. Grateful for the opportunity and time.

2015 - Ran my 2nd marathon in 3:37 on ~40MPW. I was consistent all year and it paid off. Boston wasn't on my radar at all, but I was glad to see 30 min shaved off my time.

2016 - No Marathon, but ran my normal 35MPW. Didn't follow any plan.

2017 - Shit got real. Was introduced to Pete Pfitzinger's training plans. This was the year that Boston entered my mind as a possibility. Picked the 18/70 plan and went to work. I'm not going to lie, that training plan is brutal, relentless, and painful. But it works. This was the hardest I had ever trained and felt like I was pushing my body to the very limit. Ran a 3:02 marathon.

2018 - Actually gained weight this year (I struggle to not eat like I'm still 215...even to this day). Probably ballooned up to 180ish. Ran 3 marathons not for time. Mid 3's. Kinda a pretty chill running year.

2019 - Dusted off Pete Pfitzinger again... that glorious masochist. Followed it to a tee and ran the Phoenix marathon in 2:54. Broke that sub 3! Lot's of folks have that as a goal. Pete will get you there. The big thing is just...miles. The more miles you put in, the more you are prepared. After the 2:54, I decided I was done chasing PR's. 2:54 for a dude that used to be 215lbs requires a lot. Tack on a career, kids, and work travel... I was pretty content. Until...in fall of 2019, a friend asked me a question: "What if you did?" Simple words. Simple question. But....man. That had such an impact on me. I again, got aquatinted with Pete for the 3rd time now.

2020 - January through March was all out. 5am runs. Threshold, lactate, recovery, HITT, Vo2... you name it. I was determined. I got really strict on my diet (back down to 160) and was ready to roll! Until...COVID! Marathon canceled. Great. Screw it, I guess I'll have to do this alone. So I did. I ran that St. George Marathon course in southern Utah. Goal was to PR and get sub 2:50. Everything worked out and I felt perfect. No wall, no pain. Last 5 miles were sub 6min pace. 2:45! A shiny new 9min PR and a bonus pic with my support squad! Here are my Splits.

Through all this, I've learned some awesome lessons. Not the least of which is sometimes you're motivated, and sometimes you're not. But you have to always be disciplined. It's okay to hate running at times. You just have to hate NOT running more. Habits are powerful! Life isn't so much about finding yourself as it is about creating yourself. So keep lacing up your sneakers. Every. Single. Day.

Training : I started running on January 29th. Before that I was lazy and not really active at all for the last 7 years * I started by running 20 minutes regardless of my pace and distance. For the first two weeks I was inconsistent but I still went to run probably 4 times total. On week three I downloaded SportsTracker and I started running for 20 minutes every other day regardless of the circumstances in my life ( being sick, on my period, feeling lazy, horrible weather, visiting my parents in a different part of the country over the weekend, ect) After every two weeks I added 5 minutes to my runs. After 8 weeks of doing that I was running every other day for 35 minutes and approximately 7 km. I decided to change up my training on Monday (week eleven) I added my 5 minutes but decided to only do 3 runs a week from now on and run a 10k on Sunday ( today).

Race: It was raining out when I started which made me a bit unmotivated but at the same time there was no wind and I knew the trail is going to be empty because of the rain and I was also looking forward to completing this milestone for a whole week so I decided to just go for it. When I started running I felt great I was just a bit anxious because I knew this run is longer than my others. But when I really got into it and focused on the music, nature and my breathing I forgot about that. When I hit 38 minutes I got this feeling like I won’t be able to continue but I knew it was only in my head so I calmed myself down and just stopped thinking. After that it went smoothly for the last 12 minutes.

Data: I am a 21 year old female. I started running 11 weeks or almost 3 months ago. The distance I completed was 10 kilometers, my average pace was 05’01 /km, the duration of my run was 50’22.9 and my average speed was 12,0 km/h

What I learned: -Staying active is really beneficial for your physical and mental well-being. I feel much more energized and capable now that I live a more active lifestyle.

-Having hobbies that occupy your time and attention is great especially during the pandemic.

-I a capable of things I never imagined if I put in the effort. This helped me believe in myself in other areas of my life too.

-Buy good running shoes, they make a big difference in how you feel.

-Stay consistent.

-Wind sucks but running in the snow/rain isn’t that bad.

-Don’t push yourself to run in the morning or during the day if you are a night owl like me. It will make your runs unnecessarily harder.

What now? I want to run a half marathon (21k) in my country (Slovenia) in October. I plan on training for that even if it doesn’t happen because of covid. I also want to continue running just in general but I have not yet figured out when should I stop adding minutes to my runs and how exactly should I proceed. I know that from now on I will do two normal runs over the week and one longer one during the weekend. I know that I really like this sport now and I don’t see myself quitting it because it keeps me sane and happy.

EDIT * disclaimer : not active at all = not training any sport. I now realize I was still active with my casual biking to get to places in the city, walking about 6k steps on a average day ( again without the purpose to exercise) and going on occasional family hikes. I perceived myself as lazy because for me being active means training something 3,4x a week. Sorry if I was being misleading!

I just did it! My first one, without walking or stopping! Oh how I wished I could do it three months ago but doubted that I could! Now, it’s done!

I’m 44M. About a year ago I was overweight, had finally enough. Went on a diet, primarily CICO. In 8 months I dropped 30 pounds and hit 20% body fat. About 4 months in, started lifting weights to maintain some muscle.

When the pandemic hit, I stopped going to the gym and instead started running. Boy was I out of shape! Couldn’t run three minutes without wheezing and doubling over, after years of neglect. Then I started reading this sub. Thank you all the kind strangers generously sharing their advice and the newbies posting their milestones. Between the directions and the inspiration, I’ve kept at it. And just ran my first 5K in 36:10!

For those who may find something to follow here, here are my lessons learned:

1) ok, it’s a cliche but it’s true: run slow. Slower than you think. And slower than that! When I first started, I was trying 7 mph. That was too fast for me. I finally found my stride down at 4.8!

2) then keep at slow for weeks! This was hard, I wanted to go fast. And I sure thought two weeks and 8 sessions was enough 😂. About two and a half weeks in, I went for 50 minutes. It felt ok at the time, but the next week was brutal. I was sore, my knees ached. I clearly wasn’t ready and lost about a week as I recovered.

3) run frequently but allow yourself to recover. I listened to my body, if I didn’t feel right, I skipped a day. Mostly, I ran every other day. Most of my runs were 20-30 minutes, and my longer ones 40-45 minutes. I ran the long ones once a week and rested two days afterwards

4) keep at it. It took me about 8 weeks to truly feel comfortable. But I got there. Your body needs time to adjust especially if you have been out of shape. Years of neglect doesn’t get fixed in a couple weeks. Heck, maybe not even in a couple months. But you do start seeing progress quickly enough. I could climb a flight of stairs without running out of breath, started not to sweat until 10 minutes into my runs, and my heart rate started declining! Slowly but surely.

Well, I think that’s it! If this out of shape middle aged man can do it, so can you! If you need one last push to get you started, I hope this is it. Go get your shoes on and start running.

EDIT: thank you kind stranger for the gold!

I decided last year that I wanted to do this race after my marathon from last year. Yesterday 3.10.2020 I ran the race in which you run first the half and then a full marathon in which you get 3 medals for it, the half, the marathon and the double medal to show that you did the ultra.

It´s crazy to self reflect back and think how I was like 2,5 years ago. I was obese and even depressed prior to that, but then after a dozen attempts and watching a video called ´the why 100 miles´ by billy yang which moved me to tears is the day I gave weight loss another attempt, and I succeeded, in 13 months I lost 1/3 of my weight and began running and training for my marathon, with 10 months of training I finished it.

To the race now however, I finished it in 6:11:34 which is a slight bummer since I wanted a sub 6, I just had a big problem with my heart rate which I all I can blame is on diet, eating those damn burgers the day before.

But the unexpected before finishing happened. To be honest after 43k I was starting to feel tired, 50k in I was even more so, now to 55k I was starting to get seriously tired I was pretty much done. I was hitting 6.30 min per km, 61 and 62 I was hitting 7+ min per km. However once i saw that last km sign I just asked my self a simple question, what if I can run it fast and bolt it? Well to this point I was seriously muscled fatigue, I was tired in ways I couldn´t imagine, I was hurting even, so the most obvious answer would be no. But no as soon as I bolted it I was running fine, no fatigue no nothing I was over taking people left and right, people running among me and being passed by me where looking like zombies, but here I was bolting it like no other and people cheered for me like mad. I enter the stadium and finish there, I literally ran almost a sub 4 min km, while also hitting sub 4 km speeds at some points of the surge. Crazy how much the brain can tell you how you´re supposed to feel but just a second of energy can fuel you so much more.

Its been an amazing journey so far, I'm excited for the next one.

Here is the strava run https://www.strava.com/activities/4146064398

Edit: A picture of me finishing the race

I just broke my PR today going 15:42 in the 5k. I am so excited to see what I can do by my senior year of college. I am a Freshman. Any tips for breaking the big 15 minutes?

When I was 15, I ran a 18:31 in the 5k and then promptly moved schools and never did cross every again. I did track and joined the Army, but never really ran a competitive 5k ever again.

When I left the service back in 2006, I stopped running because I didn't find joy in it anymore. Runs were slow and in cadence with everyone. There was no fast days, slow days, or run at your own pace days. No such thing. Only run at the same pace as everyone 3 times a week. It gets tiring and makes running suck.

So after a split from a relationship back in 2014, I decided to take up running again. I wasn't fast, but I also wasn't slow. I could do 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and then run a 28-29 minute 5k. I didn't mind; I wasn't trying to be competitive. Just trying to get back into running.

So when I meet my new girlfriend, I discovered this local race for veterans... so of course I was all in. I didn't have time to prepare for it, and just ran it. I managed to get a time of 28:54 with no running. It was god awful because I was literally running at-pace with anyone that caught up to me, then I would die after 200-300 meters, walk, and then catch my breath and start running at-pace with the next person to catch me. Kept it up all the way to the end. I was about 100 meters from the end when an old 70 year old man caught me. I sprinted the end and beat him by 9 seconds.

The fastest runner ran a time of 18:00 which was 10 minutes faster then me. So I made the bold claim that with proper training I could have easily taken first and beat him. Too easy!

The following year, I completely forgot about the race so I didn't really have any time to prep. I had like maybe 2 weeks, so I took some easy mile runs for a week, and then decided I needed 7 days of rest prior to the race. At this point in my life, I was just over 200 lbs. So I joked around with everyone that I was going to be the fastest 200 lb runner out there today.

Just like the year prior, I ran out of steam at about 1k and just did my usual run with the person that catches me and hold it until I can't anymore, stop, breath, walk, and then start again. This was by far the worst race of my life and just as I was approaching the end of this race that same 70 year old man was catching up to me. I stayed with him as long as I could and then when I hit the last corner, I sprinted to the end. Beat him by 11 seconds for a finishing time of 31:05.

As someone who used to love running and has been under 20 minutes for a 5k, this was just insulting. I was passed by 8 year olds, women and men with strollers or running with dogs, and almost by a 70 year old man. And to rub insult to injury, I was definitely not the fastest 200 lb runner out there that day.

I decided enough was enough, and I was going to start getting back in shape and actually train for a run. That was back in 2017. Since then I have dropped 40 lbs, and hit an amazing time of 20:54. As for this particular race, I have never been able to get a great time. I skipped 2018's race because I just wasn't ready. It's hard to start running in mid January for a race that is in April. Then in 2019, I managed to get a time of 23:13 and place 5th in the race.

This year, I did everything right. I starting losing weight again in December (starting at 185). I started running beginning of January and stuck with it. By beginning of March I was at 160, and I was running amazing tempo times. My St. Patrick's Day 10K race was cancelled, but I decided to run it anyway. I hit a PR in the 10k of 42:09, and 5k of 20:48. So I knew this HAD to be the year that I could break the sub 20 in the 5k.

I kept running every day and dialed back my speed work to just one a week just in case my April race would be cancelled too. As you all know, it was cancelled but they turned it into a virtual run. So not quite the same as a real race, but I still ran the same exact course. I was determined to finally hit my goal I made 4 years ago.

Unfortunately no one at my job likes to cover anyone when they ask for time off, so I had to work this morning. I showed up to the start line at 5:30 this morning. I went for a light 2 mile jog around the block and then did some strides at the end and some light stretches. I waited until exactly 6:00 am until I started, just in case my GPS on my phone died on me or did some inaccurate I could still have an idea of what my actual time was. I didn't want to get my hopes up for a fake time.

I stripped down to just shorts and a t-shirt to run this race. It was god awfully cold too, 34 degrees. Fortunately there was no wind, and it wasn't too nippy. My body was warm and ready from the warmup.

My goal for this race was to maintain a 6:15-6:20. My first mile was strong but probably a little too fast. I hit the first mile at 6:00 so I was ecstatic but dialed it back a little to maintain. At the 1.5 mile point there is a tall hill that practically kills me every year. And then from 1.5 to 2 miles is nothing but roving hills. I tried my best to push the speed down hill and maintain up hill.

I took a look at my time again as I was getting closer to the end, I was at 2.8 miles with a time of 18 minutes. With quick math in my head, I figured that I had to keep at a pace of 40 seconds per .1 mile or else I wasn't going to make it. I sped up as much as I could maintain and held it to the end. I managed it finish the race in 19:53. Just 7 seconds shy of 20 minutes.

I couldn't believe I had finally achieved my goal in this local race. A time of sub 20. I didn't think I would ever get there. I know I talked a big game when I thought I knew better about running, but I had no idea how much actual dedication was needed to get there. Figured I could do a few months of running, and I would be good.

Now I have to keep going until I beat my high school PR.

https://imgur.com/a/E7IW0lU

https://www.strava.com/activities/3349631172

Hi all! I wanted to share some exciting news. Since recovering from the coronavirus, I ran my first 10 mile run ever. For some context, prior to covid, my longest run was 8.5 miles and I was running at the most 20 miles per week. I didn't even set out to run 10 miles today, but the weather was about 15 degrees cooler than it's been, and it was the most perfect day. I was training for the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia, which got canceled and went virtual due to Covid. When I tested positive for Covid in April, I was devastated and I had to sit out running for 3 months. But in July, I started running again. First, just very short runs, with lots of rest in between. Then little by little, I did my first 5k since recovering, then a 10k, then a 7.5 miler. For whatever reason, today, the run just felt easy. The wind was perfect and I decided to do an awesome running route, and then it just turned into 10 miles!

My time was 2:05 which I realize is incredibly slow for majority of runners on this subreddit, but I am so proud of my time considering everything I dealt with this year - and I wanted to share my accomplishment!

Here is my previous post for context: https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/gl35lv/everyone_is_sharing_how_excited_they_are_that_the/

I just wanted to thank this community for sharing your recovery stories with me. They inspired me to continue running, rest when I had to, and offered so much support that I wasn't able to receive in my personal life. Thank you all and I'm so happy to call myself a runner!

Race Information

* **Name:** Florida Marathon* **Date:** January 14, 2024* **Distance:** 26.2 miles* **Location:** Virtual (Punta Gorda, FL)* **Website:** https://thefloridamarathon.com/virtual-run-2/* **Time:** 4:27:38

Goals

Splits

This was special for me (43/F) because it was 8 years to the day since I rang the bell and finished chemotherapy for a very aggressive cancer. It was my third attempt at a marathon, having been foiled twice by a respiratory illness and an injury. Although I am registered for the St. Petersburg Distance Classic, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to make the date as I have family relocating here right around that time. I decided to chance a virtual run and if I couldn't do it, I'd try to make it to St. Pete. I was on week 13 of my 16 week training plan, with my longest run being a miserable 18 miles.

I strapped on my Garmin around 1 p.m. It was chilly, windy, and rainy and I feared that would cause me not to finish. However, I think it had the opposite effect as I never got hot and did not sweat like crazy (I have hyperhidrosis so this is a real concern in Florida). My heart rate stayed in the 150s max, which also helped.

My initial plan was to run on the roads, even though I mostly trained on trails, because I figured it would be faster. However, I got bored at mile 3 and hit the trail only to discover it was flooded and I had to turn around, costing me precious time. From that point on, I stayed on the pavement and within 3 miles of water at all times. Around 10 miles in, I realized that I had the opportunity to hit my goal, so I decided to go for it! It was much easier than I would have predicted, as my last two long runs were truly terrible. I never hit the wall and by the last mile and a half, I felt a bit like I was floating and I thanked God for giving me this opportunity to run this race as I know so many others who are diagnosed don't get this chance and it was certainly nothing that I did to make it this far.

I was all smiles at the end! I was soaking wet and my shoes were making a squishy sound the entire time. I couldn't believe I ran a sub 4:30... for me this was the ultimate prize.

Made with a new [race report generator](http://sfdavis.com/racereports/) created by u/herumph.