If you have a fall marathon on your schedule, you’re likely just about to start your training plan. (If you’re still contemplating running one, we have a pretty neat fall marathon calendar to help you find a race with pretty nature views.)
But training for a marathon takes a lot more figuring out than just picking a race and the right training plan; it involves many details from choosing the most comfortable clothing to making sure your shoes won’t turn your toenails black to arriving properly fueled. Truth be told, no matter how prepared you are, there will be some errors you’ll recognize only in hindsight. But you can put your best foot forward (pun fully intended) by learning from other marathon finishers. Here’s what RW+ editors wished they knew before their first marathons. Whether you’re about to conquer your first 26.2 or your 10th, consider these tips to inspire more confidence and a relaxed mind going into your race.
Carefully consider the month of the marathon
I signed up for my first marathon on a whim—in July, in Maine. I was teaching at the time and had the summer off. Blissfully unaware, I thought, “How bad can July in Maine be?” Well, on race day, a heat wave encapsulated Bangor. The start time was pushed up an hour, but it was still 90-some degrees at the time of the finish. The humidity was so thick that the first hour on the course was covered in a blanket of fog and felt fittingly very Stephen King-esque. (The many runners dropping off added to the horrific mood.) Surviving that gave me a good story to tell and made my next marathon a breeze—and it surely wasn’t in July.
—Jennifer Acker, Health & Fitness Editor
Don’t skip the long runs
For shorter races like a half, sure, you can skip workouts and long runs (though don’t do it on purpose) and you won’t die on race day. But a full marathon will punish you for such lapses. In the two months leading up to my first marathon, I did only two runs over 10 miles and was coasting along on 25 to 30 miles a week, tops. On race day, my wheels fell off around mile 23, and it was a brutal slog to the finish line. I was young and dumb and not really serious about training after having raced shorter distances earlier in my life. But I learned my lesson: At my next marathon, five years later, I came in better prepared and ended up winning my age group.
—Jeff Dengate, Director of Product Testing
Take care during taper
I wish I knew you can get sick during the taper. I was enjoying the mandatory rest a week before my Chicago Marathon when I started to feel run down. I thought it was nerves, but no, I got sick. Really sick: Sore throat, coughing, and serious congestion. Hallucinatory-level sick. Your body can get you through many things if you train properly—I was able to complete the marathon, but I wouldn’t say I ran it. It was like some sort of literal fever dream, and I finished with an embarrassingly terrible time (compared to what I had trained for). If I were to do it again, I’d have taken my taper time to hydrate, stay away from people, and boost my immune system. Next time!
—Amy Wolff, RW Contributor
Trust your training
My nerves make me nauseous at the starting line of most races. But my first 26.2 in New York City was a whole other level. I paced around the starting area in Staten Island, reminding myself to breathe, texting loved ones so they could keep me calm. Looking back, I realize I had nothing to worry about—I’d put in the mileage, done the workouts, and planned my nutrition strategy, so all I had to do was keep moving. Your first marathon is about getting to the finish and celebrating those hours you put into training. The New York crowds can get you through most ruts on the course, making you feel like a celeb as they yell your name (be sure to plaster it on your shirt!), and making the journey to the finish line a seriously memorable one. The day ended up being one of my favorites in my life. My advice? Just enjoy yourself and lean on your cheerleaders when you need a pick-me-up.
—Mallory Creveling, Deputy Editor of Health & Fitness
Have a fueling strategy
I went into my first marathon with no real nutrition plan. I had approximately one gel and some gummies on me. I asked my husband and parents to bring a PB&J sandwich and a banana to their cheering spot, just after the Queensboro Bridge at the New York City Marathon. I ended up taking a bite of the sandwich and kept moving. My body felt heavy: my legs, my arms, all of it. I just didn’t have the fuel I needed. In the four marathons since, I’ve honed into what fuel I need, how much to carry, and when to take it, testing the whole plan beforehand. Things still hurt, but my legs, arms, and brain just feel better!
—Aly Ellis, Deputy Editor of Social Media
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
When I ran my first marathon, I remember looking down at my hands midrace and having a mild freakout when I saw my fingers resembled overstuffed sausages. My body needed not only more hydration but also salt. From then on, I’ve learned to sip Gatorade during the first couple of miles to settle my stomach and avoid another swell situation. If you don’t want to stop during your race to slurp a quick drink, you can practice the “pinch and sip” method during your training. Either way, skipping aid stations isn’t a good strategy. Trust me: You’ll add less time stopping and hydrating than the time you would have accumulated bonking because you didn’t stop and refuel.
—Amanda Furrer, Test Editor
Be strategic about cheering spots for family and friends
Before my first New York City Marathon, I’d heard so much about the energy of the NYC crowds. I focused on this information while ignoring other less encouraging intel. Specifically, I downplayed reports of wind and desolation on the Queensboro Bridge, along with its sneaky grade. First Avenue, known for its raucous spectators, did nothing to reverse the effect of fighting a stiff breeze up an unrelenting incline in the eerie quiet. I looked to the crowd for encouragement and saw a sea of homemade signs for everyone but me. I wanted to cry. My squad was small—my husband and 10-year-old daughter—and they were unfamiliar with all of New York’s neighborhoods, so I’d told them to meet me at the finish. Getting there was a lonely slog. From that, I’d bungled an important race strategy: Place your cheering squad at strategic points along the course where you expect to need support. It makes a difference.
—Leah Flickinger, Executive Features Director
Give yourself grace
Most first-time marathoners have told themselves “Never again”—aloud or inwardly—as they clunkily made their way to the finish line. That was certainly in my head as I walked through each water station in the final five miles of the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon. Yes, it will hurt—even if you nail your training leading into it. But know that like all muscle soreness, the hurt will eventually go away. Give yourself the time to physically and mentally recover from your amazing effort. And if you’re like every other runner out there, you’ll soon start to change your tune from “Never again” to “How can I do that even better?”
—Brian Dalek, Director of Content Creation
Pavlína Černá, an RRCA-certified run coach and cycling enthusiast, has been with Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics since August 2021, joining originally as a newsletter editor. When she doesn’t edit, she writes; when she doesn’t write, she reads or translates. In whatever time she has left, you can find her outside running, roller-skating, or riding to the beat of one of the many audiobooks on her TBL list.
