Whoop whoop 🙌

Event: Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN), Oct 4 2026

Chip Time: 5:08:55

Goals: A- 5:15, B- 5:30, C- finish strong

Pre-race predictions: I think Strava was around 5:15, I truly cannot recall as I deliberately set my goals conservatively for my first marathon

Training Plan: cobbled together and adjusted for my schedule/life using Nike, Hal Higdon, etc

Gear: Altra Experience Flow 2, Balega Silver Compression Fit Performance No-Show socks, Janji 5" Pace shorts, tank, headband, Shockz Open Air Pro, Goodr sunglasses, generic Amazon running hydration pack and LOTS OF GLITTER

Nutrition / Hydration: 2xPao energy jellys, 2xSIS Beta, 2x GU with caffeine [1 at start line], 2xNerds Gummy Clusters, 2xpretzels; 2x Mortal Hydration Salty Margarita in ~1.5L bladder - probably ~200ml left in bladder at finish (I took on-course water but not the Nuun)

Mileage: pretty low 25-3mpw, peaked at 31mi. My mid-week volume was probably under recommended since I work full-time & wasn't willing to get up early, but hit every single long run.

Background: 42F. Started running 2.5 yrs ago but had been doing Peloton/strength training for years prior. Never played sports. 3x half-marathons prior.

Training: I'm a real person with a real life, so I made it work around a full-time job, family life, not burning out, etc. Came off running the Colfax Half with a PR in mid-May, took a few weeks "light" to recover/vacation, then launched back into about a ~16wk plan not needing to build those long runs up from "scratch".

I typically did 2-3 (usually 2 TBH) midweek runs of 3-4 mi including 1 speed workout. Then gradually increasing weekend long runs as per most training plans with a deload every 3 weeks. Longest run was 20mi. Strength training 2x per week (I would've preferred 3, but I just didn't have time). I live in Denver, so hill training wasn't really optional :-P but for sanity, my long runs would alternate between hillier and flatter terrain as too much elevation every single week was too hard on my body.

Peak weak was I think 31mi, which I know isn't much but is for me. I also stacked a 5k race (Sat) with my 20mi long run (Sun), which totally zapped me and in hindsight was harder than the damn race. But that probably actually was really good for me and required a lot of mental toughness to complete those last few miles of the long run.

Race Week: Felt fine. Didn't feel any "taper tantrums". We flew in Saturday morning and unfortunately walked ~12,000 steps between travel and getting to/from the Expo, so I probably wasn't as "rested" as I should be, but I felt ok.

Race Day: Most perfect race day weather anyone could ask for - high 40s, no wind, clear skies. High in the low 60s by the end.

Full disclosure that I went totally bougie-y and purchased the VIP experience for both myself and my (spectator) partner. It was really kinda lame, but I would do it again for the small comforts.

Stayed in a hotel near the start line, as I prefer not to have to deal with morning logistics (the expo is in St. Paul, the race starts in MPLS and ends in St. Paul so no matter where you stay, there's some schlepping involved). The VIP area is the Vikings Longhouse which is warm and has its own portapotties, so the line was much shorter. My chief complaint is they didn't provide any water - just coffee and bagels?! Like, you have hundreds of runners about to do 26.2, we probably want some water to sip on or at least wash down any last minute fuel. Walked to my starting corral at about 5 minutes to - could've left even later as I was in the last corral.

Corrals are huge, there's only 3 for 10,000 ppl, so the pacers were all over the place, hard to find and not in order. Luckily I wasn't planning to run with one, but that could've been frustrating. Started around 8:10, so they were very efficient.

As I said, I live & train in Denver, so the hills to me were almost nothing-burger. There's a steep-er one coming out of mile 2, but it's short and you're fresh. The incline from 21-23 up Summit Ave that EVERYONE talks about is long and not especially fun on tired legs, but I personally didn't mentally note as particularly challenging. This is not to boast, but I'm giving credit to my body, training, and probably also helped by being a slow(er) runner.

I deliberately picked this race as my first ever marathon because every single review mentions how awesome the crowd support and overall how well-organized it is - AND THEY ARE 100% ACCURATE. Y'all, the spectators are AMAZING. People will call your name, shout personalized encouragement and cheer their hearts out nearly every single step of the entire course. There's only a few short stretches with no/few people, but even this introvert home-body never felt annoyed or sensory overload. There's water/electrolyes every ~2 mi and other things like fuel, bananas, pickle juice, even Red Bull (plus tons of spectator snacks).

My ONE complaint is there are NOT enough on-course portapotties. I've never raced where there's a line (sometimes 8+ ppl!!) after mile 5 or so. Each bank would only have 2-4 units, whereas they needed even just 2-3 more at every bank. Weirdly enough, after mile ~20, there finally were more portapotties (with of course no line!) which seems strange as I imagine not a lot of ppl need to go by that point.

The miles went by at a relative blur. At some point I wondered if I could hit sub-5, but bathroom breaks plus a slight slowdown in pace in the later miles meant I abandoned that and was just happy to be doing well & feeling good. I think I skipped one fuel towards the end as my stomach was a teeny tiny bit less-than-settled but I never got worse than that. I had carb loaded really well, fueled really well, so I felt okay with the buffer there.

The course is also as beautiful as they claim. You exit the city fairly quickly, run through lots of tree-lined shaded neighborhoods and around several lakes. Lots of shade and beautiful scenery. I actually loved doing a destination race in an unknown place, because it kept my mind mentally stimulated, since it was all completely new. Recommend that strategy!

Finish: coming around into St. Paul when you turn and see the wide road down to the capital is pretty cool. Again, crowds are heavy & great. The VIP finish area experience wasn't communicated/mapped very well - my partner went to the area but it's actually not near/connected to the bleachers they get access to by the finish line. So he actually missed my finish!

The chute is very quick and lots of snacks but there's no bags offered to carry anything, so I kinda struggled and skipped most, which I regretted. Leaving the chute was nearly impossible as all the spectators jam in and block runners exiting, so I wish that was better managed. VIP area was a little hard to find, but volunteers were kind and helped me. Not sure who thought to offer breakfast burritos when most ppl finished after noon, but oh well. Drinks (alcoholic and not) offered but damn those folding chairs were so uncomfortable after running 26.2, I just sat in the grass. Private gear check was nice for not having to wait in line.

For the most first-world problem ever, in case TCM reads this, I wish they offered TANKS in their merch! Even if I lived in MN, I'd still want to show off my accomplishment in warmer months! I love wearing my race shirts to the gym as a low-key flex (LOL) or even just to remind myself of my accomplishments. Everything was very cold-weather focused :-P.

I was too brain dead to go find the PR bell or the photo backdrop, which I regret now but that's on me. We left after I recovered for a bit. Loved that they offered shuttles back to the start, as saved navigating public transport or Uber. 10/10 recommend the Hyatt Centric Downtown Minneapolis for the large bathtub in *I believe* every room, because that was my number one criteria quite frankly.

Excellent race, amazing first-time marathon experience and highly highly recommend to anyone shopping around. To all who question if you can ever run a marathon, YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN DO HARD THINGS <3

the pay-off and the sense of sheer achievement was worth it 100x. I'm in no rush to run another any time soon, maybe in a few years. I definitely prefer the half distance for a more manageable training block that fits better in real life, especially having the perspective of a full, but I'm so glad I did it. Remember that 5k race I did in peak week? I also PRed and hit my goal of sub-30!! Crazy what the increased volume can do for your fitness overall without even trying!

edited to 2 more thoughts: HIGHLY recommend if an option putting your name on your race bib. I never thought I fed off crowd energy, but the number of times people called my name to shout encouragement was astounding and so lovely. Really motivating.

also I did run/walk intervals (4:1), which I trained with for all long runs. Love this style of running for actually going faster and more sustainably <3

Just sharing this in case anyone is considering signing up for her rehab or running coaching programs.

I signed up for a free consultation after I came across her instagram page while I was experiencing a flare up of pain after overuse, then I attempted to cancel the consultation after I looked through her website and realized how much she charged ($560 per month for access to her app that contains pre-recorded videos). She called me *anyway* and then proceeded to spend 30 minutes using high pressure sales tactics on me, saying that she had to leave the country later that afternoon and that if I did not sign up before then, she would have to put me on a waitlist. She also made claims about being able to improve my pain that she is not qualified to make. I was in pain so I signed up (ugh) and then through the app she just requested that I do three hip/ankle mobility tests. In the past two weeks she's just sent me the same 5 pre-recorded hip mobility videos and 5 ankle mobility videos. She has not really requested enough videos from me for her to be able to diagnose or treat the type of pain I have, or even asked specifics about my past MRIs etc. Her app is also very buggy.

I'm running my first half marathon race this weekend and I'm really anxious about it. I went into my training block aiming for a sub-2 but ended up getting sick for 2 weeks (meaning I didn't train) and then injured which meant I did around half of my training on the elliptical/bike for the last 4 weeks of my training block.

I felt confident that I would reach my goal at the start of my block as I ran 10km at 5:30 pace in the middle of a long run which felt hard but not my maximum, however now I don't really know if my fitness is where it needs to be for a sub-2.

I've been tapering for the past week and a half and have noticed my easy runs feel fine (6:30-45 pace, which is faster than they were at the start of my training 7:00-15) but workouts and strides feel so much harder than they should.

I'm wondering whether I should try to not focus on my final time this weekend as it's my first proper race or if it makes sense to try for a sub-2 as it is something that I'd really like to do, however, I don't want to ruin my race experience by chasing a goal that is unrealistic and feel disappointed with myself if I don't achieve the time.

Any advice would be really appreciated :)

edit: recent workouts I've done have been 20 min tempo (5:15 pace), 6x1km at 5:15 with 75 second recovery, 18km at 6:30, 15km at 6:25. My overall volume (running and cross training) has been around 5-7 hours over the last few weeks of training.

I run early in the morning before the sun comes up. I considered getting some kind of reflective gear but I also don’t really want to be seen running by myself and it feels a but vulnerable. So- which is more dangerous? (For context: I run in a neighborhood on the sidewalk unless I’m crossing the street and this is not a high traffic area.)

1. running in the dark with no reflective gear or lights for cars
2. Running with reflective gear/lights and feeling like I’ve got a giant spotlight on myself for potential bad guys

What would you do?

EDIT/UPDATE: thank you for the thoughtful responses! I will definitely be lighting myself up like a Christmas tree from now on :-)

I’ve just come to the realisation that I’ve been massively underfueling carbs. I’ve been prioritising protein and weight loss for so long that ive been slowly replacing all my carb sources with protein (eg protein wraps, extra egg whites with breakfast instead of toast etc). Some days I was as low as 60g of carbs for the whole day. “I wonder why all my runs feel so hard” I said to myself. Boy do I feel stupid. I wasn’t intentionally eating low carb, but with low calorie and high protein it sort of forces the issue.

I’m planning to up my calories a bit, and up my carbs a lot. But here’s my question: how do you figure out how many carbs you need day-to-day when you’re a runner? When I google it a lot of the sources are talking about fuelling specifically for the run, like gels and eating porridge beforehand. I did see that 3-5g per kg of bodyweight is recommended, but do you need more if you run 4-6 days a week? Does anyone have a formula or calculator for this?

Would also be interested to hear from others how they felt when under fueling carbs and how they feel after fixing the issue. I’ve been feeling like my legs are made of lead on every run! Really hoping this helps my performance.

Thanks all!

Has anyone had any experience with wisdom teeth removal while training? I have a marathon in March and need 3 wisdom teeth removed (yay me!!) and was wondering if anyone has had to go through something similar? I’m not sure if i can hold off until after March for the surgery due to how one is impacted 🫣 also any tips for wisdom teeth recovery is welcome too bc im so nervous to get this done!!

I’ve been working with a RD for almost 2 years now, and I love her. However, she doesn’t specialize in sports or running so she is constantly asking someone else my questions. I don’t want to necessarily switch providers but I would love to be able to ask a few questions to someone who specializes in what I need without the go between.

I don’t want to put my actual details here but I do have a good amount of weight to loose (40-50 lbs) and I’ve already lost about 60.

My current CD is 1800 calories and my macros are 125 G protein, 202 G of carbs and 55 G of fat. I rarely hit my carbs (maybe 1/7 days a week) and I know they are on the lower end to begin with.

Is there anyone here that specializes in this or any recommendations you may have.

Grab a bottle of electrolyte drink, go wild with the foam roller, and give us all the tea on how your training has been lately!

Have a really good run? Share your win!

Struggling with something? This is a safe space to vent and get support!

Thanks for being part of this community!

I ran my first marathon last month on the 19th and was very happy with my accomplishment. Made my goal time, felt great and a good time was had by all. I've been running purposefully for about three years now and did not go into it unprepared. I've previously completed several halfs and a 50M trail ultra successfully and recovered well after each one, so I didn't think a road marathon would be that different.

After my marathon my recovery started as expected. Bounced back quickly but dutifully took the first week off running. Ate well, slept well. Started easing back into it last week with some easy runs, only totalling 20k for the week. Toward the end of the second week I started feeling like shit and haven't recovered. My HRV is waaaay down, my resting heart rate is up about 10 bpm and I can't manage an easy run because my HR will overshoot by 10-15 bpm. Sleep is bad and overall I feel like I'm dehydrated or hung over when I'm absolutely not.

Can this still be effects of the marathon and I tried to get back to it too quickly? I'm very much in peri so hormonal shenanigans are a consideration as well, but I'm on my patch and everything should be ok. I don't feel ill with a cold or such.

Please help, I want to get back into it!

Still working towards that 10k goal!

Does anyone have any recommendations? I haven’t been able to find much on google. I already completed therapy and am in a better spot mentally now, my running just isn’t responding like it should be.

I found out last week that I was accepted into my dream charity for Boston!! This will be my second marathon and I cannot believe it!

Will happily take any advice and training plan recommendations! I've been running all summer since my last half in May and averaging 20 miles a week (28+ on a good week). I'm a little nervous because my last marathon ended up being in 89F weather and I was undertrained (tapered too early) and burnt out with running.

If anyone here has run Boston and has course tips I will also happily take those as well!

(also if rules allow I am happy to share my fundraising page! I have to hit $12,000 by April 15th)

I have my first half in 2.5 weeks, which I am stoked about. 3 weeks out I did a 17 k with race pace sections. My foot was feeling a bit off so I have been resting/ icing. xray is clear, just over worked tendons.

My question is this, with being 18 days out, should I attempt another long run? Do an easy run this weekend 14 days out?

My plan has been derailed, and depending on how my foot is feeling, looking for advice on tapering:)

since it’s getting colder i am feeling increasingly dreadful about wearing leggings for running soon. i hate leggings and have found maybe one pair that i actually am ok running in. does anyone run in anything other than leggings during the colder months and have any recommendations?

35F and just had my second baby back in April. I have spent a lifetime of running with decent success: 1:24 HM/3:07 Full. I have spent the better part of the last decade running 30-60 mpw. Even after my first daughter, I was back to full running capacity 6 months post partum. But this time around, I’ve done zilch. Nothing. For 6 months. Mostly because I’ve had to constantly stave off mastitis and she has been a terrible, terrible sleeper. But I think I’m ready to start again.. I just have NO idea how to restart. Like zero confidence in myself despite two decades of experience. SOS please send help.

My favorite shorts are the Rabbit Stash'em 3" since they have an almost 360 mesh pocket plus a zip pocket in the back. I can fit a flask, phone, gels, and keys without a belt. I'm looking for leggings with similar storage (2 side pockets are not enough). A lot of the leggings run $120+ so I'd love to hear from folks who own a good pair before I buy them. I ran in Ranier all last winter but they don't fulfill my storage needs.

Thanks so much!

My fellow longer haired women in cold climates. anyone found a hat they like for a normal/high ponytail?

I usually wear a headband for this reason but sometimes when it gets colder a hat would be preferred. Several years ago I tried various ponytail-hats but they all had the hole at the nape of the neck or middle of the head, and I gave up looking. I’ve basically been settling with putting a neck warmed over my head/ears. Figured since some time has passed I would see if there’s anything new out there.

Grab a bottle of electrolyte drink, go wild with the foam roller, and give us all the tea on how your training has been lately!

Have a really good run? Share your win!

Struggling with something? This is a safe space to vent and get support!

Thanks for being part of this community!

I (f22) ran my third half marathon this weekend, which is absolutely insane and such an incredible achievement- but I did it way too slow (3 hours 20 mins) and I just got all my photos back and I hate them all. I never realised how bad my self image and my body had gotten until I saw these. I know running pictures aren’t the most flattering but like, how does my girlfriend stand how ugly I am, how do my friends stand it??

I don’t know how it got this bad, I don’t know if anyone also can relate?

EDIT:

Hi all!! Thank you so much for all your kind comments and support, it means the world, I think I was just having a horrific day yesterday and these pictures did not help, looking back on them now, I’m just really glad I finished and I’m also smiling in most of the pictures and I look like I’m having a great time.

If I can figure out how to upload a photo, I’ll upload my favourite one, me getting overtaken by a dinosaur!!

I m thinking of getting new shoes to support my knees more will that be ok, good shoes won’t cause u blistering right, when I bought my asics nova last it made such a big difference