First Marathon Horror Experience

Having just completed my first marathon I would appreciate some advice. I had trained up to 20 miles for this run and was assured that the event / cheering crowds would see me through the last six.

I felt good up to 19 miles then hit the wall at twenty and had to walk to 23/24 but managed to run the last 2 due to having friends / family at the finish.

Firstly, I feel a bit of a fraud having walked 2 miles and feel a bit disappointed that I couldn't run the whole 26. My actual time was 4hrs 55 mins, which again I was disappointed with.

My initial reaction on finishing was "never again" but already I feel I want another go with the time being a real issue for me.

In hindsight I should have completed more longer runs, and only managed to hit 20 miles 2 weeks before the event.

The winter is fast approaching here in the UK and will probably look to do another marathon early part of 2009 (April time). What sort of training activity do you recommend during the winter? Since the 7th of this month after 3 days rest, I have done a 6, 13, 6, and 9 miles with 1 days rest in between. The poor marathon experience is playing on my mind and feel I should be doing more? Any advice?

– Neil Taylor, West Midlands, UK

Answer by Dom: Hi Neil, congratulations on getting through your first marathon – that's a real achievement, even if mile 19 to 20 didn't feel like it at the time. What happened to you has a name and a cause, and it's fixable. Let's get into it.

1. Why you hit the wall exactly where you did
2. Fix it with fuelling – from mile 3, not mile 13
3. Hit 20 miles four or five times, not once
4. Add a midweek medium-long run and taper properly
5. Rest well before you start again
6. Build your winter base before the next tailored plan

Why You Hit the Wall Exactly Where You Did

Nobody can guarantee those last six miles – hardly anyone gets through them on adrenaline alone. Here's the physiology behind what happened at mile 20. Your body stores roughly 90-120 minutes of usable glycogen in muscles and liver. Run at marathon effort and you burn through that store steadily. Somewhere around mile 18-20, for most first-time marathoners, the tank runs dry. Your body switches to burning fat for fuel, which is far less efficient at pace – hence the sudden, brutal drop-off you felt at 19 into 20. That's the wall. It's not weakness. It's an empty fuel tank.

You could also try a different pacing strategy next time – see my page about marathon pacing strategies. Starting conservatively – 15-20 seconds per mile slower than goal pace for the first 6-8 miles – preserves glycogen for later and delays exactly this collapse.

Fix It With Fuelling – From Mile 3, Not Mile 13

The single biggest lever you have here: start fuelling early. Take 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour, beginning at mile 3-4 – not when you first feel tired, by which point it's too late. That's roughly one energy gel every 30-40 minutes, or equivalent sports drink, from the start of the race. Practise this in training on your long runs so your gut is used to it on race day. Combined with a more conservative first 8 miles, this is what would have carried you through mile 20 rather than into it.

Hit 20 Miles Four or Five Times, Not Once

Getting to 20 miles once, two weeks out, isn't enough preparation for the distance or the fuelling practice you need. Aim to run 20 miles four or five times across your training block, spaced out with recovery in between.

Add a Midweek Medium-Long Run and Taper Properly

One of the secrets to a strong marathon is a medium-long run in the middle of the week, on top of the weekend long run. If your long run is 16-20 miles, add a midweek run of 11-15 miles.

You also need a proper taper. General advice is three weeks. Your 20-miler two weeks before the marathon was too close to race day – your legs hadn't recovered from that effort by the time the gun went off. Also see the marathon taper page.

Rest Well Before You Start Again

A marathon is a real attack on the body. Jumping back into 6, 13, 6, 9-mile weeks within days of finishing – as you've done – risks injury before your muscles have actually healed. I'd recommend a few weeks properly off running, with some swimming, light weights or bike riding instead. Let body and soul refresh before the next training block starts.

On timing: there's real merit in not rushing into a spring marathon. A fall marathon instead gives you longer to prepare, and lets you sharpen your speed over 10k and half marathon distances through spring first. Plenty of good runners build exactly this way – speed in one season, marathon in the next.

Build Your Winter Base Before the Next Tailored Plan

Before jumping into a structured programme, spend the winter months building a solid base. I've written more on this in my article about base running.

Neil, "never again" is a normal thing to feel at mile 24. But you've already found the "one more go" in you, and next time you'll have the fuelling strategy, the pacing, and the extra 20-milers to back it up.

Kind regards,
Dom

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