Marathon training
Road to the Cleveland Marathon
Sunday, May 16, 2027 · 26.2 miles · Goal: finish the race. Every run since training started on July 25, 2026, synced from Strava, with notes along the way.
days to go
43-week build
Miles logged
35.3mi
This week
—
Longest run
5.0mi
19% of 26.2 mi
Average pace
11:45/mi
Latest write-ups
Week 9 · Sep 15
2 Mile PR
Cool Tuesday morning
Today was the first day I am trying to adhere to the training plan I created with Claude. It has me running 7 miles this week, with a 3 mile run as my "long run". I am planning on…
2.12 mi · 10:08 /miRead →
Week 8 · Sep 13
Run down by the airport
B-29 Spotting
The run felt tough today, as I had taken a few weeks off after my wedding. I ran in my home base area - Downtown Cleveland - but went on a new route today, which took me down by…
2.89 mi · 11:49 /miRead →
Weekly mileage
Miles per week, Monday to Sunday, from the first week of training to race week, against the training plan.
- Miles run
- Plan
Show as table
| Week | Starting | Miles | Planned | Runs | Longest | Planned long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 20 | 2.3 | — | 1 | 2.3 | — |
| 2 | Jul 27 | 8.3 | — | 3 | 2.9 | — |
| 3 | Aug 3 | 12.7 | — | 3 | 5.0 | — |
| 4 | Aug 10 | 4.0 | — | 1 | 4.0 | — |
| 5 | Aug 17 | 0.0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 6 | Aug 24 | 0.0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 7 | Aug 31 | 0.0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 8 | Sep 7 | 2.9 | — | 1 | 2.9 | — |
| 9 | Sep 14 | 5.1 | 7 | 2 | 3.0 | 3 |
| 10 | Sep 21 | — | 8 | — | — | 3 |
| 11 | Sep 28 | — | 9 | — | — | 4 |
| 12 | Oct 5 | — | 7 | — | — | 3 |
| 13 | Oct 12 | — | 10 | — | — | 4 |
| 14 | Oct 19 | — | 11 | — | — | 4 |
| 15 | Oct 26 | — | 12 | — | — | 5 |
| 16 | Nov 2 | — | 10 | — | — | 4 |
| 17 | Nov 9 | — | 13 | — | — | 5 |
| 18 | Nov 16 | — | 14 | — | — | 6 |
| 19 | Nov 23 | — | 12 | — | — | 5 |
| 20 | Nov 30 | — | 15 | — | — | 6 |
| 21 | Dec 7 | — | 16 | — | — | 6 |
| 22 | Dec 14 | — | 17 | — | — | 7 |
| 23 | Dec 21 | — | 13 | — | — | 5 |
| 24 | Dec 28 | — | 17 | — | — | 7 |
| 25 | Jan 4 | — | 18 | — | — | 8 |
| 26 | Jan 11 | — | 20 | — | — | 8 |
| 27 | Jan 18 | — | 22 | — | — | 9 |
| 28 | Jan 25 | — | 17 | — | — | 7 |
| 29 | Feb 1 | — | 24 | — | — | 10 |
| 30 | Feb 8 | — | 26 | — | — | 11 |
| 31 | Feb 15 | — | 20 | — | — | 8 |
| 32 | Feb 22 | — | 28 | — | — | 12 |
| 33 | Mar 1 | — | 31 | — | — | 13 |
| 34 | Mar 8 | — | 24 | — | — | 10 |
| 35 | Mar 15 | — | 33 | — | — | 14 |
| 36 | Mar 22 | — | 35 | — | — | 16 |
| 37 | Mar 29 | — | 28 | — | — | 12 |
| 38 | Apr 5 | — | 37 | — | — | 18 |
| 39 | Apr 12 | — | 30 | — | — | 14 |
| 40 | Apr 19 | — | 40 | — | — | 20 |
| 41 | Apr 26 | — | 30 | — | — | 12 |
| 42 | May 3 | — | 22 | — | — | 8 |
| 43 | May 10 | — | 33.2 | — | — | 26.2 |
Training plan
A first-marathon plan with one job: get to the start line healthy. Three or four easy runs a week plus a weekend long run, peaking at 40 miles with a 20-mile long run the week of Apr 19. Each week's target is the line on the chart above.
Base
Sep 14 – Jan 10 · 17 weeks
Easy running three or four days a week, from 7 up to 18 miles a week with a long run up to 8. Every third or fourth week steps back, two of them landing on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Build
Jan 11 – Apr 25 · 15 weeks
The marathon block, shaped like Hal Higdon's Novice 1. Weekly miles climb from 20 to 40 and the long run from 8 to 20, with a step-back every third week.
Taper
Apr 26 – May 16 · 3 weeks
Three weeks stepping down, to about 75% and then 55% of peak, so the legs are fresh. Race week is a few short, easy runs and then the marathon.
Long-run milestones
10K
Planned the week of Dec 14
10 miles
Planned the week of Feb 1
Half marathon
Planned the week of Mar 15
20 miles
Planned the week of Apr 19
How it's built
- Build slowly. Each week adds a mile or two over the last full week. In a study of 874 novice runners, those who raised their weekly distance by more than 30% over two weeks were more prone to runner's knee, shin splints and other overuse injuries than those who kept it under 10% (Nielsen et al., 2014).
- Step back often. Every third or fourth week drops about 20% so the body can absorb the work. The build and taper follow the shape of Hal Higdon's Novice 1, the most widely used first-marathon plan: a step-back every third week and a 20-mile peak three weeks out.
- Taper for three weeks. Mileage steps down each week rather than falling off a cliff. Across more than 158,000 recreational marathoners, a strict three-week taper went with the fastest finishes, a median of about 5½ minutes quicker than a minimal taper (Smyth & Lawlor, 2021).
Run log
| Date | Run | Distance | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Sep 17 | Lunch Run 3.02 mi · 31:33 · 10:27 /mi | 3.02 mi | 31:33 | 10:27 /mi |
| Tue, Sep 15 | 2 Mile PRWrite-up 2.12 mi · 21:30 · 10:08 /mi Cool Tuesday morning Today was the first day I am trying to adhere to the training plan I created with Claude. It has me running 7 miles this week, with a 3 mile run as my "long… | 2.12 mi | 21:30 | 10:08 /mi |
| Sun, Sep 13 | Run down by the airportWrite-up 2.89 mi · 34:09 · 11:49 /mi B-29 Spotting The run felt tough today, as I had taken a few weeks off after my wedding. I ran in my home base area - Downtown Cleveland - but went on a new route today… | 2.89 mi | 34:09 | 11:49 /mi |
| Mon, Aug 10 | Afternoon Run 4.00 mi · 45:35 · 11:24 /mi | 4.00 mi | 45:35 | 11:24 /mi |
| Sat, Aug 8 | Evening Run 5.04 mi · 1:07:27 · 13:23 /mi | 5.04 mi | 1:07:27 | 13:23 /mi |
| Wed, Aug 5 | Afternoon Run 3.77 mi · 47:18 · 12:33 /mi | 3.77 mi | 47:18 | 12:33 /mi |
| Mon, Aug 3 | Afternoon Run 3.86 mi · 43:42 · 11:20 /mi | 3.86 mi | 43:42 | 11:20 /mi |
| Fri, Jul 31 | Evening Run 2.93 mi · 34:56 · 11:56 /mi | 2.93 mi | 34:56 | 11:56 /mi |
| Wed, Jul 29 | Afternoon Run 2.80 mi · 32:17 · 11:31 /mi | 2.80 mi | 32:17 | 11:31 /mi |
| Mon, Jul 27 | Afternoon Run 2.59 mi · 29:23 · 11:20 /mi | 2.59 mi | 29:23 | 11:20 /mi |
| Sat, Jul 25 | Afternoon Run 2.28 mi · 26:47 · 11:44 /mi | 2.28 mi | 26:47 | 11:44 /mi |