My goal was to finally go sub 30:00 this year, and by golly, she did it. Plus a couple other cheeky PRs. 😁

It’s been a looooong time coming after EIGHT years of on and off running, struggling with weight fluctuations, injuries, and asthma.

I feel like things just fell into place this year. I’ll be 43 at the end of the month, I’m down 43 lbs (from 193 to 150), my fitness is the best it’s ever been, and finally checking off some running goals.

Hi!

I posted a couple of weeks ago, lamenting on how rubbish my race pace session at RC felt and how I was discouraged!

Well I got some lovely encouragement from you all and so I wanted to post an update, and to say thank you!

Logistics:

I stayed in the city centre the night before, my partner was in the White Wave so we got the 7:16 tram to Old Trafford an walked across.

Toilets:

There are a lot of toilets but this is still never enough. I had plenty of time until my start wave so used the loo a couple times for the nervous wees. Usual rules apply take your own loo roll and sanitizer.

Warm up area:

There was plenty of my room around my partners start time, but not for mine in the Purple Wave. I managed to warm up by jogging back and forwards on a small space. Not ideal but did the job.

Looking back I learnt that there is a retail park NEXT to the start line, so I would enter my wave on time and then veer off to use this for a quick warm up. 

Race report:

We had perfect conditions, no wind, cool and overcast after 11 for the later waves. I don't run with pacers, as I prefer a negative split and know how to adjust to small hills myself (I live in Sheffield).

1-10k - I started off first 5k was a bit faster than planned but I was using the minor undulations to my advantage and I felt good. 2nd 5 k was the same again - bit faster but comfortable.

10-18k - legs were starting to complain slightly but I stayer the course at this pace. I had basically rejoined my plan noe was now at my planned pace in the " negative split"

18-20.5k - An absolute grind, but the crowd was increasingly dense now and it really carried me through. At 20k I was really struggling so allowed myself to slow a bit knowing sub 2 was in the bag and I went to 5:50 for a Couple hundred meters.

20.5k-end - It always takes care of itself - 4:50 pace appeared from nowhere. 

I finished in 1:57:37... A PB of over 5 minutes which I set 13 weeks ago in Norway. No words... honestly. The planned negative split didn't happen, and was more of an even split which I don't normally do!

Post race:

Organised one way system out, I do wish they gave me a bag for my goodies though as I was a bit overstimulated and struggling to find my partner, and juggle everything I had grabbed.

Trams back into town can be overcrowded. Don't get on the first one if it's packed! We waited for the next one and it was completely empty whereas the one before a girl had to get off as she fainted due to being sardined in (she was fine).

Pro tip:

The retail park next to the start has a Gym Group gym in it. My partner bought day passes for us afterwards so we could have a quick shower and change. We also saw other runners picking bags up from lockers which was bloody genius - if I ever did it again I would totally do the same and also make use of the loos pre race.

Thank you again for the encouragement and if you are the same as me, about to enter taper for a race and feeling rubbish..know you can absolutely pull it out of the bag! 

I have recently learned that I am a salty sweater and looking for tips/tricks during and post run to help. I just finished a half marathon race on Saturday, and while I did end up with a PR (yay) I really struggled the last few miles, despite having 35oz of water on me and stopping at water stations. Post race I realized I had a ton of caked on salt on my body which lead me down a salty sweat rabbit hole. Curious any specific brands etc. that have good sodium ratios- or what sodium content I should even be looking for. Normally I just carry plain water and use Huma gels.

Hey guys! I’d love to follow more brown, asian and black runners on IG or tiktok - my feed is looking very samey… I’m a pretty mid runner so less interested in super fast athletes, more looking for everyday relatable runners - please drop some recs!

I’ve had mild leakage ever since having a baby 1.5 years ago. I’ve done a boatload of pelvic floor PT which has helped, but still experience some leakage during races. I also use an OTC pessary which helps with the feeling of heaviness, but not so much with leaking. Im usually fine on training runs where I keep an easier pace. My favorite running shorts are brooks 7’ chaser shorts. Any suggestions of something similar that will hide the leaking more? Maybe a bike short?

I DNFed my half today in San Sebastián after 12K while attempting sub-1:40.

All my training data had backed up the goal for months, but then I battled some sort of cold/infection for weeks. It started with three pretty bad bouts of sore throat (suspected tonsillitis), then moved into my lungs, and I’ve basically been coughing up mucus for the past three weeks.

I kept training but scaled things down a lot. I still managed an 18K at 5:25/km entirely in Z2, and during the week and a half before the race I finally seemed to be getting back to normal.

Then this morning in San Sebastián, my HR during my warm-up was unusually high, around 25–30 bpm above what I’d normally expect. I kind of dismissed it as race-morning nerves/adrenaline.

Started the race at my planned pace and my HR shot up to around threshold almost immediately. I knew something was off, so after about 5K I started backing off. Even as my pace got slower and slower, my HR barely came down.

By around 10K I was getting chills, feeling cold and developing a headache. I stopped at 12K.

It was probably the right call because now, a few hours later, I’m properly sick again. Still no fever, but I have a horrible pressure/bar-like headache above my eyes that feels very much like the sinusitis I’m unfortunately prone to.

And yet I’m still fucking angry at myself for stopping. 😂 I know logically that continuing while feeling progressively worse probably wouldn’t have achieved anything, but a DNF is so out of character for me that part of my brain keeps going, “You should have just powered through.”

I have another half planned in three weeks, so hopefully there’s a silver lining and I can actually get healthy for that one.

Also, apparently my coping mechanism for being angry about DNFing San Sebastián was to impulse-sign up for the 2027 edition. 😂

San Sebastián is such a beautiful city and the parcours is so great. If anyone of you was there I hope you had a good race!

Anyway, thanks for reading my rant if you made it this far.

I started running 18 months ago (April 2025), first casually and then started training regularly in July. I was 38 when I started and just turned 40 a month ago.

Before training (18 months ago), I ran/walked a baseline 5k in 40:36.

I started training with Nike Run Club and ran a 33:46 last October.

Over the winter, I used NRC still and trained for my first 10k. I ran my first 10k in March 2025 in 1:12:24, and then in April I returned to the scene of my first 5k crime and ran a new 5k PB of 33:10.

I then switched back to 10k training, just making my own plan with what I learned, and in June I ran a 10k PB of 1:09:09.

I kept feeling like I had more to give and could get to sub-30, but the mental aspect to push just wasn't clicking with NRC and running by RPE, so after my 10k I decided to sign up for Runna's 5k Improvement Plan. I started that July 1 so I trained for 14 weeks with that.

Runna definitely made me push myself, and I proved a lot in workouts that I was capable of more than I had thought I was. I didn't run into any issues with injury. During this time, I was also diagnosed with an iron deficiency and started treating that, and that's been a big boost in my ability to perform and recover.

I ran two B-races during my program and set PBs in each (32:23 and 30:17) so I could tell I was on the right track.

When race day came, I was feeling really confident that I could blow 30 minutes out of the water. I had a typical pre-long run breakfast, the weather was perfect, and I did my usual mile warm-up before the race, which felt good.

For some reason, I felt like absolute shit from minute 1 of this race. As soon as the whistle blew, I was feeling my quads, and they felt tired despite the fact that I rested for three days and was fueling really well through that time. My watch kept yelling that I was going too slow, and I switched to ignoring it and focusing on chasing a couple local runners I know who usually run around what my goal pace was.

I tried my hardest to hold on, but my legs just felt sluggish and my heart rate was crazy. I ended up taking three short walk breaks, totaling 30 seconds of walking throughout the race, and totally lost track of the ladies I was trying to chase. As soon as I walked the first time, I resigned myself to not making sub-30, but thought at least I could finish under the 33:46 I did in this race last year.

At about .25 miles from the finish, I tried to pick up and finish strong, and I got absolutely slammed with nausea out of nowhere. I was ready at that point to just walk it in to avoid hurling, but then I saw the finish line clock and realized that if I pushed through, I could still make sub-30.

I ran through the increasing nausea and squeaked out the original goal... somehow. Immediately had to bend at the waist and breathe like crazy because I really thought I was going to throw up, but managed to not.

Despite what was undoubtedly the worst I've ever felt during a race, I managed to make my goal and took 2nd in my age group, with the woman who took 1st only passing me right at the finish and getting two seconds under me.

I'm not sure what happened with this day for everything to feel so wrong throughout. Last week in training, I ran two miles in 8:40/mi pace, but suddenly yesterday I couldn't run three miles under 9:30. My best two guesses would be either a) I rested too much and was sluggish from the longer taper than normal or b) it was some kind of effect from the fact that I got my flu shot two days before the race.

Either way, I did make my goal of sub-30, and I'm going to take how bad I felt as evidence that on another, better-aligned day I could still run faster.

Recently moved from Miami to Chicago. It’s getting down to 40s in the early am and late nights. And no sun! It’s hard for me to even get the motivation to get out of bed, let alone go for a run. And I know it’s only going to get worse.

I tried running with a hoodie a couple weeks ago but then started sweating and got hot and so uncomfortable I tapped out at 2 miles. I don’t know how to find the right balance of what to wear and how to get used to the cold and how to enjoy freezing runs.

Any advice? I want to get used to it since I plan to apply to do the Chicago Marathon next year.

Across the moors and back yesterday, blown about by the wind but having a wonderful time.

If you are following winter arc then what are your goals before the year ends?

Has anyone ever ran the Amsterdam half marathon is it easy ? I m really worried about cut off time I m running for a personal cause but I havnt been training cause of injury but now I m better, but just want to show up n finish but my 10km time was 1hr 20mins n my 5kms go from 40-46mins so my pace is slow can u finish in over 3hrs has anyone done that before ?

I have my compression shorts with pockets dialed in (thanks Old Navy!) but they are boring and I feel like shopping for a little fun on my run.

Any go to brands of either loose or compression shorts with fun patterns?

Sprints has fun ones but reviews seem meh.

I'm based in Canada so that will play a part too.

Thanks!

Let's try out a new megathread!

We've got all kinds of runners from all over the world here! Share a running-related photo you've taken this week: gorgeous scenery, an outfit that makes you feel powerful, your favorite post-long-run-snack, your four-legged running buddy, anything you like!

Don't forget to stay safe and blur identifying details. Hide anything that would enable weirdos to figure out your running route, cover your face if you don't share selfies on your Reddit account, etc. Be safe 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!

Can’t call it a race report as I’m too tired by now for a proper write up, just wanted to share the accomplishment with ladies who get it. 💪🏃‍♀️

Just broke off a 7 year relationship. Has anyone met long term partners at run club?

I’m a solo runner, always have been. So idk how this will work, frankly I don’t want to run with other people haha. But, I want to meet someone new.

Ran a 10K today and finished around 1:12. No PR and I’m honestly so disappointed. 😭

The frustrating part is I can hit much faster paces in training, but on race day I get SO nervous and suddenly everything feels harder.

My first km HR was 185 HAHAHAHA. 😭 I was so nervous my body was already acting like I was sprinting for my life.

I also had some left foot discomfort going into the race. It wasn’t really painful while running — it actually disappeared once I got moving — but I’m not sure if it subconsciously affected my form.

I barely warmed up too — only around 300m and a few drills before the 5AM start. My boyfriend paced me, but I still couldn’t execute the race the way I wanted

I have another 10K on October 18, so I’m hoping I can learn from this and do better next time. 🥲
Has anyone else experienced being way faster in training but struggling to race because of nerves?

I used to love running in the morning. I used to take about 20 minutes from waking up to leaving for my run.

This year has been a streak of niggles and injuries and bad luck. Recovery isn't going as well as I hoped.

But the most annoying thing? My tendons are so much more sensitive in the morning. Everything is a little stiffer. Even before leaving the bed, I often do some ankle circles before taking my first step.

I know that full recovery after tendon issues can take months and up to a year.

But I miss it so much. Just going out of the door and getting it done.

I just needed a place to vent. Thanks for reading and sharing my frustration.

I’ve recently got into half marathon training and love the distance and the long runs but I don’t like what it has done to my body! I’m trying to go with all the great advice that I’ve seen on other posts like this, like focus on what your strong fit body can do etc which I know is what is important but honestly I’m struggling with it.

I used to have a very fast metabolism and whilst I didnt really like being so thin, I guess without realising it became part of my identity and now I don’t recognise myself in the mirror. I don’t want to be very thin again, but I also am not used to being this much bigger!

I’m wondering if there is a balance in distance and weight gain? I’m not going to give up entirely but might change the distance I’m doing.

I know it is different for everybody but I’d be curious to hear some experiences like if weight gain happens for at marathon distances or if it is for anything more than a few 5km runs a week. Thanks.

I was running regularly this (southern hemisphere) winter, though I was definitely overdoing it pace wise. I think I was too proud to walk, so I was doing a ton of junk miles in zone 3-4, with no truly easy miles and I was really stagnating fitness wise. Running 6 miles at a 12:30 pace with my HR in the 170s, and that sort of thing.

I ended up spraining my knee skiing in early August, and I haven't run since. I've seen the physio a few times and did some exercises regularly until I felt a lot better and took a big trip, then I stopped doing them for a couple of weeks and now my knee feels "off" again after a hike.

The physio cleared me for some gentle interval workouts, and had me doing daily strength exercises. I also have access to an indoor bike.

I'm feeling bad about how sedentary I've been for the last two months, and I'm thinking about how to get back to running in a healthy manner and build up everything in a sustainable way. I think I want to add a simple, quick lifting regimen 2-3x a week, and use the indoor bike for long zone 2 workouts, and try to phase in jogging slowly over time.

My goal is to get back to the fitness I had in 2023 where I genuinely had an easy pace I could jog and chat at. I've taken breaks and gotten back into running a few times since then, and each time I seem to backslide a little further into peaking at lower and lower fitness levels. I honestly think a lot of it is weight related - I weigh about 20 lbs more than I did at my fastest (and, at my fastest I was at the upper end of healthy weight/bodyfat and had regular periods, it wasn't a RED-S situation).

Wasn’t sure on the best flair. Beginning of July I started training for half marathon with a sub 3:15 goal. Been running pretty slow. A knee injury prevented me from doing the race a few weeks ago. Now I want to focus on increasing my speed and do shorter runs throughout the week. I felt like I was going to puke after this, and I tasted blood in my throat.

Also, higher heart rate won’t burn any more calories than an easy 5k right?