Personalized Marathon Training Plan Guide

Preparing for a marathon requires a systematic training plan. RunBox AI coach creates a customized 16-20 week marathon training plan based on your fitness level, goal time, and available training time.

Why Choose an AI-Customized Marathon Training Plan?

1. Personalized Assessment: Based on your running experience and fitness condition
2. Smart Adjustments: Training intensity optimizes automatically with progress
3. Scientific Pacing: Based on your target finish time
4. Injury Prevention: Reasonable intensity progression to avoid injuries

too marathon chronicles i really just don't want to lose

"It's that I'm not good enough, but I still believe that one day I can be better. I hope you find peace within and shine in the way you love and respect." - Preface

01

A marathon is not just the 42.195 kilometers from the starting point to the finish line.

From setting your goal, preparing for the race, training hard, to finally completing it, that counts as a complete ritual.

They say life needs a sense of ritual; perhaps it's the process of wanting to interact with ourselves in a way we enjoy.

Having experienced the era of running slower and slower last year, this year I thought of going all out to see the limits of my sky. The Taiyuan Marathon is in September, the golden autumn season with clear skies. Thinking about the results of summer training being fully displayed on the Taiyuan track, I felt a bit excited. So, for the past few months, I've been piling up my running volume, and I've fallen into a strange cycle where I feel uncomfortable if I don't run every day, like missing a meal. Others joked that I was on a pace to break 3 hours, but honestly, I just wanted to break 3:30.

Actually, it's not really about training; I just want to run. Of course, long-distance training is also a necessary condition. I used to be very afraid of long distances, always feeling that they would exhaust me. Later, my speed improved significantly, and I found that long distances weren't that difficult anymore, so I ran a few marathons casually.

A few days before the Taiyuan Marathon, I even had insomnia, thinking about how to pace for 3:30, the training plan after breaking it, and even discussed a perfect battle plan with Kuang Shen, only to find out we weren't even in the same zone, haha.

02

In the carriage to Taiyuan, it seemed like everyone was a marathon runner! That day, I first met Brother Dayang, and we boarded the train together. Our row of seats was almost entirely occupied by fellow runners. I chatted with Sister Haixia on my right, while on my left was a sleeping Rou Rou, and further left was a handsome guy who occasionally took group photos of us. Yang Yang from another row also came over to chat from time to time. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, we arrived in Taiyuan. Ku Cha, who caught a later train, didn't meet us in the carriage but joined us after we got off to collect our race materials. I heard that if you had completed a previous Taiyuan Marathon, you'd get an extra star on your bib number. We envied Ku Cha's 4-star bib and joked about whether he was aiming to collect 12 stars to summon the dragon! Haha. His previous Taiyuan Marathon PB was 3:17, a time I dream of achieving. Envy, yes, but no jealousy!

At noon, our group went to the famous Shanxi Noodle House and had some specialty dishes: fried pork, vinegar-glazed meatballs, and most importantly, each of us had four bowls of noodles (though each small bowl only had a few strands). It felt like eating a piece of art, haha. Thinking about another gathering with Squid Captain in the afternoon, it seemed destined to be a day filled with noodles. I wished I had a clone to help me eat a few more bowls, haha.

Every marathon is a grand idol meet-and-greet.

As Squid said, "Without the people and things you care about, every marathon is the same."

So, in the afternoon, I went to meet my handsome team and idols with excitement. During the meal, it seemed everyone had their own goals and tasks. This race felt extraordinarily significant to everyone.

We even took a group photo with Kuang Shen and the handsome team after the meal, humorously calling ourselves the 3:30 squad, haha. Kuang Shen took the center spot (he's a 3:30 pacer and has led a team cycling the Sichuan-Tibet line; his legendary feats are too many to mention). Although I can't become as great as them, at least I have a photo with them, haha.

In the evening, we all received a text reminder from the race committee: high temperatures tomorrow, blabla, basically advising us to give up on PB and just finish safely. Pfft! Did I take a high-speed train for over three hours just to finish safely? I want a PB!! I meticulously studied the temperature: starting at 7:30, if I finish in 3:30, the expected finish time is 11:00, when the temperature is theoretically 26 degrees. It only rises to 32 degrees by noon, so I was secretly pleased that finishing by 11:00 would avoid the high temperatures. I felt quite clever.

Then I kept trying to convince Yang Yang to join me in Zone C for a 3:30 finish. We even talked about waiting for Rou Rou at the finish line to cheer him on (Rou Rou rolled his eyes at me, haha). Let me introduce Yang Yang (my idol, Yuta Yang): yes, the one in black on the right is him. One day before a race, we were doing a long run, or rather, I was privately pacing him, haha (just kidding). Why is Yuta Yang my idol? Last year, when he had been running for less than a year, he kept setting PBs. His casual pace was something I had to struggle to keep up with (and couldn't). One day in the park, he was wearing this godly vest and a blue cap, speeding past me. Even the elderly were whispering about how amazing he was. At that moment, I thought he really resembled Yuta. I thought to myself, I must create more records with this man! Haha, I digress. Back to the point: I didn't succeed in convincing him. He said he'd quietly aim for sub-4 in Zone B. Hmph, heartlessly abandoning me.

03

The next day, we planned to take a group photo before the race, but we didn't see the captain. He said he had already gone to Zone A to secure a spot (so serious). So, our trio took a photo ourselves, haha.

Yes, the one in the middle is Rou Rou (Rou Shen). Let me introduce Rou Shen: he (once) was a god, once running 50 kilometers around Beijing's 3rd Ring Road without stopping, finishing in under 5 hours. I still haven't unlocked the 3rd Ring Road, feeling ashamed. Recently, Rou Boss has been busy with work and personal matters, so his running has become a bit rusty. But today, it seems it won't affect his sub-4 finish, haha.

Then we each went to our respective starting zones.

The starting weather was fine, but I was in Zone C. I wanted to quickly pace at 4:40 to catch up to Zones B and A, at least to see Yang Yang, Kuang Shen, and the handsome team! So, I ran at a 4:45 pace all the way.

After catching up to Kuang Shen, I greeted him and moved on. After catching up to the handsome team, I initially wanted to call out to him but remembered he habitually pats shoulders, so I jumped and patted him (considering my height). Surprisingly, the handsome team ran with me for a while and gave me four salt tablets. I felt a bit excited, thinking this boost would help me run forward. The captain told me Yang Yang was ahead, which made me even more excited. I had always said I wanted to finish 3:30 with Yang Yang, but he secretly aimed for sub-3:30 today. I pushed forward, but when I finally caught up to Yuta Yang at 19 kilometers, he started walking as soon as he saw me. I had no choice but to keep going, thinking I'd run as far as I could.

I was already exhausted from chasing Zone A. From 25 to 30 kilometers, my pace started to drop. I thought I'd just run slowly and finish in 3:45. Then it got really hot. My plan of 26 degrees at 11:00 deceived me; it was clearly 36 degrees. I couldn't even maintain a 6-minute pace and started walking. Initially, I alternated between running and walking, but eventually, I just walked.

I kept thinking I mustn't let the handsome team see me. Wearing the team uniform while walking is so embarrassing (I even thought about taking off my shirt to walk). Eventually, the handsome team also hit a wall and found me at 33 or 35 kilometers. Then Kuang Shen passed me. I regretted not running with him. It was too late to say anything now. I tried to run again, but after a few dozen meters, my heart rate spiked, and I felt nauseous. So, I walked the remaining 10 kilometers in despair.

Look, that's how dejected and hopeless I was!

I don't even know how I reached the finish line. When I collected my bag and checked my phone, I saw a text message with my net time of 4:12. I didn't care about this insignificant result anymore. Thinking about my goal and previous efforts, this was trivial. Even Rou Rou comforted me: "You PB'd, and you're not happy?" Haha, I hit the wall, walked 12 kilometers, and still PB'd.Hitting the wall and PB can coexist.

04

Although I felt a bit frustrated, the handsome team comforted me after the race. I said,Losing is losing, no excuses.I'm not trying to sound pretentious or literary, as if I'm magnanimous about losing. To be honest, I can't think of any reason for my failure. I don't know where I went wrong. This pace was my usual safe long-distance pace. I don't know what happened. Maybe it's just that I'm not capable enough. But it's okay. If I can't handle this failure, I might as well quit running, haha.

After the race, my idol Xijia also encouraged me: "I hope you find peace within and shine in the way you love and respect. Many unexpected events don't mean anything. Accumulate and unleash your potential. Keep going." My idol's level is truly high. Not only did she give me comforting words that made me feel dignified, but she also provided objective and feasible suggestions for the next stage. What I admire most is that she has excellent results herself, but she genuinely loves running, purely loves it. Respect!

In the end, what I want to say is: we may not be able to control our wins and losses, but at least we can put in the effort needed to win and bear the cost of losing.

It's that I'm not good enough, but I still believe that one day I can be better!

Start Your Marathon Training Journey

With RunBox app, you'll get:

• GPT-4o powered personalized training plans
• Daily training guidance and feedback
• Nutrition and recovery advice
• Real-time progress tracking

Download RunBox now and let our AI coach create your personalized marathon training plan!