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?
- Personalized Assessment: Based on your running experience and fitness condition
- Smart Adjustments: Training intensity optimizes automatically with progress
- Scientific Pacing: Based on your target finish time
- Injury Prevention: Reasonable intensity progression to avoid injuries
suzhou marathon e zone phoenix rising back to back sub 330
——Preface
"When we set off, we always want to prove something to others. But when we reach the finish line, we suddenly realize that we don't need to prove anything to anyone."——Reading the race report of my idol moved me to tears.
He said,Run your own race | Always strive to go further, always aim to improve a little.
After setting a personal best of 3:33 at last year's Beijing Marathon, I set my next goal to break 3:30. However, I crashed in two consecutive marathons.
In the Rizhao Marathon, I missed my PB by 8 seconds, feeling completely drained. In the Qingdao Sea Marathon, I crashed in the second half, feeling hopeless about breaking 3:30, and ended up walking 2 kilometers to finish in 3:44.
The lessons from these two crashed marathons were:"Many injuries are the result of impatience—trying to push the body to a certain level without being prepared. Athletes should run professionally, progressing gradually with appropriate time."
So I stopped urgently trying to break 3:30 and focused on my daily training with a calm mind.
Each training session, I ran very slowly, so slowly that I began to doubt whether marathon running was suitable for me; so slowly that I worried I might only be suited for leisurely runs and not competitive racing; so slowly that the goal I had hoped to achieve by the end of last year seemed fine to achieve by the end of this year.
My greatest strength is that I get anxious, confused, and down, but I never give up on myself because I know these are human weaknesses that everyone has.
"You just focus on being brilliant; the heavens have their own arrangements."
The Xiamen Marathon felt like a pie falling from the sky for me because I didn't get a spot through the lottery, nor was I selected as an official pacer. I thought I had no chance to run it.
One day, my idol asked, "You didn't get into the Xiamen Marathon, right?" "Yes." "Name, phone number, ID number, group, quickly! Give them to me."... And that's how I ended up going to Wuxi.
Thank you to my idol for providing this precious opportunity, and thank you to my past self for all the hard work. The harder you work, the luckier you get; the luckier you get, the harder you work. After finishing in 3:29, I hugged my idol, who was waiting for the 3:45 pacer, and excitedly told him, "I set a new PB! I broke 3:30!" And what I didn't say out loud—I didn't let you down; I have been making progress.
Thank you to the photographer for capturing this sweet moment.
"If you don't set a new PB, how can you justify all the hard work over the winter?"
——This quote was from a sign on the race course. Everyone says the Xiamen Marathon is a sweet race, from the cherry blossom pastries at the expo to the cherry blossoms in full bloom along the Taihu Lake. Along the route, enthusiastic citizens set up private aid stations, offering free food and drinks to the runners.
Despite the warmth, it was still a bit tough and heartbreaking for me.
The tough part was:
I caught a cold the day before the race, coughing non-stop;
Because it was back-to-back races, I was sore for a whole day after finishing the Chengdu Marathon last week, and my total mileage for the week before the race was only 5 km;
Being assigned to Zone E by the sponsor, it took over ten minutes after the gun went off to reach the start line, and the crowd was so dense that I had to run on the curb for the first six or seven kilometers;
My foot injury flared up again before the halfway point, with various discomforts and cramps.
The heartbreaking part was:
Wanting to relax and run comfortably, but the motivational signs along the route kept me fired up: "You didn't wake up this early to walk"; "Running this slow, how will you catch up with the girls?"
And some signs were like love letters: "I've run many marathons, hoping one day to run into your heart"; "Only for you"; "Waiting for you at the finish line"... How could I bear this, having just gone through a breakup?
At the 41 km mark, I witnessed a fellow runner collapse and lose consciousness, and I couldn't help but cry.I always thought I was working hard enough, but there are always people who work even harder.
Some people think I'm too intense, like I'm risking my life. But after the Xiamen Marathon, I didn't even have any soreness to deal with. I understand better than anyone:The best PB is to return home safely.
I used to not understand why others cried when crossing the finish line. I said I would just smile!
Now I understand. We cry, we smile, not just as a reaction to the result, but because of the 42.195 km of sensations and emotions, and even the efforts, predictions, and expectations over the past week, month, or year leading up to this 42.195 km.
Every 42.195 km run is a self-directed, self-acted movie. Some move others, some move ourselves.
"If you want to achieve something, first find someone who has achieved it, and then see how they did it."
——This is my favorite quote, applicable in various fields. For running marathons, I first found my idol Shen Wuzi, then scoured his social media, set my own goals, logged my training... and step by step achieved my goals, getting faster and faster, finally meeting my idol in person, and even having the chance to run with him.
Originally, I thought completing one marathon in my life would be enough. Now, I've run eight races: breaking four hours in my first marathon in Zhengzhou, placing fourth in the Yanqing Women's Half Marathon, qualifying as a national second-level athlete in the Beijing Marathon, and breaking 3:30 in Wuxi to qualify for Boston. My next goal is 3:19.
I never thought I would become the person I once admired, becoming a role model for others. So when people say, "You're amazing," "I admire you," "You're my idol," I don't know how to respond. I just love something and want to do it to the best of my ability.
Running is something anyone can do; it's not a big deal. If you persist, you can do it too.
"Run a marathon, discover a city."
People often ask, don't you have to work since you're always running marathons everywhere? I'm so envious that you can run marathons and travel everywhere.
I don't know how many people who run marathons everywhere have family wealth, but I don't. I'm a typical "no family support, no man by my side." Running marathons in other cities is done on weekends, leaving on Friday night and rushing back to work on Monday, so busy that I don't have weekends off. That's why I'm only now submitting my Xiamen Marathon race report.
Each of us knows our own hardships, while the exciting and happy moments often live in the eyes of others.
I've run marathons in five cities, but it's always been a rush, with my only impressions of each city limited to the train station and the hotel I stayed in that night, apart from the 42.195 km race course.
Wuxi is the only city I've come to know because of running. Because my return ticket to Beijing on Sunday was for 9 PM, a Codoon fan changed their train ticket to spend an afternoon strolling with me.
This was my first time experiencing the scenery of a southern town, my first time feeling the sensation of "running a marathon to discover a city."
Thank you, Xiao Tao, and thank you to everyone who likes me. You all give me more motivation to become better and stronger.
Because I no longer want to improve and grow alone... I want to one day be like my idol, influencing more people, and even being able to help those who were once like us.
"Run, and meet the people you want to meet."
While resting at the finish line, a reporter caught me for an interview. She asked, "What changes has running brought to your life?"
"I've lost weight, developed abs, become more confident, and met many interesting and excellent people."
Yes, the important thing is, I've met many interesting and excellent people—
For example, my idol, who could rely on his looks but chooses to rely on his strength. Luckily, he was the 3:45 pacer in the Xiamen Marathon, giving me a chance to catch up with him. After passing him at 26 km, my motivation was: having finally passed him, I couldn't let him catch up!
For example, Lao Zhao, who could rely on his talent but works harder than me. He said,Chasing marathon times is an illness that can be cured, but it's unnecessary.After passing my idol, I kept trying to catch up with him... After stepping on his foot and finishing fourth in the Yanqing Women's Half Marathon, I became superstitious and decided to step on his foot every time I see him.
For example, Shi Xiong, whom I met at the start of the Beijing Marathon and was the first person I saw in Wuxi. To this day, I can't explain how I ended up happily hanging out with this young guy who sticks band-aids on his pimples and calls me "auntie" because of my big head, meeting idols together.
And Mitao, a girl whose voice alone can captivate people; Mingming, my beautiful roommate in the Xiamen Marathon, who ran her first marathon back-to-back, incredibly strong; Yan'er, who brought me a vest early in the morning and ran a short distance with me on the course; Hourglass, a guy from my idol's running group; and a big brother whose name I can't remember, who said he's been following me on Codoon and added me on WeChat for a photo.
Those runners who originally only followed and were followed on Codoon, without even having WeChat, we met while running...
And I became more certain:Those who are better and prettier than you work harder than you. You really can't slack off!
Look! On the left is the Hong Kong 100 champion, on the right is the top Ironman in Asia, and I'm still a small fry...
No more chatter. To one day meet my idol Bas on the triathlon course, I need to work overtime to earn money! After all, I can't even afford to change my triathlon bike.
Next race, see you in Heze!
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