There's something special about preparing for your first marathon. The excitement. The anticipation. The sense that you're about to do something you've never done before. But there's usually a fair bit of uncertainty too! And from speaking to hundreds of runners over the years, I've noticed that people tend to worry about different things. For some, it's whether they'll be able to cover the distance. For others, it's pacing. Some worry about hitting the wall. Others are concerned about nutrition, cramping, or simply how they'll feel in those final few miles. And here's something worth remembering. You don't have to eliminate every worry before you run your first marathon. But you can prepare for many of the things you're worried about. You can practise your fuelling. You can develop a sensible pacing strategy. You can build your endurance progressively. And you can learn how to manage the inevitable challenges that come with running 26.2 miles. So here's today's question: If you're preparing for your first marathon, what's the ONE thing you're most concerned about? 1. Completing the distance. 2. Getting my pacing right. 3. Fuelling and avoiding the wall. 4. Injury, recovery or something going wrong. 5. Something else entirely. And if you've already completed a marathon, I'd love you to join in too. What was your biggest worry before your first marathon, and did it turn out to be justified? Share your experiences below. Your answer might help somebody who's preparing for theirs. John

Before planning another week, take five minutes to look honestly at the one you’ve just completed. Answer these three questions: 1. What went well? (What should you continue doing next week?) 2. What didn’t go to plan? (Was it a one-off, or is something in your training genuinely not working?) 3. What is one adjustment you’ll make? (Keep it specific and realistic) You don’t need to overhaul everything because you missed a run or had a difficult session. Most progress comes from making small course corrections before small problems become big ones. Share your answers below, or simply tell us the one thing you’re going to do differently next week. 👇

You don’t need to be ready to run 26.2 miles today. But if you want to run a marathon next year, it’s useful to know what you already have in place—and what needs attention before your marathon-specific training begins. Score yourself from 1 to 5 in each area: 1 = needs a lot of work 5 = very confident 🏃 Consistency Are you currently running regularly enough to build from? ❤️ Aerobic endurance Can you complete easy runs without turning every session into a struggle? 💪 Strength Are you doing enough strength work to support the increased mileage ahead? 😴 Recovery Are you sleeping, fuelling, and recovering well enough to absorb your training? ⏱️ Pacing Can you control your effort—or does every run gradually become a race? 🍌 Fuelling Do you know what to eat and drink before, during, and after longer runs? 🧠 Confidence Do you trust your current training, or are you mostly hoping it will work? Copy this into the comments and add your scores: Consistency: Endurance: Strength: Recovery: Pacing: Fuelling: Confidence: Then tell me which area needs the most attention between now and January. There’s no judgement here. The point is to identify your next step, not prove that you’re already marathon-ready. 👇

Lots of runners will head out for a longer run this weekend. But before you start, ask yourself one question: What am I trying to achieve from this session? Is it to: ✅ Build easy aerobic endurance? ✅ Practise holding a controlled pace? ✅ Get comfortable spending longer on your feet? ✅ Test your fuelling? ✅ Recover and enjoy an easy social run? ✅ Build confidence before an upcoming race? “Running as far as possible” isn’t always the right answer. A productive long run should support the rest of your training, not leave you so exhausted that the next few days are written off. Share your weekend run below: 1. How far or how long are you planning to run? 2. What effort or pace are you aiming for? 3. What is the main purpose of the session? Putting that into words before you run can stop an easy session from becoming an unnecessary race against yourself or Strava. Let’s hear what everyone has planned. 👇

How many runs are you committing to this week? Post it below 👇