Preparing for a marathon has never been easier. There are thousands of training plans available online, AI can prescribe your training in seconds, and social media is full of advice from runners documenting their own marathon journeys. Yet despite having more information than ever before, marathon runners still tend to ask the same questions.

After years of coaching runners towards their first marathon through to experienced marathoners chasing personal bests and even podiums, I've come to realise that the answers to these questions are rarely just about training itself. More often than not, they're about understanding the principles behind good training and making better decisions throughout the training journey.

In this article, I want to unpack three of the most common marathon questions we get asked at CMF Running. Rather than simply giving you numbers or quick answers, I hope to help you better understand the why behind each one.

Prefer to Listen?

Chris and Char unpack these coaching concepts in more depth in this episode of the NZ Nomad Runner Podcast.

1. How many kilometres should I be running?

(Question comes from a 5 hour marathoner)

This is probably the most common marathon questions we get. For a first-time marathon runner, it's usually phrased something like:

"I'm aiming to run under five hours. How many kilometres should I be running each week? And how long should my longest run be?"

On the surface it sounds like a simple question, but from a coaching perspective, I actually think it's the wrong place to start.

One of the first things I notice when runners ask this question is how quickly the conversation revolves around mileage. Weekly kilometres, longest run, total volume. While these metrics certainly have their place, they often become the key focus for the wrong runners- its a mis match! As a coach, when I’m starting to work with an athlete such as a 5 hour marathoner in this example, I don't begin by asking how many kilometres they are running, I begin by asking broader questions about the individual such as the below examples:

• How long have they been running?
• What's their sporting background?
• Have they had injuries?
• How old are they?
• How much time do they realistically have available each week?
• How well are they currently tolerating training?

All of these variables, on top of raw data review that I undertake influence what the right amount of training looks like for that individual.

One of the observations I've made over the years is that runners often compare their mileage with other runners. It's an easy trap to fall into. You jump on Strava, see someone preparing for the same marathon, and notice they're running considerably more kilometres than you.

The problem is that marathon training isn't a competition before race day, training needs to fit the athlete, not solely the event.

A runner targeting a three-and-a-half-hour marathon and another targeting a five-hour marathon may both head out for a ninety-minute run on the weekend. The faster runner will naturally cover more distance simply because they're moving at a quicker pace. That doesn't mean they're doing "better" training—it simply reflects the athlete in front of the training prescription. We need to be very careful of comparison or following someone else’s training.

Trying to match someone else's mileage without considering your own circumstances is one of the quickest ways to train beyond your current capacity.

Duration often matters more than distance

This becomes even more relevant for runners targeting around five hours for the marathon.

Their training often begins to look less like traditional marathon training and more like ultra-marathon preparation.

Why?

Because time becomes the limiting factor.

A 32-kilometre long run for a three-hour marathon runner might take a little over two hours. The same run for someone aiming to run five hours could take well over four hours.

Different runners, much harsher stressor for the 5 hour marathoner, and a completely different recovery cost.

Instead of chasing a particular distance simply because someone else has done it, I'd much rather see that runner complete a long run that's appropriate for their current fitness and leaves them able to continue training well the following week.

Good marathon training isn't about seeing how much punishment you can absorb in one session, It’s about stringing together weeks and months of consistent training. Having the right peak weeks and peak sessions at the right time of each smaller block within the larger phase of training.

The goal is to arrive at the start line healthy

Training should leave you fitter, not broken. If your training is constantly pushing you into injury, illness or excessive fatigue, then your weekly mileage becomes irrelevant. You're effectively training zero kilometres while you're injured.

That's why we're always looking for the sweet spot, enough training to stimulate adaptation, not so much that it tips the athlete over.

For many runners, especially those aiming around the five-hour mark, this might mean four runs per week supported by strength training, walking, or some indoor cycling to build aerobic capacity without adding excessive physiological and nervous system stress.

These sessions all contribute to becoming a stronger marathon runner, even though they don't appear in your weekly mileage total. That's another reason why comparing yourself to someone else's training rarely makes sense, you’re comparing one small piece of a much bigger picture.

What about the longest run?

This is another question that often gets overcomplicated. There's a common belief that your longest run needs to be enormous if you're going to successfully complete a marathon. In reality, there's a point where the recovery cost begins to outweigh the benefit.

For many 5ish hour marathoners, I’d much rather see them complete around three hours of running, recover well, and continue training the training prescription, than spend four-plus hours out pounding the pavement only to require four or five days to recover properly.

Sometimes with the 5+ hour marathoner we'll even encourage runners to finish their long run and either straight away or later add thirty to sixty minutes of walking only. They still accumulate valuable time on their feet without the additional musculoskeletal stress that comes from continuous running, they then recover well and are ready to train again by Tuesday!

Coach Tip:

Stop asking, "How many kilometres should I be running?"

Start asking,

"What amount of training allows me to consistently improve while staying healthy?"

2. What if my key long runs don't go to plan?

If you've trained for a marathon before, you've had at least one long run that left you questioning your life choices and whether your training and goals are on track! Perhaps the pace felt harder than it should have vs previous runs, your heart rate was unusually high, your nutrition & fuelling didn’t sit well, or you simply didn't have the legs you expected- these runs totally happen! As a coach I anticipate and factor in for at least one of these key weekend long runs with nested marathon pace efforts to not go to plan.

One of the biggest misconceptions in marathon training is that successful marathon runners complete every key session exactly as planned. Social media doesn't help this perception. We tend to see everyone's best sessions, personal bests and perfectly executed long runs, while the sessions that don't go to plan rarely make it onto Instagram. The reality is very different.

One run never tells the whole story

One of the first things I'd encourage any runner to do after a disappointing long run is zoom out. A single session is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle, too often we let one training run become the story we're telling ourselves, and we get stuck in a negative feedback loop. The negative thinking is exasperated by the fact that we are likely tired from carrying training fatigue as well as normal daily life load. The sorts of thinking that permeates our mind is things like:

"I'm not fit enough."

"I'm going to blow up on race day."

"My marathon is falling apart."

Our minds are incredibly good at taking one piece of evidence and turning it into a conclusion. As coaches, rather than reacting emotionally, we become curious and review the data as a starting point, then start to look for reasons why the session didn’t go to plan in conjunction with what the data is saying.

Was it poor sleep?

Were you under-fuelled?

Were you carrying fatigue from the previous week? Were the conditions unusually hot or windy?

Did you simply aim for a pace that wasn't appropriate on that particular day?

We’re you mentally off-beam because of something that happened at work this week?

More often that not its a combination of factors too, as typically we can problem solve one challenge in session- but combinations of factors start to mount, and before you know it we’re

digging a hole! Happy to report though, one disappointing session doesn't automatically mean you're not capable of running your marathon goal, It just simply means something happened on that particular day.

Review before you react

One of the observations I've made coaching runners is that confidence often takes a hit because athletes skip straight from the perceived problem (the training that’s not going to plan) to the negative emotion. We are our own worst critics and typically we struggle to see our own thought patterns or the process that leads us to these thought patterns.

The run didn't go well, confidence disappears, self-doubt creeps in.

But somewhere in the middle sits reflection, that’s where the learning happens. Try asking:

"What can this run teach me?”

Sometimes the answer is incredibly practical:

• Your shoes are nearing the end of their life.
• You didn't fuel enough before heading out.
• You started too quickly.
• Your marathon pace was too ambitious for where your fitness currently sits.

Other times, the lesson is a little deeper.

• Perhaps you've been putting enormous pressure on yourself.
• Perhaps your self-worth has quietly become tied to achieving a particular marathon time.
• Perhaps your expectations have become unrealistic.

These things don't just show up on race day, they often reveal themselves during the hardest training sessions first. This is what training is: ‘A structured process of learning and practice designed to improve performance’ We’re going to learn stuff from succeeding in sessions and falling short in sessions. This is one of the reasons key long runs when part of overall training load is so valuable-they teach and sometimes expose both our physical preparation and our mindset.

Process, not outcome

When I was preparing for my third 100 Mile race- Tarawera 100 Mile, I had a simple mantra that I kept coming back to whenever my mind wandered.

Process, not outcome.

It's amazing how quickly our minds jump ahead, halfway through a race we start calculating finish times! During a marathon build we begin worrying about whether we're fit enough, during a difficult long run we convince ourselves the marathon itself is already over. Or sometimes its the other way- the ego is running riot and we are overshooting where our ability and real training adaptations actually sit.

None of these thought patterns help us complete the kilometre we're currently running. Bringing your focus back to the process can completely change the experience.

• What's the next kilometre?
• Have I fuelled?
• Am I running within myself?
• Am I making good decisions right now?

Those are questions you can actually answer… they’re also questions that move you forward. Equally important is the processes you follow in your general day in order to set yourself up for success on session. You’ve allocated and prioritised time to do your long run, your fuelled and hydrated appropriately going into it, you’ve got a little available downtime afterwards for some recovery.

This is what I love about training and how the athletes I work with motivate me too- they are prioritising training, so it means they are well organised in all aspects of their life in order to fit it in!

Have more than one goal

Many runners go into races with only one goal- a finish time. If that goal begins slipping away whether it be on race day or while training is unfolding, everything else can unravel with it.

I think it's far healthier to have multiple reasons for being there along with your time goal Reasons like:

• Execute your nutrition well.
• Stay mentally present throughout the race.
• Enjoy the atmosphere.
• Share the experience with family and friends.
• Prove to yourself that you can finish something you've committed to.
• Have fun.

These goals don't replace performance goals, they complement them. And when race day inevitably throws something unexpected your way—as marathons often do—you've still got something meaningful to hold onto in terms of goals. But also, you’ve got the mental capability to adapt and problem solve.

You don’t have to look far to see how being free and having fun translate to performance outcomes. Observe any true world class elites in any sport. 9 times out of 10 they are the most well rounded

individuals you’d ever met. They have to be- in order to perform, to be in the moment and not to fall apart.

Confidence isn't built by perfect training

Confidence comes from following process and having momentum with you. It also comes from solving problems and challenges that arise successfully. Every time you identify an issue, make an adjustment, and keep moving forward, your confidence grows.

You've learned something, you’ve become a better runner, you’ve added another tool to your toolbox- that’s exactly what training is for, to prepare you physically and mentally for race day, so then all you got to do is go out there and execute- and solve any challenges that arise!

3. How do I rebuild confidence after injury or a DNF?

Sometimes it's an injury, an illness, or a race that simply didn't go the way you’d hoped and planed more- maybe even a DNF (did not finish). Setbacks have a way of knocking more than just our fitness, they often knock our confidence as well.

One of the hardest parts about returning to running isn't rebuilding your fitness, It’s rebuilding your belief.

You begin questioning yourself.

"Will this happen again?" "Am I ready?"

"Can I still do this?"

These are incredibly normal thoughts.

But one of the observations I've made over the years is that confidence doesn't return because we wait long enough, It returns because we start taking action.

The injury is often the symptom

When someone tells me they had to pull out of a race because of injury, one of the first questions I ask myself is:

"How did we get here?"

The injury itself is often only the final symptom.

The real story usually started weeks earlier.

• Perhaps training load increased too quickly.
• Perhaps recovery wasn't where it needed to be.
• Perhaps life stress was already high.
• Perhaps a small niggle was ignored until it became something much bigger.

The race simply exposed what had already been developing. Understanding that difference is incredibly important because if we only treat the symptom, there's a good chance the same injury or pattern will happen again. Real progress comes from identifying the underlying cause and addressing that.

Confidence comes from taking action

One of the simplest pieces of advice I'd give any runner returning from injury is this: Do something.

• Book the physio appointment.
• Start the strength programme.
• Go for the thirty-minute run.
• Have the conversation with a coach.

None of those things magically solve the problem overnight, but every little action you take helps to moves you forward.

Confidence isn't something that suddenly appears one morning, It’s built through repeated positive actions.

Each small step says to your brain:

"I'm moving again." "I'm making progress."

"Things are getting better."

Over time, those small actions become momentum, and that momentum feeds confidence.

Build momentum, not mileage

One mistake I often see runners make when returning from injury is trying to pick up exactly where they left off.

It's understandable, your mind remembers the runner you were before the injury. Your body however, has had a very different experience.

This creates a friction point of your mind knowing what you used to be capable of, but the body and perhaps the fitness level aren’t all aligned. That's why patience becomes so important when building back.

Some of the most valuable runs you'll ever do are the ones that don't look impressive on Strava.

• Thirty easy minutes.
• An easy walk afterwards.
• A gentle strength session.
• Another thirty-minute run a couple of days later.

On paper, they're nothing special, In reality- they’re laying the foundations for everything that follows. Every consistent week builds another brick, and before you know it you’re right back into it and getting more gains than ever!

Celebrate the small wins

As runners, we're very good at chasing big goals- Marathons, PBs, Ultras. But when you're rebuilding, those goals can sometimes feel impossibly far away, that’s why I encourage runners to adjust the timeline and goals to fit the situation that you’re in.

• Did you train consistently this week? Great.

• Did your niggle settle? Fantastic.

• Did today's run feel a little easier than last week’s? Celebrate that.

Progress isn't always dramatic, sometimes it's almost invisible. Non presence of regression in conjunction with small training load increase is also proof of progress.

Small wins compound over time, confidence and momentum grows in exactly the same way.

Key Takeaways

• Train the athlete, not the event.
• Don't compare your mileage with someone else's.
• Prioritise consistency over impressive individual sessions.
• One bad long run doesn't define your marathon.
• Review before you react.
• Confidence comes from solving problems, not avoiding them.
• Build momentum through small, consistent actions.
• Process over outcome.
• The goal isn't perfect training—it's arriving at the start line healthy, confident and ready.

About the Author

Chris Lucas coaches runners and athletes who are serious about levelling up their running. He also develops and mentors the CMF Coaching team, helping shape the coaching philosophy behind CMF Running. He's the host of the NZ Nomad Runner Podcast and is passionate about helping runners better understand the why behind their training.

Keep Learning

If you enjoyed this article, here are a few more coaching resources to help you continue learning.

🎙️Podcast: The Questions Every Marathon Runner Asks

📖 Related Article: How to Train for a Marathon (From 12–16 Weeks Out)

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