Halfway through marathon training and feeling the fatigue? This is your moment to reset and refocus. Ben and Anya are here to break down their top tips – think of this as your essential mid-block checklist.
You can listen to the Marathon Training Check-In on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Throughout your entire training plan, make sure you're still nailing the fundamentals. For a full breakdown, see our Ultimate Marathon Training Guide below.
Don't Panic If It Feels Tough
Midway through a marathon block, you’re walking a fine line – pushing your body close to its limits while still recovering enough to adapt. Marathon pace should feel hard in training, especially in your biggest weeks and your longest sessions (and definitely when it’s layered on top of cumulative fatigue).
If you find yourself thinking, “How am I ever going to hold this pace for a full marathon?” just remember that you are likely in:
One of your hardest weeks
In the middle of your toughest session
During one of the most demanding reps
It’s meant to feel hard, especially as right now, your body is carrying fatigue. Remember that by the time your marathon day comes round, you’ll be tapered, properly fuelled, and your body would have had time to adapt to the work you’re putting in. Don’t panic, trust your training and keep showing up.
That said, there’s a difference between productive fatigue and burnout. If training feels relentlessly exhausting and unsustainable, that’s a signal too. If you ever feel you need to take a small break, you can use Runna's Not Feeling 100% feature. When life gets busy or stress adds up, you decide how to adapt – and we’ll take care of the rest, protecting your progress while putting your wellbeing first.
Avoid comparison
Everyone’s training load is different so avoid emotional adjustments based on what you see online. Your plan is personalized just for you, don’t panic if you see someone else doing more or less.
Use the 3-4 Week Reset Cycle
A 16-20 week marathon plan can feel overwhelming if you only focus on the finish line. Instead, mentally break your training block into manageable 3-4 week chunks.
Your plan is structured this way anyway, with a deload (lighter week) roughly every four weeks. Knowing that a reset week is coming can make the tougher build weeks feel more manageable.
Anya says: "You are not taking your foot of the gas, you are refueling and rejuvenating your engine so you can run further and faster next week."
Use each deload week intentionally
Check in with how your body is feeling
Reflect on what’s working (and what isn’t)
Adjust your sleep, fueling or recovery habits if needed
It can also help to track how you’re feeling alongside your sessions. You can use the 'Workout Notes' tab on the Runna app to log any reflections. Over time, this can help spot patterns in your energy levels and training performance.
Try Habit Stacking
Coach Ben encourages runners to lean into habit stacking – building small, consistent routines around your training so you don’t have to rely on willpower every day.
The goal? Reduce the mental load and make it easier to get out of the door.
As Anya says: "Let discipline step in when motivation steps out."
When everything is pre-planned, you don’t waste energy deciding if you’ll train, when you’ll train, or what session to do. It’s already mapped out for you in your Runna plan and you know exactly what’s on the schedule before you even lace up.
Deep into a marathon block, when you’re juggling training, work and life, that structure matters. Sticking to your plan removes the guesswork, reduces decision fatigue and lets you focus on what actually drives progress: executing your sessions well.
Then layer in simple habits that make it even easier for you to show up:
Pack your kit the night before
Keep some running kit at work
Schedule your sessions into your calendar
Prep post-run snacks in advance
When your environment is set up, you can flow through the week more easily.
Check Your Fueling
If you’re feeling increasingly tired not just after one tough session, but across the entire week, have a look at your fueling routine.
As mileage builds, you’re burning significantly more energy than usual. If you don’t increase your intake to match it, your energy levels will feel lower. Make sure you’re fueling well both during and outside of your runs. Ask yourself:
Are you eating enough carbohydrates to support your training load?
Are you properly refueling after harder or longer runs?
Have you increased your daily intake as your mileage has increased?
Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try adding more carbs before key sessions, improving your mid-run fueling strategy, or increasing your overall calorie intake slightly for a week and monitor how you feel.
Be dynamic and keep trying new nutrition methods to find what makes your body feel best. Check out Runna's nutrition guides for more advice from our expert nutritionist.
Be Patient When It Comes to Seeing Progress
Progress isn’t always obvious when you’re in the middle of a marathon block.
Your long runs are getting longer, your sessions are getting tougher and fatigue is higher. Because this is happening all at the same time, you don’t always feel fitter.
That doesn’t mean you’re not improving.
Mid-block reflection can help here. Look back at where you started:
A few weeks ago, you weren’t running this far
That pace used to feel harder
Your recovery between sessions wasn’t as strong
Be patient – training adaptations are happening, even if they’re not obvious to you.
Final Takeaway
You've already made so much progress, so use this point as a check-in. Refocus on the basics, trust your plan and remember you don’t need to be perfect. Stay consistent and the hard work you’re putting in now will pay off when it matters most.
Listen to Ben and Anya’s tips on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch the full episode on YouTube. You’ll also find plenty of inspiring stories from incredible runners to give you that extra boost of motivation when you need it most.