5 Marathon Mistakes That Made My Injury Worse (And What I'd Do Differently)

Marathon training is supposed to be challenging, but it’s not supposed to break you. Unfortunately, my last training block didn’t go as planned, and I spent a solid chunk of it trying to navigate an injury I probably could have avoided. Now that I’ve had time (and enough physical therapy bills) to reflect, I’m breaking down the five mistakes that made my injury worse—and what I’ll be doing differently moving forward.

1. Jumping into a new training block too quickly

After running City of Oaks in early November, I took a short break and jumped right into training for my next race in April. Mentally, I told myself I was ready. But I think that was wishful thinking because this was the first time in any race that I've dreaded starting a new training block. I didn't miss running yet and jumping in so soon to do it all over again felt like a chore.

2. Ignoring my gut when something felt off

Early on, I had a nagging foot pain. It wasn’t unbearable, so I chalked it up to normal post-marathon aches. For this next marathon I was training for, I had a time goal in mind because it was expected to be a relatively easy corse and so I continued to train... but this time harder than I normally had trained. This combined with completely gaslighting myself that I wasn't injured (I couldn't bend my toes all the way down, take the hint!) caused the injury to come to a head to a point where I could no longer train.

3. Not seeing a PT (specifically a running-specific one) sooner

By the time I finally saw a PT, I’d already wasted weeks hoping the pain would magically go away. And while the first PT I saw was helpful in speeding up recovery, they weren’t a running specialist. Hell I even saw a foot and ankle specific doctor and all she did was look at it and tell me to "change my shoes". As if I hadn't already needed another reason to buy new shoes, unfortunately this did absolutely nothing. It wasn’t until I saw a movement and performance coach with experience treating runners that I started getting real answers. If I had gone to the right person from the jump, I could have saved a lot of time and stress.

4. Trusting a training plan too much instead of adjusting based on experience

For marathon #3, I used a new app-based plan that just did not feel like the right fit for me and I trusted it for way too long. I didn’t listen to my body, even when I started feeling the signs of overtraining and overdoing the amount of speed work that the plan was requiring. It got to a point where I wasn't hitting a single one of my paces, and so on top of being injured I was now extremely frustrated with running. I kept pushing because I wanted to believe the app knew best. It didn’t. In hindsight, I needed to modify the plan or switch altogether, but I didn’t trust myself to make those calls (this is why I'm working with a coach now and getting my coaching certification myself!)

5. Rushing back into running before I was fully healed

The number of "test runs" I attempted while injured should qualify me for a loyalty punch card. I kept convincing myself I was healed after two days off or a new pair of insoles. Every time I ran too soon, the pain came right back—usually worse. It wasn’t until I fully committed to cross-training and gave my body time to rest that I actually started healing. And, to my demise, I started to enjoy the stationary bike. I know, sue me.

What I’m Doing Differently Now

This injury taught me a lot, the hard way. I’m now working with a coach who helps me adjust training when something feels off. I’ve learned to trust my gut and listen to my body before things spiral. And most importantly, I’ve realized that pushing through pain isn’t always grit—it’s potentially just delaying recovery.

If you’re training for a race and something feels off, don’t wait. Learn from me and get ahead of it. Your future self will thank you, and the goal race will always be there.