“How Am I Supposed to Run 10 More Miles?”

My Coach’s Perspective for Marathoners in the Middle of the Journey

Looking online so many social media posts are all saying the same thing at the moment.

If you’re training for a marathon and looking at your current long run thinking…

There is absolutely no way I can run 10 more miles than this.

You’re not alone.

You’re not behind.
You’re not weak.
You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Whether you're preparing for your first marathon or gearing up for a major race like the London Marathon, Manchester Marathon, rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, New York City Marathon or the Boston Marathon, this moment of doubt is part of the process.

Let’s look at 10 reasons why this happens.

1. You’re Not Supposed to Be Able to Run 26.2 Miles Yet

Training works because of progressive overload.

Your body adapts to:

• Slightly longer long runs

• Slightly higher weekly mileage (10%)

• Slightly greater stress

It does not adapt to jumping 10 miles overnight.

If you’re currently running:

• 10 miles → your body is preparing for 12–13

• 14 miles → your body is preparing for 16–18

• 18 miles → your body is preparing for race day

Marathon training is a staircase, not a leap.

2. Fitness Grows Faster Than Confidence

Physiologically, your:

• Capillary density is increasing

• Mitochondria are multiplying

• Glycogen storage is improving

• Muscular durability is building

But mentally? You still remember how hard your last long run felt. Your brain is trying to protect you.

That voice saying, “There’s no way I can add 10 more miles”. It’s not the truth you're hearing,
it’s uncertainty.

3. You Won’t Run the Final 10 Miles the Way You Think

Right now, you imagine:

• Mile 16 feeling like mile 10 does today

• Mile 20 feeling impossible

• The last 10 miles being pure survival

But by race day:

• Your aerobic base will be deeper

• Your pace will feel more economical

• Your fuelling strategy will be dialed in

• Your taper will have you rested

You are not running those final 10 miles as today’s version of yourself. You are running them as the strongest version of yourself still to come.

4. The Marathon Is Not 26.2 Separate Miles

It’s a process. I tell athletes “believe in the process”.

If you’ve followed a structured and thorough training plan, by the time race day comes:

• Your long runs have trained your fat oxidation

• Your tempo work has raised lactate threshold

• Your weekly mileage has built durability

• Your nervous system has adapted to repetitive impact

Those “extra 10 miles” you’re worried about now are supported by weeks of invisible adaptation.

5. Every Marathoner Has This Moment

Even experienced runners preparing for races like the Boston Marathon question the distance mid-cycle.

It usually happens:

• When long runs hit 14–18 miles

• When cumulative fatigue builds

• When the race still feels far away

Having run over 30 marathons, I still drive home from places and when the Sat-Nav shows 26 miles to go, I think “blimey, that’s a stupidly long way to run”, then I clock watch to see how long it is to drive them, let alone run them. However, doubt often peaks right before breakthrough fitness does.

6. Think About The Long Run Ladder

Here’s what usually happens:

12 miles → hard but manageable
14 miles → surprisingly okay
16 miles → intimidating but doable
18 miles → big confidence shift
20 miles → “Okay… this is real”

Breaking it down means you don’t need to believe in mile 26 today, you just need to believe in the next 2 miles.

7. Practical Reassurance: Adaptation

A number of athlete posts recently state they are currently at 14 miles, and dreading the increase, some even contemplating pulling out altogether.

But if you:

• Add 1–2 miles every other week

• Maintain consistent weekly volume

• Fuel properly

• Recover intentionally

• Don’t try and be a hero by adding over the 10% weekly volume and risk injuring yourself

In 4 to 6 weeks, 18–20 miles becomes realistic and the gap closes faster than it feels.

8. What to Do When Doubt Creeps In

Instead of asking:

“How will I run 10 more miles?”

Ask:

• What’s my next long run?

• What’s today’s set?

• Did I execute this week well?

• Can I improve recovery: sleep, food, hydration?

Marathon training rewards focus on process, not distance.

9. You’re Building More Than Endurance

You’re building:

• Durability

• Patience

• Pacing intelligence

• Fuelling discipline

• Emotional control

• Mental strength

• Belief

These are what carry you through miles 20 to 26.2 (and the thousands watching and cheering you home).

10. The Truth About the Final 10 Miles

Sorry to have to say it, but they’re not easy, they are earned. What you’re doing now allows you to power through on marathon day.

And something powerful happens around mile 20:
- You realise your body is still moving.
- Your training is holding.
- Your mind is stronger than it was 12 weeks ago.

That’s when the doubt gets quiet, and the belief grows inside.

Final Thought

If you’re staring at the gap between where you are and 26.2 miles:

Good !

It means you respect the distance. Marathon training is designed so that you grow into the miles gradually. You are not meant to feel ready too early.

Stay consistent.
Fuel well.
Recover hard.
Trust the build

“Believe in the process”

The version of you who finishes the marathon is being built right now, one long run at a time.

Conclusion

The truth is, no one feels fully ready for 26.2 miles halfway through a marathon block. You’re not supposed to. The distance should still command respect. That’s part of what makes it meaningful.

If you stay consistent, fuel properly, recover intentionally, and resist the urge to rush the process, the gap between where you are and where you need to be will close week by week.

One day soon, you’ll toe the start line not because the distance feels small, but because you’re ready. When you’ve crossed the finish line and celebrated your achievement, in the days that follow when you evaluate your journey that got you that medal, you’ll think "what could I have changed?", "did I miss something?", "what shouldn’t I have done?", "was my fuelling correct?", "did my technique hold out?", "could I have gone faster; sub 5, sub 4 or sub 3?", "should I run another one?". "Should I have used a coach?", the answer is “probably, yes”. Get in contact to see how we can work together to get you to the start line both physically and mentally ready to give your all.

“Believe in the process.”