The (Half) Marathon Doesn't Owe You Anything

This article is by Roberto Mandje, NYRR’s Senior Advisor of Engagement and Coaching.

One of the most humbling lessons in distance running is this: The (half) marathon doesn’t owe you anything. As a runner for 30+ years, I know this is true.

For weeks and months, you’ve done your best in training for a half marathon or marathon. You’ve done it right—sleep, nutrition, prehab, etc. Maybe it’s been your best buildup ever.

Then comes race day. You show up at the start line in great shape, and…the race happens!

The race that does not care about your training block. The race that is a living, breathing entity, that on any given Sunday can decide to change the terms of the agreement.

This is the cold, hard truth of endurance running—and depending on your outlook—the beauty of it.

Maybe you ran the 2026 United Airlines NYC Half and didn't quite have the race of your dreams. Or maybe you're training for a future half marathon or marathon. Here are a few things you can do to tip the balance in your favor.

Obey The Golden Rule: Nothing New on Race Day

Every veteran runner knows this rule. Why is it so crucial? Because on race day, your body and mind are under immense stress. This isn’t the time to introduce a new gel, pair of shoes, or electrolyte drink.

Don't let a cool new product at the expo derail months of work. Focus on what you can control. (I kinda broke this rule at the recent Tokyo Marathon—we’ll get to that soon.)

Employ the Triple-Threat Strategy with A, B, and C Goals

If you show up with only one race-day goal, such as a specific finishing time, you are setting yourself up for a binary outcome: success or failure. Instead, I recommend a tiered system, setting A, B, and C goals.

• A Goal: The "dream day" goal. Everything goes right, you feel strong, the weather gods smile on you, and you’re flying! This can be a specific time you’re chasing, and/or the way you’d like to execute the race.
• B Goal: The "solid day" goal. You hit a snag or two, but you grind out a respectable finish you're proud of. You can pivot to this goal at any time during your race (or even before the race) if/when you start seeing your A goal slipping away.
• C Goal: The "get it done" goal. The wheels fall off, cramps set in, or the weather doesn’t cooperate. The goal is simply to finish and reflect on the lessons later.

Having these goals keeps you mentally in the game. When goal A slips away, goal B is there to catch you. When the day goes truly sideways, goal C gives you a reason to keep moving.

What to Do When the Wheels Fall Off: My Tokyo Drift

I had the pleasure of running this year’s Tokyo Marathon. I trained almost exclusively on the treadmill—not ideal, but the best I could do given the winter we experienced in the Northeast.

I headed to Tokyo knowing I was fit and simply wanting to experience the city and the course. My A goal was to negative split (run the second half of the race faster than the first), picking up the pace significantly over the last 10K if I still felt strong. My B goal was to run easy the whole way and enjoy the course.

My plan seemed sound, minus one important factor. The Tokyo Marathon has a strict bottle/hydration policy. In short, runners can’t carry their own fluid bottles. For me this meant that unlike every other race I’ve run, I wouldn’t have my personal hydration mix at my disposal; instead, I’d have to rely on what’s on the course: water and the Tokyo Marathon’s electrolyte drink partner product, which I’d never had before.

“Nothing new on race day” was going out the window.

The race kicked off and I settled into a comfortable pace, hitting the halfway split (13.1 miles) in 1:30:50 and feeling like I could keep the same effort/pace and then pick it up at mile 20.

I was able to do so, but then I started to cramp everywhere—chest, arms, glutes, calves, hamstrings. Remember, the (half) marathon doesn’t owe you anything. I had to assess, adjust, and pivot. You too can do the same for your next half marathon or marathon.

Stay in the Moment
The second your race plan goes awry, the brain begins to fast-forward to the finish line and calculate how much time you’re losing. Don’t. When you’re at mile 10 in a half or mile 20 in a marathon and hurting, the finish line is a ghost. Stay in the mile you are running. Acknowledge the pain, breathe through the panic, and focus on the next 400 meters.

Remember Your "Why"
If your only "why" is a time on the finish clock, a physical setback will feel like a total failure. But if your "why" is about testing your limits, honoring your health, or proving your resilience, then a speed bump in your race plan/goal is the perfect time to test and achieve your goal.

Problem-Solve
My muscle cramps forced me to abandon my A goal and carefully slide into my B goal. I ran even more easily than I’d planned and enjoyed the course, with zero regrets. I ran as slowly as my body would allow in order to not feel the full effects of the cramps. Negative splitting went out the window and finishing with a smile on my face was the only goal.

The Aftermath: Processing the Miles

Once the medal is around your neck and the adrenaline fades, it’s time for the "Why?" For me, it’s likely the unknown variable—a new and untested electrolyte drink—caused the cramping that forced me to slow. You owe it to your future self to investigate the cause—not to beat yourself up, but to reduce the risk for the next one. I’ll be sure to try the on-course hydration before my next Tokyo Marathon or any race that restricts use of personal bottles.

Keep your perspective, and feel gratitude. It is easy to let a "bad" time overshadow a great achievement. Losing 10 or 20 minutes to a cramp feels monumental in the heat of the race, but in the grand scheme of your life, it’s a footnote.

You still covered 13.1 or 26.2 miles. You still navigated a crisis under pressure. You still finished. The (half) marathon doesn't owe you anything, but it always gives you the opportunity to test yourself, learn, recalibrate, and come back stronger and better prepared next time.

Life is a (half) marathon, not a sprint, so dust yourself off, learn from your experiences and get back out there to create more memories.

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