This is my Indianapolis Monumental Marathon training week 1 recap covering every run from July 13–19, 2026. Marathon training week 1 brought 90 degree heat, wildfire smoke with an AQI over 400, two treadmill sessions I did not plan for, a rough Tuesday that had me questioning everything, and a Sunday 10-miler that reminded me exactly why I do this. Twenty-four and a half miles to kick off the biggest training block of my life.
Week of July 13, 2026 · 4 runs · 24.5 miles, 90 degree heat, wildfire smoke, two treadmill sessions, and a Sunday run that made it all worth it
Week 1 of marathon training. We are really doing this. 🏆
Week 1 of marathon training is done. Twenty-four and a half miles, four runs, 90 degree heat, wildfire smoke so thick it gave me a headache just walking outside, and two treadmill sessions I absolutely did not plan on. This is not how I pictured the start of the biggest training block of my life, but then again, when does anything ever go exactly according to plan?
After the Chicago Spring Half Marathon in May, I took about two weeks off to recover and settle into the new house. Coming back from that break has been a grind. My calves and Achilles have been fighting me every step of the way, and I have been struggling to find my footing again. But this week had a bright spot, and it came when I needed it most. More on that later.
Indy Monumental Marathon Training Week 1: The Runs
| Day | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, July 14 | 5 Miles Easy | Treadmill — 90°+ heat, too much birthday food, and cramps the whole way 😵 |
| Thursday, July 16 | Progression Run — 5.5 Miles | Treadmill — AQI over 400 from wildfire smoke. Much better than Tuesday 💨 |
| Saturday, July 18 | 4 Miles Easy | Back on the trail — 86° at the start, real feel of 101° by the end 🥵 |
| Sunday, July 19 | 10 Miles Easy | Started early, took it slow — best run since before the half 🌅 |
Tuesday: 5 Miles Easy (The Rough One)
Week 1, Day 1, and it was already a mess. It was over 90 degrees after work, which meant the treadmill was the only realistic option. Fine — I can work with that. What I could not work with was the birthday celebration at work earlier in the day. I had eaten way too much, and by the time I laced up, my stomach knew it and was not shy about letting me know.
The whole run was awful. Nauseous, heavy, cramping. I had to keep stopping because my stomach simply would not cooperate. It took forever, it felt terrible, and if you had told me at mile two that this was going to be my life for the next several months, I might have sat down on the treadmill belt and reconsidered everything. But I got all five miles done. Slowly, miserably, and with a lot of pausing.
Thursday: Progression Run (Treadmill, Thanks to Wildfire Smoke)
By Thursday the reason we were stuck indoors was a lot more serious than the heat. Wildfire smoke had moved into the area and the AQI was over 400. I stepped outside for a minute and immediately had a pounding headache. The air was thick and genuinely unsafe to run in, so the treadmill it was.
The sky that kept me indoors. AQI over 400. 💨
The workout itself was a progression: 25 minutes easy to warm up, 15 minutes at marathon pace, 10 minutes at half marathon pace, 5 minutes at interval pace, and 10 minutes easy to cool down — 5.5 miles total. It went significantly better than Tuesday. I do not enjoy the treadmill, and I will never pretend otherwise, but at least I was not out there inhaling smoke and at least my stomach had recovered from the birthday situation. The paces felt solid and I finished feeling like an actual runner again.
Saturday: 4 Miles Easy (Back on the Trail, Finally)
Saturday was our first outdoor run of the week and it felt like a gift — right up until the heat reminded us why we had been hiding inside. We started late, which meant the temperature was already sitting at 86 degrees when we headed out. By the time we finished, the real feel had climbed to 101. It was hot, it was humid, and it was a good reminder that summer running in the Midwest is its own kind of training.
The run was fine overall. Nothing remarkable, nothing terrible. Just four miles in the heat, getting it done, and being glad to be outside again even if the conditions were not exactly ideal.
Sunday: 10 Miles Easy (The One That Made the Week)
After everything this week threw at us, Sunday showed up exactly when we needed it to. We had learned our lesson from Saturday and got out early — before the heat had a chance to build — and I made a deliberate decision to take it truly slow.
Sunday miles. The good ones. 🌅
It was probably my best run since before the Chicago Half in May. After weeks of fighting through calf and Achilles pain and struggling to find any kind of rhythm coming back from the post-race break, this run felt like something clicked back into place. Ten miles, easy effort, and I felt genuinely strong at the end. That is not something I have been able to say in a while.
The New Shoes: R.A.D UFOs
Part of why Sunday felt so different might have something to do with the shoes. I finally made a change — picked up the R.A.D UFOs from my local running store after the calf and Achilles issues just were not improving. I had been hoping things would settle on their own, and they were not. A fresh pair of shoes felt like the right move and so far I am really loving them.
The new R.A.D UFOs in action. So far, so good. 👟
The R.A.D UFOs. Love them already. 🏃♀️
Honest Check-In
Week 1 was not pretty. Two treadmill sessions I did not ask for, a Tuesday that tested my will to continue, heat that made every outdoor mile feel like twice the effort, and a body that is still working through the aftermath of the Chicago training cycle. But there was also Sunday. And Sunday was enough to remind me that I do enjoy running.
This is a long block. The marathon is in November and between now and then there is a lot of work to do. Fort Ben Half Marathon in October will be a B race along the way. The destination is 26.2 miles in Indianapolis on November 7th. Week 1 is in the books. Sixteen more to go.
You can follow along with the full journey on my Training & Progress page.
- Training plan is personalized week to week — check back Sunday for the full recap
- Hoping for more outdoor miles if the smoke clears and the heat backs off
- Continuing to break in the new R.A.D UFOs and monitoring the calves
