The Knighton Runs Podcast · Chris Knighton

59 | How to Train for Your First Marathon w/ Jane Springston (@runningwithjane)

·57 min·1 clip

The episode opens with Coach Chris introducing Jane Springston, a Denver-area running coach with a YouTube channel and a coaching website. It then shifts to Jane's own running path, from a five-hour marathoner to a Boston qualifier, which gives the advice some real weight. The main topic is training for a first marathon. Again and again, the conversation comes back to a simple question: where is the runner right now, not where they think they ought to be already. That means easy pace first, and walk breaks when walk breaks make sense. The show treats that as normal, especially for someone who cannot yet run a mile without getting wiped out. Jane and Chris also talk about coming back to running after a long break, where the work can feel humbling even when progress returns faster than expected. The advice there is simple: drop the ego and start from the current reality. They also separate the first marathon from the first step toward a marathon. For the runner who is still building, the priority is short races and getting some race atmosphere under your belt, not a fast leap into 26.2 miles. The episode makes room for experience level, expected finish time, and age as factors that can change the plan. It does not pretend every beginner needs the same program. Instead, it treats training as a chain of practical choices about effort, consistency, and recovery. The repeated point is that consistency beats forcing the issue. The conversation stays friendly about it, but it does push back on the idea that you should go for broke until you have to walk. Jane describes a more deliberate run-walk approach when that is what the runner needs. The episode also keeps the marathon in the future rather than at the center of everything. That makes the advice feel patient, specific, and usable. The tone stays steady, and the explanations circle back to the key distinctions until they are hard to miss. By the end, the show lays out a sensible path from beginner uncertainty to first-marathon readiness.

As heard by us

A steady, practical guide for first-marathon runners.

Coach Chris and Jane Springston keep the focus narrow and useful: where a runner is right now. The advice is plainspoken and practical. Start with walk breaks if needed, keep the pace easy, and treat a long return to running like a fresh start.

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Need a calm roadmap for your first marathon?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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