I received confirmation of my selection to the Tokyo marathon towards the end of September 2025. I decided to begin training for the marathon from Oct onwards, which gave me 22 weeks to build up my weekly mileage gradually. I am a self-coached runner, so I tend to experiment with my workouts and training plan based on how I’m feeling and adjust my runs to accommodate other life commitments.
For the majority of the training block, I would run 5 days a week. I kept my schedule simple and easy to follow: 2 easy runs, 2 workout days and 1 long run.
Towards the final 6-7 weeks before the taper, I ran 6 days a week, adding an easy run.
Easy runs in the initial few weeks would be 10-12k and gradually go up to 14k. My easy pace was between 5:40 mins/k to 6.10 mins/k
Workout run examples:
Long runs started at 21k and gradually built it up to running 2 runs of 35k each and TMM. My highest mileage week was 100k 4 weeks before the race, which I was able to manage once in the training block.
Tune up races before the Tokyo marathon:
Due to a personal setback 2 weeks before the marathon, I had to adjust my final long run date and the subsequent taper. I did my last long run of 32kms (3x8kms at marathon pace) 12 days before the marathon and then began my taper.
My taper included an easy 10k, a final long run of 16k (6k at Marathon pace) the Sunday before race day, a 6k easy, and a 4k shakeout run the day before the race.
Strength training for me, unfortunately, was very inconsistent. I only managed resistance training 2-3 times in the entire block. I added light stretching post my long runs to help with recovery.
We landed in Tokyo on Thursday, 26th Feb, and decided to visit the expo on the same day. The expo was held at a uniquely designed building called Tokyo Big Sight. The expo was very well organized and it was a seamless bib collection experience inspite of the large crowds. As for the brands at the expo, it felt like a runner’s paradise. All of the major running brands had their booth setup showcasing the latest running shoes and gear. I was fortunate to try on the Adidas Pro Evo 2 and the Adidas Prime X Evo. I also bought the newly launched Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 at the expo which I decided to wear for the Tokyo Marathon (so much for the rule ‘nothing new on race day’)
In terms of pre-race nutrition and carb loading, I had a bottle of Pocari Sweat each day. For carbs,, it was mainly ramen bowls, onigiri, and bread from 7/11.
The race was scheduled for 9.10 am (quite a pleasant change from the usual 4 or 5 am starts). I woke up by 6 am. For breakfast I had a banana, a couple of bread and cream sandwiches and a cup of coffee.
I reached the holding area by 7.45 am and proceeded to my corral. The race starts right next to the government metropolitan building. There was just enough space in the corral for some light jogging and strides to warm up the body. The energy in the corral was a mix of excitement and nervousness. I was in the corral area for about an hour. Unfortunately, the race organizers are quite strict about what can be brought into the race, with no personal hydration over 250ml allowed. Hence, we had to wait till the first aid station for any hydration
My usual pacing strategy for marathons is to split it up into 5k segments. I like to write down my 5k split time on my arm as a visual reference. I planned to negative split the race with the first half at around 1:30 and to try to push faster in the second half.
For my hydration and fueling strategy, I relied on the course water and Pocari Sweat and made sure I used every aid station. For fueling I relied on Unived gels of 25g and 45g every 6kms of the race. I also had 2 Unived salt capsules at the 26k and 35k mark.
0-5kms (4:19mins/k):
Being in corral B, I did not have to weave around any crowds to move ahead and I was able to start off at the pace I had planned. It was great to see such large crowds come out to support the runners right from the start of the race. One thing to note is that there are no aid stations until the 5k mark. There is a downhill around the 3k mark. I consciously held back as I did not want to go off too hot in these initial kms.
5-10kms (4:16 mins/k):
The first aid stations were at 5k. There were 5 tables each of water and Pocari Sweat spaced out well to avoid any over crowding. I had my first gel of 25g as my watch beeped at 6k.
10-15kms (4:15 mins/k):
At around the 11k mark is when we encounter the first of four U-turns. On the way out, we could see the elite runners on the other side of the road. It’s quite a spectacle to see 2:03-2:05 marathoners run!!
At 12k is when I had my 2nd gel of 25g and continued on.
At around the official 15k mark is when I noticed the first significant difference between the official course marker and my watch distance which showed 15.3kms. I knew that this difference would only get larger as the race progressed and I would have to pick up the pace inorder to achieve my target. For now I stayed calm and continued on with my goal pace.
15-20kms (4:17 mins/k):
I had my third gel of 45g at the 18k point of the race. The second U-turn was around the 19k mark. The weather was holding up nicely at this point.
20-30kms (4:14 mins/k):
There was a slight incline on a bridge at around the 20k mark, and we had to face the same bridge again at the 28k mark (although nothing too concerning). I had my fourth gel of 25g around the 24k mark, a salt tab at the 26k mark, and another gel of 45g at the 30k mark. At this point, the temperature started to increase, and there wasn’t much shade on the road, thus exposing us to the sun. At every aid station, there was an announcement about the increase in temperature and to stay hydrated and race with caution.
30-38kms (4:15 mins/k):
From the 30-35kms I was able to hold a steady pace but fatigue was creeping in slightly and the 36-38kms saw a slight dip in pace to 4:18 mins/k. In addition to this, the difference in distance between my watch and the course marker was over 700m. At this point slight doubt started to creep in about whether I would make it under 3 hours. I had my final gel of the race at the 36k mark of 25g.
38-Finish (4:10 mins/k):
At this point in the race, I could see runners fading off and walking. I remember seeing a marker that said 4 km to go. I looked down at my watch to check the time, which said 2h 43m. I did some quick maths and knew I would have to find a higher gear to finish in under 3 hours.
I kept telling myself positive affirmations, including the recent personal loss that I had to go through, to help me find that extra gear. As we reached the cobblestone road, we had about 200m to go. The crowd support at this point was amazing and loud, and that really helped to run as fast I could at that point till the finish line.
I stopped my watch at 2:59:34. The distance on my watch read 43.07 km. Almost 900m more than I had to account for.
I honestly wasn’t sure at this point what my official time was.
I started getting messages from friends and family who were tracking me on the app who said I finished in 2:59:30.
I was officially a sub-3 marathoner!
A flood of emotions rushed through me as I soaked in the fact that I was able to find something extra and achieve that sub-3.
There were runners around me with mixed emotions. Some are celebrating their sub-3 and others who very narrowly missed out by a few seconds.
There were plenty of volunteers at the finish line to help guide the runners to the exits. We did receive a few goodies, including a finishers' towel and, of course, a banana.
The training block, for the most part, went well. Having a full-time job and other personal commitments, you have to learn to adapt and be flexible with your training.
Joining a run club and running in groups definitely helps make training runs easy, but in the marathon, 99% of the time, it will be you vs your mind in those final 10kms. Be resilient and train your mind to not give up. Doing my long runs alone at times helps me with this.
As for the race itself, this was my first marathon outside India and for it to be a world marathon major made it feel extra special. And to execute and achieve my target finish time made it all the more memorable.
The standard at which these events are organised, right from the expo, the shakeout runs organised all over the city, and the race day itself is truly commendable, and it was a great experience.
What’s next?
I will move my focus to running a faster 5k and 10k over the warmer summer months in Mumbai.
