For Lauren (trp4life) and other aspiring first-time marathoners
In light of the new year, new goals, and more specifically, new fitness aspirations, I've decided to devote tonight's post to the art of the first marathon.
Let me start out by saying, I am NOT a marathon expert, nor do I even really consider myself a true "runner." I played sports throughout high school (soccer and tennis -- not track and field nor cross country), and I began jogging in college as a way to keep up some sort of fitness routine, but primarily to avoid developing that ever-so-attractive undergrad beer gut. (Unfortunately I didn't jog quite enough to accomplish this.)
My first year out of school, I kept up the jogging, running MAYBE 20 minutes at a time around my neighborhood. That spring, my friend Lauren was dating this guy who was getting into running, so she decided that we, too, would get into running. We ran our first 5K and were immediately hooked. Our goal during that first race was to just not finish dead last, and we definitely didn't. We entered about ten races total that summer, a half-marathon in the fall, and decided that winter that we wanted to do even more -- we were going to run a marathon!
Being that Lauren and I are not necessarily the most disciplined people, we signed up for the Team in Training program. Through that, we had to raise $2300 for leukemia, and in turn, we would have a formal group to do long training runs with each weekend. Even though it was an absolute bitch raising money (though at least it was for a good cause), I highly recommend some sort of group like this when training for your first marathon. It was great to have a whole group of other first-timers to keep me motivated and to talk and gripe with throughout each mile.
No matter how many marathons you've run, having a steady support group -- whether it be your training partner, your signifant other, friends, or family -- is ESSENTIAL. There's going to be days and even weeks when you just feel like quitting, and if you have someone close to you that knows how important it is for you to get through it, you'll do it.
But back to my story. Through the TNT program (or TIT, as L and I affectionally called it), we were left to run a certain number of miles by ourselves during the work week, and on Saturday or Sunday, we would run mapped-out courses that increased in mileage each week. The first week we ran 8 miles, the next 10, then we'd go down to 6, and the next weekend we'd run 11, and so on. The most we ever ran was 20, which was about a month prior to the actual marathon. During the last month you cut back on mileage until you're running about 6 miles the weekend before the 26.2.
Now this will probably sound insane to any hard-core runners (which again, I am not), but Lauren and I had THE WORST training ethic ever. Sure, we did our long runs each weekend (and somehow made it through each of them just fine), but early on during the training, I pretty much limited my weekly short runs to one a week. And I drank. A LOT. In order to raise our respective $2300, we held biweekly happy hours, during which we'd raffle off prizes and beg our barely coherent friends to support our cause. Looking back, I have no idea how we managed it, but we did.
The marathon we entered was in Burlington, VT -- also known as one of the hilliest towns in New England. Come the day of the marathon, we might not have been as prepared as we could have been, but we finished in a little under 5 hours. It was hard for me to fathom at the time, but during a marathon, no one expects you to run throughout the entire 26.2 miles. You take extended water breaks, you walk every couple miles, you've got to fit in a few bathroom breaks -- it's really NOT THAT BAD.
This is not to say that you're not completely delirious at the end, or have blisters oozing out of every known pore in your feet (unless you buy a great pair of Asics sneakers and socks), but you can get through it.
After my two marathons, it took nearly a week for my legs to feel normal again, but both times, I was itching to jog by that next week. I guarantee that after completing one marathon, you'll get hooked. Or at least I did.
The next year I was ecstatic to win a lottery spot in the New York Marathon, but this time I trained completely by my lonesome. And quite honestly, this worked for me better. (But only because it was my second marathon, I think.) After finishing one, I KNEW I could cut my time, so I was much more determined to stick to my training schedule. I continued to drink (but not quite as much as the year before) and didn't really change my diet, but I still ended up cutting an entire half hour off my time. Of course running the entire marathon by myself was absolute hell and I swore I'd never run again, but a week later, I was back at the gym. And here I am again, planning on running a third one this year.
I suppose this isn't filled with too many tips for the first-time marathoner, but I want to drive the point that ANYONE CAN DO IT.
Here's a few more tidbits, in no specific order:
-Go to a specialty running store and have a salesperson fit you for your first pair of long-distance trainers. They'll look at the way you run and examine how your feet hit the ground, and then determine which shoes will give you the most cushioning, traction, and comfort.
-Acclimate yourself with Gu or PowerGel. Once you hit the 10 mile mark, you need that extra burst of energy, and this stuff really works.
-Map out your training mileage before you start your training run. It's better to have a goal and to know where exactly you have to run rather than jogging aimlessly. Also, show your husband/boyfriend where your course goes -- JUST IN CASE. And on a related note, if you can fit it somewhere, carry your cell phone. Again, JUST IN CASE.
-Don't be afraid to wear dorky running clothes. Lauren absolutely refused to wear comfortable shorts and instead opted for cute capris, and ended up getting the thigh-chafing from hell.
-Carry water/gatorade with you at all times or place bottles at periodic points throughout your course. You'll never finish a training run if you're dehydrated and lacking energy.
-Run in rain or shine. You never know what the weather will be like on marathon day. And if it looks like rain, WEAR A HAT, especially for you contact wearers. I once made the mistake of leaving my hat at home, got stuck in a horrible downpour, and wiped one of my contacts right out of my eyes!! I'm blind as a bat, and ran the rest of the way home terrified that my other contact would fall out and I'd be just plain sh&t out of luck.
-If you're running at night, wear a reflective vest. Yes, this totally fits in the "dorky running clothes" category, but it really is a necessity.
-Subscribe to Runner's World or buy a good running book, such as Dagny Scott's "Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running." Both are good motivation and offer excellent tips.
-Track you mileage each day. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.
-Incorporate weight lifting, aerobics, and/or yoga into your weekly fitness schedule. Okay, I never actually did this, but this year I plan to!
-And finally, for your first marathon, it's probably best to pick a large, higher-profile race to run. These tend to draw the largest crowds, which means that everywhere you run, there will be people cheering and screaming for you. You'll be grateful for the motivation, I swear.
This is by far one of my longest posts yet, so I apologize if it completely bored anyone to tears. Phew!
Let me start out by saying, I am NOT a marathon expert, nor do I even really consider myself a true "runner." I played sports throughout high school (soccer and tennis -- not track and field nor cross country), and I began jogging in college as a way to keep up some sort of fitness routine, but primarily to avoid developing that ever-so-attractive undergrad beer gut. (Unfortunately I didn't jog quite enough to accomplish this.)
My first year out of school, I kept up the jogging, running MAYBE 20 minutes at a time around my neighborhood. That spring, my friend Lauren was dating this guy who was getting into running, so she decided that we, too, would get into running. We ran our first 5K and were immediately hooked. Our goal during that first race was to just not finish dead last, and we definitely didn't. We entered about ten races total that summer, a half-marathon in the fall, and decided that winter that we wanted to do even more -- we were going to run a marathon!
Being that Lauren and I are not necessarily the most disciplined people, we signed up for the Team in Training program. Through that, we had to raise $2300 for leukemia, and in turn, we would have a formal group to do long training runs with each weekend. Even though it was an absolute bitch raising money (though at least it was for a good cause), I highly recommend some sort of group like this when training for your first marathon. It was great to have a whole group of other first-timers to keep me motivated and to talk and gripe with throughout each mile.
No matter how many marathons you've run, having a steady support group -- whether it be your training partner, your signifant other, friends, or family -- is ESSENTIAL. There's going to be days and even weeks when you just feel like quitting, and if you have someone close to you that knows how important it is for you to get through it, you'll do it.
But back to my story. Through the TNT program (or TIT, as L and I affectionally called it), we were left to run a certain number of miles by ourselves during the work week, and on Saturday or Sunday, we would run mapped-out courses that increased in mileage each week. The first week we ran 8 miles, the next 10, then we'd go down to 6, and the next weekend we'd run 11, and so on. The most we ever ran was 20, which was about a month prior to the actual marathon. During the last month you cut back on mileage until you're running about 6 miles the weekend before the 26.2.
Now this will probably sound insane to any hard-core runners (which again, I am not), but Lauren and I had THE WORST training ethic ever. Sure, we did our long runs each weekend (and somehow made it through each of them just fine), but early on during the training, I pretty much limited my weekly short runs to one a week. And I drank. A LOT. In order to raise our respective $2300, we held biweekly happy hours, during which we'd raffle off prizes and beg our barely coherent friends to support our cause. Looking back, I have no idea how we managed it, but we did.
The marathon we entered was in Burlington, VT -- also known as one of the hilliest towns in New England. Come the day of the marathon, we might not have been as prepared as we could have been, but we finished in a little under 5 hours. It was hard for me to fathom at the time, but during a marathon, no one expects you to run throughout the entire 26.2 miles. You take extended water breaks, you walk every couple miles, you've got to fit in a few bathroom breaks -- it's really NOT THAT BAD.
This is not to say that you're not completely delirious at the end, or have blisters oozing out of every known pore in your feet (unless you buy a great pair of Asics sneakers and socks), but you can get through it.
After my two marathons, it took nearly a week for my legs to feel normal again, but both times, I was itching to jog by that next week. I guarantee that after completing one marathon, you'll get hooked. Or at least I did.
The next year I was ecstatic to win a lottery spot in the New York Marathon, but this time I trained completely by my lonesome. And quite honestly, this worked for me better. (But only because it was my second marathon, I think.) After finishing one, I KNEW I could cut my time, so I was much more determined to stick to my training schedule. I continued to drink (but not quite as much as the year before) and didn't really change my diet, but I still ended up cutting an entire half hour off my time. Of course running the entire marathon by myself was absolute hell and I swore I'd never run again, but a week later, I was back at the gym. And here I am again, planning on running a third one this year.
I suppose this isn't filled with too many tips for the first-time marathoner, but I want to drive the point that ANYONE CAN DO IT.
Here's a few more tidbits, in no specific order:
-Go to a specialty running store and have a salesperson fit you for your first pair of long-distance trainers. They'll look at the way you run and examine how your feet hit the ground, and then determine which shoes will give you the most cushioning, traction, and comfort.
-Acclimate yourself with Gu or PowerGel. Once you hit the 10 mile mark, you need that extra burst of energy, and this stuff really works.
-Map out your training mileage before you start your training run. It's better to have a goal and to know where exactly you have to run rather than jogging aimlessly. Also, show your husband/boyfriend where your course goes -- JUST IN CASE. And on a related note, if you can fit it somewhere, carry your cell phone. Again, JUST IN CASE.
-Don't be afraid to wear dorky running clothes. Lauren absolutely refused to wear comfortable shorts and instead opted for cute capris, and ended up getting the thigh-chafing from hell.
-Carry water/gatorade with you at all times or place bottles at periodic points throughout your course. You'll never finish a training run if you're dehydrated and lacking energy.
-Run in rain or shine. You never know what the weather will be like on marathon day. And if it looks like rain, WEAR A HAT, especially for you contact wearers. I once made the mistake of leaving my hat at home, got stuck in a horrible downpour, and wiped one of my contacts right out of my eyes!! I'm blind as a bat, and ran the rest of the way home terrified that my other contact would fall out and I'd be just plain sh&t out of luck.
-If you're running at night, wear a reflective vest. Yes, this totally fits in the "dorky running clothes" category, but it really is a necessity.
-Subscribe to Runner's World or buy a good running book, such as Dagny Scott's "Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running." Both are good motivation and offer excellent tips.
-Track you mileage each day. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.
-Incorporate weight lifting, aerobics, and/or yoga into your weekly fitness schedule. Okay, I never actually did this, but this year I plan to!
-And finally, for your first marathon, it's probably best to pick a large, higher-profile race to run. These tend to draw the largest crowds, which means that everywhere you run, there will be people cheering and screaming for you. You'll be grateful for the motivation, I swear.
This is by far one of my longest posts yet, so I apologize if it completely bored anyone to tears. Phew!