Tips for Marathon Virgins
As promised, here are some tips that I have for marathon newbies (and yes, I’m aware that I’ve only run one and I’m not an expert):
1. DO NOT SET A TIME GOAL! DO NOT! DO NOT! DO NOT!!–I was given this advice and didn’t listen. And it led to a great disappointment on my part. When they say finishing will be accomplishment enough, believe them. Unless you’ve done it before or unless you’ve done a few 26 mile training runs, you have no idea what that 26.2 is going to feel like and do to your body. Respect the distance. Be happy to finish.
2. If possible take your practice runs all the way to 23 miles. And do a couple of 23 milers. I stopped my training at 21. I figured that last 5.2 wouldn’t be that bad. I was mistaken. If you have the time during training, get as close to 26 miles as possible, but not too close to race day.
3. Find an energy supplement that works for you. I’m still working on this. I thought Gu was my “go to” energy supplement. And generally it is. But, it wasn’t enough to get me through 26.2. I’m going to try eating a Clif bar around 15 next time. I’m also experimenting with Accelerade which is like any other sports drink, but also contains protein. Find what works for you. Everyone is different.
4. Buy a foam roller and use it! Best invention ever. Completely relieves my pain after a long run and I haven’t had a single knee issue since using it. Two days after the marathon I was pain free and I attribute it to the foam roller.
5. Start slow. DO IT! Run those first five miles slower than your target pace. You can speed up later. When you get winded at the beginning there is no way to recover from it.
6. Practice running without music. My ipod died at 21. I rarely run without music and I think this messed with me mentally. I haven’t used my ipod on any of my runs since the marathon. I’m learning to go without. And it’s not as bad as I thought. I’m not saying to never use music, but learn to be okay without it.
7. If possible get a running buddy for those long training runs. Even if they only run half of it with you. Week after week of 10+ mileage can get tedious and boring. I don’t mind running anything up to 2 hours. After two hours I start to fade. Having a running buddy at least part of the way helps tremendously.
8. Once you start doing longer training runs pay attention to your nutrition constantly. Those long training runs are basically races just run at a slower pace. You need enough fuel in your body to get you through. You need to carb up.
9. Keep doing speedwork. At least one to two days a week do intervals or shorter, faster runs. Once you start doing 10+ miles on the weekend you start to slow down. Make sure to keep the shorter runs in your training.
10. Lift weights. Do lunges and squats. Work on your quads. This is an area that I really felt was weak for me. During the “off season” I’m doing more weightlifting.
11. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a run or have a bad run. It happens. Don’t dwell on it. Don’t get to the point that you hate running because the training becomes overwhelming.
12. Enjoy the race. Don’t focus so much on the “running”, enjoy the scenery and the people and the fact that you are RUNNING A MARATHON! You are joining an elite, miniscule portion of the population. Enjoy it.
Any veterans have any other advice??
LA Marathon Recap- part 2
I finally downloaded my Garmin. I think I was dreading it because I was afraid to see what those last few miles were. I was actually pleasantly surprised, not as bad as I thought. Here is my recap of the miles as I remember (or don’t remember) them:
Mile 1- 10:20- had a bit of a hard time getting around the crowd and hitting my stride, as we rounded the corner of Dodger Stadium to hit the road there were a TON of guys that had stopped to pee on a little grassy patch. It was hilarious!
Miles 2, 3 and 4- 9:09, 9:33 and 9:27- I felt really, really good at the beginning. It didn’t take me the normal 3-4 miles to hit my stride. I hit it quick. Maybe too quick. I was still trying to see if I could catch the 4:30 pace team that had been in the seeded corral in front of me.
Miles 5 and 6- 11:07 and 10:19- No matter what distance I am running, mile 5 seems to be the place that I first falter. No idea why. I still felt good at this point and knew my 10K time was about to be shared with the world, so I wanted to keep up the pace. Still feeling good. Still high fiving people on the sidelines.
Miles 7-12- 10:01, 10:07, 10:48, 14:14, 10:09, 10:32- still feeling good and staying strong. Mile 10.5 I had to stop to use the porta potty and timed it, lost four minutes, but it was better than running with a full bladder. I remember at this point that I was getting frustrated that the “Students Run LA” students were still keeping up with and passing me. I thought for sure those kids would be petering out by now!
Mile 13- 11:18- I knew I was halfway there. Still felt strong. Wondered if I should have pushed a little harder? A little less? Wondered if I could do all of that all over again. I was trying to push it so my 20K time would still be on target for 4:30.
Miles 14-17- 11:33, 11:57, 12:12, 12:38- It was starting to get difficult. More of those damn kids were passing me. And people were just passing me in general still. Usually by the time you are THIS far into a race everyone has found their pace and pretty much settled in. I wondered why there was still so much passing going on. And not just gradual passing, but people flying past me out of nowhere. I still don’t understand it, shouldn’t they have been in front of me already?
Mile 18- 11:52- This mile was bittersweet for me. It was where I really started struggling, but also where the crowd was really enthusiastic and where the ONE jumbotron was up on the course. Even though I didn’t see any of my own messages, just seeing ones for other people gave me a little boost. I felt myself speed up as we turned the corner.
Miles 19 and 2o- 13:17 and 13:14- Really starting to struggle. Every time I looked up I could see a sea of people ahead of me. I felt like I was in the back of the pack. Also, I don’t like to be able to see very far ahead of me in a race, I like turns and hills and breaking it up, I don’t like straightaways. I believe it was at mile 20 that they were handing out dixie cups of beer, I should’ve taken one. I kept thinking, it’s only 10K more, you can do this.
Mile 21- 14:08- when the hell began. My ipod died right at the beginning. The 5:00 pace team passed me. We ran past the VA hospital and the amputees were on the lawn in their wheelchairs cheering us on. I got so choked up I could barely breathe.
Mile 22- 13:57- when I started to dig deeper. I saw a woman with a sign that said, “do you still think this is a good idea?” and I screamed at her, NO, NO I DON’T!!! She told me to keep pushing and keep pushing I did. I realized that my toes were numb at this point. I tried walking and it hurt worse. I kept looking for Piper thinking she wasn’t far behind the 5:00 pace team.
Mile 23-13:11- thought this was the worst one, but I guess not. I tried to keep running because, while it hurt, it hurt more to walk. I figured I only had a 5K left at this point, I could do it. I took my last gel because I felt like I was running on empty.
Mile 24- 15:38- I just didn’t know what to do. The pain was unreal. The crowd was thinning although people were still sprinting past. Why were people who had been slower than me the whole time now sprinting??? One young guy was jogging next to me and told me he was having a hard time breathing and asked what was bothering me. I said, FUCKING EVERYTHING HURTS. He didn’t stay by my side very long. HAHA!
Mile 25- 16:28- I just wanted to stay alive. And breathe. And stay upright. Everything hurt. I wanted to cry. Some little girl was singing on a flatbed and I wanted to tell her to shut up. People were trying to be encouraging and saying, don’t give up now. I wanted to tell them to shut up because they’d been sitting in their chairs for 5 hours!!! The wind started to pick up and I got chilled because I was going so slow. But, I KNEW I would finish at this point. If I had to crawl, I would go that last 1.2 miles.
Mile 26-14:50- Started the slow jog again. Turned the corner and could see the finish line in the distance. The crowd got thicker and louder and gave me strength.
The last .2- 2:21- Oh yeah, I dug deep and I sprinted. I ran for my life. The sooner I crossed that finish line, the sooner I could stop. The sooner I could collapse. The sooner I could see Piper.
And then it was over. And you know what happened next.
I have to say that overall, I don’t remember the route. I know we passed tons of landmarks, but I don’t remember a single one. I wasn’t paying attention. I concentrated way too hard during this race. For over five hours my focus was on running. I think it would’ve helped to be with the pace team. Or even to have a running partner. Overall, this race was a lot of work. But, now I know what to expect next time. And next time I will have more faith in my abilities, respect the distance and try to enjoy myself.
My First 26.2- Part 1
This is part one of three or four posts on my very first marathon. This one will be my general overall experience. I will do one with a mile by mile recap for my friends that have asked. And I want to do one with my tips and advice for marathon virgins (not that I’m an expert, but I learned some things that I hadn’t read in any training manuals). And maybe, just maybe I’ll do one with photos, although they are god awful and I look like death in pretty much every one.
Overall I will say running a marathon was hands down the hardest thing mentally and physically I’ve ever done. Harder than childbirth, harder than getting divorced, harder than anything I can imagine. And I wasn’t prepared for that. Maybe I was cocky. Maybe I overestimate my skillz. Maybe I read too many blogs that make it sound like a piece of cake.
For whatever reason, before the race I NEVER doubted that I would finish. Never. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. Of COURSE I would finish. I never even mentally prepared for an injury, if one should happen. I trained for this. I did what I was supposed to. I would finish, no doubt. (Sidenote- My good friend, Piper, the one that originally suggested running the LA Marathon, the one that was running it with me as our first marathons ended up having to drop out at mile 15 with a stress fracture. I didn’t find out until I crossed the finish line and it crushed me. I felt SO bad for her. Having put in all that work, done all that training, wanted it SO bad and having to drop out for an injury.)
All the training guides and manuals and coaches tell you the same thing- Do NOT set a time goal for your first marathon. Just finish. That right there is sound advice. Everyone should listen to them. I did not. I assumed that finishing was not going to be the challenge. So, I set a time goal of 4:30. I now realize this was very, very unrealistic. One calculator I saw said to take your best 13.1 time, multiply it by two and add 30 minutes- that would have put me at 4:40. Yet I still decided to go for 4:30. I joined the 4:30 pace group, which I never caught up to because they were in the seeded corrals and I was in the open corral.
I started the race feeling good and strong. The weather was supposed to be cold and rainy, but ended up being beautiful. This was a major plus for me as I had worried for days about bad weather. I hit my groove right way. Usually it takes me a few miles to get my stride, but by mile 1 I felt great. For a race with 19,000 people I must say that I never felt claustrophobic or like I had to weave around. The entire race I could see the sea of people ahead of me, but it was never overwhelming.
I was going along strong for quite a while. My 10K and 20K splits had me on course to finish in 4:30. I stopped to use the porta pottie at 10.5, but then kept going. Around 18 is when it started to feel hard. When I had to concentrate a little bit more. My 30K split wasn’t that bad though. One thing I will say is that the mile markers and jumbotrons that were supposed to be up at every mile were not because of the bad weather that had been predicted. Mentally this just messes with you. I had my Garmin, but not seeing the mile markers throws me off. And there were supposed to be jumbotrons throughout the course that would sync up with the chips in our bibs and show us messages from our loved ones, they weren’t there. (Yesterday they emailed us all of our messages so we could see them. My family and friends had sent me nine messages and I’m sure they would’ve given me a little boost if I’d seen them. But, we cannot count on things like this. Afterall, the race is just 26.2 miles, I’m not there to be pampered or coddled along the way.)
At mile 21 my ipod died. I don’t know why. Maybe it ran out of battery, maybe it died because of all the sweat that’s gotten on it the last eight months. I haven’t even looked at it since. It’s in timeout. LOL At mile 21 is when the 5:00 pace team passed me too. Another thing that messed with me mentally. I knew I wasn’t going to make 4:30, but I thought I could at least get 5:00. This is when I started to dig deep. Or so I thought.
In training I always hit “the wall” around mile 16. That’s when I started to struggle. I can honestly say, that I was mistaken. I had NEVER hit the wall in training. I hit the wall at mile 23 and it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I cannot put in to words how my body felt, where my mind went. I can only say that it was at that point that I was unsure I would even cross the finish line. It took every part of me to just stay upright and keep breathing. It hurt more to walk, but I couldn’t summon the energy to run/jog. I literally could not focus on anything. I couldn’t get to the side to get a cup of water. I took my last Gu,after struggling awhile to get it open, and even that had no effect. I literally felt like my body was going to collapse. I couldn’t speak a single word, except fuck. I couldn’t process what was going on around me. It was almost like an out of body experience, except with pain, excruciating, horrible, unexplainable pain. And exhaustion. My knees hurt beyond belief. I couldn’t even feel my toes. The top of my feet hurt. My quads were on fire. At this point I think I was doing about a 16:00 minute mile (still haven’t downloaded the Garmin). I calculated that I still had to endure almost an hour of this hell. I didn’t know if I could. I still don’t know how I did.
At mile 25 I got a second wind or a guardian angel or delirium set in. Not sure what it was, but all of a sudden I told myself I had to do it. I could do it. It was 1.2 miles. I could do it. I could. And there was no way in hell I was walking across that finish line. I would run. I could run. And I did. I jogged knowing that every step I was that much closer to being done. I turned that last corner and heard another runner say, “Can you see it? There’s the finish line. See it?” She wasn’t talking to me, but she snapped me out of it and I looked up. And saw it. And ran for my life. Somehow, someway, somewhere I had a little bit in the reserve tank. And I sprinted. Like no one’s business. I dug deep. Deeper than I ever thought I could. Deeper than I ever knew I had. I didn’t see anyone, I didn’t hear anyone. I had tunnel vision for that finish line.
And I crossed it. And I had thought that I would have an immediate sense of relief and accomplishment. But, I didn’t. The pain was too huge. And I wanted to see Piper. We’d been on this journey together. I turned around to watch her cross the finish line. I figured she wasn’t far behind me. I could feel my phone vibrating like crazy in my pouch. I knew my family and friends had been getting the text messages and Facebook updates that told them I just crossed the finish. I took my phone out while I waited and that’s when I saw Piper’s message. And that’s when I cried. Not for my accomplishment, but for her. That she got injured. Even now it makes me tear up. I cannot imagine how she felt.
I slowly started making my way towards our friend Andrea who was going to take me back to Piper’s house. I grabbed a banana and some protein bars on my way out. I still didn’t feel the runner’s high. Actually, I got angry. I turned into mean, bitchy Lori. I was mad that I didn’t make my goal time. I was mad that my body gave out at mile 23. I was mad that it hurt so bad just to walk to the car. I was mad that a bunch of high school students passed me throughout the race. I was just mad. Most likely I was actually in shock. And my body was shutting down and this was my coping mechanism. I saw Andrea and she gave me some beautiful flowers. She asked me if I needed anything, wanted anything and I’m not even sure I responded. I felt like I couldn’t even think. She brought me my Muscle Milk and I chugged it. I did some stretches and got in the car.
On the drive to Piper’s house I texted everyone back. And updated my Facebook. Basically I told everyone that I was glad I finished, but that it hurt and I’d NEVER, EVER, EVER do this again. Who in the hell thinks this is fun? I have fun when I run 13.1, this shit was insane and not fun and I never wanted to do it again. I had told so many people that my goal was 4:30 and I felt like a huge failure, even though everyone was congratulating me.
We drove home to AZ that night and I drove from Phoenix to Tucson, arriving home at 1:20am. I went straight to bed. The next day I woke up and felt a little better. The pain was insane, but it was manageable. I stayed home with the kids and didn’t really talk to anyone. Tuesday I went back to work. I told my story time and time again and everyone congratulated me. I looked up the times of other people I knew and realized that my time really wasn’t that bad. I did it in 5:17. The average time for all 19,000 runners was 5:14. Not bad for my first time. I started to realize that I was ok. That I hadn’t respected the 26.2 before. That I had laughed at it and thought it wouldn’t be that big a deal. I’d been cocky. Too cocky. And I am now humbled. But, I also realize what I accomplished. I accomplished something that less than 1% of the population ever does. I didn’t get hurt, I didn’t quit, I didn’t have an awful time. I dug deep into my soul and pushed myself harder than I ever have, at anything in my life. And that is a wonderful feeling. Knowing I have that in me. Knowing I have the courage and the strength.
As a very good friend told me right after the race, “You worked your ass off and deserve this. Let’s face it, this has always been more than running to you. This is the culmination of it all.” So true. Running is very symbolic and therapeutic for me. And while physically I pushed my body to the limits and covered 26.2 miles, mentally I pushed through much, much more and that will carry me through a lifetime.
And next time, I will prepare my body better. And yes, there will be a next time. Of that I’m sure.
Earned with every bit of my heart and soul
Running, running, running
Sorry readers! I’ve been so busy running that I haven’t updated my blog!
I have pretty much completed my marathon training. I had a grueling 21 mile run a few weeks ago. I got through it though and have been tapering since. I’ve got 3 miles today and tomorrow and then it’s off to LA!
It’s funny how now that the BIG DAY is so close I constantly feel like I am getting sick and/or going to hurt myself. I guess that’s just part of the mental game that running plays on you!
I am also excited and scared out of my mind for the race. The weather is predicted to be cold and rainy. Two things that I don’t do well. Seeing as I live in AZ I have NEVER trained in the rain. And not for lack of being a wimp, just for lack of rain in general! Although I have trained in 100+ temperatures!! But, I’ve got my garbage bag and my ball cap ready and I’ll roll with the punches!
I cannot wait to be able to say that I am a marathoner. That I’ve completed a marathon. I never thought I would say that. Before last year I never ever wanted to say that!
I have signed up to have my splits posted on Facebook as they occur. I’ve also signed a bunch of people up to get the texts too. (If you want to be added to the list, let me know!) My children and my brothers have made me videos that will be shown at random points on the race course and I cannot wait to see them. My dad has sweetened the pot by offering me $200 if I finish in 4:30, so I’m gonna run my heart out!
I can’t wait to give you all a recap as I’m sure it will be epic and I’ll be a ball of emotions afterward.
Probably gonna look a lot like that, but with 4:30 on the clock
Drink Your Water!!!
I had my first near death experience while running on Monday. OK, I’m being a BIT dramatic, but at the time it sure felt like it.
I had planned to run 15 miles, but had some errands that needed to be done, so I decided to run for two hours at race pace and see how many miles I could fit in. I was a bit rushed at this point and had only had a PB&J sandwich and coffee for breakfast. I grabbed my Gu and my hydration bottle (22 oz) and headed out.
Right away I noticed it was warmer than I thought. The weatherman said high of 60, but I’m pretty sure at 9:30 it was already hotter than that. I tried a new route that I’ve never run before. From the get-go my right ankle was bothering me. I twisted it a bit on a trail race (more to come on that) on Saturday and my shoe was rubbing in the exact spot. I finally got in the groove around mile 3 (typical). As it was hot I tried not to drink my Gatorade early on, I knew I would need it and this course was an out and back with no stores/businesses along the way.
I hit mile 6 at one hour and it was time to turn around and head back. At mile 8 I felt great! Only four more miles and I was going faster than race pace!! My ankle hurt, but I was pushing through the burning pain. At mile 9 I took a drink and realized that was it, my Gatorade was gone. Mentally I think that f*cked with my head. Mile 10 I started to feel light headed and all of a sudden I had to heave. And I did. But, I kept down whatever wanted to come up, I guess the Gu and Gatorade. I pushed on and took a little shortcut back to my house for total mileage of 11.5 in two hours, still faster than race pace.
I learned from this run though. I learned that I MUST hydrate the night/morning before I run. Now that I am doing 30-40 miles per week I can’t fake it. I can’t just eat one good meal and drink a cup of water before I run. I must be consistent. I have to eat enough and drink enough ALL the time. I should have had at least 16 oz of water before I even left the house. And now that it’s getting hotter in AZ I need to be that much MORE aware.
And I was sore last night like I haven’t been in months. I foam rollered and took Aleve and I was still hurting. My body was rebelling. It was NOT happy. The rest of the day I drank water and Gatorade, ate protein and carbs and rested. Never, ever again do I want to feel that way. Although I think Jillian Michael’s would have been proud because I didn’t stop to walk, I ran all the way into my house before dying, I mean sitting on the couch.
Insane in the Membrane
I just committed to my first ultra. 31 miles of trail running and hills, more like mountains actually. And I’m looking forward to it! Partially because a dear friend that I met through this blog is going to do it with me!! I have absolutely NO time goal for this one. I just want to finish without having to be rescued from the side of the mountain.
The “Evil” Treadmill
I know many runners think that treadmills are awful. Running on a treadmill is not the same as running outside. It is harder to test yourself in “race like” conditions. Plus, it can be monotonous and boring. But, for me it has become evident that a treadmill is a must. As a mom of four kids I cannot always get outside to run (away from my children- haha). And while I don’t mind getting up early to run or running late at night, when it is dark out this isn’t feasible either. I find that while I force myself to get out on the weekend to do my long runs, I am cutting myself short on the short runs. So, I broke down and bought a treadmill. I was lucky that a friend wanted to get rid of hers for super cheap. Win-win!!
And I already love it. Sunday I was going to meet Lisa to run Sabino Canyon, but that is only 7.5 miles. In order to get in the mileage I needed I got up early and ran 5 before I met her. I was going to do more when I got home, but my left foot started hurting so I decided to hold back.
One of the things I like to do with the treadmill is speed work. I set it at a speed of 9 and go as long as I can, with the goal being one mile. I’ll give myself some recovery time, then do it again. This is something I cannot do on the road. I try, but I just cannot gauge my speed, nor force myself to sustain at that pace.
I cannot wait to jump on the TM before work this week. I am sure it will improve my mood and also my endurance and speed.
Do you shun or embrace the treadmill?
