Running Your First Marathon
/So, you are thinking about running your first marathon? If you are anything like me, you are probably either A. Already signed up and trying to find comfort or B. On the fence and looking for reasons to convince yourself it isn't "that bad."
I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that a marathon is an incredible experience to undergo. You not only challenge yourself as a runner, but you challenge your outlook on life. The bad news is that it is a brutal, agonizing, painful endeavor.
Let's explore a little further into whether you're A or B and what the good news and bad news looks like for each one.
A. You've signed up and it is anywhere from 2 days to 10 months out, and you're stressing.
Good News,
You have already done the hardest part, signing up. I have learned that once you sign up, the race is basically over. Once you tell yourself, "alright this is something I want to do." It is already done. With the momentum that you have right now, commit to a training plan. Make it a habit week in and week out, and the marathon will come naturally. Every decision you make in the right direction makes the next that much easier. If you are 2 days out, then the "hay is already in the barn" as my good friend would say. There isn't much you can do to make it easier or make it go away. So accept the fact that in 2 days you're running a marathon, and you're going to kill it!
Bad News,
It is going to be tough. Miles 20-24 are ruthless. A marathon is honestly a 10k race. The first 20 miles is equivalent to the pain you'll experience in training, and after that it is surviving for 6 miles. In a marathon there are so many factors to try to plan and navigate: hydration, nutrition, course direction, weather, miles upon miles of proper pacing, and mental focus. If even one of these things goes awry it can make the race exponentially more difficult. Make sure you have a race day strategy. How fast do you want each mile to be? How are you getting nutrition and hydration? What will the weather be like on race day? What can you do to plan for that? If it is cold, dress in layers. If it is hot have some head protection and maybe a hand held water. Do you know what the course looks like? Have you studied it? Go drive some of the iffy parts if you can. Create checkpoints for yourself in the race. Set a goal time for each fourth of the race. It will give you a boost once you are past half way. Lastly, what is your why to running the race? This is the tether that keeps your body and mind together. In those 26 miles it is easy to drift off into a very bad place. It is going to be brutal, but hey no one who runs marathons wants anything easy.
B. You're on the fence and looking for reassurance.
Good News,
You're at a place in life where you want to grow as an individual. You are somehow navigating work, school, family, and friends so flawlessly that you need a more difficult challenge. So you are entertaining the idea of a marathon. Maybe you already run a little, you've completed a 5k or 10k, maybe even a half marathon. Maybe you're a phenomenal runner who crushes every local 10k, but you're unsure if you want to push yourself to a greater distance. Go for it. Don't wait for tomorrow to come, don't wait until you're in the perfect shape, don't wait for some sort of break-through. Sign-up right now. Go find a marathon that is 10-14 weeks out and register right now. I promise you won't regret it. This isn't because the marathon is some magical race that will complete you, but because it is a chance for you to allow yourself to grow. If you can run a marathon, that deadline at work or school doesn't seem so tough. If you can run a marathon, that cute girl/guy you've eyed at the coffee shop doesn't seem so intimidating. If you can run a marathon, the unknowable future doesn't seem so scary. A marathon offers perspective.
Bad News,
Training sucks. It really sucks. It will consume your time. You'll clock in enough hours running each week to equal a part time job. You will likely train during periods of rough weather. Sometimes it will be rain, heat, humidity, snow, or if you live in Mississippi all of the above during a two week time frame. Your body will hurt. Any little nagging ache will begin to amplify. You will enter this period of a Fog where you are not actually ever fully anywhere. While you are running you are thinking about everything else you have in life and while you are doing everything else in life you are thinking about running. There will be some early morning runs. Then there will be some late night runs on the treadmill. I'm not going to lie, it is rough. But let's be honest, you aren't here because you're afraid of a challenge. You're here for that "But." Here it is: Training for a marathon is intense, BUT you can do it. BUT you will persevere. BUT you will grow so much. BUT when it is over you'll miss it.
Advice:
Find a group to run with.
I know I would not have made it through marathon training without my close group of guys. They held me accountable when I didn't want to be. They held my nose to the grindstone when I was making excuses. We would bash anyone who missed a run (in a good way). It was the unforgivable sin to miss a Wednesday or Saturday workout. A group is invaluable when it comes to running. Not only does it give you an opportunity to not think about the pace, but if you pick the right group some of them will even push you to run better. Find yourself a wolf pack.
Get a game plan.
Every day from the moment you sign up for the marathon to the day of the marathon should be planned out. If you need a nifty training plan you can find one on my site under the training plans tab. For optimal success, get a crew of people around you that you can rely on who will handle things like hotel, transportation, where to eat, getting around post race, holding stuff for you, etc. for the race weekend. Your main game plan should come during the race, you should know before the race starts how you want to run each and every mile. How will your first 3 miles look in comparison to the rest? What time do you want to be at the half way mark? When will you take your nutrition? How much will you consume? Hydration? These are all questions, there are many more as well, that need to be answered before race day.
Relax.
So much of what breaks down your body during a marathon has little to do with physical capabilities. Of course you still need to train, but I mean there is something much greater than the physical aspect of it. That is where relaxation comes in to play. Breathe, calm down, assure yourself. There has been a significant amount of research that shows muscle cramps during marathons have little to do with hydration and much to do with tension. Each time we flex our leg muscles while running we are reinforcing our neurons to contract more quickly and efficiently. During a race our neurons take it to the next level and contract so quickly that it results in a muscle cramp. Focusing on relaxation will help train your muscles and neurons the importance of relaxation as well. You can do this through meditation or breathing exercises. Often times before I do a race or speed workout I take a few minutes to try and completely relax my mind.
Visualize.
This can teeter on the edge of unhealthy, but I do it anyways. Visualize the entire race in your head. Think about the start. Play in your head how you will start the race, the more specific the better. Visualize the weather, where you are in relation to the front. Maybe even catch the end of the national anthem before you start. Think about what you do to start the race. How aggressive do you want to be? This is where you start to reinforce those race day plans before the race ever starts. If you play the race you want to run in your head 20 times over before race day ever gets there. You will be much more confident when it comes time to do it. Then, think about the finish. Think about crossing the finish line exhausted and seeing the clock above with the time you want to hit. Imagine the rush of accomplishment you will feel. You succeeded in your endeavors. You created a plan and did exactly what you said you would! It is a good feeling.
Smile.
All right, I honestly do not have any science behind this besides it working for me. On my second ever collegiate cross country race, I remember I was running hard and the sun was directly in my face. It felt like high noon in some old western movie. I was dying. Then I see our star runner, a Kenyan, and he is just cruising. I mean he passes me going the opposite way of a snake back, and he is smiling, shooting guns, and tossing winks. I might add that this is also the most humble man I have ever met. I see the way the everyone reacts to him. They look at him as if he has it figured out. Then it dawns on me, he does have it figured out. People always talk about loving running, but rarely do you see a race photo of someone running hard and smiling at the same time. From that moment on I would run every race with a smile because I love running, or I was at least going to make my body think that. The next group of people I saw, I flashed a smile. They looked at me how they looked at him. I was mind blown. As I was geeking out about how a smile affects the way people look at you, I stopped thinking about the race or at least the hard part of the race. I was approaching the finish line, and I could see the clock in the distance. WOW! If I kept the same pace I would definitely hit a new personal record, and sure enough I did. So I implemented this strategy race after race, and each time it made it a little easier. But hey, don't stop at a smile, throw out some encouraging words to fellow runners. Every day I greet a fellow runner with a smile and encouragement during a race I somehow get this supercharge of endorphins. I dare you to try it next race. Smile whenever you see people watching the race. I guarantee it will make you feel better.
Good luck,
Josh Moore (Coach)