Things I Learned From Marathon Training

Marathon training is daunting no matter if you’re a rookie or a veteran runner. There are so many training plans out there, some with minimal running mixed with cross-training, other that are rely on multiple workouts and several days of running.  

Now that I am over halfway done with my second marathon training plan, I have been reflecting back on the similarities and differences I have experienced.  I have noticed there are several ‘marathon truths’ even though I still consider myself a freshman marathoner.

The biggest difference I have noticed is that it is much harder to juggle training with teaching.(Duh.) For my first marathon, I intentionally chose a race that would not conflict with work and allow me to train throughout the summer when I was not teaching.  I wanted to be able to still have time to be mom to my young son and commit the time to my training.  Now, with teaching, graduate work, family, and Boston training, I find life much fuller and schedules far tighter than last summer.  

My biggest piece of advice to anyone contemplating marathon training: schedule your runs and keep the appointments.  

• Training plans - trust them

I was skeptical of running easy runs so much slower than what I felt was a steady pace for me. It took only a few weeks of training 40+ miles a week to get me to appreciate the easy runs. My legs, my body...even my head...needed those slower miles to recover.  Easy runs are not about the pace.  Easy runs are about time on feet.  

• Rest is crucial...so are naps

My training plan calls for one day of rest, which was usually Tuesdays.  I looked forward to Tuesdays for the relief that came with them.  I was by no means a couch potato, but the knowledge that I didn’t have training miles for that day was always welcome.  Rest days are almost always active rest days: Pilates or yoga, stretching, walks, bike rides, etc.  

Naps...are precious indeed.  I now find myself missing my naps terribly.  Never a napper before marathon training, I often needed to nap at least 15 minutes most days last summer.  How did I function before without naps???  Now naps are a cherished bonus when I can squeeze one in after school or on the weekends.  

• 

  New route: North Country Trail
  along Lake Superior!

  Make it fun when you can

Long runs can become very long and tedious. Favorite routes and trails can become mind-numbing after a few weeks of constant travel.  I tried to find ways to change up the scenery or the company. Summer is full of travel and new places, and I was able to easily fit my marathon training into multiple trips.  New places meant new routes.  Granted, it also meant doing some leg work and scouting out the surrounding area before hand but often I winged my route.  

For one of my longest runs, I posted a shout-out to my run group and invited people to join me for any short distance along my planned route.  It truly was a blast and it chunked up the sixteen miles nicely.  I also spent another long run on part of my marathon course to help me get a good feel for what I was in for on race day.

• Be prepared to wear out gear/shoes

I ran through two pairs of Brooks Pure Connect 3's and one pair of Brooks Pure Flow 3's between my training and recovery. Luckily, these were older models and I paid less than $100 for each pair, but still...I hadn't figured on that my first go-round. Preparing for my second marathon training cycle, I stocked up on my favorite (and now extinct!) shoes.

Something to ponder:  I went through a ton of laundry each week.  This winter seemed worse than the summer, which makes sense...I was wearing more layers than I was in the summer. This isn’t really wasn’t much of an issue as long as I stayed on top of my laundry and did a load every few days.  But it really sucked when I realized there were no clean sport bras to be found!

• Yes...you will become ‘that runner’

Yup.  Happens to the best of us.  Marathon training will permeate every corner of your life, especially if you are training for your first or have a very specific goal.  When running and training as much as I do for my cycles, I spend a lot of social time with other runners.  This leads to conversations about fueling, foam rolling, stretching, gear, hydration packs, etc.  You will discuss and seek out solutions for unusual toe blisters, gastrointestinal issues. and chaffing problems.  You will proudly compare your runner’s feet with other around you.  You might even get to the point where you will throw caution to the wind and run with your shirt off…<gasp>...in only your sports bra.  Okay...I did become that runner.  And it will be a-okay when/if you do, too.

• Get ready to be by yourself - A lot

Running between 40 and 60 miles over a week translated into at least three or four solo runs a week  But even when I showed up for my group runs, I was often by myself since I was the only one training for my race distance and date.  My training paces often didn’t match up to anyone else either.  Overall, I didn’t mind being solo so often but I did feel like I fell of the face of my running world.  

I did find ways to incorporate running to involve others.  My biggest challenge was a lack of child care on Sundays, when I usually had a shorter recovery run.  So I would suggest that my son race me on his bike while I ran.  Mother-son time + run time = problem solved.  I also tried to time my cool down miles with the beginning of group runs.  Pace didn’t matter as much and the company made those last few miles fly.

• Take the time to recover well

Recovery...so much more than taking a day or two off.  I found active recovery to be key. Leisurely walks, family bike rides, yoga classes, Pilates on the beach...anything that kept my body moving was fair game.  Nutritional recovery was a new concept for me as well.  I am careful about refueling after long runs, even if I’m not hungry.  A few indulgences aside, I’m a fairly healthy eater normally.  During marathon training, I listen to my body.  If I am more sore than I think I should be or just not perking up during the week, I will re-evaluate my diet, adding quality protein sources.  I also make a conscientious effort to hydrate all day long.

Second time around, marathon training is a bit different: the seasons, work, life.  But there have been these truths that I have found comforting...very comforting through the trials and miles of marathon training.  

Old Boys Oktoberfest Half Marathon Recap

This recent change in West Michigan weather from hot and steamy to crisp and fall-ish as given my running a major boost.  The end of September marked the beginning of my last taper for the year...on September 27th, I will be running my fourth half marathon of the year at the Old Boys Oktoberfest Half Marathon.  

Up until now, I didn’t care for tapering...it interfered with my very heavy spring race schedule (three half marathons and my first 25K within 11 weeks) or I just didn’t want to give up my mileage.  I tried a two week taper in before my first half marathon of the year...it wasn’t pretty.  That was about the time I heard the term ‘taper tantrums’ and it fit my running-state-of-mind perfectly.  

To taper for Old Boys, I decided to return to my tried and true one week taper, running my longest training run two weeks prior to my race, with an 8 mile long run a week later.  Surprisingly, I relatively mellow...could be my allergy medicine talking.  Or focusing on seeing some of my family members for the first time in almost two years!  Or the fact that I am walking on marshmallow feet, babying my right Achilles tendon that flared up a bit after a beach 5K I ran the prior Friday night.  

Other things were definitely keeping the racing nerves at bay.I didn’t want to risk anything stopping me from running this half marathon.  It was the first half marathon that most of my family had the opportunity to attend.  (Did I mention my brother was also getting married a few hours after I would be completing this last half marathon???)  A majority of my family lives out of town, therefore has never had the chance to watch me finish a race.  I was secretly hoping for some flashy signs and familiar faces somewhere out on the course...a girl can hope, right?  The days leading up to Old Boys gave me hope that I could run the course no problem: my heel felt looser and almost ache-free.

Group Shot! RunMuskegon Participants

Race morning began with my rituals: a breakfast of coffee, a banana, and peanut butter toast chased by water; gearing up in my Oiselle Flock singlet, Mac Roga shorts, and my favorite Zensah compression leg sleeves; and a few dynamic stretches to warm up.  It was a chilly morning, very similar to the weather of my last long training run in which I had run the race course in record time.  I knew that I had a very good chance to break through my goal of 1:45:00...as long as my Achilles could take the pavement pounding.  

My running group, RunMuskegon, met at the starting line for pictures.  Some of us were course veterans, while others, like my friend Ryno, would be running 13.1 miles for the first time.  We huddled for warmth and support until it was time to file into the starting corral.  The only thing I was nervous about was starting out too fast...a bad habit of mine.  My game plan was to start out around a 7:30 to 7:40 minute pace and try to maintain that for as long as I could.  Everything went so smoothly for the first six miles.  I saw the first group of loved ones waiting to cheer me on at the two mile mark, before they had to rush off to a soccer game.  My dad and son met me at the six mile mark along with a small crew of friends who had cowbells and posters.  I was feeling great!  Up until this point, I was running with a girl who was a collegiate cross country and track runner...and I was keeping pace through the rolling hills that surround Spring Lake!  

Still smiling at mile 2!

But just before mile seven, my right heel began to ache.  Dully at first, and then the rest of my leg began to tense up.  When I stopped to take my fuel (Huma Gel in Apple Cinnamon), I took a few seconds to stretch my calves, in the hope that loosening them up would help keep me on my goal pace.  I also slowed up a bit, wanting to hover around an 8 minute pace.  I knew that I needed to run at least that to have any hope of attaining a personal record.  And knowing that I usually hit a wall around mile ten and the race course became more hilly in the last half, I needed to soldier on.  

Instead of dwelling on the increasing discomfort in my lower right leg, I turned toward reflecting on the scenery, truly enjoying the beauty of the morning and the course as I followed the curves and turns around Spring Lake.  Eventually spectators began to appear on the course again, and I used their cheers to bolster my energy.  Some of them were even for me!  More friends had found spots at the park in Ferrysburg before the course swept over the bridges.

The most difficult part about the Old Boys course is the end.  As you complete the last hills, hiking up the bridges that connect Ferrysburg, Grand Haven, and Spring Lake, you run past the brewery where runners and their families were already celebrating finishes.  But YOU still have a mile to compete before the finish line appears.  Mentally, that is a downer...so close, but still a ways to go.  

As I rounded the last turn, my Achilles hurt bad enough to affect my stride.  I stopped looking at my GPS watch and really had no idea what my time was until I saw the clock at the finish line.  I almost cried when the red digits appeared...I was still within grasp of my goal...I could still do it.  Mustering everything I had left, I sprinted (or at least what felt like sprinting) to the finish line.  I could hear cheers from my run group friends as they saw me coming down the chute...they knew what I knew.  I was going to do it!  I finished those 13.1 miles with a PR time of 1:44:52.5 (8:00 minute pace), jumping across the finish line with tears in my eyes.  

Colin & Ryno cross the finish line!

While waiting for my friends Liz, Colin, and Ryno to finish the half, the tail end of my cheer team showed up to cheer me on...but I had run a bit quicker than anticipated, so they missed the finish!  We were still able to pose for pictures with all the signs afterward!  (Yes...I got my flashy signs and many smiling faces!)  My favorite moment post-race was seeing Ryno finish his first half marathon.  Our fellow RunMuskegon member, Colin ran with Ryno the entire time, finishing it off with a pat on the back as they crossed the finish line.  That moment says everything about our run group:  we support each other and cheer each other on.

I walked away with a new half marathon personal record as well as a third place age group finish! Celebrating my achievement with loved ones and friends, I grabbed a pint of Old Boys Oktoberfest beer. 

Next up:  Grand Rapids Marathon Relay October 19, 2014.