26.2 and What I Learned

A full marathon. I never would have guessed it was possible. I still don’t believe I did it to be honest. 

There I was a year ago gaining more weight by the day because of my out of control binge eating. Another eating disorder had taken its control over my life and I could barely run a mile. How could one year later I find myself crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles? 

Don’t get me wrong I’m not naturally a runner by any means. If I can do it anyone can and I mean that! That being said I figured I would share a few tips that I learned along the way so that you can run a crazy amount of miles too! Because I promise, crossing the finish line was one of the best feelings. 

Pre-race

1. Slow down. If you find yourself unable to increase your miliage then you need to focus more on distance rather than speed. I averaged a 10:23 mile while training and was even slower in the actual race, like I said I’m not naturally a runner. A marathon pace is supposed to be slow enough where you can carry on a conversation and granted some people can do that at a 8:00 mile, but that definitely isn’t me.

2. Cross train. For several weeks of training I struggled with major knee pain and was so concerned I wouldn’t be able to continue training. It wasn’t until I saw a running coach and discovered it was actually lack of my gluteus medius muscles and by exercising them my knee pain decreased! Just running doesn’t prepare you fully for race day; you have to further train your muscles! However, plan your cross training days appropriately and make sure you aren’t sore for your long runs. I promise sore legs are no fun while pushing for 10+ miles! 

3. Nutrition. Nutrition. Nutrition. As much as I loved carb filled meals the night before long runs and the splurges after burning all the calories, I quickly realized the difference food makes when it comes to heavy legs due to water retention or feeling sluggish. Drinking tons of water and eating a well balanced diet made me feel much more energetic and able to keep pushing myself. My favorite meal the morning of a long run was a peanut butter banana sandwich and energy beans were a great investment too! 

4.  Fail to plan, plan to fail. Find a training plan that best fits your schedule and stick to it the best you can! I did three runs a week and one of those was a long run. It helped to find new routes to keep it interesting so I loved just going down random roads near my house and finding new neighborhoods to explore! I actually ended up learning a lot of back roads I never knew existed! 

5. Invest in what you wear. I can’t stress the importance a good pair of shoes is. I like Brooks shoes personally but there are tons of options,  just do some research! I also like running in long spandex shorts. One reason is because they’re longer than the booty spandex and reason number two is they mostly prevent leg chafing! Honestly when you run 26 miles it will probably still happen but taking measures to prevent it are a great idea! 

  Race day

6.  Treat it the same as a usual long run. Eat the same meal, wear the same clothes, and try to maintain the exact routine you usually would! You’ll probably be nervous but try to relax and realize you’re ready, you’ve trained for this, and you’ll finish one mile at a time! 

7. Mile 20-26 are probably going to make you rethink everything. The pain is a real thing and you may even cry a little, but as they say, just put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Personally I had to turn on worship music and pray the last six miles to keep from quitting.

8. Try not to walk because starting again hurts worse than just pushing through. There’s not much more I can say than just trust me on this one. 

9.  Be prepared to ache. My whole body hurt the rest of the day and I had to plan to give myself time to rest. I was staying with friends and told them ahead of time I wouldn’t be much fun or have any energy afterwards.

10. It’s worth it. All the training, the planning your weekends around long runs, getting tired of every song on your Spotify account, and even the pain all over your body is worth it. Crossing the finish line was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced. Seeing all of the hard work pay off for something you put so much into was incredible! 

My advice: if you ever get the chance to run a marathon, train well and do it! Oh and make sure you buy that 26.2 sticker! 

Also my finish time was 4:58 which is super slow. The time on the pic below is the gun time, not my chip time!