PB: Marathon Training
PhillyBoy has food on the mind a lot these days. But running is on his mind more. He has been training for a marathon for three months now, and his appetite and diet are healthier than ever! We have received a lot of questions about his training, and he is ready to share his thoughts. Here is his first official post as an official member of RhodeyGirl Tests! Here goes nothing...
Training for a marathon has been an amazing and fun experience so far, and I hope some of the information I share here can be helpful to anyone who is considering running a marathon. If I have missed any topics – please let me know and I’ll be sure to address them!
By no means do I consider myself an expert or authority on this at all!! I am simply training for my first marathon and have been running consistently for about 10 years now. I have learned so much from reading, trying things and especially from talking to other runners – so I look forward to sharing some of my experiences!
Why am I running the marathon?
My 2010 New Year’s resolution was to run a marathon. Last year, RG and I ran two half marathons (Philly HM in November 2009 & Disney HM in January 2010) and I have done a handful of 10 mile races. So as a person who continuously likes to challenge himself, running a full marathon was the next logical step. As RG has mentioned in other posts, I’m an attorney. So I approached the marathon a lot like I approached the bar exam. I knew that I would have a LOT to learn, that I would not be able to “cram”, that preparation was key and that doing this was my choice. No one was forcing me to do this – so I better have fun with it or just stop.
I went online and found a training schedule. We have used Hal Higdon’s training schedule for our previous half marathons – so I decided to stick with Hal and use his Novice Marathon Training Plan. Poor RG has had to listen to me recite each week what mileage I have to do. But reading the schedule and the explanations of each week has become a fun little ritual for me. I am now in Week 14 of 18 and am approaching the dreaded Week 15… known in our house as “5, 10, 5, 20 Week.”
I’m a busy guy – and I’m sure all of you have crazy schedules and commitments as well. You are probably thinking, “I don’t exactly have or want to carve out an extra hour or 2 each day to train for a marathon.” Well if you want to, I’m telling you that you CAN. I look forward to telling you a bit about how I have done it. A little preview:
- As Forrest Gump said, you can learn a lot from a person by their shoes: How I decided which shoes to buy, my thoughts on footwear for running, and how I made sure that my shoes were broken in but not worn down before race day! And NO, I am NOT a barefoot runner (but I did read the book!)
- Nutrition: When you get past the 10 milers, your diet becomes crucial to the overall success and enjoyment of the marathon training program. I learned that it’s not just about water. I will discuss eating before, during, and after runs…yes, I said during! I’ve had my share of bad runs due to malnutrition – during other training programs and once during this training program on my 15 miler. There are easy preventative ways to avoid this.
- Stretching/Injury Prevention: I have had my share of small annoying injuries all over my legs – front, back, bottom, top, and even those pains that traveled all over. I’ve had foot pain on my arches, heels, and underneath. I even consulted experts like LaserLab in Lake Mary, FL for pain management. I would never dare say that I have “had it all” but I have had enough injuries to know truly that an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.
- How I have trained for this marathon – and still had fun: Like I said earlier, doing a marathon is a choice. Unless you are some sort of masochist, you are doing this to have fun. So far, I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of fun during my training. I’ve been learning a lot about myself, my limitations, and more importantly – what I can do when I push myself. But the most important lesson I have learned is how to make it fun and enjoyable.
- (Added by RhodeyGirl) PB’s Addiction to Chia Seeds: Every morning PB eats chia seed gel- straight up. It has gotten to the point where I can expect a few chia seeds on his chin before he goes out for a training run. He must share more about this new obsession.
Any questions for me? Have any of you done a marathon? Any 1st timer tips?
Good stuff! I’m so excited to read more. Specifically how you deal with bad runs or days when you feel off/don’t feel like running.
I am really excited for you. I like the comparison to the bar exam, it actually makes it sound less scary. Do you do your long runs alone? Do you always run in the morning? Most people I know who have run marathons have had more flexible work schedules Han you – how has that worked out for you? I mean durin the bar exam all you had to do (well all I had to do) was study.
How can I get Mark to run? 🙁
I’m signed up for my first marathon and will start training soon! I Can’t wait to read more about PB’s experience.
I had no idea PB was training for a marathon! It sounds like he’s being very responsible about his training. Good luck to PB. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and tips with us!
I’m excited to read more. I’m nowhere near thinking of becoming a marathoner (yet!) but I’m still interested in improving the running I can do now.
I still use HH plans, they are great (i used that same exact plan 3 times). This season I am using a hybrid between the novice plan and intermediate. I’m running my 4th marathon tomorrow and another later this year.
I will say that running a full marathon to me is NOTHING like a half, not even twice a half (other than distance). Really no words to describe it. It’s rewarding, it’s painful, it’s long, it’s hard.
I’ve found that before all long runs, including the race, there are several key items that lead to good performance: eating right (especially the 2 days before), going to sleep early, resting your legs the day before, eating a good breakfast the morning of. Then of course proper hydration and fuel before, during, and after.
Biggest thing I’ve changed in the last 2 years is learning to also eat for recovery and keep on strength training.
I’m super excited to read this!! I am training for a half and already find it hard to fit in runs before or after work (especially as it gets dark!). I would LOVE to run a marathon soon and am seriously considering it, so hearing about how you fit in training will be great!
So excited about your debut! I’m a runner, but a slooowwwww one…I can’t wait to hear some of your tips and watch you cross the finish line.
I just ran my first marathon and it way truly amazing. You will love it!
One thing I did was join a pace team. It was one of the best things I did! They are free and you just find the leader and run with the group.
It was a great way instantly meet friends and the leader (who is usually a pro) offers advice/inspiration. You are free to speed ahead or fall behind whenever.
I learned afterwords that I should have done more stretching and core work. I came away injury free but the pictures the race sent me showed some poor form, letting me know that more flexible hips would have been good!
Good Luck!
awesome! congrats to you, PB. you’re on the toughest week of your training… it’s seriously all downhill from here. just wait until you experience how antsy you’ll be during taper time!
i just ran my first marathon- the chicago marathon, two weeks ago. the training was tough. i was busier than ever, with full time work, and nursing school full time. all the while balancing family and friends and a relationship to boot.
not for one second have i felt it wasn’t worth it though. just wait until you cross that finish line. you’re going to feel AMAZING. no matter what you’re time. because you’ll be a MARATHONER. and no one will be able to take that way from you!
GOOD LUCK!
Excited to read about it–Philly will be my first as well and I’m also using HH’s program and working on the 5-10-5-20 week!! I would love to hear about your long run experiences and fueling–ESP during. I usually don’t eat during a run other than my gels or shot block type things but had a granola bar during this weeks run and noticed a difference in the last half of my run; can’t wait to see what you have to say! Good luck in the race too!
I haven’t run a full marathon, but have run 1/2s. I am considering running the 2011 San Deigo marathon in June, but haven’t convinced myself yet for sure!