Running your first Marathon

“There will be days when I doubt I can run a Marathon.  There will be a lifetime of gratitude and confidence because I have.”  
-- Unknown

I met two wonderful teammates this weekend in my new marathon training group.  One was working on her first marathon and had questions and doubts that I remember so well.  I was so proud of her for taking on this challenge.  

Running a marathon is really really hard.  It is painful, demanding on your body, and takes a great amount of mental strength to accomplish.  One 10th of one percent of people run a marathon, and finishing one puts you in a pretty select group. It is something you will remember for the rest of your life.  

I have run one full marathon and four half-marathons.  This does not make me an expert.  I was technically obese when I ran my marathon and did it in a painfully slow time:  5:46:36 in 2007.  But I finished running and I will never forget the first.  I wear a dog tag around my neck with the above quote on one side, and my finishing time on the other.  

Having been on both sides of the issue, I decided to write a few notes.  There have been lots of articles in Runner’s World, Running Times, etc on running your first, lessons to know, mistakes everyone makes, etc.  One can easily do an internet searchand learn a lot.  I am sure they are all much better written, but I decided to put down a few points anyway in the hopes that it will help.

1. Trust your plan.  The beginner plans have their longest run at 18 or 20 miles.  You will be filled with all kinds of anxiety about how can you finish 26.2 if you have never ran farther than 20.  Trust the plan.  Trying to do a training run longer than 20 hurts your preparation.  It takes too long to recover from that run; time you easily have AFTER the marathon, but not during training.  You have crowds, family, water stops, adrenalin, etc. during the marathon; at the end of training run you sit in your car alone trying to recover enough so you can drive home.  The week you run your 20m training run, you have other runs; the total is well over 26.2.  It is enough.  

2. Plan your support.  I made a simple spreadsheet with my expected running pace and then sat down with the race course map.  I told family and friends 8 specific points on the course, and the time I would be there.  Elite athletes have their own bottles at rest stops with their special drink or energy source.  I had my wife or cousin handing me my food and energy drink and my son yelling “go dad!” every couple of miles.  

3. Start slow -- The biggest mistake of racing is going out too fast.  And this is the downside to the crowds and adrenalin mentioned above.  Most of the big races have pacing groups.  Find one.  If there is not one at your speed, find one a bit slower and stay with them for the first two to three miles.  Anything to keep you under control for the first couple of miles.

4. Run with YOUR perfect form.  The scientific studies are pretty clear, there is no one perfect running form. But there is one for each runner.  Find it!  Get help if you need from a coach or expert.  But find a relaxed efficient form and then protect it at all costs.  Learn to use it when your body wants to go out faster.  Learn to keep it when you are tired.  Baseball is full of anecdotal stories of a pitcher that hurt his toe or foot, tried to pitch through it, and blew out his arm because it changed his delivery.  The same thing happens to your leg muscles when you alter your stride.  Protect it!  Learn to keep it even when tired.  

5. Find a mantra.  I joked about this when I was preparing for 2007.  But I have found one that works for me:  “Smooth, easy, relax.”  It’s what I repeat to myself when I want to go out fast.  It’s what I repeat to myself when I start to tire.  It reminds me to stay within myself, running with my stride, my race, the way I trained and run best.  I don’t want to hear my footfalls, I want to run efficiently within myself, saving my energy, and running my pace.  

6. Learn about nutrition and hydration.  There is a lot of good info out there.  I won’t cover it here, except to say that if I didn’t study and learn on this topic, I would never have been able to keep moving for almost 6 hours.  This is more critical for the non-elite runners.  We are the ones out there for 4 to 7 hours, and need a plan to complete.  

7. We are fond of saying its a marathon and not a sprint.  But really, it is not A marathon.  It is tens to hundreds of small races.  In 2007, at around the 7 mile point, we came out of a protected area and turned into a strong cold north wind.  I wanted to quit right there.  A couple of weeks later, I met the runner that placed 2nd overall; he had the same experience.  You will have sections where you feel great, and sections where it sucks.   They don’t come in order and shift throughout the race.  Your best two blocks and your worst two blocks can come in the same mile in the middle of the race.  Don’t let yourself get down.  At seven miles when the wind hits you, there is no way you can keep that up for another 19!  Fortunately, you don’t have to.  Keep focused on the next mile and things will change.  Just remember why you are doing it, and have fun.

8. Have a goal for AFTER the race.  In 2007, my goal was FINISH.  It was my big goal, and my only goal.  In the pain after, I had real problems keeping my running going and it lapsed and my weight came back.  Now, I have lots of goals.  May 18th (Fargo Marathon / Half-Marathon) is in bright yellow highlight on my calendar, but there are goals for the fall, next spring, and the next couple of years.  Have a plan for beyond the marathon, because when you are tired after the event, it is too late.  You will remember that day forever, but don’t let the days after become something you later regret.  

Again, I am so impressed, awed, and inspired by anyone who can run or will run a marathon.  It is great to meet these people and share stories with them. As tough as a marathon is, it is possible.  I know I didn’t know everything going in, although I probably thought I did.  I don’t know everything now.  But I constantly seek advice from others on how to make it easier, and hope that by sharing a few of my thoughts, I can help others.

I will run another marathon or maybe even a few.  I want to run one for my 50th birthday, and I would love to see how far the new me can drive down that time!