Runner Insight

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Never having run 26.2 miles before, I started reading a lot of articles online about running a marathon. I picked up a bunch of great ideas on how to train for long runs and what to eat and stuff like that.

After I’d been studying and planning and preparing for a few weeks, I found out that our local running store and running club was putting on Marathon Training classes every 1st Tuesday of the month. I made it a point to attend as many as possible. They brought in guest speakers to speak on topics ranging from diet and nutrition, to injury prevention and goal setting. I learned a lot, and the questions from other first time marathoners were very interesting. In some ways, it made me feel I was ahead of the game and gave me much needed confidence since I felt like I already knew the answers to some of the questions they were asking from having spent so much time online researching, studying and preparing.

The last class we attended for the marathon training was on race strategy. The Runner’s Edge (our local running store) brought in a guest speaker. His name eludes me, but he was a veteran at running marathons. He described some of his best races . . . and worst.

I’m not sure if that was such a good idea, as I was getting a little freaked out about all the things that could go wrong…maybe I was getting in over my head? I had to remind myself that, by this point in time, I had done the work and training required to run the full marathon. I couldn’t let fear take over. Besides it was too late now. I was committed to it and I was not willing to back out.

In spite of the horror stories he told of becoming a hallucinating, slobbering, babbling idiot from lack of proper fuel, he was informative and entertaining as well. He did say that he viewed the marathon as two separate races in one. The first was 20 miles, and then the last 6.2 miles. I found this to be an interesting concept at the time, but I was more interested in just finishing the whole race. I think if I had really considered what he said more carefully, I wouldn’t have tried to start out as fast as I had the day of the race. And I’m not sure how much his talk played in my mind, but as I ran my marathon, it wasn’t until the 20 mile mark that I started to run into problems…But more about that later.

I would suggest to a first time marathon runner, that when studying all the multitudes of theories and opinions and programs on training for and running a marathon, it’s important not to over think it too much. In this instance, too much information can hinder your ability to choose a program. You don’t want to get in the bind of analysis paralysis. Once you find a training program that feels comfortable to you, in general you should stick with it. If you change it up too often, you will lose ground in your training and get off track for your goals.

If you’ll find out who is putting on the marathon, you can look online to see if they have a dedicated website for the marathon. If they do, check the website often. They will usually update it with good information on the race and marathon training, and a lot of them have a blog or chat room where you can interact with other runners. Once you’re in the forum or chat room, it’s easy to ask questions of more experienced runners, share ideas and make friends. As it gets closer to the start date of your marathon, visiting the website is a terrific way to get yourself pumped up for the big day.

If there is no website dedicated to the marathon you plan to run in, there are plenty of other websites and newsgroups that revolve around the topic of running. You’ll want to find one that you feel comfortable with, as they all seem to have a different personality and feel to them.

There are plenty of great books available and blogs and information sites online dedicated to educating and answering questions about running. Which ever ones you choose, it’s all good. Just beginning the research is moving you in the right direction of training smart and giving you the best chance of finishing a full marathon in your goal time.

Ready to Run?

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

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