Lessons from Marathons 6-10

A few years ago, I wrote a post on what I’d learned from running and training for my first five marathons. I truly had learned a lot by then (and I stand by those learnings), but back then, I thought I was pretty close to knowing everything there is to know about being a marathoner. How could I not after five whole marathons? Fast forward another five marathons, and here’s the key thing I’ve learned so far: I will probably never stop learning. Why? Because most of what I’ve discovered through each experience is not really about running at all, but about me as a runner. Running is a deeply individual experience, which evolves as we evolve. So, this post is not meant to spew out facts or advice about running. But I do think there’s a lot that we can learn from each other and commonalities that we can relate to. So, with that all said… here’s what I’ve learned from marathons 6-10. Take it or leave it J.

Injury proofing

In the marathons 1-5 post I mentioned how I was able to stave off running injuries by changing up my shoes, and hence my stride. Turns out that was only one battle in the much greater war. I have since won a few more battles, but unfortunately I had to take a few hits before arming myself with the right weapons. I truly don’t believe that running in itself is bad for you – despite how many people try to tell me otherwise. But running is a repetitive motion – your foot strikes the ground over a thousand times each mile. So if there are any slight imbalances or weaknesses in the lower body, odds are they will manifest as an injury. I am one of those people with imbalances and weaknesses, so I have to work on injury-proofing myself. Like strengthening my hips and glutes to better support my knees, stretching my hamstrings and calves to improve my mobility, strengthening my left tibialis posterior so that I don’t end up striking the ground harder on my right. Constantly monitoring my posture, cadence, and stride. I’ve learned to become proactive instead of reactive about injury-proofing. But it takes dedication as well as understanding of the kinetic chain and – more importantly – my body to be successful.

Training for speed

It’s no secret that more than anything I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon. But after my first five marathons I was afraid to really admit this goal out loud because I wasn’t sure that I could ever be fast enough. So like any scientist would do, I did some research. I could bore you for hours with everything I’ve learned about human running economy, but instead I’ll just use a few equations!

I used to think the equation was simple:

Run more miles = Run better marathons

For some people, maybe this is the right equation, but as an injury-prone runner (see above), I found that my equation looks more like this:

Run purposeful miles + Do a lot of extra stuff = Run better marathons

Running in itself was not enough. It was how I executed those those miles, plus cross training and strength training (tailored to my specific weaknesses), that made the difference. I found the FIRST training plan in which each of the three weekly runs serves a purpose to improve the body’s efficiency. A three-pronged approach to becoming a speed demon (see what I did there?) that focuses on quality over quantity. Not every marathon has been a personal best since starting FIRST but I’ve managed to shave off 22 minutes from my PR since marathon #5. Which brings me down to 17 minutes away from that coveted BQ! A speed demon lives inside all of us. We just have to discover how to unleash it.

Smart Racing

Racing strategy wasn’t really on my radar during my first five marathons. I just ran. But since then, it’s become clear that understanding the course, the weather conditions, my abilities, and then tailoring my race plan to these things can make a huge difference. The takeaway: once that gun goes off, every choice, every movement I make can impact how strong I will finish. For example, holding back in the beginning of a marathon, even if I feel great, changing up my stride and pace when tackling hills, hydrating consistently from the start on hot/humid days, fueling the right amount and at the right time… My brain is constantly calculating and monitoring how I feel. All those small things can add up to crossing that finish line sooner.

Failure is okay

Now I’m going to contradict the whole point of the last two paragraphs with the next point: being fast isn’t everything. Yes, PRs feel great. But finishing times are how other people might be impressed with your performance. I’m much more impressed with myself when I consider what obstacles I had to overcome to achieve said time (PR or not). I read something recently that has stuck with me: The possibility of failure is the whole point. In a marathon, the odds are stacked against us. There are many elements that have to align for us to run our best over that distance, so more often than not, we fail to meet our goals. But isn’t that the whole point? Would it really be worth it if it was easy? I’ve realized that it’s not my finishing times that define me. It’s pushing through the pain mile after mile. It’s accepting that failure is okay; giving up is not.

10% of my goal completed! – What I learned from my first 5 marathons

It has been about 4 months since my last marathon, and as I am training for my next one, I can’t help but think of all the things I’ve learned in the past 3+ years since I started training for my very first marathon. I feel like I’ve come a long way, but really this is only the beginning. Here’s what all the miles so far have taught me:

The hardest part of a long run is getting out the door

I’ll be completely honest. I dread the long training runs. Maybe that seems weird because I love running marathons so much, but race day is exciting, surrounded by so many other runners. It’s a day I’ve been working toward for months. It’s the day that I get to lay it all out on the line. But going out for a 20 mile run on a random Saturday on the same old roads I see every day? Not a fan. It’s all pain, but no glory. I’ll wake up on long run days and groan to myself, and dawdle a bit, putting off the inevitable. Just 10 mores minutes, then I’ll go. It took me a while to realize that once I’m actually out there, it’s not that bad. Sure, the end is usually pretty rough. It hurts and I feel like I’m out there forever. But once I’m out there, the real hard part is over. It would be so easy to sit back down on the couch, dive into a cheeseburger and say, eh, I’ll do it another day. Finding that motivation to actually put on my shoes and go out the door? That’s the real challenge.

  

The importance of good running mechanics and finding the right shoes

After my first two marathons I started to wonder, Is it even possible to run without constantly getting injured? My biggest problem was joint pain – mostly the knees and hips. And it scared me.

I'm only in my 20's, am I even going to be able to continue long-distance running in the coming decades without serious repercussions? How am I ever going to improve?

Finally, after doing a little research, and even after reading Born to Run, I was at last convinced that I’m not putting my body through something terrible and unnatural by forcing it to run, as so many people – especially doctors – have told me. But, how our bodies respond to running depends on our running mechanics.

And what plays a huge role in running mechanics? Shoes.

I went to a specialty running store and got lighter shoes with a more even heel-toe gradient. Running in these changed where I landed on my foot, shifting my center of gravity forward so that my joints were better able to absorb the impact.

And I haven't experienced any major joint problems since! Of course it wasn’t a magical, automatic fix. Getting to the point where my new running form was consistent and second nature took practice and effort. And of course good running form isn’t just about shoes. There’s a lot more to it. But it was definitely a good place to start for me. And what a relief it is, knowing that I can continue running for years and years to come! I’m excited to see how I can improve and grow as a runner throughout those years.

  

Listen to your body

I, like most runners, am type A when it comes to running. I’m pretty competitive with myself to be the best I can be and I want to do whatever it takes to get there. But this also means it can be hard to accept when I need to let up or take a few extra rest days. I feel guilty whenever I skip a run, or a week of runs even when I know my body needs it. But I learned the hard way that rest is necessary to stop those little nagging pains before they become a full-on problem. Getting to the starting line a little undertrained is better than not getting there at all (or running half the race with a stress fracture. Oops.)

Things hardly ever go according to plan

I’ve started out many-a training cycle with stellar plans. I had an idea in my head of how it would all go down… following a training plan to the mile and crossing the finish line with a new PR under my belt. But it always ends up playing out differently. Based on my experiences, the only thing I can count on for sure is that it won’t go according to plan. Injuries, flu season, weather, life… they all throw curveballs. The key is accepting that it’s just not in my control and being flexible. Whether that means editing and re-editing a training plan, or slowing my goal pace by half a minute due to high race day temps. I’m not saying I’m good at taking my own advice and graciously accepting that I need to change my plans. But knowing ahead of time that I should expect things to go differently makes it less disappointing.

“You ain’t gonna get out of the race pain-free, so you gotta pick the pain – the pain of the race, or the pain of regret.”

– Dr. Stan Beecham, sports psychologist.

This is one of my favorite running quotes. I don’t think I can say it much better than that.

Finishing is the second best feeling of the race

The first? That moment when you know you are going to finish. Marathons are long. Especially at my pace. The first half is a waiting game… waiting for fatigue; waiting for the hard part to start. And with waiting comes an element of fear of the unknown. How will I handle the hard part? Will my body make it? Will something unexpected happen? It’s scary to think that after so many months of hard work, I might not be able to finish.

But there’s always a point, sometime in the last few miles that it hits me that no matter what, I will be crossing that finish line. I’m so close and I’ve already overcome the hardest part, so there’s nothing that can stop me. And that feeling is better than actually crossing it. There is no doubt or fear anymore. Just confidence.

Spectators and volunteers = AWESOME

I cannot stress this one enough. While the runners are completely focused on themselves only, here are people that gave up their time to be completely focused on someone else. There are the spectators, standing around for hours, cheering on each runner as if they hadn’t already been cheering for thousands of others. There has been at least one time in each race that a spectator’s encouragement has helped me to dig deep at my worst moments. Thank you thank you to those supportive people!

And then there are the volunteers. Directing traffic, or handing out waters to us greedy, sweaty runners. They are amazing. They make it possible, not only for the race to happen, but for the race to go smoothly. I hope they know how much they are appreciated, even if runners forget to thank them in the moment.

p.s. I’m hoping to volunteer at a race in the coming year!

Anyone can run a marathon…

I can’t tell you how many times, when a person discovers that I ran a marathon, their response is “Oh, I could never do that.” Really? Do you think that every person who ever ran 26.2 miles is in a different category of human? Everyone crossing that line is just another normal person with full-time jobs, families, and any range of natural running talent. The only thing they’ve all done differently from you is train. So, yes, you can run a marathon. You just have to train for it.

That being said, I guess I should revise the statement to be: physically, anyone can run a marathon.  What it really comes down to is having the mental willpower to do those training runs, and during the marathon, to keep pushing through the pain, beyond that feeling of wanting to quit.

So here’s to the next five marathons, and beyond… I can’t wait to see what they have to teach me!