My first marathon was in Portland, OR in 2013. I had run a few half marathons, gotten a generic training plan off the internet, and was blissfully ignorant and young enough to survive it. But youth and exuberance will often lose to maturity (it sounds better than old age) and wisdom (with a little bit of treachery). I now look back and laugh at everything that I did wrong. Whether you are training for your first marathon or have been around the block a few times, the only constant is that we are always students of the sport, whether we choose to learn from each training cycle or not. No matter how many times I run the marathon, I learn something new about the race and about myself.
1. Respect the distance.
The marathon distance is daunting because there is no real stepping stone that gives you a taste of what it feels like. To jump from the 5K to the 10K is very approachable. Even the 10K up to the half marathon does not feel insurmountable. But to bridge the gap from the half to the full marathon requires a whole different level of training and a big leap of faith. The main difference is in the training required to get there — a long training run for the half marathon eats up significantly less of your weekend than a 20-miler. But you have to run far to be ready to run even farther, and training for the marathon requires a much greater time commitment that you simply can’t ignore. Respect the distance, and do the long runs, because you can’t fake it when you pass the 20-mile mark if you haven’t put in the work. As Des Linden says, “The long run puts the tiger in the cat.”
2. FUEL. Before, during, after, and always.
This is where I failed the most miserably before my first marathon, and learning to fuel correctly has likely made the biggest impact on improving that first race result by over an hour in the years since. I don’t remember what I ate the week leading up to the race or the night before, but I know for a fact that I did not eat enough carbohydrates and had no concept of what that meant or looked like. I did not fuel during the race other than a few sips of water at some of the aid stations until I started crashing around mile 20. Then I pulled the random package of lime-flavored GU gummies out of my pocket that I had gotten for free at the expo the day before and tried to eat a few. I proceeded to throw them all up about a mile later and have not been able to stand even the smell of them to this day. The vast majority of recreational runners are unintentionally underfueling before, during, and after their long training runs and while racing. They often think they are doing a great job because they have never actually looked into the science behind endurance nutrition. If you are unsure or have never consulted with an expert on how to fuel correctly for the marathon, you are likely leaving time on the table that more training is not going to help you get back. Learning to fuel correctly will make you faster — no extra workouts needed.
3. Study the course.
This may go without saying, but it really helps to familiarize yourself with the course — and not just where the hills are. Things like logistics of getting to the starting line, where aid stations will be located and what will be available, tangents that may be relevant, and if there will be pacers that could help you along the way are just a few things that are important to write down or talk through with someone before you line up to run. Doing your homework or asking someone who has run your specific race before can give you valuable insights that could make your day far more enjoyable and help ease pre-race anxiety.
4. Know your goals.
Many runners go into every race thinking the goal is to always run a PR. But not every race has to be a PR to be successful (I could write an entire blog just on this topic, but will save that for another day). Some races are used as a training effort to practice for a bigger goal. Some races are simply to experience the atmosphere or a new part of the country or world. On a challenging course that may not lend itself to faster times, you can still go after a previous “course PR” or maybe practice running a negative split. Those with high race anxiety may sign up for something else before their goal race to go through the motions and get used to a race environment to help ease the starting line stress. And on the day of your “A goal” race, there are many factors at play that are completely out of your control — weather, stomach issues, injuries, or just having an off day. The marathon is long enough that a million things can go wrong, or right, but you will never know until you are already in it. Setting multiple goals for race day can help you have a contingency plan when things maybe don’t go your way, and still allow you to find success even when the “A goal” is not in the cards.
5. Celebrate the starting line.
I always say to run the marathon well you have to be willing to risk crushing heartbreak, because it requires you to pour your soul into the build and offer your fragile heart as a sacrifice on race day. There are so many factors out of your control in how that single day can go. Do not forget to celebrate all the early mornings, aching muscles, snacks consumed, moments of questioning all your life choices, and countless hours of training that it took to get you there. The build-up is the work; the race is the party. Celebrate accordingly.
6. Rest is part of training.
Training harder does not mean you are training smarter. There has to be a balance, and if you are not recovering well then you are not getting the full benefits of the hard workouts you are putting in. Runners are great at training full tilt. They generally suck at resting, which is the only way for that training to become useful in the future. Taking a day off instead of trying to squeeze in a few extra miles to your week is almost always the better choice when in heavy training. But resting your legs is not the only form of recovery — prioritizing sleep, getting the nutrition you need, doing some mobility work, and making sure you have hobbies or other things filling your cup outside of running all are necessary to avoid both physical and mental burnout that can come with marathon training.
These are just a few basic principles that I work with athletes on all the time to improve the quality and experience of their training cycles for any distance, but especially the marathon. Hopefully it helps you avoid learning a few things the hard way, or provides a reminder to reassess your training and relationship with running on a regular basis to get the most out of it.
Happy running!
