My First Marathon

This summer on 07/05/2021 I made the decision to run my first marathon. The marathon took place on 10/09/2021 so I had about 3 months to train. Last year I had run several training half marathons and a virtual half marathon. This year I wanted to step things up and get my first marathon in the books. Training for a faster half was my original plan, problem with that was I just wasn't feeling the challenge. I'm not the fastest runner but I can cover a half marathon at this point without a problem. Most of my running group thought I was crazy for setting this goal. Its fairly normal for me to set what seems like ridiculous goals but that's just how I operate. Accomplishments that seem out of reach are what motivate me. So lets go for broke and run a marathon...

Planning

According to Runners World the average marathon training plan is about 16 to 20 weeks. Cross checking a few other reputable sites like BAA they seem to agree with this statement. Due to my last minute decision making I only have 13 weeks and five days at my disposal for training. Not ideal but I think I can make it happen.

First I needed to decide on a target finish time\pace. Something slightly aggressive for a first timer is what I wanted. My record half marathon time is 1 hour 54 minutes so I settled on doubling that and set my goal to 4 hours for the marathon. Since I don't know any marathoners I turned to a training plan I found on Runners World for guidance. It is a 16 week plan so I would need to skip the first couple weeks to make it work.

Now that I had a training plan I had to fit it into my schedule. Having 3 kids and 2 jobs this is a bit of a challenge for me. The only place I can dependably take time from is the morning. Completing my training each day before everyone gets up minimizes the impact this has on my family. I have never been a morning person so it was an interesting experience. Until now I had always run late morning or early afternoon.

Next I wanted to make sure I was properly equipped. I had read and heard a lot of good things about Hoka shoes for marathon training. After some more research I landed on the Clifton 8. I chose these because of the amount of cushioning provided. Putting on that many miles per week I wanted to protect my body from the wear and tear.

Having struggled with nutrition on previous long runs I wanted to make a switch this year. In the past I had used GU. It came highly recommended from a variety of sources and is a regular offering at races. Their product tastes good and is very easy to consume on the run so I stuck with it all last year. My only problem is stomach issues. I think this really comes down to each individual and how their body reacts to certain foods, its not a knock on GU. For this year I switched it up to CLIF BLOKS. I chose these because they are a solid gummy instead of gel. I am also a big fan of other CLIF products so it seemed like a solid choice.

Training

Since I only have 13 weeks to train I started on week 4 of the training plan. On average the plan called for about 40 miles per week. My mileage going into this is about half that so I am at a disadvantage. Its best to gradually increase your mileage, not double it all at once. Already being short on time I decided to take my chances and go for it.

The first of week of training went well. I decided to extend the long run and do 20 miles instead of 15. My longest distance at this point has been 13.1 miles so I wanted to test the waters and see what I could do. The run went fairly well. I ended up with a decent size blood blister which I attributed to my new Hokas not being broken in yet. Other than that off to a great start.

I continued following the training plan for a couple weeks. Adjusting as necessary to deal with scheduling issues as expected and making the plan work. Having never followed a training plan before I have found it to be extremely enjoyable. It presents me with a challenge and I complete it, very satisfying. Not having to come up with the workout was also a great experience. All I have to do is figure out how I am going to accomplish the task . This took some stress off me and saved time.

Disaster Strikes

At the end of July my knee decided to flare up while I was doing hill repeats. It was odd because it was right at the end of my run which had gone well. Trying to let it heal I did some cycling the next day and then took a day off. Another 20 mile run at the beginning of August would prove to be extremely painful. By the end of it I could barely walk my knee hurt so bad. I continued running with the injury for two weeks. 

I tried googling and found a plethora of possible issues. My left knee on the outer side was burning up every time I attempted to run. On one bike ride I could even hear a clicking as I was peddling. Resting, icing, heating, stretching, medicating without any positive results. Time to get some help.

I found a local physical therapist and was diagnosed with ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome). Turns out this is a very common overuse injury in runners. Not the end of the world but definitely going to put the brakes on my training. As a good friend of mine would point out to me several times, this is what I get for rushing into things and not ramping up gradually.

Over the next few weeks I followed the physical therapists prescription. Started off with three sessions in their office per week and doing stretches on the off days. In the office they used electro therapy, ultrasound therapy, rolled out the IT band, massaged the knee, and guided me through some stretches. They included

1. Banded hamstring stretch
2. Banded IT band stretch
3. Lying banded quad stretch
4. Active hamstring stretch
5. Fire hydrants
6. Foam rolling
7. Calf stretch

Adjusting Course

They recommended taking a week off from running and biking.  To stay in shape and not go crazy I needed to find an alternative. Luckily a gym opened up recently right down the street. Right after that physical therapy session was over I headed to the gym to sign up. The next morning I was there working out a core routine with my recommended stretches mixed in. This proved to be a welcome change of pace. I hadn't been to a gym in a long time and didn't realize how much I missed it.

I started rotating through some old programs I remembered. The only ones that stuck with me were a core routine, back & arms, and chest & shoulders. This gym also has battle ropes and kettle bells which I had never used before. My membership came with a few free sessions with a trainer. These proved to be very useful. The trainer took my injury and goals into account and designed a workout program to keep my going. I found the workouts to tire me out just like a good run so physically I felt like I was right back into the swing of things. Not working out had caused me to start losing focus in places like work and home, I wasn't sleeping well, and just felt off all the way around.

Persevering

Towards the end of August I started testing out my knee with a few short runs. The initial run came with a few sharp pains but they were short lived. Over the next couple weeks I kept my runs under 6 miles. Taking the opposite approach now and being overly cautious. Towards the end of September I finally went for a long run and had no knee pain. I could have just about cried I was so happy. While on my run I got a call and found out my grandfather had been hospitalized and was in a medically induced coma. I ended up in tears anyway...

Dealing with family issues my schedule was now in a bind. Working out at odd times and spending an abundance of time in the car took my rhythm away, but it didn't stop me. I kept at it and did what I could when I could. Naturally something else had to wrong. My back started acting up. I think it happened in the gym, either a bad movement, or lifting to heavy. Best I could self diagnose is sciatic nerve. Pain in my lower back radiating down to my leg. Luckily I had one last visit with the physical therapist before race day. She recommended a few stretches for me to do. Luckily they helped and I was able to get by.

Race Day

The week of the race is finally here. I'm a bit worse for the wear but extremely excited for race day to come. Race week training was kept light so my body could heal and be in optimal shape. I had to order  more energy gummies and electrolytes since I was running low. To eliminate any confusion I made sure to figure out a schedule and get all my gear in order.

Race day morning I woke up at 4:30 AM so I could eat and give my food about 3 hours to digest before the start of the race. Right after that I slowly worked through the stretching routine the physical therapist had given me. After I felt loosened up and ready to move I threw on my favorite racing gear, got my stuff together and headed out the door. I like to get to races a bit early so I don't feel any anxiety about making it to the starting line on time. I also like to get in a warm up run and scope the place out.

Right before the start I hit the bathroom like I always do. Then I made my way to my starting corral which turned out to be the wrong one. Start of the race I actually felt really good. My back and knee weren't acting up at all, the weather was perfect, and I felt well fueled. I did a decent job of keeping pace the first half. My average pace was 8:59 which is just under my target of 9:09.

After the first half was over I wasn't finding the energy I was expecting. My back started to hurt and my stomach started to turn. My average pace for the second half was 10:44, dang that's terrible. I ended up having to poop on mile 20 which gave me a 17 minute mile. After that I felt a little better but not as well as I would have liked. Towards the end I tried to finish strong. My last 2 miles were 9:09 and 8:54 respectively. The problem I was running into were my calves were locking up. Every time I tried to push my pace they would tighten and shoot pain up my legs. I had to do my best to keep my pace on the edge of what my calves were willing to take.

Lessons Learned

In the end I finished with a 4:26 time, about 30 minutes slower than my target. What could I have done better? I think one of my biggest issues was a sub optimal day prior to race day. I had gone to help out and visit my grandfather the day before which means I spent a lot of time in the car and eating fast food. Not ideal, but sometimes running priorities need to take a back seat. With all that time in the car my back was on fire most of the day which carried into the night and the following morning.

What did I learn through this whole experience?

1. Don't make multiple changes at once. Doubling my mileage and changing to a completely different shoe at the same time was a poor decision. Initially I blamed my injuries on the excess mileage. In the end it was the change in shoe. Making one change at a time would have allowed me to know right away what was causing me problems.
2. Seek help sooner. Self diagnosing and pushing through pain was not the right move. I should have gotten help earlier. I would have done less damage and healed a lot faster. Resourcefulness means a lot to me, but I needed to call it sooner than I did.
3. Don't double your mileage without building up to it first. That was not a pleasant experience. In the beginning it is fine. After a couple weeks your body will definitely start to let you know this is not the best way to go about it.
4. Cross training is actually amazing. Incorporating even just 2 days at the gym per week is a game changer. Core and other body area focused workout sessions have made me feel much strong during my runs. I have been able to cut fat from areas of my body that running has not been able to eliminate. I have also always hated rest days. My body feels restless and my mind less active. Getting a workout in keeps me feeling just as good as running days.
5. Learn from other runners more experience than yourself. I don't know any other endurance runners outside of my running group and they have just about as much experience with it as I do. During my long runs I listened to a few books. I started with Born to Run and then moved on to Eat & Run. Both of these books were amazing and transformative for me. I plan to write separate blog posts about them which is why I didn't mention to much about them here.
6. Dedication is important. Everything else in life keeps happening. If you keep your goal central to your decisions and activities your desired results are possible. I told my family what I was aiming to do and they supported me. When I pushed hard and made decisions that seemed odd to them they understood. To make this work I had to make the target central to my daily life.