Marathons+Moderation Guest Post #7: Less Is More

 

Hey Healthy Happier Bear readers! I’m Leslie from And Her Little Dog Too – my little corner of the blog world is about healthy living, eating, running and everything in between, with lots of appearances by my dog, Jackson! I also just got married a month ago so lots of the wedding planning as well as my honeymoon recaps have appeared on the blog too!

Last Fall, I lost my marathon virginity and ran 26.2 miles in the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. It was a beautiful day for a race and I was so proud of myself for crossing the line from a runner and becoming a marathoner! I learned so much from my first marathon, and as soon as I crossed the finish line and got that medal around my neck I was hooked!

A very short 3 weeks after completing my first marathon in Chicago, I found myself in a New York State of Mind on the start line for possibly the most popular marathon in the world – the New York Marathon! It was very much A Race Like No Other and I am so grateful that I was able to run two marathons that are on my marathon bucket list in the same season! I have long term goals to join the 50 State Marathon Club as well as run all the World Marathon Majors – Chicago, NYC, London, Berlin & Boston!

Running Back to Back marathons is no easy feat! Moderation during my marathon training was KEY for me because I did not want to burn myself out from over training or injure myself as I am prone to shin splints! My main mantra during training was: Less is More.

I spent the few months before both marathons focusing on quality, not quantity runs. I made sure I hit my long run every weekend, but during the week I put more energy into cross-training – through yoga, biking and swimming. The summer before I ran my first marathon I spent a good amount of time training for my first triathlon so the swimming and bike training were a good distraction from the build up in mileage.

I also made sure to sign up for lots of races during marathon training – I did the majority of my training and long runs on my own, all by myself, so whenever I was able run a race to go along with a longer run, I did! I ran the ING Rock & Roll Half in Philly as part of my attempt at 22 miles – I ran down to the start of the race and home! It was a tad painful and mentally very difficult, but running 13 miles in a race with tons of other people made the extra miles on the way home much easier – plus it’s always fun to get another medal for my wall! (I may or may not have signed up for races in the past JUST to get a medal – I heart them!)

So there you have it – just a few tips from my marathon training experience! This year I am repeating my running plan from last Fall as I am signed up to run the Marine Corps Marathon in October, followed by the Philadelphia Marathon 3 short weeks later. What can I say? I have a running addiction! Come stop by my little corner of the blog world to check out how I run back to back marathons in 2011!

Happy Running!

Share Button

Follow:

6 Comments

  1. Mary July 6, 2011 / 1:40 pm

    Awesome guest post! Leslie, i’m excited to read all about your marathon training!

  2. Leslie July 7, 2011 / 1:22 am

    Thanks so much ladies! Glad you enjoyed my guest post!

  3. Amy July 8, 2011 / 7:27 pm

    That was a great post! Motivational! You are so lucky you were able to register for the Marine Corps Marathon, that one sells out quick!

    Good luck with the 2 coming marathons!

    For future reference, if you decide to run a marathon in Maryland, I suggest you register for the Washington Birthday Marathon in Greenbelt.

    It is such a beautiful course, located in a region outside of the city. The course goes in three loops and there is plenty of water/bathroom stops.

    I think the scenery is one of a kind, compare to road marathons. My other suggestion would be to train for hills, because the trail has plenty of hills that can last up to 1/2 a mile. Endurance to the max!

    • Leslie July 9, 2011 / 1:39 pm

      Great tip Amy! I am looking for a MD Marathon! I will have to check it out!

  4. Amber from Girl with the Red Hair July 9, 2011 / 1:54 pm

    Awesome guest post! I think the cross-training tips are very important. I trained for my first marathon (which I also ran on 10-10-10 in Portland, Oregon) last summer and I focused SOLELY on running, doing yoga or biking MAYBE once a week. As an injury-prone runner I kept getting injured and actually ended my marathon with a torn tendon in my foot that made it so I could barely walk!!! It was not a good experience.

    I now see that lower mileage and higher cross-training is wayyy better for my body and this is something I will definitely keep in mind when I train for my next marathon!

Comments are closed.