Hey there, I’m Lauren and I blog over at Sassy Molassy about running, eating and food making and other shenanigans. I offered to write a Marathon + Moderation post for Ashley because I enjoy reading her blog and because I love marathoning and I feel like I’ve learned a few things along the way from experience. Some people say marathoning and moderation don’t go together. At one point, I would have agreed. My marathon journey started back in 2006 when I ran my first half (because I was sure I could never run 26.2 miles). Six months later, I was at the start line of the Portland Marathon.
The first through marathons were trained with tired legs and an exhausted body. I was sure I needed to run six days a week no matter what my body was telling me or what work/life commitments I had. After running a few marathons with injuries (IT bands so tight they wrenched on my knee, hamstring strain and runner’s knee), I realized my strategy wasn’t working so well. I needed to find some balance and moderation in my training schedule and life. Here are a few things I’ve learned over the past five years that have helped along my marathon journey.
1. Cross training is key. Yes, get in your focused runs (tempo, speed, hills, long run, recovery, etc), but also take 1-3 days off per week to do other activities. This will allow your muscle strength to become more balanced and prevent injury.
I like to incorporate cycling, yoga and strength training into my fitness routine throughout marathon training.
2. Lower mileage doesn’t mean your training is suffering. Sometimes, your body needs those step back weeks to recover and build up. Be sure to listen to your body.
3. Ice bath, stretching and foam roll (especially after a LR). While it may be the LAST thing I feel like doing after a 15 mile run, it makes a huge difference in my recovery the next day or two.
4. Sleep is important. I’m all about hanging out with friends the night before a long run, but I try to get to bed by 11 pm and keep the cocktails to a minimum.
5. Discover what motivates you. For me, new running tights, a Garmin or pink compression socks keep me excited about my training because I want to use my new stuff. Good fuel, my favorite trail and meeting up with friends are other major motivators. It may seem silly, but these things keep me that much more excited to hit the road for another long run or speed session.
6. Hydrate and fuel often. For me, eating a Shot Blok or chunk of Larabar every 30-45 minutes works well. I also hydrate with a Gatorade/water mix. By the time you feel your tank is empty, often it’s already too late. Don’t be afraid of fueling your body with what it needs to perform, before, during and after a run.
7. Determine your A, B and C goals for your marathon. That way, no matter what happens on race day, you should be happy with the outcome. Be realistic and know that no matter how hard you’ve trained, sometimes race day is just NOT your day.
8. You’ve finished your race – take a freaking load off! Take a few weeks to recover and ease back into your fitness routine. And for your body’s sake, please get a massage and pedicure. Does anyone have a great tip you’ve learned from experience, a book or running magazine? Any marathon horror stories out there? Thanks, Ashley for letting me guest post!
