Holla – Healthy Happier Peeps! My name is Jocelyn and I blog at Enthusiastic Runner.
I am excited that Ashley asked me to guest post for this series. I finished my first marathon in November 2010, and now I am training for my 2nd marathon on May 2012.
I find that one of the hardest parts of marathon training is balancing your life, work and training. My first marathon I didn’t balance my life at all. Now, the second time around, I want to make sure that marathon training doesn’t take over the rest of my life. Please note that I am in no way an expert (not even close) but here are my marathon training tips (take it or leave it):
- Schedule Everything. And I mean everything. You are obviously going to have your marathon training schedule, but you also need to figure out when you are going to fit in other things: friends, family, dating, relaxing time, haircuts, doctors appointments, grocery shopping, work, etc.. (yes, even if you have a 9-5 job put it on the schedule).
- Kill two birds with one stone. If you can run with friends or family (or even as a date – good luck with that btw) – DO IT. If you look at all the activities on your schedule (see #1), you are going to notice that your schedule can get real busy real quick. But that doesn’t make marathon training impossible. One of the tricks is to do two things at once (please don’t date and go to the doctors at the same time), but running with friends/family is completely doable! Group runs are even better…
- Think Small, but Dream Big. I know that when I talk to other people (non-runners) about signing up for a marathon the idea of marathon training can seem overwhelming. My advice is to think small – meaning focus on the run you have THAT day, not about the 20-mile run you have in 12 weeks. In 12 weeks you will be ready for that 20-mile run – trust me. Be patient. But in order to even start a marathon-training or sign up for a marathon, you must DREAM BIG. So start with that.
Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/154952043398947700/
- Get A Running Coach. If this is your first marathon, this is completely NOT necessary, but if you are trying to make a specific goal time then I HIGHLY suggest getting a coach. At first I was completely against this idea, but then I got a running coach and it completely changed my training. If you need a coach – I recommend Dorothy (http://www.mile-posts.com/)! (see photo below)
- SPARKLE. Honestly Run Team Sparkle skirts (http://www.team-sparkle.com/) have changed my whole race attitude. I always thought that you had dress a certain way when running a race… now I realize I don’t have to take myself so seriously. Also, sparkles = speed. In case you didn’t know.
- Eat well and Don’t over eat. A huge misconception of marathon training is that you can eat what you want whenever you want. WRONG. Not just because you will gain weight, but you won’t feel as good running. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge every now and then. My advice: If you are going to indulge – make it count.
- Hydrate. Sounds simple but during the winter I always find this extremely difficult. I never really feel thirsty, but I know I have to drink water or else I will start feeling sick. So I always keep a huge bottle of water on my desk for during the workday. I also like to drink NUUN a lot to keep my electrolytes replenished.
- Start a blog. I first started blogging so that my friends and family could keep up with my marathon training, but now I love it! Honestly it helps getting feedback from other bloggers/readers regarding training. It will also help you make friends to run with (See #2)
- Download New Music. Every Tuesday morning when iTunes updates the new music for the week, I start downloading new songs that will be fun to run to. I am always asking people for new suggestions…although I have a love for country music…
- Have some freaking Fun! Why else are you running a marathon than to have fun? No one is paying you to run a marathon (unless you are a professional athlete which in that case please stop reading this post – I will give you zero good advice). YOU signed up for a marathon, so you might as well enjoy it!
Have fun Marathoning! Later Gators!
