The marathon will change your life. And every time you train for a half marathon or a full marathon, you’ll learn something. I’ve been running marathons for 14 years – 11 full marathons, 40+ half marathons, a full ironman, a 50K ultra marathon…. and I’ve learned a lot the hard way. Not just from getting my run coach or certified endurance nutrition coach certifications, or even the many running books and hundreds of hours of running podcasts I’ve consumed…. but the biggest and best lessons I learned from trial and error.
I recently posted these lessons on Instagram and it got a lot of great feedback. It was really fun to write the post, so I wanted to put it here on the blog and expand with some more context and even link back to some old blog posts (I’ve also been blogging 14 years, I started during training for my first ever marathon, the 2011 Rock n’ Roll San Diego).
Marathon Lesson 1: The Day Before Your Marathon, Your Biggest Meal Should be Lunch
Most commonly people think of carb loading as eating a giant pasta dinner the night before the race, but this is actually a mistake. Why? Because you aren’t giving yourself enough time to digest the food which can lead to upset stomach and bathroom breaks, and disrupt your sleep! The biggest meal the day before your marathon should be a nice, carb focused lunch. You should be snacking throughout the day on carbs and liquid carbs and then have a smaller, carb focused dinner early (5 or 6 PM) and get to bed as early as you can.
Marathon Lesson 2: If You Have 10 Minutes to Strength Train Do Calf Raises
I used to think that leg strengthening was the most important focus for runners. I’ve NEVER trained for a marathon without strength training regularly (2x/minimum and even 4 times a week). But, for a long time I just let the online workout programs I was doing dictate the moves – since all the programs focused on total body, I was hitting all the muscle groups. And while yes, your hamstrings and quads DO need to be strengthened, I have learned that if you only had 10 minutes to strength train after a run, you should focus on calves and core.
I’m lucky to have never had a true over-use injury but both injuries I’ve sustained from running were lower leg injuries -an ankle sprain during marathon training in 2014, and and shin splint from a tough trail run during 50K training in 2023.
When I saw the PT for the shin splint, he let me know how important calf raises and strengthening the ankle, foot, and calves were. And I knew that core work (which includes hips and glutes) was the most basic essential strengthening for runners from a strength coach I met during my RRCA Level 2 training. So, even if I’m in peak marathon training or limited on time and can’t do a full routine, I will at least do core and calf raises!
Marathon Lesson 3: Running Slow to Get Fast Only Works If You ALSO Run Fast
When I first started running, I ran based on how I felt. Sometimes I ran a little faster, sometimes slower, but if I had to guess, I ran within the same 30 second per mile window. I didn’t have a Garmin at first and sometimes I’d run on the treadmill, but overall I didn’t have a good idea of my actual pace. During training for my first half marathon, I often set the treadmill to 6.0, or 10 min/miles so when I ran the entire 13.1 miles at 10 min/miles and had energy at the end to pick up the pace and run faster, I was pleasantly surprised.
When I trained for my first marathon, I ran most of my long runs within 15-45 seconds of my marathon pace, which ended up being 9:15 pace. I didn’t do speed work and I didn’t do recovery runs. I just ran – and did strength training. Since my only goal was to finish the marathon, I was regularly strength training and only running 4 days/week, generally ran at a conversational pace, this method worked just fine.
But when I wanted to learn how to get FASTER and race marathons, I had to learn how to slow down some of my runs so that I could run my speed work and tempo runs faster. After I started reading running books and hired coaches, I learned that my easy or recovery running days should be slower – more like 1-2 minutes or even 3 minutes slower than marathon pace. This would allow me to be able to run FASTER than marathon pace (aka threshold pace) for 2-3 miles at a time in training and even faster than that for shorter intervals – 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, etc (speed work). If you do speed workouts, tempo runs AND run all the other miles closer to marathon pace, you don’t give your body enough time to recover which can lead to injury, burnout and/or plateau.
However, the balance between all of this is nuanced and complex, and in recent years on social media the idea of “running slow to run fast” has gained in popularity, but it isn’t always applied correctly. You can’t JUST run very easy pace and get faster – yes you can gain endurance (which is needed to finish a marathon) – but you may not actually gain speed. But some people WILL gain speed as they gain endurance, even when they run “slow”. Some runners will get slower if they just run slow (especially experienced runners).
The truth is – beginners can run most of their runs at a moderate pace, especially if they are only running 3x/week, because their body has time to recover between sessions, it may be difficult for them to gauge effort and some beginners may find it almost impossible for a run to feel “easy” . As you gain more experience and run more days, it’s more important for you to run a majority of your miles 2-3 min slower than marathon pace BUT also have enough HARD running to create the stimulus to get faster. This is why working with a run coach can be so vital because it can be hard to know what is best for YOU – if the plan is too hard, you can get injured which will set you back months – if the plan is too easy, you don’t faster.
Marathon Lesson 4: You Should Not Wear Running Shoes While Weight Lifting
Again, this one is related to a mistake – my knee started hurting in July of 2020 while I was doing an intense weight lifting program called 80 Day Obsession. I was smart and went to a Physical Therapist who specializes in runners. After an analysis, he asked about my shoes. I had been wearing old running shoes to strength train. Turns out, that was a mistake because old running shoes are too cushioned and can hinder stability. He told me to buy a pair of flat, sturdy trainers. I used to wear Nike Metcons but now I wear Reebok Nano . These shoes will last longer than running shoes so an investment every couple years is worth it.
Marathon Lesson 5: Running on Vacation Will Always Take Twice as Long, But Will Create Lifelong Memories
You probably know I LOVE to travel. And one of my favorite things to do is explore on foot with a run while I’m in new places. And if you’re in a big city, running the streets to some of the main sites before they get insanely crowded is extra special. I ran by an empty Louvre to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, to the Trevi fountain in Rome, and all over Luxembourg when we lived there for a month. In Costa Rica, my cousin Jaclyn would ride her bike next to me while I ran on the dirt road to keep me company and stay safe. I’ve ran circles around resorts in Mexico and Dominican Republic. If I can’t run I will try to hike instead. I will avoid the treadmill at all costs.
However, when you run in a new place it takes twice a long for a couple reasons – 1) you are trying to find your way and not get lost 2) you stop to take pictures (at least I do!).
Marathon Lesson 6: If You Don’t Tell Your Spouse Why Your Marathon Goal is Important and How Exactly to Support You, They Won’t Know
My husband is the one who inspired me to get into long distance running (he had just done his first Ironman when I met him) and we trained for our first several marathons together, so he understands it. However, after a couple marathons I set the goal to qualify for Boston, thinking it wouldn’t take long to accomplish. It ended up taking 12 years (after 3 kids!) to qualify twice.
Even with Mike understanding the goal and what it means to me, being a marathoner takes time away from our relationship and the family at times. When you train for a marathon, you’re committing to being gone every weekend doing your long run, and running several other days of the week. It takes coordination and communication, and even more so if you’re a parent.
Don’t be afraid o tell your partner why your running goal is important to you and how they can support you (Mike used to take the kids to the park during long runs) or how you don’t need them to support you (your family doesn’t need to come to every race unless that is something that is important to you).
Since having kids, mike and mostly stopped running (except for when he came out of retirement to run a 50K with me for my 40th birthday and now again for a trail race in Mammoth that we’re doing next month with friends), and he does ultra mountain biking races each year. When he’s training for his bike mountain biking race, I support him when he needs to be gone all day for a long bike ride. I encourage him to spend money on his bike parts as well (he hates spending money!). If your spouse doesn’t run, it can help if you listen to them talk about their hobby or sport and support them with it too.
Marathon Lesson 7: Running Can Easily Take Over Your Life and Budget – Schedule a Relaxing Day With Non Running Friends
Especially in the final 2 months of marathon training, it can feel like the marathon is your life. If you work full time, have kids AND are marathon training, you may feel like you’re basically sacrificing everyone else for this one goal. Taking just ONE day out to spend time with non running friends and give yourself some time to just be a human NOT a runner, can help. Don’t worry about what you’re eating or drinking or the impact of your actions, just enjoy yourself and get back to training the next day.
Every year one of my best friends and I do a one night stay at a local resort and we lay by the pool for 2 days straight, talking, sipping cocktails, ordering things like nachos and reading books. It’s 2 of the most relaxing days of my entire year and I look forward to it EVERY year! (our annual trip is coming up in a couple weeks, can’t wait!) . Of course I know this is a privilege – if a day away is not in the cards due to budget, childcare, etc, even a monthly lunch or walk with a non running friend can help you come back to reality and remind you that what you’re doing is pretty uncommon and incredible and its normal that you’re tired 🙂
Marathon Lesson 8: Celebrate Every Finish Line
I can tell you how many races have NOT gone according to my plans – EVERY SINGLE ONE. Even my PR races had some kind of obstacle during them! I’ve failed to qualify for Boston or hit my goal marathon time way more than I’ve accomplished it.
And after running all these races, the thing I’ve learned the hard way, countless times (yet sometimes it still doesn’t sink in) – the time on the clock is far less important than the effort I put in. If I know I gave a race my best effort on that day, I am way more satisfied than if I know I mentally “gave up” when I could tell it wasn’t going to be a great day. I’ve also learned that ANYTHING can happen in a race and that every great race has at least 1-2 rough patches – so when you feel pretty crappy in the middle of the race or have doubts, remind yourself that it could just be a rough patch. If you give up now, you’ll never get the chance to find out (once you mentally give up, your body will follow and likely you’ll feel even worse physically). Running is a way more mental sport than most people think. Work on your mindset just as much as your body!
And, no matter what happens – you meet your marathon goal time, or you miss it, or you give up, or you don’t – if you cross that finish line, you MUST celebrate. Celebrate the growth from the training cycle, celebrate your hard work, celebrate that you finished. It’s truly an amazing accomplishment!
I’ve got average running talent but an above average amount of dedication, passion and sheer determination. In the end, your natural talent is not within your control – what IS within your control is the effort you put in, your attitude, enjoying the process and making progress on YOUR own. There will always be someone faster than you and always someone who thinks you’re faster than them.
If you fall in love with being a student of the sport and choosing to find the joy and satisfaction in the chase, you will never stop running.
If you want to feel supported and excited by the process of training for your next half or full marathon and confident that your training plan is made just for you – consider working with me for 1:1 run coaching. Or, if you are a runner who wants to learn how to fuel your body healthfully and lose weight, consider my Run Fuel program.
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