The Marathon Training Blog

When We Last Left Off...

I was feeling like a rock star for running 18 miles. To catch you up, last week was a couple of easy 4-mile runs. I was generally having a crappy week and not feeling my best emotionally or very motivated, hence the lack of blogging. I meant to squeeze in a third short run but couldn't psych myself up for it. So I decided to take it easy and rest up for Saturday's looong 20-miler.

It was really supposed to be 12 miles, but because Stephanie, my running buddy, is about to begin tapering off in preparation for the NYC Marathon, I decided to go for 20 with her on the heels of my 18-mile run, rather than have to do two 20-mile runs on my own. I wasn't sure that was the best decision, especially given my new diagnosis of plantar fascitis, and the nagging hip pain that has returned. To further complicate things, my mood was so in the dumps that I wasn't very focused on properly preparing for my run the way I did the week before. I didn't drink nearly enough water, sleeping enough, or eating enough carbs.

The Run

Ultimately, the 20-mile run turned out to be not as difficult as I'd anticipated -- and not very eventful. I think it was crucial that I had Steph with me and we talked pretty much the whole time which made the time fly by.

I did a lot of things differnetly during this run so I can't say that it was one thing over another that made the difference, but here are some of the things that I think played a big factor in my success:

New Breakfast

Normally, I eat a PowerBar before running, but the store was out. So I switched to a Clif bar. These have more calories and carbs, but also more fat. I had Peanut Toffee Buzz which has green tea so it has a bit of caffeine. Though it couldn't have amounted to much, I defnitely added a little pep in my step.

Orthotics

I paid a visit to a podiatrist last week because my feet are in bad shape. In addition to painful, black toenails, which I'm told are ultimately harmless and I'm just stuck with until I decrease my running, I also have this burning pain under both arches and ankle pain that hits around mile 14 or so. The doctor wanted to have me fitted for custom orthotics to help with my pronating problem, but to the tune of $500. Ka-ching! I refused to shell out that kind of money, so he offered me some alternative (cheaper) orthotics available in podiatrist's office only, that I think made a huge difference.  And they were only $25. 

New Socks

Stephanie has been raving about Thorlo socks since, well, forever. But I was happy with my Adidas brand so I hadn't tried them. But given my new foot problems, I thought I'd give it a shot. They're $11 (again, ka-ching) and pretty thick on the bottom so I wasn't sure how they'd fit my shoe with an added orthotic. They're amazing! I can't believe I didn't try them before. They did make my right shoe fit a little bit snug so the my foot is a little chafed from rubbing against the top of my shoe, but all in all, I'm happy with the switch.

Back to Gu

Okay, so I compared gu to mucous in an earlier post, but after last week's bout of nauseau, I couldn't bear the thought of eating more shot bloks. So I decided to give gu another go. I tried Vanilla Bean flavor this time, which many people have said tastes like frosting. I was skeptical. But when I broke it out at mile 9, I actually said, "Yum," to Steph. Go gu. Vanilla Bean also has a bit of caffeine in it, which I think also helped keep me going. I only had one and I think that was kind of silly, looking back. I think for 20 miles and more, at least are called for.

Walk Breaks

To simulate walking through a fluid station, Steph and I actually walked when we drank instead of continuously running like we normally do. I'm now a huge fan of this technique and it doesn't add much time to your run. It definitely gets a bit harder and more painful to come back from a walk break at mile 17 than at mile 6, but I still think it's crucial.

Gatorade

Last week's 18 mile race was the first time I'd really had Gatorade during a long run. I think it makes a huge difference. Steph drank Gatorade from the beginning, then switched to water. I did the opposite, drinking water, then switching to Gatorade at mile 12.

The Weather and Fall Gear

I cannot emphasize enough the difference the temperature made. It was probably about 45 degrees when Steph and I started out and maybe about 55 when we finished. It was so much easier to run in brisk temperatures. I never had an appreciation for that before. Even though it was chilly when I was just walking around, while running it was perfect.  

I wore my new long-sleeved Nike tee. It's my absolute favorite thing. It's softer than most of the moisture-wicking shirts out there and feels just like a super-soft cotton tee. It's a great fit and costs about $45 (Ka ching again!) I wore knee-length running tights and my legs felt hot, so I'm wondering if I might be running in shorts in November after all. Granted, the temp will drop a lot before then, so I have a few weeks to try it out, but at least the rest of my outfit and food and drink plan is coming together.

Bagels

I think the most important thing I've learned about post-run recovery is that you must shove a bagel in your mouth within a few minutes of finishing. Why the bagel is so great, I have no idea, but since I've started doing it, I feel better almost immediately.

Drink Until Your Urine is Clear

The general rule is to keep drinking water beyond when you feel thirsty and continue until your urine is clear. Again, it makes a huge difference in how you feel the next day.

Rest, Avoid Alcohol and Coffee

I can say these things are crucial because I normally do them, but this weekend I didn't and man, did I feel craptacualar. I had to cut my rest and recovery time short to head to a friend's wedding, where I planned not to drink but did anyway. With just one glass of wine, I felt woozy, tired, and dehydrated. To counter the sleepiness, I had coffee and felt even more woozy, tired and dehydrated. Never again.

Apply Ice

After getting home, I ate a bit more, showered, etc, then got comfortable and put ice on my knees and hip for an hour. I was still sore the next day, but I attribute that to my traipsing around in heels for hours. Who does that after running 20 miles?

Walk, Walk, Walk

After the 18 mile run I couldn't help but sit down. My legs just gave out, but this time, I forced myself to keep walking for a bit and I think I had less stiffness overall because of it. I think you have to continue to get up and walk throughout the day and evening, because after sitting for hours at the wedding my friend had to actually help me down the stairs to leave the party because my legs were so stiff.

To Recap

Steph and I are onour way! I was having my doubts after 18, but having run 20 and actually living to tell the tale, I think 26.2 is really going to happen. I'm getting very excited!

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