Marathon training is going well. It’s been painful, but it’s going well.
I seem to be sorer than last time I trained for a Marathon. But, a lot has changed since last time too.
I ran my first marathon in 2016. My knee became sore during the last month of training and I had no idea how to plan for nutrition on the marathon. I encountered a hamstring cramp at mile 20 of 26.2 and that greatly impacted my time and overall enjoyment. I had to walk/jog for the last six miles. It was a great learning experience and I was thankful I finished.
The marathon I’m going to run on January 11th, in Charleston SC, will be a much different experience. Here is what’s changed:
- I’m about 25-30 lbs lighter
- I don’t have a stomach.
- My nutrition plan is much more involved
- Carry about 82 ounces of water/Gatorade with me so I can drink as often as I like
- Mix an electrolyte tablet with every 16 ounces of Gatorade and also mix in a Tri-Berry GU Gel for every 45 minutes of running
- My legs are extremely sore after every long run. Like, barely can walk sore.
- I’m only training 3 days a week, rather than 5. (Short run, mid-run, and long-run) -> This is certainly untested, but I created the plan after realizing I couldn’t take the beating of running 5 days a week. I was far too sore and tired.
- I lose around 3-4 pounds on long runs. I still don’t understand the math on this one. I’m drinking of 90 oz of fluids and I still come back 3-4 lbs lighter.
- Way more tired after workouts. Might be due to the hydration mentioned above. It’s hard to describe. It’s beyond tired. It’s like mental fog. I counter it with many shots of espresso to survive the remainder of the day.
Now that I have reached 18 miles, I feel great about finishing the race. Only a few more weeks to build, then I’ll taper before race day. Thanks for following along! You can mark yourself interested/going the support event via Facebook where I’ll continue to add content and updates. You can join in posting how much you will run/jog/walk on race day to support No Stomach For Cancer awareness!
https://www.facebook.com/events/536198883597869/
