The final countdown has begun: 42 days until Pittsburgh Marathon and 28 days until Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon!
I am in week 12 of 18 training for the Pittsburgh Marathon. It’s hard to believe I’m already 12 weeks in and only have 6 weeks left! There have been some bumps along the road: falling on the ice in February and hurting my back and getting sick in February and not running for a week. At this point I look forward to my ‘short’ 4 mile runs compared to my mid week 8 mile run.
Here are some of the things people have said during my training:
While on the treadmill at the gym, I told the woman beside me I had to run 13 miles that day and she asked ‘Why do you have to run 13 miles?’ I forgot how that might seem crazy and unusual to some. My roommate said I should have replied: ‘because someone is chasing me, can’t you see them?’
After a 4 mile run on the treadmill the woman beside me said, ‘You just ran for that long and you aren’t even winded!’
Some key things to know when training for a marathon:
1. Remember to increase your carbohydrate intake during the week for your long runs.
2. Tell people you’re running a marathon, the support will help you.
3. Eat! Remember to eat more calories because of the calories you will burn, increase your caloric intake during the week. I’ve run into the problem of not having enough time in the day after my long run to eat all of the calories I should.
4. Drink water!
5. Gels, energy bars, etc… experiment with them during your long runs to determine which you like best before the race.
6. Get plenty of rest, each night and on your off days.
7. Have a mantra. Some of my favorites: Go Rachel Go, Just Keep Swimming, I Think I Can, I Think I Can.
8. Walk during your long runs, you will last longer, totally my opinion though. I like to run 1 minute for every 14 minutes running.
9. Don’t set a time goal. This is my first marathon and it’s hard not to have a time goal in mind but I’ve heard that is a very common mistake for a rookie. My goal is to finish strong, be able to walk after, and not get carted off the course.
10. Be flexible. Rearrange your training if need be, take an extra rest day if your body doesn’t feel up to it.
