Things you wish people would have told you about your first marathon...
JustWant2Run
Posts: 286 Member
That the second one wouldn't leave me as trashed afterwards. Mentally and physically. It does get easier!
Let's help our first time marathoners. Share yours...
Let's help our first time marathoners. Share yours...
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That I probably could have accomplished more than just trying to finish! I was always told that should be your goal for your first. It made for a very pleasant run, but I coulda done more...0
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Haven't done a full 26.2 yet (looking at one next spring), but ran 2 half-marathons this year. First one I feel I made 2 mistakes.
One was running too fast the first part of the race (where the first half was down a steep canyon and the second half was down in the valley).
Second was at about the nine mile mark was the only significant uphill of the entire race (about 1 block long but it was fairly steep). I tried to push up the hill fast (trying to keep my pace up) and once I turned at the top of the hill my energy fell dramatically). I completely bonked the last few miles of that race.
For the race a few weeks ago, I started slowly and tried to build my speed gradually. And when I came upon the uphill sections I lowered my speed during the steepest parts. Ended up with a time more than 12 minutes faster than the first race (and the following recovery week wasn't nearly so bad as it was after the first race).
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Less than two weeks until my first marathon. I'll be watching this discussion!0
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If you think walking up stairs is bad after your marathon, wait until you try and get back down.0
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don't trust the aid stations - always pack enough, especially if you are a slower runner...they tend to get more and more empty as you reach the end.0
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You have muscles that connect the femur to the coxa / hip and they will make themselves known to you at about mile 18 or so. Prevent this unfriendly introduction by working them in your training/lifting routines!!! (Myrtl routine is great!)0
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My first marathon..I got to the car and realized I had to lift my legs to get in. I pushed to hard the first 20 miles and had to struggle to finish. I had done two 20 mile runs in training but it seemed as though I forgot my training and pushed to hard. Going up steps to take a shower when I got home..ugh.. the other marathons since then I have kept my head and ran my race with much better results. They really are fun when you use your head.0
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DavidMartinez2 wrote: »If you think walking up stairs is bad after your marathon, wait until you try and get back down.
Going down stairs was indeed much more painful than going up after my first long race.
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Funny thing is, most of the stuff I wish I had known was made very clear to me, but I chose to disregard it because I was dumb.
Mine is simple: don't be a slave to a certain pace/finishing time. Manage your effort. Nothing more satisfying than a perfectly executed marathon, no matter what the finishing time is.0 -
Certainly you need a level of seriousness and discipline to complete a marathon but for my first one I really wish I had taken more time to actually enjoy it from time to time and smile instead of being so time focused and serious; especially when i hit the wall at mile 20. That was ten years ago and I didn't run my second one until this past June where I truly enjoyed it and wouldn't you know, ran 40 minutes faster!0
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-It sucks, it really sucks, did I mention it will suck.
-You will think about quitting a few times, then you see someone order than you, and you think, oh *kitten*, I need to keep going.
-take the day after off from work
-marathon 7 will be just as hard as marathon 1 (if you are pushing for a PR)
-you will be inspired, awed, and many more reasons to not complain, you will see many pushing harder than every possible, people defying the unbelievable
-people cheering really does make a difference
-you'll swear you'll never do another at mile 22 and wonder why you paid for this, but the week following you will be on a high and sign up for another.0 -
I'm counting on this being true. If I'm in as bad of shape after this race as I was after my first the whole touristing around NY thing is going to suck.Training2BeFast wrote: »That the second one wouldn't leave me as trashed afterwards. Mentally and physically. It does get easier!
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- crossing the finish line is overwhelmingly emotional and worth all the pain you felt in those past 26.2 miles
- like derekj222 said...it will suck! there will come a time when you realize this was the stupidest thing you had ever decided to do, and then you'll see the finish line and forget you even had those negative thoughts.
- gloating on social media after is worth all the pain
- once you do one, you'll be hooked.
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and now I read this! yep def should have taken the day off work tomorrow - I'm in at 8 am, don't think I will be cycling in somehow.0
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I've never run into the problem of not having enough water, gu, or sports drink out on the course...but do make sure you have something to eat in your gear bag at the gear check. Food sometimes runs out at the finish if you are a slower runner.
Oh, and tech shirts, particularly new, never worn shirts will rub your nipples raw (guys) particularly if its just warm enough for the shirt to get damp from sweat or from rain/mist/fog.0 -
In for the knowledge! My marathon is Sunday!0
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I wish somebody had told me not to make any plans other than vegging on my couch for the rest of the day.0
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I second (or third) taking the next day off work. Also, walking down the stairs backwards was WAY easier on my legs for those first couple of days. SMILE. Trust your training. TAPERING MAKES YOU CRAZY! Expect to feel a bit of a slump a couple of days post marathon - when you still want to talk about it, but the rest of the world seems to have moved on. And finally, CELEBRATE your accomplishment, you earned it. (I wore my medal for the rest of marathon day - even to supper at the restaurant because I was PROUD, and that was OK)0
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SonicDeathMonkey80 wrote: »Mine is simple: don't be a slave to a certain pace/finishing time. Manage your effort. Nothing more satisfying than a perfectly executed marathon, no matter what the finishing time is.
Very true. I ran my first marathon in 4:26:45 and felt awesome the entire time. I even negative split the second half!
I just ran my 4th in 4:27:11 and the entire second half was MISERABLE because I was trying to run a specific pace at the beginning. I got cocky and thought I could hold a certain pace the entire time and totally bonked. As cliche as it sounds, going out slower at the beginning really is the way to do it! I hope to be a little smarter at my next one (and also knowing your course - the other part of the problem was powering through hills that I clearly should have taken easier).
So really, just have fun with it - there will be good marathons and bad marathons! But crossing that finish line is always a pretty amazing feeling!0 -
Linli_Anne wrote: »Expect to feel a bit of a slump a couple of days post marathon - when you still want to talk about it, but the rest of the world seems to have moved on.
Yup. So very true. The good thing is that there are races every week. And also there's the fact that all your hard work is "over" once you cross the finish. Starting over for marathon/race #2 is tough to deal with.
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SonicDeathMonkey80 wrote: »Linli_Anne wrote: »Expect to feel a bit of a slump a couple of days post marathon - when you still want to talk about it, but the rest of the world seems to have moved on.
Yup. So very true. The good thing is that there are races every week. And also there's the fact that all your hard work is "over" once you cross the finish. Starting over for marathon/race #2 is tough to deal with.
But that whole depressed thing isn't as bad after the others! The first one is the hardest to deal with.
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people who mention taking the next day off work - I thought that would have been a good idea, but wasn't able to take the next day off work and I think I am better off for it. If i took the day off i would have just sat around and barely moved, but instead I had to walk 10 mins from my train station to work, walk around work, and walk back to the train station and all the moving around helped my muscles stretch out and although it hurt, at the end of the day I felt much less stiff than when I woke up and in much less pain0
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Having just done my first, I'm proud to be able to write on this page. You will be too!
- Plan on getting there early. It's better to relax in your car for an hour that it is to be stressed out trying to park or find your start time pen
- Assume there will be enormous queue's for the toilet and plan ahead
- HUGE smile when you see the camera, maybe a thumbs up or a two handed wave
- Do not sit down after the race, it makes the walk back to the car a real challenge
- Raise money for charity or post your intentions on Facebook. The sense of accountability helps you to hang in there when you feel like stopping.
- Have family meet you not at the finish line, but half a mile or so before. If you're struggling it gives you a final boost.
- [maybe not for everyone] Give it your all. Finish knowing you couldn't have done any better and you'll be buzzing for days afterwards.
- Get your name and/or charity printed on a t-shirt. I didn't but heard others getting called out by name by supporters. That must have been a boost.
- If it's cold/windy, take a throw away jumper/sweater for the start
- Book the next day off work. You deserve it.0 -
My top 3:
Wear something warm over your race outfit to the start. Even if you step out side and its not that chilly. Wear something warm anyway. Nothing worse than standing there freezing for an hour and wasting energy jumping around to try and keep warm!
Don't go out too fast. Don't go out too fast. DO NOT go out too fast. Start 10-20 seconds slower than your goal pace, and gradually build up based on feel. Running a negative split is the best feeling ever, and nothing more encouraging in the second half than passing a whole bunch of people who DID go out too fast.
Enjoy every second of it- even the hard/sucky/whydididothis parts. When every step becomes a battle, remind yourself that today you are a champion, and you are going to EARN that finisher's medal!0
