Attempting First Full Marathon April 29. Would love to hear others' first Marathon experiences. :-)
JamesAztec
Posts: 523 Member
On Sunday, April 29 I'll be running the San Luis Obispo Marathon (my hometown). I'll have a number of friends and co-workers lining the course for support and to cheer me on. I'm not going to worry about time. I just want to soak it all in and enjoy the moment. That being said I think I can break 5 hours (My Half PR is 2:03). Over the last several years I've lost and maintained a 200lb weight loss so this will be a big achievement for me.
Looking to hear other runner's first full marathon experiences. Do's and Don't. What you would change about prep/race day. How you felt during and after. And how it changed your life going forward. And anything else that comes to mind.
Looking to hear other runner's first full marathon experiences. Do's and Don't. What you would change about prep/race day. How you felt during and after. And how it changed your life going forward. And anything else that comes to mind.
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I only did 1 full marathon thus far and my HM PR is/was 2:02:34. My marathon time was > 6 hrs., but I am a type 1 diabetic and had some hypoglycemia issues. Since that wouldn't affect you, the only thing I could think to suggest is to be careful about pacing yourself and not going too fast too early.1
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My first marathon, I knew I was going to be slow enough that there wasn't a pace group for me. I connected early on with a 60-something year old lady who had been running for a decade and was up to almost 200 marathons "depending on how you count the ultras". Wow, she was an inspiration. Would check the time and do all of the pace calculations in her head at every kilometer marker. I later looked up her other results and it seems like she went faster than she usually does (I suspect because she knew my time goal - we were right on it). We stuck together for most of it, and it was really, really hard, but in the last 4k something happened and I started getting a second wind. When I kept looking back, thinking about waiting for her, she started cheering me on to "keep going, go!" and I could hear her cheering for me until I was out of earshot. Finishing was AMAZING. And then I hopped over to the spectator side to cheer for my new friend as she finished.
I'm getting ready to run another marathon here in the same city (totally different route this time). My friend will be back to run it too, and might be staying with us as she's from out of town.
My advice is the same as above - don't go out too fast. I also think being terrified before race day (and at the start) is completely normal, at least for me. Have fun! And Finishing, wow, I don't know how to describe it. You'll see
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Doing a local race for your first marathon was a good idea, because it simplifies logistics so much. You don't have to worry about travel, finding a hotel, looking for a restaurant that serves the kind of food you're used to eating before your race, or finding your way around. I did a race about an hour from my home for my first and it was definitely the easiest in terms of simplicity and peace of mind.
I went into my first marathon with a time goal - basically doubling my HM time plus 20 minutes. My HM time was 2:00:50, my marathon time ended up being 4:21:14 - so right where I expected/hoped. I had trained well, so the first 21 miles or so were either ahead of pace or at my goal pace. Then I slowed down. It was a hilly race and I had trained the uphills well, but not the fast downhills. I paid for that. I walked at every mile and every hill in the last few miles. I had a few really hard miles (22, 24, 25) and got my energy back for the last 1.2. I felt really happy with the result and my main thought after finishing was, "I cant' wait to go back and do it again, only better."
Everyone will tell you: DON"T GO OUT TOO FAST! Believe them. You'll feel really good, after taper, carb loading, and all the race day excitement. Your first miles will feel super easy. I chatted with other runners for the first 7 miles, then lost them going up the hills. (I ran, they walked.) However, the price for going out too fast can be a complete crash and burn, where your last miles become a death march. If you can control the pace, you will enjoy the entire race and not just the first few miles. It's also more fun to pass people in the end than to watch people pass you. I'm very bad at controlling my pace and always end up going out too fast. My later miles are always slow, but I'm getting better.
About a week before my first marathon, I read an article on Runners World that said you should fuel early and often because if you wait too long your stomach has a harder time absorbing the sugar. I had trained with a gel every 5-6 miles, which often led to stomach upset. At my race (and subsequent marathons), I drank Gatorade every 4 miles, starting at mile 2, with a Gel every 5 miles or so and water at the alternate stops, so basically mile 4, 9, 15, 20. I haven't had any stomach issues with that plan.
After the race, don't stop walking for about 10 minutes, at least. If you do, your legs will seize up. I flopped on the grass right after passing through the finish chute on my first race and couldn't get up afterwards, I also had to deal with horrendous charlie horses. The pain was a lot less later if I kept moving. Big races make that easy, because you often have a long way to go before you can sit down. Eat something as soon as you can. You probably won't be hungry, but it helps with recovery. They usually have bananas or chocolate milk. They go down easy. I usually want salt, so my husband will buy pretzels or fritos for me to eat in the car.
You will hurt for a few days afterwards. Stairs are a major obstacle. Going down them backwards or sideways works. Before the race, use Vaseline or Bodyglide anyplace that might rub. If male, a bandaid over the nipple can prevent bleeding. If it's a wet race, vaseline between your toes helps prevent blisters.4 -
SLO isn’t the easiest course, once you get out of the town you get some rolling hills. The views are great but it gets a little lonely. Having friends out there will be good, I suggest finding a pace group and hanging out with them.3
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I was just yesterday building my training plan for my second marathon (early October) and was surprised to come across notes that I made about what did and didn't work after my first (October 2014). I was thrilled to see them because my memory of the detail has faded. So advice number 1 - I would urge you to make some detailed notes, even if when you cross the finish you don't expect to do this ever again!
Here's my list:
What Worked Well- Asics Gel Kayano 20 were great
- Gel regime was good - don't think I hit The Wall
- Arriving 90 mins early. Could park close, had time to scout out the area, go to the toilet and calm nerves
- Having a pace plan (consistent 6:00m per km the whole way)
- Sticking to the pace plan. Was bloody difficult not to go out fast, the start was busy as a half marathon began at the same time. At the 6 mile mark I was position 406 out of 472 men (don't have women data). From that point only 1 person overtook me but I gained 186 places. Overtaking people who are walking is a tremendous comfidence boost. Stick to the pace plan!
- Having a goal (complete the course without walking)
- Body Glide gel to nipples, inner thighs, flanks, lower back and perimeter of feet
- Vaseline between bum cheeks
What Could Be Improved- 20 week training plan was too long - burnt out, should have stuck to the 16
- shouldn't have been trying to lose weight on such a hardcore plan, should have dropped weight before the plan so that body could recover and grow from each training session
- should have taken rest days as rest, not cycled. Again inadequate recovery
- Should not have done a long haul flight the week before - got a chest cold forcing me to abandon 4hr ambition and settle for 4:15
- Finish all long runs at target race pace
- Did have to urinate mid race
- Very uncomfortable at the start line - was windy. Should have taken a throw away jumper
- Didn't hit The Wall but there were moments where head was stuggling post 32kms and body super tired. Consider ways to increase food intake next time. Maybe double Gel from 28kms??? Try that first and ensure stomach can cope
- Should have done a half mara during training cycle for pace confidence
- Should have done last 20 miler 3 weeks out not 4. Felt nervous during taper that fitness had dropped
- Practice with the gels the event uses, that way you don't have to carry them - what if they run out though??
- Do a race with more crowd support - makes a difference
- Do not sit down after the race - when I got up it took 20mins to get to the car (a 5 min walk)
- Try and find someone with your target time and run with them
- Don't believe the garmin!!!! It turned out to be 300m off which is a few minutes at the end
Miscellaneous
I had a race day meal plan that I had trialed on the very long training runs- 3xWeetabix and toast for breakfast
- Cup of tea in the house and another en route to the race
- Big cup of water after breakfast
- Small bottle of water sipped in the 30 mins pre-race
Fuelling- 1 SIS gel every 5kms at the water stations
- 1 Nuun electrolyte tab every 10 kms
Test using gel's with caffeine next time
Notable reduction of energy after 20miles. If caffeine doesn't help, try increase gels
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[*] Don't believe the garmin!!!! It turned out to be 300m off which is a few minutes at the end
I want to elaborate on this a little as I think there's a really solid tip here.
My garmin was off by 300m, which is bloody significant when you are just about hanging in there, heading uphill, and convinced that the finish line is just around corner, only to turn that corner and see it's way off in the distance, at the top of this never ending hill. Devices aren't 100% accurate, and you should bear that in mind whilst monitoring your pacing and distance.
But actually I think it's more likely I ran further than I needed to.
At a recent half marathon, I put into practice what I had read in an article about how courses are measured. Long story short, they are done on the shortest line possible. So anytime there is a curve in the road, the measurer cuts a straight line thru it.
At my recent half, 99% of the people I saw where running on the road, and around bends, would maintain the same relative position to the footpath or hedge on their left (this is in England). I kept looking for the straightest possible route and thus the minimum possible difference. As I crossed the finish, my garmin said I was 100 metres short of HM distance.
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Agreed about taking into account the extra distance from curves and turns. There is also a certain amount of weaving around other runners or going back and forth to the water tables. My last marathon measured 26.59 and that was pretty common. I did a lot of weaving around slower runners and walkers. If I had been aiming at a specific time for a BQ, I'd have been behind by a couple of minutes.
I disagree about relying on the Gels at the race. The races I've done that offered them didn't have any until mile 16 or 17. That's too long to wait. I start taking a gel at 4.5 or 5 and then do it every 5 after that.
I don't mind not having a lot of on course support. Some people do. Three of my marathons were very small (200-400 runners) and mostly through the country, so there were few onlookers. That never bothered me because I am used to running alone without a cheering section. I really enjoyed the screaming fans in Boston, but don't really see that as a necessity, more of a bonus.
Getting there early is definitely a good idea. You don't know what the parking situation will be. Some are really insane. You also want to get into a bathroom line as soon as you arrive and make sure you have time to go again just before the start. You don't want to make a pit stop mid race unless it's absolutely necessary. I usually stop drinking about 30 minutes before the start for the same reason.1 -
I have a hard time seeing what there is about my first marathon that would be terribly valuable for someone about to run their first marathon. My path was so different from the typical first time marathon runner that I couldn't begin to tell someone to emulate it. It just kind of happened, by accident and peer pressure. I wasn't planning on running a marathon, I was just out doing long runs with guys who were training for marathons. After I ran 20 miles with a guy who was training for Pittsburgh (no one else needed more than 16 that day), the peer pressure got intense and I signed up for Buffalo on 6 weeks' notice. I had been listening to marathon runners chatter on long runs for a year or so, so I avoided many classic newbie errors; I made different first time errors.
As far as changing my life . . . I kind of sort of accidentally ran my first marathon 16 months before I'd planned to. The result was a BQ by a wide enough margin that my running buddies would have strangled me if I hadn't run Boston the next year. And I became, not just a guy who could run a long way, but a marathon runner.
@sjb74uk posted a good list. A lot of the stuff on that list is stuff I heard from experienced marathon runners before I ever ran one. But many of the classic sayings that I heard made a lot more sense after I had run a marathon. They make even more sense now that I've completed 4 marathons and DNF'd one. Some of the things I was told that made more sense after the fact include:
- The game changes between a half marathon and a full marathon.
- The first 10K is a warmup.
- For your first marathon, DO NOT pass the pacer before mile 22. (Obviously irrelevant if you're running a marathon that does not provide pacers.)
- A marathon is a nice 20 mile run, followed by the toughest 10K of your life.
- It's better to use the port-a-pot than try to hold it from mile 8 to the end; and don't worry about the minute or two lost to the port-a-pot. Don't try to make up the time.
- Don't go out too fast. (I had a pacer for my first marathon; I finally got going out slow enough right without a pacer for the first time last Monday.)
- Full recovery takes a month. Just because you can run 3 days later doesn't mean you're ready to run a hard 10K a week later.
- 6 days is too soon after the marathon for me to run a half, even if I hold it to marathon pace. The guy who did that the year before I found this out the hard way was Superman.
- In the final two weeks of training, less is more. If you miss a run, don't make it up. If you're undecided between an 8 mile run and a 6 mile run in the last week, run 6. If the 6 turns out to be 5.3, that's okay.
On the tangents: Garmin says I ran 26.45 miles from the start mat at Hopkinton to the finish line on Boyleston Street last Monday. In a large, crowded marathon it is not possible to run perfect tangents because of the traffic. Even in the last mile, where there was a blue line on the pavement purportedly showing the best tangent, I couldn't always follow the best tangent because of traffic. (The blue line this year was not the best tangent in at least one place; I saw the cover up marks from last year's line were in a different place from this year's blue line from the Mass Ave underpass to the turn onto Hereford Street. Last year's line was a better tangent.)
Under the conditions of having to go around slower runners, weaving to the sides for Gatorade and the one port-a-pot stop, and even weaving to the center to avoid water stations when I didn't need them, I think it was pretty darn good to only run a quarter mile further than the certified distance.
@spiriteagle99 makes a good point about relying on in-race support. Know how your marathon is run. It is possible to run Boston while carrying no water, because there is such robust support. Even in Boston, I want a gel before the first fuel station; or 2, this year. In a smaller marathon with less on-course support, carrying water may be the difference between a good time and a DNF.3 -
Thanks for all the responses! About 40 left. The local newspaper ran a story about my journey to marathon. Below is link.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article209854699.html
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JamesAztec wrote: »Thanks for all the responses! About 40 left. The local newspaper ran a story about my journey to marathon. Below is link.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article209854699.html
Awesome story. Best wishes tomorrow!!!1 -
That was an inspirational story. Please let us know how it went.1
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Yesterday I officially became a Marathon FINISHER. I stuck to my plan of just enjoying the experience. Took lots of pics along the course with friends who came out to cheer me on. Finished in 5:24:19. Lots of room for time improvement so I'm sure I'll PR next one! Thinking of doing CIM in December.
Same newspaper did a race recap and mentioned me. You can read about here:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article210108174.html
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JamesAztec wrote: »Yesterday I officially became a Marathon FINISHER. I stuck to my plan of just enjoying the experience. Took lots of pics along the course with friends who came out to cheer me on. Finished in 5:24:19. Lots of room for time improvement so I'm sure I'll PR next one! Thinking of doing CIM in December.
Same newspaper did a race recap and mentioned me. You can read about here:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article210108174.html
Congratulations and great finish line photo!1 -
Great job @JamesAztec. That is such an amazing accomplishment.1
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JamesAztec wrote: »Yesterday I officially became a Marathon FINISHER. I stuck to my plan of just enjoying the experience. Took lots of pics along the course with friends who came out to cheer me on. Finished in 5:24:19. Lots of room for time improvement so I'm sure I'll PR next one! Thinking of doing CIM in December.
Same newspaper did a race recap and mentioned me. You can read about here:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article210108174.html
An often-quoted statistic is that under 1% of Americans have completed a marathon. While I may question how the data to come up with this number is derived, it seems plausible. If there's an error, we're talking about a half percent versus 2%, not 1% versus 10%.
@JamesAztec , welcome to the 1%. You are now *different* from most Americans.4 -
It's all about expectations. I had a great first marathon experience but my goal was pretty basic - to finish. That being said, I was consistent with my training and tried to learn as much as I could about preparing for and racing that distance (MFP is a good resource). In my training, my longest run was 20 miles so when I got to 20 miles on race day I kept myself motivated by the fact that with each subsequent mile I was reaching a new distance goal. I honestly had a fabulous experience. I would echo all of the standard tips and techniques about running your first marathon. For me, the most important thing was to enjoy the experience and not stress myself out with a time goal.0
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polskagirl01 wrote: »My first marathon, I knew I was going to be slow enough that there wasn't a pace group for me. I connected early on with a 60-something year old lady who had been running for a decade and was up to almost 200 marathons "depending on how you count the ultras". Wow, she was an inspiration. Would check the time and do all of the pace calculations in her head at every kilometer marker. I later looked up her other results and it seems like she went faster than she usually does (I suspect because she knew my time goal - we were right on it). We stuck together for most of it, and it was really, really hard, but in the last 4k something happened and I started getting a second wind. When I kept looking back, thinking about waiting for her, she started cheering me on to "keep going, go!" and I could hear her cheering for me until I was out of earshot. Finishing was AMAZING. And then I hopped over to the spectator side to cheer for my new friend as she finished.
Awesome story, I always love when I find a new friend on the course, one of the perks of running alone, you are more receptive to these experiences!
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