Hey,

I've been working through the Hal Higdon Novice 1 marathon plan and just finished week 8 doing a half. I've signed up for a marathon in September and was wondering what the best way to train for it using the plan given there's only 10 weeks left of the plan and about 18 or so til the actual race.

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I've read a suggestion about downloading the app and entering the race details to get a more tailored plan but it looks like it's starting from the very beginning and I want to keep my progression.

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Also I see that the longest run in the plan is 32kms/20mi 3 weeks before the race, is that normal?

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Thanks

Who: 34M
What: BMO Vancouver Marathon
When: May 5th, 2024
How far: 26.2 miles
Where: Vancouver BC Canada
Finish time: 3:53:37
Goals
Just finish! ✓
Sub 4 ✓

Meet fundraising goal ✓

splits and timing: https://imgur.com/a/SsIZUyd

So this was my first marathon and I'm feeling proud. I had previously done half marathons and 10ks

Training: Followed Hal Higdon's Novice 2. I had some modifications for getting sick, and achilles tendonitis after one night I pushed way too hard on some hill work. Honestly many of the training runs were harder and required more psychological 'push' because of training during the rainy season in Vancouver (e.g. 16 miles in an absolute storm/hail)

Prep: Woke up 2.5 hours ahead, did some foam rolling, had my usual breakfast combo (bagel + cream cheese, pb&j, coffee). The last two days I probably ate 8 cups of cooked rice, lots of croissants, donuts, fish and chips, etc. Pooped twice before heading out (what a relief).

Racing: Started in one of the slowest corrals (accidentally). I kept my cool for the first half, my first mile at 10:15, and then miles 2-8 somewhere between 9:10-9:50. I knew at my goal pace (9:09/mile for 4hours) I would have to pick it up somewhere. There's a pretty famous hill on this course right at 10k, on Camosun rd. I had run up and down this guy in training and was feeling pretty good.

Around the 13 mile mark I started to feel a tension between picking up the pace vs. the potential bonk.. I decided deep down I'd rather give it my all and bonk/get injured than finish with any regrets. I don't think I'll do the marathon distance again, I much prefer the half anyway, so around 15-16 I opened it up. I had friends and family cheering for me along the way with custom t-shirts and everything too so it was really awesome. I alternated electrolytes and water at each aid station, walking just briefly so I wouldn't choke.

This course is infamous for it's last 10k being a loop around the famous Vancouver Seawall, and contrary to the usual takeaway for casual tourists who all think it's just gorgeous, doing this to finish is kind of brutal. The ocean headwinds start hitting you, the marine-y smells made me kind of nauseous, and you don't have the wits about you to really 'soak in the scene', everyone was in survival mode. Honestly it was a little scary, I saw medics tending to a dude who was clutching his chest. There were people crying, some folks flamed out and were walking with space blankets on, I even saw a dude with on obvious achilles injury and 100 yds later a medic on a bike trying to get to him with crutches. (All hyperbole acknowledged) it was like war. It was crazy. I just kept thinking "pass this person, pass this person." I knew I could be close to the sub-4 and I didn't want to leave anything out there. I don't remember being passed by anyone from mile 16 onward.

Seeing the finish line was such a rush. I was definitely ready for it to be over. I thought of my mom who passed away last year from cancer, and how I met my fundraiser goal for the BC Cancer Foundation (with some last minute hero donos from my friends!) and I listened to Green Bird by Yoko Kanno.

Crossing the finish line, as soon as I stopped motion I could feel everything hurt, I was kind of delirious. There's so many people around, some injured some happy, people throw bananas in your face, and families are still separated from runners for a bit. So I got my medal and then I just kinda stood around, soaked it in, and cried.

Advice: you can do it. I lurked here throughout my training and read all kinds of horror stories, You will do it if you put in quality efforts for long runs in training. My longest was 21.1, and I simulated the course and my whole morning/food and all that, and when I finished then I felt like I had some gas still. That was a confidence booster- but unfortunately during the race, there's a definitely a suspicious feeling, I wasn't trusting my hamstrings or my bowels completely. I also had taper tantrums and thought I was getting sick on Friday, freaking out like psychosomatic, but looking back that was all in my head.

and now, I have a date with my theragun. Thank you for reading!!

On the Hal Higdon schedule it has "Run" and "Pace" for different days.

"Pace" is race-pace, but what is "Run?" Just any decent speed?

First marathon done!

My goals were: a) to get to the start line healthy; b) get to the finish line healthy; c) sub-5:00; and d) (the overly ambitious goal I pretended I didn’t have) sub-4:45.

I achieved all except d.

The course starts at the top of a canyon, and the first 20 miles are downhill. It runs alongside a beautiful river that I like to fly-fish, so the area feels really special to me.

The last 10k drops into town, and you run along a bike path that’s…mostly flat-ish, with a few rolling hills…but is definitely no longer downhill. The finish line is in a downtown area.

I was chillin with the 4:45 pace group for the first 20 miles and feeling great, but that last 10k was brutal. The first uphill I hit was truly humbling. My joints started screaming at me, muscles started cramping up. I didn’t stop running, did all the things I had practiced in training, and only added about ~60-90 seconds to my splits for a few of those miles, so I still felt very accomplished.

I saw my 4:45 time goal slip away, but didn’t freak out about it. I knew I was still on track to go sub-5:00, as long as nothing went completely sideways. In the last mile, I found a handful of other first-timers, all of whom were also targeting sub-5, so we hyped each other up and all finished strong and made that goal together. It was a really lovely experience.

The experience shared in this sub, and a few others, made so much of a difference for me today. I thought a lot about you all saying that the race starts at mile 20. And to run the first 10 miles with your head, the second 10 miles with your legs, and the last 10k with your heart. And to just keep moving. It all helped a lot in getting me over the finish line, and feeling successful in that.

Thank you all for running with me in my mind today!

So today I did my first marathon, and I am happy to say that I have finished with a good time (5:07). My goal was to finish in 6 hours, so I definitely feel satisfied. Now, here’s some tips

BEFORE THE MARATHON:

*Make sure you train regularly. I ran about 3 times a week, with 2 shorter runs and one more long one to get me used to the marathon length.

*When training, make sure to prepare for incline and decline. I ran a path in my neighborhood that had a strong balance of incline, decline and flat land. I made sure to run all sorts of hills to prepare. The marathon I ran was one people said had extensive incline, but I didn’t find it a problem due to practice.

*Make sure you eat plenty of carbs the day before and the day of. I had a carb heavy dinner last night along with plenty of carbs today and that helped a lot.

*Get a good sleep. This is VERY important to ensure strong performance.

*Look into different snacks for running. When I went to get my number for the marathon, they had plenty of options and I am glad I bought them.

DURING THE MARATHON:

*Remember that it’s not a race and maintain your pace. I stuck with my pace pretty consistently. While I was slower closer to the end, I was pretty consistent as I didn’t burn my energy out at the start.

*As you go on, it is a mental game. After 3/4ths of the way through, my brain kept telling me to walk, but I kept running. The end will mess with you mentally so be prepared.

*Goals are good but if your training didn’t lead you where you want, don’t be afraid to adjust.

*Take advantage of the water/electrolyte drinks they provide you. I kid you not - every time I saw a stand, I would get a drink and some water and occasionally a nutrition snack. They made a huge difference and they replenished my energy.

I hope this helps you guys, and good luck! :)

So this is a marathon report of the marathon I just ran today.

So long story short : I Completed It!! 😁

There was a lot of attention on my first post

https://www.reddit.com/r/firstmarathon/s/LQ60dbdayX

and it’s apparently number 1 all time on most controversial post and was even featured on r/runningcirclejerk which I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. I’m not a troll, just a little crazy and enthusiastic about running. and I have my strava splits and medal at the bottom if u are interested. And I really DONT recommend everyone to try it. I’m not trying to invalidate anyone’s training, but there’s a lot of gatekeepers and traditionalists in this field that assume if u don’t do a certain thing you can’t do it . Needless to say it’s really important to lessen the risk of not getting hurt and don’t hold me responsible as u are risking ur body. but I will say to the naysayers that’s it’s not impossible albeit that you are risking yourself for injuries.

Guide:

So long story short : I Completed It!!

How I got there? I needed every little tiny advantage I could get when it comes to gear , diet and pacing because I’ve never trained for runs longer than 10k

Prep work GEAR: My friend graciously lent me his running vest and I equipped it with 2 Honey stinger jellys , and 4 running gels . 1 water bottle and another bottle full of coconut water and dissolved electrolyte/sodium tablets also SUPERFEET insoles are a god send please buy it before any big race I think that was the difference maker. It’s very important to take a jelly or jell every half hour after the 1 hour mark until end of race. You NEED to ensure your glycogen stores are not empty

DIET: lots and lots and lots of carbs leading up to it the night before I had a massive Greek souvlaki plate with a TON of carbs.

My breakfast this morning of the race was 2 eggs , a Chinese bakery sausage bun with peanut butter, 2 steamed mini potatoes , watermelon , lemon water with lots and lots of honey ,

Very very proud of myself. I’m not gunna lie this was quite tough! Especially as a runner that usually runs a “decent” 10k pace. I had great split around 6:00km UNTIL Kilometre 27 where for some reason I was doing fine but my quads started cramping like crazy. I really was questioning my ability to complete the race jogging but for some reason when I speed walked my quads didn’t hurt anymore so I speed walked all the way to the end as you can see my significantly slower times near the end .

Not the prettiest sight but hey it worked, I avoided the cramping but the pain did come up to my feet as I this was the longest run I’ve ever done but I kept it consistent and put one foot on front of the other . Hobbling and limping until the finish line. I wanted a sub 5 hour finish which would have been possible without the quad seizing up so ended up with around 5:39 but hey finishing is finishing. Getting home I’m very very lucky to not have any injuries , thankfully the quads were just a cramp and there’s no pain after the race other than some swollen feet from running

PACING: as this was my first marathon there’s a ton of stimulus in the environment you CANT get lost in the buzz and try to run faster than u think. You need a super comfortable pace that ensures u have fuel in the tank to take you the entire way . My mantra over and over I said to myself was “My pace is the best pace” YOU know your pace the best don’t get caught in the environment and get worried about racers speeding past you, stick to ur guns, you know your body the best.

I realize what I just ran is very controversial with my limited training but available for any additional questions and nice comments (hopefully) :) !

Big shiny Medal and strava splits : https://imgur.com/a/Wo74bkc

I (35F) needed to take a month long break from my 20 week marathon training plan that I started in December due to a non-running medical procedure. I was supposed to run a marathon today but had to push out to June 8.

1. When I am able to start running again on May 15, is 3 weeks enough to get my fitness back?
2. How do I go about training?

Any advice welcome.

I am obese but have started to try and make a change. I’ve always been up and down with my weight at some point I was actually fit enough to do 10k runs comfortably with a hangover but the last year or so I have peaked with my obesity. Im trying to get my life back again and have been working out and running(slow jogging) again. Ive got a 5k in 2 weeks and actually feel confident I can finish it with a bit of walk-run and pacing myself . If I keep up the intensity would doing a marathon in 2 years be realistic without destroying my legs?

Marathons aren’t just for fast runners or people who “look” like runners. And I’m officially proof of that!

In the car on the way home from my first ever marathon. It took me just shy of 6 hours, which meant I beat my goal time! Averaged around 13:30 a mile. I had to walk parts, but I never stopped moving the whole time. I hit a bit of a wall but I powered through, and I’m so proud of myself and so proud of my body. I cried when I got my medal.

If you’ve been thinking about running a marathon but had doubts because you’re not in the best shape or you’re self conscious about being “slow” — this is your sign to just go for it!

Hi I'm 26m, started running a month back.

I run 2 kms at max, but one day I felt energetic and kept going, ran 5k that day.

After one month of activity. I still have so much pain in my legs. that some days I can't even run 1k. Just after 5 mins of slow paced running I get pain in my legs. specifically the shin aread muscles, but generally the whole of the lower legs.

I went to the GP, turns out that the blood flow is fine. The physio also checked and said that its only because of higher physical activity. However, this pain was before as well. When I would brisk walk even. and still I stopped going for a run but walking also causes this. OFC uphill its worse, downhill it's doable.

I am not looking for any medical advice. I just want to know if anyone has been through a similar experience or not. How did you manage to overcome it?

I was planning to run a half marathon atleast next year, but I don't think with this pain I can ever run even 1km.

Thanks

Good afternoon everyone, as the title says, I had to cut my final 32 km by 10 km short today due to stomach cramps. Breakfast was going to come out one end or the other. The issue was I tried out creatine for the first time at what I thought was a small dose but didn’t drink enough water for that.

My training program has had me run a 30 km and a 34 km already. This week was the last really heavy week before tapering. My sessions this week included a speed workout for 13 km, a tempo workout for 14 km, and a 10 km easy run.

I am not sure what to do. Do I try to make up the 10 km tomorrow? Do I chalk it up to lesson learned?

Any advice would be welcome because I am low key freaking out.

I’m running my first marathon in 6 weeks. Obviously my main goal is to finish, but I’m shooting for the 3:50-3:59 range. (Around 9 min/mile)

Next week I’m doing a 25k race (15.5 miles). It’s a huge local race.

While my priority is the marathon, I also want to do well in the 25k. I’m having a hard time picking a goal pace time. Please help me decide!!

For reference, my typical easy pace is 9:30, and tempo pace is 7:30. I’ve been training consistently, currently running 35-40 miles per week.

Running marathon tomorrow (Toronto). Shooting for sub 3:30. Everything in my training has been going well, but on my past 3 runs, I have been experiencing stomach cramps in my abs (both left and right just under my ribs). It has never happened before then and I would like to know if their is anything I can do to mitigate it or prevent it for tomorrow.

I have pain in my knee when walking. It is more painfull when I have been sitting for awhile. However, when I start to run at about 1.5 miles the pain goes away completely. My marathon is three weeks out. Should I continue pushing through the training or start tapering and using cross training now? Does anyone have any suggestions on a good taper/cross training regimen to use?

Hi y’all! I signed up for my first marathon. It was a moment of delulu, and I just rolled with it.

I have been doing long runs recently but my longest so far has only been 10 miles. My mile pace hovers around 11 minutes.

My race is in October and my 2 goals would be A) to finish it LOL B) to finish it at or around 5 hours

I don’t have any apps, I’m not following any training program, but I run 3x per week (one short run, one 5k, and one long run).

I need advice on how to be ready for October without spending a bunch of money or doing anything too crazy. What are the “slower” runners like me doing to prepare? Do I have enough time to even be ready in time?

Hello all,

I am preparing for the Chicago marathon this fall and have done some research/formulated a plan but wanted to solicit some feedback to see if there's anything I'm missing.

Context

I was a distance runner in HS but that was ~12 years ago. Since HS I have been active(working out, running occasionally, ultimate frisbee, Orange Theory fitness classes, etc) but not really following a regimented running schedule until the beginning of this year. I am currently working on building my base while running a few 5k's to judge my fitness level.

In HS I did deal with a few overuse injuries(IT bands, 1 stress fracture) while running 40-50mpw. My past overuse injuries are a large part of the reason why I want to ensure this plan is not too aggressive.

Base Building

Since the beginning of this year, I have been slowly building my base to 30 MPW. So far, I have run a couple 5Ks(21:41 and 20:53) and plan on running another at the end of the base building phase. These runs have generally been around 8:00/mi - 8:45/mi pace depending on the day and distance. Truth be told I have not done a great job at tracking this.

Base building plan(though it's mostly completed at this point): https://imgur.com/a/v6mt9KF

Marathon Training Plan

Researching the different plans, I think that the Hanson's From Scratch might be the best fit for me right now. This is a little lighter than the Hanson's Beginner Plan but I think that might be to my advantage since:

1. The From Scratch plan has 2 recovery days a week which might be good since I am just getting back into running(and opens the door for strength/cross training)

2. The Beginner plan mileage might be a little too quick of an increase in MPW(kinda wish I started base building earlier)

The plan: https://imgur.com/adN4Jv2

Goals

Since I have a background of running competitively, I prefer to have a marathon time goal. It is also kind of needed for selecting the correct paces for the Hanson's plan. Judging by the time chart in the book, a 21:00 5K suggests training for a ~3:25 marathon would be reasonable. Though I certainly don't think I could run that marathon time today, I think it _could_ be possible with the correct training plan and proper execution.

So the main goals are:

1. Finish the marathon

2. Do it in under 3:30

Additional Support

In addition to the running, I have enlisted the help of a personal trainer to work on strength and conditioning during the building phase. I have also started seeing a Physical Therapist to improve my form and try to take some preventative action against potential overuse injuries.

Feedback

My questions for r/firstmarathon are:

1. Does this training plan seem reasonable given my current base and goals?

2. Would you make any changes to the plan?

3. Any additional tips or areas for me to research to best prepare for the marathon?

4. I understand there is much discussion on the Hanson's method NOT having a 20 miler as a training run. For people who have used Hanson's, did you still feel prepared?

Hi,

I’m about to start my taper and starting to decide my pace for the marathon. considering my training which was a bit scuffed (could use a bit more mileage and lack of speed work). I’m planning to run at what i judge a conservative but not easy pace and reevaluating midway wether I negative split or slow down.

How do you properly judge your physical state at the half ? Does it just come with experience ?

I'm a 25M and have only been running a few years. Was gonna do my first marathon last year but hurt my knee so did a half instead. I'll be running my 3rd half marathon in 2 days and have a sub-2 hour goal in mind. After that, I plan on training for a marathon on November 4th. I worked up to a 22 mile week a couple weeks ago before I began tapering for this half I'm running. I'll prob spend most of May and June just increasing my weekly mileage then start an actual plan around July (since that's about 18 weeks from November 4th). I've read mixed reviews about Hal Higdon's plans but I'd like to know some more options for training plans to follow based on where my running experience is at

Hello friends! I posted here a couple days ago about starting my marathon journey. I am a very very very slow runner, im talking 13 min miles on my long runs, without walking. I currently tap out at about 2 miles when I have to walk, but I think that's more of a mental thing that I have to work to get over rather than me being tired. My garmin tells me I start pushing into Zone three at around 11:30 minute miles but I feel like that is so slow.. I know I shouldn't compare myself to people on social media or strava, but I see all my friends doing 8:30 minute miles for 4 miles easy peasy and it's a little discouraging. I've heard you either work on speed or base but not both at the same time. Obviously I'd rather work on base for my marathon but I was wondering how do people lower their heart rate while running so they can lower their paces?

I know I have ALOT of work to do before decemeber, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice.

I'm running my first marathon in about a month, and someone told me that a marathon is more like running three consecutive half marathons. I think her point was that some people think that they'll just run two halves in a row, and that it can't be that bad, but that it's not a good comparison. What are your experiences and thoughts?

I want to prepare for my first marathon. Since I'll run a lot for the next 4ish months, I'm afraid of two things:

1. I will lose weight.
2. If I start to eat much more, I will uncontrollably gain weight once I finish with the marathon.

What's your experience on that? How your diet change once you start preparing for the marathon run? Is it easy to stop eating higher amount of food once you are done with the marathon? How did preparing for the marathon affect your body shape and is it possible to keep up with the weight workout in the gym?

I’m signed up for my first marathon in October and I’m already looking ahead to next year to se what marathons are available to sign up for (assuming I get the marathon bug lol). Just wondering, if I were to start planning out some races for the next few years, how frequently is reasonable/typical to run a marathon? How much time would be safe to leave for recovery and training in between marathons?

I’m officially pacing my first race! I’m honestly more excited than my own race coming up! It’s not until the summer but I want to do a really good job for the people in my group.

It’s a 5k on a track and I never run on a track, so my plan is to find one and run the distance / time on it and get used to it.

I’m with the 30 min group, I put 29:59 into pace calculator (is that what I should aim for or a little more under?) and it says 9:39 per mile pace. That’s my recovery pace on the treadmill so I’m really familiar with it lmao.

But what else should I do to prepare? Any tips?

Have been running more recently. Currently considering running my first marathon still have to figure out some other career stuff before I commit to the strict training though.

What are some common mistakes people make before their first marathon?

I'm 28f and I haven't ran any serious distance since I was in high school, when I ran x-country and track. But, today I signed up for the Florence marathon in November 2024.

I'm fairly active. I've been weight lifting consistently for the last year and a half, and I also rock climb, but I almost never run. For some reason, this week I caught a running bug.

Anyway, am I insane for choosing a marathon abroad for my first marathon? ... and... does anyone have any tips...about anything?

thanks!!

Edit: Part 2 OUT! Marathon Report + mini guide :) https://www.reddit.com/r/firstmarathon/s/OlwDKQnlkk

I was procrastinating on registering for my cities half marathon . And of course it’s sold out and only one available is a full one and it’s this weekend on Sunday

I can run 10ks at a decent pace around 6:20km, I run once every week or so around that pace nothing longer than that distance .

How dumb is it if I just yolo it? Or is this the universe telling me something.

Edit: wow so many responses , I’ll see if I can downgrade my marathon to a half, but if not I’ll go for the full one and try not to push myself to the extreme and listen to my body when to give up. And I did run recently at a 12k at 5:41 with a friend and I feel fine.

Edit 2: got my best most comfy hokas that I run with. I Will be carb loading a few days beforehand , and will be packing some orange slices with honey , gummy bears, coconut water and my ultra marathon friend is giving me gels while running together. So he will be monitoring and pacing me and will tell me if I should stop.

I realize what I’m doing is like the antithesis of this whole subreddit and I do expect a bit of hate so I don’t recommend it for everyone but whats life without a bit of chaos? I used to be in cross country club in elementary school and high school , so I’m no stranger to runs my whole life. I’m above average in terms of overall fitness but I’ll be careful and know when to stop. Will report back when this is over .

I just ran the first half marathon at the NYCRuns Brooklyn half(4/28) and it was a difficult course but I finished it strong with negative splits(planned a sub 2, finished in 1:54). After I registered for this, I luckily got picked in the NYRR Brooklyn half, which is in 3 weeks(05/18). I want to run a good race because my family and friends are coming for this one. What would you guys suggest for a good recovery and coming 2 weeks to run the same time or a little faster considering it’s ends downhill?

Using a half marathon as a training run and pacing people for a 2 hour half marathon. It may have been cold, wet and windy but it was great to see so many runners and supporters out. I had a fun morning and got lots of positive feedback in regards to my pacing. If you ran it or supported, well done.

https://youtu.be/zB5YZGhSzN0?si=ZsGoUxdr-0uY1OKG

While I chose this approach, I’m certainly starting to panic as the date gets closer. Any positive thoughts appreciated.

For context, for the two weeks going into my race, I have committed to completing the planned distance on elliptical rather than running it as I have been struggling with undiagnosed shin splints/PTT/some kind of persistent ankle pain. My last run was a 13-miler. I tried to take a walk break to readjust about halfway through and couldn’t, though I could run with less pain than walking, so I finished the run anyway. This was after a similar experience the prior week during my 20-miler, which I completed but had to be picked up about a half mile from my house because I couldn’t walk home. Pain receded later in the day in both cases and has been feeling better with less impact.

I feel like this was the best option to at least get to race day, but I am now feeling like I’m going to be so unprepared. Everything I’ve read says the taper time really doesn’t matter that much from an aerobic fitness standpoint, but the “maranoia” is worse when I’m not even running at all to keep it at bay.

On the plus side, I got extra training in on the front end. I was supposed to run my first in February but got COVID race week, so I was able to get another 20-miler in and some other long runs between then and now. Not sure what I’m looking for here exactly other than an outlet for my anxiety, but if anyone has any cool stories about cross-training the hell out of their taper and then crushing the race, I’m all ears :)

Who: 31M

What: Tacoma City Marathon

When: April 28, 2024

How far: 26.2 miles (actually 26.5 because I took a wrong turn in the beginning lol)

Where: Tacoma, Washington

Finish time: 5:02 (Avg pace 11:32)

Goals

1. Just finish! ✓
2. Sub 5 X

Training

I followed a 20 week beginner's program from Trail & Kale. Before I started, I had never run more than a 5k but I liked running and wanted to get more into it. I'd say the first 10-12 weeks went really well. I was increasing mileage and stamina and I was feeling great. Did a lot of cross training like biking, swimming, and elliptical. Week 13 is when things really got challenging. I got really sick and missed three consecutive long runs in a row. Once I got back on the horse I felt depleted and not sure where to pick back up having missed so much training. I modified the last few weeks of my program and just did what I could. I originally wanted to run a sub 5 hour race but eventually scrapped that in favor of just finishing. I also started getting really bad pain from my right IT band during long runs greater than 13 miles. I bought an IT band strap which kinda helped and just tried not to aggravate it anymore. Next thing I knew it was almost race day!

Pre-race

Taper kinda sucked! I felt like garbage and was really unsure I could even finish a marathon. I was also pretty lax with my nutrition throughout the whole training program. But I dialed it in the last few weeks and tried to get in a good place for race day. The week before the race I was hydrating like crazy, carb loading, and just going for a few light jogs. By the time race day came around I was actually feeling pretty good and ready for the day. The morning of, I woke up at 4am, ate a bagel, drank an electrolyte mix, got ready, and headed to the start line for a 6:30am start.

Race

Whew, running a marathon is no joke! It was the craziest experience I've ever had! My race offered a one-hour "early start" at 6:30am for people wanting extra time to be on the course before the official 7:30am start. I opted for that because I still wasn't totally confident in my ability to finish. If you do the early start, there are no volunteers on the course yet to direct you. That being said, I immediately made a wrong turn and added an extra 0.3 miles to the race haha. Luckily I caught it early! I was chatting with this one guy around mile 8-9 and he took the wrong turn too but added 4 miles to his race! The extra 0.3 miles was fine but I was definitely paying for it in the end when every step I took was pure pain hahaha.

I was using the Nike Run Club app to keep pace and see how I was doing but I guess my watch didn’t charge fully overnight and it died in the middle of the race, so it didn’t save the workout and I lost all my splits. Ugh. But in general, the first 13.1 went by like a breeze. I was keeping pace and took gels every 45min (honey stingers). The course was beautiful, and I essentially had it to myself because not many people did the early start (there were only 450 marathoners total, and very few did the early start). Crowd support was decent in the first half, but after that they basically disappeared so it was pretty lonely. No worries! It was still fun. Mile 16 was where things started going downhill. My right IT band was really acting up and I started taking frequent breaks to walk. Unfortunately from there, the rest of my race was very frequently running-then-walking to manage pain. The worst and I mean ABSOLUTE WORST part was miles 21-23 when it dumped rain and was blasted with cold wind (the temperature most of the day was mid 40s, low 50s, very overcast and windy). I did not dress appropriately for the potential weather so I was soaked and freezing. I was so fcking over it and wanted to quit. Right when I was at my absolute LOWEST point in the race, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and I was like alright fuck it let's do this. I was so delirious that I barely remember miles 24-finish. I just remember seeing my boyfriend cheering me on close to the finish line. He brought 3 cardboard cutout posters of our cats and seeing them made me so happy haha. I pushed through and finished at 5:02!

Post-race

Finishing was surreal. I had never felt so physically terrible but also so happy. My first words after finishing were "What the fuck was that!?" as I grabbed my medal haha. It was insane. I met up with my boyfriend who brought me my recovery bag with clothes, water, protein bars, Aleve, etc. The finish line was at a really beautiful park in Tacoma close to a shopping center with lots of little stores, markets, and restaurants. I got changed, we had some lunch, then we went home! I've been on cloud nine ever since and have barely taken my medal off. (I almost slept with it under my pillow last night). I'm pretty sore one day after, but took two days off work to just relax and recover. Which has felt amazing so far haha.

If you read this far, thanks for reading! It was an amazing experience — and just today I already signed up for my next one! Seattle Marathon on December 1st :) Many thanks to this community for all the support, encouragement, advice, and wisdom! It was definitely a staple in getting ready for this race! Thanks y'all.