In 21 days I will be running my first ever marathon.
I'm already imagining the end. I have a mental imagine in my head. Crossing the finish line with a huge feeling of relief and sense of accomplishment as the crowd of thousands cheers. This keeps me going.
I have ran a half marathon before, and a couple of 10k's, but this will be a whole other ball game.
I'm fortunate, in that my lack of specific marathon prep hasn't held me back too much, on account of my more consistent GPP (General Physical Preparedness) training. I signed up to the do marathon around 8 weeks ago. Not a lot of time to train in any instance. And certainly not a lot of time to gradually build up my distance. This has meant that my marathon training has had to increase rapidly. It's gone like this.
Sunday, 27th August - 10km in 48.24 | Took this one steady. Just getting used to running for extended periods of time.
Wednesday, 30th August - 10km in 46.39 | Same distance, starting to build up the speed. Still getting used to running.
Sunday, 3rd September - 10km in 45.18 | Time is much improved, think I'll start to increase the distance now.
Sunday, 10th September - 22km in 1hr 59mins | The equivalent of a half marathon. Stepping up my game. More than double my last runs.
TODAY, Sunday, 17th September - 32km in 2hr 58mins | Around 19 miles. Won't do anything longer than this during training now.
The vest I was wearing was starting to chafe, so I took it off - hence the topless selfie. Note to self, wear plasters on vulnerable chafing spots!
Also, I brought a bottle of lucozade sport which I sipped along this run. This is very important. I was able to get away with running 22km without a drink, but anything longer than that and you'll starting lagging without refreshments. Water is good. Something with sugar and electrolytes, such as lucozade, is even better though. It's also worth noting that I had a 1250cal breakfast an hour before this run. This consisted of 2 slices of granary toast with butter, half an avocado, 4 rashers of smoked bacon, and 3 poached eggs. Food is fuel!
Quite happy with this time considering my lack of preparation.
In sum.
Prepare - I have not trained nearly as much for this marathon as I would have liked to. Like I said, I've only been able to get away with not running as much because I'm already pretty fit from my crossfit training.
Foot wear - This goes without saying really. But comfortable running trainers that fit well are essential. I wear a pair of Asics. These are very comfortable, and I feel I can happily run in them for hours.
Food/drink - Eat lots of calories an hour or two before the run. As you can see, I burnt nearly 3000 calories in my 32km run. After burning through my 1250cal breakfast, my body will start to burn through it's fat reserves. Drink along route as well. Not lots - just little sips. If you're dehydrated, you'll start to feel faint and you simply won't be able to run.
Enjoy it - Revel in the smugness of knowing that with each stride, you're getting fitter and stronger.
Don't give up - You'll start to hurt. Your feet will ache, your calves will be tight, and your knees will be sore.
But if you're going to listen to any of the advice that I'm going to give you today, please, let it be this...
Protect the nipples. Wear plasters. Fight the chafe.