As an NCCA Certified Personal Trainer whose love affair with running was sparked by the decision to take on a full marathon with only a few months to train, it’s always been a passion of mine to help others reach their health and fitness goals. Anyone Can Run is the podcast I created to help new members of the running community complete their first race, whether it be a 5k, full marathon or anything in between. However I realize for some inexplicable reason not everyone is enamored with the sultry sound of voice, or at the very least some have a predilection for consuming the written word (such as myself). For those runners I’ve elected to break down some of the conversations we’ve had at Anyone Can Run into smaller segments which can be consumed quickly. Although these will not be perfect transcripts of our dialog thus far due to clarity, these are essentially the same discussions we’ve had over at the podcast for new runners.
During the inaugural episode of our illustrious podcast I made a promise to my fellow runners: the first episode would be the only time I’d monologue about myself. I created Anyone Can Run to be a place where those brand new to running who want to tackle their first race but don’t know where to begin could find useful more information in an easily digestible format. My intention has always been for it not to be a soapbox for me to talk about myself. That being said, whenever someone tries telling me what’s what-meaning they are vying for my intention and are claiming to be a credible source of information-I want to know exactly who I’m talking to. I want to know their credentials, their personal experience and most importantly, where they are coming from. I’ve always found the thought process behind a decision to be more valuable than the actual action which resulted from it as this enables me to truly see where someone is coming from.
Due to my preference for knowing exactly who I’m electing to give my most valuable resource to (time), I’m going to take a few minutes to assure you I actually do know what I’m talking about and there was a substantial period of my life where I absolutely did not know anything about running. Once upon a time I was someone who wasn’t constantly running and counting calories and perhaps the most important lesson I can impart upon you, dear reader, is we all start somewhere. If you’re looking to begin your running journey on what I’ve affectionately dubbed the “Road to Gainzville” (which simply means being healthy and stronger than we were yesterday) you’ve come to the right place. Before we begin recapping my first marathon experience which fostered my love for running, inspired me to get my personal training certification and was chock full of mistakes, we need to cover what is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the race experience: the training cycle.
My first race was the Walt Disney World 2016 Marathon because I figured, why not go full throttle and have my first race be the most difficult I could imagine: a full 26.2 miles. While I’d always been a relatively fit person-I’d been lifting weights regularly for about 8 years at that point, was on the rowing team in college and would do about 30 min of cardio a few times a week-I’d never been much of a runner. The entire concept always seemed a bit, well, boring to me. I remember watching an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Barney says something to the effect of “Running a Marathon is easy. Step 1, run. There is no step 2.” Armed with that cocky confidence at the forefront of my mind, I signed up for my first full marathon with just over 3 months notice despite never having run over 6 miles in my life.
As someone who didn’t consider themselves much of a runner I wasn’t exactly sure where to start to prep for this seemingly Herculean task. The RunDisney website had a nearly 30 week training plan available for new runners so I downloaded it. Since I technically should’ve been halfway through it on the day I signed up for that race, I jumped into the plan utilizing the run/walk method. This meant I’d run at a comfortable/easy pace for one or two minutes (where I could still carry on a conversation if necessary) and then I’d walk for a minute to conserve energy. I had a pair of running shoes I’d picked up from a local sporting goods store for around $50 (without doing any sort of research, naturally) and the first saturday after signing up for the race I received one of my most important lessons from running.
According to the calendar on the training plan I was supposed to complete a cool seven miles. Although I’d never been anywhere near that distance previously I was relatively fit and feeling confident. I woke up early, had my coffee, laced up my shoes and then went for my run using the run/walk method. Let me tell you it was one of the first lessons running ever gave me. By the time RunKeeper-a free GPS running app I’ve used to track my mileage for years -told me I’d completed my assigned seven miles I was completely depleted of energy and limping. My feet and knees were absolutely killing me and while I wasn’t dehydrated, never before in my life had I ever wholly and completely just run out of gas.
I’d been tired and worn out before but never had I ever felt like all the lifeforce and energy had been extracted from my body like I did that day, as if I physically could not run any more…needless to say, on that insightful day I learned a couple very important lessons:
- I needed shoes designed for distance running
- It’s a good idea to eat before going for a long run
If you don’t eat before going out for an extended run you’re at risk to hit the dreaded “wall” where your body is depleted of glycogen and you’ve nothing left in the tank. That’s what I mean when I felt like I was completely zapped of energy: while I was mentally strong and my muscles didn’t feel too worn out, I felt like I physically could not go on. Training for my first race was enlightening in a myriad of ways: I learned what I was capable of, what works for me and what doesn’t. However there were so many things I wish I’d known when I first started right out of the gate.
I had just over 3 months to get comfortable with high mileage.( SIDEBAR: I once got hired to assist a client who had never been much of a runner to help them be able to cross the finish line of their first race in their upright position in six months. While we were able to complete this, it’s not something I’d recommend in the slightest.) For the uninitiated: distance running is typically defined as anything over 5 miles. It’s worth noting taking on a full marathon on such a truncated training timeframe is not something I’d advise someone who has never even dabbled in distance running to do, but to each their own. Knowing full well I needed to improve my running game somehow (and being quite the fan of lists), I decided to break everything down into the following silos:
-Nutrition
-Clothing and/or gear
-Training
I read multiple reviews of running shoes from Runner’s World and decided to pick up a new pair as the one I wore on that fateful seven mile run did me no favors. Fortunately, the pair I’d picked up worked perfectly for me (NOTE: We’ll dive into why this was such a stroke of luck when we discuss running gear in the near future). I pushed myself to stick to the running plan like my life depended on it and while I’d always been a relatively healthy eater, I began incorporating way more carbs than ever before into my diet.
There were so many things to consider: how to prevent chafing (never considered), what to eat before and during long runs (the first lesson I ever received from running), even how I was going to hold my phone and keys during extended training sessions. While none of the aforementioned sound particularly daunting, my timeframe was so limited I felt overwhelmed. I’ve always been the kind of person who needs to do things completely on their own. Everything needs to be earned, nothing can be given and the last thing I ever want to do is ask for help. Because of this I googled, pushed myself to stick to the training plan, kept my head down and grinded away.
Those three months of “training” were absolutely brutal and it should come as no surprise I made a plethora of mistakes and learned quite a bit. I’d go to work limping because my ankles and knees were bothering me. I’d never warm up or use a foam roller and I always felt like my muscles were tight. The lowest point of the entire ordeal was the day I completed my longest run prior to race day which was 17 miles. I planned to complete 20 miles as assigned and fortunately, there’s a 10 mile trail smack dab in the middle of the city I live in. I figured I’d loop it twice and then be done with it, all the while utilizing the run/walk method. Around the 13 mile mark my calves and quads got unbearably tight, my knees and ankles were bothering me so much I physically could not run anymore. Hell, I could barely walk. Also of note, I didn’t have any rideshare app on my phone at the time and I was a solid 4 miles from where I’d parked my car.
I texted friends and my girlfriend (now wife) and unfortunately, no one could pick me up. I spent nearly 3 hours-not an exaggeration-limping back to my car. That four mile-sort-of-walk-limp was one of the most physically painful experiences of my life. My knees and ankles were shot and according to RunKeeper, this was 4 weeks until race day. It’s worth noting one of the benefits of having your activities tracked via a free running/activity app is you can go back and relive those painful memories and/or tracking your progress as a runner, which I am a staunch advocate of. The amount of pain I was in was so severe over the next 4 weeks I only went running once and used the elliptical-because it’s a no impact cardio machine-as my primary means of maintaining conditioning.
When we finally made it to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and I picked up my race packet, I can tell you right now I’d only been more nervous a couple times in my life. I wasn’t sure if I had what it took physically or mentally complete that race. In hindsight, I can readily admit that going to the Port Orleans bar the night before the race to watch Yeehaa Bob perform while scarfing down nachos and sipping on multiple hurricanes was not the best decision I’ve ever made.
We’ll pick up next time diving directly into the race experience as I’d like to keep these posts from getting too verbose!
TruBros 