Today’s post is all about marathon training- the plan I used, favorite recipes, how I changed my eating, favorite gear, and more. It’s a long one, so settle in and take some notes if running a marathon is on your bucket list, too!
In October of 2018, I stepped away from posting pictures of my food and recipes on social media in an effort to distance myself from constant thoughts of food and binge eating tendencies.
Long story short: making this move finally delivered me to the food freedom I had been craving for years. Cutting out food influencers/recipe sites on Instagram helped learn how to listen to what my body craved and helped me remove all ‘good’ or ‘bad’ food labels.
I am so happy that I made that decision.
With new extra time on my hands from stepping away from Instagram and the blog, I did something big.
I signed up for a marathon!
Today I’m diving into all things marathon-related- everything from gear used to how it went on race day!
Marathon Training Gear
Shoes: Since college I’ve worn Asics GT-2000’s. I think I’m seriously going on my 6th or 7th pair! They have a wide toe box which works well for me and provide a good amount of stability. I originally went to a running store, tried on a few different shoes and had them watch how I run. Even though the Asics were dorkier than the sleek Mizuno’s (in my opinion), I knew the second I put the Asics on that they were the right pair for me. If you have a running store near you, I highly recommend doing this.
P.S., you can always search for a previous model of the same shoe to get it for a cheaper price. I just ordered these GT-2000 5’s for $50!
Other winter marathon training must haves:
- Fleece-lined leggings
- Thin wool socks
- BCG thermal top – y’all this $20 top is the best article of clothing I got for marathon training. It could be 35 degrees out and this top alone was enough to keep me warm. It was MAGIC.
- Anti-Chafe block (for warmer runs in shorts) – not glamorous at all but nothing is worse than chafing during a run. I would put it on my legs and also under the band of my sports bra.
- Ear warmers – It could be 35 degrees out but if my ears were warm, I was good!
- Good gloves
- Fuel belt – I’ve linked the exact one I used- I love that the zip pocket is big enough to fit fuel, my phone, ID and cash. I quickly got used to the feeling of wearing the water bottles on my waist (you forget about it). If a belt isn’t your thing I’ve seen a lot of people with something like this.
- Earphones – Rarely did I listen to music while running (be aware of your surroundings- please, please!) but sometimes on my long runs in daylight and populated areas I would listen to podcasts. These Bose earphones are the only ones I’ve ever found that stay in my ears during runs.
Nutrition During Marathon Training
My favorite part about marathon nutrition was calorie counting was completely off the table and all that mattered was eating in a way that fueled my body and maximized performance (with the occasional pizza and ice cream to keep my soul happy too).
If you’re curious about how you should eat differently while training, the educational sections in Run Fast Eat Slow and Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow taught me so much. These books also each have example meal plans which helped give me an idea of how much I should be eating.
I focused on lots of fruits and vegetables, grains, high quality grass-fed meats, and lots of healthy fats. Staples in my diet were plain whole milk yogurt (yep- whole milk), lots of oats, sweet potatoes and pasture raised eggs.
Typical Breakfasts:
- Whole milk yogurt with chia seeds, homemade granola, berries, and a drizzle of honey.
- Egg scramble with spinach, fruit, toast with butter or avocado
- Slice of breakfast frittata with fruit and avocado
- Muesli soaked overnight in whole milk yogurt and a little soy milk topped with berries and honey or molasses.
Typical Lunches/Dinners:
- Brown rice & black bean bowl with salsa, avocado and a fried egg (this was my go-to lazy dinner)
- “Power bowls” – typically protein like hard boiled eggs or chicken, brown rice or quinoa, veggies, and a healthy fat like tahini or avocado.
- Tuna/sardine salad on whole grain bread with fruit
Long Run Nutrition:
- About an hour before I went out I always had a slice of toast with peanut butter and a drizzle of honey. If I had a banana I would sometimes slice up half and add that on top.
- For long run fuel, I made the sweet potato/date/peanut butter/chia seed mix from the Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow book. I’d put it in a ziploc and tear off the corner with my teeth while running.
Everybody is different, so be sure to try out pre-run/during run fuel throughout your training and find what works best for you. Just don’t try anything new on race day!
You can always get in touch with the race ahead of time and find out what kind of nutrition they will be providing on course. Usually it’s GUs.
Pre/Post Run Rituals
“Rituals” makes these sound like superstitious things I did, but they’re more like habits. Other than a two week stint where I was down with a sinus infection and couldn’t run, training went really smoothly with no injuries or feeling burnt out.
Pre-Run: Always a 5 minute warm up on a spin bike. When I was somewhere without the bike, I did a warm up consisting of jogging, butt kicks, high knees, leg swings, etc. I used to despise warming up, but during marathon training with so much on the line, I refused to let myself get injured because I didn’t feel like warming up.
Post-Run: Always at least 5 minutes of walking (I liked finishing my runs a few blocks from the house to give myself time to cool down and reflect on my run). When I got back home I always devoted around 10 minutes to stretching and foam rolling (usually while sipping my strawberry lemonade post-run electrolyte recovery drink).
One more thing: Each morning I added this collagen to my coffee. I wasn’t really sure if it was helping my joints until I ran out of it about 3 weeks before my race. 6 miles into an easy 14 mile run, my knees were shot. I was really surprised and actually called my mom during the run and asked her to Amazon me some more ASAP!
Marathon Training Plan + Cross Training
For the half marathons I’ve done, I’ve always used Hal Higdon’s training plans. When it came time for the marathon, I chose this easy plan since my only goal was to finish the race.
The plan has you running 4x a week- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with two days of rest and one cross training day.
For cross training, all I did was yoga. I felt like it was a great way to balance the stress on my body from all the running, and it also strengthened my core and allowed me to relax. Tuesdays and Thursdays I would typically run to the studio, stretch it out with an hour class, and then Andrew would pick me up. My biggest advice if you’re wondering if you should lift weights/try something new as your cross training during marathon training: if you haven’t previously done it, don’t start now. Your body is undergoing enough stress with running and you don’t need to add on a second new activity.
Would weight training have helped me? Maybe. Probably. Was yoga way more fun and relaxing for me? Yes. Do what you enjoy!
Well, How Did it Go?
Amazing.
My watch actually died around mile 8, so the majority of the marathon I had no idea what pace I was running and just ran at a pace that I felt like I could sustain. I think this was honestly a good thing as it forced me to tune into how I was feeling.
My only goals for the race were (a) to finish and (b) to have a good time. I hoped to have enough energy at the end to “empty the tank”, and it turned out that I did. Rounding the corner and sprinting to the finish was an amazing feeling. If I reflect on it now, the crowd is just a blur as I gave it my all (sounds so cheesy!) I crossed the finish line and burst into tears (I was so happy and proud of myself). The medics actually ran up to me because they thought something was wrong- too funny.
Would I do it again? I’m not sure. Marathon training takes so much time and so much out of your body. I don’t know if I’ll ever be at a place in life again where I have that much time to devote to it. I tell people if I had a friend who wanted to do a marathon to celebrate a big life accomplishment (beating a disease, following a dream, etc.) then I would. Otherwise, I may just stick to half marathons.
This was such a long post- I hope it’s informative and answers any questions you may have! If running a marathon is on your bucket list, DO IT! Take training one day at a time, fuel your body right, rest plenty, and enjoy the process!
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