Runner's Forum: Post 1st Marathon Observations

I ran (and finished!) the Atlanta Marathon last week on Thanksgiving morning.  It was GREAT!  I unfortunately didn't run as fast as I would have like but I am just going to blame the hills!  I did finish in under 5 hours and this was my first marathon.  I have been training using Hal Higdon's training schedule (Novice II) since August.  Through my training, my longest run was 20 miles.  I intended to do a second 20-miler but was having some hip pain and wanted to be fully rested for the real thing so didn't do the last one.  I ran 3 18-milers and quite a few 15 and 17s.  I also did a half marathon in my training schedule which I finished in 2:20.

 All in all it has been a great experience.  I was on pace through my first 19 miles but then kind of lost it in the last 7.  Again, the hills got a lot worse and I was just plain tired by then.  I actually didn't walk at all except for a short time around mile 17 when I got kind of jammed up at a water station.  I only walked for about 20 seconds but my legs felt like bricks when I started running again so I decided walking wasn't for me.  It was too hard to get moving again! 

 I did make a T-shirt with my name on it.  I had read this piece of advice before and thought it was kind of silly but the mind game worked for me.  It was really nice having people shouting my name toward the end of the race.  It was kind of inspiring.  I was also lucky enough to have a number of my family members and my wonderful husband meet me at a few points along the way.  It was really nice seeing their smiling faces.

I also got a chuckle at one point because as I was slogging up a hill in downtown Atlanta (well past the half-way point) there was a bunch of people walking on the sidewalk beside me smoking.  There is nothing like training for 4 months, getting your butt out of bed at 4:30 on a holiday, running 26.2 miles and then have a bunch of smokers blowing that filth in your face.  I just was reflecting on the different choices people make in life.  They would probably call me the crazy one though so whatever...

So it has been exactly a week since the run and I finally feel back to normal.  My feet hurt really badly from day 2 after the race until about day 5.  I didn't expect that so I was surprised.  I think my feet were just bruised from all the pounding.  My hip, which had been giving me problems before the race, was perfectly fine before and after the race itself.  That was what I was worried about.  I also had some pains in my knees and ankles but for me the worst was the bottoms of my feet.  I did get a message the day after the marathon and that was FANTASTIC.  I think that really helped with muscle soreness as I didn't have much of that at all.  Just joint stuff.  Any advice for future marathons would be appreciated.  I did notice that the first time I ran 15 miles, I was a little painful after, as was I the first time I ran 18 and the first time I ran 20.  So, I hope that means that now that I have actually experienced the whole 26, I will be better prepared. 

 I do plan to run another marathon sometime but don't know when.  I didn't want to make any decisions before I had fully recovered.

And one  last comment - I GAINED weight training for the marathon.  So, that was a bummer but I kept reading about how you needed to be well fueled.  I am a little too well fueled at the moment and now will be working on slimming down!  Most of the weight was gained in those last few "rest" weeks.  It was a total of 10 pounds. 

 I would love to hear your other stories, comments, advice for me and for other neebies.  Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts.

Thanks for sharing your story.  I have never done a marathon so have no useful advice to add.

Congrats from me too chanel. What a great post. I, like Graeme, am the veteran of 2 marathons (but nowhere near as fast as that crazy Irishman), and my only advice is keep it up! I found the second marathon much harder and more challenging (as suddenly you have a time to beat, with all of the self-induced pressure that brings), but also more satisfying as I felt like I had proved to myself that the first one wasn't just a fluke, and that I had ascended from the ranks of those who do a marathon once, just to check that box off their list of things to do (not that there is anything inherently wrong with that - I respect anyone who knocks a marathon off), into the ranks of the real runners. I still feel that I've got miles and miles (literally and figuratively) to go before I could call myself anything other than a novice though. So, keep it up, and continue enjoying it. It gets better and more rewarding as you go further!

Congrats Chanel!! I too have recently run my first marathon (Nov. 9, 2008).  It was quite an experience.  I can't say I have learned a lot from the experience until I put it to practice when I run another.  My goal was sub 4 hours and I just barely made it.  I was on a great pace through 17 miles and then the hills of miles 17-19 killed my calves and quads.  I think in the end, I could have used a couple more long runs - (20 miles plus).  Mentally I was ok for the race.  I loved the whole experience.  I recovered amazingly well.  All in all, I fell in love with distance running.  That's hard to say that it took me all year to say that but until I actually "experienced" the whole race, I couldn't say that. I mean during my training, I cartainly loved running but most, no actually all, of my training runs were by myself.  I never trained with anyone.  So when it came to running a marathon w/ 1200 other people, it was great.  Even the pink fairy who practically dusted everyone (no pun intended). 

I ran a 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning but I remember before we left, I was watching highlights of the Atlanta marathon on TV.  Looks like a fun day to run a marathon. 

As of now my plans for next year are to run a half marathon in Pittsburgh in May.  Full in October - Steamtown - Scranton , PA and then I just found a really cool full marathon in January 2009 edition of RW - North Central Trail Marathon - it's all on a nicely manicured crushed stone path and they say it's kind to the joints.  It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving so for me it will be two fulls within 7 weeks or so.  That will be my challenge for 2009.  I will throw in a few 5ks, 10ks and I should have a great running year. 

 Chanel - like everyone has said so far, you learn most from your own personal experiences.  You set goals and stick to your training plan.  Good luck!

plessthanpointohfive (what a handle) - 77lbs is amazing. Well done.

So many good advices. I have finished my first Marathon in Philadelphia on Nov. 23rd, 2008. That weekend is freezing cold. It may affect performance. There are many lessons have been learned. I arrived about 10 min. before start, so I don't have time to deposit my coat and go restroom. I lost my coat and I have to go restroom in the middle of race. It probably waste my 2 min. It is cold so there are ice on the road in every water station, it affect the speed. I am running slow in the beginning since I was told that the most difficult is 20 to 26 miles. I only ran a few 20 miles distance during training. In the end it is not that bad. I finished my first Marathon with a time of 3:38:30" hours. Unfortunately, it was 3 minutes too long for me to qualify Boston Marathon. My next goal would be to booste my time by 15 minutes.

The experience would be:

Training hard and set your goal and go for it. I ran 50 to 55 miles per week. Almost never miss a day. I had ran 7 miles in the freezing cold the morning before the race. I only take one day off after race and keep my routine since. The training made my first Marathon easy. That was I felt after race: It was easier than I thought (or I was told).