The last 6 weeks have not however been without difficulty - after all, if it was easy, everyone would run a marathon! I've had everything from aching muscles and sore joints to bleeding toes and blisters so here's my next 5 tips for training that I've learnt along the way so far!
- Your muscles will hate you for running as much as you are. I always thought because I went to the gym and played sports before I started running, that I'd be fine, the whole thing would be a bit of a breeze and I was in pretty good fitness. Wrong, everything hurts. I can no longer sit cross legged on the floor for longer than 5 minutes and I have to constantly uncross my legs at my desk at work, due to a dull ache in my quads after just minutes! It's times like this that you could really do with a sports massage every other day. But, lets be honest, they aren't the cheapest and having your own private masseuse on hand isn't exactly realistic for us mere mortals! My saving grace has been my trusty foam roller - basically a sports massage you can do yourself anyway, without the hefty price tag! I picked up mine from Up and Running - It's the Fitness Mad Foam Roller which is now £19.95 in the sale! The lady in the shop advised me to get this one as a first roller. It's longer than a normal one, and without the extra texture which can be pretty painful until your muscles are used to it. This one does the job perfectly. I've put together a handy guide of the main muscle work I do of an evening before bed and after I return from a run. The fitness mats I use are from ALDI, you can pick them up in store for £12.99 but they aren't essential as you can foam roll on the carpet easily too!
- Up the distance! This is something I really struggled with at first. I am quite a fast paced runner, I don't really see a point in running at a pace so slow that you may as well do a quick walk! That said, running a 5K in 25 mins is great until you have to keep that pace going for 8 or 10km. I was worried I wouldn't be able to slow down, but equally worried I wouldn't be able to push myself to run further when keeping a good pace was such a strong motivation for me. I asked for advice on this one from my dad. Confused by whether I should start my whole run slower or not, he advised me that I had my pace set from the several 5/6km runs I'd been on, so not to slow down at first as my legs would naturally reduce the pace slightly as I got to further distances. I was still extremely nervous to embark on a 10K, it was actually a dream I had about the marathon that made me finally get out and do it! In the dream I'd just run the marathon, so with that in mind I was certain I could do a 10K - and I did, and I smashed it.
After that, I took on a further distances, the next Sunday completing 11k, the following week 13k and the another 12.7km today. All the while keeping my average pace between 5.13min/km and 5.26min/km. I've been delighted to be able to keep my pace but I can feel it getting tougher each time. The further you go, the more stretching, foam rolling and re-fueling you have to do afterwards! I've been making sure to eat a breakfast about an hour before these longer distance runs and making a protein shake and a good lunch after to help my muscles repair properly. Also the bath will become your best friend after a long run, I usually run a nice hot bath on a Sunday evening with one the relaxing LUSH bath products, they have a great variety of muscle relaxing bath bombs to treat yourself to! - Motivate yourself to go and run! The first few outings are great for feeling an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, I find it amusing now that I used to be worried about going out to run 5km! Every run counts however, I aim to go for two 5km runs in the week (this has been 1 recently due to hockey summer league & pre season training!) and one long run on a Sunday. Although I don't get the fear of doing a 5K anymore, the struggle of getting out of bed at 6am, or to not sit down when I get in from a long day at work is pretty tough! It's so easy to moan about the weather and make excuses, believe me, I'm the queen of moaning about the weather! Chances are; it's going to be too hot, too cold or pouring with rain so man up, put on your trainers and go.
So how do I motivate myself? - For the short runs I try and beat my previous times. I know not everyone is fussed about pace, but for me this is what drives me. I also rationalise a 5K to the fact that it's 30 minutes long - all I need to do is get up and go and in half an hour I'll be home, in a nice warm shower and that's me done before the day has even really begun! As for the long runs, I have the app Audible to thank for getting me out to take on those tough distances. Audiobooks can be so mesmerising, you kind of forget you are running for so long! Music is great for a HIIT session in the gym or a short run but relying on a motivational upbeat playlist for over an hour each week can be difficult. I often get bored of chart hits quickly and re-making a playlist when your running 3 times a week can be pretty tedious. I've been listening to Harry Potter, as it's a 21 hour long book so a good free one to choose! It makes me feel so chilled and my pace stays steady, unlike when listening to different tempo songs. You can get your free 30 day trial and a free first audio book to get you started when you sign up. - Get inspired - motivation to run is all very well, but training for a marathon is a long process and remembering why you signed up can be tough when everything hurts and you are more tired than ever before! I purchased a couple of books to chill out with of an evening while still educating myself on training. - Like anything you are new to, you are always learning. The first book I bought was Alexandra Heminsley's Running Like a Girl, It's a really fun take on marathon training, her story is so encouraging and if you are wondering if you should start running then I'd definitely give this a read! The other book I bought was The nonrunner's marathon guide for women by Dawn Dais. Like the first book, It's about a woman who had never run a marathon before, she gives her take on what it's really like to train,what worked, what didn't, and quite frankly she's hilarious. Both books are really worth reading if you too, are in my position of being a running newbie! I love that the weather is getting a bit more autumnal now, it's the perfect excuse to get the candles on, cosy up with a blanket and read a book!
- Nutrition - So I touched on this in the first post with the recipe for the protein shake I make after my run's. However, I recently ordered The Bodycoach's first book Lean in 15, it has some great recipe's in it; from pre and post workout breakfasts to meals high in natural fats that will give your muscles what they need to repair properly. I'd definitely recommend this book for keeping healthy while training. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking running makes you lose weight. Running, in fact, doesn't burn nearly as many calories as you'd think, so don't fall in to the trap of 'oh well I ran 10 miles I can eat whatever I want.' I was recently watching a marathon programme ahead of the Rio Olympics and was shocked to hear that with every step you run, 8 times your body weight goes through your hips, knees and ankles. With this in mind, I'm really keen to get my body fat percentage down ahead of the marathon next April. Now, everybody knows muscle weighs more than fat, so I'm not expecting the scales to plummet and neither should you, but balanced lean meals and lots of training will naturally reduce your body fat and hopefully prepare your body to be in the best shape for the event. I'll maybe do a post specifically on nutrition as I get a bit more focused closer to the marathon if that interests you guys!
I think that's all for update no.2! As ever, thank you so much for your support on both my blog and marathon journey. If you'd like to sponsor me you can do so here! Every contribution is greatly appreciated!
Oh and if you missed the first marathon update you can read it here!
Happy running/reading!
L x
