21. Run a Marathon

This may end up being the worst idea of this entire list. But once again, 16 years later, I have signed up to run the Marine Corps Marathon. I swore to never try this again, but let's see if I'm still up to it... Always a good reminder that these are goals, and I don't have to do them...

Week One (May 11th) Listening to: Shake It by Metro Station - So I did a considerable amount of walking in Ireland so I was already getting my ankle and leg flexibility back a bit before this week. I’m going to be using a combination of Strava and Runna to manage my training and pacing, since pacing is something that I always struggle with. On May 17th I did a fun 5k with Alison’s daughter Kayleigh for the Girls on the Run program. It was beautiful weather and we had a great time out around Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

Week Two (May 18th) Listening to: Confident by Demi Lovato - I was supposed to have done a 4.5 mile run on Sunday, but with the 5k and helping out at the pottery after, my plantar fasciitis was flaring up in my right foot, so I did some work releasing the tissue in my ankle so that I had some better movement (and less heel pain) and got some advice from my PT about ways to help. I switched to my Bondi Hokas since the running shoes have considerably less padding, so hopefully that will help until I can get more flexibility.

Week Three (May 25th) Listening To: Mary on a Cross by Ghost - The real reason I haven't tried to do a marathon in over a decade is that it really takes a lot of time to train. I have already fallen into the rhythm of doing very little but running, eating, work, and sleeping. And laundry. I don't understand how it seems I have three times as much laundry when I'm training…

Week Four (June 1st) Listening To: The Vultures Circle High by The Dropkick Murphys - I made it to a de-load week, which was really nice as I started working on inclines during my long run the previous week. There is a pretty serious incline about 2 miles into the marathon and last time it caught me off guard. I’ve mapped it all out and that hill is almost the exact same climb as the hill from Georgetown to Cathedral. So now, on my Sunday long runs, I’ll be running down the Georgetown before running back up to the cathedral and finishing the run. Mercifully the long run this week was only 3.5 miles because the 90 degree heat was brutal. I wore my hydration pack for the first time, and I'm definitely going to have to make some adjustments since it was riding up and rubbing the back of my neck...

Week Five (June 8th) Listening To: Oh My Bride by The Deadly Snakes - Well I'm back from my de-load week with a vengeance and this week had the first really intense hill workout. Since doing 1 minute hill sprints repeatedly is quite tricky outside, I decided to do them on a treadmill in the gym before work. I have done a lot of different types of exercising from weightlifting to rock climbing and swimming, but the complete and total physical exhaustion you can get from running isn't like anything. It resets your nervous system unlike anything else. Also, I decided to do a half marathon in August as another B Race before the marathon. I was going to have to run one for training anyway, so I might as well get some practice under race conditions, right?

I had my long run (6.5 miles) on Sunday and, I screwed up. I got up early and got outside by 7 am. I ate an energy honey zinger ahead of time, and took a pack of electrolyte jelly beans to eat an hour in and wore my hydration pack with two 17 oz. bottles of water, which I thought would be fine for this 1.5 hr. run. And the run was just fine. Drank my water, ate my jelly beans, got slightly lost on Woodley Rd. and after the run I did a walk back through the cathedral woods. When I got back I was feeling fine and decided to take the dogs for a long walk around the block for another 30 minutes (still felt fine), and when I got back I was gross and my legs were achy so I took a hot bath. And that is when everything started going sideways, literally. I couldn't see straight and everything felt like it was spinning. I got out and sat down on the floor, wondering if the run + hot bath had messed with my blood pressure or something. After elevating my feet (didn't do anything) I called the advice nurse and after she confirmed I wasn't having a stroke, she said I was likely dehydrated. So yep, drinking a lot of water during the run doesn't help you if were slightly dehydrated before and then sweat out 24-50 oz of water an hour while you're running. I ate another pack of jelly beans and drank more water, and then crashed on the couch with the dogs until I felt better.

Week Six (June 15th) Listening To: Hallelujah by Panic! At the Disco - It’s a weird week because we went camping on Wednesday and I had to arrange my runs and lifting around that. I moved my lifting to Monday and Tuesday and adjusted my running schedule to have my runs on Thursday and Friday while I was camping in WV. The 4.5 mile run on Thursday was a bit rough because of all the hills at camp, but Evan’s girlfriend Kaitlyn ran 2.5 miles with me on Friday, which went really well. When we got back on Sunday I unpacked, hydrated, and got out on my 7 mile long run for the week. It went relatively well and I managed my electrolytes better this week, so I felt fine and had no side effects after. Score!

Equipment/Gear/Food

The last time I did this there were relatively limited options for a lot of running gear, hydration, and energy/food for marathons and while Gu is effective, having your entire mouth coated in a slightly acidic goo while running...not so much. So I decided that this time around I was going to do more research and testing on the things that made me feel my best, tasted good, and didn’t require me to wash my mouth out while also trying to hydrate half way through a 5 hour run.

Shoes

Surprisingly I tested out two different types of running shoes, both Hokas. After getting a flare up of plantar fasciitis I learned a lot of about foot positioning while running, heel drop in shoes, and why cushioning (though sometimes heavy) is important for keeping your feet safe while running long distance.

To start with, I opted for a lighter, traditional running shoe, the Hoka Mach 6. However, after the first couple of weeks of putting in actual mileage in them, my feet were not in good shape, and I switched to my “everyday” tennis shoe, the Hoka Bondi 9, which is bigger, heavier, but definitely has some serious cushion on them. I’m not trying to break any records on this goal, I’m just trying to get this done with the least amount of damage. I know my feet feel good in the Bondi 9s and I was more comfortable running after switching, so I decided to make a permanent change, and relegated the Mach 6s for cycling and weightlifting. My new (got them at the end of April) pair of Bondi 9s will definitely need to be replaced before the marathon because they will hit their mileage before then, but I plan on replacing them with the exact same shoe, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Hydration

I didn’t wear a hydration pack or carry a water bottle the last time I trained or ran a marathon, but I also didn’t train on a lot of different inclines, which was a problem. If I’m not going to be running loops to train I need to carry enough water with me for the long runs, especially if I’m training in the summer…in DC…which I certainly will be. The biggest difference this time around is that I’ve plotted out the course incline and I am going to train for the 250’ elevation that occurs in the first 2.5 miles of the course…an incline that is very similar to running from Georgetown to the Cathedral, a notoriously tough hill. Ooof.

I am going to be testing out the Osprey Dyna 1.5 hydration pack, which is sort of like a close fitting vest with water bladders and pockets for energy nutrition strategically placed all over it. And it’s purple.

Energy/Nutrition

So this part really has changed significantly, because I think runners and athletes in general were not fine with energy chews with so much citric acid in them that they made your tongue burn. So the last time I was in REI I got a wide range of products to try, and I will be testing them out each week for my long runs so I can make a decision about which one(s) I want to use for my various races.

Sport Beans (Fruit Punch) - So Jelly Belly had started to make sport beans around the time I was running back in 2010, and they were mixed flavors back then. These are all fruit punch and they’re excellent, if a bit tart. They have electrolytes and vitamin B and C, so more than just energy. Easy to put in a pocket and eat a few at a time.

Honey Stinger (Salted Caramel and Honey) - I got these to try because they looked like Stroopwaffles, which I am obsessed with. And they are exactly like Stroopwaffles...and I am obsessed with them. Now, I have to see whether they are safe to eat while running, but I am definitely going to be buying more of them. No electrolytes, just energy for these though. Might be a good option before long runs.

Bolt Energy Chews (Strawberry) - I only got one pack of these to try and they were very good. Didn’t get goopy in my mouth and I felt good on the run after. Would definitely try these again.

Sports Beans (Original) - No. They work fine, but these are mixed flavors and the lime in there is VILE. I’ll be sticking with the fruit punch.