How to Run a Marathon

I will be back in action tomorrow racing in the Nationwide Columbus Marathon!
Since I have done a couple of these before I figured I might share some advice.

How to Prepare and Run a Marathon:

1. Select the race you would like to run. And then actually register.

2. Choose a race distance, location and time of year that are appropriate. Don't jump into 26.2 if you have never raced 13.1. And there is a good reason Houston holds their marathon in January while Cincinnati's event is in May.

3. Develop a training program and stick with it! Your body needs to get accustomed to running and running and then running some more. Do a long run every week. Complete at least one 20+ mile run before the actual marathon. Log miles outside on the roads and pavement where you will be racing.

4. If possible register with a friend or two. You do not need to run side-by-side for the entire event but it is so helpful and encouraging to stand at the start together and then cross the Finish Line knowing that they are there cheering you on. Or engage friends to support you out on the course as you race.

5. Attend the Race Expo to help get you mentally prepared. Spend time stopping at all of the fun booths and talking to vendors. Get your questions answered about the race event. Pick up your bib and t-shirt. Snag lots of free goodies!

6. Create an awesome rocking playlist that will keep you motivating and moving throughout the race!

7. Be well prepared the night before the event. Know what you are going to wear. (Never wear anything new for the first time to a race.) Have all of your stuff placed out where you remember it all: race bib, gear check bag, iPod, plus simple things like a photo ID, car keys, house keys, some cash, etc. You don't need to feel rushed or in a frenzy the morning of the race - because you will probably already be a ball of nerves and excitement.

Columbus 2011

8. Plan your route to the starting line. (For Columbus I luckily live only a few blocks away - thus my walk to the start is my warm up and the walk home is my cool down. And I never have to worry about parking!) Know that many streets will be shut down and parking could be tight. If all else fails simply follow the hoards of folks making their way there.

9. Eat well the days before and the morning of the race. Don't try anything too new or crazy with your diet. You will need carbs and protein to keep your energy levels going. And lots and lots of water. Hydrate hydrate hydrate!

Other notes: Know that the starting line and the first few miles will be absolute chaos. You don't simply put tens of thousands of runners together in the same small space right before one of the most major events in their lives and expect everyone to be calm and rational. Try to keep composed and maybe meet a new friend. Remember that they are just as excited (and crazy!) as you are and the running community is one of the nicest in the world. Don't try to go out too quickly. You will see some folks try running full speed right out of the gates. Which is almost near impossible because you need to be dodging the crowds. Believe me when I say this: the pack will thin out. Then simply - HAVE FUN! You trained for this. You can and will accomplish it! I read the most amazing quote the other day:

"Run if you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."

I think this sums it all up. Do what you signed up to do: complete a marathon! Best of luck and know that I am so proud of all of the amazing runners accomplishing great things out there! And more than anything else you should be proud of yourself. No matter what your finishing time and no matter what the circumstances: you are a marathoner!

"Dead last finish is better than 

did not finish which is infinitely greater

than did not start." 

[I saw this quote during one of my first ever marathons ...

and it has stuck with me ever since!]

Now ... because you all know me you are well aware that I am not the best runner in the world. I enjoy it and love the sport more than anyone could ever know but still not exactly top notch. And of course I do not always follow my own advice. (Those who can not do: teach.) So being the sarcastic cuss that I am: I have created a few counter points to those listed above. Enjoy!

How to NOT Prepare and Run a Marathon:

1. On a whim register the day before or the day of a race. Or simply bandit run. And if you're a girl always make sure to race during the wrong time of the month. Extra fun.

2. Washington DC. Unknown distance and period of time. December 31. All while wearing my ruck weighted down with 5 bricks. GORUCK: Hunt DC #caseinpoint

3. Run occasionally. Or sometimes not at all. Log a total distance of less than 19 miles in the month before the event. Do most of it on a treadmill.

4. Register alone. Stand at the start alone in a sea of thousands. Leave the Finish Line with nothing but your pride and finisher's medal.

5. Rush to the Race Expo on your way home from work. Speed in and out and back to your car in less than 20 minutes. Talk to no one. Get a t-shirt that is cute looking but smells funny. Confirm that the race timing chip is an alien-like device you have never seen the likes of before.

WTF (???)

6. Create an awesome rocking playlist that will keep you motivating and moving throughout the race! And then don't charge your iPod so that the battery dies the morning of the event. Or even better just forget the entire thing at home.

7. Moderately prepare before an event. Lay out some of the stuff you might need. Plus some stuff you probably won't need. Don't really do any laundry for a few weeks to confirm you have nothing decent to wear.

8. DC. March 2011. Wait for over an hour outside the gates of a closed Metro station. In the freezing cold. Make it across the starting line well after the race has begun feeling super rushed.

9. Eat entirely too much Chipotle.

best bib ever : buy one get one free burrito !!!

So I kid ... but in all seriousness I am super excited to be competing in my fifth marathon tomorrow. Looks like the weather is going to be absolutely GORGEOUS! I don't know exactly what to expect from my performance because unfortunately I have been more closely following my second list of instructions rather than the first. But no matter what happens during an event when I get out there are hear the crowds cheering and feel the adrenaline rushing and hearing my heart pounding and my legs beating away on the pavement - and then I see that Finish Line - that's when I remember why I run. And why I love it.

commit. train. believe. achieve.

Best of luck to all those racing this weekend! See you in 26.2!

And if all else fails simply follow these words of wisdom: