Marathon Lessons Learned Part 1: The Good

Sixteen weeks of intense training and a spending your summer with a total focus on running makes a girl think about a lot of things – not least of which are the why and how of it all. Most of all, I learned that I can do something extreme, l like train for and complete a marathon, when I put my whole self into it and keep my mind in the game.

Through this blog, I have endeavored to elaborate all summer, through the training highs and lows, of the why. Now I’d like to focus on the how – what went right and that I’d do again, and what I would do differently when I train for my next marathon.

First the good – what went right:

-- Taking the journey with my sisters. Their support, advice and humor were most necessary.

-- Training over the summer. Summer is wonderful in wintry Minnesota, and this summer was particularly mild and dry – perfect for fitting in runs after work. The school year is just too hectic to fit in an intense training schedule too.

-- Running the Twin Cities for my first marathon. Keeping it local made it possible to do some training runs on part of the course.

-- Spending money on equipment, especially shoes! Good running shoes make all the difference. So did the gear like a race belt, Camelbak, watch, hats, compression shorts, wicking shirts.

-- Experimenting with gels and fuel that agree with my tummy. Gu. All the way.

-- Doing the long runs. That was the one element of my training program that I was nearly religious about – doing all my long runs on schedule. They are real confidence boosters. One of the most important long runs was the White Bear 20 Miler I did on Sept. 12. It reinforced to me that I was ready for this.

-- Practicing yoga. This not only kept me limber, but it gave me a quiet cross training day that I could really tune into my body. This is a must all year – but especially during intense training. I noticed a change in my body when my class was over.

-- Thinking positive. This took some doing for me. There were definitely times that I felt as though I couldn’t do this. My sisters spanked me into shape when I talked about the self doubt. Training and racing really is mind over matter.

-- Blogging. This blog helped me talk about my doubts and my growing confidence. The writing was therapeutic and affirming.