Tag Archives: marathon training

7 Steps to Recover from a Marathon

23 Oct

“Proof” I finished:)

A little over two weeks ago, I ran the Chicago Marathon. I got the time I wanted, felt great, and couldn’t have asked for a better race. Where do I go from here?

No matter how excited (or disappointed) you are with your marathon performance, your body needs some recovery time. I did some research and read Hal Higdon’s marathon book (that I had autographed at the expo ;) ). Here’s how I’ve been recovering:

  1. Celebrate. The day of the marathon, sure, that’s obvious. But don’t stop there! I even wore my medal to work one day. :) We also had a post-marathon party, where our running club/training program got together to eat, drink, and share stories. Celebrating your own race is great, but it’s so much more fun to celebrate everyone else’s races, too!
  2. Indulge. I have been eating. And drinking. A lot. After waking up early every weekend for the past 4 months, eating healthy so I’d have energy for my run, and staying hydrated, it’s time to let loose! I’m definitely more of a ‘run to eat’ than ‘eat to run’ type of gal, so I’m enjoying having a glass of beer or wine at night, having a late Saturday or Sunday night out, and making less than nutritious lunch decisions. If food isn’t the way you indulge, then find other ways to reward yourself for a great effort!
  3. Rest. I took about 10 days off from running. The research I did varies, and I think it depends on how long you’ve been running and how much experience you have. However, your body is recovering from the damage you caused it during the marathon, so rest is essential! And, if you don’t rest now, you’re body will break down in the future.
  4. Cross-train. If #1 is tough for you, find a different way to get your workout in. For me, I’m trying out Yoga. I took a sculpt/weights class on Sunday, and a Ryder class this morning. I am SORE in places I didn’t know I could be sore. am definitely no yogi or biker, but I’m trying something new to work out different areas of my body and incorporate some variety in my life. I can honestly say the Ruder class this morning made me reply appreciate why I’m a runner. :)
  5. Try out your legs. Eventually, you need to get out there and see how your legs feel. My first run was last Wednesday. I ran 3 at a pretty good pace, but my legs felt lethargic and I had a few tweaks in the ankles and hips. Saturday, I ran 4 at a slightly slower pace, but felt pretty great. I’m still not jumping right back into it, but I am planning on running shorter distances (3-5 miles) 2x/week, and I’m going to try to start my weekend long runs this weekend with 6.
  6. Listen to your body. Do all the research and reading you want about what the ‘best’ recovery method is. When it comes down to it, you need to listen to your body. Joints still feeling sore? Take a few more days off or cross-train. Muscles screaming? Stop. You’re going to feel tired and lethargic; your body is still repairing your muscles. After my last marathon, I took off 3 weeks. I also tried to run after 10 days, and my legs immediately hurt. See #3! But if you feel pain, stop. It’s better to rest now than pay for it later.
  7. Plan your next race. What’s your next goal? Start planning for it. I’m planning to do some of the fun Fall/holiday races, but I haven’t signed up for a specific race yet. My goal is to do a 5K the last week of October/first week of November, then look for additional 5Ks and 10ks throughout the rest of November and December. Amanda, Lara and I will be planning our next ‘runcation’ half marathon for January/February (we went to Austin last year); once we determine the race, then I’ll start a more formal training program.

I’m no expert, but this approach seems to be working for me. Any other suggestions? How are you recovering from your fall marathon?

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Time To Trust the Training | Chicago Marathon #CM12

26 Sep 20120923-191015.jpg

Less than 2 weeks until over 40,000 runners take to the streets of Chicago to run 26.2 miles. I will be one of them!

I’m getting nervous. My goal for my first marathon was to finish; this time I want to be faster and feel stronger. With race day quickly approaching, I’ve got to trust my training and taper, which is the toughest for me.

Looking back, I’m proud of how far I’ve come. In less than 18 months I’ve went from never wanting to run a marathon to running a half marathon, then my first marathon, and now my second! On February 1st, I set an appointment on my calendar at work so that I was sure to go online and register for the Chicago Marathon when it opened at noon. Committing to something like that 9 months out was a pretty big deal to me. That’s right – 9 months of anticipation. I ran the Wisconsin Marathon in May to ‘practice’ (and to keep my nerves at bay), but now, here we are.

There are a few things I did differently to prepare for this marathon.

  1. One more 20-miler: I started my training plan a little earlier so that I could incorporate an extra 20-mile run to help build my confidence. The additional 20-miler did quite the opposite, but I’m still glad I got an extra couple of week of long runs in this time around.
  2. Weekly speed work: I loved this! I signed up for a track workout program; our training was based on past times, goal times, and heart rate. Every Wednesday I would show up at the track, and Coach Tom would have our workout and times ready. We did everything from 400s and 800s to miles and the ‘Arkansas slide’. I’m hoping this level of training will have my legs ready to run not only fast in the first half, but conditioned to keep going at the end when your legs just sort of, well, go! I’m going to attempt to run at least consistently or maybe even negative split; I haven’t been very good at this in the past but I’m hoping it will make me consciously slow down a little at the beginning.
  3. Foam roller and stretching: I still don’t do this as much as I should, but I did it more frequently this time around. I do think it’s making a big difference – I haven’t had the hip and IT band irritation I had during spring marathon training. Post-Chicago, I’m going to try out yoga to stretching and build flexibility.
  4. Drink more water: I know, duh, but I never made myself drink water during work in the past. Now, I almost always have a water bottle with me or close by. It really is amazing the difference you can feel when you’re hydrated… or not. I almost always felt good during my weekly runs this time around!
  5. More miles: I was cautious the first time around. This time, I bumped the miles up a bit and consistently ran 4 times/week. You can see my Nike+ log below; my track workouts aren’t included (7 miles/week, 28 miles/month), so you can see I’m a little above what I did in the spring.

20120923-191015.jpg

Reflecting is great (thanks for listening), but how do you keep yourself motivated during the taper? How do you trust your training?

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Chicago Marathon Inspiration: Spirit of the Marathon

14 Jun

I’m back at it! After finishing my first marathon in Wisconsin and taking a much-needed break, I’ve started training for the Chicago Marathon in October. I’m up to 9 miles for my long run this weekend.

Before I ran Wisconsin, someone had recommended that I watch “Spirit of the Marathon.” I didn’t get to it, but I’m SO glad I did before I started training for Chicago. This documentary follows 5 people (from beginning to elite runners) through their training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Here’s an extended trailer that gives you a good taste – if you’ve ran a marathon, you can really relate. If you haven’t ran one, then you’ll be inspired.

You can watch the full film on Hulu or on Netflix. My husband came in at the end when I was cheering for everyone to finish. :) Enjoy!

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My First Marathon: Wisconsin Marathon 2012

14 May 318268_648819334207_51601164_32895865_1576860562_n

That’s right: I DID IT! I completed my first marathon! I finished in 4:17:13, which is faster than my ‘non-goal’ – to finish (in 4:30).

We did it! 26.2, done!

Amanda gave a good rundown of what the race was like; the marathon followed the same out and back loop as the half marathon, then added on another out-and-back loop. I’ll have to agree with Amanda – even though it was a small race with sparse crowd support, it was so nice to be able to pass racing friends. I knew quite a few volunteers, as well. They did a really great job cheering us on!

Thank goodness Sarah Stanley was with me for the race; she wasn’t kidding when she said I’d really need her at the end. I felt great for the first 16 or so; we had a great time chatting, laughing, and high fiving people. The nice thing about having Sarah there was that I just didn’t worry about my time – I let her look at her watch and make sure we weren’t going too fast. My Nike+ tracking was off (clocked in 28 miles rather than 26.2), so I’m not 100% sure on timing, but I probably did the first half in 2 hours or so.

We did a lot of smiling, waving, and high fiving during the first half

Giving my husband, Mike (running photographer extraordinaire) the thumbs up!

Between miles 16-20 was when I started to mentally break down. I just wanted to be done, and knew I still had 8-10 miles left. I started to get some strange shooting pains, and my body started aching. My mile 19 chip time was 2:59:18. I stopped to walk a little at 21 or 22, and then started back up again. I was fine to run through the pain. Mile 23 was when you took the turn to the ‘home stretch’, heading back towards the finish line. Trust me, “only a 5k left” wasn’t much consolation at that point;)

I stopped in that last stretch once – was losing my breath as we headed directly into the wind coming off of Lake Michigan. Yuck! I’m assuming in those last 8 miles I probably ran over 10 minute miles, especially with the walking.

The finish was great – felt a lot of emotions – only felt like crying for a brief moment. I was so happy to be done! You know I gave it my all since I couldn’t even bring myself to have a post-race beer. ;) I could barely walk once I stopped, but after a warm shower and a long nap, I felt pretty decent on that night.

It was harder than I expected, and I’m glad I’m already registered for the Chicago Marathon. No way out; no excuses!

My ‘recovery’ has been quick. The morning after the race, we left for Napa, CA vacation. We did a lot of walking during the trip (and I did a lot of stretching), so that may have helped my recovery, but I was really only sore for 2-3 days after the race, which surprised me. I haven’t run (or worked out for that matter) all week; I am meeting a friend for a light run this week and I’m going to start doing some cross training, but I’m trying to keep the running to the minimum this week as well, then try to start up on some shorter runs next week. I really want to give my body some time to recover and give myself a mental break from training!

Any other post-marathon recovery tips out there?

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Gearing Up for the Wisconsin Marathon

30 Apr marathon-gear

It’s marathon week! I can’t believe I’ll be running 26.2 miles next weekend. It has been a long journey, but after my 20-mile run, I feel ready.

I can’t wait to run with Sarah Stanley as the first step in the 12×12 Project, crossing the finish line at the marathon.

Now that my training is over, I’m left worrying about the details. What should I wear? What should I eat and drink during the race, and when? Should I stick with tried and true, or try something new? Should I sleep at my house and get up early to drive to the race, or stay at Amanda’s house, closer to the race? You get the picture… :)

I’m sticking with tried and true.

  • I found these comfy Roga running shorts by Oiselle that don’t chafe and have nice pockets.
  • Of course I’ll be sporting my running club’s club colors, since I credit them with inspiring me to run this marathon. Thanks Alpine Runners! Depending on the weather (forecast says low of 49, high of 66 and sunny), I’ll wear a t-shirt or tank. A Lululemon sports bra is a must!
  • My feet are most important – I’ve finally got a great formula to minimize blisters (a problem I’ve had my entire life). Thanks to the local running store, I now run in Brooks Adrenaline shoes and Thorlo socks.
  • To keep me going through the race, I’m going to stick with my favorite – Sports Beans, and something new(ish) for me – Enduralytes.
  • Lastly, I’ll be tracking my run with my new iPod Nano so I don’t have to carry my iPhone with me.

The only thing new for me will be waking up much earlier and having a longer drive to my run than usual – so I’ll probably eat a little more than normal, stop at the bathroom when we pick up Amanda, and then be good to go.

I can’t wait to conquer 26.2 – wish me luck! ~ Brandi

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20-Miler and Pinteresting Running Inspiration

15 Apr 20-mile run

I ran 20 miles!

I’ve been training for my upcoming marathon, but I’ll be honest – I haven’t really been looking past my 20-mile training run. For some reason, I’ve been really nervous about how I’d feel on this run and how’d I’d feel about the marathon afterwards. Leading up to it, my 16-mile run was pretty brutal. My 18-mile run felt better, but was pretty slow.

Happy day – I felt pretty solid on my 20-mile run until the end. After the run, I felt pretty awful, came home and took a nap, and have felt fine since, albeit a little sore. I’ve posted in my Nike+ run stats below for yesterday’s run. Overall, I knew I was starting out way too fast, but wanted to keep up with my typical running group. I lost steam at the end – I need to figure out how to keep up my energy, since gels just aren’t going down for me. I may rely on jelly beans and salt tabs. Any other advice out there?


I’ve been finding a lot of running inspiration (and laughs) on Pinterest to keep me pumped up about the marathon. You can check out my Running Pinterest Board, but below are some of my favorite running pins to inspire you to run.

Source: google.com
via Brandi on Pinterest

Source: google.com
via Brandi on Pinterest

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#12x12Project, Goals, and My First Marathon

28 Feb My first marathon is also the CHEESIEST!

I never wanted to run a marathon. Even though I considered myself a runner, when people asked if I would run a marathon, I’d look at them like they were nuts. Of course I wouldn’t put my body through running 26.2 grueling miles. Are you crazy?

One running club and 6 months later, I made a goal to run my first marathon in 2012. Recently, I was lucky enough to hear Nita Kay LeMay speak. She is amazing! She has ran 123 marathons in all 50 States + D.C., all 13 Canadian Provinces + Territories, all of Australia’s States + Territories, and every CONTINENT (all 7 in 7 months, in fact)! She shared pictures of her trips, told stories, made recommendations of what her favorite marathons are, highly recommended Athens and Istanbul, and advised on which ones to avoid (Paris and the Egyptian Marathon if you’re a woman). Oh, and one thing I forgot to mention… she’s legally blind. Her message: always be setting goals, meeting new challenges, and run outside your comfort zone. Her goal right now is to run marathon 200 in Chicago at age 70. She needs to keep up at a pace of 5 marathons/year to achieve it. How can you not be inspired?

When I shared my own marathon goal on Twitter, Ultra Runner Sarah Stanley  asked which race I was planning on running. I told her I would be registering for the Chicago Marathon, but I’d like to get a marathon under my belt in the Spring

My first marathon is also the CHEESIEST!

That’s when she shared a project she was working on – the 12×12 Project. Sarah’s goal for 2012 is to help 12 people run 12 races for 12 causes. She pledged to register for the race (wherever it is), run from the start line to the finish line at whatever pace necessary, providing encouragement, high fives and stories along the way. In addition, she would share training tips, nutrition advice, race day tips and other helpful information.

I knew there had to be a catch. It was too good to be true… And, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out what it was: Each runner had to help someone else finish a race of a lesser distance AND support a cause they care deeply about. For me, that organization is Girls on the Run.

Friday, she featured me on her blog. I’m so excited - you can read more about the project here!

So what’s your latest running goal? I’ve revised mine a bit. This year, I run my first marathon AND my first state!
My first state - Wisconsin!

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Fuel | Jelly Belly Sport Beans Review

14 Feb Jelly Belly Sport Beans

Before marathon training, I never took any gels, water or fuel of any kind on long runs with me. But this minimalist mindset backfired on my first 16 mile run a few weeks back. I felt great during the run but as soon as I got in my car to drive home, I was hurting. Fortunately I made it home safely but I felt absolutely awful all night and could barely get anything in my stomach. I knew I would not make that mistake again!

Thanks to my non-runner boyfriend who bravely entered a running store and asked for “those jelly things” his girlfriend kept talking about, I have a small arsenal of training fuel (according to one of my Facebook friends: “It’s like the marathon emergency kit!”). Peering into my goodie bag of Gu’s and gummies, I decided to try out the Sport Beans by Jelly Belly on my long run this weekend.

Jelly Belly Sport Beans

While I was a little hesitant to try a “health” supplement produced by a candy company, I had heard good things about these from other runner friends. I threw two packets into the kangaroo pouch of my running jacket and set off in the 20 degree weather for my ten mile run.

The clickity-clacking of the jelly beans was. so. annoying. After a mile of trying to zone out and ignore the noise, I finally took one bag out of my pouch and shoved it in the elastic waistband of my tights. The one bag still made an annoying jostling noise but it was much more bearable than when there were TWO of them doing it.

At about 5 miles, we stopped for water so I took the opportunity to refuel. Thank goodness I wasn’t more tired or I don’t think I could have opened them! I think it was a mixture of fatigue and cold fingers, but it took me a solid minute to pry apart the resealable zipper.

Due to the cold weather, the jelly beans were more like hard candies so I had to pop a couple in my mouth at a time and let them thaw for a few seconds before biting into them.  I tried the Fruit Punch and yum, were they tasty! True to their candy background, they were definitely sweeter than any of the other supplements I’ve tried so far.

We continued on our run and I popped a few more in my mouth whenever I felt like it. Trying to reach into the tiny opening was annoying with gloves on so I started just dumping out a handful at a time.

The packet instructs you to “Always consume with water” but, well, I didn’t. I didn’t notice any negative side effects from this other than that super sweet taste lingering in my mouth a little longer than I would have liked.

Did I feel like I had more energy? I’d say they stacked up just as well as the other things I’ve tried, no better and no worse.

The Verdict

Things I Liked:

  • The taste! I could have happily eaten another pack as a snack to satisfy my sweet tooth.
  • The flexibility. Eat one, two or five at a time… however many you think you need.
  • Accessibility. I found these at the supermarket in the aisle with the protein bars and meal replacement shakes; all my other training supplements required a special trip to the running store.
  • Perfect for the everyday runner. The gels can be intimidating whereas these little guys definitely keep you the closest to your comfort zone. If you’re a first-timer like me, consider Sport Beans a good way to test the waters.

Things to Consider:

  • The package. If I were to use these again, I would open them ahead of time or just dump them out into another container. It was too difficult to open mid-run and the opening was too small if you wanted to just grab a couple.
  • The noise! Think about how these will bounce around when you run and keep that in mind when deciding how you’re going to carry them.
  • Too sweet? While it didn’t bother me much on this run, I could see these being too sweet on a longer, hotter or more intense run.

Overall they were one of the tastiest supplements I’ve had, but I wouldn’t use them again. They were more work than they were worth and seemed more like candy than something that would power me through 10 or more miles.

Want more information on Sport Beans? Check out the website.

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Setting Realistic Goals For Your First Marathon

30 Jan

When someone hears that I’m training for my first marathon, the first reaction always seems to be, “What’s your goal time?”

Ever since that fateful day in September when I signed up as a Solemate for Girls on the Run DC, I have explicitly made it a point not to base my race goals around the clock at the finish line. Even with this mindset, I still find myself over-analyzing my training pace on long runs and comparing them to different online calculators . But I don’t buy any of those: they all predict different paces and finish times, and there’s simply no way for an algorithm to measure your desire to kick butt on race day.

I was complaining about my training goal dilemma to my fellow runners on our 18-mile trek through DC this weekend. Am I selling myself short by not setting a goal time? Will it hurt my marathon performance? How can I set race goals without obsessing over my finish time–and potentially be let down 26.2 miles later if I don’t hit that time?

How to Set Realistic Marathon Goals

The solution was simpler than I thought. Here are some recommendations for setting marathon goals that won’t leave you disappointed after months of training and 26.2 grueling miles:

  • Set more than one goal.
  • Break your race down into smaller sections and set goals for each section.
  • Have both qualitative and quantitative goals.
  • Base your goals on different criteria such as your mood, pace, overall time, or staying injury-free.
  • Make goals of varying levels of difficulty.

So, without further ado, here are my goals for my first marathon:

Goals for the 2012 Suntrust Rock’N'Roll USA Marathon

  1. Finish!
  2. Enjoy it so much that I will continue to run marathons
  3. Finish under 4 hours
  4. Run smart (for me, that means not going out too fast)
  5. Run the second half faster than the first
  6. Finish in 3:35 to qualify for Boston

Okay, the last one might be a bit ambitious, but why not? If I don’t hit it (which, in all honesty, I probably won’t) I should be able to check off some of my other goals and still be happy with my race. By not putting all of my focus on one goal, I have a better chance of enjoying myself on race day.

What are your goals for upcoming races? Did I miss any crucial aspect of creating “smart” race goals?

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