I love running. I love marathons. I love Greenville, SC. Yesterday I ran my 15th marathon in my 15th state. And for the first time I ran in the city where I live.
Usually after going for a training run, my hubby will ask how it went. For the past few years, most of my responses have been, “best run ever!” Well this past marathon, it really was my “best run ever”. Really. I have been trying to beat my best time since 2006. I have come close (like missed it by 3 seconds), but it has alluded me. Yesterday I beat my best time by nearly 10 minutes. That is huge! I came in 8th overall and 2nd in my age group.
Here are some things that helped.
It was nice running in my hometown. I knew the course, so I knew when to hold back, and I knew when to let my legs fly. I was relaxed because it felt like a training run. I could look forward to seeing my family cheer me on.
I started out slow. For the first 3 miles I ran with a pacing group slower than what I anticipated. I get so excited about the race, that I have to force myself to take it easy. But warming up that way allows me to run negative splits. I first accomplished this last year at the Philly Marathon. I was shocked at how good I felt at the end. Before that I would always struggle the last 6-8 miles and end up blowing my goal. So I started with one pacing group and then started chasing individuals until I caught up with the next pacing group. And then passed them. It was perfect.
I fueled properly. I can’t do Gatorade. But I can consume Gu. I use to consume half a pack every 6 miles. On a training run, I experimented with every 4 miles and found that worked well. Also, a running friend had shared with me that our brains need sugar before our muscles do. If we start to feel mentally exhausted (which is a big part of the marathon) then there is a good chance we need to fuel up.
My breathing was deep and calm. Early on in the race I was surprised by how many people were huffing and puffing. Like at mile 4. Oh dear, I thought, they are in trouble. But it helped make me aware of my own breathing. I made sure I was taking full breaths and releasing it slowly. If you are breathing so hard that you can’t talk, then you are running too fast for a marathon.
I was mentally calm. I have really struggled in the past with the mental aspects of running marathons. The first 6 miles I thought of as a warm up. At 10 miles, I thought about my “social” runs that I do with a friend where we talk nonstop. At 13 I thought, ok let’s do a half marathon now. At 16, I went back to thinking about my fun 10 mile runs and that was all I had left to go. At 20, people all of a sudden start walking. I’m telling myself, it’s just a number. But that “wall” at mile 20 is a real thing. So now, I train up to 22 miles, which has really helped. So I thought, I’m at least fine until 22. At 22 I thought, well if I was doing another training run it would go to 24, so I guess I’m still fine. At 24 I broke it down to four more half miles to go. At 25, I just had to get up that hill. At 26, I can see the finish line. At 26.2 I started crying.
The last thing I did that helped was that I didn’t look at my time. I was keeping track of my pace each mile, so I knew I was doing well. But I knew if I looked at my overall time, I would freak out. I would start doing math in my head and either start slacking because I could have gone slower and still beat my best time, or psych myself out that I was doing so well and end up cracking under the pressure.
I don’t know if I will ever beat this time, and I don’t think I care. The day was perfect. I’m 36 and in the best shape of my life. I’m a wife, and my husband is proud of me. I’m a mom, and I’m setting a positive example for my boys. I will continue to have the best life ever.
