Reflecting on what made it go so well, I've discovered at least 4 key ingredients to successfully training to run my first marathon that all came together over the weekend.
1) Hydration
I hydrated well on Friday night. Saturday morning I drank a lot of water before my 10am run and the
humidity and temperature were both low.
2) Nutrition
I ate plenty of carbs on Friday night (thank you Lasagna from Vezzo!) and a left over ciabatta sandwich for breakfast on Saturday. I'm still trying to figure out how to eat properly as a runner. So far, all I know is I get to eat carbs. In fact, I need to eat carbs and can tell such a difference when I do. This is in contrast to the no wheat, no sugar, no dairy diet I maintained for about a year from June 2012 until just recently. But that is a whole other blog post.3) Pacing
Yesterday I kept a steady pace throughout the 6 mile run. My goal for the marathon is to run 10 minute miles and finish in 4:30 hours (my real goal is to just finish the thing, but if I can do it in 4:30 that will be awesome). Yesterday my average pace was 9:30 for all 6 miles for a total time of 57 minutes. The run felt great and today I don't feel sore or injured.4) Generosity
Last but not least, I received some incredibly generous donations last weekend. Wow! I am blown away by the generosity of people so far. I am amazed at how much spiritual and psychological fuel generosity provides me as I run. The generosity I've received helps me feel supported and accountable on each training run. It makes running this marathon about much more than a personal accomplishment. It is a communal endeavor to help us do something that reaches beyond ourselves.
My fundraising goal for the NYU Cancer Institute is $4000. I have already received $1075 in donations, which is 27% of my total goal! And that is with 14 weeks left to go.
I am so grateful to those who've donated. Thank you, thank you, thank you to:
Paul Greene
SC Connor
Lizzie Lowe
David Sommerville
Mia Simring
You all are amazing! Please know that your generosity gives me fuel to keep training and keep running!
Kudos to you on your goal and your training! While 6 miles is certainly the longest run I tend to do - I agree completely about hydration. I'm always amazed by the difference the humidity makes in how I feel. Also, I recently invested in a water belt, which although it was awkward to run with at first, seems to help as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine! I didn't know you were a runner, but am really glad to hear that. Are you training for anything in particular? Thanks for the tip on the water belt. That will probably be my next running-related purchase.
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