I wanted to give you a rough idea of what my training was like up until I started in on the marathon schedule, and so you can see how it all began.
In December 2010, I ran my first 6 mile run. I remember that after that run, I was on the phone with my sister and she said "don't you just feel like your body is like jello?" and my response was something like "yes, but it's good jello." I know that at some point in that conversation I also said that I just didn't know how I would ever get past the 6 mile mark, because it felt like the most difficult physical thing that I had done since dancing a recital in high school, or training to be a lifeguard.
The thing that amazes me about it, though, is that after I felt like my body had completely given up (including my stomach, which is one of my biggest battles with running), I wanted to do it all over again. I started to map out my workout schedule to fit long runs in only twice a week, so that I could not only build up my strength with resistance training, but also my speed with interval training. Eventually, towards the end of December, I made it to the 7 mile mark. I was feeling so great I set my course to run 8 miles, just because I wanted to challenge myself in January, and boy was that interesting...
That was when I had my first really big struggle with long distance running. I didn't prepare myself for that length of workout by eating the right foods and drinking liquids during the run, because I had never experienced anything like that before. I just assumed that because 7 miles felt great that 8 miles would be the same. I remember that day very well, because I went directly to the gym after eating a dinner high in sodium the night before, and a breakfast that was pretty small with hardly any fluids. I did grab a propel (THANK GOSH, because I might have been hospitalized if I hadn't) at the gym before I started, so I thought that between that and the regular water that I would be fine.
Around the 6 mile marker (about 1hour and change), my stomach started to feel upset and bubbly. So, I drank the entire bottle of Propel very quickly and slowed my pace down. I was running so slow, that I started to feel like time was going by at a crawl, and so I focused on the tv's at the gym and got outside of my body as much as I could. When I finished the run, I looked around and felt like the entire room was in a funhouse mirror. My legs were so wobbly that I couldn't feel them. I know I must have looked awful to the people at the gym because one of the trainers came over and said "wow, you look worked out" and I remember thinking to myself, "ok, just make it to the car and then you will be fine because you will be sitting and it will all go away."
When I finally got to my car, I could barely sit down, so I turned the ac on (it was like 30 outside) and tried to wake myself up. I made it home, and the moment that I walked in the front door, I ran straight to the bathroom. I was in there for almost 2 hours straight, and the only thing that I could do when I got up enough nerve to move was to lay in bed. Finally, at some point in that deluded state that I was in, I managed to put together that I hadn't eaten in hours. So, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a loaf of bread. I remember laying in bed and hugging that bread and thinking "please bread, please make me feel better." Eventually, I think I passed out from exhaustion when my stomach had finally calmed down, and I took an hour nap. Let's just say that my stomach and my legs weren't the same for 2 days after that.
Now that I have learned my lesson, I have figured out exactly what my body needs before going on long runs. I played around with drinks, diet, and sleep level, and have fine tuned it a bit more. One thing that I think every runner should know about is the packs of Gu that you can get at Dick's sporting goods. I just pop one of those in my secret pants pocket, and then down it at the 1.5 hour mark. While running I always make sure to regularly hydrate myself. And, to prepare for those longer runs, I eat more carbs the night before, a breakfast with protein and Vitamins, and make sure that I go to the bathroom the morning of the run. I always take some Gatorade packets just in case I am feeling a little queasy post-run, because it takes all of the nausea away. I recommend messing around with your diet if you are trying to train! Even though I am trying to lose weight, I realize now that it is still important to keep my body functional enough to have a good run.
So that about brings me to the first weeks of January when I pulled out my back and had to take a week off. Coming up next....getting back to running: the smartest way to jump back in AND the actual sign up for the marathon!
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