What I Learned from Completing my First Marathon

Fifteen years… it’s been 15 years since I ran my first half-marathon. I got hooked ever since and have completed about 10 half-marathons since then. I guess you can say I’ve been preparing for this moment for that long.

Truthfully, I feel like my first memory of me running dates back to grade one when we raced around the track for gym. I remember that I was good at it. Not the best or the fastest, but I remember that I loved it. So although I’ve been running pretty much my whole life, completing my first marathon was a big deal.

No, scratch that… it was a HUGE deal.

In fact, it was my dream come true. Something that I had dreamed about completing for almost 10 years now. However, I knew that I had to wait for the perfect time to do it (more on that later).

So now that I’ve completed my first marathon, here are some of the things that I learned (about myself, life and running).

1. It’s more than just a physical challenge – it’s a mental one too! 

Prior to setting out on this journey, the longest run I ever completed was 22km long. I had no idea how I would get from 22km to 42km, both physically and mentally. My mind could literally not comprehend it because at the time, 22km seemed like such a far distance and the only one I knew how to run. My brain couldn’t fathom taking one more step past that distance. Here is a post I wrote about some strategies I use when I run long distances: ‘How to keep motivated on long runs’

Another thing that worried me was getting injured and not being able to race. That’s because you definitely feel a lot of pain in your legs and knees during training. It’s hard to distinguish what is just pain vs. injury. I had to really work on my mindset to get over the fear of injury or tell myself that if I do get injured, it’s okay. There will be more races and I gained so much regardless.

The mental challenge was the worst on race day. The last 10km of my race were the hardest. My energy was depleted, I had a stomach ache and my speed dropped. Throughout the last 3km there were so many times where I thought to myself – ‘take a break’ or ‘just stop’ but I also knew that if I did, it would be so hard to start running again.

Luckily, I had a lot of strategies to help me. First, I relied on my training. I had to trust the process to take me through to the finish line. Secondly, I had a lot of mantras that I would repeat to myself. On my hand, I wrote “This can’t be harder than giving birth (3 times)!” Even though it faded within the first km due to sweat.

The other words that helped me focus were from my coach Brittany Moran. She said that I need to “Be Calm” in the beginning, “Be Brave” through the middle and “Be Committed” at the end. Repeating those words in my head really helped me get through the tough moments. In general, there’s going to be a lot of time when you speak to yourself, and just know that it’s totally normal (and needed).

Also, having loved ones cheer you on along the run is a total boost of energy!

2. Set a goal and know your ‘whys’

I touched about this briefly above, but one of my key success factors was having this as a goal / bucket list item. Knowing that I wanted to complete a full marathon has been a big force for me to actually DO IT and train PROPERLY for four months without any short cuts. Another important thing is to know your ‘whys’. Why are you running? Do you even love to run? I shared my ‘whys’ in an IG post after I finished running my first 30km.

 

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Holy F, mommy needs a huge, juicy donut, I just ran 30km!! Sorry, it’s kind of a big deal for me, and I felt the need to document it. People think I’m a little crazy to run such a long distance, but here are 6 reason why I do it: 1. It’s cheap therapy. Like blogging, it’s when I sort through the thoughts in my brain. I talk to myself and it’s often when I make the best decisions and come up with creative ideas. 2. It’s a great stress relief. When I started my run today I was so tense and had a serious case of mom guilt. All of it gone by the end of my run. 3. Running is my favourite form of exercise. If I didn’t run, I’d probably spend all day on the couch. 4. I like the challenge. After running 10 half-marathons, training for a full-marathon seemed like the next most logical (?) thing. 5. I enjoy the solitude of running. Alone time is high on my list of values, and running far gives me the ability to be alone guilt free. 6. I’m a little crazy! 🤪 . . . . . . . . . . #marathontraining #longdistancerunner #longdistancerunning #runningmama #runningmotivation #running #momswhotravel #runningmom #strongmom #strongwomen #selflove #selfcare #mentalhealthmonday #mondaymotivation #whyirun #momlife #momtruths #30km #momofboys #keepinitreal #uniteinmotherhood #liveinspired #momblogger #healthyhappylife #thehappynow #lovethelifeyoulive #torontoblogger #ig_motherhood #livecolorfully

A post shared by Maya Fitzpatrick (@mayahoodblog) on Aug 12, 2019 at 11:32am PDT

A few weeks later, I picked up the book ‘Happy Runner’ where it talks about knowing your whys in order to be a happy runner. It’s as if I had my big ah-ha moment without realizing that I had one. But it’s true, you need to know your ‘whys’ and they should be more than just setting a finish time goal. It should be about what makes you want to get up and run (and run far). Why is this your thing???

3. Get a running coach

While I love running, the truth is, I don’t really know much about it. When it comes to racing a marathon, training is key. If you don’t have a good training plan or are unsure on how to execute one, you will need to get a coach. It will also significantly reduce your chances of getting injured. Besides, I always like to outsource things that are not my area of expertise. It also reduces any burden that I would place on myself otherwise. Instead of worrying or spending hours researching, I got someone who I trusted to basically just tell me what to do. Of course, a coach is there to answer all of your questions, even if you e-mail them 100 times during the first week (oops). My husband is a runner and does a lot of his own research and reading on running so he doesn’t feel like he needed one. The truth is, we are both very different runners and have very different personalities, so I guess it all depends on what would work best for you. For me, I know that part of my success was getting a running coach.

4. Make sure you have the time to properly train

This is actually one of the main reasons it took me forever to do this run (like 15 years long). I knew that I needed to properly train for a full marathon and I wanted to make sure I had the time and resources to do it. That meant that I had to wait until all 3 of my kids were in school full time. Even though that was actually last year, I didn’t have it on my radar until this year. I think I needed that first year out to figure out how I spend my time and get a few other priorities done first. Training is basically a part-time job. Your long run days are going to be the hardest to manage. You will need to put aside at least 5-6 hours on those days. Your runs will take anywhere between 3-4.5 hours. You will then need time to refuel properly, stretch, soak / shower, and ice your legs. Oh ya, you will probably also need to rest for a bit. Some days, I only had 15 minutes of rest before I had to rush off and pick up the boys from school. Also, after my longest run before the marathon (37.2km), I remember stopping off at the grocery store before heading home because I had to pick up food for dinner. I can’t stress this enough, but before you start, you will need to figure out how and when you will carve out time to train. Proper training makes all of the difference in your running time and recovery.

5. If I can do it, you can do it!

Here’s the thing. While I love running, I’m by no means a fast runner. Yes, I clearly have some endurance, but I still breath fast when I try running anything faster than 5km per minute. I’m not a competitive athlete, but I like sports. What I’m trying to say is that if I can do it, you can do it. Everyone starts from zero. The point is, just start!

We are all capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. I finished in a time of 4:19. More than half of the runners finished before me. Do I care? Not one bit. I finished my first marathon, and that was my first and most important goal. I achieved my goal and it felt amazing!

If running isn’t your thing, find something that is. Just aim for the sky, figure out how to get there, and just do it! The feeling of completing your goal is basically the best feeling in the world. I had such a runners high after marathon. I ran through the finish line with my hands raised up high while tears were streaming down my eyes. It was literally one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. When my best-friend asked me how I felt, all I could utter was ‘I did it!’

I freaking did it!!