I'm scared out of my mind. Towards the end of this year I turn 30 and have decided to make this the 'big one'. As of this spring, I'll have four 1/2 marathons under my belt, one triathlon, and about fifteen shorter charity 5K races. This is the year for the full marathon, right?! Seriously- even writing this post gives me the chills. I want it...I can smell it and taste it... the victory of doing something that for me seems almost impossible.
See, for some reason- my body doesn't do so great when it comes to hydration- or lack thereof. I can't seem to process fluid where it actually hydrates my body at a positive rate. At the end of any race or long run that extends past 10 miles, I turn pretty much blue, go into shock, start throwing up (can't stop until I get either medicated or an IV) and lose all strength for about 12 hours until I finally fall asleep.
I would love advice from any of you fellow runners! I stay as hydrated as possible- wearing the hydro belt and stopping at almost every fluid station; taking fruit, gatorade and other gels to stay hydated...but my body just doesn't seem to respond to it. I'm thinking that I'll probably do a walk/run with the intent to finish before they close the course. That's not asking a lot, right?
So, why would I want to go through all of this KNOWING that it is how it's gonna end really bad? Well, first because I don't want my life to be dictated by fear ( I can do all things..within wisdom...through Christ!). Second, because I like a challenge. And thirdly, because I want to have that bumper sticker that says 26.2. That to me... is priceless.
6 comments:
my son-in-law just recently did his first full marathon down in san antonio, tx. i'll have to get him to visit your blog and leave you some encouragement! i know he worked hard and ran a tediously scheduled series of runs working up to that big one. we were proud of him - but he had some hydration issues toward the end. i'll get him to stop by....
I feel like I need a nap just reading about running that far. You go, girl! Lord willing, you'll finish well and join the small percentage of people in this world who has run 26.2.
Then GO FOR IT! Good for you--I know you'll do it! This is the year I plan to run my first half marathon. (On record anyway...I can remember a few practices where our angry coach made us probably run that much!) Happy New Year!
First, congratulations on choosing to go for the full marathon. The experience of finally achieving 26.2 is incredible. While the journey is different for everyone, I know it is life changing. I just completed my first marathon in November. I ran the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon in San Antonio.
I am probably not the best person to give advice. With all of the running you do and the magazines your read, you have all the information you need. I know from my limited experience, that you need consider the information and find out what works for you.
During all of my runs, I never worried about hydration until a Texas summer convinced me otherwise. During my training, I forced good hydration habits by drinking from my hydration flask at the end of every song (yes, I train with my iPod). Now I hydrate with every run¾even my short 5 and 6 mile runs. Through months of training I found I consume a ratio of 10 ounces per 6 miles. During the marathon, I found I consumed twice that amount, and still dehydrated. With all of the consumption I still lost seven pounds during that run. I simply could not consume enough fluids.
I do not know if you have picked your race yet, or decided on your training schedule, but I would definitely try to force yourself to drink more during your runs even if you do not feel like you need to. During your long runs, make sure you do a pre and post run weighing. If you are loosing weight, you are not getting enough fluids. Yes, you are burning calories, but one pound of fat is 3500 calories or roughly 35 miles of running. Your bulk loss comes from fluids.
I am very excited for you, there are so many tidbits of advise, but this is your journey. Trust your body, trust your running friends, and above all trust in Christ, he is your best running partner.
I look forward to updates on your marathon experience.
i am probably the worst about taking care of myself on long runs, so i have no advice about hydration. but i say go for 26.2 - especially for the bumper sticker.
very exciting! you will like the training plan. this october will be my 3rd and the one thing i would say is they are addicting. it is just such an incredible experience that you can't explain in words. after my 1st, i said i would never do it again. it was "out of my system."
my advice is to not make it more difficult than it needs to be. there are so many gadgets and gizmos, but sometimes it really takes the JOY out of just running and enjoying God's creation. i've had times where i focused too much on mile minutes per mile, etc. and those were the times, it just wasn't fun...
just my 2 cents.
can't wait to hear more about your journey! which one are you running?
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