Q: Am I ready for my marathon?
Hey Lauren,
I am running my first marathon on Sunday, December 6th. I am quite nervous because the longest distance I ran during my training is 21 miles. Do you have any advice or tips from the last 5.2? Do you think I will hit a “wall,” or will my endurance training carry me through?
–Courtney, Chico
A:
Courtney,
If you have run 21 miles in training, you have every reason to have confidence in your body this weekend. There is no way to predict how those last 5 miles will feel…that is what’s exciting about “racing.” The butterflies, the uneasiness…they come in waves leading right up to the morning of the race, no matter who you are or what distance you run.
My advice to fend off the anxiety? Affirm to yourself that the mystery of those last 5 miles is the reward for the hard work, and know that (no matter what) you will cross that finish line. You are about to do something completely new! You will push yourself to a new level! Wasn’t that part of the reason you decided to try a marathon in the first place? You may feel great, or blah, or be crying for mommy, but any which way it goes will be an experience very few people are willing to work to achieve. Good luck!
-Lauren
I would add that it is not always the miles that make the difference. With LRs of 21 miles, one should be fairly confident to complete the marathon. The Lords of Running also say that more important than the long run is to have a LR that approximates the amount of time that you plan to be on the course. That is you want to slow your LR down – watch the sunrise, smell the coffee, appreciate the flowers, chat more with your running buddies, and leave the watch at home.
I can not attest to this as the Lord who gave me this advice gave it to me after my last marathon.
I think you got something wrong. Both Way Out slveees featured here have the same catalogue number (5099908250025) and since the tracklist is marked as track 1 and track 2, that’s clearly a CD. In addition, I didn’t read anywhere that Way Out will be released on vinyl too Now I hope Speak to Me will be released on CD too, I don’t collect vinyls myself. They replaced the live version of Stars with those awful/noisy mixes of Radio , who’s in charge of this? :s
I’m running the Los Angeles marathon in 11 days. I’m a little nervous that I’m not well prepared. I followed a Bart Yasso training plan. This is my third marathon. Last year I finished in 5:15. This year I have missed many mid week runs. My longest runs of 18, 20 and 21 went o.k. Not very sore, but very tired the following day. I’ve run consistently for 10 years, but mostly half marathons (30).
Will I be o.k.? Should I walk more?
p.s. I’m a 53 year old female.
Hi Ann! I think you will be fine. I’m not familiar with Bart Yasso training plans, but your long runs are solid, and you have 10 years of consistent running in your legs. You also have two marathons under your belt, the most recent of which was just last year! Don’t worry. Just don’t try to squeeze in missed training in the last 10 days. Focus on everything you DID do. Get rested up and run the race smart, with a conservative first half.
Hi, Lauren,
Thanks so much for the response! It made me feel so much better and more excited about the marathon. I just began to get spooked and you helped me refocus. I reviewed my running log and that showed I had run more last month than I did the same month last year, so that helped me too. Thanks again, you helped me a lot!
Good to hear Ann. Have fun in your race and enjoy doing what you love 🙂