Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Running

I ran my first half marathon in 2010. I didn’t train. I ran in a cotton shirt, shorts, old shoes, and a half charged iPod. I always LONGED to be a runner. I have no idea what it was about the sport, but it seemed so inspiring. Just you and the open road. The cute running gear. The sweat. The tears. The accomplishment. I wanted in, and I wanted in bad.

I registered for the Urban Cow half marathon months and months in advance. I had made a promise to myself and a friend that we would train “hard core” and get this done. The weeks flew by in the blink of an eye and here we were, the eve before the race and uh oh…not one mile checked off the list. But you know what, what’s the worst that can happen? So we started the race, nervous but excited and ran. Ran hard. Ran too much. Pain. Chaffing. Possible heart attack. Kidding, but you get it. 8 miles in after killing myself to put one foot in front of the other and oops, there’s that wall you always hear about. Not only a wall, but a fortress. The funny thing is, I was such a newbie that I had no idea that I could have pulled myself out of the race if I wanted to. I just thought you HAD to finish. Like a slow, sad death march. As my glee playlist was coming to an end, I see the 13-mile marker. And guess what?! I thought 13 was the end! What the heck?! A half marathon is 13.1 miles?! .1!!! I still had to keep going? After we finished the race, medal and Chipotle in hand, I sat there wanting to cry and also feeling guilty. Why didn’t I train? What did I expect to happen? Why did so many others look like they could have easily gone and done another 13.1 where I seemed to lack that spark to try. It took a few months of reflection, but I thought I should try again. There had to be a way to do this better, right? I mean, at some point it has to be enjoyable? Here are some steps I took in order to make my second half marathon, The Shamrock Half Marathon, much more successful. Not only was it successful, but I went on to run many more races after.

1. Get proper shoes:

The first and most important thing I can recommend would be to go
find the right running shoes for your feet.

It’s not about style or color, but about the arches, the cadence of your run, the way you stand, the way your feet turn in or out, your knees, your ankles, everything. I went to Fleet Feet here in Sacramento where they watch you run, scan your feet, ask about your training and then suggest the right type of shoe for you I personally love Asics and have a hard time ever changing brands. I love the cushion and the way they hug my feet a bit tighter than most shoes. The wonderful thing about a high quality shoe store like Fleet Feet is that if you’re unhappy they’ll gladly take them back. It’s for this reason that I’m a loyal customer. It’s true what they say – “you get what you pay for”.

2. It’s ok to walk:

Why did no one tell me this? Why does it make someone a failure to walk? Some of the best advice I ever got was “walk the water stops” there’s really no time lost to give yourself a chance to get some water and catch your breath. In fact, it’s quite refreshing to just take a beat.

After I had Emma, I had a really hard time running without joint pain from all the hormones from nursing. I discovered the Jeff Galloway method where you run, walk, run. I picked an interval that worked best for me: run 2 minutes, walk 30 seconds. Using this method, I was able to get my PR for a half marathon – 2:07. Might not be fast for some, but for me it felt like I won the Olympics! There was something about taking those 30 seconds to build back up that energy in order to burst through the 2 minutes. Intervals don’t work for everyone, but if you’ve found yourself struggling with getting through a whole race without feeling hurt or exhausted, I defiantly recommend trying intervals. Sprint work can help with this, but that’s a great post for another day!

3. Do I need all of those “fancy gel things”?

It’s funny, as I’m sitting here writing this I keep thinking about how I could probably talk for two hours straight on each subject. Because I plan on making a huge blog post about this in the future, I will keep this easy. Yes, you need fuel. You need fuel (in my opinion) for any run longer than one hour. For the first few years of running I was a tried and true Gu girl. There are tons of flavors to chose from different formulas, and I highly recommend trying out different ones to see which ones agree with your stomach. For me, chocolate or chocolate sea salt where the only ones that didn’t give me an upset stomach. Gels were good to me for a while, but then I started to experiment with blocks which also helped me get through that 10-mile slump at a half marathon. I would normally do a gel around mile 4, mile 8, and then around 10- 11 have a block or two with caffeine for an extra push. The thing is, what works for me won’t necessarily work for you. Fueling is as personal as your running shoes! Try out a few different combinations during an hour run so you aren’t too far into your training to find what works best.

4. Toenails – so much to think about: knock on wood, I have never lost a toenail.

I have made the huge mistake of getting a pedicure BEFORE a big race. Ladies here me now, save this for after! Taking off all of the callouses and hard skin will only leave your pretty little toes feeling naked and exposed which makes them oh so angry. They need that buffer so you aren’t rubbing gentle skin against your shoes for 26 miles.

5. The balance of overtraining, training, and under training: how much time you got?!
But seriously, trust your training. Trust your training, TRUST YOUR TRAINING.

If your plan says to go up to 10 miles for a half marathon training plan, do not – I repeat – do not think 12 miles is better. If you can do it, and trust your body, I’m not your boss BUT I will tell you if you can run 10 miles, you can certainly run 13.1. What you are doing by running extra unnecessary miles is risking injury, burn out, and illness. Pick a program, put your faith in it, and stick to it. If you happen to miss a run due to any of the things listed above, move on. Do your next long run and get back to business. No you do not need to “make up your run” you do not need to “punish” yourself by holding back carbs and feeling guilty every time you look in the mirror. Running fits into your life, not you into running. This too will be a huge post to come, but that’s just a little blurb on this for now.

6. Find the race that inspires you:

Oh hello, Run Disney!

A friend of mine mentioned to me very long ago that Disneyland had a half marathon. Disneyland?! DISNEYLAND HAS A HALF MARATHON?! In January of 2013, I ran my very first Run Disney race and an addiction was born. Many don’t understand it, but it’s my thing. It’s my community where nothing else exists besides pushing my limits and pure joy. After I did The Tinkerbell Half Marathon, they released the Dumbo Double Dare where you run a 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday. Well, those 19.3 miles turned into 48.6 miles at Walt Disney World where I ran the Dopey Challenge…twice. My point is, find your “thing” – find the race that keeps you going. I love these races so much that when I’m training, I visualize the race itself. We all can find our passion in what we do, and if you haven’t found your race yet, keep looking! As I’m sitting here for the last hour or so thinking of all the things I want to tell you, all my little pearls of wisdom, embarrassing moments, tears at finish lines, I want to hear from you as well! What do you wish you could tell your new runner self? What was your best and worst race? Best and worst advice? Every run and race is a learning experience and gives you the confidence and knowledge to make the next one even better. Stay tuned for more running advice posts ahead, this was way too fun!