the best way to get old(er)

At the beginning of this year, as I was staring down the barrel of the next decade of my life, I really wanted to do something big to make myself feel better about turning 30. So I signed up for a marathon.

Here's my thinking: I wanted to do something memorable, and something that I didn't do in my twenties. Twenty-year-old Me would never have dreamed of running a marathon; in fact, I had just barely taken up running when I was twenty, and running even one mile was a major accomplishment.

I turned 30 in June, right about halfway through my training, and I wanted to die. I was running longer and longer double-digit runs on the weekend, combined with longer and longer mid-length runs on weekdays. I trained during two vacations to Disneyland, one vacation to northern Minnesota, and a nasty late-spring bout of allergies. I developed a crippling pain in my right hip (literally -- after one long run, I was limping for two days and thought I might have to quit altogether). Steve convinced me to go see his favorite chiropractor (Dr. Clifford at Align Rehab in Provo -- highly recommended) who quickly recognized an SI joint issue and fixed me right up. I continued with my training through the beginning of September (following this plan for beginning marathoners) and went to bed the night before the race alternating between feeling so nervous I didn't think I'd be able to get any sleep and being scared I would sleep so well I'd miss my alarm in the morning.

Luckily, I did sleep, and I woke up on time, and after a minor bus mishap, made it to the start line with my friend Jennie, who had been training with me (also a first-time marathoner). And we ran. And we finished!

Not only did we finish, but I felt great for most of the run (not gonna lie -- the last three miles were a bit of a struggle). Since this was my first marathon, I had a conservative goal of finishing in five hours based on my long-run training times. I wasn't sure what my timing was as I approached the finish line, and I couldn't see the clock, but as I rounded the final corner I heard my mom yell "You're under five hours!" and that was enough to motivate me to pick up my feet and really push through to the finish. My final time is 4:56, good enough for 99th place in my age division and about 1060th place overall (there were about 1300 runners total). I'm one of the slowest runners on the course, but I don't care. I had so much fun, and still am in a state of disbelief about even doing it. Here are some pictures from the race:

Feeling good!

The two above would've been about Mile 14-ish.

Still smiling (and running) at Mile 18-ish.

Bringing it home.

 

 

Since I am a "non-competitive" runner (a.k.a. I run because I need exercise, not because I'm going to win any awards), I thought I'd share a few things I learned during the training process, just in case there is anyone out there who is a little intimidated (like I was) at the idea of running a full marathon:

• Find a training plan that seems to match your abilities and goals, and stick with it. The plan I followed was specifically designed for first-time marathoners with the primary goal of finishing, not necessarily finishing fast. There are tons of free online training programs to fit runners of every level; do a little research and find one that works for you.
• Train the way you plan on running the race. For example, the first 17.5 miles of the Big Cottonwood Marathon is downhill, so I incorporated downhill running into my training. I even ran down the race course for my 18 and 20 mile long runs, and I'm so glad I did. I also incorporated walk breaks every 2 miles during my long runs. Part of my race strategy was to walk through the aid stations, so I wanted to make sure I included that in my training.
• Take advantage of the aid stations. Seriously. I stopped at every single one and drank Gatorade and water, grabbed some orange slices and bananas, Gu and jolly ranchers, and asked for some ibuprofen at miles 10 and 18. Keeping hydrated and fueled makes all the difference in your energy level (even though swallowing Gu is the hardest, grossest thing in the world).
• Plan ahead. If you are going on vacation, make sure you know what gear you will need to keep up your training while you're away from home. If you've got a long run coming up, go to bed early so you can wake up and get that run in before the July heat consumes your soul.
• Run with a friend. I did my longest training runs with my friend Jennie, and it really helped my motivation levels (not to mention, it was a lot more fun than running alone).
• Get a few races under your belt. Over the past several years, I have done 5k's, 10k's, and a handful of half marathons. Especially if you're new to running, getting used to the whole race experience will make you much more confident and comfortable when it comes to running your first full. I wouldn't recommend doing any races as part of your training, but maybe before beginning a marathon training program, look into doing some shorter races (here in Utah there seem to be races just about every weekend, even through the winter months).
• Don't run a marathon if your primary goal is to lose weight. Many runners (like myself) don't lose any weight during training; running 40 miles/week makes you hungry, and I was more concerned about keeping my energy levels up than about losing a few pounds. The best way to lose weight is to restrict your calories, and I just don't think that's doable when you're physically pushing yourself to the limit.

I could not have completed my training without Steve; as my runs got longer and I wanted to run downhill, he woke up early on the weekend and drove me to the top of the canyon so I could run down. He was so supportive (even though I know in his heart of hearts he hated how much my training consumed our lives).

 

Also, I was so glad to have my parents and siblings at the finish line. I saw my sisters as I ran down the final chute, but my parents were standing somewhere else and I couldn't see them. I heard my mom yell for me, though, and that was so fun.

 

The moral of the story: reaching a milestone birthday (like 30) can either be depressing or invigorating. Allow me to suggest that by setting and following through with a specific, challenging goal, you can accept the aging process for what it is: an opportunity to prove to yourself that you can do amazing things throughout your entire lifetime.

 

Can't wait 'til 40.