First time marathoners...what they don't tell you...

                                 
What's wrong with these pictures? If you've never ran a marathon before, it may not be obvious...after all, these pictures are posted on a race web-site to entice you into entering their marathon. Looks like a lot of fun, right? Everyone's smiling, holding hands, fist pumping the sky. Sign me up, you say. Lesson #1: This won't be you.  I get so mad when I see brochures like this, depicting the marathon as a carnival of sorts. If you are interested in running a marathon it pays to know what you are really in for. Sure, you may smile and possibly fist pump the sky, but you will also go through the entire rainbow of emotions along the way. If the idea of running a marathon still sounds appealing, read on.

Lesson #2: A marathon does not equal 2 half marathons. This is a hard one for non-marathoners to grasp. I have heard people say, "I've never ran a marathon, but I've ran a half, so I think I am ready to run a full".  Marathoners will tell you that the half way point in a marathon is 20 miles. If you can get your head around how hard those last 6 miles will be then you will be mentally prepared to face your first marathon.

Lesson #3: Research your first marathon choice. Ideally, it should be in your home town or close enough so you can sleep in your own bed and not have travel plans as part of the equation. You may not make it to the starting line the first time around. Training for your first marathon often gets derailed with unexpected injuries or loss of proper training for various reasons that you never expected. It makes things easier on you to run a local race. You may even be able to train on some of the race route. Please read reviews on your marathon choice before you sign up. You don't want to run a poorly organized marathon or one that is extremely difficult. The reviews on marathonguide.com are the most reliable.

Lesson #4: Have a general training plan, but be flexible. This is always hard, and especially so the first time around. I've read somewhere that we are all an experiment of one when it comes to training. Even the people I train with vary from me on total mileage and weekly runs. You will gain a lot of knowledge from running with groups and reading running forums on line. Attempting to use a training program verbatim will most likely not work for various reasons, so try to use it more as a guide as you learn what works for you.

Lesson #5: Train for mental toughness. You don't want to have to face adversity on race day, but it is best to be prepared, just in case. During your training runs work on overcoming challenges that have mentally defeated you. Sometimes it's a particular hill that you continually resign to walking, or maybe the weather is getting to you, whatever. Tell yourself that you are going to overcome it and push through. If you're having a bad run and negative thoughts are swirling about, breathe in through your nose and let a positive thought in. This may not work all the time, but little mental victories here and there will pay off later.

Lesson #6: If you didn't train properly don't toe the line. If you missed several long runs or got injured then do yourself a favor and save it for next year. Sure, you may make it to the finish line, but it will be so much more of a bad experience than it should be. Just have yourself a good cry over it, peel your 26.2 bumper sticker off your car and let it go. There's always another marathon.

Lesson #6: On race week-end, know what not to do. There is a long list on what to do and not do on race week-end, so it's hard to tell what's really important and what's not so important. It may be an individual thing, but I don't walk around much the day before the marathon. I learned this lesson during the Wat Disney World Marathon. Although going to one of the theme parks the day before was enjoyable, the next day my legs felt unusually tired, so for me, walking around a lot is detrimental. Everything else, not so much. I still have a glass of wine with dinner and am not afraid of eating something other than pasta for dinner the night before. You may have to learn what doesn't work for you by trial and error, I'm afraid. I see a lot of first time marathoners walking around the expos with big jugs of water. This could possibly be a detrimental thing, as too much water flushes out your electrolytes, so chill out on the water guzzling. (Although I have no personal story or proof that this is a bad thing). Bottom line: don't freak out over the long list and try to do what you normally did before your long runs.

Lesson #7: It's race day, calm the hell down. You did the homework. Trust in it. Be grateful that you made it to the starting line, as this is a huge accomplishment in and of itself! What lies before you is a journey of a lifetime! You've read up on all the things not to do during the race, so I don't have to tell you not to go out too fast, not to wear something new, blah blah blah. Even if you make a couple of rookie mistakes you will make it to the finish line. If you hit a rough patch or two just breathe in and say to yourself, "I am running a marathon!"

Lesson #8: Smile at the finish line. Making sure you look good when you cross the finish line may not be at the top of your list of priorities, but try to smile and make it look like the pictures above. No, you won't look like that, but you will feel like it on the inside, and that's all that matters.

Lesson #9: Celebrate your victory! Wear your medal as long as you want, even to bed, who cares? You earned it. You have bragging rights now, marathoner, even though you will soon learn to recognize the glassy-eyed stare of the non-interested even though you are only at mile 5 of your story. It's sad, but true. Only other marathoners really care to hear it all in its glory, and that's ok. Trust me, it's OK!!