Differences Between My First and Second Marathon
Happy Friday! I hope your week was short and lovely. Work was pretty busy but I kept up with everything. Today’s post was something that kind of bounced around my head as I ran with friends. This week, I felt kind of….bored with running. I didn’t really care to do my shorter runs (I did) and I just really looked forward to my 20 mile run this weekend. My legs are strong and I’ve put in the work so I feel like I’m ready. However, that was definitely not the case when I was training for my first marathon last year. That’s why I wanted to share a few of the differences I’ve noticed while training for my second marathon.
Difference #1: I never hit my 20 mile run last year
It literally pains me to type that because I think that’s one of the seasons I struggled during the Houston Marathon last year. It was hard because of the weather but I also never practice how I would feel later in the race. The most I got to was 18 so it wasn’t that far off but I trained during the Christmas season so it was less than ideal. However, this time around I crushed my 20 mile run
Difference #2: I wasn’t mentally prepared
I still have no clue how I thought that I was ready for a marathon. I think I just got excited and signed up without realizing how much time and effort it was going to take. There was also the rookie mistake in thinking that I was “mentally” ready for a marathon. Being in the Corps of Cadets in college did help me have discipline to get outside and run but it didn’t give me enough discipline to keep pushing when I was getting tired. I can’t tell you how many times I would cut my run short and call my husband to pick me up just because I was tired. It was truly dumb and I regret that I didn’t focus much on my last training cycle.
Difference #3: I cried so much last time around.
Oh my gosh, let’s just pause and roll our eyes here together. I was such a baby! I cried over EVERYTHING. Negative thoughts flooded my mind and I seriously didn’t enjoy myself. Sure, there were some great runs where my husband biked along with me but those were far and few in between. Want to know how many times I’ve cried this training cycle? Once, only because I was scared of holding my friends back on my long run (I didn’t). Now I focus on having fun, checking out new trails, and running with friends. I don’t know why but last time around, everything was cry worthy.
Difference #4: I didn’t have a real life support system
The internet is great and I have met some awesome people through it. However, I didn’t have the physical relationships I really needed to get through marathon training. Track workouts and long runs are actually way more enjoyable this time BECAUSE I have people next to me pushing me along. My husband would bike alongside me last year and it was great but having other runners out there with me, helped me so much more this time around.
Difference #5: I had no idea what I was doing
My planning was horrendous. I made the common first timer mistake of just picking a random marathon plan I saw online. For some people that may work just fine but it did not work for me. My body reacts differently through stress and now I have other workouts in the mix. This time around, I got a running coach to help me plan for my race but also include other things during training that would keep me excited about racing. I’m proud to say that I have made it through this training cycle INJURY FREE. Last year, I was scrambling to find a doctor to piece me together right before the marathon.
Those are just a handful of things that are way different from my first marathon (Chevron Houston Marathon) and this year’s marathon (Chicago Marathon)! In under a month, I will be running through the streets of Chicago and I truly believe that I will have the time of life. Mentally, I am ready for a good day and physically I am prepared for everything that’s headed my way!
What about you? What are some differences between your first marathon to your most recent one?
