Not running most of your miles easy

A lot of runners make this mistake, myself included. I used to think that every time I went out for a run, I had to try to run the best pace I could, that was how I’d get better. Not true!

Easy runs are key to running success. In fact, 70-80% of your running should be at an easy, conversational pace. It might seem counterintuitive, but when you push hard the rest of your workouts, your body needs time to repair and as the muscles repair, they gain strength.

Easy runs mean keeping your heart rate in the lower zones, being able to comfortably carry on a conversation, and feeling almost effortless. If you find yourself panting or gasping for breath after an “easy” run, you’re running too fast!

Comparing yourself to others

Often, runners find easy running difficult because they have a preconceived idea of what a “good” pace is, or they’re afraid of being judged. Raise your hand if you find yourself running faster when other people are around…yeah me too.

The thing is though, everyone is on their own schedule and their bodies are going through different things. Once I stopped caring as much about who was judging my pace (because if they are they DON’T MATTER) I felt much more relaxed and could really focus on ME.

This does not mean you shouldn’t have goals, or other athletes you look up to. It just means that you shouldn’t base your successes on theirs. Remember, your easy pace is someone else’s goal pace.

Not resting enough

Rest is an important and often overlooked part of any workout routine. When it comes to exercise, proper rest is as important as the workouts. There are different types of rest: active recovery and complete rest. Both are important, especially for runners.

Active recovery means not running, but doing something like an easy walk or yoga. Complete rest is not doing any workout at all. How many of each is needed will depend on your activity level, fitness, and overall health. Generally I recommend at least 2 days of rest with a minimum of one complete rest day every week.

Overtraining

Not resting enough can lead to overtraining very quickly. Training for a race, or any intense exercise will make you more tired than normal some days and is to be expected. However, if you find yourself tired all the time, in pain, or your performance is starting to decline, you’re likely over doing things.

Making sure you’re paying attention to how your body feels and taking a week every couple of weeks with decreased mileage and intensity can help keep you at your best.

Not eating enough

It can be a slippery slope and how much to eat is obviously different for everyone, but when I first started running I found I needed to eat more than I was used to. This can mean eating something small before a run and making sure to eat soon after.

It’s a common trap to fall into, especially if you’re trying to lose weight because you think less is more when it comes to calories. However, not having adequate calories to support the increase in activity level can leave you tired, injury prone and can even have the opposite effect on weight loss, retaining body fat and losing muscle. Making sure to eat plenty of quality whole foods and avoiding junk food is a good way to start. Doing research on your specific nutrient needs such as protein intake, will help even further.

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Marathon Training: What to eat before and after a long run

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For me, eating before any run is a necessity. For long runs even more so. Since we’re talking about marathon training, let’s assume a long run is over 10 miles.

What should I eat before long runs?

First lets talk about what NOT to eat. Stay away from anything tough to digest, full of fiber or super fatty. Dairy is generally a bad idea too. When you run, blood gets diverted from digestion to help sustain other muscles. If your body is still trying to digest a meal, it can lead to cramps and ahem…other distress.

Try to get a good dose of carbs (not a big bowl of alfredo!), some healthy fats, and a little protein. My go to is a superhero muffin from Run Fast, Eat Slow slathered with peanut butter. Other good ideas include oatmeal, fruit with nut butter or a handful of nuts, avocado toast, even a waffle with some nut butter. Depending on how far you’re running you might increase the portions for even more energy.

How long should I wait after eating to run?

It all depends on what you eat and when you’re running. I like to run first thing in the morning, so it’s common for me to eat a small snack like a muffin and wait 30 – 60 minutes before running. For really long runs, I might have a bowl of oatmeal and wait 1-2 hours.

If however, you’re running later in the day, say after a larger meal you might want to consider waiting 3-4 hours after a meal. Again, this will all depend on what you ate and how your body reacts to it. Experiment!

What should I eat before a marathon?

Okayyyyy. Here’s where things get fun. During training, you have the luxury of eating your pre run snack or meal, and heading out with perfect timing. On race day, you might be in a hotel, and you probably need to get to the race venue several hours before the start. This is where the experimentation you’ve done will pay off.

Try and keep your main meal something you’re used to. Don’t introduce anything new now. Once you’ve gotten that meal in, keep a smaller snack handy that you can eat once you get to the race. Something small like a granola bar or banana are both good options. Just make sure your small snack is down about 30 or so minutes prior to the start. If you’re running with energy gels or chews, these also make good pre run snacks and can be consumed a little closer to the start in a pinch.

What should I eat after long runs?

Protein and carbs. I’m not saying eat a stack of pancakes every time, but now is not the time to go low carb. Try to eat or get a protein recovery shake within 30 minutes of your run. I like to take a protein drink with me if I’ve got a drive home post run, and sip on the way. Then once I’ve done my cool down and showered, I’ll have a real breakfast. Again, experiment to see what works for you, but here are some ideas post run:

• Yogurt with fruit and granola
• Smoothies
• Chocolate milk and fruit
• Eggs and a bagel or toast
• Protein pancakes or waffles

After a marathon ( or your super long training runs!), feel free to have a celebration meal! Pancakes are my absolute favorite but I’m not always ready to eat right that much right away so celebrating turns into a big dinner and dessert!

The marathon training plan diet

The word “diet” here doesn’t mean cutting calories. Far from it, I believe in nourishing your body with healthy foods to sustain training. What it does mean, is being mindful. For example, you don’t have to stop drinking to train for a marathon, but most of us cannot sustain the level of fitness we need with repeated weekend binges either.

It’s also important to remember that it’s very easy to gain weight while training. Eat what makes you feel good, avoid what doesn’t, and go easy on the junk food. You’re going to be hungry on a level you may not have experienced before.

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Varying your workouts

You can absolutely train adequately for a marathon by just…running. You can do all of your runs at the same pace, and simply work on spending time on your feet. That’s how I trained for my first one. However, what I’ve learned since is that doing different types of runs, and keeping easy days REALLY EASY, is super beneficial to your training. Check out my post on the types of running everyone should know here.

Making sure your plan includes some speed work and intervals will greatly help you prepare for race day. One of the most important things I’ve learned lately is that when I’m scheduled for an “easy run”, it means easy. Easy means you should feel conversational and like you are holding back. It helps your body recover and prepare for that speedwork and ultimately racing. It may also drive you crazy.

How long to run – is 20 plenty?

Y’all. I have VERY mixed feelings on this one. Most beginner marathon training series or programs tells you that 20 miles is the max distance you should run before the actual race. The preparation you put in during training gets your body ready and it will adapt to the last six miles. You also reduce the risk of getting injured or burnt out by running too long before the race. So, 20 miles is the widely used measure.

I ran 20 before my first marathon just like everyone said, and I’m still here to tell the tale. I didn’t get injured. What no one prepared me for, was the extreme mental toughness those last 6 miles would require. If you think of it as oh, I’ve gone 20 miles, what’s another 6 then sure it’s ok. However, what I did was start thinking OMG, I am exhausted, stiffening, and ready to quit and I have AN HOUR left to go! Every mile seemed like three, and I had to dig DEEP. I’ve always said I wish I had done maybe 21-22 miles first. Would that have been beneficial? We’ll never know.

Now, having multiple marathons under my belt, I would absolutely agree that 20 is all I need to train for, but it’s because I know what to expect for those last miles. What should you do? I honestly don’t know, but experts all seem to agree on less is more.

Fueling during long runs

The age old question: what do I eat DURING my long runs? Unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Generally speaking you need sugars and carbs. Around 60 ish grams of carbs per hour of endurance activity. However, how you intake those carbs varies for everyone, and really depends on how your body (and stomach) tolerates them. You’ll want to try out a few things until you get the right formula for you.

My formula: I use Tailwind Nutrition both for run fuel and recovery (more on recovery in part 3). I love it because I can put it in my hydration pack and forget it. It’s technically all the fuel I need. For a half marathon, that’s all I do. When it comes to a full marathon, though, something happens to me mentally and I. Need. To. Chew. Something. I don’t know what it is, but I need to feel like I’m eating not just drinking my carbs. So I’ll add some energy chews maybe half way and toward the end. Honey Stingers, Skratch Labs, Cliff…they all make great options.

There will almost always be fuel on the course as a backup if you start to hit the dreaded wall, but remember you should try and bring your own, so that you’re using what you’ve trained with. If you really don’t want to carry then try to find out what will be available on the course and train with that.

Hydration

Oh man, hydration is CRITICAL to marathon performance. Don’t wait until you’re parched, drink early and drink small sips often. I’ve written the Ultimate Hydration Guide already so go check that out.

Recovery

Recovery and rest are so important to marathon success. Make sure your plan incorporates a couple of rest days each week. To me, a rest day means no running and little to no cross training. Some yoga or a nice walk might do the trick if you just can’t sit still, but avoid any intense workouts on your rest days to really let your body recover.

Make sure you are also getting adequate sleep. Running on an empty tank takes it’s toll. I try for at least 7 hours a night, 8-9 if I can pull it off. I know this might seem impossible for some, especially with kids and life obligations. Again, we’re all different, so do the best you can just know that 4 hours of sleep consistently isn’t likely to do you any favors.

Stay tuned for part three of the marathon training series where we’ll talk food and what to do if your training plan starts to go off course.

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Part 1: Where to begin?

First things first, if you’re not quite sure or you haven’t signed up for a race yet, check out my tough questions post here. If you’re still with me let’s get started.

Choose a Plan

Running a marathon requires planning. Before getting started you’ll need to pick the right marathon training plan to make sure you are running enough miles, while not increasing too quickly. Most plans are 15-20 weeks and the mileage will vary depending on your experience and goals.

If you’re a complete beginner and have never done a marathon before, pick a plan that gets you across the finish line. Don’t focus on a specific time goal. After all, any time will be a PR! One trap a lot of first timers fall into, is expecting that a marathon will just be double your best half marathon time but that’s not quite how it works. Madame Marathon is entirely her own game.

There are countless free plans as well as paid plans out there. Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, Runners World just to name a few great resources for beginners and pros alike. For those running their second (and beyond) race and want to kick things up a bit you can find intermediate or even advanced plans, all depending on your goals.

Coaching

If you don’t feel like you can confidently choose a plan on your own or if, like me, you want to take your running to the next level you might consider getting a coach. Coaching comes in a variety of levels and price points. You can find coaches willing to create a plan for you once and you’re on your own, all the way up to a coach who checks in with you daily.

Run4Prs is a great coaching option, and what I currently use. They offer personalized coaching plans at a variety of levels and are reasonably priced. I personally do the basics with a custom plan and occasional email support. It’s unlocked potential in me I didn’t know I had. Plus, someone tells you when and how far to run, so you don’t have to think about it.

Strength Training

When focusing on a marathon, it’s easy to stick to logging the miles and forget about strength training but it’s a key part of the equation to make you stronger and help avoid injury. For instance, most of us don’t think about how having weak abs effects other parts of the body, like our hips and glutes. Ahh, so ab exercises now make sense for running!

A good strength training routine is a must, but keep in mind running is still your main focus while in training. I like to strength train twice a week, and avoid things like the dreaded leg day right before a long run. I also tend to avoid a lot of plyo and jumping but that’s personal preference and knowing that my feet and knees tend to need more TLC during training time (no this is not because running ruins your knees).

Gear

If you’ve read my tough marathon questions mentioned at the beginning, then you’ll already know to prepare to spend some money on gear to have the best marathon experience. Start with making sure you have a solid pair of shoes, maybe two to rotate during the week. If you need some guidance on choosing shoes, check out my guide. You’ll also want those babies plenty broken in by race day.

You can ease into your “race outfit” once you get into training and learn what gear rubs you in the wrong places, what the weather will be like, and anything else you learn along the way. Just make sure you run in whatever you plan to run in on race day on at least one long run before hand. You don’t want any surprises.

Stay tuned for part two, where we’ll talk fuel, recovery, and more!

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This will be my first time running the race, but I have a few thoughts about how this training will be different than typical marathon training.

Marathon training

Don’t underestimate the time it takes to prepare. Most marathon training plans are around 15-20 weeks, but that assumes that you have a running base built up already. This means that for at least 6 weeks or so before training begins you feel comfortable with several weekday runs and a longer weekend run. The intensity of these runs will vary depending on experience, but the bottom line is you shouldn’t start a marathon training plan “cold”, that is not having run for a long period of time or not being able to run at least 10-15 miles per week.

A good training plan will also incorporate different types of running. That’s right, all running is not created equally. Learn more about it here. Sure, you can just go out and run the miles without incorporating these, but trust me when I tell you that you’ll be a better runner if you vary your runs.

Training for the downhill

The course is a gradual 2000 foot net drop down the John Wayne Trail. So not exactly like barreling full speed downhill, but definitely something I’ll be taking into consideration. When Big Sur was still a gleam in my eye for 2021, my plan was to do a lot of hill work to prepare. I’m honestly thinking that plan still holds water. Sure, I won’t be racing up hill like a psycho but think how easy the decline will be once prepared!

Downhill running also may mean I’ll want to watch my pace and not start out too strong. As a salesman at a small running store in Morristown, NJ told me before my first marathon, “the key is to have sugar in the tank, not money in the bank”. I’ve always tried to remember this because the race days feels get to you and you want to start out strong, but you have a loooong way to go so easy does it to be able to finish consistent and not experience the dreaded bonk. I think this will be especially important in downhill running.

The Gear

The two things the race directors recommend: a headlamp and don’t wear minimalist shoes or go barefoot. A headlamp because the beginning of the race will take us through the Snoqualmie Tunnel. I’m weirdly super excited about this part.

The trail is gravel and along an old railroad. You can imagine why you wouldn’t want naked tootsies here. Even a minimalist shoe seems dicey to me, as you’d be likely to step on a rock the wrong way and make the whole race go south. I’m thinking I’ll opt for a trail shoe or maybe even roll with my standard road shoes.

The Area

The race will take us along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (my Dad will like that) near North Bend, Washington. There will be gorgeous views and clean mountain air. There will also be some terrain that I’m just not used to. I’ll be preparing on a lot more trails and perhaps take a couple of weekend trips to the mountains to prepare.

I’ll be providing updates as training progresses and I hope y’all stick with me!

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As runners, we hold ourselves to some pretty high standards, y’all. When it comes to reaching our goals that can be a great thing but we also need to give ourselves a little bit of grace. We expect a lot from our bodies and it’s thrilling when they give back, but can be oh so disappointing when they don’t.

I’ve written a couple of times about a pain in my foot nagging at me, and that it cleared up earlier this summer. Well, it came back and because #2020, I developed a new, different pain in the other foot. I’ll spare you any drama here, I’m pretty much ok. Peroneal tendonitis and a neuroma are the culprits, no bone problems or anything that shouldn’t be easily fixed.

I write about this because I put off going to the doctor for weeks, all for basically one reason. I thought he would tell me I had to cut back or take time off from running. I’m just getting into a really good pattern with this training, I thought, and it really doesn’t hurt that bad. Then I started to realize how crazy that was. So what if I have to take a little bit of time off (turns out I don’t, YAY) but isn’t that better than being in pain or worse, risking permanent injury?

This led me to think about why it’s so hard to take a break and, mental health aside, I think it’s largely because we fear losing our fitness or not being prepared for a race. So what exactly can you do about it if you miss a few days, weeks, or your training just goes off the rails?

How much does a missed run really matter?

Y’all know me by now right? The answer is “it depends”. Really, missing a day once in awhile won’t do any harm and may even be beneficial in recovery even though we runners have a love hate relationship with rest. In terms of losing “fitness”, you’ll likely need to have missed several weeks before you see any real loss and even then our bodies remember faster than you think, provided you’re not seriously injured.

If I miss a day of training, I generally don’t sweat it too much. If it’s an average, weekday run for me versus a long run I REALLY don’t sweat it. A few weeks ago, we had a nasty storm blowing through Charleston and I was really worried I wouldn’t make my long run on Saturday. Normally I would fall back to the treadmill but…#2020 and COVID, and yeah that ain’t happening for me. I checked in with my coach and we agreed I’d just forego the Sunday run and do my long run a day late. Easy.

Missing a long run

We know long runs are really crucial to success in training for a distance event, so missing them gives us aaaalll the anxiety. Where you are in your training determines how much this really matters.

Early on, say the first half of training, missing a long run isn’t terrible. You can probably just write it off and get back to your regularly scheduled runs. Missing a long run in the second half of training, when the miles are getting up there is different. Consider making time during the week and replacing one of your shorter runs with the long run. You may have to go at a different time than normal.

In the event you just can’t do your long run for the week, don’t panic. However, depending on the distance of your next long run, you should consider lowering the mileage a bit so you aren’t jumping up too much too fast.

The 10% rule

Speaking of too much too fast…most of us have heard the golden 10% rule. Basically the idea is you shouldn’t increase your weekly mileage by more than 10% week over week. I guess this is generally a good guide, but I don’t like making it so strict. I also don’t want to do all that math. Overall though, I don’t think it’s smart to suddenly jump up in miles, possibly resulting in injury. So, if your last run long was 5 miles and you missed a 7 miler, jumping back in and going for 8 or 9 miles might not be the best idea. Lower the mileage to a more comfortable level.

Another thing. Your training should be incorporating lower mileage weeks, I like to call them “down weeks”. After a few weeks of lotsa miles, it’s important to take a nice easy week with shorter runs. Depending on where this falls in your schedule it might make sense to rearrange a bit to make up for the missed run.

Missing more than a week

If you’ve missed a couple of weeks, you may still be able to adapt. As with missing a crucial long run, you’ll want to adjust mileage and not just jump back in with a huge increase in miles. Consider if you are able to remove a few weeks (they don’t have to be consecutive) in the middle or shave off a week or so at the end of the plan. I’d caution against shaving off taper time, that time is key to recovering before a race.

In my experience, it’s better to be slightly underprepared than to overtrain or do too much too soon after injury. Of course, as with any plan sometimes things are beyond repair. If you really feel your training has gone off the rails and your body will be unprepared, consider deferring the race if that’s an option, or moving down to a shorter distance.

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