How I, an average at best runner, ran two marathons 4 months apart and shaved off 45 minutes.

The Providence Marathon (May 2023) was my first marathon. I ran two half marathons the year before and was determined to run a full in 2023. Well little old me thought let’s enter the lottery for the Berlin Marathon since there absolutely no way I’d get in, so like for funsies I entered. Then the realist in me decided that I had to enter the Providence Marathon so I could actually run one. And of course jokes on me I got into Berlin! (a mix between yay! and fml).

So January 2023 I started marathon training. I’ve always been a cold weather runner so figured this would be fine. I think I had to take two different weeks off due to shin splints throughout the whole training process. Not to mention I did all easy running - speed work who is she? - and too something like 22 weeks total for training. I also peaked way too early and ended up doing multiple 20+ mile long runs.

By then end I was fairly confident in my ability to run this race. Then race day rolls around and mother nature was like here’s 80 degrees and humid af weather for you! And to top if off the gels I spent the past 22 odd weeks using decided to make my stomach feel like crap. There was a lot of walking and I just wanted to cry those last 6 miles. But hey I made it across that finish line at 5 hours and 11 minutes!

Post race I was DEAD! My whole body protested every move and I took a shower and crawled into bed for the rest of the day. Dinner was McDonalds.

I took the month of May off of running for the most part. Two weeks post race I started just doing short runs while I finalized my next marathon training cycle.

This time around I for one knew I could run the distance, and I for two I knew I could do better.

Never thought I’d say this in my entire life but I will now forever love summer running!

This marathon cycle was shorter - 16 weeks - and there was plenty of speed workouts to go around! I woke up early to beat the heat. I fueled a hell of a lot more before, during and after. I trusted the dang training program and pushed myself through the tough workouts. I also didn’t get injured this time around due to me actually paying attention to my body and recovering properly. I did have to take a few days off here and there, and a week I think at one point but this was all due to other poorly timed medical crap - wisdom teeth removal and ovarian cyst rupture that hurt like a b*tch.

My longest run was only 18 miles - I ended up having to skip another 18 miler and a 20 miler. But at the end of my training, right before the taper I was feeling fantastic! My last hard workouts were freaking amazing. My 13 mile time trial went so fucking great! I was so confident in my goal for under 5 hours!

My favorite speed workouts were tempos - warm up for a few miles then miles repeats at marathon pace with recovery in between and then a cooldown. I also really tried to do progression runs, to practice the start slow and finish fast idea.

Two days out from race day we walked like 30k steps around Berlin…whoops. The night before we walked a bunch trying to find an Italian restaurant for pasta…another whoops. And race day was insane to say the least. So heads up if you’re going to run one of the majors, it’s crazy! And don’t be like me, find a place to park your butt don’t just stand around.

Race day (September 2023) was a bit chilly - I was shivering in the hour long portapotty line. And of course I didn’t bring throw way clothing which I’ll definitely be doing next marathon! I was in the last corral which made me nervous about finishing with my goal time - a dumb thought honestly, your corral doesn’t matter.

A huge thing that helped me was having a pacing plan this time. My plan was to have a 10:30-10 min pace and check in with myself at the half mark and adjust from there. I had this locked in, I swallowed the urge to start out fast and kept it slow knowing it’d pay off in the end.

A huge help was repeating a mantra pretty much the entire time - “run the mile you are in.” Especially when it got tough around mile 20 and I knew my thighs were a little chafed (jokes on me they were actually bleeding apparently).

Another huge help was sticking to my fueling plan…well for the most part anyways. Every 4 ish miles I’d eat a stroopwafel - Honeystinger salted caramel ones. I kept this up for about 18-22 miles and then promptly forgot to take my last one or two.

Berlin is the race I left everything I had on that course. Literal blood sweat and tears. When I saw the Brandenburg gate I took a deep breath and pushed with everything I had left. I passed so many people, I was weaving in and out and just determined to cross that finish line. The next day we went to the Zoo & Aquarium! Legs were sore but moving definitely helped so so much! The worst part was probably my torn apart inner thighs from all the chafing and the big gauze pads I had to tape on and then walk around in shorts because it was warm outside.

The major take aways from this are to:

#1: Run two marathons. -Run the first one to show yourself that you can do this and the second one is where you actually add the speed workouts and push yourself.

#2: Have a pacing plan, and a fueling plan and freaking stick to them! Don’t get carried away with the crowd at the beginning, let people pass you, ignore them. Eat your gels, chews, stroopwafels etc. when you are supposed to. Drink before you’re thirsty (I used a hydration pack but it’s not always allowed for races so check and train accordingly).

#3: Have a mantra or two that you can repeat to yourself that will help keep you moving forward when it gets tough.

#4: Trust the training plan - push yourself on the hard workout days and actually run at a snails pace on the easy days. You don’t have to run 20+ miles for a long run to be able to run a marathon. And to be honest I think it’s better capping it at 18 miles. But I do understand the mentality of wanting to run 20+ in training to prove to yourself you can do this - and take it from me - you can but make sure its programmed right in your training so that you don’t peak too early! Remember your training isn’t just about your long run distance, it’s also about time on your feet which you train every week as you build up your miles.

#5: Mimic the race course as much as possible - Berlin is a flat course, Westerly RI is hilly af so I went to the Wakefield Bike Path for long runs since it’s a lot more flat.

#6: Recovery and sleep are so important! Sleep, take naps, foam roll, stretch, sit in a sauna etc. This also means listening to your body and skipping runs if need be or rearranging your week to fit them in some time else. One missed run (or hell a freaking weeks worth ) will not screw you over. Is it ideal no, but in the end even missing a week or two won’t ruin everything.

#7: Fuel your body. You’re going to have to eat a lot more (this helps with recovery too!). Especially at the peak of training I was probably eating 4 meals a day and like 2 snacks. Try and keep it relatively healthy but pizza or a doughnut can really hit the spot after a hard workout or long run. I think the main thing that helped me was keeping an eye on my protein intake and making sure I was actually eating enough - macro tracking came in clutch here. Protein oatmeal is my go to for long runs and race day! Oats, a scoop of protein powder, cinnamon, maple syrup, strawberry jam and a spoonful of peanut butter! This was a little tricky when in Berlin, I packed oats and the protein in my luggage and then bought peanut butter and jam over there. It wasn’t perfect but it was close enough to my go to.

#8: Water + electrolytes. I was drinking one liquid IV everyday and like a gallon of water during both cycles but more so for the Berlin marathon because I gained knowledge from the previous training cycle and because it was summer and I was drenched in sweat and taking a couple showers everyday. For me I never have really run and drank electrolytes at the same time so I just make sure I’m drinking them before and after runs and race day. Leading up to the race (Berlin) and after I used LMNT because of the higher sodium content.

#9: Don’t have a set goal for your first marathon, your main goal should be crossing that finish line. It’s better this way so you don’t feel discouraged or like you failed if you miss the time goal on your first marathon. Crossing that finish line isn’t easy and is a ridiculously amazing feat in itself. Hence running two marathons (doesn’t have to be in the same year), the first one is to get a base line, to see where you are and the second one is to fine tune your training and push yourself. The second one is for that time goal (well unless the weather sucks or any other external factor that is out of your control).

#10: Have FUN! Marathon training is no joke! It’s so challenging yet rewarding. You’re going to have horrible runs and workout, and days when your strength training feels so much harder. But you’re also going to have those I can freaking do this days where everything just goes perfectly, you hit the paces or you lift the heavy weights or whatever it is. And more often than not you’re going to have the most mediocre workouts, where maybe your paces were roughly on the number, but it wasn’t fantastic and you’re tired and your body feels heavy and slow. It’s all apart of the process, so learn to embrace the inevitably very challenging and rewarding process of training and running a marathon.

So who has a marathon for 2024?