Lessons Learned

While I'm still thinking about it, I thought I'd jot down some of the lessons I learned in my long training runs that proved valuable in the marathon:

1. Wear what you plan to wear on marathon. One running bra chafed after 18 miles - so finding a replacement was key.
2. Practice drinking and eating. Ultimately I found that on long runs, Gatorade worked better than water and gummy bears were easier to swallow and stomach than sports gels.
3. Plan your comfort stops. Staying properly hydrated means that most runners will have to stop at one point or another to use the restroom. Knowing that I'd stop just before the halfway point worked for me.

Marathon Wrap-up

It was wonderful, it was painful; I'm proud of myself for finishing, I'm disappointed that I didn't make my time goal (but trying not to beat myself up too much: I developed knee pain at mile 10, kept running, albeit slowly, until mile 23 and then couldn't stand it anymore and barely hobbled along at a walking pace for the rest). As a life experience it was everything that I hoped for: the field of runners was inspiring, the crowds of spectators were amazing, the course was great!

It's taken me a little while to get over my disappointment of not making the time I had hoped for (based on my 1/2 marathon experience and subsequent training I really thought five hours was quite do-able for me, but it took me almost six), but I'm now starting to enjoy the knowledge that I finished... and thinking about maybe trying again in 2010...

Play List

Here's a link to the music that will motivate me to run 26.2 miles:

http://rhaplinks.real.com/rhaplink?rhapid=5267143&type=playlist&title=Vicky%27s+marathon+list&from=listen