Twin Cities Marathon – October 2, 2022 – 3:53:14
I completed my first half-marathon in the fall of 2019 in 1:35:16 and it was that race that made me think maybe I could run a marathon. Until then, 26.2 miles seemed like an impossible distance mostly because I felt like my body would never be able to take the pounding of running that many miles. I had always thought I had knee problems due to probably pretty run of the mill runners’ knee even at lower volumes and distances and then in early 2020 I tore my meniscus while looking over my shoulder getting ready to make a turn across a street while flying down a hill in the middle of winter. At that point it was pretty minor, but I made it worse by putting my treadmill on blocks in order to make a downhill treadmill and intentionally heal striking to try to ease the tightness in my calves. Unfortunately, it was that which really did damage to my knee and kept me from really getting back into running regularly until 2022 mainly because I didn’t really make a conscious effort to understand my injury and rehab my knee or go to a doctor.
Most of Covid I spent either working at the computer or sitting on the couch. I remember one night looking at my running watch before bed and seeing that I had taken under 1000 steps the entire day. After a bout of horrible acid reflux from a night of bingeing on cookies I had the thought that I could die at a relatively young age if I kept eating like I was while being completely inactive. As my mind continued pulling me down the morbid line of thinking I was on, I realized I’d regret dying having never attempted to run a marathon. Though I didn’t commit to running at that point, I did start trying to start getting back in shape shortly after that night.
That Spring, my son who had just recently started running in a youth track program decided he wanted to run a 5k. He was only eight at the time so I decided we would run it together. Leading up to the race, I had only been running again for about two weeks. He ended covering the distance in 24:07 and I finished a few seconds later because I couldn’t bring myself to sprint to the finish like he did. Feeling a fair amount of parental pride and like I might have above average running genetics, I finally decided to sign up for the Twin Cities marathon that weekend. As I would learn though, the marathon is a very humbling distance. Even though I had already stumbled across most of the tips below either in the form of articles, websites or YouTube videos, as they say, experience is the best teacher. And, in my case, that was most certainly true.
I am not a doctor, professional runner, athlete or coach. None of this information should be interpreted as advice. Before starting any long distance running program or new exercise routine, talk to your doctor. I am not responsible for any negative outcome of applying any of the information on this website.
Lesson #1: Have a solid running base going into your marathon training
My training for my first marathon was based on a training plan I got for free through the app Runcoach, which was the official training partner of the Twin Cities Marathon. We also got free premium access to coaching through the app as part of our race registration. I based my training plan and paces on my half marathon time from 2019, which I ran in 1:35:06, even though I wasn’t starting anywhere near this level of fitness at the time. This made the training and paces much harder than they should have been, especially right out of the gate. Ideally, I would have already had a consistent base of running fitness at this point, but I had been back to running only a few weeks when I started the plan.
Lesson #2: Adjust the plan based on how I was feeling or things outside of my control
I stuck to my training plan religiously, not adjusting paces or mileage from what was prescribed. My easy runs were supposed to be at an 8:30-8:45 min/mi pace and I always ran at that pace or faster. I figured faster would almost always be better. This also applied to my long runs, which went up to 24 miles even though my training plan stopped at 23 miles. I ended up running my 24 mile long runs at a pace about 30 seconds per mile faster than I did the actual marathon. By the time the race rolled around, I had run at two marathon-like efforts already.
Lesson #3: Avoid pushing through the pain at all times, but especially training runs
I also held to these paces for tempo runs, though I live in a fairly hilly area. I got up to doing a 14-mile run with 10 miles at a 7:15 min/mi pace. On this run, I ended up pulling my groin. At that point, the best thing to do is stop running and walk home. Instead, I slowly finished my run, hobbling home. Even though just getting out of bed was painful, I tried to run over the next few days before finally deciding to see a doctor. The doctor said I had pulled my hip adductor, referred me to a physical therapist, and I started trying to rehab my groin. The best thing to do at this point would likely have been to stop running, even if I planned to run the race, but I didn’t. I took up a mix of cross-training and running against medical advice. For whatever reason, I noticed that about eight miles into my runs, the pain would go away. Those first eight miles were hurt though.
Lesson #4: Don’t try to lose weight while training for a marathon
Early in my training I had set out to break 3:10 and qualify for the Boston Marathon even though my 2019 PR for the half marathon was 1:35:06. I had done a number of calculations based on things I had found on the Internet that made me think based on previous time if I just did these things I would automatically be able to go under 3:10. One of those things was a general rule that losing x% of body fat would translate to running x% faster. While I was able to lose a lot of weight, I wasn’t always prioritizing recovery and was often in a calorie deficit. For my second marathon I was eight pounds heavier, but also ran it much faster so things are not always that simple. This may have contributed to me getting injured.
Lesson #5: Incorporate a strength and mobility routine
Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how central strength, mobility, and physical therapy are to a running program until after I had injured myself. Subsequently, I now incorporate some strength and mobility exercises into my weekly regimen, even if it is only bodyweight exercises and stretching. Some research suggests that stretching can lead to injuries, but this may be most true for people who already have above-average flexibility. I am definitely not someone with above-average flexibility, so I likely need to do some static stretching to improve my flexibility and ensure an adequate range of motion. I have also tried to include some sort of dynamic warmup, often walking, before my run. I admit that I don’t really enjoy this aspect of running, but I have found that doing even just a little bit of strength and mobility work makes a huge difference and very likely would have prevented my injury.
Lesson #6: Eat a sensible breakfast the day of the race
The night before the race, I made sure I had everything ready to go for the next day, so I didn’t have to think too much about what I needed. I had a checklist on my phone so I was certain everything was ready to go. For breakfast, I had about a half bottle of Maurten 320. I had been accustomed to doing most of my runs fasted over the years, so even taking gels while running was hard to get used to. I like an empty stomach while running, but this goes against the generally accepted truth that you need to consume calories in come form to run your best marathon. I’ve since learned to eat more before running and have experimented with various breakfasts. This also reduces the amount of calories I’d need to ingest during the race. Had I eaten a larger breakfast instead of trying to consume those calories during the race, I would have likely been able to stick with my fueling plan during the race.
Lesson #7: Exercise restraint the first 18-20 miles of the race
Though my taper helped, my groin was still bothering me. I did a very easy warmup and made my way to the starting line. My wife and kids were there to wish me luck and cheer me on at the start, and I dropped my warmup clothes with them. The race director advised those running not to start too fast. I ignored his advice. At the start, I lined up around the 8 min/mi pace group, which would be a 3:30 finish time, which was much slower than my predicted time of 3:23. This first mile or my newly acquired ache in my groin was nagging a little bit, but by mile two or three, it was feeling pretty good. I don’t know if it was the taper or the adrenaline of race day, but I started to feel great. My plan was to stay with the 3:30 group until at least the halfway mark, but by mile three I felt like they were just too slow and if I was going to break 3:10 — my Boston qualifying time — I needed to start running that pace. The first half was great. I kept pacing people, and the crowd was shouting my name. It was around the half mark when my wife and kids came to cheer me on. They said I didn’t look tired, and that’s how I felt. Unfortunately, this didn’t last much longer.
Lesson #8: Stick to your fueling strategy and practice it before the race
By the half marathon mark, I had almost caught up to the 3:20 pace group, but it was around this time the wheels started to slowly come off. On the day of the race I decided to add three extra gels then I was originally planning on taking. On my long runs, I had practiced taking a gel every 30 minutes starting at about 45 minutes into my run. On a whim on race day, based on reading an article about the fueling strategy of elite marathoners I decided instead to shoot for three gels per hour starting at 20 minutes into the race. By the halfway mark I was done eating and felt somewhat nauseous. From that point on, I couldn’t bear the thought of consuming another gel. I had also packed a half bottle of Maurten 320 which I drank basically right at the half marathon mark. I completed the first half just a little over 1:40. This was mistake #5 — trying a new fueling strategy the day of the race.
Lesson #9: Build some walk or stop breaks into your plan
Around mile 19-20 is where the hills begin. The Twin Cities Marathon is considered somewhat Boston-esque because of around three miles of moderate incline around miles 20-23. It was here that things really started to fall apart. It could have been imagined, but I heard a spectator say, “He’s not going to make it” and her friend saying, “Don’t say that”. I’m sure I didn’t look good at this point, but I kept going until my body started cramping so badly I couldn’t keep running. I started walking at mile 24. Up to this point, this was the first time I had walked the whole race. Maybe if I had walked even just a little before this point, I would have been able to stave off the cramping, but at this point I couldn’t run another step. I saw other people trying to stretch out off to the side of the road, but I tried to walk as fast as I could to get to the finish line. I was around this time I ran into my brother who had come to cheer me on. He encouraged me to try running. I couldn’t.
Lesson #10: Start the recovery process immediately following the race
As I walked toward the finish line medical staff were asking if I was OK. I was, but my pride was definitely hurt. A runner came up and encouraged me to run the last 50 yards or so to the finish line and so I slowly shuffled to the finish line. After crossing the finish line I picked up a water and an orange and made my way to a place on the grass where I would meet my family. I sat there for a while because they had lost track of me and had thought I ended up in the medical tent so I waited for a while sitting on the grass. Instead of sitting around, as best I could I should have tried to keep moving a little bit and maybe tried to find something with protein. On the way home we picked up some food, but then I still just sat around on the couch and eventually fell asleep. The next day I was so sore I could barely walk down the stairs and my hip adductor were the worst they’d been not surprisingly. It took me at least a month until I feel pretty good running again and even then I was easing back into it very slowly.
Do I regret it?
Describing everything I did wrong may make it seem like my first marathon was a negative experience or that I didn’t enjoy it, but actually it was the opposite. This was the race that got me hooked on running. Up until this I hadn’t run consistently for more than 6-9 months at a time. Since this marathon I have been consistently running year round. I enjoyed almost every aspect of the training especially the long runs. Even the race itself was great up until about mile 18 or so. I wish I wouldn’t have injured myself leading up to the race and there were many things I could have done better, but I’m happy I completed the race and appreciate my family supporting me through the training and at the race itself.
Applying what I learned from my first marathon and making a few other tweaks made for a much better marathon experience the second time around. Stay tuned for my next post where I break down my second marathon.