Running a Marathon

You may have seen over on Instagram recently, but incase you missed it, I've been training for the NYC Marathon this past summer and completed the big race two weeks ago. Yep, you read correctly, the NYC marathon, 26.2 miles, it was a long Sunday morning jog! Over the past 13 years I have now completed five marathons, not going to lie, I'm pretty proud to say that. I have to be honest though, I think five is good for me, I think I'm done....for now. This race was a very different experience since my last marathon over five years ago. Mr. Beau and I trained together and with such busy schedules recently, this run was a HUGE commitment of our lives. If you are currently thinking of running a 5k, 10k or a big old 26.2 miles, I thought I would share a few of my thoughts "words of wisdom" on my marathon training tips. For those of you who think I am crazy, well, I'll be posting more entertaining ideas soon;) 

{morning of the race, my gear. Sparkly Soul headband and all! very on brand for Glimmer & Threads!}

HAVE A TRAINING SCHEDULE 

Ok, you hear those crazy stories of friends friends who say "oh yay, I didn't train at all and went out and ran a marathon". Whatever, crazy! Do some research online and find a schedule and stick to it. We printed out the TCS NYC Marathon Conservative training, taped it on our closet and every day crossed out our run. Nothing fancy, but it did the job and also, it is super encouraging when you look back weeks later to discover you have run over 50 miles, and it just keeps going. Look over the schedule at the beginning of the week and fit it into your busy life. Both of us work early morning and late nights sometimes, so if Wednesday said a break day but we knew Thursday we couldn't run at all, just flip it around, atleast having a schedule allows you to have a guideline, a little personal coach ... on paper. 

{The morning of the race on Staten Island, me and my coffee. I find it best to stick to your normal routine, drink a cup of coffee, tea, whatever, however, give yourself a little more time before your run to wakeup, digest, ya know.....there are hundreds, thousands of porta potties, just saying.}

 STICK TO IT

Listen, it isn't easy rolling out of bed on a Friday at 5:30am when it is dark out to go for a 6 mile run. Or how about on a Friday night when friends text you about getting together and you know you have to run 20 miles the next morning, so you have to pass, again, not easy. But honestly, just stick with it, watch lots of movies, rest up, cook a nice dinner, I know it sounds cheesy, but just stick to the training and really, every mile gets easier. My husband didn't think he could run past 13 miles ever in his life, but then every week he added another and he did it, you can to. 

{I think this was at mile 8, we felt GREAT...notice I didn't post a photo at mile 20, we felt, well...not so great. Achey knees, aching back, was it over yet?} 

EAT, EAT GOOD STUFF, EAT 

Now is not the time to go on a juice cleanse or low carb diet, not during a marathon training. Now DON'T over indulge by any means, but just eat. I find myself when training, constantly hungry, snacking, always nibbling on something. I was talking to a friend during training who mentioned she is too busy to eat lunch or anything much during the day and I laughed talking about the hundreds of snacks I have at my desk. Seriously, keep healthy snacks on hand, eat a big healthy breakfast, don't eat a lot of sweets {I gave up sugar during training, NOT easy! I had healthy real sugars in fruits etc. but half way through cut out the cake, ice cream, chocolate treats. I have to say, it felt good, and my skin looked good!} And yes, my favorite, a nice glass of wine, go minimum, boo, but trust me, during your 18 mile training run, it does feel better. A few of my favorite recipes and snacks I ate and made during training that I LOVED: 

Pip & Nut Coconut Almond Butter on a sliced apple or banana - a little obsessed with this UK brand

Bounce Balls - Coconut & Macadamia Nut and Peanut Protein Blast are my fav. These are not to be eaten as candy, they are full of good stuff, but not eaten in handfuls. I like to keep one around when I'm really needing a snack or had no time to make a good breakfast. 

Smoothies - I have become a bit obsessed with green smoothies and am loving the recipes on Deliciously Ella & Simple Green Smoothies 

Brown Rice Pastas, Overnight Oats, Almonds, Berries, Coconut Milk, all yummy snacks I consumed a lot of over the past few months. 

{One of the main green smoothie recipes I am now addicted to.} 

 ADD ANOTHER EXERCISE THEN RUNNING TO YOUR ROUTINE
Running is great exercise but your body needs to train in other ways. I found my back really sore the last race I did and was told I should do more strength training and stretching. A 26.2 mile is tough on your body and it really needs to be strengthen all over. I signed up for Class Pass during the beginning of our training and loved being able to go to multiple types of classes; yoga, pilates, strength training. These are a few of my favorites:
Orange Theory Islington - Ten City Pilates - 1 Rebel - Xtend Barre - bePilates 

{Proud of Mr.Beau! After the finish line in Central Park!} 

REST

Ok, this sounds crazy coming from a lady who has a hundred and one projects going on, but really, find time to rest. When we did our long training runs on the weekend, we would usually spend the rest of the day around the flat relaxing, watching tons of Netflix, your body will thank you! The night before the race, get some rest, sleep, you need it. 

FIND A TRAINING BUDDY

When I lived in DC a group of girlfriends and I would wakeup really early before work and go for a run. On days when it was cold, dark and possibly snowing nobody wanted to do that, however, we did and I couldn't have trained without them. I ran the past four marathons on my own, but having someone along the way to train with and wait for you when you needed to walk, to chat with, it is SO helpful! I don't think me or my husband would have gotten through the race without one another. Whether during training or during the race when we just wanted to sit down! 

{Early morning, no makeup, bottles all filled, ready to run!} 

{Weird runner GU, or you can say treats....Sea Salt Chocolate tasted AMAZING at mile 18!} 

{Training before work on the Regents Canal with #siroliveruk along for the run} 

PACK YOUR RUNNING SHOES EVERYWHERE 

Finding different spots to run makes a training run better I think. We went to Holland a couple of months ago to visit our friends and packed our shoes. Running by the windmills during a 10 mile training run added a bit of scenery change and was so nice. During our regular runs we ran all over the city, finding different areas we had never discovered before. I like to use Google Pedometer to map our runs and know how long we are going. I also use Nike+ on my phone to log our runs and the mileage, you can do it anywhere! 

Enjoy it! It is a crazy race, a marathon, but you are doing something pretty amazing! It isn't for everyone, it isn't easy and takes commitment. I would never say I am some super fit gal, but after finishing a race like this, you feel like Super Woman, haha, really! Take a break to walk, drink LOADS of water, get a lot of sleep, take in the scenery and enjoy it. GOOD LUCK! 

xoxox Rebecca