Marathoner's Q&A

A friend suggested I do a Q&A about my marathon experience- especially as a first-timer.



So, ask away- Questions about hydration, bathroom breaks on the run, what I ate the night before... I will answer anything. I still can't believe I ran 26.2 Saturday.



And yes, I'll run another one. Hopefully the St. Jude Memphis Full (I did the St. Jude half last year) next December.



Thank you to my dad for documenting this day. UNBELIEVABLE.

The marathon

I'm going to be lazy today (the day after the FULL marathon), and refer you to my other blog, Gilliam.life for an update on the marathon.

All I have to say is, "wow."

Click here to read about my marathon experience.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and for keeping in stride with your own personal goals. You are ALWAYS my inspiration.

Remember why you are running.

Again, I am a novice like everyone else but here are a few simple reminders and thoughts about marathons. KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. That is the motto of my life as I have always tried to keep things simple and this includes running. Leave the heart rate monitor at home (unless you have a condition that requires monitoring). Leave the headphones and iPod at home, enjoy the pain that lingers between your ears for 5 hours. The emotional rollar coaster, that produces troughs of self doubt will be followed by peaks of euphoric pleasure, should be experienced with little distraction. Leave the fuel belts behind. There will be plenty of fluids on the course and you can have family members carry the load for you. Don't wear a watch. If this is your first marathon (I am talking to you Sarah B.) all you should worry about is crossing a line at 26.2. Think light. Shoes, socks, shirt, shorts, hat, and sunglasses. Wait, include nipple guards and something to prevent chaffing as well ;)

Good luck to those of you who are running this weekend and please enjoy your experience!

Marathon checklist

My year of training has led me to this. The County Music Full Marathon.
Click here to have pity/view the course.
Thanks to my running buddies and runnersworld.com, I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
As I'm preparing for the big one this week, I ran across a great checklist (for those of you going or racing at all this year):

Running shoes
Comfortable socks
Lightweight shorts or pants depending on the weather on race day
Lightweight and breathable top depending on the weather on race day
Hat
Sunglasses
Additional clothing if you plan to leave extra clothing at the finish line
Watch with the ability to take splits
Heart rate monitor if you plan to use one during the race
Identification
Any paperwork required for check-in
Race number if it was mailed to your prior to the race or if you picked it up at a pre-race check-in event
Race belt if you intend to use one in place of safety pins to secure your race number
Timing chip if it was mailed to your prior to the race or if you picked it up at a pre-race check-in event
Sunscreen
Hydration pack and liquid to fill the hydration pack
Nutrition bars or energy gels if you plan to carry your own on the course

Here are a few I've added:

- Money (for beer, Gatorade, etc immediately after the race)
- Gum
- Chapstick
- Ibuprofen
- Hanky (for those with runny noses)
- iPod

Please feel free to add to the checklist or add any additional marathon advice!
Good luck to all running this weekend and those keeping up with their training this week.

Back in the game!

I have to be perfectly honest and say I slipped into my normal rut. I always start out with grand plans of running 3 days a week and completing at least a 5K a month and on and on and on and after about 2 months I'm bored and I start making excuses, it's too cold outside, it's too late, I'm too tired etc. I tell myself Monday will be the day I start again and Monday would come and go. I decided last week I'm a person who needs motivation outside my own willpower. So 7 days ago I began again in anticipation of an upcoming beach trip in 2 months. I've been doing the Comcast OnDemand ab workouts and cross training videos every night (some of which are only 10 minutes long) and I've been running the neighborhood again!! I now know I'm prone start making excuses even though I really want this!! So I was super excited when some friends from work decided to get together and do the Muddy Buddy on May 31st. This will be a blast and is just the push I need to stay in the game. So if you are looking for a unique event that just might motivate you stay in the game or get back in there if you made excuses like I did this just might be the event for you. And if it's not your cup of tea I would suggest signing up for a race with some friends. I'll even sign up for one if you want me too, I know I need the motivation.

GOING SOLO?

I found a cool gadget for runners that won't break the bank. Temporary tattoos can help you stick to your pace when running by yourself. PaceTat lists every mile split for marathon finishing times from 3 to 5 hours. Runner's World staffers tested the tats last year and found them "durable and easy to read." The tats cost $3 and can be found here.