What I have learnt from marathon running

Recently, I've been talking to quite a few people attempting their first marathon. It reminded me what a daunting prospect it is when you've never done one before, and what a daunting prospect it still is when you've done two. As I hit the halfway point of marathon training #3, I am reflecting on lessons learnt in the last two and half years, and what I could pass on to first-timers.

1. Training is so much harder than the marathon itself
Trust me, you think hitting the streets or the treadmill 4-5 times a week, with increasingly long runs at the weekend is hard? Well, it is. It’s a psychological tool, designed to make the race a lot easier for you. This is particularly true of your first marathon, as the thrill of it all will carry you along for at least the first half. Actually, what am I saying? It works in the second one as well!

2. Do not listen to negative thoughts
You should only listen to your inner voice when it is saying good things. Good things include, ‘keep going, you lazy cow’, ‘stop whingeing’ and ‘you can have a beer when you finish’. Bad things include ‘you can’t do this’, ‘you’re too tired’ and ‘I can just go in my shorts, it won’t make any difference’.

3. You will at some point in the race feel very tired
This is totally normal. Do not let your head tell you otherwise. It does not mean you have not trained properly (unless you haven’t – see 5), it just means you are running a long way. Keep going, you will get there eventually. And then you can sit down.

4. It is very difficult to sit down after a marathon.
You’re ok for the rest of the race day itself, but the next day consider fitting a temporary grab rail next to the loo or your chair so you can lower yourself down gently. This is way more surprising a side effect than not being able to walk down stairs properly. You can avoid stairs, but you can’t avoid the loo!

5. Training (unfortunately) is the best preparation
Ok, people have run marathons with barely any training (reader, you know who you are!) but they are a) mental and b) quite fit in other ways. Even when you don’t feel like training, just get out there and do it, because it will make you feel a lot better at mile 22 of that race. That’s a promise.

6. The thrill of it all
No matter how hard you find it, I guarantee you will look back on the race experience as a good thing. Maybe not immediately. But eventually. I saw a banner during my first marathon that read ‘marathons are like childbirth: you say never again, and then the next thing you know you’re doing it all over again’. I can’t comment on childbirth, but I can vouch for the addictive quality of 26.2 miles.