First Marathon After Action Report

[TheFujiKing]

Just did my first marathon this past Sunday, wanted to share my experiences with you all.

First off, I would like to mention that I do not possess an ideal long-distance running physique. The past few years I've been mostly bulking and trying to increase my strength goals. I am currently 5'10 and weigh ~200#. I signed up for a marathon sort of as a knee-jerk reaction because I wanted to diversify my fitness profile and see how far I could push myself.

That being said, I was following this 20 week training plan. Beginner Marathon Program
I was somewhat able to follow the plan, unfortunately life gets in the way and I found myself falling really behind by the 10 week mark, simultaneously experiencing some serious knee pain. In hindsight, this probably could have been mitigated by trail running and avoiding pavement.
By race day, I had only logged a 15 mile run as my longest distance and definitely felt under prepared.

The first half I felt great, getting 2:02:10, and I was coasting at a solid pace until I hit the 18 mile mark. There were some serious rolling hills and this was when I had to walk. I was experiencing a lot of lactic acid build up and some intense knee-inflammation. I didn't even feel winded or necessarily tired, just a lot of pain. I walked/jogged the last 8.2 miles and finished @ 4:57:15. Not really proud of this time, I know I could've done better if I had planned/trained/recovered more diligently. Just wanted to know if there were any other long distance runners here and start a discussion on improving long distance goals.

 

[runninrunninrunnin]

Recovery is huge. I ran a half marathon on St. Patty’s day and I was slightly overtrained. Paid for it after.

What kind of mileage were you hitting going into the race? Did you feel super fatigued going into a rest day?

Running mechanics are a big part of it. I’ve had runner’s knee a few times but it usually goes away if I just slow down the rest of the week. Fell on my face last December and messed up my knee pretty bad, tried to jump back into training after a few days off. Paid for it with having to take a few weeks off. Lesson learned.

Applause for completing a marathon with limited training at 5’10 200lb. I’m 5’9 150ish and I’m heavy compared to most runners my height.

 

[TheFujiKing]

I was averaging around 25 miles a week depending on how busy I was and what week. I never felt fatigued (unless I was hungover)

Yeah I definitely need to work on form and heel-striking, honestly every time I ran, even if it was a slow 3 mile I would feel my knees flaming up and then dying down as I just pushed through it. Looking back this is definitely not the way I should be treating my body and I seriously need to take better care of myself.

Thanks for the compliment but I definitely could've done better... Welp better just recover well and try it again!

 

[runninrunninrunnin]

What kind of shoes do you wear? I used to run in some bulky shoes which made running feel unnatural. Made a switch to some lighter road racing shoes which instantly solved it. Although now I wear a more cushioned shoe for easy runs and a lighter shoe for threshold, repeats, etc.

Throw in some strides 8x100m 2-3x per week on grass and just run 25 mpw all at an easy pace until running 25 mpw feels like you aren’t even training.

Yeah you definitely can go faster. Most likely way faster. You just need to improve your running economy (effort used, fuel efficiency, stride) which will happen with a lot of running.
Just don’t do too much too soon. Especially if you’re training for something more important than just a time on a race.

 

[TheFujiKing]

I actually got fitted for some new balance's with insoles at a running store. They are heavily padded, but I do like them because they prevent hot spots on my feet and provide good support on my arches. Plus they fit well for my wide feet and I feel like shoes that are designed to be lightweight are usually more narrow.

 

[Kaldak]

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