Lessons Learned from My First Marathon

It’s been a long time coming, but I finally ran my first marathon on Sunday. It was the Royal Victoria Marathon this past weekend, and I couldn’t have asked for a better race to run my first marathon. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for a run. Nice cool temperature, bright sun in the sky to keep you warm, and a breeze off the sea to cool you off if you get to warm.

The race itself though, was kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: the first half went great, the second half was bad. Really, really bad. My feet and legs couldn’t handle the pounding, and my left knee wanted to lock up on me. But I got myself through it. Rarely have I ever DNF’d a race, and there was no way I was not going to finish my first 26.1 mile race.

So I learned a few things in my four and half hour journey on the course. Things I should’ve known better, things I can apply for next time, and things about myself.

Lesson # 1: You have to actually train

This is a no brainer, and one of the things I should’ve known better. I only started training back in July when I registered, and it was actually going quite well. Up until my little boy got sick, then I got sick, and recovery took awhile. When I was finally feeling 100%, the race was only a couple weeks away. Now I should’ve gotten some running in at that point, just so I could get my legs back into the fray. But instead I said “f@%k it!” I’ll just go and do it.

Stupidest thing to do, I know, and there’s no excuse for it. I figured at that point I will survive the race and do what I can, which I did.

The smart thing to do would’ve been to start training much earlier, and get the legs to adapt to all the pounding. I have strong legs, but not strong enough to run 42km. And at the time I wasn’t even planning to run a marathon. I’m not going to spend time training for a race that I might do when I had other matters to attend to.

Lesson # 2: You gotta have fun

I’m pretty competitive when it comes to racing. I don’t want to just complete a race, I want to be the best. Even when I’m in a field that could easily crush me, I want to go out there and show that I can hang with them. But for this one, my mentality had to shift. I had to go in and learn to have fun with it and not get caught up in other people’s races. I have my pace to follow, I have my priorities.

So I had fun. I brought my phone with me. I listened to my music. I updated wifey of my whereabouts on the course. I documented my race on Facebook and took pictures along the way. I even had some beer while I ran. I did this because I wanted to enjoy my race. And it helped.

Lesson # 3: Worry about yourself

Now even though I was having fun, there were still moments where my competitive spirit came out. There were points in the race where I would get past by someone, and automatically I’d want to keep up with them. But I had to keep myself in check to get through the whole thing.

After the halfway point, when things went sideways for me, I had to keep reminding myself that “this was still your race, no one else’s. And if you gotta walk, walk. If people pass you, let them pass you. No one isn’t going to think of you any less.”

When you do your thing and not worry about other people’s perceptions, it makes things getting things done a lot easier.

Lesson # 4: It’s good to have support

I texted my wife often letting her know where I was at. I also let her know how I was feeling. And her words of encouragement helped me continue moving forward, getting one foot in front of the other. I ain’t gonna lie, I had my moments of doubt. Even when I was having my fun, I still had thoughts of quitting. But reading her texts, then seeing the support online, it helped.

As solitary as running a marathon can be, it’s good knowing when you have loved ones and friends cheering you along the way.

Lesson # 5: Breaking things down into manageable pieces

After the halfway point, I had to use different strategies to get from one kilometre to the next. I tried using my timer to break the run into walk/runs. I used music as my guide, running one song then walking the next. Or if I walked for too long, I would force myself to run to the next kilometre mark or water station before I could walk again.

The point is, when I broke things down into smaller chunks, it made getting through the second half manageable. Instead of thinking “10k to go”, I just had to think one more km. Or get to the end of this song. Or whatever strategy I was employing.

Getting things done in smaller chunks helps to get the big picture done.

The next time I run a marathon, I have these lessons to learn from. And for those who plan on running a marathon, or taking up any kind of challenge, perhaps you can learn from experiences.

PARE and POPAT training obstacles: the problems you have and the tips and solutions to overcome them.

The PARE and POPAT test are physically demanding tests. Many applicants will prepare by performing easy to moderate runs or lifting weights for high reps. But, they will also forget to practice the skills necessary to run the test efficiently. As such, after their test, they realize the training they have been doing wasn’t sufficient enough.

They were running, but they weren’t running with enough intensity. They were lifting, but they were focusing on small muscles instead of compound lifts. They also realize that there’s a technical aspect to the test. It’s not just a matter of running around cones, jumping obstacles, and scrumming with a machine.

Below I’ve outlined 5 common problematic areas that applicants experience in the PARE and POPAT tests. I talk about the problem, provide a solution, and give tips and tricks when it comes to the technical points of the tests.

Push/Pull

Problem: Lack of strength and technique

Solution: Strength training, technique work

Exercises to Work On: push-ups, pull-ups, inverted rows, seated rows, standing rows, bench press, pulldowns

Technique Work:

Push lean in from the legs and use them,  don’t rely on the arms and chest to push continually push, never relax take as few steps as possible, you’ll cover more ground if you shuffle, always keep one foot on the ground practice with a partner to simulate the push (watch the video below for a quick simulation)

Pull don’t lean back, sit back and stay low pull with the back muscles as well as with the arms, and keep the elbows bent take as few steps as possible, you’ll cover more ground if you shuffle, always keep one foot on the ground

Vault Jump

Problem: Lack of confidence, lack of leg strength and power, gassing out (especially for POPAT)

Solution: Build up confidence, practice at varying heights, increase leg strength and power

Exercises to Work On to Work On: squats, deadlift, lunges, jump squats, tuck jumps, hurdle jumps

Technique Work:

Here a couple posts you can refer to when it comes to jumping the vault:

For help with the PARE vault, check out my article on Jumping the PARE Vault 
 

For help with the POPAT vault, watch the video below POPAT Vault Jump Instructions

One tip for those who have difficulty jumping 3 ft: practice on a lower height first and slowly jump higher heights until you’re at 3 ft. If you have access to aerobic steps and risers, you can use those to simulate the vault, while at the same time practicing at various heights. The back of couches is another good option. If you make a mistake, at least you have cushions on the other side to break your fall.

Mat Jump

Problem: Gassing out, lack of leg strength and power

Solution: increase leg strength and power, improve run up to the mat

Exercises to Work On to Work On: squats, deadlifts, lunges, split squats, step ups, broad jumps

Technique Work:

• sprint to the mat
• don’t look at the front or back of the mat, look beyond it
• reach with your front leg, don’t let it drop early
• jump across, not up and over

Below are a couple videos, one demoing an inefficient way of jumping, which I just call up and over. The second video demos the quicker and and more efficient of jumping, which is to jump straight across and minimize any vertical jump.

Controlled Falls

Problem: too slow falling down and getting up

Solution: burpees and sit ups

Exercises to Work On: burpees, push-ups, sit-ups, reverse crunches, planks

Technique Work:

Front Fall drop quick; place your hands on the ground and kick out both feet behind you at the same time drop quickly to the ground; as soon as your chest and hips touch, push yourself away from the ground right away. It’s touch and go movement, and you should feel like you’re bouncing off the floor as you’re pushing up, tuck both knees to your chest and stand

Back Fall drop quick to your back, don’t take your time and set yourself up, get to it quickly once you’re flat on your back, use your arms to swing up just as you’re performing a sit-up; that momentum will help you up quicker as you’re coming up, place your hands at your sides and use your arms to help you stand up

If you want a video tutorial for controlled falls, check out the two videos below on the front fall and back fall.

 And if you want a “fun” drill to add to your training repertoire, you’ll love the Controlled Falls drill.

Gassing out

Problem: Not enough intensity to the conditioning training, only doing moderate intensity runs

Solution: high intensity interval training

Exercises to Work On: 400’s, 200’s, sprint intervals, stairs/hills

400’s Run 4-6 400’s, aiming between 1:30-2:00 each 400. Rest 2:00 between sets The goal is to run the same times each 400, so if you ran 1:45 for your first 400, you should be running within +/- 3 seconds  each 400. Word of caution, don’t run your first 400 too fast, you’ll end up running slower on each 400.	200’s Run 5-8, aiming between 40-1:00, rest 1:30-2:00 between sets The goal is to run the same times each 200, so if you ran 0:50 for your first 200, you should be running within +/- 2 seconds  each 200. Word of caution, don’t run your first 200 too fast, you’ll end up running slower on each 200.
SPRINT INTERVALS If sprinting for time, perform 10-30s sprints, rest 1:00-2:00 between sets If sprinting for distance (ie 100m), record your time and keep it consistent. Rest 1:00-2:00 Perform 5-10 sprints, depending on fitness level	STAIRS/HILLS Find a steep hill that  you can run up anywhere from 10-30s Perform 5-10 hill sprints, depending on fitness level. Recovery walk down the hill, plus another 15-30s of rest at the bottom before you go again If on stairs, running up one storey and back down counts as one climb. Perform sets of 3-5 climbs and rest 0:30-1:00 between climbs

The above is just a snippet of interval training you can do, there are many others that can be performed. Just make sure you are performing it at a high intensity that is consistent. A word of caution: don't perform high intensity intervals more than 2x/wk, 3 max. As tempting as it is, you won't be doing your body any favours. There is still a place of low and moderate intensity training, which is a topic for another day.

Technique Work for running (yes, running involves technique):

• Run tall and relaxed
• Keep shoulders, arms, and hands relaxed, avoid tension
• Land softly on your feet like a cat, instead of heavy like an elephant
• Try landing with your feet under your body, instead of reaching out
• Keep your running cadence (the number of footsteps you take) around 90 BPM per foot. That usually means you’re not overstriding and your feet are landing under your body.

You have the solutions, now it’s a matter of incorporating them into your training. If you’re having a hard time putting together an effective program and need coaching help to prep for your PARE or POPAT, email me at redline.conditioning@gmail.com.

You can also check me out on Facebook at Marc Locquiao – Redline Conditioning. And if you want regular updates on motivation and training, sign up below for my free newsletter.

Running Shoe Question

            The other day I got an email from a friend. She was being asked questions about running shoes, and she was kind enough to forward me the questions to help out with it. So I decided to turn this into a post about running shoes, as the questions are fairly common. There had already been some back and forth email between the two of them when I finally was forwarded the below questions:

            “I used to feel some knee pains, but it's not as severe as before. I think it may have to do with finally changing the shoes. Speaking of that, how long should you keep your shoes for? I've read on running sites that real runners say 300-500 miles. I've also seen 6 months recommended. What's your take based on the type of workout that I engage in?

            Oh and I checked my shoes again, they're worn out near the outside edge and the outside heel. I think that makes me a supinator but I originally didn't think so because I have relatively flat feet and supinators generally have high arches. Do supinators need some cushioning?

            Lastly, I want to ask about the Nike Frees. They look cool. I think they are designed to be quite flat and I think people said that you want flatter shoes if you're going to do work with weights. If I really am a supinator, do you think there's harm in wearing those for my treadmill warm-ups and weight work? I think Frees with higher numbers have more cushioning.”

This was my reply:

            “When it comes to changing your shoes, the general recommendation is 300-500 miles. For many hardcore runners, that's usually every 6 months. But judging by the mileage you put into your shoes, you can get away with training in running shoes for at least a year.

            When it comes to choosing running shoes, it boils down to comfort, fit, and how you feel in them when you walk, but most importantly run. You shouldn't have to break in a shoe. The right shoe should fit like a glove and if you have any nagging issues with shoes when you walk or run in them, try another pair. It may take hours to find the right shoe (trust me on that, I know), but it's worth it. You don't want to drop $150 on a pair that will only give you trouble, so take the time to choose wisely. And if they happen to be on the lower end of the price range, that's a bonus.

            So should supinators need cushioning? Depends on what you're comfortable with. Because you're not doing a lot of high mileage, you should be able to get away with a shoe that's not overly built up. On a side note, I will say it's not always the shoe that causes problems in the joints. It plays a role, but it's not the main issue. You have to look at your technique when you run and whether or not you have any muscle imbalances.

            As for the Nike Frees, they are a good shoe, but again it comes down to how it fits on your feet and how comfortable it is. They are generally flat, which is great when you do deadlifts and squats. And they're nice and light which is great for runs. Other shoes similar to the Frees are the New Balance Minimus, or Saucony Hattori. Basically these shoes are called minimalist because they are not overly built and provide you with enough cushioning. And when you run in them, they allow you to run more naturally. They're great for both running and lifting, but I will note if you plan on doing longer runs in them, you should gradually build up your mileage.

            I hope I was able to answer your questions. If you need clarification, or if you have any other questions about running, please don't hesitate to drop me an email. I'll be glad to help out.”

            Do you guys have any running related questions? Throw ‘em my way, I’d love to help you out!