The Marathon Experience

This was one of the best experiences of my life.

My tip for enhancing the experience, is to do a big event, if possible one of the majors and if possible in another country.

The marathon experience is not just one day, it is a whole journey. It starts when you enter and get a place, continues through the training, culminates when you cross the finishing line and lingers on through the recovery and sharing your memories. It's at least 3 months.

I would recommend gaining a minimum level of running experience before you attempt a marathon, although this is not essential for a great experience, it just gives you a little bit of a head start.

As explained in my first blog about running, I started running when my body was no longer capable of more impact type sport, specifically damage to my knee made it impossible to play football any more, or any sport involving sharp changes of direction. I could however run ok. After a very casual start on my own, I joined a local running club and was casually running twice a week. The club kept me motivated and built up my fitness, I also ran in a few local events at medium distances (up to 10k).

A few friends of mine were further ahead of me on the running journey and had entered the Paris marathon. I went along to support. This experience inspired me to have a go myself.

With my friends, we entered the Chicago marathon. It is good if you can do the marathon with a few friends, this not only gives you a shared experience with other people to discuss everything with, but it is also a great motivational help.

The marathon experience really starts with training 3 months before the event. The core of this is gradually getting your body used to running long distances. It involves increasing each week the distance you run until you peak at the marathon itself, this is your weekly long run. Alongside this you should also do other types of running throughout the week to improve strength, cardio and stamina. You should run 3 to 4 times a week during your training.

To do this it is best to follow a training plan. There are quite a few freely available and they are fairly similar in format, but you will need to determine what level of plan you need. This is based on the time you would like to do the marathon in. If you have not done a marathon before then this can be quite hard to determine. If you do some running already then this should give you some indication as to what you should aim for. If you have not done any running before but are quite fit then this could also help you decide. If it is your first marathon then do not try to be too ambitious with your expectations, but don't worry as you can adjust your training plan as you go.

I used the basic runners world plan, for a 4:30 time, but adopted it a bit to suit me.

On a Sunday I would follow their long training distance plan (I wasn't interested in any particular pace, just doing the distance). I would always do my long run on my own with my headphones. I found these increasing longer runs quite hard, giving up a few times, but also very rewarding when you finished one. They are a big part of the experience and a big reminder of the marathon to come. For any distance over 10k I would use a gel at every 10k. It took a while to get used to the gels, but it was worth it as they really keep you going. I built up a playlist to listen too and the 2 songs I remember the most were Paparazzi by Lady Gaga and Halo by Beyoncé. I had a specific route I would do, a 6k loop which I would do multiple times, I really liked my route but it may have been better varying it a bit more.

During a typical week I would go out with the running club. On a Tuesday we would to a sprint session i.e. various fast/recover runs, this helps build up stamina. On a Thursday we would do a medium steady run (approx 10k). It was good to do this with the club as it kept me motivated.

If I had time I would also do another run, often quite short, normally 5k. Sometimes I'd do this at the gym on a running machine.

Throughout the 3 months training I also did some local races. These are good as they give you some race experience and a chance to try out pacing in a race environment. They also add to the whole experience. I did a 10k race, at Silverstone race track, about 1 month into the plan, and then a half marathon about 2 months in. The half was quite a big event in Nottingham, it was a great experience in its own right and gave me a big confidence boost.

During the training it is a good idea to be using the same equipment as you will be using in the race. Use the actual trainers (it is best to get proper running trainers and if possible get them properly fitted at a running shop), the same kit, the same gels, the same sports drink, the same water bottle. Some big marathons have sports drinks available so it can be useful to be using the same during training (although some runners prefer a specific type, stick to what works best for you).

One thing we did to motivate ourselves, and another good tip, was to have a movie night where we watched a great motivational movie called Spirit of the Marathon which is a documentary following the journey of various people of different ability as they prepare and run a marathon (in fact it is features the Chicago marathon, which was a bonus).

For the actual marathon itself we flew out on the Friday, 2 days before the marathon itself. This meant that the whole experience was enhanced with an extended stay in a major city I had never been before, with some friends.

when we arrived we checked into the hotel then went to the marathon Expo to get our race numbers. Being a big marathon it had a large Expo with lots of running related stands to look round. I got a transfer on my arm of my pace timings so I could easily keep track during the race, although I had followed a 4:30 training plan I felt I should try for a 4:00 time (my half marathon had gone well).

The next day we had found a local pre-marathon run to join (actually we sort of gate crashed the event as it was a bit exclusive, but we got away with it), it gave us a light warm up before the race. This was another good experience, as it was organised by a local sports shop and had some guest runners, some older marathon celebrities. During the rest of the day we wondered around the city to see some of the sites, particularly to check out the start/end of the marathon. A good tip is to also determine exactly where you will meet up after the marathon, as it gets very very crowded, and, if you have any spectators with you, where exactly they will be watching the race from and which side of the road, as it is very hard to see people within the crowd. It is important to not do too much during the day as you don't want to tire yourself out too much. In the evening we went to the official pasta party. It is good to carb load before a race and big events often organise a pasta event. It is a good idea to get all your marathon kit ready for the next day.

Marathon day starts early, we got a reasonable breakfast and then off on the train to the start. 

Being a big event the start is huge with lots of people. Being early it is also very cold, with a bit of time to wait, a good tip it to wear something to keep you warmer whilst waiting, but which you can throw away when you start running, lots of people use refuse sacks. People are really crowded in at the start and it's very exciting. You build up quite a bit of nervous energy just before the start and then all of a sudden your off. The start is always quite slow as it takes a while for the crowd to get moving and thin out. In Chicago there is a huge underpass just after the start, under which, because of the long wait/nervousness/cold, loads of men stopped to have a pee, it was quite surreal.

I must admit there are big chunks of the marathon which I don't remember as I managed to get into a steady rhythm and it just went passed. I do remember the large crowd of supporters, particularly early, with lots of cheering and encouragement. I remember various musical entertainments, quite a selection of different types of bands spread out across the marathon, which was also an boost. Both of these are another reason for doing a big event. I also remember various water stations and taking my gels. I also spotted the supporter who went with us which was another good boost. What I don't remember was seeing much of the city, I was too focused on my running. In fact I totally missed going through the colourful China town district and I also  missed a huge ornamental fountain at the end of the race.

The last few miles are very hard. You are just so tired and exhausted. My pace slowed down considerably. I remember the last few hundred yards being slightly up hill which was awful and there were huge crowds cheering. Finally crossing the line was an immense relief, I had done it. My time was just under 4 hours, 3:56, which I was overjoyed with, I had gone at such a steady pace for three quarters of the race that the lack of pace for the last bit didn't matter too much.

I was very tired immediately after the race, staggered through the long finish area, getting my medal, some water, goody bag and warm covering before joining the huge crowds of finishers and supports. I met up with the rest of my group, at the pre-arranged meeting point - good perpetration, who were all faster than me. And shared experiences. It actually didn't take me very long to recover quite a bit and, by the time we left the marathon area, I was felling ok.

We made a leisurely way back to our hotel, basking in our achievements. After a brief shower and change, we headed to the nearest pub for a celebratory drink. I slept well that night and felt surprisingly good the day after, a little stiff/achy. Being a bigger trip we didn't have to return home straight away so had time to spend the next day exploring Chicago, it's a really nice place.

As an addition to the marathon, which again added to the whole experience, our trip was extended and we rented a car and drove to New York for a few days. The was an excellent road trip, but was more of an added holiday, although we did go for a run in Central Park, another great experience.

When we got back home, there was lots of reminiscing with family and friends, all of which continuos the experience.

Overall, running a marathon is a fantastic experience I would recommend to anyone and it is also an achievement which I am very proud of.