What marathon training is, and what it isn’t.

By the time this post goes up, I will have (hopefully) survived my first three days of marathon training. Three days down, 109 days to go!

Marathon training season is prevalent around the running world so there’s a lot of buzz and motivation around the process that ends with one very emotional finish line. But if you’re not a part of the running community, or are new (welcome!), you might not fully grasp what goes on and why anyone would do this to themselves. So what is this crazy adventure I’ve started?

It’s not a way to lose weight.

I know what you might be thinking. “You’re running so many miles over 16-20 weeks, how could you NOT lose weight?” In fact, not only do we not lose weight, I’ve actually gained weight during marathon training. The short explanation is that more so than training for shorter races, marathon training is super stressful on your body. When your body’s stressed, it goes into shut down mode and therefore holds on to weight.

The other reason is that there’s a lot of eating. Yes, good nutrition for fueling is really important. It actually takes up a lot of my mental energy, especially when I’m working towards a marathon. At the same time, there is a really special ravenous rage a person goes into after they run for three hours on a hot, Saturday morning that started at 5:30am. There are days I come home and I am eating an entire pizza myself, and if you try and stop me, you’re going to lose a hand.

In addition to being physically stressful, marathon training takes a lot of mental strength. It’s a lot of work to convince yourself to keep going when you’re 2 hours in, have another 8 miles to go, and it’s already 85 degrees outside. I don’t always have the mental energy to deny myself a huge container of Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding afterwards. Because of aforementioned rage, I know I have moments when I overeat. It’s fine. It’s delicious. It keeps me sane. It does not, however, lead to any type of weight loss.

It’s a huge time commitment.

While I usually train hard for two half marathons per year pretty seriously , even a half doesn’t compare to the amount of time marathon training sucks up.

Not only do you have to spend hours running those long runs, but you need to go to bed early the night before. Afterwards, you’re exhausted. Wander around the city on a nice day? Haha NOPE. I barely want to get up to use the bathroom. It doesn’t matter anyway, because even if you had leftover energy, it has to be saved for the next day’s run. Goodbye, Saturday! Goodbye, late nights out! You get the point.

I dedicate a lot of my time to running on most days, but marathon training means everything revolves around that goal to finish 26.2. It’s a lot to take on, and something to think about if you’re considering a marathon. Can you really dedicate the time and effort to getting to that start line? If not, you’re going to be in for a world of hurt if you try it anyway.

The training is harder than the race.

The strongest and most persistent I’ve ever been is during marathon training runs. Not the race itself, but the training to get there. On race day, there are tons of enthusiastic spectators cheering me on. There are fluid stations. It’s November, which usually means perfect running weather. Once you cross that finish line, you’re done. You can sit down forever if you want to. When I’m training in August, none of that is true. Not only do I have to get through those 16 miles on my schedule, but then I have to get up and run some more on Sunday. When I finish, I just walk home. No one hands me a medal, congratulates me, and gives me free subway rides the rest of the day. There are few things sadder and more worthy of the “WOMP WOMP” than crushing 13.1 miles and getting… nothing.

If you can get through training healthy, you can finish the marathon. Race day is so much better than even your best day of training.

It’s the best thing you’ll ever do.

Yeah, I know, the bias is real. I’m serious, though. I’ve run the NYC Marathon twice before, and both times it was the best day of my life. The feeling of accomplishment when you realize that you are going to cross that finish line can’t be described. It brings me to tears thinking about it. If the NYC Marathon specifically is on your bucket list, know that it is just magic. The entire city shows up with signs and cheers for total strangers.

If you’re ready to take on the time commitment and are ready to do nothing but run and sleep for a few months, do it. Even if it’s just once, I absolutely promise you won’t regret it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired – and will be everyday until November.