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Halfway Point in Marathon Training

Hey guys! So marathon training has been... well, it's been. I needed to change my plan and nutrition after already starting training. However, I hurrahed to the first half of marathon training with a PR at the Presque Isle Half Marathon with a time of 1:41:39!





I started out on one training plan, which I held out for four weeks, before finally throwing in the towel and realized that my body would break before even toe-ing the start line if I kept with it. I was running too fast, too quickly, and too often. My hamstrings started hurting (which never happened before), and my plantar fascia was on fire after trying out new racing flats at a track run. 





I rolled out so often that I probably could have been a pancake. Granted, I should roll out more than I should, but hourly?.. seemed a bit much. Every moment of every day hurt no matter if I was sitting, standing, or lying down. I hated running. I didn't even want to train anymore. 

I ditched that plan and shifted over onto a plan that I've been looking at prior to marathon training. It's a plan with smarter, gradual increasing mileage, and less speed days than the previous one.







The first week of the new plan proved to be the answer to all my previous problems. With less speed work and more time focused on building mileage, the pains went away and I began re-enjoying running for the love of it. I've been working through paces better, tackling hills with much more confidence, and even getting tempos in way more consistently than previous weeks. Granted, I still am working on pacing, but I feel much better than I did in the previous plan. 




I know that the physical activity isn't enough. I have to fuel my body right too. I've purchased How Bad Do You Want It?, Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance, and The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond "The Wall"" all by Matt Fitzgerald to guide me nutritionally and psychologically through marathon training. 






These books have been very helpful in how to fuel my body properly to train as best as possible and recover quickly. The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition was incredibly insightful in how to nourish my body during training runs, during the taper weeks, the 24 hours before race day, race morning, and during the race. I super recommend his books, especially if you're new to running and trying to find a fueling strategy that works with your body like I am.


These first 8 weeks have been quite the learning experience. I've had to learn how to take care of my body properly, eat better, and mentally grow in the mindset ready for race day. 

I'm excited for where these next 7 take me! Cheers!

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