The way I went about training for my run was rather dumb. I had no real plan from the beginning. As Forest Gump would say, “I just kept running.” I simply would run with as much time as I could spare on the public treadmill available at the hotel nextdoor. Everyday after work I would eat dinner then between the hours of 10pm and 12pm I would run. To keep myself motivated, I would download a movie on my tablet and watch it while I ran. How much I would run hinged on how much motivation and energy I had. I think if I followed a legit training plan, I would have done much better. My time was 2:11:50. I’m rather satisfied with my time, but I know I can do better. I plan on doing the BMO full marathon next year, hopefully with a more structured training plan. I have already done the research and I’m going to follow Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 plan.
The first 16km was a breeze. The last 5 was excruciating. It was such a crazy feeling. When I finished I felt fine but the subsequent ride home all my limbs were numb and I was nauseous. I believe the same can be said for the first 30 km for a full marathon.
From a cursory read at people’s thoughts on a full marathon compared to the half, the full will be much more devastating and harder to train for. The half marathon was actually a lot easier to train for than my first 10K Sun Run. I think the “beginner’s hell” is definitely a real thing. I think that’s why it’s so important that parents give their children opportunities to try new things. It’s such a privilege to be able to not suffer through the “beginner’s hell” and just enjoy the process.
I ran with the Novablast 4s that I bought specifically for this race. They were amazing. Would recommend. I will probably save those for race day and get another pair of shoes for training.
For the full marathon training I think I will try and swim a lot more to save my legs.