“Everything you wanted to know about yourself you can learn in 26.2 miles”.
(Lori Culnane)
The Walk into the Future blog continues to move towards my first full marathon in December. I provided Week #5 and Week #10 training updates and decided to add a Week #15. I’m still here training for the 2022 Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon and race day is coming up—currently one month away from lining up at the start line. I let you know that I am excited and scared in my last update—I still have those two things with me but have added something new: PAIN! Everything hurts on my body at this point—no one talks about this when discussing the training process. Oh well, I press on towards 12/11/2022 and the marathon start line! 😊
The 18-week training journey is winding down and I’m working on the mental aspects of training. My hips, legs and back need constant stretching and Epsom salt baths. I’m happy to report that I’m able to keep pressing forward even when my legs feel heavy. This should help me on race day since I know heavy legs will be a part of race day. Mentally preparing to tackle the full impact of 26.2 miles on race day.
Here’s an update of my actual training miles for this portion of the training plan:
- Week #11: 30.08 miles
- Week #12: 34.91 miles
- Week #13: 21.58 miles
- Week #14: 34.18 miles
- Week #15: 43.72 miles
I continue to read and learn more about marathon training to ensure I’m ready for race day. Happy to share this marathon training journey with my tree branch, Lauren Apgar. Lauren is preparing for her first marathon as well—the 2022 Philadelphia Marathon on 11/20/2022. We share training notes and insights to ensure we both toe the start line and finish strong.
Here are a few things I’ve included in my training process.
Pickle Juice
Discovered a large population of distance runners leverage pickle juice as part of their training routine. I was looking for something to eliminate muscle cramps and this is one of the first benefits listed for pickle juice. It also helps with hydration which is another important aspect of distance running.
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/drinking-pickle-juice#muscle-cramps
Foam Rolling
I’m utilizing my foam roller more these days to mitigate the soreness from my training sessions. I’ve had my foam roller for a while but make sure to get in weekly sessions to work on my legs and back. It helps with my recovery process so I can get back on the road to put in my miles.
Massage Gun
I purchased a massage gun early in my training process and use it daily. My massage gun has multiple attachments that allow me to hit sore muscles from several angles and applies different pressure levels. I can adjust the speed to get deeper into the muscle which feels great after a long run.
Epsom salt
Epsom salt and a hot bath is not a new school approach, but it remains an effective way to recover from a hard workout. I routinely have an 8-pound bag of Epsom salt available to maximize the benefits of magnesium during my recovery process. Highly recommend this old school approach to anyone who trains hard.
I continue to learn new ways to approach marathon training to speed up my recovery process. These new tricks of the trade allow me to move forward and keep logging miles towards my marathon start line.
Excited to see how these things translate to race day.
Irie!
Walk Into the Future 