Why a Marathon?

The origins of the goal:

March 3rd 2020:  The pandemic hits Rhode Island.

March 22nd:  My local CF gym, Spartan 360, switches to virtual classes.  As a part-time coach, I begin coaching some Zoom workouts.

April 21st: After the 8am morning Zoom workout, one of the athletes, Nicole, mentioned she had just recently completed a marathon. It was her first marathon, and she had completed it only a few days prior. She described the physical and mental battle, the soreness & emotion afterwards and the positive experience as a whole.  It was a huge accomplishment. I was hooked & ready to sign up.

Immediately after the class I messaged a few friends to see if anyone was interested.  The adrenaline from the Zoom workout was still pulsing through my body.  Most of my CF friends quickly dismissed the idea (and I don’t blame them!).  One friend, Tim, without hesitation said yes.  Unfortunately, his race would be cancelled this year.  His marathon journey is postponed until 2023.

April 25th: Bob Johnson reaches out.

Bob is a family friend. He is also a seasoned athlete.  He has competed in multiple marathons, Iron Man races, including multiple Iron Man world championships. His top finishes include multiple sub-3 hour marathons.

When Bob found out about my new goal, he immediately offered his support.  Bob provided guidance on which race to run, general marathon strategy, a marathon program and the kicker: the goal of completing it under 4 hours.

April 28th: I signed up for the Narragansett Marathon.

My Training Plan

Brief Training History:

Prior longest distance run (lifetime): 5 miles

Prior longest distance run (past 3 years): 2 miles (In the CrossFit workout “Murph”). 

Training history: Crossfit since 2017, Olympic style weightlifting since 2015, General commercial gym training since 2009, High school sports background

The Plan:

Running Plan: Bob provided a 24 week plan, based on the Galloway format. I modified the mileage and # of days to match my current running level. He also provided tips and advice for training.

Nike Run Club: I also used the automated marathon plan from the Nike Run Club app to create my own hybrid program to match my current level. My average weekly runs included: 2 medium distance training run, 1 long run. Towards the end of my program I also added in 1 day for speed work. My longest training run prior to the marathon would be 18.5 miles. I was able to follow my program with about 80% accuracy. At times I would have to deviate due to injuries, or life circumstances.

Crossfit: I wanted to continue training Crossfit workouts as much as able. During the first half of my training block this worked out pretty well. But, as mileage increased it became increasingly difficult to do both. Towards the end of my training block I stopped all high intensity Crossfit workouts and focused on low impact strengthening, prehab & rehab work in order to prepare for race day. 

Cross-training: I regularly (3x/ week) performed low impact strength exercises to keep my legs & hips strong and injury free. My goal for this training was to improve my running. I never chased heavy weights, or pushed for PRs. I wanted to leave the gym feeling good & ready to run the next day.

Knowledge Bombs from Bob:

“There are no substitutions for the long runs“

“Do not try to make up for missed training days”

“Recovery is as important as hard workout”

“Consistency is the key.  If you beat yourself up too much you will probably end up missing more workouts than if you take it easy and let aches and pains recover.  It’s a real balancing act.”

“The real point of all this is to balance rest and recovery in your training.  The training tears you down.  The recovery makes you strong.  They are of equal importance.  I am sure you know this from all the other training you have done.”

-Bob Johnson

The Training Log

Injuries

• Week 5: IT Band pain. I attribute this to: 1.) Over-striding with my running form 2.) Too many intense/ high impact Crossfit workouts 3.) Large increases in weekly mileage. This injury mostly resolves in 3 weeks, but I have to remain cautious, and continue to rehab it during the rest of my training. There is a large flare up of pain in week 17.

• Week 21: Left hip flexor pain. I attribute this to: 1.) Under-recovery. In other words, pushing too hard in running and cross-training, and not allowing my body to rest. This pain comes on gradually, but increases significantly, to the point where it can keep me up at night. This took 2-3 weeks to mostly resolve, but I need to keep cautious and rehabbing it throughout the rest of my training. Occasionally flares back up.

Pre-Hab

• Typical warm up (5 min)

  • 2-3 rounds of

    • Inchworms x5

    • Single leg RDLs x10 each leg

    • Cossack Squats x10

    • Squats x10

    • Lunges x10

• Post Run (5-20 min, dependent on time)

  • Foam roll ITB, Quads, Hamstrings

  • Stretching: Couch stretch, hamstring stretch, pigeon, calves

Rehab

• Banded work…honestly TB12 ‘s book is a good reference

• HyperVolt percussion massage gun for tight areas

• Normatec Boots for circulation to speed up recovery

• Assault bike for crosstraining

• Unilateral (single leg) training to stay balanced

  • Split squats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Bs3wfgpGQ

  • Single leg squats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOy5RNQ-IJU

• Core training

  • Side Planks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8F4Rlxo7mc

  • Dead Bugs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv1-9LBg1dI

• Hip flexor specific exercises

  • Hip Flexor Drills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIEVO7Acp0

  • Planks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UulLoiQw_8

  • Hollow Holds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0QJl5CtYms

• ITB specific exercises:

  • Clam Shell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEuo1IucqVw

  • Hip Abduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HKxAObNeVs

  • Banded Side Stepping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts2hrMTsqOw&t=2s

  • 4 way lunges: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkEUOgwvEBs

Favorite Gear

• Shoes: Brooks GTS from Rhode Runner Providence

• Shorts: New balance 5” running shorts

• Gels: Huma

• Gloves: Rhode Races custom Boco running gloves

• Headphones: JBL reflect bluetooth headphones

• Tank: Nike running tank top

• Socks: Bombas

• Sunglasses: Costas

Race Prep

Week before

• I tapered my milage according to program. I even skipped my last training run, as I was feeling slightly under-recovered from a leg workout a few days prior.

• My nutrition coach Gina helped me stay on track of carbs/ fats/ protein/hydration.

Night before

• I wanted to get mentally prepared and visualize race day. I watched some running youtube videos, running vlogs & documentaries. Tried to get to bed early, but the excitement kept me awake most of the night.

• About 6 hours of sleep total

Morning of

• Woke up 6am

• 4 eggs, bagel with butter (my normal breakfast)

• Sipped on black coffee on my drive down to Narragansett

• Packed my bag of extra clothes, shoes, headphones, gels, cliff bars, gatorade, water, bandaids

10 min before

• I was wearing a tank top, but with temps in the low 50’s it was a little too cold. I made a last second decision to put on a cotton T-shirt, and I put 2 bandaids in my pocket and prayed my nipples wouldn’t bleed.

• I followed Bob’s hydration protocol to avoid having to use the bathroom during the race

“A trick that worked for me was to drink plenty of water, little sips frequently, The day before and morning of the race. I would stop drinking 2 hours before the race to allow excess fluid to evacuate. I would then drink a small bottle of water… and then use the bathroom right before the race started.” - Bob Johnson

Starting Line

• Everyone lined up on “dots” 6 feet apart for social distancing

• Masks were mandatory when we crossed the starting line & finish line

• Sounding gun went off. And it began. Very surreal experience.

The Race

“The only other advice I can think of is to not go too fast for the first few miles. It is so easy to get over excited. You might run 40 seconds slower per mile for the last 5 miles for every 10 seconds you run too fast for the first 5 miles!” - Bob Johnson

• Mile 1:

  • I forced myself to run with “the pack” at a 9:00 min/ mile pace, which felt painfully slow

• Mile 2:

  • Allowed myself to pick up to an 8:30 pace 

• Mile 4:

  • Wasn’t thirst, but I stopped for water. My strategy for this race was to stop for water at every station (spaced 4 miles apart).

• Mile 4-13:

  • Felt great. Really cool to see friends cheering on the side, was a great boost of energy each time I saw someone.  I did NOT expect how much this would help.

• Miles 13-16: 

  • Still felt full of energy, felt like my tank was full. Legs were getting normal aches and pains that come and go. 

  • I was playing leap frog back and forth with a few runners that matched my pace.

• Mile 16-18:

  • Hard, but very do-able, familiar territory. 

• Miles 18.

  • I was feeling much better than I had been when I did my 18.5 mile training run.  But it was definitely getting tough.  I was able to make the mental effort seem easier by playing mental games, and counting down each mile until I hit mile 20. 

• Mile 20:

  • Very Hard. The 5,280 feet between mile marker 20 and 21 felt like it should have been 5 miles. Not so much from an effort standpoint... But from a standpoint of how LONG it felt like it took to go from 20 to 21. Time slowed way down.

• Mile 21:

  • Awful.  I’m starting to slow down, my pace is creeping towards 9:30, although I’m trying my best to keep it around 9:15. I see my friend Chris during this time taking some pictures.

• Mile 22:

  • I experience severe shooting pain in the ball of my right foot, which comes and goes.  I have to change my foot strike to avoid it.  I am worried about a potential stress fracture, however I feel that I have come too far to stop.  I did have this same feeling once before, during one of my training runs (a few weeks ago) and back then this same pain subsided after a few miles, which is hopeful. 

  • Side note: From the start, a 4 hour marathon was my goal.  However… The last Miles 20-23 miles had sucked the life out of me. Although I never fully surrendered… I knew in the back of my mind, there might come a point in the race where my body was physiologically no longer able to keep up, and I would slow down.

• Mile 23:

  • I was beginning to come to terms with the fact that my tank was empty, and I likely would not be able to hold onto this pace for much longer.

  • Out of nowhere, my friend Jarred pulls up next to me in his car. It’s a good mental break from my current funk. In his car he is able to motivate and help pace me for the next few miles.  We decided that I’m on pace to break a 4 hour marathon.  I would just need to hold onto about a 9 min- 9:15 pace. 

  • It was at this point I decided that I would not slow down, and I would finish this race in under 4 hours. That mental decision was the most important factor for the rest of the race. 

  • Interestingly enough, every step after mile 23 I had an incredibly strong urge to stop running and just walk instead. This strong urge never subsided, I felt it every second. I had never felt this in training before.  The rest of the race was a huge test in mental strength, not even close to anything I’ve ever experienced.

• Mile 24:

  • Legs were beyond sore & achy. Tank was beyond empty. I was beyond running on fumes.

  • Surprisingly the pain in my foot disappeared. I was able to return to my normal foot striking pattern.

• Mile 25:

  • Pace for this mile was 9:25, the slowest of the marathon. I do not remember too much about this mile.  I do remember it was difficult to concentrate.  I kept forgetting what mile I was on.

  • A song came on during this mile really affected me, which is interesting because so far up to this point, my music was seemingly a non-factor. This song caused an emotional wave to come over me, similar to the feeling of emotion after watched an inspiring movie.  A short lived adrenaline rush caused me to have about a 2 min boost of energy.

  • There was a small, yet steep hill on this mile that took everything in me not to walk up it.

• Mile 26:

  • At the mile 26 marker I saw that I had 1.2 miles to run, and 10 min to finish. I couldn’t do the math in my head, but I knew it was going to be CLOSE. I knew if I didn’t drastically pick up the pace I would not make it. Not only could I not let off the gas.. but I now had to put the pedal to the metal.

  • Despite an empty tank, I kicked even harder.

  • Pace was 7:47, the fastest of the entire race.

• 0.5 from finish line

  • I was running at what felt like a full on sprint. Which felt exponentially more difficult each stride.

  • Someone cheered enthusiastically me on from a car. Who.. I found out later was Maurice. Thank you!

• 0.2 from finish line:

  • I was almost done. I now was certain that I would complete my goal in under 4. I expected a second wind…. It never came. I expected to feel relieved… I didn’t. I expected to feel accomplished… I didn’t. All I felt was exhausted.

  • The last .2 miles were just as hard, if not harder than the previous ones.  The overwhelming urge to walk was unshakable. It was always present.  There was no distractions from it.

• 0.1 from finish line:

  • The checkered flag of the finish line is in sight

  • Interestingly enough. I expected to feel relief and accomplished, but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t feel anything else.

  • With the flag in sight, the desire to switch from running to walking was overwhelming. This was another huge test in mental strength.

  • Looking back on it… the only way I can explain the last 0.1 miles it that it is similar is to the Crossfit workout Fran. Even though Fran is an incredibly short workout (4ish minutes), it requires so much energy and intensity that it gets harder and harder towards the end. When you push it to the max, the last few reps are hardest and the most exhaustive.

  • Once again time slowed down, and somehow this seemed to be one of the toughest parts of my race.

  • I forced my paced to stay strong all the way through the finish line.

• The Finish Line: 26.2 miles

  • 3:58:56

  • Average pace 9:07 min/mile

  • First half time 1:58:13

  • First half pace 9:01min/mile

  • Second half time 2:00:43

  • Second half pace 9:13 min/mile

  • Fastest mile: mile 26 with a 7:37 min/mile pace

  • Slowest mile: mile 25 with a 9:25 min/mile pace

Post Race

• First 2 min:

  • Once I finally stopped running my first steps felt like a baby giraffe. Walking was uncoordinated and seemingly more difficult than running.

  • At this moment the full wave of aches and pains were felt in my legs.

• Next 2 min

  • The pain in my legs was agonizing. I couldn’t find a position that relieved it.  Sitting hurt equally as much as standing. I limped around the parking lot for a few minutes.

  • I remember thinking “I finished... I’m done...why is it that I still can’t get relief”

  • I also remember thinking “There is no way I could ever re-produce the effort I just gave”

  • I also remember thinking “I will never do that again”

• 5 min after:

  • My friends hadn’t arrived at the finish line yet.  I found a bench away from the crowd. While sitting I had a sudden wave of emotion come over me that I couldn’t control. Tears starting flowing. It was a really powerful moment. At the time I didn’t understand it and I couldn’t really explain it.

  • Looking back I think it was partly due to relief of the race being over….partly due to accomplishment of finishing the race…Partly due to completing the last few months of training…and partly due to just being really mentally out of it.

• 10 min after:

  • My friends arrived, My legs still had very limited function, I limped around a turtles pace.

  • My stepper said I had completed about 50,000 steps and burned about 4,000 calories. I forced some food down from the snack tent, even though I wasn’t hungry or thirsty.

• 20 min after

  • The throbbing pain in my legs was now manageable. I was able to have normal conversations.

• 1 Hour after:

  • We cheered on my Gina and Rick as they crossed the finish line. They both crushed it. I was a bit surprised how functional they were after they finished. Then I realized, I may have pushed myself harder than normal for my first marathon. 

  • We took pictures after, people noticed that I had dried white streaks dripping from my eyes, like mascara. Which we determined was sweat.

• 2 Hours after

  • Went to the Mews for a Guinness and Pizza, although I could only eat one slice.

• 4 hours after

  • Any time I say down for longer than 5 minutes my legs muscles forgot how to function… and my baby giraffe legs returned. Climbing stairs was an adventure.

• That night

  •  I did not sleep well, I tossed and turned because my legs ached so much. 

• Next 2 days

  • I stayed lightly active, walking for recovery. Stairs got easier each day.

• 3 days after

  • Got a massage from Maddie (This was the first day where a massage was feasible, my muscles were so tender to the touch, it would have been out of the question before this)

• 4 days after

  • Performed my first body weight squat

• 1 week after

  • Feeling great. My first workout back in the gym (with Rick!)

Final Thoughts

Now that I am a few months out I will say the marathon experience was truly a great one. The training required so much discipline & calculation… yet once you fell into the groove of weekly runs, it felt so natural. The race day was a mental and physical test that is unmatched to anything I’ve ever done before. It was a true accomplishment, I learned a lot, and I think the experience will positively affect my mental drive & focus in future endeavors. As of right now I have no plans for a marathon in the future. Crossfit will continue to be my bread and butter in training, as I begin my next journey in Ju Jitsu. But I don’t think my running career is over… there may be an iron man in the future.

When I spoke with Bob after the race. I mentioned how the marathon was such a mental test. He agreed, mental strength has a lot to do with it… but he said this quote summed it up perfectly for him:

“The will to win is nothing, without the will to prepare.” Juma Iganga

Special Thanks

Rhode Races - Narragansett marathon

Nutrition by Gina - Nutrition, Training partner & Marathon running partner

BullFrogFit Performance Center - Gym & Performance Center

Zach O’Connor - Personal Trainer

Crossfit Providence - Crossfit Box

Elizabeth McLaughlin - Meal prep & support

Lost Art Photography - Race day photography

Massage by Maddie - Massage

Rick Hart - Marathon running partner

Tim Ferraro - Training Partner

Jarred Smith - Pacing & support

Rhode Runner Providence - Gear & Bib pick up

And everyone from SF360 that came out to support!

Leave any running/ rehab/ marathon questions or comments below!