HE DID IT.
My brother’s 1st marathon (if you are new… he has had quite the journey of losing over 125 lbs, 2 half-marathons and now a marathon while being a busy husband/dad/attorney). I am so so proud. He stuck to the game plan (aka go out slower than you think) and when it got really hard in the end he focused on how cool it was that with each step after 20 miles he was creating a new personal distance record. I’ll have him write up a recap if he gets a chance but he wanted me to tell you thank you for the pep talks you gave him a few days ago. He said they were super helpful.
4:35 and when I talked to him right after he was already talking about doing another which is not something I did right after my first marathon,.. ha. They also drove straight to in-n-out after the race… nothing sounds better than a burger after a race!
I slept in. Brooke was picked up at midnight (when her dad’s flight got in) so I went to bed about 6 hours later than usual;). I got up and fit in 2.08 miles on my treadmill downstairs before the kids woke up and then did another 6.42 outside with my sister. My brother-in-law watched my kiddos and it felt so good to get in some fresh air and talking with my sister. 8:20 pace for the 8.5 miles and yes it hurts my soul to see my sister running without gloves too.
Oh PS Andrew had a shift, that was where he was:)
Knox and Curly joined me for the last .1 mile.
Curly says that she wants to focus on running for her sport and that when it warms up she wants to do after school runs with me. Ummm yes.
I stretched afterwards at my sister’s house while eating a protein bar and drinking water.
70.1 miles for the week. I’m shocked how well my body is handling these miles. I feel a bit tired but my body is feeling strong which is weird because a few years ago I would get injured every time I went over 55/60 miles a week. The majority of my miles are very easy so that might be why but I also think it just takes years to build up our mileage!
We went home and made a kodiak cake for breakfast. I had to take off a few of the burned pieces because I am very picky when it comes to how my carbs are cooked. Andrew thinks I’m a little dramatic about it all.
We got some things done around the house, made some lunch and then went to the mall with my nieces.
Knox randomly started opening my car door for me when I’m getting out… already quite the gentlemen.
We went to the indoor play place along with every other family within a 15 mile radius yesterday;)
And we picked up Cinnabon to eat at home.
Andrew came home and we had baked sweet potatoes with crockpot salsa chicken and guac… not a pretty meal but a very delicious one.
Kids to bed and then I got to hang out with Andrew for a while.
PS Brooke went snowshoeing yesterday… So much fun and I can’t wait to see her today.
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This week was a ‘building endurance’ week. There will be two more weeks of building before another recovery week and then before you know it, it will be race day (3/23). Looking forward to my birthday run this week!
Monday: 10.25 miles @ a 7:43 average with some speed thrown in there. 2.38 mile w/u, 6 x 5 minutes starting at a 6:58 average pace and working down to a 6:00 average pace for the last one, c/d. 1 minute recovery jogs after each interval. Treadmill
Tuesday: 7 miles @ 8:49. Treadmill
Wednesday: 25 miles @ 9:14 average. First 15 with friends and then 10 on my own. Tough run on a few inches of snow the whole way… my calves burned nicely.
Thursday: 14.26 miles @ 8:26 average.
Friday: 5 miles @ 8:40 pace.
Saturday: 8.5 miles @ 8:20 pace.
Sunday: OFF!
70 miles and I’ve got my 33 miler this week!
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What are you up to today?
What was your best run last week? Hardest run?
If you have run a marathon.. which one was your first?
Best thing you have eaten so far this weekend?
26 comments
Ali
Today includes: shoveling snow, church, and lunch with friends. It should be a good day. Yesterday’s was run was probably the best but my legs are TIRED today. Yesterday I made roasted cauliflower soup, roast chicken, and cinnamon swirl bread, all out of the Magnolia Table cookbook. They were all good but the cinnamon swirl bread was the best.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Well, now I know what I am going to bake next… that cinnamon swirl bread! Thanks Ali and way to go getting your run in on tired legs… such a mental and physical boost doing that! Have a wonderful Sunday.
Savannah
Happy sunday to you and your family! I ran 16 yesterday bc training for my first marathon and today I’ll be doing cross country mountain biking with my dad. My legs are already excited to take a break on monday :)
I think that the 16 was both my best and my hardest. I really tried to prepare by sleeping a lot the night before (I get fomo if I don’t hang out with my roommates late at night on the weekends). It was hard at the end but I pushed through so that was great.
Best thing I’m about to eat this weekend is the fresh sourdough loaf that is in the oven right now. On the subject of carbs, the burnt parts of the pancakes are my favorite!
Enjoy your rest day, carbs, time on the couch, and church!
The Hungry Runner Girl
WAY TO GO SAVANNAH… I am thrilled about your first marathon coming up. And I hope you are having a blast with your dad in the mountains. It really is so hard going to bed early when everyone else is awake but it is so good for your training. ENJOY that loaf and send some to me and I’ll send you the burnt parts of pancakes. THANK YOU!
Mollie
Congratulations to your brother! What a fantastic first marathon!!!!
My first marathon was Seattle RNR! Such a gorgeous course!
Ugh, I got taken out by the flu this week and I’m so bummed. I missed two workouts and three days of running. I’ve never felt in better shape and my race is the first weekend of March. I’m so worried this is a huge setback. I’m running again but this thing took a toll. :( Mom life, right?
The Hungry Runner Girl
THAT COURSE IS AMAZING (I’ve done the half but not the full)… I love it. I hope you get feeling better asap and this has happened to me during training cycles and it actually benefited me because it forced me to TRULY REST which is hard to do as a mom. Keep me updated and you are doing an amazing job with your training Mollie.
Jenny
I LOVE reading about your runs training for the ultra! I can’t explain why, but it makes me super excited to try that in a few years (marathon time goals for now!).
I canNOT run with gloves. I ran yesterday morning and the temps ranged from 13-15 and I wore cheap knit cut off gloves just so I could use my hand warmers. I cannot stand gloves or anything tight on my fingers while running. It’s weird, I just feel like stuff is so constricting- I was the same a few years ago when arm bands for phones were big. I couldn’t do those either. I just need it to warm up (but not rain) so I can lose all these extra layers :).
I love how inclusive running is- everyone is so welcoming at events regardless whether someone finishes under 3 or close to 6 or if they’ve been running since middle school or just the last six months. People are just so friendly and fun to be around there. Same thing with group runs. I wish I would have had running when I was in high school and college when I really could have used the outlet and camaraderie – those are tough stages, or they were for me. I hope my kids gravitate towards it like your niece!
Have a great Sunday and congrats to your bro on his race!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh thank you Jenny and you need to keep me updated with your marathon training. AHHH I cannot understand your gloves hatred ha but I’ll try:) . That is super interesting… I wonder if that is how my sister feels about them.
Everything you said about how inclusive running is just made my heart so happy. It’s incredible. Our sport is the best in my opinion:) . Thanks and have a great day !
Kristen
Congrats to your brother!!! What a fabulous way of thinking through each new step!
I’m still sidelined with “the plague” as I’m calling it. It’s just a weird lingering respiratory system infection but I’ve been coughing since Christmas! It’s finally feeling better (again, I pushed it at one point which is maybe one reason it’s still around) so this week I’ll either be back in the gym or back at the doctor’s to figure out why I’m not ready to be back at the gym.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thanks Kristen. Uggggg I’m so sorry you were dealing with that for so long and I’m glad you are feeling better and let me know how this weeks go. Have a wonderful Sunday Kristen!
Chelsea
We just got a ton of ice where I live, so I’m going to be on the treadmill for my long run today. The furthest I’ve gone on a treadmill is 10 miles. I have 12 today, so I’m going to be thinking about Andrew’s long treadmill runs!
I did my first marathon in November of this year. It was the Bass Pro Conservation Marathon. I wanted to finish sub 4 and BARELY managed that. 3:57:30, HA! I’m training for my next, which will be the OKC Memorial Marathon in April. I’m excited about it!
Your brother crushed it! So excited for him!
Laura
My first marathon was LA which was great! I loved going thru all the different sections finishing at Santa Monica Pier. Bonus was we stayed at the host hotel and I saw Ryan Hall (he wasn’t running it but was like an ambassador or something) and a few other elites. Only downside to that race is it usually starts late (to me) for a full—7-7:30 and it can get warm. But for my first it was awesome.
Lys
Huge congrats to your brother!! I did that ‘this is the furthest I’ve ever run’ thing at my (one and only) marathon too! It’s quite emotion-jerking, especially as I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to complete the course as I’d been injured. That was in Manchester in the UK – it’s known as a fast and friendly course and it absolutely was :) I had a wonderful run on Thursday as I hadn’t been out in the daylight for a run for a while and it was just so nice to get out and run out the cobwebs :) Snowshoeing looks like a lot of fun!
Loribeth
That’s awesome for your brother, way to go!
I have done 2 marathons, the same course, in 2013 and 2015. I did 4:04 at my first, but 4:30 at my second. Was hoping to get under 4 hours, but that is my goal for my 3rd attempt this November on a different course.
My best run was my 10 miler with my husband biking next to me. We got 3 nice days of 70’s and even broke a 20 year high temp record with 79 degrees on Thursday. Then Friday it was only 45…….yikes! My hardest run was Friday, I think because how cold it got overnight!
Karen Schlueter-Morland
I took it outside again today and it felt glorious in spite of it the icy snow falling in my face. It was a balmy 5 degrees and little wind to only about 11 below windchill. It was a beautiful snowy run but as you know, running in the snow is slow going. I am no where near your pace and you are so inspiring!
CONGRATS to your brother! My first marathon was back in the 80’s at Minneapolis. The TCM is one of my faves but not sure if and when I’ll run it again. I am approaching 60 and I much prefer discovering new marathons in different states and this year we hope to go to Scotland to run the Inverness.
I LOVE being a traveling runner and MY PR’s are way way behind me so why not have fun running them. I am still placing high in my “master” age group so that is all I can ask for right…….
I am just blessed I can still run! You are making me think I have an ultra left in me too:-) We’ll see but I better hurry up since I am not getting any younger…..HAHAHA
Kate
Wow congrats to your brother that is all kinds of amazing!! I hope he can give us a recap when he has time.I live in CA so I get the In n Out after a race thing, completely!!!
I had a hard half marathon last week so today was the first run back( normally I wouldn’t wait so long) and a short swim.I made bread yesterday so eating that and hopefully making pizza later(yes,we like carbs here).Getting ready for the workweek.
No marathons in near future but an Ironman in November,so there will be a marathon then I guess!!
You are doing so great w your ultra training!!!
Also-Curly is looking so much like your mom to me!!!So cute.
Have a great weekend.
Michelle
Yayyyy for your brother, that’s awesome! And it looks like Curly’s got the running bug :)
Rae
Just wanted to say a quick thanks for your podcast recommendations. I’ve discovered a lot of great ones from your blog, but am now working my way through ‘Cold’ which is fantastic!! I am absolutely loving it!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh I am SO SO glad. Isn’t it the creepiest story you’ve ever heard? I hope you have a great week and thanks for your comment!
Kristine Chew
Congrats to your brother on his marathon! Hope he enjoys his recovery – that is almost as good as running a marathon itself :).
I ran from home to cheer on my friends running a half marathon – between that and running around the course, got in 7 miles on a planned off day from running so pretty happy. Plus made it home just before it started to really snow :).
Best thing I have eaten this weekend – probably a pulled pork wrap and then guac and chips (currently eating). And this is technically not food but since it is really snowing outside I am also having hot chocolate with marshmellows.
Have a great day Janae!
Niki
Congrats to your brother!! The only 2 marathons I’ve ever done were Richmond Va – I’ve said both times I’ll never do another one but ya never know haha! Today was an easy 3 miles and a barre class then errands before kids get home and activities take over our evening! Best run last week was 10.5 miles and hardest was 4 but it was a treadmill run so yeah. Best thing I ate was an açaí bowl! Enjoy your day!!
Jenny
Congrats to your brother!!! Marathons are hard! My first and second marathons were both net downhill in the mountains in WA! I can’t imagine running one with hills! I say that but my favorite part of my 50k was the hills because I walked those! Ha!
My hardest run was yesterday in the snow. We have around 8 or so inches of powder mixed with flat compact snow so my ankles and legs were exhausted all day! That was also my best run because I proved to myself I can run in snow and NOT fall; thank goodness for trail shoes!
Favorite thing I ate was cowboy caviar over naan; avocado, bell pepper, corn, black beans, garlic with a dressing of cilantro, cumin, cayenne, olive oil, salt m pepper.
ps; I always pick off the burnt part of pancakes!
Sara
What are your tips for getting through long runs on a treadmill? Once I get past 4 miles I am so bored and it feels so much harder than outside! Fortunately I can run outside most of the time because we don’t get a ton of snow/ice, but I still have to hit the treadmill more often than I like.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Sara! Great question and I am right there with you… I think the treadmill feels so much harder for some reason. I have a post here with my biggest treadmill tips:
https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2017/10/tuesday-tangents-20-treadmill-tips-to-keep-you-going.html
I hope it helps and that you get to be outside running as much as possible. Have a great week.
Arthi
Huge huge huge congrats to your brother!! So exciting!!
Best/hardest run I had last week was a speed workout I combined with my weekly long run. I went to Spain over the weekend to visit a friend and knew I wasn’t going to be running much there so decided to knock out my 14-miler while making the first 11 miles a VERY intense speed workout. Definitely slept well on the plane after that one!
Best thing I ate over the weekend – Literally everything Barcelona. I miss it already!
adrianna
super, super proud of your brother! way to go!!!