Today I document for you my death. Okay, I didn’t end up dying but it was close there for a second.
I received the Brightroom email with my marathon pictures today. I ignored it at first. No one wants to see that. But, then I remembered my enemies probably do. And just in case they read RER I thought I’d share…
Mile 9-ish: Smiling when I should be contemplating how to snag that guy’s half marathon bib… 
Mile 9-ish: Still smiling. Pacing too fast. Still have water bottle.
Mile 15-ish: Haven’t hit the wall yet. Feet confirm I’m actually running.
Mile 24-ish: No water bottle (threw it at an innocent bystander at mile 23). Looking down, much like my future.
Mile 25-ish: Desperately trying to find a good song on my ipod that will magically make my knees not hurt, give me a bucket of energy and compel me to actually run it in.
*There are 3 pictures of me messing with my ipod, it obviously wasn’t working.
Mile 26-ish: See the Finish Line. Who cares. I want to die. 
Cross the finish line. Glance at Garmin, goal accomplished. Still don’t care. Just relieved it’s over.
Read my Marathon Recap from Long Beach 2010 here.
Ask a Monica – Marathon Q&A
I used Ben’s headset again so feel free to pretend I’m taping this from a call center overseas. Added bonus: I went overtime and it cut me off. Lucky you. Plus I’m sniffly.
If you have a question email me runeatrepeat at gmail
Question: Chime in with your thoughts on:
What would you tell someone before their first race?
What is the worst part about running/training??
Must Have Songs for a Running Playlist???
I loved this Ask Monica as well. Perfect way to start a crappy workday morning haha. I had a crappy 5K this weekend (still not at the point where I can run the whole darn thing – especially in the cold. Any tips for running in the cold?!?) and this was just the motivation I needed to not return my new running shoes and remember how I want to run a marathon someday in the distant future.
But now I must know what happened to your friend at law school! 🙂
I listen to NPR when I drive too! I love your honesty about what you like and don’t like about running and marathon training.
And my 4 yr old desperately wanted to “talk at her” while we watched the video (he’s used to skyping with his grammie)
Your photos were fine and the captions were hysterical. If there is a “playlist of energy that will make you forget about the suckyness you’re experiencing”, I would buy it in a hot minute. My ipod has never once made it through a race and I don’t even turn it on until mile 5.
What would you tell someone before their first race?
* Have fun. Don’t set any major time goals. HAVE FUN, YOU’RE RUNNING A … (whatever distance they signed up for)!!!
What is the worst part about running/training??
*Worst part about training is how time consuming it is. Also, not a lot of time for cross-training. When I finished my first 1/2, I jumped right into all types of fitness classes because I hadn’t been able to enjoy that many during training. I also found my new loves after training: spin, kickboxing, and step. 🙂
Must Have Songs for a Running Playlist???
*Eminem’s Shake That, Katy Perry anything, One Republic’s Good Life, Blink 182, Fall Out Boy, etc etc. 🙂
Great pics and yay for 26.2!!!
Listening to music gets me in trouble because I always start off too fast! If I take my ipod, I don’t turn it on for the first half of my run. I try to keep it at a slower pace and tell myself that I can go as fast as I want when I turn my music on!
Your pictures are not bad at all! I love the bright pink top. Congrats on another marathon. 🙂
I love the Ask a Monican videos!! Could you maybe speak in Spanish in the next one? (Just a sentence or I don’t know, I’m very curious)
My advice for not starting a run too fast (regular run or race) is to find a slower song with a tempo that’s about the same as the pace you want to run at, and then start the run pacing with the song!
Aaaand since I just ran my first half marathon on Sunday, I also want to tell anyone also doing their first one that:
– If you trained for it, you’re ready! Even though my longest training run was 12.5 miles (so I had never run 13.1 before) and that felt pretty hard at the time, the distance for my half felt almost easy in comparison. At no point did I question my ability to finish. So be confident 🙂
– It feels amazing! Even by mile 10 it still felt like such a rush and once I settled into my pace, I loved every minute of it. And right after finishing, I was already excited to sign up for another one.
Congrats Monica on your marathon!
Soo much good advice in this Ask a Monican. It left me despeeTe to know though – what was the advice from law school???
I’ve found the local running shops to be much less judgemental and far more supportive than the big chains. I lead a group a beginner runners who have just run their first half. As soon as it was apparent that each of them enjoyed training/running and would continue, I sent them off to Alton Sports (an amazing local shop here in the UK) for shoe fitting. They were all nervous beforehand but the wonderful staff were so encouraging of their efforts that noone minded the treadmill being right next to the shop door! Anyway, enough waffling.. Huge congrats on your success at Long Bsach and your new PR!
Love the advice, especially about ‘talking yourself into running a marathon.’ I remember when I signed up for my marathon, I really wanted to do it, but didn’t think I could, mentally. It was my husband who encouraged me to do it and when I realized that he had the faith in me that I should have in myself, I decided to sign up. I think a lot of people do it now to be able to brag about doing it and be part of a club, but it’s hard stuff! Even training is no joke, not to mention the race itself!
I love your marathon pictures, they came out great!! Great job!
And I loved the video! I was kind of sad when you got cut off! lol your so funny too. You had me laughing a few times ! “Run, ran?.. i have ran” haha Btw, can’t believe you just started training with music!! lol
Ha! I wish I could cut out the bloopers 🙂 Oh well.
I am currently training for my first race! I went into a running shoe store because I knew that I probably wasn’t buying the right shoes. I was a bit nervous about going there because I haven’t been regularly running for some time… and the guy helping me conversationally asked me how many miles I run each week and I told him about 10 miles right now. He was visibly shocked… and proceeded to tell me, “yah you need to start running more for that race”. I wanted to punch him! haha I think it’s just pushed me harder really to do my best and not listen to jerk 20 year old boys.
Anyways, loved this Ask a Monican! You are such a sweet person!
Thanks Danielle 🙂
Best Ask a Monican to date in my opinion 🙂 So much great advice. I followed the novice half-marathon Higdon plan and will definitely use it again.
I am also intimidated to go into running stores because I always feel like I should know what I’m talking about instead of asking for help! I just need to remember that runners in general are super supportive and the store employees are not there to judge me 🙂
BTW – we listen to CBC in the car which is the Canadian equivalent to NPR. In fact, we live on the border and can even pick-up NPR from time to time and will switch between the two. Three cheers for talk radio!
So cool about NPR at the border 🙂
I really liked this Ask a Monican. I can identify with so many things that you are saying, that’s why I keep coming back for more. I do the same things you do with comparing yourself to others, it is so hard not to. Here’s a question that I found while doing some internet research & I try to remind myself of it often: If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow this person to be your friend? You are awesome & congrats on finishing your marathon!
Love that quote!
I loved this Ask a Monican. I couldn’t agree with what you said more on just about every question especially about a full marathon is equivalent to running like 10 halfs. Congrats on your marathon again!
Congrats on your Marathon! my first half just killed me; and I walked it. So go you for running 26.2 miles!
Advice: Even if you’re last, you’re still lapping the guy on the couch. So don’t quit.
Again, congrats!
Love that advice quote!
I had a sucky 5K this weekend and was so content with giving up and calling the future hubby to save me. Then I passed a family watching from their porch. The little girl easily weighed 150 pounds, her mom at least 300 and her dad at least 400. That was all I needed. I might be fat but at least I’m not content with that and working towards changing it. I’m not being a passerby! Great advice!
Great pics Monica! Good job on your marathon!
Thanks Missy 🙂
Ha! I hear ya on never running another marathon (I’ve done 8 and my PR is like yours….*just* under 4 hours but hey a sub-4 is a sub-4) and when I did 2 last October (one for time, one for fun–and got the same time for both of them 4:01, I’m nothing if not consistent), I SWORE I’d never do another because long runs (18+) just fill me with dread and marathons make me crazy and the last 5 miles of each I’m all…THIS SHIT SUCKS. WHY AM I DOING THIS? I HATE THIS. It’s been a year and I’m still pretty sure I won’t do any more but I do feel a little more like…well…mayyyybeeeee and then I REALLY think about it again and I’m like, no, I’m cool rocking the halfs hard now.
My first race I ran in maternity shorts because that’s all I had (and trained in) but I’ll always remembering surprising myself with how well I did (it was a 15K).
Also, I do *not* look like a runner, either. You and I are built very, very similar. People are shocked I run marathons and am halfway decent and my half PR is 1:44–I always surprise people, I think.
I agree, a half is easy but a marathon is 10xhalf. TRUE TRUE TRUE
You rock!!!
Thanks for the advice! I don’t have a garmin or anything to keep track of my pace…I preset a route and do it, and don’t keep time at all…which is probably the whole problem. If I ran with my husband, he would kick my butt because he’s tall and weighs like 2 pounds lol but I think I do need to concentrate on starting out slower so I can maintain 🙂
Yes, start slow and speed up at the end if you have it in the tank 🙂