Mike's Marathon Blog

I was having dinner with a few friends the other night and we started talking about my blog. As much as they enjoy reading it, they wanted me to step it up a notch. They told me that they wanted to hear some of the ‘behind the scenes’ of marathon training. Things that I wouldn’t necessarily write in a blog for everyone to read. I found this interesting. Enough of the funny stories and the ‘great’ runs and the trips to Foxwoods. Let’s talk about what training for the Boston Marathon is really like.

I will start with myself. As much as I don’t want to jinx myself or piss off the Running Gods, my training has been very smooth and positive so far. I’ve had limited injuries and that is all I can ask for at this point! I had a minor ankle sprain in October and just recovered from a very minor hip injury. My main problem is my left knee and has been my entire life. When I squat, it literally sounds like a giant rubber band is being stretched out. Then you can hear it retract when I stand again. Apparently, there’s 3-times more pressure on your legs when you’re running. So for me, that is about 500 lbs slamming down on my knees, ankles and feet every step I take. I will take about 42,000 steps on race day. 500 lbs per step for 42,000 steps. That’s a lot of pressure! Hopefully my knee won’t become a major issue closer to race day. It allows me to run on it almost pain-free, so I shouldn’t complain.

I always heard about blisters being a large problem for runners, but I had never really experienced them. I guess I spoke too soon. I have blisters. None that you would write home about, but as you can imagine, they don’t go away. I train 7 days per week and give them absolutely no time to heel. I have been using Aquaphor for them. I rub the vaseline-like substance on my feet typically twice a day. I glob it on at night and wear socks to bed to cover my feet.

I use the Aquaphor and also BodyGlide in other areas as well. I’m sure you can guess the places. Feet, ankles (exposed to air), in between my legs, way up between my legs, nipples and even some times my face. It kinda feels like I’m preparing for battle before my long runs. Putting on my armor to protect me from the bitter New England air. Runners also need the proper attire for this kind of weather.  Dri-Fit clothing is a must during the winter months. Sweat can’t be dripping all over your body when it’s 15 degrees out.

You want gross? Picture running in a tight line of 40 runners when it’s 20 degrees out. Each runner is only a few inches behind one another. Do you know what runners do when they can’t breathe out of their noses on cold days? Snot rockets. There are some amazing looking girls on my team that I run with every week. They wear the tights (you know the tights!) and their cute little running hats and jackets. Trust me, you look at them in a different light after you’ve seen them shoot a 4-foot snot rocket right in front of you (some time on windy days!). And in case you hadn’t realized, a 4-foot snot rocket to the left and then to the right.

Like I mentioned before, I don’t have any horror stories (and hopefully never will). Since my friends wanted to hear some, I will include some of the tales I have heard from the people on my team. They put a realistic twist on some of the major challenges to training and running a marathon.

– I was running with one of the coaches and a younger girl last weekend. We were at the last water-stop before Heartbreak Hill when she stopped to take her sock off. Her sock and big toe were covered in blood. Her toenail had partially ripped off. Bad news? She was 7 miles from her car and there’s only one way to get back.

– One lady, a few years ago, waited too long to stretch after a long run. She was already so stiff at this point, she blew out her hamstring – stretching! Remembering to stretch is so important! Stretching is what allows me to exercise 7 days/week. Stretching for 10 minutes after every workout prevents muscles from getting sore and tight. You will know if you stretched enough when you go to get out of bed the next morning.

– One of the strength & conditioning coaches was running a marathon a few years ago and developed a blister the size of a golf ball around mile 17. Determined to finish the race, she borrowed a needle from one of the other runners she was with (yes, there are crazy people that carry needles with them during races), popped the blister and ran the last 9 miles. Ouch.

– On a far more serious note, three participants in the 2009 Detroit Marathon died within minutes of one another. Another runner died in the Baltimore Marathon the week before. Three of the four runners were under the age of 36.

Training for this race is difficult. Especially since I was not a serious athlete beforehand. I’m training and getting in shape at the same time. Most people that do these kinds of athletic events are already in great shape. The funny thing is, training for this race is 90% mental, the other half is physical (yea, I stole that from Yogi).

Running for Children’s is truly a major motivator for me. There’s a church in Wellesley (where the team meets for our Saturday morning runs) located around mile 13. This is the main Children’s cheering section on race day. They bus many kids from the hospital to this spot, so they can cheer on the participants who are running for them. I honestly cannot wait to run by that church on Marathon Monday.  The church is located about 1/2 mile past the famous Wellesley College stretch. Should be an interesting mile.