Marathon Recap: What Happened, What I Learned, and What’s Next

In my last blog, I shared the ups and downs of training during the final stretch before my first marathon—lowering mileage, navigating shin pain fears, and adjusting expectations. Now that race day has come and gone, I wanted to reflect on how I approached the final weeks, how the race unfolded, and what I’m taking with me moving forward.

The Final Weeks Before the Marathon

Leading into race day, my main goal was to arrive healthy and fresh. Two weeks out, I cut my mileage by about 50%, dropping from roughly 30 miles per week down to around 15. One week out, I kept things short and simple with a few 3–4 mile runs, sprinkling in brief marathon-pace efforts to keep my legs fresh and my nervous system familiar with race pace—without overdoing it.

For the two weeks leading up to the marathon, I also adjusted my strength training. I limited it to one session per week, focusing only on isometrics at about half the weight I normally use. The goal wasn’t to build strength at that point, but to avoid muscle soreness while still keeping my nervous system engaged.

Nutrition-wise, I carb loaded for three days leading into the race and made a conscious effort to increase my sodium intake the day before with Liquid IV. I tend to get pretty nervous before races, but this time I reframed that nervous energy as excitement. I felt at peace knowing I had made thoughtful decisions throughout training—and that it was finally time to enjoy my first marathon.

Race Day: Highs, Lows, and a Learning Curve

Race morning started early. I was up at 5:00 a.m. to eat a bagel with honey, then arrived at the race about 45 minutes early to take care of business (multiple bathroom trips included) and get in a short 0.5-mile warm-up with a few strides.

I took my first gel right on the start line—mistake number one: no water with it. Oops.

Even though it was tempting to run with the 5K and half marathon racers early on, I kept my pace conservative and fun, reminding myself that I still had a lot of miles ahead. I took my second gel at mile 4…and made mistake number two: again, no water.

By mile 6, I felt incredible. I was on top of the world and absolutely loving life. But around mile 8, nausea started creeping in. I slowed slightly at mile 9, hoping it would pass. By mile 10, there was no stopping it. I pulled off to the side, threw up all of my nutrition, and then got right back to running.

The remainder of the race was a mix of emotions: pride for continuing after puking, moments of questioning why anyone signs up for marathons, ongoing nausea when trying to take another gel, and tempting fate by drinking a Gatorade handed to me at an aid station (at that point I was desperate).

Despite it all, I made it to the finish line and gave everything I had in the final quarter mile.

The Finish Line (and the Aftermath)

I finished with a time of 3:12:38, averaging a 7:20 pace, placed first in my age group, and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

Even better? Zero shin pain.

I was incredibly sore the day of the race and the day after (as expected), and I may or may not lose a toenail. Stairs quickly became my arch nemesis—especially after a 7-hour car ride back to Greenville from Jacksonville.

I was overflowing with gratitude the entire time though. Gratitude for the opportunity to race, for making it to the finish line, and for all of the people who supported me before, during and after my marathon.

Life After the Marathon

Since the race, I’ve been taking things easy and giving my quads the time they need to recover. I’m enjoying the downtime, reflecting on the process, and already thinking ahead. With some fine-tuning of my race-day nutrition, I’m confident there’s a PR in my future marathon.

Lessons From My First Marathon

Training for—and completing—my first marathon reinforced a few key lessons (some new, some re-learned):

• You can run a marathon on lower mileage if you strength train and cross train

• Respecting the time your body needs to heal is non-negotiable

• Doing workouts with friends keeps training fun and boosts motivation

• Finding balance outside of running keeps you grounded

• And finally… marathons are not for the faint of heart

This experience challenged me in all the ways I expected—and in a few I didn’t. But it also reminded me why I love this sport and why I’ll be back for another one.