Some people don't even have any idea what a marathon is or how it is to run 26.2miles.
At first, me neither. I didn't even know how far 26.2 miles is.....Now that I calculated it in my gps, It is 24.6 miles from our Apartment to Brea Mall, and if I think about it, I still have 1.6 miles to hit finish line after the mall.
This was our map:
I didn't have any clue what its like to run a marathon. I thought it was gonna be easy. I'm like, you're just basically running right? That's it. How hard can it be?
When I first started to get into fitness, I started on a treadmill. I was running 5 miles.
I thought that was hardcore then.
Then I started running more and more.
I can still see a picture of myself, in my head, running on my 20th mile. How my feet was hurting, my legs cramping, my knees almost giving up, and how my body was just telling me to stop the race right then and there. I literally felt like dying. I kept telling myself: "one more mile, one more mile, one more mile."
I don't care how slow I go, but I just have to finish it, even if I had to walk it, I told myself before the race. I kept repeating in my head, I can do it.
To my surprise, I just kept running. I had to stop here and there to stretch and use the portalet, but It was really amazing how I have conquered that thing with just believing that I can finish it with little or no training. Mind over Matter, it really is true.
The thing about making big moves is that its terrifying.
The twist in this story is that I accidentally signed up for the Full Marathon instead of the Half Marathon.
What a screw up right?
When we got in at the expo at OC fair grounds to pick up our packet. I was looking for my bib number. I got nervous, when my bib number fell on the Full Marathon category. My heart just stopped.
One of my teammates offered to run the full marathon for me, because he felt sorry for me. He thought I didn't train enough for it and that he seriously thought that it was tough without training. He actually felt scared for me, because It was my first marathon ever.
They all say that before you do a Full Marathon, you should have atleast done 3 Half Marathons or have ran at least 20 miles weeks before the race. Of course that is a given. You should train for something big like this, but for some reason, I was in a high and wanted to do it. I wanted to know my limit. I had a fighting spirit of a freakin' lion. Brave litte girl eh? But of course there were doubts.
Then on our way home, while at the car, we came up with Plan A&B.
Plan A: To finish the race, even if it means walking. Call medic, if I was feeling tired or if I was injured. Goal time: 6 or 7hrs even if I reached the cut off time with no medal. Disqualified for Beach Cities medal.
Plan B: Turn left and finish Half Marathon with Medal. Still disqualified for Beach Cities medal.
(You get Beach Cities medal if you run the series of Surf City Marathon, OC Marathon and Long Beach Marathon)
I had the choice to pick whether to just take the half or go for full....
But then I thought about it. I already paid for the full marathon, might as well do it, right? What could go wrong?
I thought, If I'd go for the full marathon, and by any chance on my 15th mile, I give up, then it still a win-win. It was still more than the half marathon.....I don't care if I have a medal or not. I trained for the half, and I thought, I still did more than what I came for.
I made a bold step to choose Plan A, because that has been the plan from the very beginning. It was already in my head that I wanted to prove to myself that I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to even if I thought it was impossible.
I didn't give up even though my body was screaming in pain. I was trying to run with a cramp like this:
It's what made it exciting. It's what made the victory so sweet. Never will I forget that experience ever. It's actually a highlight of my 2014.
Along the way, for some reason, I thought about my parents. It made me tear up a little bit. For those of you who know me, I'm a freaking cry-baby, so if I cried, I would hyperventilate, and that wasn't good for my abdominal breathing during my run. So I had to calm myself down and tried to stay focus.
I also thought about my friends who were so supportive on facebook and how they actually believed I can do it. So I didn't want to let everyone down, and that just kept me going faster even though It was hurting all over.
It's funny how each and every like/comment on facebook meant so much to me. It was like a driving force. So never underestimate the impact of your words on social media. You might be inspiring someone with just a comment. So thank you to all people who liked/commented on my posts. That was for all of you.
And I hope in writing this blog, I would inspire someone else too. Just like you, who is reading it right now.
Okay, I know some people don't understand why we sign up for this kind of crazy stuff. It takes a special kind of crazy to run a marathon.
To tell you why I sign up for events like this is because I love challenges, I love fitness, I love the brotherhood and camaraderie, I love being in new places, and I think one of the main reason why I do it is because, I love the adrenaline. I guess I'm a sucker for adventure, no roller coasters for me though.
Some people would think I'm nuts... because I go to the gym atleast 6 days a week, I train like there's no tomorrow, and sometimes, they say I don't take any days off. I'm not crazy, just dedicated.
When I say dedicated, I'm always thinking of reaching my goals. Although I lose my focus when I cheat on my meals, or when I'm being lazy. Hello? Nobody is perfect? But hey, I get back and still workout. In some days, even harder.
Tips on How to Survive Full Marathon with little/No Training:
1. Cardio Training - You have to run atleast a 12 miles straight or more, find your perfect stride, pace and posture.
2. Wear something really comfortable and light.
3. Hydrate yourself a day before, during and after the race. Chug on water and Gatorade.
4. Wear the best distance running shoes.
5. Listen to music. My top 5 songs on the repeat were: Hall of Fame, Eye of the Tiger, Lose Yourself, Titanium, Team.
6. Knee support if you have bad knees.
7. Gu-gels, bananas and oranges, helps with cramping.
8. Get your Running app on your phone and activate gps so it records your mileage.
9. Get your own cheering squad, it actually helps when they have a banner for you, especially on the last few miles.
10. Attitude. Warrior/Fighting Spirit. Believe.
On my 25th mile, I started to run a little bit faster, and faster. I thought: "hey, one more freaking mile." and before I know it i was back at the oc fair grounds with people cheering me on.
On the last 100 feet to the finish line, Eye of the tiger suddenly played on my ipod, damn, I felt like Manny Pacquiao, and ran as fast as I could. SPRINT!
I finished slow but strong. It took me 5hr and 27min, still beating my personal goal of 5hr and 30 or 6 or 7 hours.
I finished slow but strong. It took me 5hr and 27min, still beating my personal goal of 5hr and 30 or 6 or 7 hours.
I actually did it. I freakin' did it.
They asked me: "What motivates you in all of this?"
I will tell you this, I've always wanted to be fit, and when I sign up for events, the training for what you signed up for is unbelievably a motivation itself. It is kind of like, you already paid for it. Now you have to train.
Many of you don't know that I have been overweight in the past and just thinking of gaining all that weight back motivates me, I never want to be in that state ever again.
When I workout, I always think I can eat whatever I want, even cake.
If you want to look good in your clothes, on a bikini or naked, you have to work for it.
Bottomline is, whatever your motivation is, think that this is for yourself, not for other people. You want to be your own competition.
I believe that working out at the gym has become a habit for me now. It's a lifestyle change. Once you find that perfect program that you would actually stick to, go for it.
Question: How can you survive a Full marathon with little/no training?
Answer: Just freaking do it! :)
Smooches,
P
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