225. Optimizing Marathon Performance - Do these DURING your marathon

[00:00:00] How do you like the new Flensburger beach?

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[00:00:47] You're listening to Episode 225 of the Marathon Running Podcast.

[00:00:51] In this episode, we're going to tell you about a couple things you can do during your marathon

[00:00:55] to enhance your performance.

[00:01:05] This is the Marathon Running Podcast by Letty and Ryan from WE GOT THE RUNS.

[00:01:09] Join us in our running community for weekly content that is motivational, educational, and inspirational,

[00:01:15] and let the Marathon Running Podcast take you from the starting line to the finish line and beyond.

[00:01:24] Hey, runners and welcome to Episode 225.

[00:01:28] My name is Letty.

[00:01:29] My name is Ryan.

[00:01:30] And we are here back on with another episode of this Marathon Running Podcast.

[00:01:35] And today we're going to talk about what you can do to maximize your performance during

[00:01:40] your marathon.

[00:01:42] I think that's a good topic.

[00:01:43] I think most of the time training always is focused on what to do up to your marathon

[00:01:48] and sometimes maybe what to do during a marathon is not emphasized very much.

[00:01:54] But especially if you've done your training, you might as well maximize it by doing the

[00:01:59] best during the race.

[00:02:01] Yes, exactly.

[00:02:02] And hopefully this topic will come right in time for everybody wrapping up their fall

[00:02:06] marathons.

[00:02:07] We've got Berlin coming up.

[00:02:09] We've got Chicago and a gazillion other races and other states and countries.

[00:02:13] So hopefully this will help you guys get through that marathon and stay in a good mind

[00:02:18] space while running it.

[00:02:19] Not wrapping up their marathons, but getting ready for their marathons, right?

[00:02:23] That's what I meant when I said wrapping up.

[00:02:26] So I'm curious because once you're out there and you're running, besides the obvious

[00:02:31] of keeping your pace consistent so you don't overdo yourself or hydrating or eating

[00:02:40] right or getting nutrition correctly, I'm interested in what else you can possibly do.

[00:02:45] Yeah.

[00:02:46] Yeah, I was curious too.

[00:02:48] And so I consulted with our friend running coach Erica Weitz.

[00:02:52] She has been running literally since she was a young child and done a ton of races.

[00:02:57] So I figured who else to ask then somebody who's completed the Olympic trials and also

[00:03:03] is competing a lot throughout the year to see what she would come up with.

[00:03:09] Yeah.

[00:03:09] I mean, she's obviously fast and you know, been good or been able to be successful in

[00:03:15] running that marathon distance.

[00:03:17] So be a good person to ask.

[00:03:20] Exactly.

[00:03:21] So excited to learn some new tips and tricks for when you're running your marathon.

[00:03:25] Yeah.

[00:03:26] So for Chicago or Athens, I'm not trying as you know, to PR in those races.

[00:03:30] I'm really just trying to enjoy them and soak them all in.

[00:03:33] So I think my mindset is already in a good place.

[00:03:35] I know I'm just going to have fun, but yeah, definitely this is something that's going to

[00:03:39] help you if you're trying to push your next race and try to stick with a pace.

[00:03:44] Yeah.

[00:03:44] I think it's always fun like even getting new stuff or new gear, you know, you want to

[00:03:48] try it out.

[00:03:49] It's the same thing with training.

[00:03:50] Like if you get new tips or tricks or things that you learned, it's like fun to be able

[00:03:54] to go try it out or to get excited about a race because you can try something new.

[00:03:58] That's very true.

[00:03:59] So maybe we'll use some of her tips during our five Ks that we're trying to do in

[00:04:04] the wintertime and try to set new PRs in that and use some of this.

[00:04:09] Yeah, definitely.

[00:04:11] So you want to get into it?

[00:04:12] Sure.

[00:04:13] So without any further ado, I'm now going to play my conversation with Erica White.

[00:04:18] All right.

[00:04:19] So I'm back on with Erica White's Erica.

[00:04:21] Thank you so much for joining me again.

[00:04:23] Yeah, Letty.

[00:04:23] Thanks so much for having me.

[00:04:25] Of course.

[00:04:25] And today we're going to hop into this topic of things you can do during the

[00:04:29] marathon while you're running the marathon to make sure your performance goes a

[00:04:33] little bit better than, you know, you just want to be prepared basically.

[00:04:37] So let's hop right into that.

[00:04:38] What are some tips that you have for your runners when it comes to things to

[00:04:43] do during the race to make sure that they end up finishing in the time that

[00:04:47] they want to?

[00:04:49] Yeah, definitely.

[00:04:50] Well, I like to give them kind of like the whole deal, like what to do, you

[00:04:54] know, a couple days before to a week before and also the morning of and

[00:04:59] then during the race.

[00:05:01] So should I start with during the race?

[00:05:03] Or do you want me to start from the back?

[00:05:05] Let's start with during the race because I know that we can probably milk that a

[00:05:08] lot.

[00:05:08] Yeah, yeah.

[00:05:09] Okay.

[00:05:09] So yeah, I would say I always give my athletes a plan and it's a detailed

[00:05:14] plan.

[00:05:15] Like I want to make sure that they're ready for the running part but also

[00:05:18] for the, you know, a little bit of things outside of running.

[00:05:23] So I tell them to bring throwaway clothes.

[00:05:24] That's like one of the first things just in case it's cold that way you

[00:05:28] have something right before the race, you can take it right off.

[00:05:30] But as far as like a pacing plan goes, usually we'll know based on how they

[00:05:35] have been doing their workouts and how they've been training about what

[00:05:38] pace they should be able to run for the marathon.

[00:05:40] And whatever that pace is normally we'll start them off with like

[00:05:44] depending on how fast they are usually like between five to 15 seconds

[00:05:49] slower for the first 5k then they would be running their average pace

[00:05:53] then that way because you know it is a marathon.

[00:05:56] You have a long distance to run.

[00:05:58] So if you start off a little bit more conservative, you'll be able to

[00:06:01] maintain your pace throughout and maybe even pick it up towards the

[00:06:05] middle and end.

[00:06:07] So we always start off like a little bit slower and easier.

[00:06:10] You should feel pretty comfortable like that adrenaline and all the

[00:06:13] good training and the taper should be paying off at this point

[00:06:16] where it doesn't feel too hard and then, you know, maybe increase

[00:06:19] the pace a little bit after the 5k.

[00:06:22] This will only happen if we've practiced something like this in

[00:06:25] practice like between progression runs or, you know, this is not

[00:06:29] like something new that's going to start on race day.

[00:06:32] So they might increase the pace a little bit.

[00:06:34] I always tell them that they never want to feel like they're pushing it

[00:06:36] in the first half marathon of the marathon.

[00:06:39] So it should feel like, you know, steady controlled.

[00:06:42] I guess when you get to the half it should feel comfortably

[00:06:45] uncomfortable.

[00:06:46] That's what we call it.

[00:06:47] But you should be able to maintain it.

[00:06:49] So you should get to the half point and say I'm feeling good.

[00:06:52] If it feels like at all that you're pushing it in that first

[00:06:54] half, then I always tell people like it's okay to back off a little

[00:06:58] bit even if it doesn't go exactly like plan.

[00:07:01] You know, nothing always goes exactly how the plan is.

[00:07:04] Sometimes it does.

[00:07:05] So when you get to the half mark, sometimes I tell them like assess

[00:07:09] how you feel and either maintain the same pace up until mile 20

[00:07:13] or pick it up just a little bit if you feel good.

[00:07:15] But we don't pick it up too much because a lot of times we

[00:07:18] feel good in the beginning and then that good pace doesn't

[00:07:20] feel as good after a while.

[00:07:22] So, you know, it can pick it up a little bit but not too crazy.

[00:07:25] And then I always tell people when they get to mile 20, that's

[00:07:29] like when the race really begins and because you have 10 K left.

[00:07:33] That's when, you know, you want to feel like there's no wall.

[00:07:36] You just bust through the wall.

[00:07:38] And if you do feel good, you can pick it up a tiny bit

[00:07:42] otherwise just maintain the pace.

[00:07:44] And I think we mentioned before in some other podcasts that

[00:07:47] if you, if you do that strength and you do those workouts properly,

[00:07:52] you might feel like you're picking it up the last 10 K,

[00:07:54] but you might actually be maintaining the same pace.

[00:07:56] And that's okay too.

[00:07:58] Okay, so there's so much packed into this in regards to pacing.

[00:08:02] So let's let me ask you a little bit about how that

[00:08:05] pacing strategy works depending on which course you're

[00:08:08] talking about.

[00:08:09] Obviously, if it's a flat race, that's very easily executable.

[00:08:13] But let's talk about it.

[00:08:14] What if it's something like Boston where you in the

[00:08:16] beginning have a drop and then it increases, then the hills come.

[00:08:20] Yeah.

[00:08:21] How would you go with pacing strategies for that?

[00:08:24] Yeah, I've given a couple of different pacing strategies for

[00:08:26] the Boston marathon for athletes that I have that run it.

[00:08:28] And that first five miles or five, for 10 miles are all

[00:08:34] pretty much downhill or at least the first five.

[00:08:37] So you want to relax as much as possible.

[00:08:40] Your pace might naturally be a tiny bit faster or maybe around

[00:08:44] what you want your average pace to be.

[00:08:45] But you don't want to go too much faster even though the

[00:08:48] downhill is kind of pushing you down.

[00:08:50] Because if you go too fast on that downhill, you'll feel it in

[00:08:53] your quads.

[00:08:54] And I know I had that experience my first Boston because my

[00:08:57] pops told me that we should drive the course and I decided

[00:09:00] that I didn't want to ride the course.

[00:09:01] But he was like, you know, really wanted me to see what

[00:09:04] it was like.

[00:09:05] And I was just like, I don't want to see what it's like.

[00:09:07] I just want to go do it.

[00:09:08] But then I had wished I had driven the course or at

[00:09:11] least known something about the course before because

[00:09:13] my quads were so beat up by like mile five.

[00:09:16] And then I still had 21 miles to go.

[00:09:18] So that was pretty rough.

[00:09:19] So for Boston, even though you have that downhill, it's going

[00:09:22] to push you down.

[00:09:23] You got to relax as much as possible because you'll probably

[00:09:26] still notice that your pace is a little bit faster than

[00:09:28] should be.

[00:09:29] And it can be a little bit faster but not too much because

[00:09:32] then you're going to start to feel it.

[00:09:33] So then yeah, that's a different kind of course.

[00:09:36] And then we know once we get to I think it's like

[00:09:38] mile 16, 17, you have the heartbreak hill and then

[00:09:42] you can account for a little bit of slowing down on that

[00:09:44] part just because we might naturally slow down a little

[00:09:47] bit on the hills.

[00:09:48] But if you train the hills well, then you shouldn't slow

[00:09:51] down too much.

[00:09:52] But yeah, I'll always look at the course before giving

[00:09:54] a plan like the plan that I gave before it would

[00:09:57] work out perfectly for like the Houston marathon or

[00:09:59] a marathon that's fairly flat.

[00:10:02] Even like there's some fast courses that are not

[00:10:06] flat like grandma's marathon, but they still have

[00:10:08] some rolling hills.

[00:10:10] So yeah, wherever like the steepest hills are, we'll

[00:10:12] check that out on the course map and then be able to

[00:10:15] adjust accordingly for those miles.

[00:10:18] And yeah, and then sometimes I'll just have people

[00:10:20] try to run an even pace throughout the whole

[00:10:22] race depending.

[00:10:24] But I think most times I'll have them start off

[00:10:26] easier in that first 5k and they'll thank their

[00:10:29] bodies later.

[00:10:30] Yeah, yeah, I can definitely see that.

[00:10:32] All right.

[00:10:33] So with that said, talk to us a little bit about

[00:10:36] effort based running, the use of paces and

[00:10:39] how sometimes paces have their own pace strategy to

[00:10:42] where you know, you can't really rely on them or

[00:10:45] using other people in the race as paces for yourself.

[00:10:49] Oh yeah, that's also something that I really like.

[00:10:52] Like I'll always look at whatever the race is that

[00:10:55] my athletes running.

[00:10:56] I'll check out like do they have paces and

[00:10:58] are there any paces that are in that range of

[00:11:00] where we want them to be?

[00:11:01] And so sometimes and that's the tough thing is

[00:11:04] like I've been a pacer before.

[00:11:05] You can't always trust the paces.

[00:11:07] Now you can trust me, but my first time pacing.

[00:11:10] I was a little bit too fast.

[00:11:12] But yeah, they're supposed to be within like 30 seconds

[00:11:15] faster than what the finish time is supposed to be.

[00:11:18] So usually I might tell us an athlete to like start

[00:11:21] off behind the pacer and kind of see where that

[00:11:24] will pace they're really going and then maybe

[00:11:26] use them as a guide like try to maybe if

[00:11:29] they're going on the right pace, try to

[00:11:30] gradually catch up to them by like the 5k.

[00:11:32] But a lot of times paces do go out fast.

[00:11:34] It's hard not to like everyone.

[00:11:36] A lot of people do go out fast.

[00:11:38] So if you can kind of keep them in sight,

[00:11:40] but behind you in the beginning that could be

[00:11:41] a good option and then for effort based running

[00:11:44] like you have to go.

[00:11:46] Yeah, you got to go by effort because

[00:11:49] there the conditions might be unique when

[00:11:52] you're running.

[00:11:53] You never know if it's going to be raining

[00:11:54] or if it's going to be thunderstorming

[00:11:55] or you know there might be something that

[00:11:58] maybe it's crazy hot.

[00:11:59] Hopefully you find a good a good location

[00:12:01] to run your marathon where it's not

[00:12:03] too too hot at that time of year.

[00:12:04] But sometimes it's better to not look

[00:12:08] at the watch and just go by effort

[00:12:09] depending on how you're feeling.

[00:12:11] Like I said with the first half marathon

[00:12:13] you don't want to go out, you don't

[00:12:15] want to feel like you're pushing.

[00:12:16] So even if you're running the pace that

[00:12:17] you're supposed to be running but if

[00:12:19] it feels like you're pushing it maybe

[00:12:20] just back off a tiny bit and that will

[00:12:22] help you a lot in that second half.

[00:12:24] Because there's been times in races where

[00:12:25] you feel rough and then you get over

[00:12:28] that rough point.

[00:12:29] Even the elite runners will talk about

[00:12:31] sometimes when they talk about their races

[00:12:33] it's like oh my gosh it felt really bad

[00:12:35] but then all of a sudden it felt better.

[00:12:36] So that can happen too.

[00:12:38] But sometimes backing off just a little bit

[00:12:39] and going by effort is a better option

[00:12:42] than don't be too obsessed with what

[00:12:44] your pace is because I just want to

[00:12:46] make sure that you can stay strong

[00:12:47] throughout the race.

[00:12:48] Yeah yeah no absolutely and normally

[00:12:51] as you can probably

[00:12:53] attest to you have a running watch

[00:12:54] just like I do.

[00:12:56] And a lot of times when the effort feels

[00:12:58] harder you see your heart rate going up.

[00:13:00] Maybe talk to us a little bit about heart

[00:13:02] rate, how to look at heart rate

[00:13:04] and how to

[00:13:07] react when you see your heart rate

[00:13:08] going into the 160s, 170s

[00:13:10] when you're still in that first half of the marathon

[00:13:12] how is that going to affect everything?

[00:13:14] Oh yeah well I usually don't look at

[00:13:16] heart rate when I'm in a race.

[00:13:18] Usually in training sometimes

[00:13:20] I'll look at it for like easy runs

[00:13:22] and the Garmin

[00:13:24] the newest Garmin's might be

[00:13:25] pretty close to accurate but a lot of

[00:13:28] I know have an older Garmin

[00:13:30] and it's not 100% accurate so if I want

[00:13:32] like a really accurate read

[00:13:33] I'll wear the heart rate monitor or that goes around

[00:13:35] your chest and that like syncs with the Garmin

[00:13:37] and then the Garmin shows like a more accurate measure

[00:13:40] but I would say

[00:13:41] don't get obsessed with the heart rate because

[00:13:43] sometimes people might see a heart rate spike

[00:13:45] and they're like oh no it's too high

[00:13:47] and then mentally that gets to you and then

[00:13:48] you start slowing down.

[00:13:50] So go by feel in the race if you feel

[00:13:52] like oh my gosh I can't breathe because

[00:13:54] I'm breathing so heavy then you definitely want

[00:13:56] to back off because you know you still have

[00:13:58] if you still have a ways to go

[00:14:00] but don't I wouldn't even look at the heart rate

[00:14:02] unless you have like

[00:14:04] a health issue when it comes where you don't want your heart

[00:14:06] rate certain at a certain level

[00:14:08] I would just try to go

[00:14:10] listen to your body and go by feel.

[00:14:12] Okay that sounds good it's

[00:14:14] probably a good tip to not freak out

[00:14:16] while you're running that marathon.

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[00:15:31] And then in regards to

[00:15:33] fueling strategies and preventing

[00:15:35] bonking what are your

[00:15:37] things that you say to your athletes

[00:15:39] when it comes to that that they can execute

[00:15:41] during race day?

[00:15:43] Yeah fueling is so so important

[00:15:45] because I never took gels as frequently

[00:15:48] as I did until

[00:15:49] like 2019 and that's when I started

[00:15:51] running my best times

[00:15:53] so you always want to have a gel like

[00:15:55] 10-15 minutes before the race

[00:15:59] and

[00:15:59] even before that like an hour

[00:16:01] and a half leading up to the race after I have my breakfast

[00:16:03] I'll be sipping on like some

[00:16:05] scratch electrolyte carb mix

[00:16:07] to get those extra carbs without

[00:16:09] feeling too heavy in your stomach

[00:16:11] and that's after I eat like a good breakfast

[00:16:13] of oats.

[00:16:14] Oats honey and salt my favorite

[00:16:17] and then during the race

[00:16:19] I'll have the gel every 30 minutes

[00:16:21] it depends on how what speed you're running at

[00:16:23] too because

[00:16:25] a lot of elite marathoners will

[00:16:27] take every 5k

[00:16:29] so between 30 minutes

[00:16:31] and 5k if you're like in that 6

[00:16:33] minute range or to 5

[00:16:35] 45-30 range

[00:16:36] you probably want to take your gel every 5k

[00:16:39] through 30 minutes no later

[00:16:41] than that

[00:16:42] and then if you're a guy like some guys

[00:16:44] elite runners that are running in the

[00:16:46] 4s for their marathons they'll take a gel

[00:16:48] every 15 minutes because they're burning through

[00:16:52] they're like

[00:16:53] burning through everything so fast

[00:16:55] so yeah you definitely want to make

[00:16:57] sure that you have extra amount of gels with you

[00:16:59] then you think you need don't always

[00:17:01] rely on the coarse gels they might have some on the course

[00:17:03] but you never know what's going to happen

[00:17:05] so always be prepared

[00:17:06] so usually I always finish the race with like

[00:17:08] an extra gel or two in my bag

[00:17:10] so always or I actually

[00:17:12] put it in my sports bra or like

[00:17:14] you know a shorts pocket or something

[00:17:16] so yeah always make sure that you're on top of those gels

[00:17:18] every 30 minutes or

[00:17:20] some people would rather go by mileage

[00:17:22] so you could do it like every 5k

[00:17:24] or every maybe every 4 miles

[00:17:25] and if you're running like a little bit easier

[00:17:28] pace like maybe

[00:17:31] I would say if someone's running

[00:17:32] like in the 7s or

[00:17:34] maybe they would want to take it like every 35 minutes

[00:17:36] maybe every 30 also would still be good

[00:17:39] if you're running like in the 8s

[00:17:41] 9s you know 35

[00:17:42] 40 and then if you're running like

[00:17:44] 10, 11, 12 minute miles

[00:17:46] then maybe like every 45 minutes

[00:17:48] because you don't want to have too too many gels either

[00:17:51] but even if you're taking it

[00:17:52] like every 45 minutes I would still say take your first one

[00:17:55] earlier than later

[00:17:57] and then the biggest motto

[00:17:58] that I learned from my coach with

[00:18:00] with fueling is early and often

[00:18:02] is the best way to go

[00:18:05] yeah because you can't really overdo it right

[00:18:06] unless you eat too many gels

[00:18:08] and then suddenly you start feeling sick

[00:18:10] oh yeah if you practice and practice

[00:18:12] also then your body should be ready for it

[00:18:15] so practice in your long runs

[00:18:16] exactly how you're going to do it in the race

[00:18:18] so I'll drink scratch before every workout

[00:18:20] and every long run

[00:18:21] and then I'll try to have my gel

[00:18:24] like every 30 minutes during my workouts

[00:18:25] in long runs too

[00:18:26] and sometimes I'll do like the gummies

[00:18:29] but you have to have like 3 or 4 gummies to equal one gel

[00:18:32] so I'd rather just do the gel for the race

[00:18:33] but sometimes I'll practice with the gummies

[00:18:35] like if I can handle these gummies in practice

[00:18:37] I can definitely handle gel

[00:18:38] sure I'll flip-flop between the two

[00:18:40] so yeah so in regards to that

[00:18:42] a lot of people run their long runs on the weekends

[00:18:45] and they don't do it at marathon pace

[00:18:48] so with that do you take the gels

[00:18:50] every 30 minutes

[00:18:51] like you're planning to on the race

[00:18:53] or do you then take them less

[00:18:55] that's a good question

[00:18:57] usually if I'm doing like a tempo run

[00:18:59] or speedy workout in my long run

[00:19:01] I'll still take them every 30

[00:19:03] and then for the long runs

[00:19:05] I might actually take it

[00:19:07] like every 35 to 40

[00:19:09] if it's just an easy long run

[00:19:10] because lately I've been doing a lot of easier long runs

[00:19:13] however in this heat sometimes I feel

[00:19:15] like I'll benefit from just continuing

[00:19:17] to take it every 30

[00:19:18] even though I'm not covering as much distance as I would in a race

[00:19:20] in that time

[00:19:21] so it's still okay to take it every 30

[00:19:24] it's actually good practice for like the timing

[00:19:26] but sometimes like if it's an easy long run

[00:19:28] I might take the first one at 30

[00:19:30] and then the second one at 40

[00:19:31] and then every 40 from then on

[00:19:34] okay perfect thank you for elaborating

[00:19:36] on that and then I guess

[00:19:38] now that we have covered on how to pace

[00:19:40] your race and how to fuel

[00:19:42] your race let's talk a little bit about the other stuff

[00:19:44] that's going on between those two years

[00:19:46] your mental strategies

[00:19:47] how can runners stay mentally focused

[00:19:50] during the marathon especially during the later stages

[00:19:52] when fatigue sets in

[00:19:54] yeah well you have to be like

[00:19:56] mentally prepare yourself before the race

[00:19:58] and that helps to stay mentally

[00:20:00] strong during the race

[00:20:01] so visualizations are really big

[00:20:04] I love visualizing that I'm

[00:20:06] successfully completing the race

[00:20:08] hopefully that will lead to good dreams too

[00:20:10] because I always have nightmares about running sometimes

[00:20:12] like I forgot my shoes I didn't get to go to the bathroom

[00:20:14] that's the worst

[00:20:15] but try to keep reiterating

[00:20:17] those positive

[00:20:21] visualization techniques

[00:20:22] just think about the positive

[00:20:24] and in practice

[00:20:26] you're checking off the boxes

[00:20:27] and doing everything you need to do to make yourself

[00:20:30] successful for the race

[00:20:32] and then keeping things

[00:20:34] consistent between what you want to do in the race

[00:20:36] and what you want to do

[00:20:38] you can practice that in practice

[00:20:39] and that will allow you to do it in the race better

[00:20:43] so yeah I think

[00:20:44] that you want to remember that you're out there

[00:20:46] having fun unless you're

[00:20:48] running for money

[00:20:49] but that still should be fun

[00:20:51] no matter what it should be fun

[00:20:53] but if you're just running to get a good time

[00:20:55] maybe qualify for Boston

[00:20:56] or just run your first marathon

[00:20:59] or get better

[00:21:00] just remember to have fun with it and that will make it go by

[00:21:03] a lot more pleasantly

[00:21:04] and I'll soak up the audience

[00:21:06] you might have a good crowd there

[00:21:08] use them to pump you up

[00:21:10] and think about other things

[00:21:13] think about what's feeling good

[00:21:14] I always do that in a marathon

[00:21:17] instead of thinking about what hurts

[00:21:18] if there's something that hurts

[00:21:20] turn it into a positive

[00:21:22] I think I've mentioned this in another podcast with you

[00:21:24] where I was like

[00:21:25] my hamstrings were really tight in my best race

[00:21:27] and I was like my hamstrings are tight

[00:21:29] but that means I'm working hard

[00:21:31] but my calves feel good, my ankles feel good

[00:21:34] my feet feel good, my quads feel good

[00:21:37] anything like that

[00:21:38] and that will help you

[00:21:39] and then on this positive mantra

[00:21:40] you can always remember to recite those

[00:21:44] in your head

[00:21:44] she believes she could so she did

[00:21:46] that's my favorite one

[00:21:47] love that

[00:21:50] keep it going

[00:21:52] any little positive mantra that pumps you up

[00:21:55] think about that

[00:21:56] and remember how hard you trained

[00:21:59] every day just for this day

[00:22:00] and so you're gonna make the most of it

[00:22:02] and do the best you can possibly do

[00:22:04] and you can even make it like a game

[00:22:05] with other people running on the course

[00:22:07] and be like let me see how many people I can pass

[00:22:11] by this mile marker

[00:22:13] and then that might be

[00:22:14] a little extra motivator too

[00:22:16] or give someone else a good job

[00:22:18] thumbs up

[00:22:19] make someone else's day

[00:22:21] maybe they'll make yours

[00:22:23] I love this and I love the little game that you have

[00:22:26] with catching other runners

[00:22:28] something, unfortunately I feel like a lot of times

[00:22:30] we don't start

[00:22:32] talking to ourselves until

[00:22:34] we are feeling fatigued

[00:22:37] when do you normally

[00:22:38] start that dialogue with yourself

[00:22:40] yeah probably like

[00:22:42] it's a good question

[00:22:44] like almost the whole way

[00:22:46] but in the beginning I like to think

[00:22:48] maybe the first 10 miles

[00:22:49] this is not too bad, this is cruising

[00:22:52] it's pretty easy

[00:22:53] if it does start to get hard

[00:22:56] be like this is challenging

[00:22:57] but I got this, I can do it

[00:22:59] and then if a thing starts to hurt

[00:23:02] cause it happens in the marathon

[00:23:05] just tell yourself

[00:23:07] what's going on well

[00:23:09] and you know

[00:23:10] you can divert your mind from what's negative

[00:23:12] into the positive

[00:23:13] I love it, hold on I had something else

[00:23:15] alright so worst case scenario

[00:23:17] you are hitting the wall

[00:23:19] how do you talk yourself out of it

[00:23:22] that's really tough cause that happened to me

[00:23:24] this past year

[00:23:25] I ran two marathons that were just

[00:23:27] we're not the best and I kind of knew

[00:23:29] I wasn't ready for them but I was signed up for them

[00:23:32] and I was like alright we're just gonna go for it

[00:23:35] so that's a tough one

[00:23:36] but you can think about

[00:23:38] the times that you had when you succeeded

[00:23:40] and you did so well

[00:23:41] and how you pushed through other obstacles

[00:23:43] and that will make you realize

[00:23:46] that you can push through this pain

[00:23:48] and also it might get better

[00:23:50] you never know

[00:23:51] in these races they didn't get better

[00:23:53] but I actually

[00:23:56] was like I think I had a stomach bug

[00:23:58] before one of them

[00:23:59] my stomach felt really bloated

[00:24:01] and I said

[00:24:02] well there's people that run with babies in their stomach

[00:24:05] like people run pregnant

[00:24:07] I can do this, I'm not pregnant

[00:24:10] nice

[00:24:11] so yeah you just kind of

[00:24:13] twisted around and realized

[00:24:15] what you're thankful for

[00:24:17] it didn't feel good but I wasn't injured

[00:24:20] so that's good

[00:24:20] I didn't have any injuries to worry about so I was still healthy

[00:24:23] even though I didn't feel great

[00:24:25] and then I think like yeah

[00:24:27] the whole leg was sore

[00:24:28] but maybe your arms aren't sore

[00:24:30] so you can use your arms to help propel the legs

[00:24:32] and so yeah

[00:24:33] you can always turn it around into a positive

[00:24:35] it is tough though when you're having that bad race

[00:24:38] you know

[00:24:39] but you tell yourself like

[00:24:41] maybe my goals are adjusted

[00:24:42] but you kind of set a new goal in your head

[00:24:44] I know I'm going to get at least this time

[00:24:47] and then if you get that time

[00:24:50] you know that you gave it everything you had

[00:24:52] and yeah

[00:24:53] just know that when you get to that last straight away

[00:24:55] no matter how you feel you're still going to sprint

[00:24:57] and that's going to help a lot too

[00:25:00] you know that's very true always got to finish it strong

[00:25:02] you just mentioned something

[00:25:04] about sometimes the race gets better

[00:25:05] can you tell us about a time that happened to you

[00:25:08] that you thought you hit the wall because normally

[00:25:10] how it goes is the race is over with

[00:25:12] but maybe give us some hope here

[00:25:14] yeah yeah

[00:25:15] I always go back to this race because

[00:25:17] the race that I qualified for the trials at

[00:25:19] was the Houston Marathon 2019

[00:25:21] and I remember I hit like mile 12-13

[00:25:23] and I was like this is kind of hard but

[00:25:25] I can do this like I was like it's challenging

[00:25:27] but I can do it and then I'm like

[00:25:29] you know I was kind of hoping it doesn't

[00:25:31] wouldn't get more challenging but

[00:25:33] I just knew that I was just going to keep plugging along

[00:25:35] and I had no doubts in my mind that I was going to reach

[00:25:37] the goal that I had set so

[00:25:40] once I what really helped

[00:25:41] was seeing the crowd

[00:25:43] of girls that were trying to do the same thing that I was trying to do

[00:25:46] at like around mile

[00:25:48] 15 and

[00:25:49] you know it was kind of challenging from 12-15

[00:25:51] and then I got up to them

[00:25:53] and I was like

[00:25:55] oh my gosh I think subconsciously I felt like

[00:25:57] I had an advantage over them

[00:25:58] because I had been going slower than them for the first like

[00:26:01] 15 miles

[00:26:02] and I was still able to like

[00:26:05] catch up to them and I know the pace was like

[00:26:07] getting a little bit quicker and I remember

[00:26:09] my coach was like

[00:26:10] actually it might have been around mile 13 now I think about it

[00:26:13] and I remember my coach told me to go

[00:26:15] to take off

[00:26:16] at the half marathon mark and I thought he was crazy

[00:26:19] but I remember he told me to take off

[00:26:21] so I was like

[00:26:22] alright I'm going to take off and it literally took off

[00:26:25] and started running

[00:26:26] and my second half was my half marathon PR

[00:26:30] and it was

[00:26:30] as I never been under 120

[00:26:32] and I think according to the garment it was like

[00:26:35] 1856 but probably according to the course

[00:26:37] it was maybe like high 119

[00:26:39] or something like that

[00:26:40] because the course always measures a little bit differently

[00:26:42] but it was pretty amazing

[00:26:45] how that happened where when I started

[00:26:47] going faster it actually felt easier

[00:26:49] like I felt smooth and amazing

[00:26:51] and then I hit mile 24

[00:26:53] I think it was a lot of positive

[00:26:54] mental thoughts that helped my physical too

[00:26:57] because when I hit like mile 24

[00:26:59] I was like I could

[00:27:00] I could run 8 minute miles and still hit my goal

[00:27:03] and still be under 245

[00:27:04] so that was really

[00:27:06] a nice feeling and so then

[00:27:08] I think I really prepped myself

[00:27:10] mentally it was still

[00:27:12] challenging like you know

[00:27:14] but most miles 12 to 15

[00:27:16] but I was able to overcome that

[00:27:18] and finish really really really strong

[00:27:20] and the last mile was like the fastest

[00:27:22] mile I think

[00:27:23] that's an amazing comeback from having negative thoughts

[00:27:26] yeah luckily if thoughts didn't get

[00:27:28] too too negative but I do remember

[00:27:30] thinking like it's challenging

[00:27:31] but yeah it could have got

[00:27:34] harder but it got easier

[00:27:35] that's nice that's really good to know

[00:27:37] and obviously you know here definitely

[00:27:40] in the United States we a lot of the times

[00:27:42] talk about fake it till you make it

[00:27:44] you can't do that when it comes to running the marathon

[00:27:46] so talk to us about the importance of setting

[00:27:48] realistic expectations and engaging where we're at

[00:27:50] yeah that's true

[00:27:52] yeah like a really short distance maybe

[00:27:54] but now if you want to compete

[00:27:56] and you're doing a race as long as a marathon

[00:27:59] you definitely need to train for it

[00:28:00] and it's really important

[00:28:02] to like know where you're at

[00:28:04] leading up to the race

[00:28:05] and if the training doesn't go as well as

[00:28:07] as you'd planned

[00:28:09] you know as long as you had good training

[00:28:11] I say from like

[00:28:13] you know 10 to like

[00:28:16] 5 weeks out maybe

[00:28:17] even if things don't go well around those times

[00:28:19] you could still run a good race

[00:28:21] and you never know what you can do

[00:28:23] so you want to prepare yourself as much as you can

[00:28:27] like if you had an injury or something

[00:28:29] pop up like making sure you're

[00:28:31] making up for that running by cross training

[00:28:32] and doing other stuff and just

[00:28:35] yeah staying mentally positive

[00:28:36] throughout it all and knowing that

[00:28:39] that you did everything you could

[00:28:41] to hit that race

[00:28:42] or to hit that goal

[00:28:44] okay perfect so then what are your last tips for

[00:28:47] all the runners out there

[00:28:48] to do during the marathon

[00:28:50] my last tips for you are

[00:28:53] don't wait till last minute to train

[00:28:54] definitely start training like you know

[00:28:56] 16 weeks out

[00:28:58] 12 to 15

[00:29:00] 16 17 at the most

[00:29:02] probably 12 would be the shortest

[00:29:05] and then also have fun

[00:29:07] prepare yourself well

[00:29:09] by

[00:29:10] doing all those things outside of running

[00:29:12] that can help you to be successful

[00:29:14] like get your sleep 8 to 9 hours a night

[00:29:16] or however much you can possibly get

[00:29:19] you know 7's a minimum

[00:29:21] also

[00:29:22] making sure that you're

[00:29:24] you're feeling well

[00:29:25] you're practicing what you want to do for race day

[00:29:27] before the race day so when the race day comes

[00:29:30] you already have it

[00:29:32] you just keep continue to do what you did

[00:29:34] and then be ready for any obstacles

[00:29:36] that come up too because the weather might be

[00:29:38] rough it might be cold it might be hot

[00:29:40] it might be raining but just remember that everyone's

[00:29:42] going through the same thing that you are

[00:29:44] and it's not the end of the world

[00:29:45] like you're gonna reach your goal

[00:29:47] or you're gonna do your best to reach it

[00:29:49] and if for some reason you don't

[00:29:51] then there's other races so it's not the end of the world

[00:29:54] and if anything

[00:29:55] like cause I've had those

[00:29:57] quote unquote fail races that they call

[00:29:59] fail because you're gonna reach your goal but then that

[00:30:01] just fuels you up and fires you up more to get

[00:30:03] that goal so you can do it

[00:30:05] and make sure you focus on recovery

[00:30:07] and that you're only as good as you recover

[00:30:09] so keep up those recovery techniques

[00:30:12] perfect thank you

[00:30:13] Erica so much and then if people want to get in

[00:30:15] touch with you how can they best find you

[00:30:17] thanks letty yeah they can best find me

[00:30:19] through um you can follow me on instagram

[00:30:21] or message me at

[00:30:23] exclusive Erica or you can find me on

[00:30:25] facebook at Erica whites

[00:30:27] w e i t z

[00:30:29] you can also send me an email

[00:30:30] at erica er i c a

[00:30:33] at exclusive

[00:30:34] dash endurance dot com

[00:30:36] or you can check out my website at exclusive

[00:30:38] dash endurance dot com

[00:30:40] and I would love to hear from you

[00:30:42] perfect thank you so much thanks letty

[00:30:48] thank you Erica for

[00:30:50] coming on and speaking with us we learned a lot

[00:30:53] and hopefully our listeners did too

[00:30:56] yeah we appreciate

[00:30:57] your knowledge and you know you have the experience of going

[00:31:00] fast and

[00:31:01] you can help teach other

[00:31:03] people the tips and tricks

[00:31:05] exactly and if you guys haven't checked out

[00:31:07] Erica online yet do so do yourself

[00:31:09] that favor she's very positive

[00:31:11] and I would almost call her

[00:31:13] contagiously positive because

[00:31:14] she's just good vibes so

[00:31:16] everything is linked in the show notes

[00:31:19] stay tuned for next week we're gonna have

[00:31:21] a race recap of the tunnel marathon

[00:31:23] in Washington that took place

[00:31:25] on September 8th

[00:31:26] and that's our little preview

[00:31:29] alright so anything else from you Ryan?

[00:31:31] I hope people give us some

[00:31:33] feedback and give us

[00:31:34] some ideas on what they want to hear

[00:31:37] because it's you know we try

[00:31:39] to get new things or try to come up

[00:31:41] with new things for you guys to

[00:31:42] learn and educate yourselves

[00:31:45] but maybe there's stuff we're missing

[00:31:47] exactly so you can do that

[00:31:49] by contacting us on instagram

[00:31:51] we are at Running Podcast

[00:31:52] also don't forget to check out our

[00:31:54] youtube channel we are gonna do

[00:31:57] a couple of giveaways we've been doing

[00:31:59] hoka giveaways

[00:32:00] and that you can also find by going to

[00:32:03] youtube.com

[00:32:04] and with that

[00:32:07] have a good week of running

[00:32:21] we'll be back next week

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