What was your training program and did you follow it? I followed Hal Higdon’s Intermediate Training Program…to the tee. There were days when my schedule was crazy but I tried to at least pound out a few miles on those days. I was too sacred to veer off course thinking I’d get to the actual marathon and bomb. When you have a goal in mind, it makes it much easier to get up at 5:45AM before work to run. Knowing I could come back and drink a cup of coffee was my motivation.
Do you have any advice for first time marathon runners?Find a training program you like and follow it. Even if you don’t follow it completely, you at least have the mental relief of knowing you did the best you could do for the months leading up to it and that dedication would carry you through.
Best part of the entire experience/worst part of the whole experience. The hardest part about the marathon is signing up and then the months, weeks and days of training – especially with the NYC humidity in the summer months. Getting yourself to the start line is literally the hardest part. Once you’re there, the fun begins. I’d be lying if I didn’t say one of the best parts was eating anything and everything on the days I had to do long runs – that was fun. But the real best part was coming off the Queensboro Bridge at mile 16, which was long, inclined and thinking to myself “OMG I still have 10 hard miles to go how on earth am I going to do this?” And then rounding the corner onto 1st avenue in Manhattan to see thousands upon thousands of people cheering. I saw my family and friends on this stretch and the looks on their faces when they saw me run by were priceless. Don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling.
What were you wearing for your run? Well, this was obviously very planned out. My roommate and I had a “find-meghan’s-marathon-outfit” brunch date the week before. I wore short Nike running shorts (wore them all summer training and got so used to them, i didn’t care how cold it was going to be…I was wearing them), a mint green Lululemon racer-back tank top, arm sleeves and a peach bandana. I wanted to stick out in bright colors. And I just love bright colors.
Your ‘song’ that got you through the walls. Oh man, I am a huge music person so my playlist was very well thought out. I had 2 songs that I used to get me through the wall. #1 was called Swim by Jack’s Mannequin. It’s a song about pushing through the struggles in your life. My brother had texted me a few of our favorite lyrics the night before, so that reinforced it. #2 was “Running Down A Dream” by Tom Petty. Cheesy but true. Oh… and also cheesy but true was Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z. Kind of cool to listen to while running the streets of NYC.
Would you do it again? Evaaaa!!!! Ask me in a week, ok?
Meghan, Thank you! Congrats again on an outstanding accomplishment!
