Major milestone:

First Marathon at 40+!! Non-runner. Goal - sub-5 Actual- 4:52:44. Mind blown!! My half PR- 2:08:23! Simply stoked!

What is the secret to your success?

Consistency, patience, and grit!!

What is the most rewarding part of training?

Keeping on target range per Runcoach!! Absolutely fantastic plan! Cally you go girl!!

What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community?

Discipline, go easy on days you can’t control.

Anything else you would like to share?

Just immensely grateful for the most realistic and reasonable plan. Awesome job Runcoach!

What feedback would you offer on the Runcoach experience?

Fantastic!! Made my dream come true and with a mind-blowing pace! I acknowledge I am not Kipchoge but definitely more than that! I am a full time professional, mom of two elementary school kids. And yet I did this! Super proud of myself and the running community. My husband played a very supportive role. Just super thankful.

As your fall marathon grows nearer, the power of your mind becomes a key determinant of your success. Beyond physical training, mental resilience is vital for conquering the challenges ahead. This blog post focuses on 5 tips to harness your mental strength throughout your training segment, ensuring you're mentally prepared for your marathon journey.

1. Visualize Victory:

Visualization is a powerful tool. Envision your successful marathon, from the starting line to crossing the finish. By mentally rehearsing your achievement, you boost confidence and alleviate anxiety.

2. Set Smart Goals:

Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals with your coach. We can help provide direction and motivation during training, anchoring your efforts in purpose.

3. Positive Self-Talk:

Your internal dialogue matters. Foster self-encouragement and counter self-doubt with affirmations. A positive self-talk routine builds mental resilience. You are determined, strong, and capable. 

4. Embrace Challenges:

Challenges are often unavoidable opportunities in disguise. Adopt a growth mindset and learn from difficulties. Overcoming obstacles fortifies your mental toughness. There is nothing you cannot overcome.

5. Practice Mindfulness:

Stay present during training runs and the race itself. Techniques like focused breathing enhance focus and calmness.

Through visualization, goal setting, positive self-talk, embracing challenges, and mindfulness, you can elevate your mental game for your fall marathon. Your mental strength is your secret weapon - use it to shape your success!

6. Trust the Taper:

As Coach Rosie says: "The paces that may feel challenging in training now will feel significantly easier on race day. Remember that your legs will be fresh and you will reap the benefits of your hard work. Soak up the energy from the crowd and allow it to drive you forward. Above all, celebrate all of the hard work you have put in. This is your time to shine."

7. Break it Down: 

Coach Tom likes to say:  “Don’t think the of the Marathon as a 26-mile event, instead think of it as a series of 26 mile repeats”.  This implores simple focus on the next mile as the personal Marathon experience usually ebbs and flows.  So try not to think of Mile 26 when you’re at Mile 8.  Instead focus on Mile 9 and get through that.  Often times the break down of both workouts and the race itself into singular steps, make the process that much more palatable."

You may have heard it, but we will say it again: The long run is the most important run of your week.

Personally, the long run is my favorite run of the week too. It doesn’t always feel good, but I am always proud of myself once it’s completed because I know fitness was gained and mental strength too. But why is the long run so important? Why does the training plan have up and down weeks with total mileage/minutes? Is it really possible to finish a marathon if my long run never covers the entire distance in training? Here are our answers.

First, the importance of the long run stems from the cells. Runs exceeding 60 minutes help create more capillaries within the system, the more capillaries in your body, the more efficient oxygen can be transported and delivered to your muscles. Thus, increasing your endurance level and ability to run faster and further. As you feel stronger, and you accomplish mileage you never thought possible, you gain confidence.  You start to learn that you can push harder and longer than ever before, and that is huge for the mental game come race day.

Next, the up and down weeks of mileage may look random, but we have a plan. We train you to run 2 weeks hard, 1 week easy. This cycle of training prepares the body as you work to build up fatigue, push through fatigue, and then recover. The adaptations that build fitness come when we soak up the training during the down week before increasing the mileage higher than before. For our marathon runners, these two challenging long run weeks back to back can help simulate the second half of the marathon with the accumulation of fatigue.

 Last, the long run is more about time on feet than actual miles covered. Exceeding more than 3.5 hours of running during training has been known to have diminishing returns. Meaning that running longer than 210 minutes can negatively affect your body’s ability to have quality in training and could leave you sick, overly fatigued, or injured. Depending on your pace, any run 16 miles and over will allow you to successfully finish the marathon distance. It’s important to trust the process and know that with a taper, you will feel strong and ready to conquer 26.2 miles at the peak of your training program.

If you’re like me, you can’t wait for the next long run to get out the door and increase your body’s efficiency now that you know the goal of your most important run of the week.

Originally posted by Dena Evans on Feb. 6, 2014

Don’t let your running and training be hampered by arbitrary tales that may lead you off track.  If you find yourself caught in the trap laid by one of these myths, it is time to set yourself free!

Myth #1:  If you don’t have time for the entire prescribed XXworkout, you should just skip the whole thing.

We all know the nagging pain of a day where the alarm didn’t go off, your toddler is sick, work is a fire drill, or the weather is garbage. The scheduled workout is Just. Not. Going. To. Happen.  In frustration, it can be tempting to bag everything and sulk.  Don’t.  Your schedule is the best-case scenario, and every single runner has had to punt and pivot now and again.  If the track workout isn’t an option, an aerobic run can still help clear your head, and keep you on track for either an adjusted workout day later in the week or next week’s tasks.  If the schedule calls for 45 minutes and you only have 25 minutes, your body will get a significant benefit from doing even half the work.  If you are taking an unplanned “zero” in the log, focus your mental energy on the positives – more freshness for the next session, accomplishment of the tasks and issues that have stolen your run time, and the confidence that a day or few off does not have to have a significant impact on your fitness level.

Myth #2:  Days off are for wimps.

Training hard is important to get toward your goal, but without recovery, your muscles don’t have the ability to adapt and recoup after the stress you have placed on them already.  Recuperation time allows your body to return to preparedness for the stimulus ahead and in doing so, get the most out of the upcoming challenge.  Running hard every day drives your body into a deeper and deeper hole from which it eventually becomes impossible to escape.   Build your schedule with some planned and regular rest, and the chances of you making it to the start line of your goal race will increase immensely.

Myth #3:  You will set a personal best every single race or you are not trying hard enough.

There are many, many factors that contribute to a personal best day.  An accurately (or inaccurately) measured course.  A tail or head wind.  Hills.  A bad meal the night before.  How well recovered you are.  Your bout of flu last week.  Neglecting to hydrate along the route or beforehand.  The list goes on and on.   These are not excuses, but factors which can both enhance or diminish the yield from your training up to that point.  Your actual fitness plays the largest role, but smart training includes a slight cyclical effect where recovery periods are interspersed with hard training and tapering for goal events.  100% effort each time can be a good way to practice the significant demand your body will require when it is primed for a signature day, but even top level effort each time may not always result in a new level of achievement, particularly for experienced runners who have been through the train and taper cycle in the past.  Concentrate on the quality of your preparation, the execution of your plan, and when your body is ready, you’ll have good racing habits and attitude down pat.

Myth #4a:  The more cushioning in your shoes, the better chance you have of avoiding injury.

Most athletes do not need to purchase the shoes with the maximum potential padding, structure, or stability in order to stay injury free, and in fact these shoes can sometimes impede your stride from operating at its greatest efficiency.  Each foot and every person is different.  Consider getting a gait analysis from an experienced staff member at a reputable running specialty store in your neck of the woods, and adding that info to your reasoning as you choose your next pair of shoes.  Well-cushioned shoes have indeed helped many non-runners become runners through the years, but for many athletes, other choices may serve the body better.

Myth #4b:  The less cushioning in your shoes, the better chance you have of avoiding injury.

In recent years, thousands of runners have become enamored with the “minimalist” segment of the running shoe market.  These are typically footwear with much or all of the heel lift eliminated, or shoes meant to simulate running barefoot with various ways of wrapping around the foot or articulating the sole.  While incorporating barefoot running or minimalist footwear into a larger program to strengthen the foot and lower leg can be very beneficial, these decisions must be made in context.  Injury history, the restraint to gradually incorporate this type of running, and the availability of suitable and safe terrain must all be considered.  Again, minimalist footwear have been invaluable tools for many runners, but just because you want to be one of those runners, doesn’t mean you are.  Get some input from your experienced local running specialty retailer or a podiatrist, and don’t do anything all at once.

Myth #5:  Training for a marathon is a great crash diet.

Physical fitness is a great by-product of decision to train for a half or full marathon.  Weight loss may result, but the “goal beyond the goal” should always be sustainable, healthy habits.  Athleticism, strength, endurance are all aspects of your best self that need to come to the fore in order for you to reach your race finish line.  Explicit, short term dieting and caloric reduction while maintaining a schedule of challenging running tasks can be detrimental to your training and health at best, and dangerous at worst.  We want running to be a life-long, rewarding pursuit, but we also know it fits into a larger context of healthy diet, sleep, lifestyle, and fitness choices.  Incremental changes you can live with, while adjusting to training, can help ensure that this goal won’t be the end of your training, but just the start.