First Time Marathon Running

Since this is my first time running a full, the gear was a bit of an investment. They say running is the cheapest sport, but when you up your miles like this, it can really add up! However, I consider it to be worth it. I train in very hot, very humid weather, so having fluids on me at all times is essential. While I was packing up to go home for a quick visit (can we just take a minute to acknowledge that running in Fall weather was so. much. better.) I took a photo of most of my gear. I did not snap photos of my clothing or shoes. I mostly have been wearing compression running pants from Under Armor, and I have been loving my Saucony Freedom ISO. I just got the Saucony Liberty ISO for the longest runs and the actual marathon, because the Freedom is neutral, and the Liberty is almost exactly the same but with stability built in, which I hope will help my body tackle the miles with slightly less pain. Now, on to the accessories I have been using! I love my GPS watch (the Polar M200) ...

 As usual, I need to start this post by stating I am not a professional running coach, nor am I a nutritionist. But, I always want to know what "regular people" runners like myself do to fuel. Let me just start of by saying the Runger  (running induced need to eat everything in site) is so real at this point.     One of my fears with running this marathon is gaining weight  while training. So far, I have lost weight and gained muscle definition. I want to keep that going, even with the crazy constant hunger. A surprising number of people have written about  gaining weight  during training. Most of the advice  is to not go over-board justifying snacking on cookies or other treats, and to stay hydrated. I'm also going to talk about what I fuel with during my run  as that is something I'm constantly reading about. First let's talk non-running hydration. I've been cutting back on alcohol, and increasing  my intake of  beneficial nut...

Okay, so I promised to talk about my cross training. Now, after finishing my Monday yoga/stretch, seems like a good time. Yesterday I ran 10 miles for my long run, and it felt pretty good! The first 7 felt easy, but the last mile was rough; every part of my legs/knees/hips were just aching by then from an hour and half of constant pavement pounding. After a few recovery techniques  (which I will discuss in a later post),  and a couple of hours, my legs were already feeling better.  Today, they feel a little heavy, but  otherwise great! I'm certain it's because  I have been working hard to remain consistent with my cross training activities. As I stated before, in past training, I have had serious knee pain. In the final long run of half marathon training last year I even had glute pain that had me questioning if I could make the run or not. I'm sure there are two main culprits- my partner and I did not  keep up with our cross training as runs increased, a...