Training for that First Half Marathon
3 things I learned from the pros
I’ve worked with personal trainers throughout the years, usually when I had an upcoming physical challenge that would freak me out a little: hiking the Grand Canyon, climbing Kilimanjaro, or running a half marathon. I turned to the fitness pros when I wanted some guidance and expertise to step up my game. My best experiences have been with trainers who were also runners or endurance athletes because I could relate to them better, appreciating similar goals, commiserating over similar injuries, and identifying with similar stories. And when I didn’t know what I didn’t know, I would glean nuggets of wisdom from them that I often adopted into my own wellness-minded lifestyle.
For my first half marathon, I worked with a trainer to prepare me for a sub 2 hour finishing time. While there were numerous learning moments all along the way, I’d like to share 3 key discoveries that continue to influence me during any running season.
#1: A strong butt makes a strong runner
I have a runner’s injury that flares up from time to time. It’s not a common one like runner’s knee, or achilles tendonitis, or even plantar fasciitis. No, when I get injured, it’s embarrassing — I usually get a real pain in the butt. I have pulled my high hamstring a few times over the years, slightly differently each time, requiring me to include a number of glute and hamstring strength exercises and stretches into my workout routine.
The first time I pulled this muscle, I didn’t see a doctor and hobbled for months, effectively taking exercise out of my life for almost a year. By the time I could run again, I had lost significant gains from any active lifestyle and essentially had to start over. A couple of years later, I felt a familiar twinge in my glute while running and knew immediately to stop. Thankfully, I was already working with a trainer, and he helped me rehabilitate the muscle and continue a workout routine despite being injured.
Keenly aware of this repeat injury and not wanting it to derail my half marathon goal, I learned to love the squat: deep squats, dumbbell squats, barbell squats, jump squats, any kind of squat to activate my glutes. I included functional strength training as part of my weekly routine, focusing on exercises with motions that mimic everyday activities like lunges, deadlifts, and squats.
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body and my trainer reminded me that I should always include glute exercises in my routine. Glutes are part of the kinetic chain that stabilize my hips while running. So if my glutes are weak, then my hips may not be centered which could lead to knee problems and foot problems. (Suddenly I feel like singing Dem Bones.) Everything’s connected — foot muscles to calves to hamstrings to glutes—and the kinetic chain is only as strong as the weakest link. For me, dem’s my glutes.
#2: Treadmills are seriously underrated
I’ve run on treadmills for years, but usually for 20–30 min on one speed with no incline and at hotels when traveling for work. I saw the treadmill as a convenient alternative to running outside in the oppressive summer heat. I appreciated it but until I trained for a half marathon, I took it for granted.
My trainer gave me interval workouts as homework which were best executed on a treadmill. My first interval run looked something like this:
- Warm-up 15–20min
- Run 8 x 3min interval @8.45–9.00min/mi pace AND 3–5% incline
- Run 90sec @easy pace between each interval
Not fully understanding what I was getting into, I set the treadmill as close to an 8.45min/mi pace AND a 5% incline. A few steps in, I immediately dropped the incline to 3% — I quickly realized this was going to be hard. I reset my expectations and aimed to finish half the workout. After reaching that goal, I felt content with any additional effort my body could pull off and finally called it a day after the 6th interval. I felt like my lungs would explode.
Amazed and humbled, I approached the next few weeks with an open mind. I had thought I was already “in shape” to get in shape but clearly intervals were a beast of a different kind. The next 2 interval workouts continued to shock and awe my muscles but the familiarity started to bring my mind around. Slowly, I began to look forward to the intervals — enjoying the bursts of hard work followed by active rest periods. I was training my body to find sources of energy despite being tired.
As the weeks passed, I felt myself getting stronger and faster and I could run by feel more accurately. Since the treadmill would force me to run at a set pace for an extended period of time, my legs and mind and body started to know what an 8.45min/mi pace felt like versus a 9.00min/mi pace. Plus, since I ran inclines on the treadmill, the hills outside felt significantly easier with my effort on gentle hills being almost unnoticeable. These tangible results blew my mind. Treadmills are seriously underrated.
#3: Managing macros lets me eat so much more
With an active lifestyle, working out 4–5 days/week, I needed to eat more quantity of food, but I also needed to eat better quality and I knew I had an unbalanced diet — heavy on carbs and light on protein. I liked rice, breads, and pastas, so I admitted this to my trainer when she asked me to start keeping a dietary log. I logged what I ate for the next 3 days and reviewed my nutrition with her the next time we met. As expected, she noted that I wasn’t eating enough protein but she gave me a big surprise when she also said I wasn’t eating enough fat.
I wanted to fine-tune my nutritional intake to enhance my running performance. We talked through modifications in my diet and she gave me daily targets for overall caloric intake, broken down by macros (short for macronutrients), which consist of fats, protein, and carbohydrates.
The first thing I noticed as I started tracking my macros was that I would hit the carbohydrate target without even trying. And as much as I did try, I could not for the life of me meet the protein and fat targets. I simply felt too full to eat as much food as I needed. So, we focused on nutrient-rich foods and continued to make minor adjustments until I figured out a healthy balance of protein shakes, a little extra EVOO here, another dollop of guacamole there, and a handful of almonds with that half piece of fruit as a mid-day snack.
I noticed I felt my best when I ate 5–6 times a day — smaller portions and more frequent grazing times. I still enjoyed a regular glass of wine and didn’t feel guilty for the caloric intake because it fit in my macros for the day. And on those few occasions when I could still eat more carbs and fat, I splurged on ice cream.
Tracking my macros made me understand portion sizes. I love rice with any meal and I used to eat scoops and scoops of rice. But once I understood what a 1/2c portion looked like and its nutritional value, well, first I cried and then I supplemented it with more protein or veggies. I began to appreciate how I could eat a wider variety of foods instead of just a big plate of rice. By managing my macros, I felt more satisfied after eating and no longer felt hunger pains throughout the day.
Managing macros will be different for everyone. Some people track macros to manage weight loss. For me, I tracked macros to understand what a more balanced diet looked like. Here are a couple of resources to help you get started in understanding macros.
The more I learn, the more I realize what little I know, so I like to hang out with the pros from time to time — seasoned individuals with the passion to excel in their art. With running, I worked with a trainer to help me reach my half marathon goal and ended up learning a great deal more about health and wellness in general. I’ve adopted a number of healthy living practices in my day-to-day routine, like dem glute stretches in the evenings and occasional macro tracking to correct eating habits if I’ve started munching on too many carbs again. I’m not sure what my next physical challenge will be but I look forward to working with the pros again to crush that future goal.
Read on for tips about endurance runs.
