I Accidentally Signed Up for a Marathon—and Then I Ran It – Cosmopolitan
In January, I signed up for a New York Road Runner’s half-marathon in Brooklyn, New York. I’d done it a couple of times before, and since I only run if I’m training for a thing that might kill me if I don’t, it felt like a good time to cardio again. That’s when I came across an ad to enter the lottery to run the New York City Marathon.
If you know, then you know. But for non-New Yorkers (and non-runners), the NYC Marathon is kind of a big deal. Every year, more than 50,000-ish runners wake up early, trek to Staten Island (where that sexy shower scene in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days takes place), then run across a 2.5-mile bridge, into Brooklyn, across another bridge to Queens, and then another into Manhattan, and another to the Bronx, and (in the words of DJ Khalid) anotha one back into Manhattan to Central Park where they’re rewarded with a plastic blanket and heavy necklace.
ashley oerman
All of this is to say that it’s really hard. But I guess I was feeling wild? New year, new 26.2-mile running me? I don’t know. TBH, I blacked out when I entered the lottery.
A month and a half later, I was reviewing my unusually high credit card bill and noticed a $300 charge from the New York Road Runners. Surprise! I checked my NYRR profile, which confirmed I was enlisted in the marathon. That meant run or light $300 on fire.
Since I’d rather put my body through five hours of torture than lose three month’s worth of brunch, I surrendered.
Here is exactly what I did to survive so you can too.
Get a plan.
A ’thon is really not a thing you can do without lots of running. To safely log miles while getting fitter, you need a training plan that considers how much you’re currently running, how far you’ve run in the past, and your average pace. There are lots of free training tools out there, like these running apps, but it could be worth it to pay for a plan created by the people who host your marathon (like the New York Road Runners). That’s because you’ll get insider tips about the course (like how steep the hills are) and how best to train for it.
My plan had four required runs per week as well as one cross-training day, which you could also use as a day off. A typical week looked like this: a speed workout, an easy run (running without a watch), a “regular” run (running at a certain pace), a long run, and a recovery run. This routine can go on from 14 to 20 weeks, depending on the plan. Mine was 16 weeks, which felt just long enough.
FWIW, we asked a run coach to create an 18-week easy marathon training plan and it’s all yours fo’ free if you want it!
Consider a coach.
If you’re a ball of anxiety like moi, you might want a little extra security while prepping for the race. That’s where a certified running coach can be super helpful. Besides holding me accountable to stay on top of my training, my coach Melanie talked me off a ledge when I felt intimidated by all the miles ahead of me and tweaked my plan when I was injured (more on that fun situation later).
Melanie responded to every workout I logged, checked in to see how I was doing, and helped me calm the hell down when I realized my running app tracked my 20-mile run incorrectly. (I probably ran 18-ish miles instead of 20, in case you care).
To find a legit coach near you, check out Road Runners Club of America’s Find a Coach tool.
Shop all of the recovery things.
Even though it was boring and painful, I had to stretch and foam roll to stay loose and healthy as I logged all the miles. Because of my solid recovery routine, I felt better crossing the marathon finish line than I did after the half-marathon. Go figure!
Here’s some of the swag that helped me stay bendy.
Give up on other workouts—except (maybe) yoga.
Before I started marathon training, I was lifting weights about three times a week, but when I got my training plan, I realized that crushing three strength days and four running days a week was not sustainable for me. My running coach also told me that any extra workout I did shouldn’t take away from the energy I needed to devote to running.
That said, I still got my yoga on, which can help improve your range of motion and flexibility. My fave: CorePower’s Yoga 2 class.
Think about physical therapy.
When I started training, I found out I had Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), a very common running injury that happens when you’ve got weak abductor muscles (le side butt) and/or an overworked IT band. Basically, this makes the outside of your knee hurt A LOT.
So I visited a physical therapist once a week for about three months to learn how to strengthen my hips, core, and all the running muscles. After about three weeks, I was able to run without any issues. Yay!
My point is: If you are new to running really far and feel like something is off, definitely get it checked out. Someone told me that if you can make it to the starting line healthy, you will definitely finish the race and that seems legit, right?
Find some entertaining podcasts.
Even with my cute ’fits and team of professionals to keep me on track, running far is boring. Not going to lie. But one of my fave ways to forget I had 10+ more miles to run was listening to smart and funny people teach me things. Living in my own brain is hard enough when I’m not running for hours. So getting out of my head and into a Real Housewives recap made it significantly less awful.
Instagram your shit.
It was kinda sad when I finished my first 14-mile run ever and literally no one around me knew or cared why I was crying to myself on the sidewalk. Enter: social media. I started documenting my long runs on my Instagram Stories and my friends and fam cheered me on via DM. ’Twas delightful. It also really helped break up the distance. You might feel annoying and some people may think you are—but it’s worth it.
Carb-load like it’s your job.
Things I ate in bulk in the week before my race include but are not limited to: pizza, noodles of all varieties (Chinese, Italian, butter), crackers, potatoes, and bread. Learn it, love it, live it.
Stock up on sleep.
Maybe the second most important thing I did was sleep. Since I had to take a 5 a.m. bus to the starting line, I made sure that I stockpiled those zzz’s as hard as I did carbs. I’d recommend 8 to 10 hours a night at least. Just trust me, carb coma + early bedtime x 5 = you crushing your marathon.
PUT. YOUR. NAME. ON. YOUR. SHIRT.
If you literally do one thing the week before the race, do this. I felt famous and almost cried at mile 23 when a bunch of drunk frat guys chanted my name like I was doing a damn keg stand. 10/10!
Ashley Oerman
Let it all out.
Speaking of crying to yourself, I highly recommend it. Marathons are emotional and awesome and really tough. So if you’re not crying for yourself at the finish line, did you even run a marathon?
Senior Editor Ashley Oerman is a senior editor at Cosmopolitan, covering fitness, health, and sexual health.