a guest post from a newly minted marathoner

i have nothing really. i will try a 3 miler later tonight using my new floppy method.

meanwhile, my cousin is the first of any member in my family to run a marathon! i was so bummed that i couldn't be there to watch her run. darn! she did grandma's marathon a little while ago. to give you some background, she is 24 (or 25?). she doesn't know i'm posting this....i couldn't bring myself to tell her about the blog given that once in a while i slip up and talk about chicks and stuff. we can't have her reading about that stuff! the family reunions would consist of me blushing three shades of red for damaging the family name (the fake name i guess heheh). can't have that. but i thought the rookie marathoners would find it helpful and interesting.

i asked her some questions so if you want to know how it all went down for the first "hopkins", and to learn about all sorts of advice from a first time marathoner, read along. also, as is typical with her, she does not even mention the fact that she stopped with her friend for several minutes at one point who had to go to the bathroom or something like that. typical! she would have been even faster but she wouldn't think to leave her friend.
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hi ("brent")! it was so fun to hear from you. ____ actually just sent me an email, so i will have to reply to her, too...to be fair :) i love talking about the marathon experience, so i am happy to tell you anything you want to know. i am not an expert, but i think it's good to hear about lots of different experiences of people who have done it before. ...so nice of you to think of me jogging away all day, too.

let's see if i can answer some of your questions. i did a very similar training plan...dick beardsley's novice plan on grandmas website. i also had shin splints at the beginning without ever having them before!! don't give up...i tried to use our elliptical machine on short run days to give my shins time to heal, and i also stopped running on a treadmill, and that did the trick. are you using a treadmill? if so, you could try using an indoor track, running outside, or just always using elevation at zero on the treadmill. also, are your shoes new? if they are worn out, that can also cause shin problems. i hope that they heal soon...i had hip/upper thigh issues towards the end of my training, and it gets really frustrating. but i made it, and i know you will make it, too. oh, and ice your shins after you run, take ibuprofen, both will reduce the inflammation.

the weather at grandmas was about perfect. it got a little warm towards the end...all my fans (family members) and i had some sunburns...but it was not windy or raining or too hot. it was great. i did eat a banana before the race, and then i had some gu during the run...about every 5 miles. my biggest piece of advice to you is to really train EXACTLY how it will be in the marathon. figure out what foods settle well before runs and if you like to eat during or not. i did really well for the first 15-16 miles, but then i went too long without a water stop, and i got some bad leg cramps at 19 and had to walk/stretch several times between 20 and 23. i was really disappointed about walking, but i still made my goal, which was to finish under 5 hrs...i cut it close 4:59:28!!! my chip time was 4:54, though, so i feel good about that.

anyway, i would suggest checking out how frequent the water stops are for twin cities and learn to drink at those miles during training. and also try to drink the same amount...it's tempting to overload during the marathon. does tc use gatorade? grandmas uses ultima, which tastes terrible and doesn't have a lot of carbs, so that is why i used gu. the girl i ran with just wore her camelback and had power gels. there's a lot of ways you can do that. some spectators have snacks for runners, but i say don't eat it if you're not used to running with that food.

about the last six miles....i think i had a little different view of that because i missed a water stop at 15, hoping for one at 16, so i went over 3 miles with no water!! the cramps kicked in at about 19.5 and from there i walked/ran/stretched until 23.5 and decided to really run the last 2.5 miles. i could see my time would be really close to my goal, so i just buckled down and my legs finally loosened up...i had water at every mile the last 5. it is really hard, but i always described it like going into a time warp...you don't feel like it's been 5 hours since you started running. it really helps to know your family is waiting to cheer you on at the end, too. even 10 miles is a huge accomplishment, though!! i loved crossing off days on my calendar and continually running my longest run.

well, my email has passed up yours by about 5 times, so sorry for blabbering. it is really great that you want to run...there is no other accomplishment like it. it has been a life goal for me, and i'm really thinking about running twin cities next year. i think it will help you a lot to be in a familiar place and to know where you're running...i would love to come and watch. it is awesome to see all the people cheering for you and to run through the water stops (they are really fun!)...i'm very excited for you, and i know your shins will improve.

let's see...any last advice i have for now....wear GOOD (moisture-wicking) socks, make sure you have the right kind of shoe (there is a running store off of randolph in st paul that could help you, i think...i forget the name of it), and train like you will run the race. as far as pace, don't worry about that. we started too fast and had to back off...i am a very steady runner, always at the same 10-min mile pace, so i knew we were fast, and i think that hurt us at the end, too. so just figure out your usual times and try to stick to that, except longer runs, don't even worry about it. keep running if you get sideaches, and breathe deep...they will go away. :)

good luck, and keep me up to date on your progress! i would love to answer more questions, but you might get another novel of an answer.

talk to you again,
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