10 things i learned from running my first marathon

42.195 kilometers. 42195 meters.

That's how far my tiny little legs went a few weeks ago, and when I say tiny - I mean it. I’ve got these little legs now that are made for running and although I am proud of myself for completing a marathon in under four hours, more than anything I’m excited to get back to the gym and strengthen my whole body.

Running is not easy. It takes a whole lot of mental and physical stamina, and it almost feels to me like I’ve been running for a very long time. I’ve been running for 6+ hours a week for footy since January and then training for my first-ever marathon on top of that. 

Seems like a bit of madness, doesn’t it?I am not a runner. Even now, after having completed the marathon in good time, I don’t consider myself a runner. Weights are where it's at for me, deep down. Every once in a while when it's nice out or the scenery is breathtaking, I crave a good run - but none of this daily nonsense I’ve been filling my calendar with in preparing for my marathon.

What I am, although I’m not a runner, is a person who is committed to pushing myself out of my comfort zone and who chooses to do one really scary thing a year. Last year, I hiked for seven days through the rugged terrain of the west coast of Canada for seven nights and it was unbelievably life-changing - and hard.

This year I knew I wanted to continue on my path, but didn’t know what to do. I figured a half marathon would be a stretch seeing how I had only ever run 10km before, but my wife graciously talked me into (or forced, I’ll let you decide) running the full marathon because in her own words “you could run the half marathon tomorrow if you had to - that's not scary, it's just uncomfortable”.

She was right. 

It was scary. I was really scared that something was going to go wrong even tho leading up to it, I knew for a fact I had done everything in my power to prepare myself for the exact moment.

What I do next year is still up for debate. Will I trek the Kokoda trail? Will I go alone into the Grampians and camp/hike for twelve days?

I have no idea.

But what I do know is that signing up for a marathon, and completing it, taught me some very important things and I’d like to share them with you.

Before that, though, do you know why a marathon is the specific distance that it is? I sure didn’t. After signing up I decided that I needed to know why on earth we were all going to be running 41.195km and not some other distance. Where does that number even come from? Why not 41km, or 42km?

Turns out, there's a pretty cool story. I’ll probably leave out some important facts or tell you a version that isn’t the same as Google, but regardless - this is what I kept thinking as I was making my way around corners for nearly four hours.

There was a battle in Greece and one of the soldiers ran all the way from a town near Marathon, Greece to Athens, Greece in order to announce their victory. After he shouted “victory” he fell to the floor and died. 

Fitting, to be honest - because when I crossed that finish line and tried to remain alive - it felt like the hardest thing I would ever do.

Anyways, after that, the marathon became popular and it turned into an Olympic event. The distance was a bit shorter than the marathon we now know and that's because apparently, Queen Alexandra wanted to watch the start and the finish of the Olympic race from her lawn in the early 1900s - and the only way to do that was to lengthen the race to 41.195 kms.

Thank you to the queen.

As I said, the exact details are not important (unless they are, and you can research it on your own) but this is the story I kept thinking about as I was running.

Okay, on to the good stuff - what I learned.

1. Everyone should run a marathon once in their life! 

Funny, right? Especially if you’re someone who hates running. But, I’m serious. I believe that uncomfortable and scary things are the things that make us who we are. No matter what you choose to be the reason that you say you couldn’t, I promise you that you could.

Obviously, you’d have to want to - and that's half the battle. 

However, I think it's one of those things that everyone should do once in their life and then know that they never have to do it again.

I learned a lot. I felt a lot. I was challenged to be WITH myself for nearly four hours straight. My thoughts were interesting, to say the least. On race day itself, it wasn’t so bad, but when I was training for the month or so leading up to race day, I would run and run and run and RUN without music. It's a truly humbling experience having to sit with your thoughts (there are a LOT) and also listen to the horrific sound of your breathing as you struggle.

I struggled a lot. I felt so many feelings that I wasn’t prepared for.

But, I grew. I learned. I allowed myself to be shaped into a newer version of me that I am proud of - and I think if you ever get the chance, you should too.

2. Training really pays off.

There are a lot of different methods of training and I’ll have you know that I wasn’t perfect at it. There were days when I just wasn’t going to do the thing I committed to, and that's okay.

Most days I was able to push through my desire to quit by reminding myself why I was doing what I was doing in the first place.

The whole reason was to be uncomfortable and to grow - which was annoying at the time because being uncomfortable is uncomfortable.

But, I did it anyways. I ran early in the morning, late at night, through rain storms, and on the worst days of my period.

Some days it went good, and others it was horrible.

However, all of those days taught me something different and in the end, I believe it was the training that really helped me push through all the moments of the marathon when I struggled the most.

3. Gels are amazing.

You know when you see all those endurance athletes grabbing little packets out of pockets you didn’t even know they had and they slam them back while continuing doing whatever it is they’re doing?

That was me.

And before that was me I was really terrified of what was in the packets, never mind what would happen to me if i consumed them.

I researched the heck out of which gels I would take, and just like everyone suggested, I tried them a few times before race day to ensure I didn’t have an unwanted side effect in the middle of a marathon (like, pooping my pants).

The first time I tried one I tried to gulp the whole thing back and it was like trying to swallow a big old snot rocket that gets stuck in the back of my throat.

My wife suggested that maybe I try sipping, instead of gulping.

Sipping snot? Okay!

She was right. Slow and steady really do win all the races!

I learned how to consume these little packets of energy (basically a shot of sugar) while running, or having already run 30km, and on race day I have to admit that they were a LIFE SAVER.

I tried to take chocolate in my pocket as a little treat for myself and it's laughable now that I thought I’d be able to get the chocolate out of my pocket and into my stomach somehow without choking.

Gels are the way to go.

And I didn't poop my pants while running. GO ME.

They gave me the energy I needed to finish a marathon and for that, I will forever be grateful.

Here are the gels I used.

Instead of pooping my pants while running, I had the worst stomach ache for at least a day and all the poop horrors followed me past the finish line. However, with that being said, IF I were to ever do a marathon again, I would 100% be using gels regardless of the feelings I had once I finally made it home.

Maybe TMI, but I reckon you’ll be fine.

If you try them, be prepared - people aren’t lying when they say they’re the best but worst things ever.

I 100% would recommend.

4. There is such a thing as comfortable shoes, and they make all the difference.

$200 + on running shoes? Of course. I’d even consider $300 + if someone who knew what they were talking about suggested that they’d be the shoes that are best for my feet, my ankles, my knees, my hips, and my recovery.

I needed new shoes before my marathon and although I tried to deny it, I somehow ended up at The Running Company in Clifton Hill, on a treadmill, while the staff analyzed my running form and how my feet hit the ground.

Turns out, the shoes I thought I wanted (because they looked cool, let's be real) were not the shoes that would be best for my feet. 

Would I have known that if I didn’t ask for help? No.

I highly suggest if you’re even remotely invested in your feet and your shoes, to go run on a treadmill in front of professionals so that they can direct you towards shoes that will feel like they were made for you.

I purchased new runners and from the first run I ever did, I knew I made the right choice. No blisters, no pain, and speedy recovery.

I even learned that I’ve been wearing shoes that are too small for me for likely my entire life. 

Apparently, you can learn a whole lot of new things in your thirties.

If you need shoes, try getting the right ones - you won't regret it. On race day I saw people on the sidelines taking their shoes off in pain. I saw medics tending to ripped toenails and blisters and all sorts of hotspots.

People all around me were in pain due to their feet and I was so happy that, although I’m a little cheap and don’t like spending a lot of money on things, I purchased the correct shoes for me instead of the shoes I thought I wanted based solely on looks. 

5. I can do hard things.

Like…train for marathons, run without music, get up real early and run before calls, buy new shoes, say no to late-night events, and even - dare I say - absolutely crush a marathon.

I did something really hard and in doing that, I realize now how many hard things I did leading up to that one specific hard thing.

I am so proud of myself for all the hard things I can do.

6. Consistency = flexibility.

Not the flexibility in terms of being able to touch my nose to my knees or anything - flexibility in the way of me understanding that to be consistent in my training, I would have to be flexible with my schedule.

I’m the sort of person who, if I say I’ll do something in the morning, I will do it in the morning. If I don’t, and I have to do it at night - usually that rubs me the wrong way. 

Say I’ll do it in the morning, and I’ll do it in the morning.

Except, what I’ve learned is that consistency doesn't HAVE to work like that. Sure, it can - but it can also just be that if you said you would, you do - no matter what it looks like.

There were so so so SO many times when I waited until the last minute to do the thing I said I would do, and although I beat myself up about it, as soon as I completed the task I realized that it felt just as good - even though it didn’t look how I was expecting it to look.

Without flexibility, I would not have been consistent.

And without consistency, I don’t think I would have succeeded in my goals. 

Which, to me, sounds like flexibility is the key. 

Getting it done NO MATTER WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

Enough said. You get the point.

Be flexible. 

Surprise yourself. 

You’re welcome.

7. It hurts.

A lot. 

It hurts a whole hell of a lot and guess what? Of course, it does! Running that far is an incredible achievement and our body is going to wonder what the heck is happening.

Not only is running a marathon a whole ordeal, but the amount that I ran leading up to the marathon is incredible. 

My legs went SO FAR for so long and it bloody hurt.

But what I will say is that it did get to a point where I’d be running and it felt like I was flying. I got into such a good rhythm with my steps, my arms, and my breathing that I literally felt like I was flying. FLYING! Humans don’t fly but I felt like I was FLYING!!!


Likely you don’t know that feeling unless you’ve run a LOT…and that's okay. I never knew it was possible until it became possible. 

It hurts a lot, but there are moments when it feels like magic, too.

8. What you think will be hard, won't be - but something will be.

Maybe this is connected to the flexibility thing in its own twisted way. I figured that throughout the whole marathon that there would be parts where I really struggled. There was, let me remind you, nearly 4 hours of time that I would be running - surely there was an opportunity to struggle.

What I learned though is that I didn’t struggle where I thought I would and what really was nearly the straw that broke the camel's back were the last two kilometers.

I did not, and I don’t joke when I say this, think I would make it.

I started to get really dizzy, really confused, and almost delusional.

It was as if I was hallucinating but at the same time I was still moving my body and I was breathing so I was aware I was alive but nothing seemed to be as it had been before.

I felt weird, I thought I was going to fall over, and I have been told that I looked whiter than humanly possible.

But, somehow I made it. The hill I was climbing at that point ended and the downhill started. I gained momentum and it was as if the finish line was the only thing I could think of.

Pretty weird and scary time - and totally unexpected.

9. Having support from your community is the most important part.

Without the encouragement, support, and accountability from my community, I would not have been able to accomplish what I accomplished - hands down.

There is no denying it.

Thank you to each and every single one of you who was cheering me on. Thank you to those who started running, too. Thank you to those who sent words of encouragement. Thank you to those who said nothing, but watched, because in watching you made it so I felt like I needed to do what I set out to do.

Each and every single one of you, thank you.

10. The Nike running app is a lifesaver and I couldn’t have done it without it.

Normally I’m a headphone-with-music kind of girl. Then, I decided to try listening to a podcast because I realized that the further I went the more annoying music became. Quickly I discovered that podcasts were a huge NO for me while running and that's when the Nike Run app came in.

I used the app as a way to help myself create my training schedule (because let's be honest, I’m the type of person who needs to do things myself) because I am not a runner and I needed advice from people who are.

The amount of help it was to have the different coaches in my ear helping me with my thoughts, or my breathing, was in the beginning something that I was in dire need of. 

The Nike run app taught me how to run and how to trust myself to keep running.

I highly recommend getting the app if you’re ever looking to run - even if it's just 5km. It truly is so helpful and I found it super user-friendly which is appreciated.

And, that's some of what I learned.

The lessons, I believe, will keep coming but let me just be clear - I don't know if I will ever run a marathon again. Some people say they catch the bug and can’t wait for another. I, on the other hand, have not been for one run since crossing the finish line and I have absolutely no desire to ever do it again. 

Well, I won't say ever - but that's the way it's looking as of right now.

Want to chat running? Let me know - I’ll do my best.

What would be better is if you wanted to chat weights because right now, all I can think of is building muscle and getting in a good sweat session.

Have a great day, and remember, you can do hard things if you want to bad enough!