Hi Healthy, Happier readers! I’m Shayne, and I blog about running, cooking, eating, and

living healthfully in NYC at just gathering.

  I met Ashley (who is just as sweet and friendly in real life as she is on her blog) last

summer when she was training for the ING New York City Marathon. I had such total

respect and admiration for anyone who would put herself through such a grueling

training process, but I couldn’t even fathom taking it on myself. And then somehow, I

found myself registering for one. (Funny how the running bug gets you. You start out

barely able to go a mile, and before you know it, you’re at the starting line, taking on

26.2.)

  In February, I ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon. This was my very first

marathon, and I had no idea what I was doing, but I learned a few tricks to staying

balanced along the way.

1. Be Flexible, Figuratively

I couldn’t find a training plan I liked, so I made up my own.

  Here’s how I described it at the time:

"I’ve purposely designed this plan to be flexible. Some of my long runs are conservative,

with the intention that if I feel able to do more, I will. It’s all about balance and being

understanding and forgiving of myself. The training plan must fit my life, not the other

way around."

Like Emily said in her guest post, it’s okay to miss a workout here and there. When I

trained for my first half marathon, I thought that missing one long run would keep me

from having a good race—and I would sacrifice sleep and my social life in order to get all

my runs in. Training that way left me exhausted, so I approached my marathon training

with a completely different attitude.

When things came up, I just went with it. During the 4 months that I was training, I was

traveling for 8 weekends, and I moved to a new apartment. I also trained through the

holidays and through a harsh New York winter.

Some days, scheduled runs just didn’t happen. Many of my runs were done indoors on

the treadmill due to snow and ice, including a 20-miler. (I even wrote a little

ode to the treadmill about the benefits of being stuck on one from time to time.) You just have to go

with it.

When I was traveling, I used my long runs to explore. I even got to do a practice long

run through New Orleans while visiting my sister for Thanksgiving. I acted like a total

tourist, stopping every mile or so to take pictures.

  This applies to all types of running: the more fun you can incorporate into your runs, the

better. Sometimes this means running with a friend. To an ice cream parlor. Or a bar.

Whatever keeps you happy and looking forward to running.

  The thing is, running is mostly mental. Going into a race feeling positive and relaxed is

equally as important as training mileage and speed work, if not more so.

2. Be Flexible, Literally

There is one activity that I cannot recommend enough during marathon training, and

that’s yoga.

  Yoga is the perfect counterbalance to running; it stretches all the muscles that running

shortens and tightens. Staying loose will help keep you from getting injured, and taking

some time to recenter will keep you sane. Even if it’s just fitting in a few minutes in

downward dog post-run, I can always tell the difference when I’m mixing up my running

with yoga.

  You don’t even need a studio to start getting into it. I often do yoga podcasts at home—

here are my favorites.

3. Be Really, Really Nice to Your Body

The thing that surprised me the most about training for my first marathon was that I put

on weight. Since then, I’ve heard that this is pretty common, and it makes sense. Long

distance running is a huge shock to the body. It’s easy to get dehydrated, and weekly runs

of 18 and 20 miles don’t give your body much time to recover, especially if you’ve never

put it through something so strenuous before. The result for many of us is that we have a

bit of inflammation and water retention to deal with. Add to that sore, achy muscles, and

you might not feel so hot sometimes.

  So be extra nice to yourself. Massages, pedicures, all those special indulgences that long

distance runners love… now is the time to treat yourself. Don’t wait until after the race;

it’s the little things that get you to the starting line feeling strong in the first place.

Even if you train "perfectly," race day might not go as you planned. So forget perfect

training and just listen to your body as you go. It’s your marathon!

Thanks again to Ashley for starting this conversation. Enjoy the running!