And how it can help you plan for your long runs
Some people enjoy a night out, others might go on a fun trip or are pampered for their birthday, but not me. For my 33rd birthday I wanted to do something different that I could look back on and be proud of completing. I wanted to wake up at 4:30am on a Wednesday to run 33km/20.5miles in the Florida heat. For nearly 3 months I trained hard and focused on building up my distance. It wasn’t easy. This wasn’t an official race organized by a race coordinator, but a competition between my body and my mind.
In October 2020 I finished a 33 kilometer run for my 33rd birthday, it was my own crazy personal challenge. When I crossed the 33km marked finish line, I had memory flashes of all the Saturday mornings I woke up early to train in the heat. I thought about how far I had come to get to this exact point. It was the most emotional and grateful race I’ve finished to date and it won’t be my last.
Running has been my passion since 2017. When I started, I had no idea what to expect and how much it would be a part of my life. I started my journey with completing a 5k, to a half marathon, to running 33k. Any runner can tell you running isn’t just a way to stay in shape, running teaches you about yourself, shows you possibilities you never thought achievable and proves you get out what you put in. Getting out what you put in is a huge part of why I enjoy the challenge of a hard run.
This was the longest run I’ve ever ran. Even when I was training, I only ran up to 16 miles/25.75km, but I knew I could finish the full 33km, running, walking, or crawling. Here are 10 things I learned after my long 33km birthday run:
- A good playlist of your favorite jams can go a long way. Listening to a song you can’t just help but to sing along to (or dance if your legs aren’t too tired) can lift your spirit to help you get to the finish line.
- Make a decision before you start your run and commit to completing it. Once you decide you are going to finish whether you have to walk or crawl over the finish line, the total distance is less intimidating.
- Plan for every situation. Things happen and life is unpredictable. Going through every scenario, and writing a list (whether it be a bathroom, fuel or water) beforehand can alleviate fear on the big day.
- Be patient, trust the process and remember pain is temporary. There will be days when you struggle and there will be days when you thrive. Keep going. Know it’s all part of the process and bad days will pass. Eventually you will get stronger.
- There is nothing wrong with walking! I repeat, there is nothing wrong with walking! Slow steps forward are still steps forward. Focus on finishing the race and don’t give up.
- Don’t compare yourself to other runners’ time. Enjoy the moment! Every runner has their own set of obstacles and you always have to run your own race. Your accomplishment belongs to you, no one else.
- Having a support system can sometimes make your race. If you are lucky enough to have a great friend run beside you (like my friend Ron) or a partner/cheerleader that is willing to ride their bike handing you water and screaming how crazy you are, take advantage of it and enjoy the ride.
- Break down your run into sections. If you’re hitting the wall with 6 miles left, don’t think of it as a whole 6 miles, think of it as three 2 mile runs. Focusing on finishing each section instead of the whole thing can help distract you and keep you mentally in the race.
- Adopt a Mantra. If you don’t have one, come up with your own. Repeat it to yourself as many times as it takes. My mantra was something I came up with on the spot and it was very simple, “I can do this”. I repeated it out loud over and over and after a while I started to believe it and kept putting one foot in front of the other.
- When things get tough, remember important people in your life. Mine was my supportive wife, and my grandparents who have passed in recent years. These important people can give you the strength and determination to finish strong.
- Listen to your body. Don’t push or guilt yourself into getting back on the horse a day or two after a long run. Depending on your experience, your strength and how hard the run was, it could take up to a week to rest and repair your body. While you recover, continue to stretch and walk to help loosen your muscles. Start running slow when you get your confidence back.
When my birthday run was over, I could barely stand. Emotional and worn, the feeling of accomplishing my goal I had worked hard to achieve was finally in the books and I couldn’t have been happier.
I hope this list can help you when preparing your body and mind for a long run.
Do you have any tips to add? What are some of the things you learned after finishing one of your longest runs?