So was it the loss of salt or the hills that caused her calves to give way? Probably neither. Typical probable cause for nOOb marathoner: Too few overall training miles Over aggressive goal Over aggressive pace Trying to bank time Battling injuries and not adjusting goal Starting too fast Not training in a way that adequately mimics course conditions (weather, terrain, hills, etc.)
So was it the loss of salt or the hills that caused her calves to give way?
Probably neither.
Typical probable cause for nOOb marathoner:
Too few overall training miles
Over aggressive goal
Over aggressive pace
Trying to bank time
Battling injuries and not adjusting goal
Starting too fast
Not training in a way that adequately mimics course conditions (weather, terrain, hills, etc.)
Agreed. The only thing I would add is if the weather was significantly warmer on race day. At my last marathon, it was 61 degrees at the gun which isn't too bad but the humidity was literally 100%. A lot of people tried to run their goal pace on that day and I can guarantee that none succeeded. Looking at the splits, there were a lot of people crashing and burning.
Here's a nice article from Matt Fitzgerald.
How Much Salt Do You Need?
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).