Our adorable Nono, aided by her adorable support crew....:
will be running her Very First Marathon this Saturday, November 21.
I know how much the thread Mary started meant to me.... please add whatever thoughts, encouragement or advice you have here! Good advice can't be repeated often enough. (besides, we're masters. we forget things.. ;-) )
Nono I'm so excited for you!!! I wish you the best of everything Saturday!
These first time marathoners threads are GREAT!!
Nono - put time goals, pace goals, etc. aside just enjoy this first marathon. Just think of it as a long run and enjoy each mile. Don't think about how many miles you have left. The first one is about the whole experience and savoring it, soaking it all in. Enjoy the crowds and the volunteers because they are there to cheer and support you on!
Good luck!
Tammy
i'm lovin' it... MM#1949
You'll do great. Remember: "Trust your training!"
Perch's Profile "I don't know if running adds years to your life, but it definitely adds life to your years." - Jim Fixx "The secret is to make in your mind possible what was not possible before. The secret is to make easy what was difficult, instead to make difficult what really is easy." - Coach Renato Canova
You should wear that outfit. You'll get lots of crowd support.
What Tammy said: have fun! I asked an experienced marathoner at the start line of my first marathon for any last minute advice she might have for me. She smiled, tapped my watch and said: "Don't worry about your time. Relax and have a good time."
If it's a small marathon, wearing a garbage bag to the start is good not only for warmth/rain, but can serve as your personal porta potty in a pinch. If the lines are too long, find a secluded spot, preferably by a bush, act as if you are tying your shoes, and there you go. I figure if guys can just go out in public near a tree, this is way less revealing--and people easily shocked shouldn't be staring at folks who are being discrete.
grins,
A
Best of Luck Nono!
When you cross the Finish Line, do not immediately reach down to stop yuor watch. There are photographers there and you'll probably want a keepsake photo from your first Full. Smile, grin, wave, jump up and down - anything but look at the watch.
Bill
"Some are the strong, silent type. You can't put your finger on exactly what it is they bring to the table until you run without them and then you realize that their steadiness fills a hole that leaks energy in their absence." - Kristin Armstrong
Mr. Chip & Mizz Rizzo
Well, of course, have FUN and as other's have said, do not worry about your time. I bought a sweatshirt from good will that I could toss off to the side when I got warm. Also the $1 throw away gloves are a great purchase. Just make sure they match your outfit!!
Having only done one marathon - I let the experts dish out the advise.
Oh, thought of one ..... be sure to write a race report in a timely fashion as we will all be waiting!!
Good luck and may the wind be at your back.
~Mary
"My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."
~unknown
http:www.rawleypointkennel.com
Good luck. You always remember your first.
Try to find some people to talk to along the way but don't get comfortable with them and let them dictate your pace. Run the race you trained for. You will meet the coolest people out there.
Chumbawamba: I get knocked down But I get up again You're never going to keep me down
That's incredible!
This is the main event this weekend! Good luck and have a great time. Can't wait to read your RR.
My advice? Commit to taking the first couple of miles slowly, then ease into your pace and enjoy the day!
And definitely wear that costume.
Be safe. Be kind.
nono, I can't offer much in the way of advise other than to not start out too fast and to enjoy yourself. Even though I won't be there in person, imagine me there cheering you on. I'll anxiously await your report.
TomS
Ha! Love Aamos' advice about the garbage bag/"port-o-potty". Too funny!
You're gonna do great. As others have said, trust your training, start slow - don't get too caught up in the excitement at the beginning - And SMILE big for the cameras!!
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
#artbydmcbride
Runners run
I am so excited for you and know that you will do great. Your kick a$$ sense of humor and strength will serve you well all along the way. Let the race come to you, run the first 20 with your head (last 6 with your heart), and trust your talent and training. Unleash that inner Ms. Incredible.
November 21 will be a great day for all sorts of reasons.
Run strong and don't spare the details when you come back to tell us all about it.
Go NoNo Go!!!!
Enjoy every moment!! Eat and hydrate well these next few days..........love Amy's personal port-a-potty tip!!
Cant wait to hear all about it -- you are going to be INCREDIBLE!!
denise
Marathon Maniac #957
For some reason my mind is blank on advice, except to be very careful not to start out too fast in the early miles. We hear that over and over, and yet it's so easy to let the crowd take you away faster than your goal pace, and you pay for that in the later miles if you let it happen.
I'm a big fan of thrift store throwaway clothes for the prerace wait and early miles - I hate to be cold. Also, cutting off some tube socks (or soccer socks) for arm warmers works very well, too.
Double knot your shoes.
Drink something, if only a couple swallows, from every water stop, except maybe the first one (I usually skip the first one, as it tends to be more crowded).
I tend to get blisters under my toenails, so I paint the hot spots with New Skin and slather my feet with vaseline or Body Glide or some such product. But, as Dg will tell you, the vaseline/Body Glide on feet is only a good idea if you wear socks, otherwise you don't want to do that.
Most of all, remember that there is NO TIME GOAL on a first marathon. Take your time, be good to yourself, and enjoy the experience! Finish on your feet and with a smile! We will all be rooting for you the whole way, you will be in our thoughts and hearts. Good luck!
Guess I thought of some after all....
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."