Lessons Learned from the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon

Mountains 2 Beach Marathon Map

The Mountains 2 Beach Marathon was a success. I gave it my best effort and am happy with the result. It was a vast improvement from my first marathon in September 2022. Below, I share what worked during this training cycle, what lessons I have learned, and the questions I have for the future.

What Worked

Increasing My Weekly Training Volume

The Hal Higdon Advanced Marathon 1 plan started with about 30 miles per week of work and peaked at 58 miles per week. I had four weeks with 50 or more miles. The additional time on my feet helped me reach the finish line more easily than the Hal Higdon Novice 2 plan, which peaked at 35 miles. I had two training personal records (PR) this cycle—most miles in a month and most in a week.

Slowing Down

After the race, I questioned whether I should have run my long runs slightly faster. I ran my easy and long runs in zone 2, and my recovery runs in zone 1. However, after thinking it through, I realize I staved off injury by keeping it slow, and I need to keep working to improve my easy pace in zone 2.

Core Exercises

In this training plan, I added Jason Fitzgerald’s Standard Core Routine.  As I write this sentence, my core muscles are not as sore as my quads or shoulders. During my training, the core exercises kept my iliotibial (IT) band issues at bay.

Static Stretching

It took me over half the training block to start static stretches after a run. My foot injury from before I started this training block haunted me. When I injured myself from jamming my foot into my shoe, I finally started stretching. I felt the tension in my ankles alleviate in the areas where I had trouble from the Cascade Express Marathon by focusing on my calves.

Mid-Cycle Half Marathon Race

The Oakland Running Festival Half Marathon I ran smack dab in the middle of my training block was a great motivational tool. I learned lessons and even earned a PR. 

Strides

I believe strides helped me more for the Oakland Half Marathon finish, but they were crucial to my training. They were my reward for running in zone 2 for my easy runs and zone 1 for my recovery runs. I was hurting at the end of this marathon, so I don’t know how much strides helped, but I am sure they had an impact on getting me over the finish line.

What I Learned

Focus on the Weak Areas

I need to focus on my weak areas. My IT band issue, which was absent the entire training block, reared its ugly head at mile 20. My quads and glutes were not firing correctly, and the additional downhill probably fatigued these muscles earlier than during my training runs. I must add clamshells and side leg extensions to my core exercise routine.

Air Squats

In the last 10 km of the marathon, I stopped four times to do ten air squats and did a variation of a pulling drill. This helped to stretch my quads and get them to fire again. I picked up this tip from Holly Martin when she was presenting on The Run Experience.

Be Your Own Pacer

The pacers near me ran much faster in the first few miles than their posted pace. I never caught the 4:20 pacer group in the first three miles. My A goal was 4:15. I planned a conservative start and ran at 10:05/mile, equivalent to a 4:24 finish time. The 4:30 pace group passed me. I passed the 4:30 group on the downhill after mile 3, and they eventually overtook me. I had some gastrointestinal issues (GI) around mile 12. The 4:40 pacers snuck up behind me with about 2 miles to go. At this point, this pace group was right on pace and was the bulldozer that pushed me across the line in less than 4:40. While the pace groups are nice to have, I codified that pacing is a responsibility ultimately left up to the runner.

Questions from the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon

How Do I Best Fuel before an Early Race Start?

The race started at 6:00 a.m., and the call time for the shuttle was 3:30 a.m. Based on the time and amenities available, I couldn’t utilize my typical pre-race fueling strategy. I did run into some GI issues, and I wonder if it was my food choice before the start of the race.

Did I Need Marathon Pace Training Runs That Exceeded 10 Miles?

Immediately after the race, I felt that I needed more marathon pace runs at a distance of over 10 miles to be more successful in the future. Now that I have had time to process, I realized that I need to continue focusing on the easy miles with a sprinkling of hill repeats, interval sessions, and tempo runs, and my easy mile pace will improve.

Overall, the race was a success. I learned what worked and have some ideas on what to do in the future. While I would have loved to make my A or B goal, I am glad I shaved 53 minutes off my marathon PR. What lessons have you learned from a recent race? Please share them in the comments below.

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