Five Things You Should Know

So you signed up for a marathon… now what?
SaraJane Warner blogs about beauty, a healthy lifestyle, and products she loves with one of her best friends at BurnItBeauty.com. She’s a big fan of the Kinvara and recently wore this lightweight, neutral shoe in her first marathon in St. George, Utah.

Here are the 5 things she wants you to know before running your first marathon.

1. Prepare for cold AND hot weather.
While you are probably ready to run the miles to prepare for your marathon, one thing you can’t prepare for is unpredictable weather! Everyone told me that the beginning of the Saint George marathon is freezing cold. So what did I do? I had gloves, a full sweat suit, hand warmers, and a blanket! As luck would have it, the day we ran was hot – I mean really hot. I ended up tossing all of my sweats and gear right when I got off the bus and by the end of the marathon I was drenched in sweat! I wish I would have trained in both hot and cold weather. I was waking up at 4am during my training to beat the heat, and I probably would have been fine with a normal person 6am run!

2. Wear dark coloured shorts on race day.
I know all the neon and lighter colours are so cute, but TRUST ME! I don’t care who you are, anyone can have a little accident. Before I ran distance, I would hear of people wetting their pants or worse  and would absolutely laugh my head off and think that would never happen to me. As you can guess, I am now a wetting my pants victim. Just wear black… enough said!

3. Bring your own fuel, and extra of it.
Sometimes your race will not offer what you trained with! People, listen to me… you do NOT want a Gu at mile 18 if you did not train with it! You don’t know how your body will react to something new on race day, so it’s better not to risk it. I also was a victim of this rookie mistake and it tore my stomach apart! Bottom line is – NEVER TAKE ANYTHING NEW ON RACE DAY!

4. If you have to walk, then my goodness, walk!
26.2 miles is freaking long! If you need to walk at every aid station for a few seconds, then do it. I promise you will make up the time by feeling more energetic when you start running again.

5. Be a cheerleader.
While I was getting sick at mile 22 because of the aforementioned Gu, the runners passing me were my cheerleaders. Literally people were stopping just to pat my back and tell me that I could keep going! It meant the world to me. Everyone is in it together on that course – and I have NEVER heard anyone say a marathon is easy. So be a cheerleader out there for others – and for yourself!

By: SaraJane Warner, #FindYourStrongTeam Member blogger for BurnItBeauty.com. Check her Instagram here.