Popping my cherry
I’ve been fannying about stressing about entering a marathon for about a year now. Can I fit the training in? Which one do I do? Do I even want to run that far?! Well, the good news is you don’t have to put up with this faffing any more. Because in April, I will be running my first marathon.
Yippee!/Shit!
I now have a charity place for the Brighton marathon on April 14th, through my work’s nominated charity Barnardo’s. I grew up in Eastbourne and other than the epic Beachy Head marathon (which I actually entered last year and will run one day!) Brighton is the closest marathon to home. It’s also a beautiful place to run and it means my family can come and watch me, should they so desire. Running is an emotional experience and crossing the finish line in a city I love is, to me, the perfect way to complete my first marathon.
I only have 10 (and a bit!) weeks to train which is, to be frank, very frightening. I am however reasonably(!) fit and have a lot of distance under my belt. Although it may not be most well trained for marathon I don’t think it will be a huuuuge disaster, but do tell me if you think I’m wrong! I wanted to run a marathon this year and didn’t want to train through summer. VLM is out and so Brighton seemed like a natural choice. We’ll see how I get on!
I love running along the seafront at home and Brighton marathon has a hefty amount of seafront action (verging on, dare I say it, hideously repetitive?) but also some glorious south Downs action in the shape of Ovingdean Valley. There are a few hills but they’re out of the way by mile 10 - I’d rather have them at the front end of the race. Check out this elevation graph I stole from an organised runner on MapMyRun:
If you’d like to check out the route even more, check out the cheesiest video of all time on the Brighton marathon website. It’s intense.
I need to raise £500 for Barnardo’s and would love it if you would sponsor me, which you can do through my online fundraising page. All donations gratefully received, along with pearls of wisdom! Who’s run the Brighton marathon before? What’s your top tip for a first time marathon runner?
My first one is 7th April in Blackpool. Can’t wait, but worrying about the training and should be finishing off a training plan as I type…
Good luck! Look forward to hearing how it goes :)
Wow - how exciting! I did the VLM last year for my first marathon and loved it. Best piece of advice - don’t set a time goal - just aim to get around and enjoy it. You’ll get a PB whatever your time! You run half marathons with ease so 10 weeks will be fine for your training. Good luck and enjoy. I think your first marathon is a very special experience. I look forward to hearing all about it.
Very jealous - would love to do VLM but not sure I can fundraise enough for it! I think that’s a brilliant bit of advice - I am trying very hard not set targets for myself and just enjoy it but as a goal orientated person I am struggling not to try and put some kind of estimate on it!
I was lucky to find a charity that had quite a small target but yes, it was additional stress that I could have done without. I think it’s fine to have a range of time that you’d be happy with - so a dream time - realistic time - just make it around time kind of thing.
I just know lots of people that aimed for say sub 4.30 or sub 4 for their first marathon and didn’t get anywhere near it on the day for a variety of reasons and then felt disappointed. In my mind finishing your first marathon should feel like a massive victory whatever the time you achieve. You shouldn’t cross the line feeling disappointed.
Top tip for a first time marathoner: start off slower than your intended pace. You’ll thank yourself in the second half when you feel much fresher and faster. Second tip: chill out in those last 3 weeks. You’ll want to run more, but avoid that temptation. Tapering is critical!
Anyway, it sounds like you have a good history with fitness, so I won’t worry too much about you. Good luck!
Thanks so much Dan - these are great! Definitely planning on taking it easy, especially as it’s my first, but this is obviously easier said than done!
How exciting! I think you’ll do just fine, listen to Dan’s advice, it’s good :) I’m running my first one on April 7th in Paris, I’ll let you know how it went :|
Oh wow, I’ve always wanted to run Paris marathon! Would love to hear how you get on - and any last minute pearls of wisdom as yours is a week before mine! All the best for training!
Fantastic news, very excited for you!
Thank you, I am very excited!
I’ve run Brighton Marathon twice now and loved it both times. Last year I ran it off just six weeks training to pace a friend through her first marathon, so I’m sure with 10 and having a good base, you’ll be fine. Any questions about the course, just ask.
This is encouraging, thank you! I do have a question…just how bad are the hills?!
Brighton marathon is a brilliant experience I ran it last year as my first one. I suffered IT band syndrome and missed 5 weeks of my training when I should have been doing my longest training runs and I still managed to complete it so you will be absolutely fine. Just remember to train smart and don’t be tempted to up your training mileage too quickly to make up for time or you will put yourself at risk of injury. I am currently still trying to get rid of shin splints due to over training! It may be hard to get your head round but less is definitely more sometimes. I live in Brighton and am also running it in April, it’s brilliant just enjoy soaking up the atmosphere you will love it! I want to take on Beachy head marathon one day, it’s on my list!
Thank you for all you tips! Yes I am going to try and keep the mileage at a moderate level and get to the finish line in good shape rather than cram a load of panic miles in! I grew up in Eastbourne and so I’m excited about running my first in Brighton :) The Beachy head half is high on my list too! I entered last year but had to pull out due to work commitments, might try it again this year…maybe see you there!
congrats on taking the plunge and running your first marathon!!! it’s a journey that you will be continually challenged by, love, and have moments where you feel like you’re getting to know yourself for the first time. excited to read about your experiences on here. love your blog! best of luck!
Thank you! So excited about the journey and still a little sceptical I’ll ever be able to run 26 miles!
I’ve run Brighton twice (we before at RDC but I haven’t been for ages) and also have family in the area. Its a great run and the support is excellent. As others have said, don’t go out too hard because you will end up regretting it later on. Be vigilant about nutrition (my sugar levels dropped so low last year that I was sick). Mainly just have a great time! and if you can, arrange for family friends to meet you at different points (one of the great things about this marathon is that it is possible for them to get around) and have extra gels/food for you. Oh and sun cream/hat if its hot. Good luck!
Looking forward to see how you get on with this with the right plan in place you will smash it good luck :-)
I have just signed up for Eastbourne half next Sunday. Being from that part of the woods have you done that race and what’s it like? It’ll be my first event since shin splints and a test for Brighton marathon in April so apprehensive!