#First Marathon

If this is your year, here are 10 things I wish someone had told me before my first marathon ⬇️ 1️⃣ Training doesn’t have to be perfect, consistency beats the odd missed run. 2️⃣ The long runs really matter. They build confidence, resilience, and teach your body how to keep going. Your legs need those miles. My longest was 32km pre race day. 3️⃣ Your body will feel things you’ve never felt before, not every ache is an injury but every ache is one to listen to & a few rest days will be worth it to prevent it becoming an injury. 4️⃣ Don’t put pressure on yourself for a finish time. Your first marathon is about finishing, not proving anything. Enjoy it! 5️⃣ Fuel earlier than you think you need to, practice it in training. Also have a good understanding of fuelling stations along the route. Know your game plan! I trialled about 6 different gel brands before I found one I could stomach. 6️⃣ Taper week will mess with your head. Phantom pains are real and usually harmless. I had so many (went to physio twice that week) 🙈 7️⃣ You’ll be way more sore after than you expect, stairs will hurt and your appetite might feel all over the place. Totally normal. My appetite didn’t build again for a few days after. 8️⃣ Race day adrenaline is powerful, start slower than you want to. Trust me! Know the pace you are aiming for & save your splits as your wallpaper or write it on your arm (incase GPS is wrong - most are off slightly). 9️⃣ Walking breaks and plan changes are allowed. You still earn the medal. 🥇 🔟 Crossing the finish line will change how you see yourself for the rest of your life and that confidence lasts. If you’re running your first marathon this year, I’m so proud of you already 💛 I ran my first two marathons last year. This one was my very first in Chicago!! 3.53, afterwards I ran Amsterdam in 4.07 💫 Save this for the hard training days and trust the process 🏁 #running #marathon #advice

In 2022, I finished my first marathon nearly diagonal in 5 hours, 21 minutes, and 37 seconds, and was immediately ashamed of both the footage and the finishing time. Although I hadn’t even gone into this race with a time goal in mind, I decided that my result (and myself as a runner in general) wasn’t good enough 😔 18 months later and nearly an hour faster, I can finally watch this video without cringing because no matter the time on the clock or the physical state I was in, this is the moment I became a marathoner for the first time. And that is something I’m immensely proud of 💪🏼 (Also, I tested positive for Covid a few hours later, so that maaaay have been a contributing factor to the death march 🦠) How’d you feel at the end of your marathon debut? #runtexas #runsatx #runsanantonio #texasrunner #sanantoniorunning #momswhorun #motherrunner #sarr #sanantonioroadrunners #brooksrunningcollective #brookspartner #rocknrollsanantonio #rnrsanantonio #rnrsanantoniomarathon #firstmarathon #marathondebut #marathoner

Nothing like your first time. #running #marathon #runners #marathonrunner #runningcommunity

It’s was my First Time Running A Marathon😂😂😂 The vibe at @abudhabimarathon was just awesome seeing young and old all in smiles and cheering each others to complete the marathon was just amazing Amazingly organized by : @adnocgroup @abudhabisc @vern_zaxo @_____ksk_____ @aniketdessaii #abudhabi #marathon #running

Life should be filled with more “I can’t believe I did that.” moments and less “I wish I did.” moments. This is was one of them for me. I can’t believe I’m officially a marathon finisher. What are some of your favorite “I can’t believe I did that” moments?

When I first signed up for my first marathon, there was a part of me in the back of my head that thought I would never actually do it. Somehow that day would come and go and I just wouldn’t have to run it… BUT I DID!! How did I do it?? I am by NO means a professional, as a matter of fact, I am quite an average runner who still has SOO much to learn!! But I did pick up a few things I found that helped me train for a full marathon that I didn’t really do for any of the halves I have trained for up until that point. I strength trained along with my training plan!! I have really bad knees but I think because I got so strong along with adding miles to my plan each week, that helped me stay injury free during my entire training block. By the end of training, I felt and looked strong and that I could just go!! I followed a plan!! The first half marathon I did, I completely raw dogged it and thought if I just run a TON of miles each week, then thats surely how you get faster and run longer….. WRONG!!! I learned quickly that it’s actually the opposite and you need a range of run speeds and distances in order to run faster and longer!! I love following the Nike Run Club app. They have coaches who can talk you through each workout to make sure you are following it correctly and encourage you along the way! I signed up for the marathon before I started training!! This might not work for everyone but knowing that I had committed to doing this and spent the money, was reason enough to get my butt out on the runs that I didn’t want to do. I had told everyone I knew that I was running a marathon so I couldn’t back out and not do it! I trusted my training! By mile 23, I was gassed and wanted so badly to be done. The furthest I had run at that point was 20 miles and I still had 3 to go… but I trusted my training and knew my body could get me the last 3.2 miles of that race…. AND IT DID!! #firstmarathon #firstmarathontraining #marathonjourney #firstmarathonjourney #averagerunner #runtok

This past marathon was TWO years in the making. I won’t ever take a start line for granted. All the feels 🥹

Making little me proud #marathon #run #futureyou

MY FIRST MARATHON 😭🏅🍁 Hardest thing I’ve ever done but I’ve never felt more grateful. To everyone who showed up for me, on the course, on the sidelines, and from home with messages and voicemails - you have no idea how much that carried me. So much love. So much gratitude. Thank you. We did that. 🥹 Trained exclusively using @runna — create your own custom running plan for free using code STEPHANIE 🫶🏼

Want to run your first HALF MARATHON? Start here! You don’t need speed, just consistency. Here’s the simplest beginner roadmap: 🌱 Build your base with run/walk 🐢 Keep all your runs slow 📈 Level up your long run each week 🏋️‍♀️ Strength train a little, rest a lot 💧 Fuel + hydrate on long runs 🕊️ Taper before race day 🚀 Start slow, finish proud If anyone can do it, you can do it. Save this for your training! 🔖🔥

Completing your first-ever Marathon with your family waiting at the finish line, nothing will ever match this feeling 💙 #TMM2026 #HarDilMumbai

my first half marathon ever!! My body ached in ways I never imagined it could LOL. Anyways I’m proud that I finished as someone who couldn’t even run a mile last year. 😆 #sfhalfmarathon #sfmarathon #marathonvlog #runwithme #beginnerrunner #runningtok #마라톤