Training for the marathon or half marathon is such an individual journey. Everyone is at their own place, facing their own challenges and pushing for their own goals. There is no comparison of apples to apples. That is so neat! Someone struggling to break 3 miles feels the same reach for that goal as me struggling to hit last week’s 18 miles or as someone pushing 23. Hitting your personal milestones is all that matters. No one is judging your performance except for you. No one is monitoring your progress except for you. YOU are the biggest motivator or inhibitor in your success. I have discovered on very long runs that I sometimes think – “wow, I still have 8 miles to go and I’m feeling a little tired.” I have changed that. Now, when I am at those points in my run I say “wow, I have already tackled 8 miles and I’m feeling great!” There is something amazing that happens with the mental attitude when you change that perspective and put a smile on your face. I encourage those who are struggling with the mental part of the grueling runs to try it—just once.

Anietra Hamper, WBNS-TV

Circle of Support:

As the miles pile on and I am spending hours on the trail on long runs I have come to really appreciate my circle of support. From my family wowing over the miles I’ve logged…to my boyfriend Harry Peachey congratulating a good day and training with me (he is going to do the half)…to my co-worker and super marathoner Steve Harvey checking in daily on my progress and telling me it’s ok when I feel I’ve slipped a little…to my girlfriend and fellow blogger Miss Lisa bringing me champagne for tackling a very tough run… to the marathon king Darris and his lovely wife Star providing me with expertise and advice to keep it going… to my lovely friend Jamie McGann who surprised me on my grueling long-run last week by showing up on my route when I was really struggling and ran with me the last 4 miles…this support is essential! There are many times that I still consider the full marathon a bigger goal than I can handle, but my circle of support is lifting me and encouraging me.

You are what you eat:

Since I am pushing upwards of 40 miles a week I am really buckled down on nutrition and recovery. It became very clear to me at one point that my body can only perform on the fuel I give it. Girly lunches and tiny snacks don’t cut it anymore. Changing up my intake—has dramatically impacted my running output. I reserve a weekend day to have whatever I want and indulge in some ice cream and the rest of the week.

So I am on course. I continue to climb into new territory in my training and it is very exciting!