Five Things I Learned Training for the Marathon

As you all probably know by now, this summer I joined Team in Training (through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and am now training for the Columbus Marathon on October 21^st. Team in Training works to fund research to find a cure for Leukemia and Lymphoma and also provide support for families dealing with these diseases.

I thought it would be fun to start a blog in order to answer many of the questions that I have been receiving. The theme with this entry is “5 things I have learned in training for a marathon.” So in order, here it goes.

1. It is very important to have a good pair of shoes! Last week, I went to the local running store and bought a $100 pair of running shoes. It was honestly the best $100 that I think I have ever spent. Running in the shoes has been amazing, and my feet feel much better in the new shoes.

2. You have to eat a lot of calories to train for a marathon. I went to a seminar sponsored by Team in Training where a dietician spoke about proper eating while training. I calculated that I need over 2300 calories to maintain my current weight! (Yes, that is a lot of food.) For those of you that don’t know, I eat pretty healthy (lots of fruits and veggies, few sugars) so this is a tall task for me. I’m currently at my lowest weight in several years, so I am in a fortunate position of not needing or wanting to lose any additional weight. (Yes, you can all be mad at me for that one;-)

3. Training for a marathon takes a lot of time! The training schedule currently has me running 4 miles each twice a week, cross training twice a week and a long run on Saturday or Sunday. In addition, I have been working full time as a physical therapist. It honestly doesn’t leave much time for much else. For example, tomorrow (Sunday), I will run 6 miles at 8am before having to go to the hospital to work for a few hours.

4. I’m definitely not as young as I used to be. The training has made me realize that I am definitely not in high school anymore! While training, I transitioned into the hospital job which requires me to be on my feet 7-8 hours / day. The result is almost a daily reminder from my muscles that I am going to be 30 years old this fall.

5. On top of doing all of this, I have to fundraise. As part of my commitment to Team in Training, I pledged to raise $1700 for the organization. This is where you come in! By contributing to the cause, you would be donating to a great organization while helping to provide a HUGE motivation for me during the 4 month long training process.

If you haven’t already done so, you can donate to me online at www.active.com/donate/tntcoh/MNarui

A BIG thank you for those that have already donated. (And a future BIG thank you to those that are going to.) Overall, I hope you have enjoyed reading a little about what it is like to train for a marathon. I will try to send out updates at least on a bi-weekly basis.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Mitsu