Happy Wednesday! Today Iām linking up with Annmarie from The Fit Foodie Mama, Jen from Pretty Little Grub, Michelle at Fruition Fitness and Nicole from Nicole from FitFul Focus for Wild Workout Wednesday!
Next week I embark on my journey to 26.2 miles. I’m excited, nervous, scared and eager to start my 16 week training plan. This is my first marathon so I have no idea what to expect, but I do know that it’s going to be one hell of a ride!
Last month I had some major issues with my knee and that jumpstarted my quest to get myself in good condition before training for the marathon. I wanted to get some of this stuff done last year but kept putting it off, but I knew that there was no time like the present. I’m not a doctor, trainer, coach, etc, so I can’t speak to the necessity of everything that I did, but it certainly gave me piece of mind!
1. X-rays and an MRI
Back in early June, I woke up with a swollen knee. I could barely walk let alone run. I waited for 2 days before finally going to get it checked out.
They took X-rays and everything looked fine. The doctor then drained the fluid from my knee. I like to think I have a high threshold for pain, but that was pretty bad. Luckily I was still able to jog/walk the Rock ‘n’ Roll races in San Diego. When I got back home my knee was still messed up, so I had to get it drained again. After that I got an MRI. Luckily the MRI saw no ligament/muscle damage and the diagnosis was Runner’s Knee. It’s still not 100% but I’m able to run with minimum pain so I’m okay with that.
2. Get Results with InsideTracker
At the end of May I purchased the performance plan from InsideTracker. You can read more about my results here. I was thrilled with this service because I feel that I got results for so many different biomarkers that are very important for anyone that leads an active lifestyle. I was also relieved to find out that I did not have any serious or major issues.
Based on my results, I have been able to make small, but effective changes. If you’re interested in taking advantage of any of their plans, use code KIMBERLYJULY to save 15% on your purchase. The code is good until the end of July š
3. Hire a Running Coach
This was a no-brainer! As I mentioned before, the NYC Marathon will be my first marathon. Although I have trained for countless half marathons, the marathon is a completely different beast. I knew that I wanted to hire someone I could trust so I decided to work with Abby!
Abby is not only a RRCA Certified Running Coach, but she is also running the NYC Marathon. I thought it would be great to work with a coach running the same marathon as me. In addition, I have completed Abby’s e-course, Turn Your Blog Into A Money Making Brand. Not only was it amazing, but I also liked how accessible she was to everyone taking the course. She is a total sweetheart and really loves to see people succeed. She has already designed a training plan to work with my schedule and sent me a sweet surprise last week.
I’m very excited to take this journey with Abby by my side.
4. Active Release Therapy
Abby recommended that I see a PT that also practices Active Release Therapy (ART). Luckily, I found Dr. Stu and he is located in my city. He is an avid marathoner and Ironman, so he is very familiar with all of the common running injuries.
I had my first appointment last week and while it was a little painful, I was happy with the results. After my assessment, Dr. Stu recommended using a lacrosse ball to work on my hip flexers. He also pointed out my super tight IT bad (no surprise there) and gave me an adjustment since my pelvis was out of whack. Yup, so basically I have a lot of issues going on but I hope that by going to him weekly this will help with my marathon training as the miles increase.
5. EKG, Stress Test and Echo Cardiogram
I’ve never had any type of test for my heart so I knew this was something I needed to have done before training started. I wanted to make sure that I was heart healthy!
I first had an EKG. That came back normal and along with my normal blood pressure and no irregularities with my heart beat, the doctor thought I was fine, but I still asked to have the other tests. I came back to the office two weeks later to have the Stress Test and Echo Cardiogram.
The Echo Cardiogram was pretty easy. I literally just laid down and switched positions a few times while the test was taking place. Everything came back normal, so then it was time for the stress test. The stress test was HARD!!
It’s basically all uphill and the pace and incline increase every 2-3 minutes. Luckily I was able to last around 14 minutes but it was difficult. I was sweating like crazy by the time I finished. Luckily the stress test came out normal as well so I got a clean bill of cardio health!
I know we have all read stories about people with undiagnosed heart issues collapsing during or after a race. This was starting to freak me out, especially since so many of these runners were younger than me, so I’m glad that I did all of this testing.
As I mentioned earlier, while everything I did may not be necessary, I felt I needed to do all of this to have piece of mind before I started marathon training. At least now I know that I am in decent overall shape to start 16 weeks of intense runs and workouts!
How do you get marathon ready?
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says
You are so prepared for your marathon! All you have to do now is run. I hope that knee stays quiet. I’m looking forward to following your journey!
kookyrunner says
I sure hope so! The knee is okay this week so it gives me hope! I’m looking forward to sharing my journey!
Jen @ Pretty Little Grub says
Looks like you’re set up perfectly for marathon training now. Good luck, you are going to rock this and you will LOVE the NYC marathon.
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much Jen. I really do feel more confident going into marathon training now that I’ve had bloodworks and other tests done.
Nicole @ Fitful Focus says
Sounds like you are totally ready!! I just started my training last week. It’s not my first marathon, but it will be my first NYC Marathon – So excited!
kookyrunner says
Woo-hoo! I’ve heard such great things about the NYC Marathon and how much fun it is. I cant wait to run through the five boroughs
Annmarie says
You are so prepared! SO excited for you!!! Can’t wait to follow along as you train <3
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much girl!!
Farrah says
I’m really glad that you’re able to run with minimal pain now! You’ve done all the work to prepare already, so you got this! :] Sending you lots of good thoughts for your first marathon!! <3
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much Farrah! š
Zenaida Arroyo says
Wow, you are a smart one to get all of this done in preparation for your training. I look forward to reading about your journey as your prepare to run your first marathon.
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much – I feel confident going into training that everything checked out OK. Hope to see you this weekend!
Abby @ BackAtSquareZero says
I love how wonderfully prepared you are. You have been really smart about making sure your body is healthy before tackling this. I am so excited for NYC.
kookyrunner says
Thanks so much! Looking forward to starting this crazy journey next week!
Jen @ SprinklesHikes.com says
It sounds like you’re well on your way with the marathon training. Abby was my coach for my first ever marathon after I had an AWFUL experience with a coach who didn’t listen to my goals and kept encouraging me to walk/run even though I made it clear that wasn’t what my plan would be. Abby got me to and through my first 26.2 and I’ll be using her again in the future!
I’ve been considering doing Inside Tracker for a while now… The discount code you’ve got might come in handy for me!
kookyrunner says
So glad that you had an awesome experience with Abby! I really love her positive attitude!
InsideTracker is probably one of the best things that I’ve done for myself this year. I totally recommend it!
Karen @ Fit in France says
How exciting to start training for your first marathon. My first was Paris this year and I prepared like you. I got all those health issues out of the way and started training with a positive and reassured mindset. LOVED the whole experience.
I am running NYC too, my second marathon this year, I must be crazy to do 2 in a year but I am excited. I have a longer plan, as I am using Jeff Galloway, but it worked for me the first time around so I am doing it again.
Good luck & have fun !
kookyrunner says
The Paris Marathon as a first marathon sounds amazing! So awesome that you are running NYC – I really hope I get to see you at some point during Marathon week!