Let’s Chat With A Marathon Runner II

While a bunch of people are gearing up with cobwebs and candy for Spooky Saturday, I’ve got my eye on the 50k+ who are prepping their hamstrings for Marathon Sunday.

With my cranky knees, the experience of a 26.2 mile run stops well before the starting gate. So I asked my good friend who is running on Sunday, Steve Yesner, a few questions about what it takes to cross that finish line.

Why did you sign up to do a 26.2 mile run?

To see if I could.  I’ve never been a runner, but watching the race the last few years has been really inspiring, and I wanted to know if I was up to the challenge.

What does your training look like, and how did you get into this particular type of training program?

I’ve had a bunch of knee surgeries, so I wanted to make sure I could do this without doing any longterm damage.  I went to see Dr. Jordan Metzl at Hospital for Special Surgery, who literally wrote the book on running.

I’ve been following his 18-week plan religiously, running 4x’s/week, cycling, and a lot of balance and plyometric work plus a shit ton of foam rolling.

Raechel and Mike at Finish Line PT have kept me in great shape from the get go.

Are there any apps you’ve been using to assist in your training? 

Garmin Connect and Strava.  I’m a bit of a data head, and these two gave me more than enough stats to chew on.  I definitely feel like I’ve been able to use the info to make myself a better runner, and the digital record kept me from cheating on those runs I definitely wasn’t enjoying.  

Have you encountered any setbacks during your training? 

A ton of little ones, but the two biggest hurdles were:

– Just getting started.  I had never been a runner and my form was causing all sorts of problems that were only going to get worse. I spent a bunch of time reworking my stride to be more efficient and less taxing on my body.

– I got laid up with a chest infection 4 weeks out, and couldn’t run at all for almost 2 full weeks.  Balancing the need to run with the need to recover was a big challenge, but I sought out the best advice I could find and just rode it out.  I’m back at it now, but worried that it’s going to make my time goals a little more challenging to achieve. 

What do you think will be the hardest part of this marathon?

Pacing myself.  And the fact that I’ve never actually run that far.  

How will you keep your focus? Is there any way to prep mentally?

I’ve been methodically preparing myself for this for months, mentally and physically.  I’ve put the work in, and done a fair amount of information gathering on the the race logistics and the nutrition side of 26.2.  

As for my focus, I think about my kids waiting for me at mile 22 whenever I’m struggling during my training, and that’s what will get me over the wall during the race. After that, it’s just one foot in front of the other to the finish line. 

What’s next after Sunday? 

I’ve got my eye on the 2016 NYC Triathalon and maybe the Chicago Marathon after that.

Thanks, Steve.
Run Steve Run!!

facebook: facebook.com/elyshalenkin
twitter: @elyshalenkin
instagram: elysha_nyc
Follow my blog with Bloglovin