An Engineer's Guide to Running a Marathon

Context

There’s no feeling quite like the first 100m, 1 mile, or 3 miles of a marathon. There’s an electricity to a group of strangers who have trained months for this day, woken up absurdly early, and are now corralled for a life defining event - joining the 1% of people who have completed a marathon.

I was fortunate enough to run the SF marathon in 2023. It was a fun and grueling 26 miles. In the roughly 5 months I spent working on distance running, I learned 3 things:

  • Anyone in decent health can go from moderate cardio to running a marathon in 18 weeks (if they’re stubborn enough)
  • There’s a lot of great guides out there. Almost too many..
  • It’s an incredibly fulfilling experience

There are lots of reasons to run a marathon; I did it as a way to re-discover the city I grew up in, and carve out some time to work through everything on my mind. Whether you’re doing it to cross off a bucket list item, celebrate a milestone or another reason, running a marathon is a unique chance to test your mettle and create space to improve yourself.

Through my process of training, I picked up a handful of tips and tricks that I really wish I’d known from the start:

Preparation

Supplies

Distance running is a pretty cheap pastime, but there is some gear that’s worth considering:

  • Shoes: There are many brands with a distance running option, and after ~5 paris I’ve found that they’re all roughly the same. Find a local mom and pop running store, and they’ll get you fitted with what you need. I run in Brooks Glycerin 20’s, with Curex insoles. Don’t skimp on the insoles.
  • Socks: This was the first running specific investment I made, after stepping in a puddle and dealing with a blister. I wear the swiftwick pursuit zero’s, but I’m sure they’re roughly the same as the ones in your favorite color.
  • Running clothes: Anything that breathes and wicks sweat will work. If you’re in a cold climate, consider running tights, gloves and a beanie. If you’re in a sunnier climate, consider sunglasses and a running hat.
  • Water: Consumed when you’re thirsty, but available at least every 30 minutes. Be careful of drinking too slowly (dehydration) or too quickly (extra pit stops), and that your hydration intake will vary with weather, time of day, and excitement. I carry a 50 oz hydration pack with me, which also conveniently holds everything else I need on a run. When the water pack isn’t in use, I store it in the freezer to keep it clean and bacteria free.
  • Salt: This is a hard one to notice, but makes a huge difference. I was hitting leg cramps and nasty headaches during and after >15 mile runs, which were almost immediately fixed by taking salt roughly every hour. I use salt tablets, in a plastic baggy thrown in my running bag, but plan on switching to a gatorade mix in my hydration pack in the future.
  • Glycogen: Day to day, your body burns glycogen as its primary energy source, falling back to fat only when necessary. The “20 mile wall” that distance runners dread is often ascribed to your body running out of glycogen and switching to fat, and it is not pleasant. I avoid this by setting a timer and eating a caramel GU every 25 minutes, like clockwork, starting 10 minutes before a run. This can take some getting used to.
  • Running tracker: I use an Apple Watch series 5, which does triple duty of monitoring my heart rate, recording on Strava, and playing music or an audio book via my airpods. This worked well, but the battery did crap out ~24 miles into the marathon and I had to fall back to my phone.
  • Distraction: Perhaps the hardest part of distance running is not slowly going crazy. I used marathon training to listen to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rights, with a bit of podcasts and EDM thrown in as needed. Downloading ahead of time can help save your batteries!
  • Sundries: I also keep wet wipes and a $20 with me. The wet wipes are handy if you end up with a broken Gu or using an off the beaten path bathroom, and the $20 is a safety blanket in case you get stranded unexpectedly, or end a 20 miler in front of a cash only bakery.
  • Carbs: The whole point of running! Pasta, rice, whatever you desire is now yours for taking.

Running plan

I like to give options, but there’s really only one option: The Hal Higdon running plans. If it’s your first marathon, the Hal Higdon Novice 1 plan is your best friend.

Some folks follow this plan religiously. I did not. I changed my long runs to Sundays, and ran 3 different 20 milers, still peaking at 40 miles / week.

If you can, print it out and feel the satisfaction of crossing out each run.

Runs

Pre workout

  • Dinner: If it’s a long run (or longer than your previous runs), have a good carb heavy dinner (think pasta)
  • Breakfast: The classic is a bagel and coffee, but I’ve managed with just a banana and coffee.
  • Batteries: Make sure everything with a battery is charged (phone, watch, headphones)
  • Route: If possible, try to choose a route closely aligned to the marathon you’ll be running. If not, try to minimize cross traffic (stoplights) and obstacles (bikes, people)
  • Planning: Confirm that weather is appropriate, the streets are open and free of special events, that you’ve got transportation (to your starting point, from your endpoint, and from anywhere that you might stop unexpectedly). It also might be helpful to scope out restrooms, hills and congested areas along the way.

On the run

At first, you might feel silly and over prepared for a 3 mile run. However, it’s important to be consistent, and have every run be as close to the marathon as possible. This includes:

  • Pace: You’ll often feel jittery, and want to run faster than your target pace. My target was 10 min / mile, for 26 miles. At the start this felt like moving in slow motion, and at the end it felt like a herculean task. It took practice, but near the marathon I could run at 10 min / mile with my eyes closed, up-hill, down-hill and probably through rain, sleet or snow.
  • Mental space: There are differing opinions here, between being entirely focused on your body and the task at hand, and disconnecting entirely. I’ve found it helpful to spend most of the runs ‘tuned out’ and either staring off in the distance quietly or focusing on an audio book.
  • Knowing when to stop: I’ve only had to quit on one run (running on OJ didn’t work for me), but it’s important to know the signs that your body is moving from muscle building to injury accruing. Common issues include IT band pain, feeling dehydrated, blisters forming, and stomach issues. Every body is different, but it’s important to know when finishing a run might set back your marathon prep and be OK wrapping early.

Post workout

  • Drink and eat: Running at a moderate 10 min / mile pace burns ~700 calories / hour. Wrapping up a 3.3 hour 20 mile run will put you at ~2300 calories burned. Get as many of those back as soon as possible (preferably w/ some protein involved)
  • Muscle release: The classic (if painful) foam roller, massage guns, and working with a massage therapist (if you’re lucky enough) are all great ways to jump start muscle recovery and maintain flexibility and mobility
  • Evaluate: If you have a heart rate monitor or running tracker, where did your heart rate / pace change? When did you feel pretty gassed?

What’s next?

Go and run! If you’re stubborn enough to have made it this far, you’re probably stubborn enough to follow a running plan.

It’s surprisingly easy to add a couple of miles to your long run each week, and yet incredibly rewarding.

Pro tips

A few more tips that don’t fit neatly above.

  • Weight loss: Training for a marathon involves a lot of running. This might look appealing for weight loss, but most folks training for marathons are avoiding getting into the fat burning zone and hitting “the wall”.
  • Community: If possible, try to find a running club or marathon training group, to help provide support and encouragement through the process
  • Consistency: If you’re following a standard 18 week plan, you’ll be in a good spot to finish the marathon on week 18. It’s a system that has been proven by tens of thousands of marathon runners. Straying too far (either below or above targets) can put your marathon in jeopardy
  • Practice a race: Ready for the electric feeling in the corrals? It may be worthwhile to have a dry run and attend a half marathon (or even 5k) just to get up to speed on the process for picking up your bib, following a pace runner, and throwing your arms in the air at the end.