Leila McElroy's Staging Area

Coming from someone who could barely run a mile back in December without an inhaler – I wouldn’t have dreamed of a better day or better course to do my first marathon on. Surprisingly, I was able to run the whole way (for the most part) and I attribute that to the training I did – (if it’s your first time – “The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer” is an amazing book and training plan) and what I did in the weeks leading up to the race.

For the last 3 big running weeks, I carb loaded correctly to where I didn’t really hit “the wall” and leading up to the marathon also did the same (don’t just carb load the last week, get your body prepared for the uptake in carbs). I also live at about 500ft above sea level so I knew the altitude would get me. I planned my trip to arrive in Colorado a few days before and I started taking altitude sickness pills the day before the trip (gives extra oxygen to your blood cells) and did a light run the Friday before the race (which was extremely difficult to get even 3 miles in. Don’t be alarmed tho if that happens I still was able to run the whole thing two days later). I also suggest taking salt tablets every half hour to hour of the race. This will help give your extra electrolytes and cause your muscles not to cramp. Then take gummies and gels with extra energy and carbs with you. They will have some at mile 13 but it’s better to load up earlier on in the run to give you that sustained energy.

Finally, have fun! Your adrenaline will be pumping and you may even beat the time you had in your head (although my goal was to just finish, I did it in a little less time than I was hoping for). It’s a beautiful course and slightly downhill almost the entire way! I’m personally not sure if I will ever put my body through that kind of training again but if you are debating whether or not to run this course, from a non-runner to you – DO IT!! You won’t regret it 🙂