Marathon Music Motivation

Last weekend, Mike and I completed our longest training run—a whopping 20 miles! No matter how much I train, I'm always anxious about the 20-miler run because it truly informs how I'll do on marathon day. This year, especially, had me very nervous. With the pandemic and working remotely, we haven't been nearly as mobile as we used to, and with our hectic work schedules, we haven't been hitting every training run. And let's not forget my various injuries that have slowed down my training. No wonder I barely slept the night before our 20-miler! To make matters worse, I was nauseous at the start. 

I told myself: "Sera, you just need to get the miles in. Fast, slow, walking, crawling...20 miles is 20 miles!" 

Acting silly at mile 15! Love that my 
IllumiNITE Ponyband Headband helps secure my AirPod!

I also told myself I just had to get to the halfway mark because once I hit ten miles, I had no option but to get back to my car. This is why I LOVE running long miles on a bike path. It's mindless: out and back with minimal road crossings. Isn't that boring? You ask. Sure, it can be. Running on a straight path with minimal scenery change for hours on end can be mind-numbing. But I look at that as a positive. I don't have to worry about traffic lights or who gets the right of way or getting hit by a car or running around people milling about on the street. Though, I do have to follow the rules of the bike path. But those are simple. Stay in your lane, announce when you're passing others (always on the left!), and look before passing so you don't get run over by a bicyclist!

Running on the bike path helps me concentrate on my performance and fatigue level as well as zone out for long stretches of time. And to keep me motivated, I listen to music! It really helps me stay on track and keep my pace and cadence high. To make sure that I get continuous music for hours on end, I carry my AirPods charging case with me and listen to just one AirPod bud at a time—this also helps me hear my surroundings to keep me safe!

Mike wore my AirPods ONCE,
now they're named after him

My taste in music is really eclectic. I listen to songs from many different time periods and genres, individual singers and bands. 

Some of my favorite musicians to listen to while running are:

Aretha Franklin

R.E.M.

Beyoncé

Thirty Seconds to Mars

Elvis Crespo

Janet Jackson

Linkin Park (RIP Chester Bennington!)

Lenny Kravitz

Kenny Loggins (The majority of the Footloose movie soundtrack, actually!). 

But one thing all the songs I listen to have in common: they are all fast-paced, pump-me-up songs! My absolute favorites are the songs about running and empowerment! For example:

Mike is so fast! I don't know if I'll ever catch up to him!

"Run for Cover" by the Killers

"Run Loves Out" by One Republic

"Run the World (Girls) Beyoncé

"Point of No Return" by Nu Shooz

"Dog Days Are Over" Florence + the Machine 

"I'm Gonna Be (Walk 500 Miles) by the Proclaimers

"Run" Foo Fighters

"I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears

"Highway Unicorn" by Lady Gaga

"Formation" by Beyoncé

"Woman" by Ke$ha

"Whatever It Takes" Imagine Dragons

"Mr. Rager" by Kid Cudi

"Freedom" by George Michael

"Survivor" by Destiny's Child

"Work B**ch" by Britney Spears

"Too Legit to Quit" by MC Hammer

Mike got in twenty-two miles! So proud of him!

These songs just truly get me moving! Before I knew it, Mike and I had completed our 20 miles, and we made good time too. Well, I ran 20 miles. Mike ran 22 miles. He's so much faster than me; he often runs up ahead and then walks back to where I am just to stay with me. I keep telling him he doesn't need to do that, but he takes "training together" seriously. I'm so relieved that we made it. I can now rest easy a bit—mentally, that is! Gotta keep the body moving!

Now that the marathon is coming up in JUST 13 DAYS (Ahhhh!) I really want to switch up some of my music to keep me super motivated. I'll be running for about five hours, give or take! 

I could really use your suggestions. What are your absolute favorite songs that pump you up for hard workouts and/or long runs? Please leave a comment below!

Sera is wearing IllumiNITE's PonybandHeadband, Short-Sleeve Savannah Shirt in Flo Lime, and Jammer Mid-length Reflective Running Short in Magma.

Mike is wearing IllumiNITE's Reflective Unisex Multi-Wrap in Graphite and Reflective Endeavor Long Running Short in Black/White.

You can get these great looking more AND 15% your order with discount code Sera15 at IllumiNITE.com!

Spring MarathonTraining: In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

Foggy, rainy morning for our run; but we stayed bright 
and dry in IllumiNITE's Colorado Jacket and Squall Jacket

Marathon Training has commenced, and it has been rough, rough, rough. I'm at that beginning all over again where running just two miles feels like a death sentence. I'm at the stage where I wonder how on earth did I manage to run for three, four, five hours on end and then jump into a social activity afterwards without any issues. But that's the beauty of running. Am I rusty from taking off most of the winter because my couch was too cozy to leave? Yes! But....will my body remember that it can handle a marathon? Also, Yes! Eventually.

I equate my spring marathon training to the children's analogy for the month of March: It comes in like a lion—with everything muscle in my body roaring like a lion and my lungs heaving. But this rough start also means that it will go out like a lamb—with every muscle bounding through the air without a care in the world. If it wasn't difficult to get back into it, running wouldn't feel so rewarding when I hit my goals.

I love our coordinating pullovers: Inspire and Early Riser;
even their names fit our personalities! And, our Headband
and Multi-Wrap keep the wind out of our ears!

It doesn't help that I have a rotator cuff injury, or that my back has been spasming, and my knee decided to shift out of place for a week. Getting old is no fun at all. Wait! I'm not getting old! I'm just out of practice. Okay, phew! I've been consistently doing my stretches and exercises to heal my shoulder and strengthen my back, as I mentioned in my last blog post. And since Mike and I really are out of practice, I started us off slowly with Hal Higdon's 15k Novice Training plan because it really starts with the basics: just two miles to start, gradually adding miles each week until we hit our 15k—that's 9.32 miles! Miraculously, this training transitions perfectly into Hal Higdon's Novice Marathon Training plan (with a minor adjustment) to meet our marathon goal at the end of August. New England Green River Marathon—here we come! I'm surprised Mike is willing to run another marathon with me after running his first and only marathon—The Athens Authentic Marathon, with a whopping 20 miles of hills! Due to the pandemic, Green River was postponed from last year to this year. I hope that Mike falls in love with running marathons this time—Green River has a 1,450 feet elevation drop—it's the least I could do to redeem myself. Athens was so difficult (but rewarding)!

Repping our love for mountains with
IllumiNITE's Love Tee and Vision Pullover

Once we're back in shape, we'll be double-downing on our long runs, adding in the half-mileage the day before or after (for example, if we run 18 miles on Saturday, we run or hike 9 miles on Sunday) to prepare us for Ghost Train Ultramarathon in the fall. I really want to do 45 miles before my 45th birthday, over the course of two days. Mike is a trooper and agreed to run 30 of those miles with me. It's all very exciting...in theory. Right now, I'm really wishing this lion would get off my back so I can feel as free as that cute little lamb frolicking in the fields.

I'm obsessed with my playlist that has only songs related
to jets and flying...and with my phone secured in
my shorts side pocket...it really keeps me moving!

How do I keep myself motivated when running feels so laborious? I've created some pump-me-up Spotify playlists to listen to as I run, and I take advantage of all my fun Illuminite* clothing and accessories that are perfect for New England's unpredictable spring weather. Every running day, I check the weather. Do I need my lightweight, waterproof rain jacket? My short sleeve shirt with my separate sleeves? My jammer shorts with the deep side pocket for my phone? Or my performance fleece and Velocity Gloves to keep me warm? Anything goes in these early spring months. But that just adds to the fun of it all.

So, yes. It's normal for legs to feel like lead with every step, and lungs to feel like deflated balloons, and the throat to feel on fire from breathing heavy. It's normal for two miles to feel like 100 miles and for clothes to not quite fit the same and for the brain to feel all foggy. Soon, the groove will come back and 15 miles will fly by in a blink, and it will be summer and warm and all will be right in the world again. 

IllumiNITE's Velocity Mittens are lightweight and warm,
and their bright color makes them so fun to wear!

The most important thing to remember: just like March, spring marathon training may feel like the beast of the lion, but soon you WILL find that peaceful bliss of the lamb.

What races are you signed up for? 

What are your tricks and tips to get you moving again now that it's spring? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below!

*Get 15% off your order at IllumiNITE.com with my discount code RunBrightly15.