Marathon Training Series: A Shoe For Race Day That Made Me Run Faster

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a post in my marathon training series, so I decided it was time to update you guys! In case you missed my other posts, I’ll link them below for y’all!:

I’m running the Honolulu marathon on December 8, which is just 4 weeks away! So I’m now at the point in my training plan where I will start tapering here pretty soon. The maximum amount of miles I’ll do in training is 20, which is what I did last Saturday and it was tough lol but also amazing.

My training overall has gone SO well! I’ve been really fortunate to not have any injuries. I think cross training and stretching help tremendously with that. It’s been freezing in Boulder recently so running in the cold has been an adjustment. I shared my cold weather running essentials in THIS post so make sure to check that out if you also run and live somewhere cold! The tights I’m wearing in these photos are my favorite tights to run in when it’s cold outside. They have a pocket on both sides which my phone fits perfectly in! They are also sweat wicking and breathable so you don’t have to worry about getting too hot in them!

Swiftly Relaxed Long Sleeve

Lululemon

Another cold weather running essential for me is this long sleeve shirt! I also have the tank top version and LOVE the material! It’s an anti-stink material technology, seamless, and specifically designed for running! It’s somehow super breathable but also keeps my core warm on cold days all at the same time. SUCH a running staple for me!

Favorite running shoes

If you follow me on stories, you know I’ve tried out about 6 different running shoes during my training and I think I have finally found my favorites and my race day shoe! I’ve done the majority of my training in the Adidas solar glide and Brooks ghost. like I said, I probably tried out 6 different running shoes and these two are my favorite! ALSO! Nike recently launched a new shoe that I was SO tempted to try after reading so many amazing reviews. I tried these shoes out on an 8 mile run and LOVED THEM! They are expensive but felt amazing on my run and I actually significantly increased my pace when I ran in them. So I decided these are going to be my race day shoe! I heard these shoes don’t last as long as normal running shoes do, because they are made to be a “racing” shoe. So I might do one or two more runs in them and then save them for race day!

Shop this look:

I’ll be honest…this is typically the point I get to in my training where I think “why am I doing this again?” Once I got to 20 miles I thought the same thing when I did my last full marathon. And then I did the race and it was so amazing that I couldn’t wait to do another one! Training has definitely been challenging. I’m very sore the day after a long run, I’m exhausted the entire day OF my run. It’s time-consuming, requires planning, etc. All that to say though…this training season has been incredible for me. Every Saturday morning I wake up, lace up my shoes, and head out for a few hours for my long run. Just me and the road. I listen to a favorite podcast or worship music or my running playlist [laurenkaysims on spotify], and it’s pretty magical. It’s my “me” time. It’s my one time in the week where it’s okay to just zone out. Let my mind wander wherever it wants to go. I have that time blocked off to JUST run and not worry about doing ANYTHING else doing those 2 or 3 hours. So as hard as it’s been…I’m so thankful I decided to sign up for another race and all that this training season has done for me – both physically and mentally! I hope you guys have that “thing” for you during the week as well! Your mini-escape that allows you to just take a step back, breathe, and let yourself just BE.

Let me know if you guys have any marathon or running questions I can answer for you in the comments below! Thanks for reading!