Written with love, by Nikki Lian

A few weeks ago I ran my very first marathon--26.2 miles from Dodger Stadium to the beautiful Santa Monica Pier. I’m not a runner by any means, but a marathon was something that was on my bucket list. I was always an athlete. I played basketball and softball at a college level and that always involved running. But outside of practices and training I just wasn’t fond of it. When I hit my thirties I decided to train for boxing which involved a LOT of running, and not being a young spring chicken anymore all that wear and tear was weighing on my hips and knees. Running never made me feel good.

Approximately a year ago my teacher-friend and I were eating lunch, and she mentioned that she wanted to be an SRLA (Students Run LA) coach the following year. With her two bad knees and my skepticism I asked, “You want to run a marathon?!” I mean, even when we would go on easy hikes I would see the problems she would have with her knees. She replied, “Yes, we can do it.”

All of a sudden the “I” became a “we,” but I hesitated a little. I figured since she had the will to get through it and it was already something on my list I agreed to run the 2015 LA Marathon. It’s also easier to agree to something when it’s a year away.

So around September I started to train. My good friend and running partner Julio lived close by so he would run and hike with me. He’s done ten marathons already so his goal for this one was to get me through it. We started off strong, and ended the year on a 13 mile run where I felt like my legs were going to fall off. Christmas Eve I was sprawled out on the couch in pain. But the next day I realized something—I was still alive and I felt fine.

The months following were difficult. I work really long hours, so to get 5 miles in is an hour, which is doable a couple nights a week. But due to a family crisis, work, relationships and life, my training dwindled. Then a few weeks before the marathon I started to psych myself out. People would tell me how I was going to lose my toenails, how people die during the run, and how my nipples would probably bleed. The evening before the marathon I was in tears, reading horror stories of how people who hadn’t trained much for it shouldn’t even attempt to run it.

Then my wonderful fiancé, Jose, showed me a video of a compilation of different people that got interviewed at the finish line. It was very, very inspiring. If each of these people who have their own story, their own jobs and crises, and their own time constraints can finish, so can I.

The next morning I was ready to go on three hours sleep. Julio and I got to the stadium around 5. We took off at 6:55am, and crossed the finish line only 6 hours and 7 minutes later. The reason I say only is because I didn’t expect myself to do that well!! The people of LA as well as Julio pushed me through one of the biggest obstacles of my life. I came away with many lessons learned, and I’d like to share a few with you on why you shouldn’t back away from this experience.

1. Internet Articles Try to Psych You Out.

If you look at the majority of articles online, most of them are talking about how serious marathons are, and if you don’t train properly you will be seriously injured or die. Marathons are serious business and extremely hard on your body. However, what I was reading never stated that “if you are fitness oriented and exercise, lift weights, swim, hike, squat, cycle, eat right and take care of yourself, you will not have problems getting through.” They leaned more towards “if you’ve never run 22 miles straight in your training, you’re screwed.” That was how I perceived it. Most of these articles are put out by runners and running coaches, not various types of athletes. So now I know that if you exercise regularly and take care of yourself, you’re literally already halfway through training.

2. The Fans and Your Family Will Get You Through.

I had no idea how supportive strangers could be. Julio kept telling me how running 10 miles on the street by yourself is way less motivating then the fans around you screaming how proud they are of you. I still get chills thinking of some of the signs that I saw and the support people were giving. There are also bands and music playing every mile. The first 17 miles went by so fast just because of the surroundings. People will get you through. Perfect strangers will carry you through the finish line. It gives you a lot of faith in people. This was by far the best part of my experience. It also helped that Jose was waiting for me with my slippers, recovery beverage and some fruit and chocolate.

3. Supplements Work.

My wonderful brother and sister-in-law gave me a gift card to Runnergy, a place where they fit you for running shoes. When I went to get fitted for my shoes the man that helped me told me which supplements I should take. Using Salt pills, Heed, which is an awesome sports drink that contains complex carbohydrates and energy-gel, is a big reason of why I got through in one piece. Hydrating and carb-loading were extremely helpful as well.

I want to make it clear; I am by no means telling anyone they do not need to train to run a marathon. But if I can save a few people from psyching themselves out like I did, this blog was worth writing. Do not be afraid of it. Embrace the fact that you are capable of it despite what you may have heard. Although being told I’d have no toenails, my feet are fine. Although being told I should take the next day off from work, I continued to live life the next day. My nipples didn’t bleed, I didn’t pass out, and most importantly, I’m still alive. And have experienced something that words can’t do justice, so experience it for you. You can become it—a marathoner.