Inspire to Run Podcast
Inspire to Run Podcast
Ultimate Tips to Help Prepare You for Your First International Marathon
#122 - In this episode, I share my story of running an international marathon and what I learned along the way. I set the intention of running my first marathon back in 2023, but things didn’t go exactly as planned. I talk about why I chose an international marathon and why you should consider one.
Whether you're a first-time marathoner or a seasoned runner looking for your next big challenge, this episode offers practical advice and inspiration to make your next race unforgettable.
Topics Covered:
- Learn why I decided to run an international marathon
- Hear travel tips to make your experience as smooth as possible
- Discover new tools that you can use to learn about a race course
Resources:
- Inspire to Run on Instagram - @inspiretorunpodcast
- Plot A Route - Website
- Free Guide - Kickstart your Fitness in 5 Steps
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Hey, my friend, are you looking to run your first marathon, or maybe the next, and maybe you're looking to spice things up a little bit? Well, I'm gonna share with you in this episode about my experience running not only my first marathon, my first international marathon, and I'm gonna share some tips to help you along your journey. Hope you enjoy.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Inspire to Run podcast. Here you will find inspiration, whether you are looking to take control of your health and fitness or you are a seasoned runner looking for community and some extra motivation. You will hear inspiring stories from amazing runners, along with helpful tips from fitness experts. Now here's your host.
Speaker 1:Richard Conner. Hey, my friend, welcome to Inspire to Run Podcast. I'm so excited to record this episode and share my latest journey with you, which is running not only my first marathon but my first international marathon, and I learned a lot along the process and I want to share with you why I decided to run a marathon overseas versus here in the US and what are the things that I learned kind of along the way. So I'm going to share with you 10 tips you can call them do's and don'ts as you're preparing for either your first marathon or your next marathon if it's overseas. So first I'll talk a little bit about why I chose, you know, an international marathon. So first I'll talk a little bit about why I chose an international marathon. So about this time last year I had set the intention to run my first marathon and over the last few years I have been kind of on this journey of doing things I've never done before related to fitness, and that included doing obstacle course racing, as well as different levels of road races four-miler, five-miler quarter marathon, all the way up to half marathon. I felt like it was time for me to do my first marathon. This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. I don't know if this is something that I would necessarily continue to do, but at the very least I wanted to say at least I ran it once in my life. So I set the intention last year and then, you know, one of the big goals that I had around running a marathon was I wanted it to be memorable. And you know I was thinking about what if I could run one of the world majors, like that would be really cool and that would be memorable. And the one that's closest to me is New York City. So wouldn't that be great if I could run the New York City Marathon. And if you know, there's a few different ways you can get into some of these marathons, like the world majors Number one, you can qualify by time, which I wasn't really in a position to do. But you can also do the lottery which, depending on the marathon, you may get in, you may not, and you could do a fundraiser or specific to New York City. You could do what they call the nine plus one. And the nine plus one is you run nine races in New York City, sponsored by the New York Roadrunners, and do you volunteer for one race and I live relatively close to New York City, but not close enough to run nine races and volunteer for one. I mean, that would be pretty much my entire race season for the year, so that wasn't really an option for me.
Speaker 1:So I was probably about late spring, early summer where I just really found out that I wasn't going to be able to get into the New York City Marathon. But I still had that goal to run it this year, to run a marathon, and I wanted it to be memorable. And I don't even know how it came to me. But I just thought about this marathon called the Beaujolais International Marathon in France that my friends have run in the past and they've told me about. And I spent a lot of time in France over the last almost 10 years. I love being in France, I love the culture there, I love the areas that I visited and I have a number of friends there. And I just thought to myself wouldn't that be so cool for me to run my first marathon in France? And that would definitely check the box for being a memorable marathon. And I'm sure I can get other experiences and other races across the US. But this one was not only special because it's in a place that I knew and I really enjoyed being in. But it also gave me the opportunity to run the race with friends, and that was something that was really cool, because that's not something I get to do very often, especially for road races. So immediately I contacted my friends, I was like this is what I want to do, and I signed up for the race and what I like to do is kind of share with you a little bit of the story, as I share with you kind of these 10 tips to make sure that you have a smooth and successful experience.
Speaker 1:If you're planning to run your first international marathon, and let's just kind of get into it, so I'll share with you, starting with number one into it. So I'll share with you. Starting with number one is you want to research the course and the weather. So this is one that I got half right. So the part that I got wrong was I didn't research the course, and it's something I don't normally do with races, even if there are US races. I just don't normally look at the course, and I really should. But you want to understand, you know the course, the terrain, the elevation, and I didn't do any of that and as I'm talking about hey, I'm going to do this Beaujolais international marathon in France One of my colleagues had shared with me a website that I've never heard of before, but it's totally awesome and I'm going to share it with you now and I'm going to put a link in the show notes.
Speaker 1:It's called Plot a Route P-L-O-T-A-R-O-U-T-E and it basically gives runners the opportunity to map out an entire course for a race and you could see the elevation and other aspects of the race. And one thing that I learned about this race, pretty much a week before, was that it was super hilly, and I know that I didn't do as much hill work in my training, so I wasn't properly prepared for all the hills in this race that I didn't learn, kind of until right before the race. So mentally I kind of knew what I was getting into, but physically, you know, I had not prepared in a way that I really should have. So this is something that you really want to check it to, no matter what race you're doing, but especially if you're traveling to a region or country that you're just not familiar with, I would say you know, check this out. And this worked for a race in France. I'm sure it's going to work in a lot of places in other countries.
Speaker 1:So that was one thing, but I would say that even though it was hilly, the course was absolutely beautiful. This was such a beautiful area. I mean, you're basically running in wine country and, just to give you a little bit of background, on the Beaujolais International Marathon, so this is the time of year where it's kind of all centered around the Beaujolais wine that they're releasing for the season and it's super cool because they have these festivals and they have the marathon and through the course you're running through vineyards and you're running through castles and it's just such a beautiful area but they're also serving wine in these castles and it's such a super cool experience. So you know, I shared a few pictures on social media of pictures that I took and also the professional photos which just came out so wonderful. So it was beautiful, it was hilly, it was a challenging course, but definitely check the box of being memorable.
Speaker 1:So the second part of this that I think I did do pretty well is around the weather. So I'm very familiar with the region, I'm very familiar with the weather and you know it tended to be a little bit warmer than where I am in the Northeast, but you know, this time of year it's still pretty chilly. So I just planned appropriately and I just planned for multiple layers plus my hat and my gloves, so all of that worked out really well. I would say that I was a little disappointed on race day. That morning it was 29 degrees when we're getting on the shuttle to go up to the starting line, so that was, you know, a little disappointing that it was so cold. But fortunately I was dressed appropriately, so that was good. And then, you know, I would say that the temperature rose a little bit during the day as the sun came out and it was quite comfortable. It wasn't really an issue during the race as much as I thought it was going to be, but that's only because I was somewhat familiar with the weather and I had prepared appropriately. So really important point there to research the course ahead of time as well as research the weather.
Speaker 1:The second tip here is book your flights and accommodation early. So Again, I kind of got this half right. So in terms of booking the flights, when I made the decision to run this marathon, I know in the past kind of traveling to France or traveling to Europe. It tended been in the past. So you know, definitely booking early is going to get you, you know, better price, better prices on flights. But you could do whatever process works for you. You could watch the flights and there's definitely different apps that allow you to do that, which you know, whether you do it through like Hopper or Expedia. But you definitely want to get started on looking at the flights early and then book it when you know it works for you. Looking at the flights early and then book it when you know it works for you.
Speaker 1:And then the second part of this, which I didn't do well, as booking your accommodations early. So you know I wanted to book the accommodation. So, basically, where this race was was kind of in between where Paris is and Leon, and Leon is about, you know, an hour to two hours South of Paris and Lyon is about an hour to two hours south of Paris and the race is just north of Lyon. And I wanted to get close to where the race would be, where the shuttle will take you to the starting line, just so I didn't have to get up even earlier in the morning and then take a long Uber ride to the shuttles and all of that, so just as close as possible. But I didn't book my hotel as early as I really should have because a lot of those hotels were really kind of booked up by the time I got around to it. So in my case it worked out okay because I did book a hotel in Lyon and I'm very familiar with the city. I can get around Lyon very well. It's beautiful, it's got a lot of great places to eat, a lot of beautiful place to run. So it kind of worked out the way I did it anyway. But again, I really should have booked it a lot earlier, just so I don't have that stress of where am I going to stay and how am I going to get to the race.
Speaker 1:So that's tip number two is make sure you book your flights and your accommodation early. Tip number three is you want to understand the race logistics. So what does the race packet pickup look like and the start times and transportation and all of those types of things. And that's an area where it really helps to have kind of the local friends or contacts in the country that you're traveling to, or if there's an organization that manages your travel, like those destination trips, where they'll arrange your travel and they'll arrange kind of the race for you, which I haven't done personally. But now, having gone through this experience, I'm actually very interested in doing that to travel to other places where I don't have friends or contacts or know anything really about the country. I definitely would sign up with one of those organizations or companies that would really support me in traveling to one of those places if I don't know the country or the language or the culture, et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 1:So in this case I did have friends that were able to help me and it's kind of an interesting story because I arrived a couple of days before the race and I had dinner with my friends and one of them had offered to go and pick up my packet for me because it was a bit of a drive to get out there so I'd have to take an expensive Uber to get out there and pick up my stuff and another Uber to get back. So he offered to just pick it up for me and bring it to me on race day, which worked out perfectly for me. But as he was checking my information to make sure my registration was good, he noticed that my registration wasn't complete, which was odd to me because I filled out everything, even after they emailed me and said complete your registration, which I did, and they asked me about, you know, my shirt size and some information about me. And I did all that stuff but I didn't read everything carefully and it was in French and I just didn't take the time to read everything carefully. And there was one thing in there just about, you know, going through their health kind of checks. So you had to watch these health and safety videos and then acknowledge that you're, you know, in good health and good shape to run the marathon. And I didn't do any of that because I just missed it. I didn't, you know, read it properly. So had my friend not picked that up, who knows what would have happened. I wouldn't have been able to get my packet, I wouldn't have been able to run the race and I traveled all that way to do this and you know, I potentially could have had that issue. So it's just really helpful for you to understand those logistics and have someone help you through that process, whether it's someone you know or some you know company or organization who's arranging everything for you.
Speaker 1:The next tip is around, you know, checking your, the visa requirements or whatever is required to enter the country. So, depending on you know where you're from and what passport you have, you'll have different requirements. So for me, with a US passport, you know I don't have any specific requirements to get into France. But you know, and typically the airlines will also tell you what you need. So if you just need a passport, if you also need a visa. But I have traveled to countries where they required a visa and in some cases it's a really long and tedious process. You know they ask you a lot of questions and one country even asked me questions about my parents. So you know, this is just again kind of like booking your flights and accommodations early. You want to make sure that you check into what are the requirements to enter the country early so you can go through those processes and not, you know, be stressed and not have to rush through all that process.
Speaker 1:So tip number five is adjust to the time zone. So this is something that I think I did really well. You know the recommendation is that you want to get to your destination at least three to five days before the race so you can really adjust to the local time zone. I tend to you know when I'm traveling. I tend to try to get right in when I need to be there and I try to leave right when I you know when I'm traveling. I tend to try to get right in when I need to be there and I try to leave right when I you know, as soon as I can. So to kind of minimize the time that I travel, since, you know, in the past and even sometimes now, I travel quite a bit. So having a lot of time, you know, away from home is not ideal. So I really try to to do it, as you know, concise as possible. But for something like this you really want to get in ahead of time so you could adjust and you could reduce jet lag.
Speaker 1:So I could tell you, in my case, I left New York on a Wednesday night, I arrived in Paris on Thursday morning, or I arrived in Lyon on Thursday morning, so Paris time, and then I ran the race on Saturday, so Thursday all day. I was doing great, no problems on Thursday. Friday was a completely different story. I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. I finally got enough energy to get out of bed and by that time I was able to get out a little bit and it was just about time for lunch. So my first meal of the day was lunch, which is not ideal, and then even after lunch I even slept for another hour and then after that it was okay. So I stayed up quite a bit and I was able to do my shakeout, run and do some other things during the day and then that night I got a better night's sleep and I was really ready for Saturday. But had I did what I normally do, which is get in maybe like one day before, I would have been in really bad shape for the marathon. So super happy that I was able to get in at least a couple of days before, adjust to the time zone and then I got ready for that Saturday for the international marathon.
Speaker 1:So the next one is pack smart and really pack what you need, pack the essentials of what you need. So for me, I, you know I carry my all the clothes I think I'll need. I carry my hydration, my nutrition, and I've kind of really learned this in the past from my travel. Depending on the country that I go to, the things that I need aren't always available in that country or easily accessible. So there's certain things I just tend to bring with me and yeah, so just really think about what it is that you'll need for your time overseas and then think about what you'll need for the race and make sure you pack those things appropriately.
Speaker 1:Next is plan for your hydration and nutrition. So it's a little bit similar to the last tip, but very specific to number one, hydration during your trip itself, and number two for the race. So for the trip itself, especially for long overseas flights, it's easy for someone to become dehydrated. So very, very important for you to consider that and hydrate appropriately, not only during your travel, but have the appropriate hydration during the actual race of travel, but have the appropriate hydration during the actual race. So that's what I did and I'll talk a little bit about what I did for travel and the race and what I do.
Speaker 1:So what I do for just general hydration is that I use Arbonne for electrolytes as well as for immunity. So that's kind of my everyday hydration. Then for the race, I do a combination of things. One is I use LMNT, which is sodium-based electrolytes. So I do that. I don't drink it when I'm running. I'll drink it like maybe before or maybe after, or maybe both, and then during the race I will drink Tailwind Nutrition, and Tailwind is sugar-based electrolytes and the cool thing about Tailwind is it has calories and there's a version of it with caffeine and a version without. So what I'll do is I'll just kind of mix both so I don't have too too much caffeine in each of the bottles of water that I bring with me. But I get that enough caffeine and enough calories to get me through the race. So that works out really really well. So again, I use Arbonne for my normal daily hydration, I use LMNT, the sodium-based electrolytes, and I do that kind of leading up to the race and then after the race, and then during the race I use Tailwind Nutrition, which is sugar-based, and then during the race I use Tailwind Nutrition, which is sugar-based, and it has the calories and the caffeine that I need. So that's what I use. Obviously, you use what works for you, but those are the things that's really kind of worked for me.
Speaker 1:Next is really kind of know the language and the culture based on where you're going. So, again, you know. Again, this was an opportunity to go to a country that you know, I'm very familiar with and I love being there and I know a little bit of language, but you know my French is terrible, so I know a little bit of Spanish. That kind of helps me a little bit. Plus, I spent some time in the country so I can understand a little bit, but for me to be able to fully understand or fully speak, that's just not the case. So in this case, having friends, local friends or contacts there that can really help me when I need it especially it relates to language and communication is super, super, super helpful.
Speaker 1:Next is you know you want to set realistic expectations. So for me, I had really just broad goals for this marathon Number one. I wanted it to be memorable. So again, kind of doing this trip overseas in this beautiful, essentially wine country, absolutely kind of check that box and I'll talk a little bit about, you know, my experience in the race there. But I also wanted to enjoy the race and not also and also not feel like I was dying the entire time. So you know, I kind of set my goals accordingly and I'm thinking okay, you know, if I do. You know, four and a half hours, that's really a decent time for me based on what I've done for my half marathon time. I think that's a decent pace for that Um, and also given how I've been doing my training. Uh, I came in at five hours, which was totally, totally fine because I checked the boxes on my goals. I absolutely enjoyed the race. I absolutely thought it was memorable. It was something I'll always remember and really appreciate the fact that I got to do it. Yeah, and I didn't feel like I was dying the entire time.
Speaker 1:Now, don't get me wrong. It was definitely a hard race. If you've never run a marathon before, if you run a race for the first time, it's definitely hard. I feel like even the last three miles felt like 20. So it was difficult, but it wasn't. I didn't feel like I'm not going to make this Like I, you know, I just kind of pushed through and I ran the race at my pace and I felt really good about my performance and and my time.
Speaker 1:So, whatever your goals are, whatever your expectations are, just set realistic expectations, cause remember you're, if you're thinking about an international marathon, you're running in a place that you, you know you may or may not have been before, you may or may not be familiar with, and if you're trying to compare it to something else, you know that might not be realistic. So just really kind of think about what's important to you and kind of set your expectations appropriately. And then, last but not least, is really kind of celebrate the local customs. So, as I mentioned, this race is kind of centered around this festival or the celebration of the new Beaujolais wine that they release for the season, for the year, and it's just such a beautiful I would say events.
Speaker 1:So the runners I think I read like 60% of the runners dress up in costumes and then they have wine and food on the course and in the castles and you're running through vineyards and it's just all super beautiful and just wonderful. And just take the time to really enjoy and celebrate that. You know, no matter where it is that you're running and no matter what it is. Then, of course, you know if wine or alcohol or whatever the case is, it's not your thing, that's fine, you know. Then pick a country or pick a race that has some sort of theme and is aligned with something that you enjoy and that you like and aligns with you. So that's the last thing is really just kind of not only go to run the race but really celebrate and enjoy and partake of all that it has to offer.
Speaker 1:So those are the 10 tips that I wanted to share with you, and the things I think I did well and the things I did not do well, that I could definitely do better the next time. But, all in all, just running through the vineyards, running up and down the hills, running into and out of the castles and then to the finish line in the city with everybody cheering, was just an amazing experience. And, you know, for me, running my first and maybe even my only marathon you know, this is something that I'll be talking about for a really long time and, just again, super happy and grateful and I'm privileged to be able to do something like this. So, you know, I shared a lot of great pictures on social media and you know, if you want to take a look, go to Inspired to Run podcast on Instagram. You could see some of the pictures there.
Speaker 1:And if you're thinking about running an international marathon, you know, just hit me up on Instagram and feel free to ask me questions or give me feedback on this episode of you know this kind of resonates with you. I'd love to hear from you as well. So again, just overall, great experience. I'm happy to share this with you. Hopefully I'm inspiring you to not only run, but run your first international marathon. So with that, I want to say thank you for listening and have a great day.
Speaker 2:That's it for this episode of Inspired to Run Podcast. We hope you are inspired to take control of your health and fitness and take it to the next level. Be sure to click the subscribe button to join our community and also please rate and review. Thanks for listening.
