5 Tips to your best marathon!

On March 11, 2012 I ran the inaugural San Diego Half Marathon. I came in at a personal best time of 1 hour 38 minutes. That's basically running 1 mile ever 7 minutes and 32 seconds.

There were many contributing factors that helped me get to this goal. For the last few months I had been running on average anywhere from 80-100 miles per month.
Most would say doing this is what helped. I ran a half marathon 6 months ago and finished 1:46. Knocking 8 minutes off my time was a really great feeling. So how did I do it? Below are the contributing factors.

1. Eat hamburgers, specifically from fast food places. They are the perfect meal, especially before longer runs. I recommend the night before so when you wake up early and hit the trail, boardwalk, or streets, your stomach will be pulling you forward faster each week.

2. Stop drinking sodas. If you stop drinking sodas, like I did, you will gain weight. Im 8lbs heavier since i stopped!! Without having that acid in your stomach cleaning out your stomach making you go number 2, it will add to the effect of number 1 listed above. Alcohol is still good though.

3. Sleeping less is best! If you are just starting to train, start with a tremendous loss of sleep. This will help when you get in the mindlessness of mile 9 or 10. I recommend about 4 hours of sleep and wake up and run 6 miles. Don't eat breakfast if you want the real feeling.

4. Don't let stopping at a medical station slow your time down because the clock won't stop even if you do! Run through injuries. Injuries can be a buzz kill. Don't let your body convince your mind you can't do it. You can! If its bad enough, there are medical stations along the run.

5. If you don't look the part, you won't have a great start. Spend money on running gear. The last thing you want is to be on the starting line sticking out among the rest of the runners. I spent $300 in the last few months so no one would notice I'm not a real runner. This helps when you're taking off at the starting line. If you blend in, you will win.

The good thing about the 5 tips, is that they are universal and can apply to anyone. Utilize these and you will get your best time!