6 Habits Not To Break For Healthy Marathon Training

Hi everyone—I’m Natalie from Nat Runs Far and I am super pumped to be joining Team WR!

I have been passionate about the sport of running since I was a young girl. I started running with my parents at the age of seven in a local park and trails near our home—and haven’t stopped. My dad was a huge influence in my running, as he would run 14 miles to work several times a week; I loved hearing about his adventures along the way. He taught me that with hard work and dedication, you can achieve anything.

I ran cross country and track in high school and college and truly loved the competitive side of running, along with the incredible way it made me feel. After college, I started running marathons and doing triathlons and realized that my most successful running days were straight in front of me—if I had the courage to dream big.

Seven marathons later, with a PR of 3:23, (+ countless half marathons, 5Ks and 10Ks.), I am solidly carving my way each day to become a better, faster runner.

After three Boston Qualifying times, I was finally able to run my first Boston Marathon last spring and it was as exciting as I imagined. I ran a time of 3:26—just one year after having extensive knee surgery—and it was a really sweet moment in my running journey. Currently, I am training to run Boston again in April and I am putting my heart into earning a shiny new PR!

I am Mom to three young kiddos (ages 4, 6 and 9) and married to my best friend. We have a crazy busy life filled with joy, travel, adventure and every day life.

Although I love the marathon, you’ll usually find me happily running on the trails near our home. There is something so special about trail running and it simply never gets old. Marathoning takes patience, practice and health—and after seven marathons I’ve learned a lot about all three of those things.

My Six Habits For Staying Healthy During Marathon Training:

1. Don’t skip your dynamic warm-up. I never start a run without carving out 10 minutes for the following exercises: Leg swings, walking butt kicks, walking high knees, open and shut the gate, karaoke drill, B-skips and fast feet.
2. Get regular massages. We work our bodies so hard, so it’s important to get a little body work to flush out lactic acid and loosen our muscles.
3. Rest. Sleep, sleep, sleep
4. Keep up with proper nutrition. I eat something high in protein and carbs within 20 minutes of finishing a run. And don’t forget to stretch!
5. Hydrate! 100 ounces of water a day is my target. It helps with recovery and as a bonus—you’ll have glowing skin!
6. Regular ice baths. Brrrr, but SO worth it.

I can’t wait to connect with all of you and joyfully continue on this running journey. We GET to run—isn’t that awesome?