We are just over a month into 2026 and I’ve completed two more marathons! I’m now at 32 states completed in all (27 in the last 4 years) but wow do I have some insights and lessons learned to share from these two – Nevada and Florida.
Embrace the nuances of each race…
My choice of a marathon depends on different factors each time – availability (or lack thereof) of marathons in a state; travel preferences/needs; race reviews, terrain, size, organizers; cost; bib pickup options; spectator options, etc. My choice for my Nevada marathon was the Lake Mead Marathon in Boulder City. I chose it because of the ability to run near the Hoover Dam and because it afforded me the opportunity to have a quick trip. With the ability to pick up my bib on race morning – sometimes I just want simple, efficient and little to no frills for a race – this checked all of the boxes for me and from a travel perspective it was perfect. In addition, running in a state park, with awesome views of mountains and a lake, while getting to run through 5 tunnels was extra cool!
I literally was in Nevada for only 18 hours. It was my first race with BBSC Endurance Sports. My first impression and experience is they do a great job with their races – likely small registrations, as this was my smallest yet with less than 300 runners overall and ONLY around 66 marathoners.
If you have a tight travel window like I did with this race, try to soak in the scenery, enjoy the uniqueness of what that race offers, but don’t set your sights on a PR. My time was 4:32, much slower than what I was aspiring for at the start line, but if you’re like me you always think you can race faster. The reality though is that this was my best on this day!
And as I reflected on this race, my mindset, because of my travel choices, should have been about finishing, not about time. Recognize that travel and all of the decisions you are making, takes a toll on you, mentally and physically, so my big lesson learned … EMBRACE IT!
Who’s your team…
My second race of the year was the St. Petersburg Distance Classic in, you guessed it, St. Petersburg Florida. This marathon was the impetus for a family vacation. This was one of several where my family joins me and we parlay the race location into an extended vacation. My family is my “team” and I cannot emphasize enough the power of knowing who your team is and having them there for you! It’s not feasible for me to have them physically there at every race but when they are there it has such a positive impact.
The impact is measured in many ways – for me they carry me across that finish line. The St. Petersburg race was a tremendous reminder for me of that fact. Not only did my time of 4:06 :44 (my fastest time in 4 years) reflect their impact but that time was a result of anticipating them at miles 16 & 17, knowing that they’d be there those last 500 yards, and in those moments I forgot about the pain and focused on their voices, their faces and I was reminded that it takes a team to accomplish great things, hard things and life’s greatest joys!
Try something new…
Each race gives us runners an opportunity to try something new, to improve upon that last performance, and it’s why I (we) keep signing up for that next race. In a recent Strength Running podcast titled, The Limits of Endurance: Dr. Andrew Best on Running’s “Metabolic Ceiling”, Jason’s guest Dr. Andrew Best gave some simple advice on “sustaining energy” that I implemented in my Florida marathon. The premise of his advice is that “under fueling is way more of a risk to performance and durability than over fueling and having a little bit of extra body mass.” I committed to fueling every 30 minutes, whether I was needing it or not. As a result I sustained the needed energy both physically AND mentally throughout the duration of my run. For the first time in 4 years I crossed that finish line feeling strong and not once did my mind give into the pain over the last 6 miles to cause me to walk; which has been common in many previous races.
I’ll try this approach again in my next race to test it’s truth but until then I can take confidence in the fact that the story I get to tell this time is one of a STRONG, fast and confidently completed marathon!
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to let me know about your lessons learned!