TODAY co-host Sheinelle Jones, 45, shared her ambitions for training for the New York City marathon with WH back in September and a training update in November. Now, days after finishing her first marathon in 4:41, she's reflecting on her race day experience with Liz Plosser, WH editor-in-chief, on Instagram live.
I was the kid who wrote letters in third or fourth grade and said I had asthma and signed my mom's signature so I would not have to participate in gym. That [climbing] rope still haunts me.
Fast forward to now, and I finished the marathon. It all started as a bit of joke. When I turned 45, I said wouldn't it be funny if I did the half-marathon at 40 and a full at 45. I didn't get laughs in response; I was told I should do it.
So, I started training in June and ran about five days every week to get ready. It was the first time I could pour back into myself.
Watch the whole post-marathon conversation with Sheinelle here:
Early on I connected with a coach to learn about running form and guide my training schedule.
I had no idea how much training it takes or the preparation required. I thought that I would just go run every once in a while and then just suck it up and run 26.2 miles.
I decided if I'm going to try something new and step outside of my comfort zone, I wanted to learn. I know journalism but I don't know anything about running.
When I first met Jes Woods, a Nike run coach, she had me do physical therapy first. We did prehab so you don't hurt yourself going in. I ran and they analyzed my gait and checked my cadence and gave advice on how to run so I wouldn't hurt myself. I really tried to study that and learn how to run the right way.
I asked all the questions: Why are we going this far? Why are we tapering? Why are we doing this?
Every week, Jes would send me a schedule. Usually it was five days a week of running. And here's the thing, it wasn't 20 miles every day or 10 miles a day for the most part. Two miles, one mile, but when you do your two miles, run fast for a minute and then slow down the next minute.
It wasn't just going outside and running day in and day out. There was a strategy to every workout. I didn't understand it at the time, but two weeks later those three miles felt easy. I never thought that about running three or four miles before. It showed me that if I just listened, my body would respond.
Through training I learned I had to fuel my body. There were no nutrition shortcuts.
I had to treat my body with grace. I'm asking my body to do something that it has never done. The least I could do for my body is support it with grace, nutrition, and all the things so that it hopefully rewards me when it's time.
I learned my lesson after a rough 10-mile run. The night before, I reeled in dinner a bit. It was the hardest route, the whole thing. My hamstring started cramping. Then the next week, I told my coach Jess, "I don't know what happened, I've gone backwards. I can't run." Her response: What did you eat for dinner? I instantly knew I didn't eat enough and never made that mistake again.
To keep energy levels up for all my runs, I basically started eating like a 14-year-old boy, like my son, with a plate full of pasta as well as snacks like Honey Stinger Waffles mid-run.
A few different mantras helped me through all 26.2 miles.
I also made bracelets to wear, and I wrote different mantras on them. One had my kids initials on, and another said "just do it." So, I would look down at my bracelet and it was like my superpower.
Even my socks had "your race your pace" written on them the day of the marathon. One of my running companions had "my brain is my strongest muscle," written as a reminder.
Later in the race, when I was starting to feel it, I focused on my "why" to keep going.
Rainy, the woman who I was running with, said, "Remember your why and that you're running for people who can't."
Right after she said that, we look to the left and there was a man running with one leg. And literally to our right, was a woman who was running and pushing someone in a wheelchair. I told myself, I can do this.
The pitter patter of the feet of all the runners around, it's like they carry you. The sound on the bridge when there aren't any people cheering, and all you hear is the collective pitter patter of other runners kept my feet moving. Everybody's alone with their thoughts.
I want to figure out how to incorporate running into my life.
I'm not sure how to do that yet. If I'm being honest, I don't know. Post marathon, a lot of people do a billion marathons, but I don't think that's for me. I am interested in learning how to incorporate this into my life because I don't want to let it go.
In the morning—I wake up to the moon and most people don't—I can tell I have more energy now. Waking up in the morning is easier. My body likes it, running, and I can't believe it.
