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You're listening to episode 276 
of the Marathon Running Podcast.

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In this episode we're going to 
talk about what happens in your 

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body when you run 26.2 miles. 
This is the. 

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Marathon Running Podcast with 
Letty and Ryan. 

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Join us for weekly content on 
all things running and let us 

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take you from the starting line 
to the finish line and beyond. 

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Hey runners, and welcome to 
episode 276. 

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My name is Letty. 
And today we're going to do 

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something kind of fun. 
We're going to actually explore 

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what happens inside of your body
and to your body when you're 

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running that marathon. 
So we're going to see what 

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happens inside of the marathon 
machine. 

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And I want to start with a 
little bit of a visualization to

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set this all off. 
So imagine this, close your 

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eyes, it's smile 18 of your 
marathon and your legs feel like

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concrete. 
Your lungs are on fire and you 

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are just sprinting or you're not
really sprinting, but you feel 

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like you're sprinting up one of 
those bridges that come later on

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in the marathon. 
And your brain, well, your brain

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has actually started questioning
every single life choice you've 

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made. 
Why did you even train for this 

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marathon? 
Right? 

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Because it took so much time 
away from everything else that 

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you want to do in life, and now 
you don't even feel that great. 

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And then just to think about the
fact that the miles ahead 

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stretched out before you like 
and end this road, yet somehow 

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you managed to move forward. 
All right, open your eyes again.

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Hopefully you weren't running. 
I should have said that 

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beforehand. 
Don't be running and closing 

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your eyes. 
But you get my point. 

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I want to explore what goes on 
inside of all of us when we're 

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running this marathon. 
Because I know I'm not the only 

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one that ever thinks about why 
my heart is racing so much, why 

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my muscles seem to have their 
own opinion about running, and 

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why my brain can sometimes 
motivate me and sometimes betray

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me at the same time. 
Right? 

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So we're going to take that deep
dive in the human body to see 

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what happens during a marathon 
mile by mile, or rather system 

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by system, and see whether you 
have these really extra ordinary

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physiological responses when we 
push our body to its absolute 

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limit. 
So I'm going to pre summarize 

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this for you. 
We're going to talk about the 

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cardiovascular system, your 
heart, your blood, and how they 

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go into OverDrive when you're 
running that marathon. 

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We're going to talk about 
muscles and the energy system, 

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basically why you hit that 
dreaded wall and how your body 

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fuels itself. 
We're going to talk about lungs 

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and oxygen delivery, basically 
the fact that we breathe like 

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our lives depend on it. 
We're going to talk about 

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hormones and the nervous system,
which includes our marathon 

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brain and the magic of a runners
high and the inability that 

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we'll have doing math, trying to
figure out how much time we have

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left or how many miles we have 
left. 

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We're also going to talk about 
some practical takeaways, some 

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actionable strategies for 
pacing, fueling, and recovery 

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that you can use in your 
training block. 

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Because by by the end of this 
podcast, I really want you guys 

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to not just understand what's 
happening physiologically, but I

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also want you guys to have the 
tools to train smarter and even 

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enjoy that pain a little bit 
more when it's happening. 

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Maybe we can all even laugh at 
it. 

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Spoiler alert, the idea for this
podcast came because I skipped 

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and switched around the last few
long runs that I had on my 

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schedule for my Chicago training
block. 

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And I know I'm going to be 
suffering, but I also know that 

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the marathon is some beautifully
brutal dance that goes on 

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between all the systems of our 
body. 

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So let's get into that. 
All right, so I want to start 

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off with the cardiovascular 
system, which I'm going to call 

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the CEO of our body. 
And let's start with your heart,

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which is the ultimate endurance 
engine for marathoners. 

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The heart is the most important 
muscle that you've trained 

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because the moment we start 
running, it's our heart rate 

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that immediately increases to 
pump that a torrent of oxygen 

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rich blood to our working 
muscles. 

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And that's a very rapid, well 
orchestrated response to stress.

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So the first few minutes of our 
running, our body signals for an

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increase in heart rate and 
redirect the blood flow. 

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And this is where two key 
metrics come into play. 

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Stroke volume is the amount of 
blood your heart pumps with each

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beat, and for a long distance 
runner, this can increase by 30 

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to 50% after months of 
consistent training, according 

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to a study published in Medicine
and Science in Sports Exercise. 

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So think of your heart as a 
pump. 

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Consistent training makes that 
pump bigger and stronger and 

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pushing more blood out with 
every single contraction. 

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All right, so we've got that 
covered. 

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And this increase in stroke 
volume combined with a higher 

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heart rate leads to a massive 
surge in cardiac output, which 

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is the total amount of blood 
pumped per minute. 

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So for an elite athlete, this 
number can actually climb from 5

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liters per minute at rest to 
over 30 liters per minute during

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peak exertion. 
And it's kind of beautiful 

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because you can think of your 
body as a river of life. 

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Isn't that beautiful? 
But that's not all. 

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The CEO of our body is also a 
brilliant strategist. 

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It's not just pumping more 
blood, it's also redirecting it.

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So that's what we were saying 
earlier. 

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It redirects the blood flow. 
It begins a process called 

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vasoconstriction in non 
essential areas like our 

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digestive system and kidneys, 
essentially closing off those 

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lanes on the circulation Hwy. 
At the same time it begins 

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vasodilation and you're working 
muscles opening new lanes, 

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making them wider and more 
accessible. 

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And so essentially, your body is
rerouting all these available 

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resources to the front lines of 
the battle. 

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So it ensures that your quads, 
your calves, your hamstrings 

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have everything they need to 
keep you moving. 

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And that brings us to that term,
VO2 Max VO2 Max is the ultimate 

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metric of aerobic capacity. 
That's the metric that 

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determines how much oxygen your 
body can utilize during these 

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intense exercises. 
It's a measure of how good your 

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body is at picking up oxygen 
from your lungs and delivering 

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it to our muscles. 
So according to research by 

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Bassett and Howley from 2000, 
elite marathoners have VO2 Max 

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values ranging from 70 to 85 
milliliters per kilo per minute.

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So for reference, the average 
recreational runner might sit 

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around 40 to 50 milliliters per 
kilo per minute. 

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And to put that into perspective
a little bit further, a 

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sedentary person might be in the
30s, so 30 milliliters per 

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kilogram per minute. 
All right, so here's another 

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fascinating detail that you 
might not know. 

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A trained runner's body also 
increases its total blood 

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volume. 
So your body produces more 

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plasma and red cells when you 
are a runner. 

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And this isn't just about having
more blood to go around. 

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It's about making the blood less
thin. 

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So think of it as trying to pump
honey versus pumping water. 

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A runner's blood is making it 
closer to water, making it 

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easier for the heart to pump and
more efficient at transporting 

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oxygen, and that's what your 
volume increases. 

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This is a critical adaption that
that totally contributes to the 

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improved performance for 
endurance athletes. 

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And obviously when your blood 
volume increases, you are more 

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efficient. 
Isn't that great? 

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Now I'm going to give you a 
practical tip. 

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If you want to, you can monitor 
your heart rate during those 

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long runs, which is really a 
valuable piece of information. 

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Training in different heart rate
zones helps you improve 

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efficiency and avoid that 
burnout. 

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And over time, you'll notice a 
huge change. 

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Your resting heart rate will 
drop, which is a clear sign that

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your heart has become more 
efficient. 

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It's like turning a rusty old 
engine into AV 8. 

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That's how I want to think about
my heart. 

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The easiest way that you can do 
all that is by doing low heart 

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rate training, meaning that you 
follow those guidelines of not 

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having your heart rate being 
faster than a certain amount of 

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beats per minute. 
And you do that for a few 

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months, and then you'll see that
you'll be able to run faster, 

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even though your heart rate 
still kind of remains the same. 

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You've just become more 
efficient. 

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So congratulations on that. 
All right, let's move on to the 

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muscle and energy systems, which
I also think of as the demanding

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toddlers of your body. 
All right, so let's talk about 

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the muscles and the fuel that 
powers them. 

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At the start of a race, your 
muscles are very well rested, 

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kind of like your kids when they
wake up in the morning and 

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they're running on pure enjoy 
pure energy and and use the most

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readily available fuel source 
which is glycogen. 

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Glycogen is just stored 
carbohydrates, sugar in your 

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muscles and in your liver. 
So think of it as your body's 

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high octane racing fuel. 
So when you're running a 

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sustained pace, your body is 
constantly burning this fuel 

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source, the glycogen. 
But here's a problem. 

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Your glycogen stores are 
limited. 

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And according to a study by Coil
in 2011, these stores can last 

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roughly 92120 minutes of running
at marathon pace, depending on 

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your fitness level and how 
you've prepared. 

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And if you are not familiar with
this data at this point, I 

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highly, highly recommend 
listening to last week's podcast

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where we talking about running 
carb loaded and running fat 

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adapted. 
But anyway, let's continue. 

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So when you run out of these 
glycogen stores, that's where 

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the terminology of the wall 
often hits, and that's about 

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92120 minutes. 
So between mile 18 and 22, 

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hitting the wall is not a myth. 
It's really a physiological 

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certainty. 
It's the moment when your body's

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high octane rocket fuel runs out
and you have been depleted of 

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it. 
And now what are you going to 

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do? 
And when that happens, your body

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and its wisdom makes a critical 
decision. 

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It has to switch to a secondary 
fuel source, which is fat. 

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So now we all have plenty of fat
on our bodies, all of us, 

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including the skinny canyons 
that always from the races. 

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But the process of converting 
that into usable energy is a lot

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less efficient than just taking 
the fuel out of the glycogen 

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stores. 
It's the equivalent of your high

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performance car suddenly being 
forced to taking on some thick, 

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sludgy gasoline, right? 
Your once smooth, effortless 

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stride becomes heavy, labored 
and you become slower. 

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Every step feels like you're 
dragging an anchor. 

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And this is where the wall is 
brutal and it's unforgiving and 

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it sucks. 
And to make things even worse, 

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at the same time, your muscles 
are now generating lactate, 

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which is a byproduct of 
anaerobic metabolism which kicks

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in during those surges or when 
you're pushing really hard. 

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And while the lactate itself 
isn't really the cause of that 

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burning sensation in your muscle
is the accumulation of it, which

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is a clear sign that your body 
is replying to a less efficient 

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fuel system and you're 
struggling to keep up with that 

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demand. 
Now this is all powered by these

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tiny microscopic furnaces inside
of your body called 

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mitochondria, which are the 
power plants that convert 

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glycogen and fat into usable 
energy or ATP. 

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Now, if you are a well trained 
runner, you don't just have more

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glycogen stores, you also have 
more mitochondria that are 

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larger and more efficient. 
So the more you train, the more 

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powerful the internal engine 
will become. 

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And just to be clear on my 
toddler reference, I made that 

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reference because I think of my 
legs as demanding toddlers. 

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So in the first two hours, 
they're all smiles and giggles 

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and happy. 
You know how kids are. 

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And then all of a sudden, a 
warning, they hit the wall and 

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suddenly they're exhausted and 
cranky and you know they want 

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you to carry them and you're 
forced to say no. 

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At least that's what happened 
with my kids when they were 

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toddlers. 
Everything was fun and games. 

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They're using a ton of energy 
and then suddenly they hit that 

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wall and they are done. 
Now let's talk about some 

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practical tips that will help 
you avoid that wall. 

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Obviously, number one is 
training. 

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Training more and then fueling. 
Practicing fueling during our 

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long runs is so so, so important
because our bodies will learn 

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how to digest energy on the 
move. 

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Also, another tip is to remember
to cargo load properly in the 

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days before you race to top of 
your glycogen stores so you have

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as much in there as possible. 
Another tip would be pacing. 

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Pacing is also a secret weapon 
because if you start out too 

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fast, you'll burn through all 
that precious glycogen way too 

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quickly. 
Slow and steady wins the race is

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what they say. 
Before we move on, I wanted to 

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talk to you listeners about Run 
Camp Kenya. 

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Now, if you've been following us
for a while, you know that we've

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travelled to Kenya this year to 
create something truly special. 

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And now we're excited to invite 
you to join us in A10 Kenya next

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year. 
From February 16th to the 25th, 

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2026. 
We've partnered up with a 

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fantastic local run camp to 
create a one-of-a-kind 

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experience that is not just a 
trip, but it's a dive into 

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literally the heart of running 
culture. 

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We've built an incredible 
schedule and itinerary that 

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includes up to two runs a day. 
And to help you to get the most 

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out of your training, we have 
included personal Pacers in all 

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of this. 
This camp is going to be a total

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immersive experience with room 
board fully included so you have

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nothing to worry about. 
All you have to do is show up, 

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run. 
We have amazing cultural 

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experiences included in the 
schedule and we're planning to 

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visit a few elite runners so 
that you can see them in their 

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training environment first hand.
And if that's not enough, since 

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you've come all the way to 
Kenya, we've also added a 

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spectacular safari as an as an 
additional optional grand 

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00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:23,160
finale, which is exactly what I 
did when I was there for the 

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00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:26,120
first time, which was amazing. 
Imagine capping off your 

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training journey to witness the 
incredible wildlife. 

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And I'm super excited about 
this. 

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This is a journey I want you to 
be part of. 

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It's really a unique opportunity
and I hope you guys consider 

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partaking in this. 
So if you want to join me, you 

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can find more information at 
runcampkenya.com. 

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And if you have questions, you 
can also message me directly on 

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Instagram. 
I am still at running podcast on

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00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:53,000
there if you have any question. 
But let's continue with the 

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lungs, right? 
So #3 That I have on my list 

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here is lungs and oxygen 
delivery. 

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And in my scribbled side notes, 
I have breathing like your life 

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depends on it, right? 
Because your lungs are the 

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unsung hero of all these 
marathons. 

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From the first mile on, they 
ramp up their activity to truly 

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supply oxygen to the blood, 
which then fuels your working 

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muscles. 
If any of you guys know me 

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personally, you know that I have
a lung deficiency, so anytime 

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I'm running hard, you can 
definitely hear my breathing. 

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00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,840
But I'm very grateful for my 
little lungs, for them to be 

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working as hard as they really 
do. 

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I'm out of rest just saying all 
this, but every inhalation is a 

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crucial step into the oxygen 
delivery chain, and every 

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exhalation is a way to get rid 
of carbon dioxide, which is the 

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waste product of energy 
production. 

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Now, at rest, you might take 12 
to 20 breaths per minute. 

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During a marathon, that number 
can easily triple. 

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Each breath is deeper and more 
forceful. 

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Your body's goal is maximizing 
oxygen extraction, which 

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scientists call VO2. 
The better your lungs work, the 

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more oxygen you can get to your 
muscles per breath, which 

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translates into higher 
endurance. 

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Here's a subtle detail that 
runners maybe not realize. 

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Your diaphragm, which is your 
Dome shaped muscle below your 

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lungs, inside of your chest, 
between your stomach that 

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00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,560
becomes the powerhouse during 
long distance running. 

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00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:17,200
Every inhale and exhale is 
effectively a mini workout for 

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00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,360
your diaphragm and over time 
training strengthens the 

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diaphragm allowing for it to be 
more efficient at breathing with

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less energy expenditure. 
However, it's not just your 

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00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:30,080
lungs that are doing the heavy 
lifting, also your capillary 

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00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,320
networks around your alveoli 
which are the tiny air sacs in 

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your lungs. 
They expand with consistent 

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00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:37,600
training too. 
That allows for more oxygen to 

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diffuse into your bloodstream 
with each breath and that 

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increases your efficiency. 
So basically, your lungs don't 

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just get bigger, they also get 
smarter, which is great. 

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00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,120
We love smart lungs. 
Now let's talk about some 

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practical tips and things we can
do to help our lungs with this 

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oxygen delivery. 
We can focus on rhythmic 

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breathing to maximize this 
oxygen intake. 

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So many runners find a two to 
two pattern works well. 

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00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,280
And when I say 2:00 to 2:00, I 
mean inhale for two steps, 

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00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,480
exhale for 2 steps. 
I almost feel like sometimes 

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00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:13,880
when you are going faster you 
could even do it for three 

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00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,200
steps, right? 
But find a pattern that works 

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00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,600
for you and also that way you 
don't get that nasty side 

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00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:22,480
stitch. 
So find something that works 

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very well. 
You want to breathe in through 

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00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:25,800
your nose and out through your 
mouth. 

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00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,640
And if you are breathing steady,
that will reduce your fatigue 

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00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:33,560
and it can even help your mind 
be distracted from any kind of 

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00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,000
panic, like, you know, panicking
around the fact that you are 

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00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,160
hitting mile 20 and the wall 
will come. 

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00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:43,600
Another thing you can do is also
say mantra while you breathe in 

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00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,000
and out. 
That's also super helpful. 

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00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,160
Now let's move on and talk about
hormones and nervous system. 

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In other words, the marathon 
brain. 

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If your heart is the CEO and the
engine and your lungs are the 

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fueling system, then your 
nervous system is the Control 

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00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:00,960
Center. 
And that's where the magic or 

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00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:03,880
the madness can happen. 
When you run long distances, 

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00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,400
your body releases a cocktail of
hormones to help you cope with 

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this physical and mental stress.
So one of these things in that 

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00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:15,119
cocktail is adrenaline. 
Adrenaline spikes at the start, 

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00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,440
gives you energy, gives you 
focus and a temporary pain 

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00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,800
numbing effect. 
And This is why the first few 

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00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,599
miles often feels surprisingly 
easy, even if you haven't warmed

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00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:26,800
up fully. 
Then, as you settle into your 

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00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,880
pace, your cortisol level rise. 
And that is the stress hormone. 

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00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:33,080
But in this context, it's 
crucial. 

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00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:36,960
Cortisol helps you maintain 
energy by mobilizing glucose and

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00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,920
fatty acids, and it regulates 
inflammation. 

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00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:43,520
Too much cortisol, however, can 
backfire, making your body 

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00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:46,520
fatigued or cranky. 
But on the flip side, too little

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00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,560
of it, too little cortisol, 
causes you to hit a metabolic 

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00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:52,680
wall faster. 
Now let's talk about the best 

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00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,600
ingredients of this cocktail, 
endorphins. 

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00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:59,000
These are chemical messengers 
that give you the runners high, 

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00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,920
which is like a euphoric seat 
that makes you feel like 

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00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,520
suffering is almost enjoyable. 
Around miles 16 to 20, 

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00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:09,720
endorphins kick in and give you 
a second wind when your legs are

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00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,200
screaming and your brain is 
threatening to die. 

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00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:15,120
And some of the researchers have
even suggested that endorphin 

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00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:19,240
increases pain tolerance by 20 
to 30%, which allows you, on the

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00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:21,960
other hand, to push through that
discomfort when you would 

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00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,120
normally stop in your tracks. 
Your brain is also responsible 

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00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:27,760
for communicating with your 
muscles through the central 

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00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:31,840
nervous system, sending precise 
signals that adjust stride, 

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00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:34,720
cadence, and even posture. 
Your brain is constantly 

356
00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,520
monitoring the feedback from 
your joints, your tendons, your 

357
00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:41,160
muscle fibers to prevent injury 
while maximizing efficiency. 

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00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:44,760
Think of it as some kind of high
level conductor orchestrating a 

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00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,520
Symphony of the effort that is 
your marathon. 

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00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,320
Isn't that beautiful? 
All right, meanwhile, however, 

361
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,200
your brain might also send some 
other mixed signals like yes, 

362
00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,120
you're strong, but maybe you 
should lie down and contemplate 

363
00:18:58,120 --> 00:19:00,200
life. 
It's really a love and hate 

364
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,040
relationship that you have with 
your brain because while your 

365
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:07,000
brain does signal any pains, it 
also does the interpretations of

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00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,600
it, right? 
So let's talk about some 

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00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,360
practical tips now that we're 
aware of all the beautiful 

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00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:15,560
things that happen in our brain,
but also the fact that your 

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00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:17,640
brain might send you the wrong 
signals. 

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00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:20,960
Mental training is as crucial as
physical training. 

371
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,160
It's so unfortunate that we 
don't just sign up for a mental 

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00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:27,600
marathon training plan. 
You know, what if one of those 

373
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:31,280
companies, Runner had that out 
there where you literally don't 

374
00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,480
run a mile, but you just follow 
that calendar of things that you

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00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:36,120
can do to mentally train 
yourself. 

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00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:38,440
I swear to God, I've talked 
about this for years. 

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00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:42,360
And who knows, maybe now in the 
age of artificial intelligence, 

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00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:44,680
I can invent an app that does 
that. 

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00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,360
That would be so cool. 
Anyway, So what we know about 

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00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:51,680
mental training is that 
visualizations are amazing. 

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00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:56,080
Positive self talk is super 
necessary, and breaking the race

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00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:59,600
into sections can trick your 
brain into thinking that the 

383
00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:01,800
finish line is closer than it 
actually is. 

384
00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,800
And that is why elite runners 
often practice mindfulness and 

385
00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,840
mental rehearsals. 
We the people who are not elite 

386
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,080
runners, we're amateur runners 
and we have real jobs. 

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00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,440
We don't do such a good job on 
that, but just maybe carve out a

388
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,200
little bit of time for 
visualization. 

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00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,960
And hopefully that'll help. 
Let me know how that goes for 

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00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:22,680
you. 
And that basically sums up what 

391
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,960
goes on inside of our bodies. 
And we want to talk about the 

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00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,560
main takeaways. 
Turning science into action, so 

393
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:31,720
to speak, right? 
Knowing everything that we know.

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00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:35,360
I wrote down five of the most 
important takeaways. 

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00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:40,080
Number one, I have pacing smart.
If you avoid burning glycogen 

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00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,520
too early, then you are already 
succeeding in your marathon. 

397
00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:46,920
Because if you stick to your 
marathon pacing plan then you 

398
00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:51,720
will have enough energy for 
those final miles #2 fueling 

399
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,840
consistently. 
Practice mid run fueling during 

400
00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:56,640
your long runs. 
Use gels. 

401
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,800
Use two sport drinks. 
Figure out which ones work for 

402
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,760
you and which ones don't and 
stay away from those because 

403
00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:07,520
then you will be able to help 
your body whenever it does need 

404
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:12,040
to Switch over to the other 
energy source #3 Train your 

405
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,800
breathing, strengthen your 
diaphragm with interval training

406
00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:18,880
or breathe focused exercises #4 
mind over matter. 

407
00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:22,360
Use mental tricks, mantras, 
visualization to manage fatigue 

408
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,080
and break your race into smaller
sections mentally. 

409
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,640
If you practice that before the 
race, then hopefully during the 

410
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,320
race it's just like running. 
You've been running and you're 

411
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,360
trained. 
You've been running your mind 

412
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:39,120
and you will be trained as well 
#5 do not forget that recovery 

413
00:21:39,120 --> 00:21:41,520
is key. 
Post race recovery is not an 

414
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:43,200
option. 
Refueling with carbs and 

415
00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,960
protein, hydration, stretching, 
sleep, all that is really, 

416
00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,720
really important. 
Your body needs to heal. 

417
00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,000
It doesn't heal on the course, 
it needs to heal afterwards. 

418
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,480
And you can kind of do that on 
those Sunday long runs to give 

419
00:21:55,480 --> 00:22:00,360
yourself time to heal, and that 
way your engine will be ready. 

420
00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:03,040
Healing is so, so, so important 
because when you run a marathon,

421
00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,520
every system in your body is 
pushed to its limit. 

422
00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,160
Your heart is relentlessly 
fighting your lungs or air 

423
00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,040
pumps. 
Your muscles are microscopic 

424
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,480
furnaces, and your brain is 
simultaneously your biggest 

425
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,000
motivator and also your worst 
critic. 

426
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,000
It's an intricate and beautiful 
machine. 

427
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,600
And crossing that finish line is
proof that you've orchestrated 

428
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:24,880
every system. 
Or at least you know you've 

429
00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,880
survived the chaos. 
Next time you lace up for a long

430
00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:31,240
run, remember every heartbeat, 
every inhale, every step is a 

431
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:34,480
Symphony of biology in action. 
I'm such a nerd. 

432
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,960
And with that, my friends, thank
you for joining me on this 

433
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,520
Marathon Machine episode. 
I hope that you enjoyed this 

434
00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,240
deep dive. 
Make sure you subscribe, leave a

435
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:47,360
review, check out our YouTube 
channel Letty Runs, and share 

436
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:50,080
this with friends who might 
appreciate knowing what's really

437
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,760
going on when you're running 
26.2 miles. 

438
00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:56,080
Until next time, keep running, 
keep exploring, and remember 

439
00:22:56,360 --> 00:22:59,760
your body is capable of way more
than we think. 

440
00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,280
Until next time, have a great 
week of running. 

441
00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,920
Thanks for tuning in. 
For more information, go to 

442
00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:14,680
www.marathonrunningpodcast.com 
or check us out on all channels.

443
00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:28,280
None.