Here at runladylike.com, Fridays are all about sharing the inspiring stories of fit people who motivate all of us to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday. My Friday FITspiration series profiles runners, triathletes and casual exercisers who are making choices every day to be as healthy as they can be – in both huge ways and through simple, small victories. Their stories are about the journey of transforming from ordinary to extraordinary each and every day.

Today, I’m excited to introduce you to Amy Walker from My Life as a Lazy Girl. Amy just ran her first marathon this month at the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon. I helped provide her coaching, and her goal was to finish before the cut off of 7 hours. She finished in 6:55 with 5 minutes to spare and I’m so proud of her efforts to keep pushing even when things got really hard. Amy combines running and walking and has come so far since starting her running journey in December 2011. Find out what her first marathon training experience was like and if she has a second marathon in her future.

rUnladylike: When did you start running and what inspired you to start?
Amy: I started running in December 2011. I ran a lot of sprints for basketball growing up and always thought running sucked, because running suicides does suck. But my mom had been running for several years as part of her weight loss journey, and I was looking to get back in shape and discover a new hobby after finishing graduate school. So I decided to give running another chance. I watched my best friend run her first full marathon and that was the final mental push for me to decide to start a couch to 5K program seriously in January 2012.

rUnladylike: What made you decide to run a full marathon?
Amy: I never thought it was a possibility for me to run a marathon due to my speed (or lack thereof). After seeing a couple friends train for a marathon, I decided to train for one. If I hated it, I would never have to do it again. Plus, it would be the only distance my mom hadn’t run and would instantly be a faster PR (personal record) for me. My mom currently has faster PRs than me in the 5K, 10K and half marathon distances. Can you tell we’re competitive? We’re very close and have run many races together, but it does sting a little to admit mom runs faster than me. Luckily, she is a great mom so I don’t hold it against her. And she knows I’m gunning for her PRs and have plenty of time to try to beat them.

rUnladylike: Tell us about the experience of running your first marathon.
Amy: My marathon experience was a rollercoaster ride. Some weeks were great and some weeks I just wanted to dissolve into a puddle of tears. It really is a mental battle with yourself. Only you know if you’re giving it your all or if you’re half-assing your training. I also struggled with nagging minor injuries throughout. I had shoe issues after Mizuno upgraded my favorite shoe to a completely different shoe. The new version just destroyed my always tight calves and gave me super painful shin splints. The next shoe I tried did the same thing. I thought I found the one with my third shoe but that gave me peroneal tendinitis. The tendinitis came at a terrible time. It was right at the beginning of my peak weeks and really set me back confidence wise. Once the tendinitis was gone, I finally felt like I was starting to do better, but I think it was too late to have an overly successful first race. However, I finished the race injury-free and because of that I’m happy with how it turned it.

rUnladylike: Was it easier or harder than you thought?
Amy: I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t know it would be that hard. My body hurt a lot pretty much all the time. I really had to learn to take better care of myself to help aid the recovery process. I didn’t realize how hard the mental struggle is. Physically, I’d be a little sore or tired, but if my mind decided I needed to walk, my legs would listen. When you’re a slower runner like me, you’re out there so much longer than others. Most people have finished the race, showered, had meals, had a massage, etc. by the time I finished my marathon. You have to learn to be alone for long periods of time, which is just hard mentally.

rUnladylike: What was the most challenging part of the race?
Amy: There were 3 places that were equally challenging to me. The halfway point was the first place where mentally I just struggled. It got really hot and there wasn’t any shade. It was through Mission Bay Park and there were people out with their families. If my friend wasn’t spectating right past that point, I might have asked a family in the park for a ride to the finish. The second place (honestly probably the worst part) was the HUGE mile-long hill on a slanted highway around mile 21. It was SO miserable and hot and just hard. I called my mom during this part because I needed something to keep my mind off of how awful it was. I’m sure everyone passing me was wondering why I was talking to myself. The third place was around mile 23/24. After the monster hill at mile 21, I was told it was all downhill and that was a LIE. There were still plenty of uphills left and after a couple miles of additional hills I was OVER it. I called my mom again (and my dad was also there on speaker phone) and told her I thought I was dying and that I wanted it to just be over. This is really where I hit the final mental wall. I finally pushed through that and was able to run from 25 to the finish.

rUnladylike: What do you wish you had known before your first marathon that you know now after your race?
Amy: That I could do it. I tried to convince myself that I could beforehand, but to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to cross the finish line until the halfway point. Even though I was struggling after that, I did the first half fast enough to know the slow bus wouldn’t get me. I wished I had believed in myself more. I think the injuries hurt my confidence and I just didn’t know what would happen on race day.

rUnladylike: What was your splurge meal/indulgence after the race?
Amy: Surprisingly, I didn’t go crazy on food after the race. I felt okay but never great and I just couldn’t get a lot of food down. I did eat sushi with some friends but didn’t eat as much as I thought I would. The next day though I got cupcakes from a local shop in San Diego that were amazing! I also enjoyed pasta from a cute place in the Little Italy section of San Diego. In an ideal world, I would probably destroy all the cookies and cake plus all the greasy French fries I could get my hands on.

rUnladylike: What advice/tips would you give someone about to run their first marathon?
Amy: First off, make sure you apply your sunscreen for race day evenly. I have the most random and awful sunburn from being out in the sun for 7 hours. Take your training seriously because if you don’t it will hurt on race day. I took my training seriously but didn’t have a big enough base before training to really get the weekly mileage both my coach and I would have liked me to get to. I regret being lazy before training began, so don’t be like me. Also respect the marathon, it’s not a joke, however do have fun!

rUnladylike: How did having a coach change the way you trained from previous races (or not)?
Amy: I had a personal trainer who gave me running plans for my first half marathon, and I was well trained for that but didn’t have a good plan for race day. After that I was TERRIBLE at training until I began working with Jesica (rUnladylike). Half marathons 3 and 4 were bad for me because I didn’t train. Having a coach kept me accountable. It made my training about something other than myself. While I have no problem letting myself down, the thought of disappointing my coach kept me in line. When I was coachless, I just kind of went out and ran – no speed work or tempo runs. By having a coach, I was able to do different types of workouts. Hill repeats and speed work were my favorite things to do. It gave me something to focus on during the run and made things more interesting. Plus, running up a hill over and over with a restaurant patio watching you can make you feel a little bad ass. Or make you hurry up so you can join them. I also loved having someone to listen to my fears and ease my anxiety, which gave my mom a break from hearing it all the time.

rUnladylike: What running mantras got you through?
Amy: So this might get me in trouble since Jesica loves a good mantra, but I’m not as into them. For me, I think about the people around me who are going through some difficult things (my best friend just finished chemo after having a double mastectomy from breast cancer and my dad was recently diagnosed with a mass on his pituitary gland). I think about how they’re so brave. If they can go through everything their health issues entail, I can run 26.2 miles. I guess I also just tell myself to keep going and the faster I go, the quicker it’s over.

rUnladylike: What music got you through?
Amy: I recently got a Spotify account and made a playlist with a lot of 90s pop music. Lots of NSync, Back Street Boys, Britney Spears, Destiny’s Child plus some newer songs. I wouldn’t let myself listen to it until the race. And I definitely laughed when Bootylicious by Destiny’s Child came on. You can see my playlist on Spotify here: Marathon.

rUnladylike: Will you run another marathon? 
Amy: When I crossed the finish line I said never again. Now part of me really wants to do it again to improve my time. Definitely not this year because it’s just too time consuming and it’s way too hot in Atlanta where I live to be doing a lot of mileage in the summer. I’d love to PR in the 5K and half marathon distances by the end of the year and then go after my second full marathon in the spring.

rUnladylike: How can people connect with you?
Amy: Twitter is one of my favorite forms of communication so you can chat me up at @AmyWalk or visit my blog at www.mylifeasalazygirl.com. 

If you or someone you know would be a great candidate for Friday FITspiration, email me at runladylike@gmail.com.

What was your first marathon experience like? What do you think is the hardest part about training for your first marathon?