Marathon Training Begins Today

Benjamin from Brothers Campfire here.

I wrote a quick story for Pooja Rani, my niece.  It may be continued as I left it open. I am placing a lot of emphasis on her as she is at the crossroads of her life in a few areas, and she needs to know she is loved, appreciated, and encouraged. Hello Pooja!

Marathon Training

Currently, I am focusing on running the Colorado Springs Marathon, which is a distance of 26.2 miles or 42.195 kilometers on October 4th, 2025.

I have never been much of a runner, but I have hiked quite a bit since I was younger.

My goal for the year was to hike 50 miles in 24 hours, and I began training in January 2025 by strengthening my legs and building endurance by climbing stairs on a stair master and wearing a weighted vest on hikes.

I had completed a similar hike covering 36 miles in 2020, failing the first attempt somewhere between 21 and 23 miles in.

My first attempt with this adventure revolved around a misunderstanding of nutrition. My second try, which I completed, was poorly fueled as well, but I didn’t know this. You can read about my adventures here.

https://brotherscampfire.com/completing-the-35-mile-berengar-overton-trail/https://brotherscampfire.com/completing-the-35-mile-berengar-overton-trail/

Adulting and other interests distracted me for a while. From 2020-2024, I tried my hand at powerlifting, pottery, blacksmithing, gardening, beekeeping, community work, story writing, axe throwing, knife defense, ground fighting, and a bunch of other things I forgot. During this time, I had a job assignment change, I was in two car wrecks, my daughter graduated from high school, and my wife had a severe stroke and recovered quite a bit. I made a lot of headway in life and burned and built bridges.

2025 called for a reset, and this is where I circled back to my goal of 50 miles in one day. While stair mastering, my sister called, and I tried to manage talking and stepping. My sister is on the smaller side and had a record for track at CSU Pueblo for a while. I told her about my goal.

“Have you thought about running a marathon then transitioning those skills into running 50 miles?”

As stated earlier, I am not much of a runner and could never get away from bullies. This has influenced a bit of honey badger, “stand your ground,” into my psychology.

Running has never crossed my mind, but after my workout, I Googled, “Marathons Near Me,” and while I am not typically impulsive, I paid the registration fee.

My first run was on a treadmill on February 10, 2025. I jogged four 15-minute miles at a pace slower than my 4.1 mph/6.5 kph stride. It was unsurprisingly painful and miserable.

Practice makes better. As of today, I have run 615 miles/ 989 kilometers with my longest distance at 20 miles. This is somewhere in the average of 40 mile weeks.

Importantly, I have focused on how runners and cyclists are fueling their adventures over long distances. Using this information, I have acclimated my gut to being able to consume about 100 grams of carbs per hour in the form of simple sugar. In addition, I am trying to ensure I have electrolytes by consuming bananas, taking magnesium in the recommended amounts, and consuming table salt at around 500 milligrams per hour when I am running.

As I go along, much of this will adjust. For instance, I am not sure if I need that many carbs or if the salt intake is dialed in, but I am making headway.

I have established some baselines, and today begins 18 weeks of training. It is Sunday, and for me, that involves two church services at Heritage Pentecostal Church and lots of eating. GOTTA train that gut.