TrainingPeaks member profile: Brigg Thorp, marathon runner

I never considered running a marathon in my life. I grew up playing soccer and continued all through high school. I was a decent soccer player, but never professional material. I enjoyed it and it kept me active, although in try outs, I would groan when I had to run a timed mile.

After high school, I joined the military, which required me to run greater distances (up to about six miles). I began to get used to these longer distances. As I got older, I relished the thought of going out for a run to clear my head. Running became less of a chore and more of a requirement. Four to six miles was all I needed.

Something happened when I reached my 40's. Call it a mid-life crisis or temporary insanity. It could also be that I work with professional athletes and I saw an ability in myself that I never knew existed. It could also be peer pressure - a few of my lunch time running partners were doing the NYC marathon, and I felt if they could do it, then so could I. So I signed up and had no idea what to expect.

Thankfully, TrainingPeaks was there to help. I got the Intermediate ING training plan and put it into my calendar. Each day I would receive an e-mail on what I was to do the next day. This helped me get ready for the physical and mental challenges that took me by surprise. Having never trained for anything before, I didn't know how to prepare. Luckily, the TrainingPeaks training plan was written for someone like me. It described hill repeats, speed sessions and distance runs. Obviously, working with professional athletes, I understood that this was a part of training, but I never knew exactly what you should do until I saw a training plan.

I tried to follow my plan without wavering at all. Work and life sometime made it difficult to keep on track. However, having a supportive family really helped keep stay committed.

My training plan had me run five days a week. Sundays were reserved for distance while the week days frequently changed. One day I would be doing 800 meter reps at 10k pace while other days would be running up and down Connecticut's rolling hills. Sometimes it was challenging to run three days in a row, but it made me look forward to the off days.

Finally, race day was here! I met up with some of my fellow employees who helped me find my starting gate. I started off feeling prepared. I stayed hydrated and had some gels along the way. The New York City spectators were awesome. I can't even begin to describe what it is like to be watched by 2 million screaming New Yorkers.

I finished the race which was my goal. My final time was 5:05.13.

I decided to run the NYC Marathon again next year. I'll definitely use TrainingPeaks. The amount that I learned about training and myself was extremely beneficial and I owe my first marathon to them.

Comments

[Mehul]

Congratulations on your first marathon! I am also planning on running my first marathon on March 21st in Los Angeles. I am 31 years old, and have always decided that this is one of the things I need to do in life. I figured I should do it now as it will only get more difficult with time.

Do you have any tips on training? For example how much interval training vs. pace training I should do.

Thanks
Mehul