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First Marathon Story: Slow and Steady, Keep to the Left: A Late Bloomer's First Marathon w/ Jude Harper

  • Writer: Taylor Sayles
    Taylor Sayles
  • 3 days ago
  • 4 min read
Podcast guest Maggie is interviewed by host Taylor Sayles

Jude describes herself as a "late bloomer." A musician growing up, she didn't do much in the way of physical activity until she turned 38. It was then that she decided to train for a 5K. It was a big deal for her, and she trained hard for it.


The next year, some friends asked her to join them for an 8K charity race, and while the distance intimidated her a bit, she launched her fundraising page and trained hard for the race again. When she turned 40, she decided to go for a big goal: running her first half marathon.


Taking the Pressure Off

Jude took every race seriously, but the half marathon she acknowledged was a really big deal for her. She trained with a plan, following the schedule religiously, but ended up with an injury in her foot towards the end of training. She had been so focused, and had fallen so in love with running, she was devastated when she couldn't run.


She still showed up to the start line of the race, and while the first kilometer was painful, the injury eventually resulted in no feeling in her foot, and she was able to run and finish the race.


Jude tried a few other sports throughout her 40s, but nothing scratched the itch like running. At 49, she decided she'd like to train for another half marathon, and she'd take the pressure off - just in case the injury flared up. The training went well, and she describes the day of the race as one of the best days of her life. She wasn't fast, but she finished (with "a lot of main character energy!"). Through it all, she gained fitness, but also confidence.


From Half to Full

From the day of her second half marathon, Jude had a small voice in the back of her mind that maybe, just maybe, she could one day tackle a full marathon. She logged on to the application at 8 a.m. to enter the full marathon the next year, was put in a long queue, and then closed up the browser to head to work - she didn't have time to wait. Suddenly, she received a notice on her phone that she was at the front of the queue, and was told to put in her information to sign up. She decided it was a sign, and went for it.


She didn't tell anyone at first. It didn't quite feel real. But she had 11 months to wrap her head around 26.2 and the long months of training ahead.


Jude became a student of the sport, absorbing all of the information she could. The training started off well, but once she hit 25K, she started getting ITB pain. She questioned herself a bit then - was she truly going to be able to do this? It was humbling for her.


Then, two weeks out from the race, she fell on her knee, with a bone bruise so bad her doctor thought it might be broken.


She decided to show up to the race, much like her half marathon, and see how far she could make it. If she had to drop out 1K in, she would do that.


Becoming a Marathoner

Jude was so excited on marathon morning, even with the uncertainty around how far she'd make it. Her knee was still sore and swollen, but the excitement of being there took over.


She found a pacer, and the mass start helped her from going out too fast, and off she went.


The first half was great. The pacers were lovely, taking her mind off the race, and the first 13 miles just went by so fast. At that point, she figured she should start taking walking breaks (at the advice of her physical therapist) to prevent further damage to her knee. She waved goodbye to the pace group. She turned on her music and locked in.


Jude never really hit a wall, except when it came to nutrition. With a forced slower start, she had a lot of energy left as she got further into the race. But towards the end, she found she couldn't eat anything else.


At 40K, she met a fellow runner who was running her 8th marathon, and they connected in the last 2K. The feeling of running into the stadium at the end of the race was like nothing else. She heard her family and friends cheering. The finish line was absolutely incredible.


Lessons Learned

  • Take the pressure off.

  • Do it for yourself.

  • Have your friends and family put together a playlist for you.

  • Slow and steady (or, as they say in Australia, keep to the left).


Want to hear Jude tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: Slow and Steady, Keep to the Left: A Late Bloomer's First Marathon w/ Jude Harper— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: How To Not Panic Running In The Summer



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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