Final Preparation for Your Marathon

We have the Boston Marathon, London, Manchester, Belfast, and hundreds more dotted around the world all taking place in April and May. With all the spring marathons only a few weeks away, it's time to start thinking about race day preparations. There's a lot to consider in these last few weeks so this post acts as a reminder to all marathon runners of some of the things you need to take care of. Whether your training has gone spectacularly well, or on the completely other end of the spectrum, you still need to be ready for marathon morning. Let's look at what it's going to take.

3-Weeks Out

With three weeks to go, there is quite a bit of preparation you can start doing now. You may have started your taper or you may have a week or two left of hard training, but let's get the ball rolling.

Race Day Rehearsal

you should have already had at least one race rehearsal. What is a race rehearsal? It means practicing the evening meal the night before. It means getting up at the time you plan on for race morning. Eating the same breakfast at the same time as you will in the hours before your race. And wear all the same gear you plan on wearing on your long run. Practice taking your gels, at the same intervals as you think you need to. You won't be going the full 26.2 miles, but act as though you are and nail down all the little things so that nothing is left to chance.

Gels

You need to have practiced with your gels and even so far as how you will carry them. If you are using a belt, ensure you can retrieve them easily and that you can open them with ease. If they are hard to tear open, you may think about snipping the top just a millimetre more with scissors to make it easier.

Plan Meals

If you are travelling away to another city and spending a night or two, now is the time to ensure you can have your evening meal and morning breakfast that you have practiced with. Look for restaurants and make a reservation now for the time you wish to eat. I've had some pretty hairy marathons because I was eating my evening meal way too late or eating something I hadn't really prepared for. Keep in mind that this is one night of your life so you can plan it to be relatively plain and risk-free. If your evening meal is pizza, then try to be sure it's not a greasy, oily pizza if that's not how you practiced. This could have very bad consequences. Keep things as close to your rehearsals as possible. 

Breakfast should be treated the same. If you are staying in a hotel, they may not have the kitchens open for the time you need to eat. Double check with them before you get there and are surprised to find out you have no breakfast plans. It's always best to keep breakfast rather straightforward as well. instant porridge pots or bread and bananas are usually safe, but ensure you have practiced no matter what you choose. 

Mental Preparation

Positive self-talk, visualising your day and using mantras are all hugely beneficial. Self-talk will sound like, "I'm a x:xx marathoner," "My training has gone extremely well," "I'm running excellent."

For visualisation, sit somewhere for 2 minutes every day and close your eyes. Picture yourself crossing the finish line with your time on the clock. Hear the crowds, see the medal going around your neck. Also, put yourself in the harder parts of the marathon where your doubts may come in. Work through these times mentally and determine how you will get through them. See yourself getting through and finishing strong.

You would have used mantras in training. Things like "I can do hard things." Power up the hills, cruise on down." Anything that helps you through the hard parts will be what gets you through race day as well.

Prioritising Rest and Recovery

When on the taper make sure you are getting excellent sleep and nutrition. Rest days should be rest days. Excellent sleep habits. Good nutrition and hydration habits go a long way too.

Forget Carb-Loading

Definitely have more carbs than protein and fats but don't spend 16-weeks training and consuming a reasonable amount of carbs and then with 5 days to go start tripling the number of carbs you consume. There are two problems with this. First, those extra pounds aren't going to help as we get 2-3 seconds per pound of body weight improvement when running. But secondly, this is a GI discomfort scenario waiting to happen. How many stops in the porta-loos do you want? None, as far as I'm concerned. Remember the more you carb-load, the more you need to carb-unload. 

Change the ratio of macros to slightly more carbs in this last week but don't change things drastically.

Look after your Toenails

Cut your toenails at least a week ahead of time. If you are closer than 7 days, then use a file and don't cut them.

Avoid Walking Miles the Day Before

It's very easy to find that you've walked 10 miles the day before your marathon. This is especially the case if it is a big city marathon and there's a big expo. There is also the temptation to do some sight-seeing. My advice is...don't. Save all of that until after the marathon. Save the miles for the race.

Treat Yourself

You've completed a long training block where you've worked extremely hard. Get your hair done, buy some new kit (but practice in it). Get your nails done, spa day, whatever it is, look after yourself. I like to consider it like a job interview. Look good, feel good, and perform good. 

Race Day Strategies

Arrive Early

Take all of the stress out of the start by arriving early. There's a lot to consider when you arrive at the start like the bag drop, your throw-away's, ensuring you have everything where you want it, I'm thinking gels. You will probably want to use the toilets before the gun goes off and these lines can be very long. You will probably want to do some dynamics and some strides. Whatever time you think you want to arrive, add at least a half hour and take the pressure off. You've trained hard for this. 30 more minutes in bed isn't worth it.

Should You Run With a Pacer?

My personal opinion on this is that it depends. If you have trained hard, put in the work and this is a really important race for you, I would avoid the pacers. For me, it's too much of a wild-card. I'd rather do my own thing and run my own race. However, this can make it a little easier when you are running as a group and you have the support of the other runners with you. Particularly if it is a windy day and you can take turns tucking in the group, getting a break from the wind. For me, it's a no, but that's my personal take on it. Do what you think best.

Set the Watch to Average Pace

Average pace is a far more useful metric to look at than is current pace. Your current pace may change every few seconds and you can't be adjusting that often. Overall pace will give you a much more accurate picture of your finish time if you know what your target pace is. 

Count On Running More Than 26.2 Miles

 Calculate your target pace for running longer than 26.2 miles because of all the marathons I've run, I would say there's only been 2 or 3 that I actually ran under 26.4 miles, most of them more, (some considerably more). It is very unusual that you will be able to run close to the measured line and in a bigger race, there will be congestion and weaving in and out of people. Don't get caught out and complain that your 26.2 miles was under your target. Just be prepared for more.

The First 2 Miles

We have a tendency to either get out a little slow on the first mile or two because of the congestion or we get out too fast because we get caught up in the flow and the adrenaline. The marathon will not be determined by how your first two miles went. Try to get into your rhythm as early as you can. but don't panic if it isn't until mile 3 that you get settled in.

Evaluate Effort Regularly

You are looking to find your rhythm as soon as you can and it's important to keep self-evaluating how it is feeling. If it is starting to feel like hard work sooner than it should, then it's time to back off the pace, just a little. You may get your second wind and be able to pick it up again, but if you are expending energy that you simply don't have, the later miles will be painful. Back off and settle into Plan B. 

Conclusion

This is the end of a whole lot of hard work. Be proud of what you've done in training and go and execute on race day. Enjoy it and know you've done everything you could to get things right. These tips should help remind you to look after some of the little things. Now go and do the hard thing!