Staying Alive: Marathon Day Tips (Part 2)

by pribut on October 23, 2009

Now that you’ve trained properly after having a medical exam and clearance to run, you are nearly ready for the big day. Prudence should keep you upright for the next 26.2 miles. Some have said “Start slow, and finish slower”. But that may not be your plan. Make sure you run within your means. Be certain to taper for 3 weeks. And let’s make another list:

  • 3 training runs of 18 – 20 miles should have you set for your marathon.
  • Taper and run much less for 3 weeks.
  • You may gently carbo load. Don’t “deplete”. Don’t gorge. And don’t eat new or spicy foods for the 4 – 5 days before the marathon.
  • Sleep well the nights before the marathon.
  • Don’t drink too much the night before. Don’t use drugs. (In Woodstock the word was to avoid the brown acid.)
  • Don’t take herbal diet or stimulant mixes. They are not checked by the FDA and may have unhealthy contents.
  • Hydrate wisely. You may hydrate before the race. Don’t drink till you slosh. Don’t overhydrate. For the slow marathoner, hyponatremia (low blood sodium) from taking in too many fluids is a bigger danger than dehydration. Some races have scales for you to weigh yourself on. If you weigh more as the race goes on, you are drinking too much.
  • Wear a medical condition and allergy bracelet or have the information attached to your shoe.
  • Eat your regular long run breakfast.
  • Warm up gently.
  • Don’t start out too quickly.
  • Pay attention to your body. Dizziness, faintness, chest, shoulder, jaw pain or tightness should be checked with the medical team immediately.
  • Drink and eat foods you’ve used before on your training runs.
  • Don’t sit down abruptly at the end of the race. Walk around a bit as a gentle cool down. If you sit, your muscles will likely tighten up and you may not get back up again easily.

General Tips

  • Wear shoes that you’ve had good success with and shoes that are broken in.
  • Make sure the rest of your clothes are also comfortable and broken in also including your sports bra or other sports underwear, shorts, singlet, sweats and socks.
  • Use broken in Coolmax socks or another “wicking” fiber for all of your runs and  on race day.
  • Try to get adequate sleep over the last month so your body can be as well recovered as possible from all the training you’ve been doing.
  • Eat healthy throughout your training. Don’t overeat  or drink much alcohol  on the night before  your  race. Do eat a carbohydrate rich meal for a few evenings before the marathon.
  • Wear outer layer clothes you can throw away as the race goes on and you warm up. If you are going to be at the race line early, dress warm for the morning chill, and be prepared to ditch your outer layers as the race draws near or as you go along and warm up.
  • Use the same fluid replacement and  gel that you’ve practiced with on your long runs. Beware of under hydration and over hydration. If you are running for longer than 4 hours, consider using weighing stations if your marathon has them available to attempt to avoid hypernatremia.
  • Remember to go out slower than you think you should so you can have a negative split and  not burn out somewhere before mile 20.
  • Figure out where some of those cameras will be taking your photo so you can  look  good for your marathon portrait.
  • Don’t forget after the race that you should rest about one week before running again and then “reverse” taper.

Things To Bring:

  1. Race number  and safety pins. Pin this to your clothes two nights before the race.
  2. Running Shoes and all your racing clothes
  3. Clothes to toss, if it is cold. Long sleeve teeshirts, sweat clothes.
  4. Change  of clothes for after the race.
  5. Money for emergencies.
  6. Body glide, if you’ve used it for areas  that rub on previous long runs.
  7. Your own food for after the race  in case the race runs  low.
  8. Plastic  container of water  or sports drink to drink before the race
  9. Toilet paper to carry in your carry-along, in case of emergency.
  10. Very light  weight, miniature camera if you don’t expect to win.
  11. Throw away reading material for the  long  wait before the race.

For post marathon recovery, I have some tips on recovering from the marathon and a reverse taper program.

I just came across the following “tips” video performed by Toby Tanser via Mark Remey at RW

Last Minute Marathon Tips: shot with Nikon D90 from Mike Kobal on Vimeo.

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