| Running a marathon is a major undertaking that | | | | It's surprising how you can recover from a bad |
| requires many weeks of preparation if you want | | | | stretch during the marathon and come back to |
| to have a good race. It can be really disappointing | | | | finish reasonably well. The key is to not use all of |
| then if you end up struggling to complete the | | | | your energy reserves up front. |
| race, way after your intended finish time. The | | | | 5. Watch the weather |
| following tips will hopefully help you to avoid this | | | | Bad weather can really slow you down and |
| scenario... | | | | impact your finish time. It's better to acknowledge |
| 1. Drink lots of water | | | | this at the beginning of the race and aim for a |
| Not only during the marathon, try drinking plenty | | | | slightly slower time, rather than run out of steam |
| of water (eight cups per day) for the whole | | | | and hit the wall before mile 20. You can still have |
| week before the race. This way your body will be | | | | a good run in spite of the conditions. You may still |
| well hydrated on race day. During the race don't | | | | be able to increase your pace during the later |
| make the mistake of skipping too many of the | | | | miles. |
| early water stations. | | | | 6. Power gels may do more harm than good |
| 2. Eat your carbo-loading meal two days before | | | | Don't take energy gels or products like Gatorade |
| the run | | | | if you haven't done this during your training. As |
| Don't try and stuff yourself with pasta the night | | | | you get into the later stages of the race your |
| before the race. You might end up with indigestion | | | | digestive system is a lot more sensitive. If you |
| problems the next morning. Eat a fairly modest | | | | have used energy products during your training |
| amount instead - a pasta dish works fine, just | | | | you should be OK. |
| don't eat more than usual. | | | | 7. Divide the race into different segments |
| 3. Relax the day before | | | | A full marathon is a long way to run! I always split |
| Don't spend lots of time on your feet at the | | | | the race up into sections, like 10K, 10 miles, the |
| pre-race expo. Take a hot bath which can be | | | | half and 20 miles. As your reach one point, then |
| very relaxing and beneficial for your leg muscles. | | | | you aim for the next. This way you have |
| 4. Pace yourself according to the conditions | | | | something different to focus on besides the finish |
| This is one of the most important factors that | | | | line at mile 26. |
| determine your performance. Take into account | | | | 8. Take Walking Breaks if necessary: |
| the weather, the course, and how you feel. I | | | | A short walk break occasionally will give your legs |
| believe it's best to start out somewhat slower | | | | a rest from the continuous running. This will help |
| than your intended average pace. Then you can | | | | prevent the muscles from tightening up too much |
| make adjustments depending on how you feel. If | | | | as you get to the twenty mile mark and beyond. |
| you're having a hard time by the halfway point | | | | You won't increase your finish time much by |
| for example, then you'd do best to slow down. | | | | walking either! |