26.2 TIPS FOR YOUR BEST 26.2
All the advice you need to run your best marathon this spring, from coaches, experts and marathon greats
KNOW THE CHALLENGE
If you’re already a runner, you could turn up for most race distances with very little planning and preparation. You might not give your finest performance, but you’d get by without too much trouble. This is not the case with the marathon. You need to respect the mental and physical challenge of the distance and prepare accordingly. Think about what you’re hoping to achieve – the loftier your ambitions, the more time you will need to train and the higher your current fitness levels will need to be. Whatever your goal, you’ll need to devote yourself to marathon training for at least 16 weeks. See our checklist (right) for guidance on your readiness.
SET SMART GOALS If you’ve raced other distances fairly recently, use the prediction tool at runnersworld.com/uk/ finishpredictor to get an idea of what might be possible based on those performances. Setting a time goal can increase motivation and focus your training. But your initial goal should be an aspiration, rather than a rigid target, and you should review it often.
That said, aiming for a time is not necessary – beginners’ coach Jeff Galloway warns that runners hung up on the numbers can be prone to
train at harder levels than their bodies can handle, and even if they avoid injury, they tend to have less fun. ‘I tell people, this experience is one you’ll remember for the rest of your life,’ he says. ‘If you want it to be one of those great experiences, don’t have a time goal.’
‘There are manifold reasons for running a marathon,’ adds former Boston Marathon champion Amby Burfoot. You can aim to raise money for charity, collect medals or check off an item on your bucket list. ‘Find your reason, or reasons, for running and embrace them,’ he says.
GET A GOOD PLAN
Choose a plan that fits with your goal and the amount of time you can dedicate to training (check out RW’s plans for a range of time goals at runnersworld.com/uk/ training). Check it over and ask yourself whether you can fit it into your lifestyle. Be prepared to be flexible and keep your eyes on the long-term goal – your preparation won’t come unstuck if you miss a session once in a while. ‘Many firsttime marathoners fall down by being married to their plan,’ says running coach Russell Holman. ‘They feel they must complete every session, even when work, illness, injury or family commitments get in the way, and they end up squeezing them in on rest days or by making shorter runs longer or harder. This risks burnout or injury, which could scupper your chances of even making it to the start line.’
RUN MOSTLY
EASY…
On most of your runs – especially the long ones – resist the urge to push; instead, maintain an easy pace, advises running coach Janet Hamilton. You should be running at a pace that allows you to have full-sentence conversations with your running partners. Easy running reduces the impact on your body and staves off fatigue, enabling you to log more miles with less risk of picking up an injury. What’s more, the slow pace actually prepares you better for the distance. When you run a marathon, most of your body’s fuel comes from your aerobic (using oxygen) system – your hardworking muscles need oxygen-rich blood to power each contraction. Your body adapts to easy miles by strengthening your heart, sprouting more capillaries to infuse oxygen into muscles and building more mitochondria, the factories in cells that produce energy.
Susan Paul, an exercise physiologist and coach, recommends these speed workouts for marathon runners: …BUT WORK ON YOUR SPEED
Just because you run a marathon at a slower pace than your fastest mile doesn’t mean you should not include speedwork in your training. In fact, it is hugely important: speed workouts improve your running form and help increase your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise).
DO A TUNE-UP
About six weeks to a month before the marathon is a good time to test your fitness and see how far you have come over the previous weeks. Furthermore, a good race can provide a powerful mental lift and it will give you a little rest period in the few days before and after as you taper and recover from it. If you’re doing a half marathon as your tune-up race, aim to run it slightly faster than your marathon goal pace. And enjoy it. •
GET STRENGTH SPECIFIC
With strength training, observe the ‘principle of specificity’, says exercise physiologist Polly de Mille. ‘Running is a single-leg activity, jumping from one leg to the other,’ she says. So you need exercises that target one leg at a time.
Single-leg deadlifts, lunges and single-leg squats improve leg stability by strengthening your core, legs and hips. This can improve running economy and speed, and reduce the risk of lower-body injury.
REHEARSE
Use at least one long run as a dress rehearsal – do it in your marathon kit. ‘Practise with the energy gels you intend to refuel with during the race,’ says Suzanne Girard Eberle, author of Endurance Sports Nutrition (Human Kinetics). Do long runs on the same terrain as your marathon and start at the same time of day to get in sync with race day.
DON’T GET GREEDY
As you move into the last few weeks of your schedule and start to feel stronger and fitter, don’t be tempted to overdo it; doing more miles than you need to in the last few weeks will hurt – not help – your race. ‘Even if you’re feeling great, don’t up the ante and increase your training,’ cautions says Bill Rodgers, four-time winner of both the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon. ‘Draw strength from the hard work you’ve put in.’
LIST THE REASONS YOU’RE READY
‘Only by having a positive mentality can we get the best out of ourselves,’ says Deena Kastor, Olympic marathoner and author of Let Your Mind Run (Crown). In the few weeks before the race, she advises counteracting doubts – eg ‘Was my longest run long enough?’ – with three training affirmations. Type out on your phone all you’ve done right – go through your training log, noting the progress you’ve made with your nutrition, pat yourself on the back for getting enough sleep or count just how many miles you have logged.
MAKE PROTEIN A PRIORITY ‘Eat plenty of protein this week to aid in the repair and recovery of muscle tissue damaged during the high-mileage phase of marathon training,’ says Alan Tichenal, a sports nutritionist and 20-time finisher of the Honolulu Marathon.
GET YOUR VITAMINS
To strengthen your immune defence and, possibly, prevent a cold, eat fruit and veg such as Kiwis, red peppers, strawberries and broccoli. The amino acid lysine (found in foods such as chicken, fish and cheese) can also help.
LOAD UP ON CARBS ‘During the last three days, eat carb-rich foods, such as pasta, potatoes, bread, fruit and fruit juice, and sports drinks,’ says Eberle. It’s the carbs that will fuel you on race day. She says what’s important is increasing the percentage of your calories from carbs, not simply eating more of everything. You’re tapering and expending fewer calories, so you don’t have to eat much more food than usual.
HYDRATE Wash those carbs down with fluids so your energy and hydration levels are high on race morning. Drink little and often, rather than gulping down lots in one go. You’ll know you’re adequately hydrated if your urine is clear or pale yellow in colour.
EAT SALT
Low salt intake mixed with too much hydration can cause hyponatraemia (lack of sodium in the blood), a rare but serious condition. Add salt to your meals, drink sports drinks and eat salty snacks to keep up your sodium
levels.
EAT BREAKFAST
Two to three hours before the start, ‘eat a carb-rich breakfast’, says Eberle. As you slept, your brain was active, using the glycogen (stored carbohydrate) in your liver. Breakfast restocks those stores, so you’ll be less likely to run out of fuel. Aim for a few hundred calories, such as a bagel and banana or toast and an energy bar. Coffee will encourage a pre-race toilet visit, while drinking 500ml of water will help you start the race well hydrated.
COLLECT YOURSELF An hour before the start of the race, find a quiet corner (if that’s possible: the energy in the air before a race is often incredible) and spend five minutes reviewing your race plan and motivation. ‘Remind yourself why you’re there,’ says Rodgers. ‘Take confidence in the months of effort behind you.’ You have done the hard work and you are ready for one of the biggest days of your life.
WARM UP (A BIT)
Even the best marathon runners in the world do only a little jogging before the start of a race, because they want to preserve their glycogen stores and keep their core body temperature down. If you’re a faster runner, with a goal pace in mind that is significantly quicker than your training pace, do 10 minutes of light jogging. If you’ll be running the marathon at your training pace, skip the jog. Walk around a bit in the half hour before the start. Soak up the atmosphere and, later, recall the whole day.
DRINK EARLY AND OFTEN Take a couple of mouthfuls of water or sports drink at the first aid station and each one thereafter. This will help postpone or prevent serious dehydration or carb depletion, so you’ll be more likely to maintain your pace and avoid hitting the wall. If you’re using gels, follow the schedule you practised on your long training runs.
RELAX…
‘Because the pace feels so easy, I get antsy in the early miles,’ says marathoner Heather Hanscom. ‘But I make myself stick to my game plan so I don’t get carried away. I know that to run well later, I need to feel relaxed in the first third.’ Hanscom checks her early splits to ensure she’s starting sensibly and not running faster than her goal pace. …THEN FOCUS
‘I try to maintain an awareness of my body, as it’s important to have a feeling of your perceived exertion,’ says Runner’s World columnist and five-time Olympian Jo Pavey. ‘After each mile I tell myself what the next split should be based on the pace I’m hoping to sustain. This helps me to feel like I am ticking the miles off. When the going gets tough, I think about how many minutes it is to the next drink station, thus breaking up the distance in my mind. I also think about how much more I will enjoy my postrace break if I know that I’ve given it my all.’
TALK TO YOURSELF
At around mile 23, says 3:21 marathon runner Jean Arthur, ‘my head grasps the fact that I am actually going to finish. Yes, I’m really tired, but I tell myself, “I will finish somehow, some way.” I say this to myself over and over, and it helps me recognise that the pain is just temporary.’ But the pride is forever.