On the run: Tips for your marathon training

We’re in the thick of fall marathon madness and several hundred neighbors are in the final weeks of preparation for big events like Marine Corps, New York, Richmond, OBX and Philly. Several hundred more locals are training for the 13.1-mile version of this mammoth.

As a coach, I like for my athletes to be properly prepared for the challenging journey that awaits them. Anticipation and preparation can help you negotiate the myriad of potholes a long-distance race throws at you and with this road map in hand you’re more likely to have a pleasant and successful race day experience.

Here are some tips for the road. Practice them and I promise they’ll help you with your personal long distance journey.

1. Set up, prior to your race, an actual mile-by-mile race day game plan, taking terrain and weather conditions into consideration.

2. Practice running, before race day, the first few miles of your targeted marathon game plan and try starting these practice runs at the precise time that your event is scheduled to begin. For example, if your race is set to start at 8:30 a.m., go ahead and start a few of your practice runs at 8:30 a.m. to see exactly how that feels.

3. It should go without saying to never, ever try anything new on race day. The best practice is to do exactly what you’ve been doing for all of your long weekend training runs in the months leading up to the race, so no new food, new drink, new shoes, new clothing or any other variation of a theme that’s been good to you.

4. As cliché’ as it may sound, take each mile one at a time, never living outside the mile you’re currently running in. One of the worst phrases a marathoner can utter is something like “Three miles down… 23 to go!” Instead, I have my long distance racers say “Done with mile 3…now let’s concentrate on mile 4.” Managing your race one mile at a time is the only way to go. This keeps you very much engaged in running at your POE (Perception of Effort). Maintaining the same effort and not the same pace is the only way to efficiently burn your 26.2 or 13.1 miles of gas which translates to running right at your targeted pace on the flatter sections of the course, slower than pace on the uphill portions and going faster than pace on the descents.

5. No matter how many times you may hear it, no other race day tip is more important and yet more ignored and abused than the advice to “go out slow!” I always have my athletes run the first 2-3 miles quite a bit slower than their targeted goal pace and I also beg them to not go any faster than their targeted pace until at least after the halfway point. The big challenge is to ignore the overwhelming sensation of “feeling really good” at the start and to resist the temptation to run too quickly over the first half of the race.

6. If it’s going to be above 60 degrees at any time during the race, go ahead and dial up your race day nutrition plan a few notches. Taking a few salt tablets prior to and during the race and drinking lots, as in 20-24 ounces, of electrolytes over the first 3-4 miles of the race, will keep you comfortable over the long haul and help you to avoid those late race calf, quad and hamstring cramps that so many folks are plagued with over the last few miles of their event. Carry your fuel with you! One of my athletes only had a few ounces at each water stop along the way at a recent marathon and she bonked badly with just a little over a half mile to go to the finish. Why? Because 14-16 ounces isn’t even close to enough to carry anyone through their marathon journey (some of my athletes will drink 64-88 ounces over the course of a marathon, depending on the conditions). In this athlete’s case, because her nutritional gas tank was so empty, she took a painful 20 minutes of walking to finish that last half mile. Ouch!

7. If a hot, full-sun scenario should rear its ugly head, another race day tactic is to pour lots of water on your head and neck at every single water stop. Many of my Chicago athletes did this a few weeks ago on a sunny day when temperatures got into the low 80s, and they all claimed this instant cooling effect every two miles really helped them to successfully complete their goal.

8. And, above everything else, try to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. I’m always reminding my athletes to let their breathing be their guide. If you can hear yourself breathing at a rate of more than 1 full breath for every 4-5 steps, you’re probably running too hard!

Impressive times

And speaking of marathons, we’ve already had dozens of locals register impressive times at a variety of 26.2 mile venues across the country: Alex Moore (3:16), Jeanine Wolanksi (3:32), Kelly Schorling (3:58 in her debut), Ken Ballew (3:36), Bill Potts (3:18), Hosni Haghigan (3:28) slopped through driving rain in frigid 42 degree temps at The Wineglass Marathon in Corning, N.Y., en route to personal bests and on the same day, several hundred miles eastward, Anne Chapin scored a huge personal record in the same cold driving rain at The Maine Marathon; Jim Hall scored an excellent 3:28 at The Twin Cities Marathon and Sara Davis, Karen Durland-Jones, Kurt Siefken and Kate Sinclair all scored big personal bests at the Steamtown Marathon in Wilkes-Barre. Thomas Adam registered the fastest time by a local this fall as he clocked an impressive 2:33 (5:50/mile) marathon debut at Columbus.

Amy Martin ran the fastest local female time of the fall as she and her area teammates battled the 82-degree sun drenched streets at the Chicago Marathon. Fellow Chi-Town roadies Mark Hampton (3:28) and Harry Landers (3:30) had solid outings as did 54-year-old Kenny Ball, who had one of the most amazing performances of the fall with a 3:12, which translates to 7:20/mile. I’m not sure if I could run one 7:20 mile right now, let alone string 26 of them back to back. Wow!

Need some marathon advice? Mark has been coaching long distance runners to their personal goals for over 30 years. Call him at 293-3367.