The Do’s & Don’ts of Running A Marathon

With fall marathon season in full swing, I’ve decided to put a list of helpful hints to allow runners to prepare to run a good marathon and have fun. Whether you are experienced or new to the distance, there is always something to learn and improve upon when tackling 26.2.

Longest Training Run

DO: make sure your longest training run of the marathon cycle is appropriately spaced several weeks before your goal race; I recommend 3-4 weeks. This will ensure that your body has proper time to heal from not only the physical exhaustion of the longest run, but also the mental exhaustion of being on your feet for that long.

DON’T: run longer than 3 hours for your long run. You don’t need to hit 20 miles in training in order to run 26.2 on race day. In fact, if 20 miles takes you closer to 4-5 hours to complete, you increase your risk of injury significantly without receiving any additional aerobic fitness beyond that 3 hour mark. It is a better idea to stack your longest run into two separate back-to-back days: one day including a 3 hour cut-off and the other being shorter, such that the total of the two runs is closer to 20 mile, if you want that benchmark prior to your race.

Nutrition

DO: practice using whatever gels, chews, and/or liquids that you plan on taking during your race. You need to test how they settle in your stomach and train your gut to adapt to running while taking in calories. It is a good idea to wake up for your long runs around the same time you will wake up on race day and eat the same breakfast you plan on eating race day. Training your stomach is as important as other elements of your training.

DON’T: try any new foods the night before or morning of your race. It is important to test your stomach during your training so there are no adverse “bathroom time” events during the race. Don’t be like Michael Scott & eat three plates of fettuccine alfredo and drink absolute zero water before the race. 

Logistics

DO: read the race website regarding where the expo is located, what documents you may need to present, when the corrals close, and how to get to the start. It is important to have a post-race plan on where to meet friends, family, or other runners after the race. There are many things that can happen regarding post-race communication including losing a phone (hopefully not!) or having no reception (very common!) so making a plan of where to meet ahead of time is ideal to ensure you’re not the lost child in the grocery store.

DON’T: freestyle your race day transit plans by thinking you’ll be able to take an Uber/Lyft/Taxi to the start line. For a smaller race, this may be okay, but for larger races there are specific plans in place regarding transportation that you may have to schedule weeks ahead of time. Go in with a plan and don’t stress the morning of, trying to figure out how to get to the start line. Races will often offer guidance about how to travel to the start via public transit, and some cities even offer free public transit options to runners on race day.

Race Day Pacing

DO: have a plan for your ideal pace for the marathon distance. Ideally this should be a “goal marathon pace” that you have done in multiple workouts, something that you know you can hold for the duration of the distance. I recommend communicating with your coach or using a race calculator to predict an ideal marathon goal time, based off of your long runs. If it is your first marathon, it is important to be conservative with your goal as many runners “hit the wall” between miles 18-22 due to running faster than they should have in the early miles. You’d rather go out easy & finish strong rather than dragging yourself across the finish line. Sometimes it can be beneficial to have 3 separate goals for the race based on how you’re feeling.

• “A” goal would be a PR with everything going perfectly.

• “B” goal would be something you’re happy with (a personal best but not the time you had hoped, or a course PR) in case weather is not favorable or the legs aren’t having their day.

• “C” goal would be not ideal but still coming across that finish line in one piece. This goal would be if there was horrible weather, nutrition issues, an unforeseen injury, etc. 

DON’T: go out like a bat out of hell and PR your half marathon time halfway into the race. This is an easy way to have a very bad day right around 8 miles left in the marathon. Start slower than you think you need to, and push the last 6 miles if you feel strong. The marathon can be broken up into three distinct phases: the first 10 miles with your head, second 10 miles with your legs, and the last 10k with your heart. What this means is that you need to be conservative and mentally stick to your goal pace for the first 10 miles. Everyone feels good for the first 10 miles; it is important not the time to try to run faster than goal marathon pace. The second 10 miles is where you’ll start to feel some discomfort; it's time to trust your training and focus on what you've trained with your nutrition. The pace you ran for the first 10 will be harder to hold for these 10 miles. The last 10k can be where the wheels absolutely fall off, you’ll have aches and pains you didn’t know you could have and you may experience cramping or dehydration. Remember your why and just keep one foot moving in front of the other all the way to that glorious finish line.

Best of luck to all of those running an upcoming marathon! You’ve put in the training and effort for months and now is the time to sit back, relax and enjoy the race. Remember, if it is your first marathon then crossing the finish line will be a Personal Best, regardless of the time. 3 weeks before the race, the hay is in the barn and you’re not going to have any huge gains in fitness so make sure to taper appropriately by decreasing your overall mileage and running 1-2 days at marathon goal pace for short efforts. Good luck, runners!