I'm about 2 and a half weeks out from my first marathon. I've just entered the taper period of my training program and I'm feeling as ready as I possibly can. Just hoping some of the fine cp folks that have completed a marathon might share a few bits of advice. Any food tips for the last week? How the hell do you close out those last 3-4 miles? etc Thanks!
Hey I'm doing my first at the Calgary marathon as well! Congrats for making it this far, we've made it through the toughest part.
For nutrition, what I've read up on is to just watch your junk food consumption these next 2 weeks as you will be burning less calories than you have the past few months. Eating higher protein meals have been suggested as well. Main thing is the week before to eat things you know work for you and don't go too crazy with the carbo loading.
Good luck and I'll see you out there on May 26th. I'm hoping for a 3:40, but will seriously just be happy to finish.
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Wow. Bunch of us doing our first marathon this month. Mine is Halifax on the 19th.
I did a 32K on Sunday and am trying to figure out how much I should be exerting myself between now and the 19th. Part of me is scared I'll tweak a knee so close to the race. But I also want to be loose and prepared.
My plan is to STICK LIKE GLUE to the 4:00 pace bunny. If I have something in the tank on the last 2K, maybe I'll take off. But doing the 32K I was keeping up with the front of the pack for the first 10K, which meant really pushing it and not pacing myself. So I was dragging myself the last 5k. If I'm dragging myself at the 27K point of a marathon, I'll never make it through.
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I did my one and only in 3:51, which was quite a bit faster pace than any of my training runs. I attribute that to training in 90 to 105 degree heat and running the race at 55. I can't imagine doing it without my GPS watch. It is so easy to go too fast at the beginning. I remember thinking I was going at about my regular 9 minute pace only to look at my watch and see if been running a 6:30 pace for half a mile! No way would I have come close to my 4 hour goal without the watch.
I would just stick with whatever food works best for you during your training runs. The gel shots or whatever they're called are a must if you can stomach them OK.
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Been there on the bleeding nipples until I discovered Body Glide. But that first picture needs some kind of warning! And just before I was about to sit down for breakfast!
My only advice is don't keep this a secret. Tell everyone about your marathon experience. As a non-runner myself, I have not had enough family dinners where my running sisters talk the entire time about 'how they felt on mile 8' or their training regimen. I also find that as a non-runner hearing about potential dietary tips and ideas could be more widely known. Someone else's amateur athletic pursuits and preparations for it are absolutely fascinating.
(None of this is intended to be a shot at those of you doing your first marathon. It is a big achievement and congratulations! Just my pet peeve in general)
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The week after my marathon I am the keynote speaker at a conference in Halifax. Here is a snippet of my speech:
Quote:
It was time to set a new goal for myself. I was going to train to run a marathon event!! So now I have some bad news for you people out there. How do you know if someone is a vegetarian? They will tell you. (And yes, I’m a vegetarian. Have been since university. I tell people that I lost the weight by going from pizza, pasta and pie to broccoli, beans and bananas). And how do you know If someone is a long distance runner? Guess what. They will tell you!!
A friend recently sent me an Onion article entitled “I’m truly Sorry For This, But You are About To Hear All About the Last Race I Ran”. We runners do love to drone on and on about our races. And guess what? Someone unwisely gave me a captive audience. You poor suckers!! I pity you all, but I can't help it... So bear with me.
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Finished my fourth marathon - Los Angeles - in March and the first one I've run without cramping up at 20 miles. Got it done from start to finish. From there, I efficiently told everyone on Facebook, mentioned it here a few times, told my clients, all my co-workers and now many friends now know as well. It was a lot of work, but the post-race awareness campaign finally got done. Make sure you plan for this and don't neglect it. They don't care but they need to know . . .
As to the OP . . . . .
Don't get sucked into running someone else's pace. Stick to the race plan. You'll catch up to a lot of those people later on. That's true of any distance but its amazing how easy it is to get thrown off your game just because a fat, little old lady happens to pass you in the early going.
Someone once said a half marathon is four times harder than a 10 km and a full marathon is four times harder than a half marathon, even though you're only doubling the distance in each case. That seems very true to me. There's a significant difference in running a full marathon versus a half so, again, respecting your pacing is critical.
I've found a half marathon (I've run over 40 of them) is a sort of a run-and-gun kind of thing, with liquids being your primary concern to keep yourself going. Its basically just a longer, measured, semi-sprint. You can get away with a lot of things, missing a water station, etc. A full marathon, however, is a full-bore nutrition exercise and its very important to keep to the eating/liquids plan from start to finish. Its pretty easy, with 10 km to go, to start to think only of the finish line and forget about eating or keeping the hydration up. You might pay for that with cramps in the final three or four miles, forcing you to walk. You can't let up on the hydration/nutrition in a marathon at any point.
Enjoy the experience. Revel in the accomplishment. Then tell everyone. They need to know.
Cowperson
__________________
Dear Lord, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. - Anonymous
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I'm about 2 and a half weeks out from my first marathon. I've just entered the taper period of my training program and I'm feeling as ready as I possibly can. Just hoping some of the fine cp folks that have completed a marathon might share a few bits of advice. Any food tips for the last week? How the hell do you close out those last 3-4 miles? etc Thanks!
You'd be better off asking for training tips months before the big race. I've run under three hours, which is great for my body type. Come back when you're training for the next one and I'm sure you'll get some great tips.
Congrats on on doing this. It's a marvellous achievement. Don't start too fast. You'll need that energy later. In the last few kilometres, you'll need every bit of determination yu can muster. That's where your sheer will will be tested.
Enjoy the experience, but the best part is when it's over. You'll always have that achievement.
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By the way . . . . if you need a 25 km run this weekend, the annual Friendship Run between High River and Okotoks, hosted by Big Rock Runners, takes place on May 11.
Meet at Carlson's in High River and then run as far as you want or all the way to Crystal Shores Beach House in Okotoks. Two aid stations along the way. Free pizza at the end.
If you want to run only partway, they'll pick you up.
Basically, two weeks ahead of the Calgary Marathon.
And, if you want something nicely spaced three weeks after the Calgary Marathon to get your legs going again, Millarville "Run To The Farmers' Market" Half Marathon is June 15 at www.millarvillehalfmarathon.com
Cowperson
__________________
Dear Lord, help me to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. - Anonymous
You need to trust your training. When you hit that 20 mile mark and things start to look bleak, you have to be able to tell yourself that this is what you were preparing for. If you cheated during your training, you'll know and it will affect the way you finish.
And really, that's what I remember most about the marathon; that 20 to 25 mile section where you are utterly exhausted and still far enough from the finish to feel inspired. I hated everything during parts of that section. Blue sky, bands on the side of the road trying to cheer you on, every breath of wind that adds resistance, slight undulations in the road, everything. It really became a mental battle.
As mentioned, don't skip the aid stations, even if you don't feel like you need it. You might not now, but you will! Even just a splash of water on your face can help.
The advice given about not competing with those around you is important. You have to run your pace, stick to what you trained to do. Related to that, don't get too antsy to move up in the crowded starting area. I have found it's better to hang back and start even a few minutes after the others have begun. It eliminates the crowds, and gives you a nice esteem boost as you blow past all the slower people at the back. Your time doesn't start until you cross the start line anyway!
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Thanks for the input folks. Some good comments there. I'm doing the Saskatchewan Marathon in Saskatoon on the 26th. Best of luck in the Calgary and Halifax runs.
I've stayed very true to myself in terms of training so I don't think I've short changed myself physically. I'm feeling a tad tired overall but I suspect that's what the taper period is for. My body feels pretty darn good up until mile 19/20. Guessing that last stretch is gonna be sorted out for the most part upstairs. The overall fear/nerves have subsided the last 3 weeks.
What are your guys thoughts on needing to stop to take a leak? For ages I've always felt that stopping a run was bs and took away from the accomplishment. I think I've accepted that I may need to stop for the washroom. Is it a heartbreaker? Does it take away from the experience? I know, stupid question.
In my heart I want a sub 4 hour time. My pride can take a 415. I think 430 is pretty disappointing. Good god, the whole thing can really occupy your mind way too much.
This is a good site for many things http://www.marathonguide.com/ when deciding which races to sign up for. If you go to the training section you can print off a pace wristband that you can laminate or tape to use during the race. Pick a pace and cling to it! Some good podcasts out there : Endurance Planet, Marathon Talk, Marathon Training Academy, Motion Traxx, Podrunner.
Drink about 500ml of water about two hours before running and drink at regular intervals to try to replace all the water lost through sweating. Only drink when you are thirsty as there is way more danger of drinking too much (Hyponatremia) vs getting a bit dehydrated. Before, during, after running, drink sports drinks made with electrolytes as these contain the water you need, and carbohydrates and small amounts of sodium, all of which are essential. For runs under one hour you don't really need to consider the above.
Eating before : any of these would work at least two hours before running :
-smoothie with fruit, hot/cold cereal, yogurt, fruit, toast, banana and peanut butter, sports bar and sports drink, low fat muffin. Try to avoid excessive amounts of protein or fat as they are too slow to digest and will feel heavy in your stomach. Up until one hour into the race you likely won't need anything but there are power bar gels at 12km, 22km and 30km. Likely hit them all.
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Thanks for the input folks. Some good comments there. I'm doing the Saskatchewan Marathon in Saskatoon on the 26th. Best of luck in the Calgary and Halifax runs.
I've stayed very true to myself in terms of training so I don't think I've short changed myself physically. I'm feeling a tad tired overall but I suspect that's what the taper period is for. My body feels pretty darn good up until mile 19/20. Guessing that last stretch is gonna be sorted out for the most part upstairs. The overall fear/nerves have subsided the last 3 weeks.
What are your guys thoughts on needing to stop to take a leak? For ages I've always felt that stopping a run was bs and took away from the accomplishment. I think I've accepted that I may need to stop for the washroom. Is it a heartbreaker? Does it take away from the experience? I know, stupid question.
In my heart I want a sub 4 hour time. My pride can take a 415. I think 430 is pretty disappointing. Good god, the whole thing can really occupy your mind way too much.
Oh nice, I did most of my training in Saskatoon this winter so I've run that route plenty of times, it's a great route that they will have set up, so much along the river.
Did you train in saskatoon as well? I've found the past few weeks since I've come back to Calgary I've been feeling so much better about my runs now that they aren't in -20 weather with snow all over the trails.
The one thing to remember is that Marathons are easy. You are just putting one foot in front of the other for 4 or 5 hours. A reasonably active person can walk one in 8 hrs without training. So if you want an easy Marathon run it at the same pace as your last 20 miler and you will be fine.
If you are trying to run as fast as possible it becomes a careful balancing act as going out even 10 seconds a km to fast can crush you in the end.
What are your guys thoughts on needing to stop to take a leak? For ages I've always felt that stopping a run was bs and took away from the accomplishment. I think I've accepted that I may need to stop for the washroom. Is it a heartbreaker? Does it take away from the experience? I know, stupid question.
It's not a stupid question at all. It happens. I ran the Saskatchewan Marathon twice and set my PR there. I took my leak under the bridge. You may not need to due to the water you'll lose to sweat. If you do, find a port-potty or go into the bushes somewhere, or find a place. I'm so competitive that I'd pee my shorts if I had to, then throw the shoes away later.
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First Marathon. Tips or advice?
