Name'em here!
Name'em here!
Get rolf'ed for the first time (not).
1) Do not taper weeks before.
2) Do not raise the goal bar to high
3) eat well
4) Sleep well
5) Relax
Night before race: go to bed when you are really tired. Too many people try to go to bed early, then lay awake in bed getting more anxious and wound up.
Dos
1. Buy a new pair of shoes for the race
2. Cut down on your caloric intake so that you won't be heavy on race day
3. A race (15k or longer) all out the week before your race so that marathon pace feels easy
Don'ts
1. Try to negative split
2. Stop for water
3. pre-register
make sure you get LOTS of sleep the night BEFORE the eve of the marathon. hard to sleep the night before the marathon for many people, and that second to last night has always been important for me. adrenaline and lots of caffeine usually make up for little or no sleep the night before.
only time i ever slep really well the night before a marathon was b/c i had been travelling ALOT the prior three weeks and was very jetlagged.
Run on rocky trails - save your ankles.
Heavy lifting - don't need a sore back for your race.
Drink a lot of booze - just because.
Play other sports - too many weird injury possibilities.
Drink too much in the hour before the gun - you'll need to pee.
No matter what, the #1 thing you should NEVER do, under any circumstance whatsoever, is ask Mike Aish for advice on how to race your marathon. 2:21? Ouch. Hell, stay up all night drinking the night before the race, but just don't ask Mike Aish for any advice!!!
Who is Mike Aish?
Never EVER RUN the whole time, stop and walk every 6 min for 2 min. I learned this from Jeff Galloway. I cut over 2 HOURS off of my time, from the when I tried to run the whole time.
thought this might be relevant with Fall upon us
DO NOT'S
1. Race (i saw a guy race TWICE within 2 weeks of his and he DNF'd his marathon... wether it was a "workout" within a race or not, BAD IDEA. Marathons take A LOT of mental strength and even jumping in a race as a workout will suck some mental energies.)
2. Be inconsistant (with everything from running to sleep.)
DO'S
1. Rest
2. Be CONSISTANT (with everything from running to sleep)
DO
1. Drive the course. Or, in the case of the NYC Marathon, I love the YouTube video someone has posted (about 7 minutes long) where they mounted a camera on a car dashboard, drove the course, then show the video in fast-forward. Always nice to see what you're up against.
2. Run your last few long runs in marathon-like conditions. Start the run at race time, eat what you'd eat before and during the race, drink what's available on the race course. Anything to get you ready for the race day conditions.
3. Go out slow. Well, you'll think you're going slow. Chances are, you'll get to the mile mark and still be at or below goal pace.
DON'T
1. Veer from your usual sleep/meal schedule. Don't try some exotic dinner the night before the race.
2. Be impatient during the race. I've felt like crap for miles 1-10, stayed relaxed and things eventually got back on track. The good thing about a marathon is you've got plenty of time to recover from a blah start.
3. Forget to enjoy the experience. If you've done things right, you've put in a lot of work getting ready for the race. So have fun with it.
Do Nots:
1. Change your routine. Eat what and when you normally eat. Go to bed and wake up at the same times. If it worked for you in training, stick with it in the days leading up to the marathon.
2. Hang around at the expo all day. Expos are evil. Money grubbing race directors now require us to go to pick up our race numbers, so get in, get your packet, and leave. Don't stand/walk around looking at the useless junk everyone is hawking there. Get off your feet and don't let the crowds and hoopla drain your energy. Get in and get out.
3. Stuff yourself with carbs the days before. The idea that you need to gorge yourself with pasta and bagels before a marathon is a myth. See above about maintaining routine: eat what you normally eat.
Dos:
1. Go for a short, slow jog the day before. I feel sluggish if I don't get in a short jog the day before a race.
2. Relax. Don't get so freaked out in the days before that you waste energy. You're running a marathon, not performing life saving surgery, so calm down.
3. Maintain life routine. I know I keep harping on this one, but I think it's a big deal. Reduce training and stay off your feet a bit more in the days before, but other than that, try to keep your life pretty much normal.