| Marathon Training & Racing from Joe Bowman All 50 States & DC under 3:00 |
- Tapering - I hate breaking the
rules (actually I don't), but you're
taking advice from someone who
has run many back to back
weekend marathons. Fresh legs
are important but so is
confidence. I sometimes feel
like I'm losing my edge when I'm
not doing hard workouts.
Definitely go easy four days out,
but I can often be found at the
track on the Tuesday before a
Sunday marathon.
- Race Day Food and Drink -
Again, don't fill up your belly. A
bagel or a trail bar or a muffin (or
a combination thereof) with
some juice or sports drink is
what I do about two hours before
the race. It's important to get
something down early enough
so you can avoid fighting the
porta potty lines. Over-hydration
these days seems to be a bigger
problem than not drinking
enough. If you drink to the point
that you have to hit the loo every
hour, guess what's going to
happen 10 miles into the race.
Drink something at every aid
stations...sports drink or water...
just skip the sports drink if you're
taking a gel. And gels...I like
them and usually have four
pinned inside my shorts (on my
hips). Sometimes I take none,
other times I'll take all four. Just
don't wait until you're feeling bad
to take one.
- Pace - If you're passing people
after the first 100 yards of the
weed out phase, you're running
too fast. You should be getting
passed for the first four miles
and be happy about it; it's just
that many more people you'll be
running down over the second
half of the race. Mile marks, even
in the big races, are often wrong.
Most of the time, the first mile is
right (but not always), just don't
panic if the numbers seem way
off. I always log my splits on my
watch, but usually only look at the
1, 10, and 20 mile marks. I like
the 10 mile split to be under 1:08
and the 20 mile under 2:15.
Those numbers mean I'm
working on a nice negative split,
but you'll also have a little fade
room if the wheels start to
wobble.
- Volunteers - OK, what might seem like fun to me and
you is really not that fun to someone whose mother got
them out of bed way too early on a cold Sunday
morning to get sticky yellow drink spilled all over them
by strangers. See where I'm going with this? You're not
going to get perfection; more likely it's the perfect
storm. GET OVER IT and instead thank every single
person there...and SMILE! Trust me, your attitude is a
huge part of your race success. It doesn't matter if the
stuff is blue or green; it all works the same. I'm not
telling you not to open your mouth other than to say
thank you; you should give them a little heads up on
what you're looking for so that it's not a last minute fire
drill, but if in the end you don't get what you want, still
say, 'that's OK'...these people aren't out to get you. Set
a positive example; there are usually kids around. In
fact, I love the kids and do everything I can to take my
drink from one of them for two reasons...1) they're
usually counting how many they've given out
(competitive little boogers aren't they) and 2) though I'll
never see these kids again, my ultimate reward is to
have them come away from the event with a cool
experience that makes them say one day 'I'm gonna
run a marathon.'
- Friends - Make some, would
ya!?! I'm not real social, but
even I get to know someone
while running shoulder to
shoulder for 20 miles. It sure
can make the miles go by
faster and often gets you
through a tough spot (or gets
them through a tough spot).
Remember, you're friends
now; don't leave them for dead
at the first sign of weakness.
Encourage them to get on your
heels and relax. They may still
drop off three or four miles
later, but you got them that
much further down the road.
At the end of the day, you have
to stick with your race plan,
even if it means leaving your
best pal behind. Just
remember, they have to do the
same and neither you nor they
should ever think twice about it.
- Pre-Race Food and Drink - Food
and fluid are both very important
in the last day or so leading up to
the race, but sometimes we take
it to the extreme. You don't want
to eat all-you-can-eat at the pasta
party and you don't need to try to
store fluid like a camel. On
marathon eve, you're not going
to sleep well anyway so don't
compound things by overeating
and drinking. And no, you don't
have to eat pasta. If you're in a
small town, there may only be
one Italian restaurant and the
runners will start lining up as
soon as the doors open. A 24
ounce steak is not a good
alternative, but eating something
you enjoy that doesn't usually
effect your stomach is fine.
Carbs are king and they come in
many forms.
- Shoes - ASICS DS Racers
have been a fabulous
marathon shoe for me for
several years. I can buy them
at the expo and wear them
straight out of the box. Find a
shoe that is light but that has
some support...then do some
fast training in them. I do not
recommend stripped down 5K
shoes; your legs will take a
beating and you'll be flirting
with injury. Talk to your local
running store about some
good training and racing
options.
- Negative Splits vs Banking Time - Maybe you've never
heard either term. Negative splits means running the
second half of the race faster than the first. Banking
time means getting as many fast miles in as you can
before the wheels come flying off. Which do you think
has a better success rate when it comes to turning in a
quality marathon time? Sure, negative splits do (your
hint was 'before the wheels come flying off'), but I'll bet
you 80% of all marathoners are time bankers. Hey I
used to be; the logic being 'really how much time can I
lose over the last few miles.' Well I'm here to tell you
that 30 seconds off your pace quickly turns into 1
minute, which turns into 2 minutes...and then there's
walking. Oh, and it's miserable...and the whole race
you're think about when it's going to happen...because
you've intentionally planned for it to happen!! How
smart is that. Now, just because you go into a race
planning on negative splits doesn't mean it will
happen, but if you go out at a comfortable pace for the
first 13 miles, you have a great chance of pulling one
off...and I PROMISE if you are successful, you won't be
able to wipe the grin off your face at the finish because
it will be the most fun 26.2 miles you've ever run.
- Clothes - Overdressing...why
does this happen at every race?
Think back to a cold training day
and remember how long it took
you to warm up at training pace.
You are racing today so you are
going to heat up even faster.
Layering is fine. I don't do it
because I'm so attached to my
tee shirt collection I guess...but if
you do it, undress before you get
hot. Your core and sweat rate
needs to be kept in check early
in the race.
- Warming Up - Is 26.2 miles
not far enough? Really it is. In
most race settings, you're only
warming up to stand around.
There is no rolling NASCAR
start. Run a strider or two to
make sure your shoes are tied
(double knotted please) then
relax and wait for the gun.
| Marathon Training & Racing from Joe Bowman All 50 States & DC under 3:00 |
|
- Starting Line Essentials - You may not actually tote these items to the start, but these are things that might make the
difference between a good/comfortable race and a crummy one. Boys, put something on your nipples. You don't
and you will experience a sting in the shower that you will never forget...and you'll stain a nice singlet (and people
will point at you). All, don't forget the deo (there's enough other smells out there, ie porta johns, shoes you've been
running in for two months, your stomach. Also, don't forget the sunscreen (and maybe it'll smell like coco butter to
offset the guy who forgot the deo. Extra pins (for you or someone else) are handy. How 'bout a few squares of TP
that you brought with you in-case the john isn't stocked properly or if you have to find a bush. I usually put mine is a
small zip lock and carry it with me throughout the race...just in case.