What to Do the Days Before the Marathon: Chill!

Many of you are in the back-half of your fall half or full marathon race training and race day is starting to pop into your mind more and more. Many runners get antsy and on edge the days before their race and some seem to lose all ability for rational thinking. It's called the pre-race jitters. They'll start to obsess about their training. Did I do enough? Should I have done more 20-milers? Are my shoes too old? What should I wear?

Rest assured. That's all normal, particularly if it's your first marathon. The main thing you need to do the week before the marathon is enjoy your last week of the taper. Don't try to "fix" anything. You should be running very little. No need to worry that you've not been running much the last couple of weeks. If you've put in the training, you've done all the work. The taper is time for your body to heal, repair, get strong, and prepare itself for the upcoming race. As I tell my runners over and over during their training..."Trust in your training. Believe in yourself. And, you'll Conquer your goals." Self-doubt and second guessing yourself only does one thing....wear you down mentally. Your mind needs time to relax and prepare for the upcoming race too. So let it. Focus on the positive. Celebrate all that you've achieved.

Below are a few more tips to keep in mind before the big day.

Prepare the Family...

• Taking the family along with you to the race? Family support can be an awesome thing at an endurance run like a marathon, but make sure everyone is on the same page, particularly if your race is in a touristy or vacation area. Sit down with your spouse and family and get everyone on the same page with expectations. You will not be able to spend 12 hours at the theme park the day before your race. Make sure your family understands that. Make sure your spouse or significant other is willing to do things on his/her own. This is particularly important to clarify if there are kids involved and your spouse may have to keep them busy while on the trip. Bringing along a grand parent, sibling, or good friend to help out might be a good option. 
• Determine in advance good places for the family to support you along the race route and how they'll get there. This info is often provided on the race website. 
• Determine in advance where you'll reunite with your family after the race. Some races have family reuniting areas, but others do not. Finding your family in a sea of 30,000 runners can be a nightmare if you've not prearranged where to meet.

Two Days Before the Race...

• Unless the race is in your town or nearby, try to arrive two days in advance of the race. This gives you two nights to adjust to sleeping in a new place and new bed as well as time to acclimate to the area and find your way around. 
• Visit the expo and pick up your packet. Expos of the larger races such as NYC and Chicago are huge. It can take a hour or more to check out all the vendors. That hour or two on your feet really isn't the best thing to be doing the day before the race. Speaking of the expo, if you buy something--clothing, gadgets, or food--DO NOT use it (them) during the race. Never, Never, Never use anything on race day that you've not used during your training. Also, be wary of all the free food samples given at the expo. Take all the pre-packaged items you want, but I highly recommend avoiding the taste testing. Save that for after the race. Don't risk eating something new that causes you stomach distress the night before the race or on race day. 
• If you're with a group, this night is a great time for that group meal together. You'll be more relaxed, you'll still need to watch what you eat, but not as closely as the night before the race.

The Day Before the Race...

• Chill. Relax. Enjoy the day. Mentally prepare yourself for the race. 
• If you're in an area great for sightseeing, be careful not to spend the day walking all over town. Walking and standing all day can really fatigue the legs. 
• Don't run. Rest.
• Hydrate. Carry a bottle of water around with you and sip on it throughout the day. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages. Be careful not to over hydrate. This can flush out your electrolytes needed for proper hydration and preventing cramping. Try adding a little sports drink to your water or munch on something salty such as pretzels during the day. This will ensure you have good electrolyte levels for race day.

The Night Before the Race...

• Lay out all of your race-day clothes and gear. Go ahead and pin your race bib to your shirt. Then place any other gear beside your outfit--hydration belt, ID, water bottle(s), GPS watch, etc. Don't forget to lay out your old sweats too. Many races have you arrive at the start hours before hand only to hang around in the cold. To avoid getting chilled, go to the Salvation Army or Good Will and buy a cheap pair of old sweats to wear atop your racing outfit. Then right before the race you can toss them. Many races collect these discarded pre-race clothes and distribute them to area homeless shelters.
• Next pack your after race bag. Some large races will let you check in an after race bag with a change of clean, dry clothes, shoes, etc. If you're going to be hanging around any time after the race, it's a great idea to put a pack of moist towelettes in the bag for a quick wipe down. Don't put any money or valuables in this bag.
• Get about 8hrs of sleep. However, don't go to bed too early. You may wake up and then have a hard time going back to sleep. If you have a hard time sleeping and only get a couple hours of sleep, don't fret. Research shows that if you routinely have a good sleep pattern of at least 8hrs of sleep each nigh, having only a couple of hours of sleep before the race won't hurt you. I've been there. It's true.
• Eat your normal pre-long-run meal. Staying in a suite or hotel room with a kitchenette is great because you can take along (or purchase locally) the food you normally eat and prepare it in your room. If this is not an option, scope out on the Internet in advance local restaurants that may have the types of foods you normally eat. Many restaurants will have their menus posted on their websites so you can see the types of foods they offer and how they're prepared. Pasta is often a favorite pre-race meal. At today's restaurants, however, the portions are huge and many times loaded with lots of heavy sauces and meat. Don't hesitate to ask the wait person if you can modify your dish to suite your needs. 

10 Tips for Running Your Strongest Marathon

There are probably as many different ways to train for a marathon as there are runners. No one training plan is the "right" plan. High-mileage plans work great for some runners while plans with lower mileage that incorporate some speed workouts work better for others. Group training works for many, while others like to run solo. My philosophy is as long as you're "running smart" meaning you're in tune with your body (physically and mentally) then whatever methodology you choose should get you across that finish line. In working with many different types of runners, I have discovered some basic marathon training principles that will help you cross that finish line strong no matter what approach you take.

1. High Mileage or Quality Run, but not both. Some plans call for high mileage weeks for most of the training. Other plans pull back on the weekday mileage and incorporate what I like to call quality runs (i.e., intervals, hill repeats, tempo runs, etc.). Either approach is valid, but mixing the two can often spell injury for many runners. It's hard for the body to put in high mileage week after week as well as the quality workouts. The majority of the runners I've counseled and/or trained who have been injured during the course of marathon training, have been trying to get the best of both worlds.  Pick one method and stick with it.

2. Pull Back and Build. One of the hardest things for established runners to do when starting marathon training is to pull back on their mileage (both total weekly and the long run). If you're already doing 16-mile long runs and logging 40-mile weeks, there's really not much room for you to build and grow. Your body will love you if you ease off the overall mileage and weekly long run mileage allowing you to heal,  gradually building endurance, mileage, and pace over the course of the training. Increase your weekly mileage by about 10% each week putting most of the increased mileage in your weekly long run while keeping the weekday mileage about the same each week.

3. Build-Up. Drop-Back. A great way to allow your body healing time is to insert some "drop-back" weeks into your training. Divide your training into thirds. When you reach the end of the first third of your training, drop back your long run by several miles. For example, if your longest run in the first third is 15 miles, then run 10-miles for your long run in the drop-back week. The week following the drop-back week, run 16 mile for your long run and continue to build until the end of the 2nd third. You'll probably have gotten to your 20-miler, so try dropping back to 15 miles for the 2nd drop-back week. The taper (see #10) is the last drop-back. This build-up and drop-back approach is not only a great way for your body to recoup, it's also a great mental break from the hard training. My runners relish the drop-back weeks.

4.  REST! Some runners think they're being a whimp if they take a rest day. Or they think that somehow they're going to lose some ground. Nothing could be further from the truth. One or two rest days during your training week is vital and as equally important as your run days. If you don't allow the body some days to rest and repair, you'll risk overtraining and increase your chance of injury.

To Read the Remaining Tips go to Active.com.

Do I Dare Run Faster on a Long Run?

Pacing. Sounds easy enough, but ask any runner and it can often be the bain of their existence. Before the dawn of wrist-bound GPS watches, you practically had to be a mathematician to calculate your pace as you ran.

I got smart for one marathon several years ago (I thought) and decided to print out one of those cool wrist pacing bands. I had read where if you covered it with clear packing tape before attaching it around your wrist, it would keep the moisture (sweat) out. Well, I didn't have any clear packing tape, but I did have clear Contact paper. Sounds like a good substitute, right? WRONG! Evidently Contact paper is porous and packing tape is not. So, halfway through the marathon I looked down at my wrist band. Under the contact paper was a swirl of colors. Basically I had a lava lamp on my wrist. Looked really pretty, but didn't do a dang thing for helping me keep up with my pace. Live and Learn.

Non runners and new runners often think that the second half of a race should be faster than the first half—a negative split. That may be doable in a shorter race, but more than likely with 5K, 10K, and even half marathon races, runners are shooting for even splits.  Even splits can be a tall order for a full marathon but it can be done. Some running experts say that it may be more realistic, espeically for a lesser experienced runner to shoot for the second half being about 5-mins slower than the first half.

To prepare for even marathon splits or splits that are somewhat close to each other, the key really is doing race-pace runs during your training along with your tempo and long slow runs. The tempo runs help push out your lactate threshold and increase your VO2Max, making you a stronger more efficient runner. The long slow runs, help build your mileage and your muscular endurance. In most training plans you run short-and-fast and you run long-and-slow, but you don't get to run at the pace you'll be running for 26.2 miles. Seems odd to have a goal race pace, but to never run it in your training.. I think sticking in some runs that allow you to run at pace will better prepare you for the race and better prepare you for your pacing during the race.

With my runners, I have them run some of their longer tempo runs (7 or 8 miles) at race pace. They begin and end with a 1-mile warm-up/cool-down followed with the tempo miles in between. It's also a good idea to take some of those long runs and instead of running them at a minute slower than race-pace try running them at 20 to 30 seconds slower than race pace. Another good strategy is to position a mid-mileage run (say maybe 14 or 15 miles) and run it at race pace (making sure to begin with a 1-mile easy warm-up). I've also discovered that adding some speed later in a long run is an effective strategy. For example, ramp up the pace to race pace or faster for the last two miles of your long run. This helps teach your body to know that it can "pull-out" some reserves at the end of the race. If you do this in your training, it won't surprise or shock your brain/body if you do it during the race.

The long slow run is important and the bulk of your long runs need to be done in this fashion, but ramping up the pace on a select few of these long runs can really help prepare you mentally and physically for running those even splits (or close to even splits) on race day.

Trust in Your Training and Stick to the Plan

Distance running, especially the marathon, can really play with your mind. Some of the "mind games" that occur during a distance race are actually protective mechanisms that kick-in when your brain thinks you're in danger. These alerts to the brain can be heat related, hydration related, or fuel source related, just to name a few. Your brain is rather amazing. It's a better sensor and monitor of your body systems than any computer could ever be.

You know when you're in the car-rider-pick-up line at your kid's school and you're buried, deep in the middle of the line (no way out) and your gas light comes on? Can you feel that panic? Probably makes you anxious just thinking about it. But after that initial fear passes, you remember that you have a few gallons left in the tank when the light comes on. So, you put the car in park and turn off the engine instead of idling. Knowing that little reserve is there, is very reassuring. The real fear is if you remember that the light came on several times the day before and you ignored it, and now you're not exactly sure how much gas you have left. Of course that's also the day your kid is running late and is the last one to make it out to the pick-up line.

Okay, you're probably thinking, where is he going with this....don't worry, there is a connection. Your brain is like that gas gauge and your body is that couple of gallons of reserve gas in the tank. Sometimes when you push your body to extremes, the self-preservation mode kicks in and your brain will actually try to slow you down. If during the race, you're running low on your carb stores, your brain can actually fatigue your leg muscles in order to slow you down. Why? Well, your body needs fat in order to survive. All the little nerves running through your body are actually coated or wrapped in something called a myelin sheath which is made of fat. If the body thinks you're dipping into your fat stores for energy, it may feel threatened and begin to fatigue your muscles to slow you down. Also, your brain needs carbohydrates in order to function. If it feels threatened that your carb levels are getting too low that can also trigger the fatigue.

The thing to know is that you're body actually has more energy in reserve and more than likely you're not in danger of running out of steam. Now let me back up a step. You're not in danger if, and let me stress IF, you've trained and fueled properly. If you've carb-loaded prior to the marathon and you've been drinking water and/or sports drink and using gels periodically throughout the race to keep your glycogen stores stocked, then you can actually override your brain by telling it that you're okay. No really, you can actually talk your brain out of the self-preservation mode by reminding it that have the fuel you need to continue. The verbal reminder and self-talk will actually help reassure your brain that you're not in danger. Now on the flip side, if you haven't put in the training nor properly fueled or hydrated yourself prior to and during the race, then you need to heed the warnings and slow it down.

A different kind of mind game that often occurs during an endurance race is self-doubt. Did I train hard enough? Should I have done an extra 20-miler? Did I hydrate enough? Did I hydrate too much? Will I look silly? Am I too old for this? What was I thinking???!!! When that nasty old self doubt creeps in, quickly kick it to the curb. Having a mantra or a phrase of encouragement or inspiration is great to repeat to yourself to keep that self-doubt away.

There's one thing I tell my clients over and over, "Trust in your training." It's a simple phrase but a powerful one. It even makes a great mantra. If you've put in the work and you've properly fueled yourself, then trust your training to carry you across that finish line. Now, that's given that you don't throw all your hard work out the window and run like a bat out of hell at the starting gun immediately depleting your glycogen stores in the first 2 miles of the race. Stick to the plan and your plan will stick with you.

10 Tips for Planning a Marathon Trip

Preparing for a marathon trip can almost be as exhausting as the actual race training. Over the years, I've realized there are a few things I like to check-out or do well before race day (especially if I'm traveling some distance to the race) to ensure a great trip.

1. Discuss the trip ahead of time with your family. The support of family and friends can be great, but they can add a lot of stress too. Unless you're a long-time marathoner and you have your process down pat, I'd avoid mixing a marathon trip and a vacation trip together. The main focus of a marathon trip should be the marathon. To make sure everyone is on the same page, hold a family meeting to discuss the purpose of the trip and how much you're going to need everyone's support.

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2. Scope out the typical race-day weather (precip and temp). The race's website usually provides this information, but you can also find it on weather sites like weather.com. This is very important if you'll be racing in a city that has a different climate. It's also important to keep checking the long-range weather forecast as race day approaches. I ran Chicago in 2007 and was prepared for a windy chilly run. Instead I got the heatwave of the century!

3. Scope out the best lodging for your pocketbook. Sometimes the cheapest hotels are in nearby towns or "the burbs." But if you have to rent a car or pay expensive cab fare it may be better to pay for a more expensive hotel that's in walking distance to the start or near public transportation or that may provide shuttles on marathon day. Speaking of cab fare, [click here] to estimate cab fare for your marathon city.

4. Don't limit yourself to the hotels listed on the marathon site. These hotels will give discounts and are usually in close proximity to the start/finish, but they may not always be the best deal. If you're really on a budget and traveling solo, check out hostels or nearby YMCA's that my provide lodging. One year I found a great hostel in the upper west side of Manhattan for the NYC Marathon. It was a great location for the race and in a great neighborhood. I paid only $65 a night! That was a few years ago, but even then, other traditional hotel rooms were going for over $250. It did have it's drawback such as only two common bathrooms shared by the floor, but I did have my own room, it was clean, and I did have a sink and a TV!

5. Pay close attention to hotel/air travel package deals. There are many sites such as Travelocity and Priceline.com that provide great deals, but read the fine print carefully. What is their refund policy if you have to cancel? Do you pay upfront or is it just a reservation? Also, read carefully various amenities provided by the hotel in package. Just recently while looking for a hotel for my upcoming Marine Corps Marathon, I wanted one close to the start finish that was also close to Metro access. As I was hunting, I decided to check out the price of a package that also included airfare. The drive to DC from my home is 5hrs. If I could find a hotel/flight deal that was reasonable, it might be worth not having the hassle of driving 5 hours, plus it would give me more time to get acclimated to my new surroundings. I thought I'd found the perfect deal—$350 for three nights in a 3-star hotel and airfare! The hotel was near Reagan National Airport which is near the race start/finish. Perfect! I almost purchased the package when I realized that the flight was not to National (a few blocks from the hotel), but instead it flew into Dulles—about 40minutes away! Last time I took a cab from Dulles into the city it cost about $50! That was about 10 years ago! Crazy! Needless to say, I'm driving to DC. So, read carefully before you buy.

6. Pay for the hotel in advance. One sure way to stick to a marathon commitment is to prepay for the hotel. Another upside to doing this is that often there's a discount for paying in advance. For the upcoming Marine Corps Marathon, I actually found a cheaper rate through the hotel's site by paying several months in advance. What I paid was quite a bit cheaper than what I could find using sites like Travelocity and DiscountHotels.com

7. Arrive at least two days prior to race day. Arriving at least two days before race day will give you time to acclimate to the new location. The first day can be spent at the expo picking up your race packet, finding the local grocery store (if needed), scoping out places to eat, as well as transportation options. You may even have some time to do a little light sightseeing. Day two can be spent relaxing and mentally preparing for the race. I never sleep well the first night in a new bed. Having two nights before the race helps ensure a better night's sleep prior to race day.

8. Plan your meals. This may sound odd, but the last thing you want to do is change your regular eating habits at race time. For example, you can't just assume your hotel will have a restaurant. Many hotels today only provide a free continental breakfast, which is awesome, but if they don't provide full restaurant services, what are you going to do? Are there restaurants nearby? Or are you packing your own food? If you're driving, that's probably fine, but what if you're flying? Are there grocery stores nearby? A call directly to the hotel or checking the amenities section of the hotel website can usually provide this information. Just like sports drink and sports gel, race time is no time to be changing your normal eating routine.

9. Don't forget your pre-race warm-up garb. Some races have runners at the start several hours before start time. NYC is a perfect example. You're bused to Staten Island a couple of hours before race time. It's the wee hours of the morning and it's the beginning of November. It can be quite chilly. If all you have is your race shorts and a singlet, you may get a chill. Not good before a race. I usually visit the local Good Will store and pick up an old pair of warm-up pants and a sweatshirt. These keep me warm prior to the start and I don't care about tossing them. Most races pickup discarded clothes after the race and distribute them to local homeless shelters.

10. Keep your race day items with you while traveling. The last thing you need is to have your luggage lost on a marathon trip. You can't prevent this from happening, but you can prevent your race clothing and essentials (I.D., registration info, etc.) from being in that lost luggage by packing them in your carry-on bags.

10 Things To Be Sure and Do Before a Big Race

Before a big race, be sure and...

1. find out what sports drink and/or sports gel will be provided along the course (either train using what will be provided or decide to carry your own or have family members/friends provide it for you along the course; never train using one brand then switch on race day to another).

2. become familiar with the race course (no need to memorize every street name and turn, but identifying major hills and other course challenges can be helpful).

3. keep tabs on the weather (periodically check weather.com to see what the forecast is for race day; best to be prepared with cold/heat/rain gear than not).

4. give yourself plenty of travel time, especially if the race is out of town (if going to a new city, it's best to arrive two days before the race; gives you time to acclimate to your surroundings and a new bed).

5. pack your race-day clothes and running shoes in your carry-on bag if you're flying (just in case your luggage gets lost you'll be able to run as planned).

6. pick up your race packet early (no need to wait until the last minute; you never know what may come up to delay pickup).

7. have a plan for where to meet your family/friends after the race (some races have areas designated for this while others don't; no need speeding longer than it took to run the marathon looking for your family).

8. layout your racing clothes, shoes, and gear the night before the race (go ahead and pin your race bib to the front of your shirt too).

9. don't overdress for the race (rule of thumb is to dress like it's 15 degrees warmer that it really is; your body will warm up at least by that much while running).

10. trust in your training and enjoy yourself!

Advice From a Legend: Forget The Mile Markers

This past weekend I had the honor and the pleasure to hear Joan Benoit Samuelson speak at the pre-marathon pasta dinner for the North Carolina Marathon. One of the pieces of running advice that Joan gave the crowd was to "forget about the mile markers." Upon hearing this, I and the rest of the every-day runners in the room felt an instant bond with Joan—an Olympic gold-medal winner and one of the best runners in the world. Come to find out, she's human, just like the rest of us. Okay, a human, with an extraordinary talent, but nonetheless human. I immediately knew what she was talking about. In retrospect, the marathons I've run in which I struggled the most, I began looking for each and every mile marker, counting down the miles hoping the end would soon reveal itself. When you're in pain, from cramping legs, dehydration, or fatigue, those mile markers might as well be 100-mile markers. It seems like an eternity before the next one appears.

Joan suggested finding other focal points that would be more beneficial to your run. She suggested finding a runner ahead of you to set your eyes on and make it your goal to catch up to and then pass. Then find another runner ahead and repeat the process. Seek, catch-up, pass, and repeat. In 2006, Joan ran part of the NYC Marathon with Lance Armstrong. She said she was worried he wasn't going to make the sub three hour time he desired. She finally told Lance, that he had to forget about the mile markers and focus on the runners ahead if he wanted to cross the finish line in under three hours. He must have heeded her advice. Lance finished with a time of 2:59:36.

Joan also acknowledged the fact that a marathon is a long way to run—further strengthening the bond with the crowd. She suggested breaking the marathon up mentally into segments. She often thinks of hers as an easy 16-mile run, followed by her favorite 10-mile training route. She recommends choosing a segmentation that works for you. You may visualize your favorite 10-miler, 8-miler, 5-miler and then your favorite 5K. Just don't make your segments the mile markers. The combination of visualizing a familiar run and breaking the race into shorter more manageable segments is powerful in fighting off the mental and physical fatigue that marathon runners often experience.

Finding a mantra that's meaningful and powerful to you was another helpful tip that Joan provided. She's had many mantras over the years including "One step at time" and one she borrowed from Bruce Jenner, "Feet don't fail me now!" She stressed that a runner needs to find a mantra that's meaningful and personal that will motivate and inspire during those trying times in a marathon. Joan called marathon running "a metaphor for life," inspiring both the runners and nonrunners in the room. I think that may just be my new mantra, "Marathon running is a metaphor for life."

I've met some famous people over the years, but never a true legend—well, until this past weekend. The thing about the other personalities I've met is that there was no connection. It was fun to meet them, but they remained on that distant pedestal. Joan Benoit Samuelson, however stepped off that well-deserved pedestal we had put her on and shared intimate family photos, childhood memories, and her running achievements. Her down-to-earth feel and welcoming demeanor made several hundred runners, including RunnerDude, feel mighty special.