Continued from How to run a marathon (Parts 0 to 15).
I often say that the most difficult part of a marathon is to actually get to the starting line. To begin with, there's the crucial, life-changing decision to actually take up running, then the decision to attempt to train for a marathon. After that comes the long training schedule that leads to the event. Various things could hinder the process - injury, illnesses, life commitments, loss of motivation... But an iron will, discipline, perseverance, support from the people in your life and a fair dose of good luck will get you safely to the starting line. Once you get this far, all you have left to do is keep your cool, run the marathon sensibly, being prepared to suffer in the last few miles, and that's it. Mission accomplished!
In the last few days you need to be careful not to undo all the good work you've done during all the previous months, through some silly injury or illness. Try to avoid risky situations: closed crowded rooms, lifting heavy objects, strenuous physical activities, especially those you're not used to do. Don't eat any exotic food, avoid heavy meals, and include a good dose of carbohydrates: pasta, rice, bread, potatoes. But don't overdo it - the worst thing you could do is to get yourself a bout of indigestion on the eve of the marathon! If you like to have a drink, a glass of beer or wine a day won't cause you any harm. More than that, especially in the last couple of days before the event, would be asking for trouble. Besides having a dehydrating effect, alcohol strains our body, particularly the liver, which needs to detoxify the bloodstream from what is essentially a poison. You would best avoid it completely in the last few days before a marathon.
In the last week you will still be doing some easy running - the last 30-minute run being two days before the event. It's the only physical exertion you should be doing, apart from your normal walking activities. Make sure you get the required number of hours of sleep. Just keep in mind that in a few days' time you're going to make an extraordinary effort, using up a huge amount of energy.
Plan all the logistics well in time. Registration, getting the number, safety pins, sports bag, transportation to the start and after the finish, all your running gear, petroleum jelly for those sensitive areas of the skin, a change of clothes for the finish... You should have a fair idea of the weather forecast, so as to know what to expect on the day, especially the temperature, and therefore what you need to wear before and during the run.
You should also have some knowledge of the particular marathon that you're running: the route, its profile (hills, downhills, etc), the number of participants. Too many participants make for a slow, crowded start, and much meandering and frustration as you won't be able to run as you wish. You could, of course, be quite happy simply to be taking part in a world-famous event such as London or New York, even if you have to practically walk in the first few minutes. But if you wish to run a proper marathon from start to finish, you would better seek a moderately attended event, with up to a thousand participants or so.
As for any normal race, you will have consumed your last food at least two but preferably three hours before the start. This would normally be a light snack consisting of some form of carbohydrate, say, a toast, a biscuit, an energy drink... You will have drunk a fair (again, not too much) amount of fluid - water is always the best. You will have made extra sure you won't need to go to the toilet again, except for the final pee in the last half hour. You will have prepared your sports bag the day before. And you will get to the start with ample time - at least one hour - to spare. You will know where to leave your sports bag, and where to pick it up at the finish.
Now you're quite tense, as you anxiously wait for the time to start. Try and relax by finding somewhere to sit down in the last few minutes. Chat with your friends if there are any. If not, just sit down, relax and wait. I wouldn't bother with a warm up. You're not going to start fast anyway (if you do you won't finish the marathon), so there's no point in extending the distance run on the day beyond 42.2km...
The starting gun goes off!
You have been working for so many months just for this moment. Now make the best of it. DON'T GO TOO FAST! Pick an easy pace. Through the sheer excitement of the event, and due to the presence of the other (ideally not too crowded) participants, you will run at a faster pace than your normal training. It's the same thing that happens in other road races, except that here you shouldn't force your pace. I have on purpose avoided mentioning a target time, and for your first marathon it's probably best not to have any. Depending on the outcome of your first marathon you may then set a target time for the next one. Whatever the case, don't exert yourself at all. Rather than racing, imagine yourself to be flowing along the route. Drink in the scenes, the atmosphere. Enjoy the event. Don't force the pace, but just let it flow.
Take a note of the time elapsed, either at each distance marker or at regular intervals. Allowing for slightly different speeds due to initial thinning of the field of participants, changes in incline or due to the wind, the pace should hardly vary at all from the start right on until the end. Keep reminding yourself not to force the pace, and don't enter into any useless competition with other participants. That would be suicidal. Just concentrate on running at a comfortable pace. Make full use of drinking stations provided by the organisers, even if you take just a few sips of water each time.
This way, if you have trained well as described in the previous fifteen posts in this series, not only will you run an excellent marathon, but you will get a great thrill through passing one distance marker after another - and at a late stage you will also be overtaking other runners who had set off too fast - without any noticeable slowdown. Believe me, you can hardly experience a greater sense of achievement than finishing a marathon at a strong pace.
Something might, of course, go wrong, the most likely cause being either lack of sufficient training, lack of proper tapering in the last three weeks before the event, or excessive expenditure of energy in the early part of the marathon. The problem usually manifests itself at around the 32km marker, as the fuel reserves consisting of glycogen stored in the muscles become depleted and the body shifts to burning fat, which is much less efficient in producing the energy required for running. It's a situation referred to in distance running jargon as hitting the Wall. Running becomes very difficult, and the last 10km seem like an eternity. Try to avoid this situation by taking the precautions mentioned earlier. If you do hit the Wall, it's only will power that can take you to the finish, and the knowledge that it would be such a pity to give up at this stage, after having gone through so much, and having come so close to achieving your dream of running the marathon. As you struggle along, think of the large number of 10km training runs you have done in the past: now you need to do just another one, and your dream will be fulfilled.
If you do get to the finish, whether at a strong pace or a slow painful jog, you've made a great achievement. You're a hero. And you'll have gained invaluable experience for the next marathon. Very well done indeed!
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