Optimal Race Preparation
Know your course. If possible, try to drive the marathon course to learn the turns, hills and challenging spots. Running the final three to five miles is also recommended. Knowing the course is an advantage if you tire in the final miles because youâll have a sense of where you are and how much running remains.
Create a checklist.Â
Plan ahead to minimize the stress at the 11th hour. Include every item you will need in the final 24 hours before the race. Also plan for your gear bag with items youâll need immediately after the race.
Dress rehearsal.Â
Set the stage for success for your marathon by doing a trial run through with the same details youâll use on race day. Beginning the night before your last long run, practice carbo-loading with foods you intend to eat that evening followed by the same foods youâll eat on race morning as well as the same sports drink and energy gels. Wear the same shoes and any gear, including shorts, singlet, sports bra, hats, sunglasses, socks, as well as fuel belts and hydration packs you have planned for your marathon. Some marathons forbid wearing headphones for MP3 players, so consider running without them.
Get several nights of good sleep.Â
Tossing and turning the night before the marathon is common for any runner. Restless or lost sleep the night before the race wonât harm your marathon. The important sleep actually comes the several nights before the night before race day.
Fill up your tank.Â
Wake up early enough on race day to eat 400 to 500 calories with at least 100 grams of carbohydrate, from simple, easy-to-digest foods like toast, bagels, bananas, energy bars, pancakes, juice or whatever youâre accustomed to eating before long runs.
Observe the cardinal rule of marathon running:Â
Never try anything new on race day that you havenât tested in training. That includes food, drinks, new shoes, socks, shorts, caps, sunglasses and singlet. One new untested detail can affect muscles, digestion, plus cause chaffing, blisters, nausea and distractions that you donât need after months of training and preparation. There are no magical food or gear items on race day.
Relax to the max.Â
Pre-race days are the time to let go of the anxiety, put your feet up and bask in confidence. Avoid pre-marathon hype by managing how much time you spend at the expo, which can be exciting but also can consume your energy and focus. Watch a game on TV, rent a movie, read a book. Be careful with naps that might inhibit your nightâs sleep. Donât become a tourist, go shopping or get overstimulated by attending a major event. Stay off your feet.
Wear your name. Invite spectators to cheer for you by wearing your name on your running singlet. Use a permanent marker to write your name on the back side of an old race number (made from Tyvek), and pin it above your official race number. Youâll enjoy hundreds, even thousands of fans shouting for you, and your fellow race participants will wish they had done the same.
Lay it all on the line. Or on the dresser, floor or kitchen table. Lay out all your clothes the night before. Your tasks on race morning should be simply getting ready, not spent searching for gear and getting organized. Double check to make sure you have your shoes with the timing chip attached and your race number pinned to your shirt.
Prepare for the weather.Â
Plan to wear some extra layers of clothes in the early miles, especially if the weather is bad. Runners call them âthrowaway clothes.â Having a long sleeve shirt, sweat pants, sweatshirt, cap and gloves to toss off as you warm up is a great idea. Often marathon organizers provide discarded clothes to shelters and to those in need. Wearing a garbage bag with holes for your head and arms will keep you dry.
