5 things to avoid on marathon day!

Now that the marathon is just around the corner, the focus changes to the day itself and getting prepared for the start line. After all the training and preparation, a silly mistake on the day can jeopardise your chances of a comfortable race or good time. Here are 5 pitfalls to avoid on marathon day to prevent this from happening:
5: Don't start too fast - This is a fairly common mistake and can end up being very costly as too quick a start can lead to a very long and tough finish as all that energy used in exploding out of the blocks is needed in those last few tough miles! Be a slave to the garmin and don't stray from your allocated speed to ensure this doesn't happen!
4: Run your own race - I've covered this in a previous post but you'd be surprised how many runners become obsessed with what's going on around them rather than their own race which can have dire consequences when the real hard work starts over the last few miles!
3: Don't change pre-race habits. -  If you have had a bagel for breakfast pre long run, have a bagel on race morning! Any changes to routine now could be detrimental to the big race!
2: Don't worry about the previous night's sleep - Anyone who tells you they slept like a baby the night before a marathon are lying (unless of course they actually are a baby!)! Concentrate on your sleep for the days leading up to the marathon and that one sleppless night won't do you any harm come marathon day!
1: Don't panic - 26.2 miles is a long distance - any mishaps (rough weather, traffic, etc) can be recitified over those remaining miles. I don't think I've ever had a marathon where one thing or another hasn't gone according to plan in the early stages but I've regrouped to rectify later on during the race!

The aftermath - what to do when the marathon is over!

In about 10 days time, I will have passed the marathon finish line (hopefully!) and with it should come an enourmous sense of relief that I have completed my training programme and marathon. But what next?
In the past, there has been a  sense of anti-climax when the marathon comes to an end which is totally natural. After 16 weeks of knowing what every day entails training wise, there is no longer a marathon to train for or routined training sessions to complete.
I used to take this as a chance to kick back, relax, pat myself on the back for way too long and eventually get back to training in a worse state of fitness..but not anymore!
Even though the effects of a marathon on your body can take a reported six weeks to fully recover from and it's not recommended to run for up to two weeks after crossing the marathon finish line, I intend to vary my training on completion of the marathon.
Maybe take to the bike, spend more time in the gym etc. or set another goal such as long cycle or triathlon or improving my times at shorter distances (when I've fully recovered) as I've felt that the sense of routine to my training was a positive thing and helped my focus on my fitness.
Either way, unlike years gone by, I won't be transferring to the couch with the tub of ice-cream vowing not to move until the physical and mental scars of this years marathon heal!

5 Things I'm looking forward to after this marathon is over!

Don't get me wrong! - This training programme has been great (much better than my previous attempts). It has been challenging yet invigorating - never feeling like a chore and I've enjoyed every minute of it. There are however, certain habits and behaviours that marathon training demands that I will gladly leave behind  after the 18th March!
Here are my top five:
5: Running in mindless conditions:It will be great to look out the window on a horrendous day and think to myself in the immortal words of Mr.T "I pity the fool that has to run in that weather!" Marathon training demands that weather conditions have to be battled with to get those miles on the clock and sometimes that may involve battling wind and rain in pursuit of that mileage!After the marathon I will welcome indoor training with open arms!
4: Running gels:A very important part of long mileage training and an absolute must on the big day but these sachets of necessity really are disgusting! Anytime I have to include them in marathon training again just bring me back to dark days of pain over the last few miles of a marathon squeezing the last drop and hoping it's enough to get you home! Suffice it to say, these gels won't be my snack of choice when the race has been run!
3.Having a life!:Marathon training tends to take over your life for the few months leading up to the marathon itself. It's easy to obsess over mileage, form, pace, diet, sleep etc while you are in the middle of a fairly intense training programme. Smelling the roses on a return to normal life will be most welcome on completion of the marathon!
2: Bye bye injury: Training that demands less time on the feet will give the tormented planters that bit of rest required and should result in less injury in general as a training programme (for someone of my age!!) can be tough on the body and the lack of miles and intensity with rest and recuperation and a break from the blasted tennis ball massage!
1.A break from the road:
As much I enjoy running - too much of anything can be bad for you! A break from the roadrunning to concentrate on time in the gym, on the bike and more besides will be welcomed as all that mileage can have both physical and mental effects on the system and a well deserved breather will be just what the doctor ordered!

The frustration of injury and how to cope!

With two weeks to go and all the long training runs behind me, the effects of the last few weeks are beginning to take their toil and the dreaded planter fascitis has again raised its ugly head leaving me with a predicament - do I continue with running or take a break off the feet this close to race day?
I thankfully chose the later and spent the last few days on the exercise bike (which feels a lot more difficult to me than the road, to be honest!) keeping the legs moving and feeling fresh and ready for my return to the road.
Any stupid moves at this stage would be catastrophic as all the hard work is done and it is now just a case of avoiding illness, treating injury and staving off the mental frustration that comes with just wanting to get the race started!

After my spell on the bike, I still feel that my fitness levels have remained, I've given the planter a chance to recover and I've also developed a longing for the road again - which after all the miles I've done over the last few months,I didn't think was possible.
*As a side note anyone who had to run in the horrendous conditions over the weekend - kudos to you!

10 Tips that have made this training programme more enjoyable!

On this marathon training  programme due to a more polished regime (thanks Joe), I have made some considerable changes this time around. Here are what I feel are the top 10:
10. The addition of strength training has had massive results on my pace and durability during those long runs.
9. Active Recovery has helped gain those extra few miles on the legs without totally switching off and therefore staying focused.
8. The 22 mile run has made it easier for me psychologically to cope with those extra few miles I'll face on race day.
7.The improvement in my diet has ensured that training has gone well and that sluggish feeling experienced previously from a bad diet is thankfully a thing of the past.
6.The addition of the heart monitor/belt has lead to a more structured and precise study of those long runs and how I've coped fatigue wise.
5. Varying my runs (especially the nature of my longer runs) has kept me mentally and phsically fresh.
4.The practice run has been great for the body and mind as it's taken a lot of the nerves out of what I'll face on marathon day.
3.Resting when injured/tired has stood to me throughout the programme and as a reult I'm now ready to take on the 26.2 challenge!
2.Running without a water belt has freed me up to run more naturally therefore keeping my natural running pace going.
1.More emphasis on stretching has seen less injuries and a feeling of freshness.

Taking a rest! - the benefits of staying fresh before race day.

It's now at the point of the training programme that after a few tough months, long mileage and high intensity that the body can be feeling the effects. If you experience tiredness on any of these taper days, why not downgrade that run mileage wise or if you have a niggle or two - take a day off! The hard work is largely done and staying fit, healthy and raring to go on race day are the main goals at this stage.
In the past, I've often fretted about how much mileage or how many tempo runs I had done, rather than listening to my body and resting up, easing up on intensity, concentraing on getting proper sleep or even stretching or paying the physio a visit to ensure that the body is ready for the 26.2 mile punishment that's on the way!
Those few extra miles at this stage are of no use and won't be remembered fondly if you suffer from burn out on the day itself!
As Frankie says "RELAX"! (Apologies for the younger readers of this blog...just Google it!)

Mental Freshness - keeping a positive mind during marathon taper

During the taper period of a marathon training programme in the past, it hasn't been the physical aspect that has affected me (the hard physical toil is mainly complete) - it was the mental pressure and affect of sixteen weeks or so high mileage and intensity training now winding down and having to "hold your horses" for the big day!
Usually during this period,one of two things usually occurred (none of which were beneficial to my marathon!). I either took the foot of the gas completely, training and diet wise convincing myself that the hard work was already done and then surprised as to why three weeks of this behaviour resulted in a sluggish, struggle-filled marathon or I kept the intensity high and faced the inevitable burn out on the day resulting in massive frustration come the end of the marathon.
This time out however, I remain focussed on that marathon day itself and have remained mentally positive whilst doing all the other things such as nutrition and training correctly. Most miles are now at marathon pace to get myself so accustomed to this pace that it is nearly in my subconscious come the big day.
Sleep and nutrition have also taken on an even bigger priority also as those extra calories are not being burned off as much due to downgrading of long miles and there is little point in packing on the lbs three weeks out from a marathon,jeopardising the result.
Hopefully, all this will reap dividends when I face that final turn down the home straight on marathon day!