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The marathon I ran last weekend in Knoxville, TN was a pretty rough race. Here’s the full race recap if you’re interested. WARNING: it was an ugly, miserable race! You might not want to read about it. After the race I decided I had two choices. I could either dwell on the negative, or I could move on and learn from the experience. Below is a list of tips for running a long distance race. I hope the lessons I learned from last weekend will help some other runners. And I hope I’ll be smart enough to follow my own tips for the next race.
1. Hydrate well for a couple of days before a race.
I try to drink at least 100 oz of water a day for at least two days before a race. I try to drink at least four of these water bottles a day. That adds up to just under 100 oz.
2. Stop drinking water about 6 pm the night before the race.
It’s okay to have a sip or two in the morning before the start, but any more than that and you’ll be more likely to find yourself waiting in line at the first port-a-potty stop.
3. Eat plenty of carbs the night before the race.
There’s been a lot of debate in the running world about whether carb-loading is really helpful or not. But in my experience, eating a few extra carbs the night before a race seems to help me maintain enough fuel to get to the finish.
4. Lay all your gear out the night before.
Nerves are usually high in the morning, and you may not have slept well the night before. If everything is all laid out the night before you won’t find yourself at the start without pins for your bib. Ask me how I know 🙂
5. Get to the start early.
I’m notorious for barely getting to the start on time. But getting there a little early gives you a chance to soak in the atmosphere and excitement that’s in the air. Another bonus to arriving early is the potential for the unexpected like meeting a celebrity. Celebrities and professional runners often run races, even the smaller ones. Over the years I’ve had chance meetings with several like Sean Aston and Drew Carey at the Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredericksburg, VA.
6. Start out slow.
It doesn’t matter if you feel like you could run to the moon and back when you start. Practice a little self discipline and slow yourself down. This was the big mistake I made last weekend. I felt great for the first half of the marathon, and I ran like the wind. Unfortunately, I paid for my over exuberance from mile 14 to the finish with very tired legs and a sore knee.
7. Fuel before you think you need to.
This is especially true for full marathons. For me, fueling every five miles seems to work well. I usually eat about 100 calories worth of something high carb. Granola bars are my current pick.
8. Stay hydrated.
I get water at every water station. Even if I don’t drink it all I take a sip or two.
9. Enjoy the finish.
You’ve probably trained for months and dreamed about the moment you’d cross that finish line. Enjoy it. You earned it!
These are all good tips. I am famous for starting out at too fast a pace. My problem is I find that I run a faster race over all if I don’t wear my garmin and just go by feel. Problem with that of course is I don’t know until I hit the first mile marker (I wear a stopwatch) how fast the first mile was and end up going way too fast. If I remind myself at the start line chanting in my head “slow to start, slow to start” for a few minutes I do better. Sounds odd but works.
That’s a great idea to chant “slow to start” in your head. We have another marathon (VERY hilly) this weekend, and I think I’ll try that. It’s just too easy to get caught up in the excitement and energy of the start line and first couple of miles. I’m also intrigued by the idea of running without my garmin. I think I would probably do better if I just listened to my body rather than relying on the garmin, but I’m not sure I can give it up. My husband never uses a garmin, but for me it’s kind of like a security blanket 🙂
I still haven’t learned how to drink and run – I get terrible stomach cramps!! It’s probably why I’m always so sore after long runs. Gotta work on that!
That’s tough. Maybe you could try hydrating really well before the run, and then you wouldn’t need as much to drink during the run. You could just take small sips. Or try walking while you’re drinking and for a few minutes after. Let me know if you find something that works for you. I’d love to share it with our readers.
Great Tips! I haven’t run a full yet but will be running my 3rd Half Marathon this Sunday. Thank you for the great reminders!! 🙂
We ran a full last weekend, and I actually listened to my own advice for once! Even though the course was much harder, we had a far better race than the one a few weeks ago. Running is so much more than a physical sport. Much of it is mental, and there is certainly strategy involved as well. I hope you have a great half this weekend! I really prefer the half distance to the full. It’s just so much more “do-able” (if that’s even a word).
Thanks for the tips. My daughter went speeding ahead at one 5K we did, so then she made me walk with her for the rest of it. I went for a 4.5 mile walk yesterday. I’m still building up to running a longer distance.
I’ve run/walked MANY races where I took off too fast and then paid for it later in the race. Good for you on your 4.5 miles! My husband always tells me, “just cover the distance.” In other words, it doesn’t matter if you run or walk as long as you’re out there moving.