I am tired, and not particularly from a lot of running, but my nerves are on high alert. With the countdown decreasing at a rapid rate, only 17 days left, I am more nervous than ever. I once enjoyed talking about the race with passing colleagues, now my heart beats so fast and I'm exhausted by the end of the day!
Okay, but I have some great friends that send me encouraging and hilarious stories to keep my spirit high. Courtesy of Scott Rutkowski, an article by Bill Simmons.
Idiot's Guide to the Boston Marathon. It's a hoot!
Another friend at work, Dan Wood, who understands the nerves of the pre-marathon race, sent along a list from his running club. Lisa English is their marathon coach. I don't have her list of achievements, but she's a very nice lady with lots of advice... See below scared, excited, novice Boston marathon Runners!!
My Top tips for a successful Boston marathon
- Any training you do this week is less important than getting enough rest and avoiding injury. If anything hurts, stop. If you’re tired, rest.
- You may not sleep well the night before, don’t stress about it. But try to get sufficient sleep the week before and especially 2 nights before the race.
- Don’t try anything new for race day. Use the shoes/foods/hydration strategies that have worked for you on your long runs
- If this is your first marathon, forget about time goals. Think about running the first 10 miles comfortably, the middle third at comfortable race pace, and then if you have anything left after you crest Heartbreak Hill you can pick it up for the last 5 miles. It is much more fun to finish strong (reverse splits), than to start fast and finish with the ‘death march’. I’ve done them both ways with the same finish time; the first was a lot more fun. The harder you push at the beginning, the worse you will feel at the end (pretty much guaranteed…)
- Be careful of the big downhill right after the top of Heartbreak. Some people have issues with cramping in their quads if you try to take it too fast.
- Make sure you have a hydration/carb strategy for the race. I do a gu with water every 4 miles and Gatorade on the alternate stops. Everyone is different, use what has worked for you in your long runs but think it through upfront as you’ll get ‘stupid’ near the end of the race and forget to eat/drink. I had a major bonk in the middle of a race due to insufficient carbs, then started back with Gatorade in the last few miles and felt like I was jet-propelled.
- The first 4 miles are mostly downhill so it is easy to start out too fast and kill your quads early in the race. Focus on running comfortably the first few miles (if you’re out of breath you’re running too fast).
- Maintain a positive mental attitude. You’ve put in your training time, do what you can do on race day and don’t stress about things that are out of your control.
My Top tips for a successful Boston marathon
- Any training you do this week is less important than getting enough rest and avoiding injury. If anything hurts, stop. If you’re tired, rest.
- You may not sleep well the night before, don’t stress about it. But try to get sufficient sleep the week before and especially 2 nights before the race.
- Don’t try anything new for race day. Use the shoes/foods/hydration strategies that have worked for you on your long runs
- If this is your first marathon, forget about time goals. Think about running the first 10 miles comfortably, the middle third at comfortable race pace, and then if you have anything left after you crest Heartbreak Hill you can pick it up for the last 5 miles. It is much more fun to finish strong (reverse splits), than to start fast and finish with the ‘death march’. I’ve done them both ways with the same finish time; the first was a lot more fun. The harder you push at the beginning, the worse you will feel at the end (pretty much guaranteed…)
- Be careful of the big downhill right after the top of Heartbreak. Some people have issues with cramping in their quads if you try to take it too fast.
- Make sure you have a hydration/carb strategy for the race. I do a gu with water every 4 miles and Gatorade on the alternate stops. Everyone is different, use what has worked for you in your long runs but think it through upfront as you’ll get ‘stupid’ near the end of the race and forget to eat/drink. I had a major bonk in the middle of a race due to insufficient carbs, then started back with Gatorade in the last few miles and felt like I was jet-propelled.
- The first 4 miles are mostly downhill so it is easy to start out too fast and kill your quads early in the race. Focus on running comfortably the first few miles (if you’re out of breath you’re running too fast).
- Maintain a positive mental attitude. You’ve put in your training time, do what you can do on race day and don’t stress about things that are out of your control.
Race Prep
- Don’t try anything new on race day, stick with the eating/hydration/shoes etc. that worked for you on your long runs.
- Layers are good, if possible have a throw-away outer layer that you can ditch when you heat up. Cheap throwaway gloves will make you much more comfortable at the start if it is cool.
- Glide anything that tends to get a blister (feet, waist, ‘chub rub’ area on thighs, under bra straps
- I like to eat breakfast 3-4 hours before the race start. Easy to digest carbs with some quality protein, I like blueberry pancakes with syrup and a glass of skim milk.
Race Strategy
- Start slow. The first 10 miles should be very comfortable. NOTE: If you have aggressive time goals you may not be able to do this reverse-splits strategy, but be aware that last third will likely be a struggle.
- Garmin GPS (I had it set so I could see my lap pace for each mile, so I always knew my current pace. I intentionally didn't look at the overall pace/time, so I wouldn't stress about a finish time and could just focus on doing what I can do THIS mile). Warning: You’ll actually run about half a mile longer than 26.1 (because you can’t cut every curve perfectly along the race). So use the Garmin Pace as a general guide only especially if you have important time goals. Rely on your watch for total race time if that is important to you.
- Pin your Gu’s to the inside front of your shorts, then flip inside. When you want to use them you just flip one out and tear off the top (OR wear a race number belt with slots for the Gu’s, see below)
- Wear a race number belt. This allows you to take layers off/on if you get hot or cold without having to repin your race number. (Fuel belt makes a good one, has toggles to attach the race number. They have a version with loops to hold your Gu’s, but be aware that comes in only one size which is generally too large for women. I had to sew mine to make it smaller).
- Repeat power words when the going gets tough, e.g. 'Relax', 'Glide', and 'Power'. On uphills, visualize helium balloons tied to your shoulders pulling you up (helps you to relax your upper body).
- Think positive. No whining, no excuses. Negative thoughts don’t buy you anything in a race. If you want to think about how hard it is then wait till the race is over, because at that point you’re congratulating yourself on a hard job accomplished. When you’re in the race stay focused on the positive. When the going gets tough I think about the double amputee who completed the Hawaii Ironman last year. Suddenly being a little uncomfortable doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
- Counting to 100 and back to 0 when the going got tough, kept my mind off of 'how much farther to go'
- Hook up with some people who are running a similar pace early in the race. Makes the first part of the race go by fast.
- Adjust your goals based on how your body is feeling. If you realize this is not your 'reverse split, Personal Record’ day’, then focus on keeping going at a reasonably comfortable pace so you can finish feeling good.
- It is OK to walk at the water stops. If you have really aggressive time goals you may not want to do this, but for most of us the time you lose walking 20 steps to drink will be more than made up for at the end of the race when your legs are a little fresher due to the frequent rest/change of pace.
- Have a strategy for Gu/Gatorade based on what has worked for you in your long training runs. You’ll get ‘stupid’ near the end of the race, so you’ll want a simple strategy that you can remember. I do a Gu with water every 4 miles and Gatorade on the off miles.
- Wear something noticeable, make sure your family and friends know what you’re wearing. It will be really hard for your fans to pick you out of the 25000 runners on race day.
- Wear your name on your shirt (I will try to bring stick-on letters to Town Hall before the race). You’ll feel like a rock-star in the race as all the spectators call out your name. (Tell your family/friends to yell your first and last name, otherwise you may not notice them amidst all the other people calling your name).
- Have a prearranged spot where your family will wait along the route so you know about where to look for them and what side of the road they’ll be on. If you need to ditch anything that is bugging you you’ll be happy to see them.
- Racing downhill is hard on your quads. Boston is a net downhill course. Downhill training is helpful beforehand (run hard on the downhills, easy on the ups in some training runs). During the race you want to try for fast easy cadence on the downhills, don’t overstride and don’t ‘brake’ to slow yourself down. My best downhill tip, think about the back-kick (increases your turnover rate, helps you to use the gravity rather than resisting it by ‘braking’ with your quads).
Recovery
- Consume something with carbs and protein immediately after the race, liquids are more quickly digested if you have access to them.
- Within an hour after the race eat some real food, again a carb/protein mix is best.
- An ice water bath for your legs as soon after the race as practical is helpful.
- Plan an active recovery for the week or two after the race, I start with walking every day then gradually add in short intervals of slow running, etc. Downhill courses like Boston really kill your quads, my recovery is much slower after Boston than after flatter races.
It's a lot of reading, but I found it all helpful. Thanks Lisa!
Nice bib and nice cubicle, eh? 
Shoelace Day. Check Out How ridiculous my hair looks - precisely the reason for braiding on Marathon Monday.
Safety's my Deal.
12 mile Group