Every marathoner wants to tell you all the things you need to do during your marathon set-up. Are you ready to hear what not to do?
Number 10: Run a long race of more than 15 miles during the marathon set-up. One of the main causes of poor marathon performance is not giving the body time to adjust to the last longest run during marathon training.
Number 9: Cut your mileage while still doing some V02 and lactate threshold workouts. As you write, if you don’t do quality workouts at the proper intensity, your body will lose much of its fitness gains. Remember to make these workouts shorter in duration or repetitions.
Number 8: Forget taking more days off. A good rule of thumb is to reduce the number of race days by two the second week of your set-up and three the week of the marathon.
Number 7: Neglecting nutrition, as your body begins to repair itself, more nutrients are needed to help in this process. Increase fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and fluids during your taper.
Number 6: Forgetting to buy a new pair of running shoes. After training hard, your shoes will lose their ability to absorb shock and protect your feet and body from injury. Now is the time to buy new shoes and get them ready for race day.
Number 5: Cross Training, Now is not the time to start cross training. If you’ve cross-trained during your marathon training, reduce the volume or eliminate it altogether.
Number 4: Neglecting Sleep – As you begin to feel more and more rested, there is a tendency to reduce the number of hours you sleep. Try to stick to a schedule that includes 8 hours of quality sleep each night.
Number 3: Fluids, keeping the body hydrated not only helps with running, but also removes waste products. As the body repairs itself, waste products must also be eliminated. Adequate hydration helps in this process. Remember to drink an additional 64 oz. Of water each day.
Number 2: stress during the week before a marathon can literally wear you out. Let your friends, family, and colleagues know that you won’t be available for those extra social and stress-causing activities this week.
Number 1: listen to everyone’s advice on how to run your race. After training for up to 20 weeks, you will know what your limits are. Hear from seasoned marathoners about running tactics like liquids, gels, etc. Ignore everyone else trying to get you to run their race. If you are a first time marathoner, finish the race in the easiest way possible. More experienced marathoners, run within your capabilities.
