by Ted Poulos
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Marathon Prep Tips by Ted Poulos |
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As I am getting ready for the Athens Marathon this Sunday, I wanted to put down a few notes to remind me of a several tips on how to run a successful marathon, and if helps anybody else in the MCM, NYCM, or other efforts, then feel free to steal shamelessly off these ideas.
First of all, I have to remind myself that the marathon is not a race of strength or speed, it is a race on how well you manage your energy. By running faster than your optimum pace at the beginning of the race, you will deplete your energy stores at a higher rate, thereby hitting the "wall" sooner. I think of it as I have 20 good miles in me, the last 10k will depend on what I do before and during the race. The week leading up to the race, my mileage will be at most half of my peak training weeks. That will get me to line fresh and rested. Also staying off my feet on Saturday is a good idea, along with drinking enough water on Friday/Saturday to make my teeth swim (that doesn't sound good, but to get energy to the muscles, water is used as a catalyst - you run out of water in your system and you run out of efficient ways to get fuel to the muscles). Also, the most important night for a marathoner is Friday. The big pasta dinner that night Now on race day, the key for me is to pretend this a fast paced training run. This mind-set helps me conserve energy at the beginning, and allows me to keep the pace longer, since some marathoners don't know to hold back, and by the time they're out of fuel, I'm hopefully hitting my stride (did I mention, I have been on the death march side of marathons too many times, and have vowed never to repeat those mistakes!).
I like to stay on the outside at the start of the race, since there seems to be more running room as compared to the middle, and I find my most comfortable stride sooner. Also, if I'm fighting in the crowd to get around people, I'm wasting valuable energy that I'll need at the end. I tend to drink fluids early and often, since once my body tells me I'm thirsty, I'm about a half-hour too late, and my muscles will begin to shut down. If I feel like the pace is a struggle, then it must be, so I slow it down to something more relaxing. I don't mind losing 10 to 15 secs per mile at these points, because if I keep working hard, I'll lose 1-2 minutes per mile near the end. Slowing the pace in the middle of the race can sometimes bring all your systems back in balance. If I've done things up to 20 miles correctly (run relaxed, drink fluids, not work too hard), then the last 6.2 become relatively easy, because I'm starting to pass all those speedsters who took off at the beginning. And the miles for me fly by when I'm concentrating on catching the runners ahead, picking them off one by one. Before I know it, I'm at 25 miles, and then it becomes gut-check time. I just put my head down and work hard to the finish. Any energy I've saved up to this point (if I have any) is now going to be used to get me those precious seconds that will earn me a PR or pass the next runner for a higher placing. If I slow down now, I'll still hurt after I finish, so I might as well work hard, and be satisfied with a great finish, on top of the pain that I'll experience anyway ;-). Main 
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will have enough time to be processed so that you have the max number of carbos needed on Sunday. The Saturday pasta feed is sometimes too late, and can make you feel heavy the next day - doesn't mean you shouldn't eat carbos on Saturday, it's just that you should make Friday the more important of the two meals. Also, sleeping soundly on Friday is best, since most people are anxious on Saturday, and can't sleep anyway.