Trail running marathons are a true test of endurance and determination and require careful preparation and planning to ensure a successful race day.
I’ve been running marathons and ultra-marathons for the past 25 years. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from some of the best trail runners in the world and gather insights.
In this blog post, I’ll share some things that work for me – It will (hopefully) help you prepare for your next trial run.
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Every year (since 2007) I’m trying to do few marathons.
Why?
Well, it’s a long answer for another post. But the short one (and I guess the main reason) is that it’ a lot of fun and a great sense of accomplishment. I’m sure others, have many different reasons.
In this post will focus on the check list. It’s part of an app for the google assistant that I’ve created last week.
You can use this app to make sure you didn’t missed anything, just ask “OK google, talk to Marathon List And Tips”.
Here is the check list(s) I’m using in order to make sure everything will work as plan. It’s important to remember that in such a long race, things will go wrong. So don’t be surprise, stay calm, slow down and think how to solve the issue. In most cases, there is an easy solution and you already being in similar situation in your long training runs.
Nevertheless, we all like to be as ready as possible and a check list is a great tool for that.
Below are 3 lists I used. In your hand bag are all the ‘must have’ things. The other lists, also contain important stuff, but you can send it in your suitcase.
I’ve been doing a few marathons a year in the past three years, and I wish I had such a list before my first race.
I could use it and avoid some of the common mistakes I made.
Tips for your next marathon:
Remember that the hard part was the training period. The primary hard part is all the long runs during the weekends alone or with a friend. Now (race day), you should enjoy as much as possible. So, relax. Yes, try to relax and apply what you know from your training. Eat what you regularly eat (I hope you know what bar makes you happy… do NOT try a new energy bar gel during the race day), drink what you like to drink during the runs, and wear the best gear you used. In a nutshell, try something other than new stuff during the race.
Please keep it simple and go with what you practiced.
Choose your ‘race partner‘ – this is one of the most important aspects (for me) of a good/successful race. After the first 4-5 miles, when you get into your pace, search for the one you think will go with you to the end (of the race). If you are lucky, you can find a partner, which improves the whole race.
Think about the next mile, which is only part of the race. It’s so much better to take (every project in life) step by step. You can break the race into 2,4,6,10 segments and think only about the next segment. It is a good feeling to ‘see’ your progress during the race.
Check out #2 and #1 – start slowly. No matter what, a girl/boy passes you without a visible effort.
It’s a common mistake. You should do what you practiced and know you will run faster during the race. Moreover, after 4-5 miles, you should be at your average ‘race pace’ and ‘race heart rate,’ so make sure to pace yourself. Don’t let your ego win – it will hunt you down around the 20-22 mile.
Adjust yourself and listen to your body. You can never know what the race will bring you. Sometimes, it’s 120F temperature (Tel Aviv Marathon), and sometimes, the climbs are crazy (each San Francisco marathon after 23 miles). Show up with a flexible game plan and adjust as needed because, in the end, it’s all about enjoying (or, for the experts – performing) your best on that day.
Have fun and be strong!
Here is (yet another) lighting talk I gave at the Java Posse Roundup 2010
It’s a short presentation that give you the basic idea what is all about this trend of running 42.195 Km (or 26.2 miles if you want to count less).
Planning – there are lots of good resources out on the web. Here is one that I’ve used – It’s A Guru trainer site. You can pick the right plan base on your current shape. Another good online tool is this pace calculator. But like anything in life, it’s all about execution! You must follow the plan and do your best to stick with the runs.
The hard part and the most important part of any plan is the ‘long runs’. These runs build you body and make sure it will be able to do the distance and be active for 3 to 5 hours.
Be Strong and (try to) have fun.
Ido Green 