Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part IX: Race Day

Lesson #9: Prepare everything the night/day BEFORE race day. Make sure you have redundancy built into much of what you do. Do not do anything new on race day. Enjoy everything about race day.

You've made it to race day. You've followed your training plan as well as possible, staying healthy and injury-free. You got your bib (and maybe a wee bit more) at the expo and made sure to have it pinned onto your outfit before you left your hotel. So, what else is there to point out? Some of this will look very familiar.

1. Set your alarm (maybe even 2 or 3) so that you give yourself PLENTY of time to get to gear check and the start line. You want to be on the early side of all timeframes. Expect that Murphy will rear his head, so take that into account. Give yourself an extra 30-60 minutes to go to the bathroom at home before leaving (potentially multiple times), and an extra 30 minutes or more travel time compared to what you expect it to take. Budget enough time to have your race day breakfast, make coffee/tea (if that's typical for you), etc.

2. Make sure that everything that you need is set up/laid out before you go to sleep the night before the race:

• Band-Aids/Nip Tape and Body Glide
• Your clothing
• Your bib is pinned
• Timing chip is already on your sneaker (for those races that still use these)
• Any on-course nutrition and water, possibly separate from your gear check bag (so you don't accidentally gear check it)
• Post-race change of clothing is already in your gear check bag. Consider having a jacket or other warm layer if it is expected to be cool. Make sure to have dry socks and sneakers to change into - or flip-flops/Oofas instead.
• Include some extra snacks, water, and/or sports drinks in your gear check bag. While you should consume as much of the race-provided post-race food as possible as soon after the race as possible, it might not be enough. After a marathon, you need to take in yet more carbs, protein, electrolytes, and water. Whether you do that via lots of snacks or a nice hearty lunch (or both) soon afterwards is personal choice. Don't be so concerned about calories today -- you've earned it!

3. Know your directions (whether driving or public transportation) to get to the starter's village. Those of you who are dependent on Waze or other apps -- write out your directions on paper the night before and have those with you. Don't take the chance that your phone will crap out or some other technical glitch happens. Remember any parking passes or needed public transit card; if you're comfortable doing so, you can gear check the transit cards with the rest of your kit.

4. Know where any friends and family will be cheering you along the course and/or precisely where you will meet after you get past the finish line. Make sure they know your expected pace and timeframe for finishing to determine proper timing for seeing them during or after the race.

5. Get into your starting corral early. Make sure to find the pacer(s) for your page group time. Use them as much as possible to get through all the difficult spots (both physically and mentally).

6. Be mindful of your training. Make sure to eat your gels, etc. and drink water in the same timing as your body is already accustomed to.

7. Control your adrenaline rush -- do not go out fast. You should go slower than your goal pace during the first mile, at least. In fact, your pacer should be reminding you of that many times before and during the first mile or so. Listen to your pacer.

8. Soak in the atmosphere throughout the day. Enjoy it all. Laugh at all of the funny signs. Pretend that your name is the same as is listed on every personalized sign you see. Every last bit of positive energy from the crowd will help you get through it.

9. Even if you've needed to walk for a long amount of time because you hit the wall, so long as you are not injured, run the last at least 0.2 miles to and through the finish line. And do NOT stop right after crossing the line -- keep on moving, to get out of the newer finishers' way.

10. Revel in the finish. Don't hold back the tears that WILL flow. Accept how overwhelmingly emotional the finish is. (After 42 marathons to date over nearly 17 years, I still tear up almost every time.)

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part VIII: The Expo

Lesson #8: Get to the expo as early (by days) as possible to pick up your bib and anything else that may come with your race packet (such as a t-shirt and samples).  Waiting for the weekend can be absolutely chaotic with long lines.

Most marathons above probably a few hundred participants have an expo that is open to the public where you can get your race bib, buy merchandise, and maybe even get some samples. The small marathons have very little on this score (I've been to ones that had about 2 booths, and nothing else), but the large marathons can have absolutely massive expos. The biggest expos out there are certainly the World Marathon Majors, Walt Disney World Marathon, and Marine Corps Marathon.

Each of them has something to make them different or special. For example, Boston and London both have extensive speaker programs available. Germany and Tokyo both have special security measures to help guarantee the identity of the person picking up the bib at the expo and that enters the starting corrals on race day. Chicago has plenty of opportunities for those running the race to volunteer some time helping out at the expo. New York is simply massive at the Jacob Javits Center. (The first time I went 17 years ago, I had the opportunity to make a plaster cast of my footprints -- a neat freebie souvenir.) Disney is, well... Disney. And MCM has all those Marines.

In addition to these and other special twists, there are many things these and other large expos generally have in common:

• Official branded merchandise for sale
• A whole slew of vendors, ranging from other clothing, to food and drink, to running accessories, framing and race photography, etc.
• Any number of other marathons (or other endurance sports) promoting their events
• Kitschy paraphernalia to use to cheer on the runners (frame branded oak tag to create signs, to cow bells, small plastic megaphones, and other noisemakers)
• Pace group booth (note: Boston does *not* have pacers for their marathon, so no such booth)
• Many of the above will also have some sort of raffle or other game giving away minor prizes

They typically have a floorplan available in advance and at the entrance to the expo, for those who want to either plan out where to go, or at least make sure they hit specific booths. Personally, I just walk all the aisles, quickly seeing what's there and stopping at whichever booth grabs my attention (samples I want to eat or take for later, pace group to get a pace band, and rarely a piece of branded merchandise or other item for sale).

While I am generally jaded when it comes to the expos now (having run 42 marathons to date as of this writing, 26 of which comprising the 8 marathons mentioned above), this can be an overwhleming and very enjoyable experience. For the first-timer, make sure to soak it all in. Take your time and enjoy the atmosphere. All the more reason to go as early as possible. And if you like it enough and haven't hit everything you want to on the first day, go back for some more one of the later days -- nothing says you can only go once.

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part VII: Travel Arrangements

Lesson #7: Research how to get around the city, be it by public transportation, race-provided shuttles, taxis, or personal or rented cars.

As early as possible after deciding to run a specific race and registering for it, start seeking out what transportation within the city is like. While getting to the city is likely easy enough to arrange (flying into the nearby major airport or taking a train in being the likeliest options that most will take), it isn't always obvious what you'll need to do to get to all the different places you need without a little digging.

Lots of marathons (especially the largest ones) are "point-to-point" where the start and finish lines are considerably far apart from each other. The main points you will need to research are where the expo will be held (which is where you will pick up your race bib and any merchandise), where the starting line is, and where the finish line is. The precise locations of all of these should be on the marathon's website and in various e-mail communications that you may receive. Ideally, the website will also provide you instructions as to how you can take public transportation to them (e.g., what stops on which line of the subway system are they), and whether there are shuttle bus arrangements to take advantage of. (For example, Boston has school buses they use to get racers from the baggage check by the finish line out to the starter's village out in Hopkinton. They provide plenty of detail on their website as to who should be on which buses at what time on race day.)

Knowing those main points and your price points for accommodations will help you determine where you will be staying in town, be it with friends or in a hotel or hostel, etc. Do you want to be close to the Expo? Do you want a short walk to the start line on race morning? Would you rather have a short walk from the finish line after the race? Is saving money on the accommodations more of a motivating factor, and you're willing to travel however long you need to in order to save what could easily turn into several hundred dollars or more (depending on the hotels being compared and the number of days in question). How far away from public transportation are you willing to be in order to get to your own subway stop? Your answers to these questions should help you narrow down which places you're willing to investigate.

There are lots of people with experience running the marathon that you're signing up for for the first time. Seek them out on Facebook. If you go to the Resources post, you will see several Facebook groups that relate to some of the world's largest marathons -- ones that I have raced and whose groups I stay in: World Marathon Majors (New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, and London -- but others are also occasionally talked about), Marine Corps Marathon, and Walt Disney World Marathon being the largest of them. Before you post a question asking for advice on where to stay, how to get around, training, etc., look in the Files section to see if there is anything already written up for posterity. Or do a quick search with several meaningful keywords to find out what has been said on the topic before. These groups have so much collective history, wisdowm, tips, and tricks, use them to the fullest extent to make your life easier. (I'll tell you, being in the WMM group where there was discussion about the Tokyo Marathon and best ways to get around both for the marathon as well as for a longer trip to Japan were a godsend when I went for the 2019 marathon.)

Once you have figured out where you will be staying, do your best to plot out as broad-brush an itinerary as possible where it comes to traveling around the city. Figure out when you're going to the expo, what sort of tourist travel you are doing, where you'll be eating (don't forget reservations), and all the other steps in between so you can become familiar with the routes you will be taking to/from your hotel, what sort of transportation fare card is necessary, and the approximate time it will take for your travel. Most importantly, know exactly what you are doing, your timing, and costs for race morning -- you don't want to leave anything to chance about getting where you are going early. (Fun tip: there are some races that provide free race day transportation for those wearing a race bib. Know if you're in that sitauation and that you can leave your fare card in your room.)

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part VI: Training

Lesson #6: Be mindful of what is happening with your body. If something feels wrong, STOP your activity, until and unless you know the difference between a twinge that is ok to run through and something that is a sprain or pulled muscle, etc.

There are lots of training plans out there -- see the Resources post earlier on this blog for several suggestions. That lists a comparatively small number of books, websites, Facebook groups, etc. There are so many different plans nowadays, it's amazing. If you search online for "marathon training", you'll get an endless amount of results. So, how do you decide which one is right for you? Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet for determining which plan is right for which person. Like so much else about marathon training, it's very personalized.

• How much time are you willing to devote during the week and on any given day?
• How much will you be running indoors on the treadmill and how much outdoors on the street and/or trails? 
• Where is your fitness level as of the start of the plan? 
• What is your goal for the marathon: finishing within the time limit (a great first goal) or a specific time?
• Do you work better with groups or solo?
• Are you comfortable finding and implementing a plan yourself, or do you want a coach providing you a personalized plan?

My training plan has evolved over time. My first several marathons, I ran several days a week, making sure that my long run on the weekend gradually increased over time until I hit about 20 or 22 miles before tapering 2-3 weeks before race day. But having always hit the Wall, I decided to implement at least some variant of Galloway's Run/Walk plan -- this enabled me to not only not hit the Wall, but allowed me to break 4 hours. Shifting to Hanson's Marathon Method enabled me to BQ (run a Boston Qualifier time). And then taking on a personal coach with a customized plan (that was very similar to Hanson's) allowed my to not only shatter my previous BQ PR (personal record) by nearly 10 minutes, but to set a Guinness World Record in the process. (More on that later in the blog)

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part V: Nutrition

Lesson #5: Experiment early in your training cycle to figure out what works best for you. Once you figure out what you like that also works with your digestive system, stick with it.

Yesterday I wrote about general diet. Today, let's talk about your workout nutrition. There are all sorts of nutrition products on the market, both drink and food. They all have their different uses and amounts that should be consumed in any given timeframe.

Liquids range from the most basic -- water -- to all sorts of electrolyte formulas or concentrates/powders with which to create an electrolyte drink (many of which are sponsors for various races): Gatorade, Powerade, Nuun, Lucozade, Tailwind, and plenty of others whose names I don't know. Personally, I don't bother with any of the electrolyte drinks any more. While I drink my fair share of water (typically 1oz per mile of my runs, and as mcuh as 75-100oz per normal day), I get my needed electrolytes and carbs with some of the "gels" out on the market.

There are tons of products on the market that provide electrolytes and/or carbs which come in different consistencies and flavors: Clif ShotBloks (my typical preference), Clif Shot gels, Gu energy gel or chews, Honey Stingers chews and waffles, Sports Beans, PowerBar PowerGel, etc.

As will be mentioned in a future post, lots of these products are available for sample and purchase during marathon expos. These are great opportunities to at least test out the taste and consistency. But consuming these samples won't help you figure out how well they work on your digestive system generally, let alone under race conditions. But it's definitely a way of narrowing down the field of things to consider.

So much of the nutrition aspect of training is personal preference-dictated. Do you like the taste and consistency of the product? Is it something that you can actually consume, especially far into a long run? (When I first started running marathons, I used to eat Clif PowerBars. While tasty and a reasonable consistency, after about Mile 18, I was incapable of sufficient energy in my jaw to chew them any longer; I needed to find something else.) Is it something that you will choke on? (The main reason I never try Sports Beans -- I worry about choking, whereas I gradually gnaw down the ShotBloks across a mile's distance.) Is it something that you will be able to reasonably carry with you? (The waffle products look like they would be too large to carry during a run, though before/after would be fine.)

You need to also be mindful of whether a product is specifically intended for pre-race/pre-workout or post-race/post-workout. These are typically formulated to either prepare your body for what is to come or quickly replenish what has been spent and should be rebuilt in short order. I haven't yet bothered with any of these products, so can't comment on their general effectiveness.

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part IV: Nutrition

Lesson #4: Use the whole duration of your training cycle to figure out what works best for you. You need to know how you use energy, how much water you shed while running, whether you lose an excess of salt. As you have likely heard from every marathoner you have talked with: never do ANYTHING new on race day -- that goes for both your equipment and even more so for your diet.

There are multiple interpretations as to what would be referred to by "nutrition" with respect to training for a marathon: regular diet, what to eat/drink before/during/after your workouts/runs, adjustments to your diet in the days leading up to the marathon, and what to eat/drink on marathon day (pre-race breakfast, on-course nutrition, and post-race replenishment).

Take stock of what you currently eat. Do you eat a well-balanced diet? Or do you eat an excessive amount of processed foods and other snacks? Do you drink lots of soda and/or alcohol, or just water? While no one (let alone me) should expect an absolutely perfect diet, you may need to make gradual changes in what you eat and drink.

Ideally, you will drink water almost exclusively -- about 1oz for every 1-2 pounds of weight. I tend to go on the lower end of that range. Too little, and you'll be dehydrated, which makes your body very inefficient. Too much, and not only could you cause yourself some basic GI issues (having to go to the bathroom at rather inconvenient times), but you could even push yourself towards hyponatremia -- not a fun condition.

As for food, if you recognize an excessive of "bad-for-you" foods in your diet, gradually shift your diet to pull out the worst of those foods and replace them with healthier items. Don't try to do it all at once -- that way lies madness and failure. If you make 1 or 2 shifts at a time and make sure they stick over the course of several weeks until they become habit before you make additional such changes, you will have a much higher likelihood of success in changing your diet.

What I have found most useful is using the MyFitnessPal app. You can track your individual food and drink (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack), exercise, and water. You can scan in barcodes from packaged products and even find a lot of other individual items (and even some restaurants) to keep track of your daily nutritional intake and exercise done. By planning out one day during the preceding night, it makes it much easier to know what you have set out as your goal for the day and whether you have any addiitonal leeway for more food to eat.

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part III: Equipment

Lesson #3: Get quality gear, even if it is more expensive than you might like -- if you get cheap equipment that falls apart prematurely, you will not only wind up paying more in the long term, but you may even wind up injuring yourself.

As everyone quickly figures out, running is one of the most expensive "free" sports out there. Not just because of the registration fees, travel, and hotel arrangements (and, in the case of Walt Disney World  Marathon Weekend, park tickets), but especially because of the clothing and equipment that you need.

Now that you've decided to run a marathon, you'll want to make sure that you have all of the clothing/equipment you may need. While much of this list is obvious, and not everyone needs/uses all of it, when you add it up, it can get very pricey, especially if you get some of the more expensive items out there:

• Sneakers (make sure to go to a full-service running store to get properly fitted, don't just get the cheapest running shoe that feels comfortable in the store -- some stores like RoadRunner Sports have programs where you can try out the product for up to 90-days with a money-back guarantee)
• Moisture wicking socks (do *not* use simple tube socks for anything other than very short runs -- you'll get nasty blisters)
• Underwear (spandex/moisture wicking -- not just ordinary plain cotton, heaven forbid)
• Shorts (some have small pockets, others don't -- runner's choice)
• Shirts (singlets, compression, etc. -- make sure these are moisture wicking, regardless)
• Body Glide / Vaseline / other anti-chafing product
• Digital watch (Garmin, etc.)
• Tights
• Compression socks
• Compression sleeves
• Gloves (I have yet to find a pair that works really well for me)
• Hand warmers
• Hat or Visor
• Water bottles / Hydration belt / Hydration vest / Camelbak
• Flip belt
• Phone case/strap (for those who like to listen to music/podcast/e-book while running)
• Bib magnets (if you don't want to use safety pins on race day to secure your bib)
• Foam roller
• Ice pack / heat pack
• Band-Aids / Nipple Tape
• Sunscreen

Advice for First-Time Marathoners, Part II: Establish a Reasonable Goal

Lesson #2: For the majority of first-timers, you should have only one goal: to finish the marathon. Do not worry about the finishing time, apart from finishing within the time limit (if any).

Do you have a specific marathon that you are looking to get into, or do you just want to run something relatively local by a specific date? When you have chosen the marathon (and hence the date) that you want to run, find out what the time limit is. Each course works differently. Permits are needed for road closures, police to help guard the runners (especially at intersections with traffic), and plenty of other logistics go into the determination as to how long the race provides for the last runners to cross the finish line. These time limits are typically within the 5-7 hour range, and some even leave the race clock running for up to 24 hours, though there isn't any course support after a certain point. (You need to verify those logistics on those particular races before setting out.) Most races (at least in the U.S.) provide their minimum paces based on the last person to cross the start line.

Once you have the time limit that you must beat and the date by which you need to have the fitness for that, figure out if you have at least 16 weeks for a training plan. You need to figure out what your level of fitness is. What is a comfortable speed for you? How long can you maintain an "easy" pace? There are plans out there that help people go from "Couch to 5k" (i.e., no fitness level to being able to complete a 5k) and progress onward to other plans and progressively longer races -- up to a marathon (and beyond). I have another post earlier on the blog (Resources) that lists some of the plans, websites, etc. that are available for use. There are tons more. In the end, though, just make sure you are doing what you need to finish. After you've got one marathon under your belt, then you can decide on the progressively more difficult goals (faster times, number of races within a specified time frame such as listed in the criteria for Marathon Maniacs, setting a Guinness World Record -- which isn't necessarily as difficult as you might think, etc.).

Advice For First-Time Marathoners, Part I: Don't Dwell on Problems

Lesson #1: Never feel sorry for yourself, learn from problems/mistakes, and move past them -- don't dwell//wallow in your problems.


Today was supposed to be the Boston Marathon. Then COVID-19 came along and most of the spring marathons were canceled -- Boston has been shifted to September 14. It's unclear if I'll be able to participate with that timing -- for now, I can't dwell on that, just keep my options open.

Given the marathon was canceled, I decided to do a virtual marathon today instead. It wasn't an official organized activity -- just me running on the W&OD Trail. My goal: to break 3:20 (which is the BQ standard for my age group -- not that it would get me anything in a private effort). The weather was PERFECT today (52 - 58F, light wind, dry). But, there were several factors that apparently combined to prevent me from attaining that goal: I went out too fast (10 sec/mile too fast), and I was sweating out more salt than normal. My heart rate starting spiking at Mile 11 -- my signal that if I don't wind up bringing it under control, I'm going to hit the Wall. Sure enough, despite slowing down over the next several miles, it wasn't enough. I wound up coasting into the Wall by Mile 23, and had to walk the rest of the way. 3:50:45 finish.

Sure, it's a nice time, but a far cry from my goal, let alone my PR from October 2019 (3:02:02).

As I was running, though, I recognized what was happening, and made the mental adjustments of my goals. While it's good to examine what happened and try to figure out what went wrong to prevent it in the future, dwelling on it and feeling sorry for myself is NOT constructive.

Forecast for Boston Marathon Day -- Ideal

It's Boston Marathon weekend, and everyone registered for the marathon is bummed that we've had to postpone the race until September. While it was snowing there earlier today, the forecast for Monday looks like the most ideal race conditions (slightly windy) that Boston will have seen for YEARS! Figures.





So, instead of running in Boston, looks like I'll be running a virtual marathon on Monday along the W&OD Trail between Sterling and Leesburg. I get off easy in terms of not having to deal with the Newton Hills (let alone Heartbreak Hill). With my stepping off approximately the same time on Monday as I would have in Boston (shortly after 10am), here's the local forecast:



Great conditions! Let's hope it holds up. Not that it will count for anything, but I'm hoping to not only beat my best Boston time so far (which is approx. 3:30), but it'd be nice to run another BQ like I did a few weeks ago. Always nice to keep the morale up, despite not being able to use it for anything.