Fast Marathon Secret 1

Know your Stomach

By now you should know what types of gels, treats and drinks work best with your stomach. RACE DAY IS NOT THE TIME TO EXPERIMENT!! Did you try using the gels they are give out during the race? No? Then leave them alone. I always bring my own. A lot of shorts have pockets these days and also there are some great minimal running belts out there to get.

Check out there belts from Spi-belt. (I get no commission from this)

Fast Marathon Secret 2

Pace Yourself

Just because someone is running like you at the beginning doesn’t mean that they don’t have an extra gear they will shift to later on. Trying to stay with someone will just throw you off your game, by either making you work too hard too early, or too hard later on. Unless you know they have the same goal as you do not try to stay with anyone else.

You will find yourself hovering around some people during the race, but keep an eye on your own pace on your watch and listen to your body.  You are the best predictor of how you are going to do.

Fast Marathon Secret 3

PLAN!!!

You need a plan. The first third you will probably feel great, invincible and question if you should have started out with the front of the pack because ‘You CAN WIN THIS!’ 

Then by the halfway point you will be begging for mercy.  You need to make a plan that works with the course and your fitness levels.  That plan needs to have some wiggle room.  Race days are never perfect, or never perfect enough, for absolutely everything to go right.  

So you need to make a plan for your pace, strategy, fuel, hydration, heck even when you are going to get up.  Plan it out and try your best to stick with it, but don’t go to pieces if the plan does.

Fast Marathon Secret 4

You are what you eat

Nachos don’t run fast, except maybe through you. Just because you have logged hundreds of miles and going to burn of 5000 calories the next day does not mean this is time to eat garbage. Complex carbs, lean protein, a little bit of fat, and some vegetables the day before are a great start to your race day.

A lot of people swear by the traditional pasta dinner, others like a more Mediterranean style, you might swear by pizza (probably not) it comes down to what works for you. Think back to dinners you had the day before your long runs to figure out what might work best for you.

Also having some breakfast in the morning is a good idea.  Make sure you eat at least a couple of hours before your race and give yourself a chance to go to the bathroom.  If you aren’t a breakfast person, then don’t start now.  Sleep in a little while longer and have a quick gel or two at the start.

Fast Marathon Secret 5

Chill the F Train Out

It’s exciting, you have worked hard and no matter what you are one impressive sexy beast. But, the main thing you should have learned in all of your training is that this is the long haul. This is a challenge of patience, experience, and maturity. A marathon isn’t the place for a hyper active puppy, thats what 5Ks are for.

This secret is the hardest one to follow when seeking a marathon PR. I know this, because most of my races I usually have to mentally yell at myself to slow down during the first 3 miles.  Then I talk myself down from impending doom at mile 13. Finally I disassociate from my body like a torture victim around miles 18-20 to finish the race.

All of the previous secrets are the ones I am guilty of violating almost every time I race. And not to brag, but I have run a 3:02 marathon before. Imagine if I could get out of my own way for once, maybe I could finally break 3 hours…

Bonus

Know Your Training

Things do not always go to plan, in fact they rarely do. If your training got sidetracked a bit, or a nagging injury has been popping up, you owe it to yourself to reevaluate whether to run or not. It may be that you lower your expectations on your performance and enjoy the run, or maybe you drop out because the course will ruin you.

At the marathon level, the stakes get higher. You can run a 5K with lackluster training. A half marathon can be muddled through after missing some key workouts, but getting through a full marathon is a lot harder.

Check in During Your Race

When attempting to PR a marathon a “secret” that is overlooked is the plan.  You should know what pace you want to go, and where you should be at a given time.  There are many different strategies to use (like negative splits, positive spilts, charging uphills or downhills, fartlek style,) but it will depend on the course nd your training.  

If you didn’t practice running for a negative spilt, don’t try for it on race day.  Also if you recognize that you are struggling to hit your goal early on, be prepared to let go of it.  It’s ok.  Remember you did pay a lot of money and spend a lot of time to get there, so if you can’t hit your goal, then slow down and enjoy the view, the crowds and the experience.

I’ve been there

I have skipped races myself, and even dropped out at the halfway point before. There is no shame in it, because there is always another. And the next one might be the right one. Or not, marathons are maddening like that. Why do we keep doing them?