First Marathon; Got Tips?

[Adam]

So, I'm training for my first Full. I've done several Halves and I have run up to a 30K race. I'm ready to run my first full and I want to qualify for Boston on my first go around. While I'm not elite or anything my Half time is 1:30-1:35, so I know I can make the 3:10 limit given I put in the workouts.

What I want to know is what tips you might have for doing my first complete marathon. I've seen some suggestions like swallowing a fast food packet of salt right before the start, for instance. That is a random thing I would not have thought about. Stuff like how to make sure my bowels are clear (when/how much food and/or laxitive the night before?) or how much mileage to taper off the weeks before would be great. Right now I'm training 40mile weeks and gonna up it to 50, not exceeding 55 on any weeks. Marathon is 20September.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Heather!]

hey there adam! i just ran my first one two weeks ago in 3:13 (my half time is about 1:29) so it looks like you and i are about even... but my weekly mileage was consistently between 70 and 80 miles. as i upped the mileage, i started doing two-a-days almost every day (maybe 8 in the morning and then 8 at night) and i noticed that the more i did that, the faster my pace became and the easier it was to run at that faster pace (i'm a big supporter of just running as much as you can and that the more you do something the better you get at it). so... i would suggest maybe upping your mileage a bit more

i have not heard anything about salt packets (though someone mentioned cake frosting...) but sodium is pretty important. i carried a water bottle with me (so i wouldn't have to stop at any aid stations) and it had 3/4 gatorade and 1/4 water. i chose the gatorade because it has sodium and sugar (and not any fake sweetner - watch out for those in the low calorie drinks 'cause the fake sugar diverts water from your intestinal tract and can cause diarhea). that worked out really well for me.

i worried about the clear bowel issue as well... i wouldn't eat anything too late at night or any food that you don't normally eat. i ate a lot in the morning and then kinda tapered throughout the rest of the day. i was careful to not eat anything that has a ton of soluble fiber or that would lead to gas (!) so even thought i regularly eat things like broccoli and shredded wheat, i avoided them the day before and stuck with things that were more easily digestible (i had a lot of steamed green beans and grapes and cereal and yogurt and a couple veggie burgers).

whatever you do, do not take a laxative! there are about a thousand reasons not to but here are a few: they can cause horrific cramps; they are very unpredictable and while they might start working a few hours before the race, they can easily continue working for hours into the race; they can seriously dehydrate you which, aside from other more serious things, can leave you shakey and fatigued right off the bat.

in the event that you're having trouble going potty before the race you can try drinking a full glass of water every ten minutes (obviously you'd want to try this early on in the morning), which usually starts to work after the 2nd glass. you can also try taking 1000 mg of vitamin C with the water (it helps your body absorb nurients so that food moves through the small intestine easier and kinda helps move things along) but if you do that make sure you get just regular vitamin C and not the time release kind. if you don't take vitamin C regularly, i wouldn't take more than 2 of them... also, try just laying on your stomach for a while. i'm not real big on eating a huge breakfast pre-race, but a banana and dry cheerios are great (you get carbs, potassiom and sodium and bananas help stimulate digestion).it's probably a good idea to kind of experiment with this stuff now so you know what works ahead of time.

other than all that i just wouldn't take it too seriously. i went into mine with the mindset that i wanted to do well, but mostly just enjoy the experience and see how my body responded to it. as a result i was completely relaxed and had a great run... and i won!

good luck with the rest of your training and of course the race!

[Adam]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and give all that valuable info. I actually wouldn't mind getting up to 60miles/week, but I'm trying not to up my mileage too quickly and I don't want it to interfere with the rest of my life too much. I think 52 miles a week would make me plenty happy, considering it's twice as much as a marathon.

[Heather!]

no problem! i know it's a lot to think about and the thing is that everyone is gonna respond to it differently so really until you actually try it, ya just have no idea. but i had a blast and i hope you enjoy yours too! if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask... i'm not an expert on marathoning by any means but i majored in nutrition for a while and i still read up on it quite a bit

[Andrew Chandler]

Planning on Boston next year? Tell me how the hills in Col compare to Newton Heights.

[Peter Larson]

I second Heather's comment regarding the laxative - don't even consider it. Just be careful in what you eat the day before, and don't try anything new that might cause you trouble. I also carried a water bottle with me and took plenty of gel (about six packets) during my last marathon over Memorial Day weekend in VT (finished in 3:36).

Regarding training, it seems like you are on target for your goal time. My Half PR from last year was 1:29, but I maxed out training mileage at only 30-35 miles per week for the marathon, which was not nearly enough to maintain my Half pace for a full 26.2. I'm hoping to up mileage this summer and shoot for a BQ in the Fall.

I just recently posted a blog post listing some tips on running a marathon based on my experience in my first two. I'm no expert, but you might find something useful - you can find it here: http://oblinkin.blogspot.com/2009/05/marathon-tips-things-i-have-le....