Four Pieces of Advice for First Timer Marathoners
By: Coach Adam Tills (ECM Past Ambassador)
Ah, running that first Marathon, what an experience!!
Many of you reading this are deep into the training cycle, but probably still have a ton of questions. While there are a lot of people on social media doing great things, there is so much information that it can be so overwhelming! While your training might be going great, race day may still be a huge unknown for so many things!
Here are my top 4 pieces of advice I give my athletes-I am a Running Coach that focuses on first time racers of any distance. While there are many differing opinions out there about everything-I find these are some universal ideas that make sense and hopefully give you a great race day.
Top of the list is “nothing new on race day”. Many of you have heard this, but here are a few of the things this is talking about. The shoes you wear on race day are not brand new, but have at least been broken in-some running in them before race day to make sure they are ready-even if these are the same make and version of what you have been training on, mass produced shoes can have flaws-I had a shoe the wrong size-imagine have an ill fitting shoe for 26.2 miles? Next up is nutrition-do not try something new for your nutrition on race day-like those fancy new gels at the expo-use what you have already tested in training-you do not want digestive distress on race day! Also, do not try a new carb-loading method or new supplement during race week-you need to test these during training. I had an athlete try a new carb-loading method race week and it was a disaster! Wear the clothes and socks you know will keep you comfortable for long endurance effort. There are others, but keep in mind, what you do during race week and on race day is what you have tested during training.
Next up is do not go out too fast. This is another one seasoned runners will tell you is so important especially for your first time. Race day brings a ton of nerves and excitement. You will hopefully be well rested from the taper and your legs will be fresh and when the guns goes off-you are ready to go! The urge to run out, especially since other runners will also be running fast, will be great. Stick to your training! This is long endurance effort, 3-4-5 maybe 6 hours or longer, if you expend a ton of energy right away, the battle will be harder later in the race. My first Marathon, I walked at the end of every mile and even though I was one of the only ones at mile one, I knew this was my training and I needed to stick to it.
Third on the list is stick to your nutrition plan. Hopefully you have trained with nutrition top of mind. Follow that plan on race day as well. I cannot tell you how many people say “oh I forgot to take my first gel”. This will haunt you later in the race, when you really need to keep that fuel steady. And bring at least one extra gel-if you drop one or lose it, that will be the one you really need in the last part of the race. Stick to your nutrition plan to ensure the best possible race result.
Lastly, trust your training! You have been working hard for so long, this is the icing on the cake. Do not go out for an extra run race week to “keep your fitness” you are ready and do not want to risk injury or being overtrained on race day. Allow the taper to do its magic and get you ready. You will not lose any fitness during the taper
Best of luck to all of you on race day! I will be out there cheering you all on.