Anyone with some last minute tips for a first time marathoner? I'm doing London on Sunday! Excited but nervous.
Training has mostly gone well, generally been hitting 55-60km a week, I've got three 30-32k runs in, and smashed my half mara PB by 10 mins (about 1.37) so I'm feeling as confident as it's possible to feel going into it, but it's still going to be 10k longer than I've run in my life.
My particulars questions are:
- Pacing. I'm aiming for sub 4, and ideally a bit quicker. I know I can sustain 5.15 mins per km for at least 30km. Is that the pace to go out at? I don't want to go out much slower with the aim of picking it up at 30km in, and being unable to do so, but equally don't want to get to 30km and die.
- Fuelling. I've been using one block of the Cliff Shot Blokz packs per 5km on my long training runs. This seems OK although I end them VERY hungry. I tried taking 2 blocks per 5km and needed the toilet pretty quickly. The back of the packet says you should be taking a whole pack (which is 6 blocks) per hour, which is almost three times what I've been taking so far. I don't want to go too heavy on eating and feel ill/need the loo, but don't want to hit the wall either. My thinking is to take 3 blocks per 10km, and to carry a flapjack in case I get really hungry. What do you reckon?
- What do people often forget to bring to marathons that they ought to bring? On my list I have:
- For the run:
- Fuel - some Cliff Shot Blokz and a flapjack
- Couple of salt sachets
- Earphones (I'll put them in my running vest in case I get bored, can't imagine using them though)
- Vaseline (I'll carry some with me and reapply if need be - my nips take a beating!)
- Garmin
- For my bag
- Change of clothes and shoes
- Safety pins
- Probably another flapjack, an orange, etc
- Toilet paper and hand san
Thanks in advance!
Weather looks OK, slightly wet. Don't let the rain bother you as it doesn't look heavy, so should be more refreshing. Just waiting dor the start you need some old clothes and a bin bag to keep warm.
For your first marathon i would aim for a slight negative split, just as an assurance policy. But only like 2 minutes faster on the second half. And mostly you need to work really hard not to go out fast. 10s a km too fast at the start has a pretty big cost/risk which you wont know until you are 30km in. The race really starts at 27-32km in, so you need ti be feeling relatively comfortable until then. You first few km should be the slowest ideally as you slowly kick in to race pace. I start something like 25s/km slower foe the first km, the 15-20s/slower, 10-15s,. Once i get at my intended pace (about 5km in), after couple of km i look at my heart rate and perceived effort objectively. Now is the time to pull back (about 8km in), or if even push faster if you had a cautious start. Just try 5s/km slower or faster and see what your heart rate is like, perceived effort. You do a little experimenting for 2-3km, but don't deviate far from your plan of you go faster. By now you will be about 12km with your (potentially new) goal pace. For the next 12km or so it is about being efficient, keeping calm, keeping a good form, relax. Once you get through half way about to about km 26 or, things can start to feel harder and if you are not focusing on the watch then the pace slips. You will start getting doubts. It Is important to simply push that little bit harder. Marathons get exponentially difficult and you have just started on the pain curve. At this stage it is purely mental as long as you have been consuming calories and set a good pace. Now you can start to use more mental games and they should be effective at this stage.
However, once you get km 30 things can start to feel really challenging, your legs hurt, exhaustion hits you, your body screams at you to stop. This is where the magic happens. This is where the combination of your training and your mental strength will see you keep fighting. Be prepared, if you have paced close to your limit then at times it is almost unbearable. Your pace can well slow down, this is OK but you have to only a very little each km, maybe 5-7s a.km slower for a few km, then 7-10km, but no more. It is possible if you were overly conservative or have great mental strength you could pick up the pace actually and start to make up time.
Mental games are critical here because by this stage physically you are starting to weaken, so you do have to work much harder just to maintain pace. Your body isn't as efficient, so to maintain pace your heart rate will be higher
Other tips:
put medical tape on your nipples.
Ideally you should try and consume more calories, but if you had difficulties in training then don't change anything
caffeine is a legal performance enhancing drug, and for running comes with many physiological benefits. For example it can aid fat burning, and decreases the sense of pain.
Be very careful of pace groups. In my first marathon they went off crazy fast some slowed down and ran my own race, over took the pacers at 3km and.only a couple of runners were left with them. And yiu don't want to waste energy chatting too much.
Edit:
I didn't intend to scare you with mental challenge at the end of the marathon, but i think it is worth warning newbies. You really have to fight, and it can feel like you will never make the finish because it is unbearable - but it is, and yoh will feel amazing if you fight to the end.
Of you ran 1:37 with good even splits, and your long runs didn't involve walking breaks in the last 10k (occasionally this is fine, but there is a difference in running 32km continuous and running it over 5hours with walking), then your sub 4 hours will be a safe target. i think you could do 3:45