It’s all come down to one glorious day; Race Day.
Few things match the feeling, both excited and terrified, of marathon day.
The last thing we want is for the euphoria to overtake our plans, so the following is how I manage race day.
Some of the following was touched on in the Race Weekend section, but this will elaborate from there.
Eat and Be Merry
When I volunteered in Australia, I quickly learned the importance of the phrase ‘No Worries’ to the Aussies and how much it could change my life.
The last 10 years, I have applied the ‘No Worries’ approach to everything in life.
“No worries, it’ll work out.”
“No worries, something will come together.”
“No worries, everything will be okay.”
There are few things any of us need to truly worry about and marathon performance should not be one of them come marathon race day.
Start your race day off by drinking some fluid, stretching, taking a shower, and eating a good meal. Be happy that the day has come and not what could or might not happen. Stressing now does nobody any good.
I used to eat a Powerbar and banana marathon morning. No wonder, I was starving and out of fuel come mile 20. Now, I have a bit of coffee, a Clif bar, a plain bagel with peanut butter and a banana. Sounds like a lot, but I tend to eat all of that 2 hours prior to race time so it’s well digested by the time the race starts.
My race mornings also used to be nerve-filled. These days I trust my training and lose the fretting. No worries.
You can’t get faster now worrying about whether you will be able to keep pace. Hopefully, you’re prepared for the tough race to come. All we can do is follow our plan of attack and hope the results speak for themselves.
Race day is here. Eat enough to fuel you for 26.2 miles and be merry that you’ve come so far. Our mind and body will take care of the rest come the sound of the gun at the start.
Bathroom, Bathroom, Bathroom
Nerves cause weird things to occur in our body. One of them is going to the bathroom. And it’s a-okay.
Bathroom time is far more important than most runners will actually acknowledge. There’s a reason there are as many Port-O-Potty’s as racers at many races.
I’m not ashamed of my marathon bathroom ritual that I’ll share (most) details here.
First thing I do when I wake is try to go to the bathroom. Last thing I do before leaving the hotel or house is try to go to the bathroom. First thing I do when arriving at the race location is try to go to the bathroom. 30-45 minutes prior to the race, I get in the Port-O-Potty’s line, which tends to take 15 minutes minimum, and try to go again.
Yes, a lot of focus on peeing and pooping, I know.
The worst feeling I have ever had was trying to overcome needing to go to the bathroom during a marathon. Once I finally did go, I had to wait at the Port-O-Potty on the course and then after going to the bathroom, it took a mile just to get my body going again.
We can reduce this from happening to you by, at the least, trying to go to the bathroom every chance the morning of the race.
Believe me when I say even if you don’t have to go, by the time you get to the front of the line for the bathroom or Port-O-Potty, your inner’s will thank you because they have just had another freak out about the race to come.
I know, I know. “Gross, David. I don’t want to hear about pooping on race day.”
The only reason why I tell you all of this is because no one taught me and each and every person I have taught this has thanked me for the advice post-race.
Moving on…
Stretch, Don’t Roll
I quickly learned how foam rolling is a training thing and not a race day thing when I rolled one race day (thankfully, not a marathon day) and all race I felt the points I rolled out. I know, it sounds like it would be a great idea to foam roll race morning. It’s not.
So, stretch whenever you get the chance. Similar to foam rolling, you should have done enough rolling and stretching pre-race day that it’s not necessary.
Stretching race morning does one thing: releases butterfly’s.
Even though you will be running 26.2 miles, “wasting” energy warming up should not be a concern. We’re not trying to lengthen our hamstring’s 3 extra inches race morning. Just stretch to awaken your muscles and get any last minute kinks and nerves out.
Earlier is Better
At the California International Marathon in 2014, our bus got lost following another bus to the start line. We got there about 35 minutes prior to the start. Not ideal.
I hate not having a minimum of an hour at the start area to prep. Every extra minute to stretch, stand in line for the bathrooms and mentally prepare for the task at hand is welcome in my books.
There’s no good reason to be late to a marathon start. When I say late, I mean arriving within 30 minutes of the horn.
Do yourself a favor and get there early. Try for an hour. You will probably be one of the earliest people there but it’s far better than being one of the people running up as the countdown begins.
There’s no need for extra stress. Show up on time. By on time, I mean an hour early.
How to Start-Continue-Finish the Race
To be honest with you, there’s no right answer to “how to race”.
Weather, elevation, crowd, fuel, and many more aspects can drastically change how the beginning, the middle and the end of a marathon go.
Not to worry. We plan for what we can control.
As noted earlier, race selection is extremely important. Try to understand how the course plays out and how the location will probably be on that day.
Let’s break down our approach in mileage increments, but you will need to adapt for things like a hot day or a 3 mile climb at the beginning.
- Miles 1-6 | Go slower than slow. Go slower than your ideal pace. We are just warming up and have a long way to go. I remember once running 1 minute faster pace in each of my first 7 miles and boy, that came back to haunt me. We should be conditioned enough to make this feel like a jog.
- Miles 7-12 | We should be rounding into our overall pace goal. This is the best time to figure out how your body is going to perform. I begin running the numbers as to what I might be able to pace out and how I’ll attack the rest of the race. Begin fueling, but don’t drink or eat too much. Try consuming over some distance versus chugging then getting stomach aches.
- Miles 13-18 | Our bodies are starting to feel the mileage even though we have trained this distance. It’s actually our minds playing games with our body because it knows it has a long way yet to go. Try to conserve for a push. That doesn’t mean to kill your pace, but this is where the mental aspect really kicks in. Yes, you might have just crossed the halfway point, but the halfway point is still to come. Keep the fluids coming.
- Miles 19-22 | These are, by far, the toughest miles. Know it and embrace it. In the 2014 CIM, I made a promise to myself around mile 17 to not take a break until I hit 20. I made it there and it was all mental. They say a marathon is your toughest 10k with a 20 mile warm up. For your sake, I hope the mental strength you have powers you through with no need to take a break or walk. One way or another, put all of your energy into getting to that 20 mile mark. That is a huge mental hurdle to overcome. Though the last 6 miles are difficult, the bear of 20 miles being over brings a new ballgame. For miles 21 and 22, maintain a healthy pace. A slower pace at this point is better than running and stopping every 100 yards. Fuel at your disposal while minding the fact that you don’t need nor want to have a gallon of fluids sloshing in your stomach for the next 4 miles.
- Miles 23-25 | Put one foot in front of the other. Keep moving. There have been marathons I’ve been able to keep a jog pace here and others where I’m a zombie. More often the latter. The worst thing you can do at this point is to stop moving. Move forward. That’s all you need to be thinking now. If you have the energy to run, follow the catch-and-release method. Fueling isn’t completely necessary at this point as it would take too long to get into your system to be effective. Yes, if you need to drink something, drink.
- Mile 26-Finish | I can look like a maniac in this last 1.2 miles. I give it everything my body is willing to sacrifice. We want you to do the same. Run. Commit to not walking this last mile plus. It might not look pretty, but you will thank yourself at the end for giving it everything you possibly could.
That’s what you will go through in running a sub four hour marathon. The emotions will hit every high and every low. Manage the mental aspects and your body should take care of the rest.
Recovery
Following the race, try to rehydrate with water and electrolyte mix as soon as possible. Recovery starts the minute the race stops. Yes, it is annoying to have to “take care of yourself” right after running for hours on end, but a bit of proper fluid intake immediately following the race can drastically change how you feel the entire next week.
For the next hour or so, try to lightly stretch and just move around. Keeping the blood flowing to the damaged muscles helps recovery.
Ice bath’s are amazing for some people (i.e. me), but not others. If you haven’t tested this during training, no need to try and punish your mind and body more at this point.
That’s it. That’s a lot, but nowhere near everything.
If you took nothing else from this page, at least take the mentality of always moving forward on race day. From the time you get up until you cross that finish line, always be moving forward.
With a bit of focus, race day can be one of the greatest days of your life.
Race Day Recap
- Give yourself enough time where you won’t be overwhelmed by the stressors of the day.
- Start slow. Keep moving.