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Whats the one thing you wish you'd known before your first marathon...
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And if your travelling get your running partner to drive / or someone else so you can take advantage of the one drink pi$$ed effect!
In fact echoing even more of what nessie said above I always work out how far each distance is etc 2 miles 1/13, 3 miles 1/8th a bit 5 about 1/5 etc etc, works a lot better on the return leg!
When I've really hurt on a training run, I've counted slowly up to 100 believe paula does this too she covers more distance in that time so I think she must count faster than me!!
Someone else also told me to ignore mile splits and go in blocks of 4miles, that way if your 15 secs down you won't go all out to try and make it back on the next mile and balls it all
If drinking water from a bottle empty the top bit of the water out before trying to drink out of the top else it'll go up your nose!
I'm loving all this advice! Can anyone tell me when it would be too late to train with gels? (probably been asked a thousand times
I'm running a 22 miler this weekend with them for the first time and then use them on FLM day.
Jim
James Healy - it's really individual. If you find them OK this weekend you'll probably be OK at FLM. One thing to be aware of is that once you get to about 20 miles your tummy may not feel like absorbing the gels. So it is best to take your gels earlier on, and rely on muscle fuel reserves towards the end.
But ... sometimes a gel at 23 miles or so can just be the mental boost you need, if you take it with water.
aa - Lucky I didn't divulge my full monty tip of 'drinking 2 cans of red bull' then. The science I've read, quite well-known, focuses on the effect caffiene has in blocking the brain receptors so they do not detect feelings of fatigue' hence you keep going at a good pace longer. You could well be right on the carbo issue, but I also advise people to be carbed-up at the start and also take on carbs as they run.
Last bit of advice from me keep everything simple....and don't overeat/ overdrink at the start...that sloshing feeling is not nice.
If you tolerate gels on your 22-miler, that doesn't mean they won't give you a stitch, cramps and worse on the day. Personally I'd give them a miss.
My top tips:
1) If you do pick up a cold before race day - DEFER till next year...
I didn't follow this advice and it was not pleasant. Despite all the training I had put in, I knew within 3 miles that I was going to be in trouble!
2) Take your own toilet paper when you head for the start - better safe than sorry. Also, I would suggest queuing for the toilets 45 mins before the race starts, even if you do not need to go. By the time you have reached the front of the queue you can guarantee that you WILL need the loo!!!!
3) The atmosphere is great for the 1st few miles and the crowds are excellent but remember to conserve energy. It is very easy to get carried away and speed up and sing along with the crowd (oggy oggy oggy) but concentrate on your race plan. I would also suggest NOT taking sweets from children or the crowd. You do not know what these sweets are and you probably haven't trained with them so stick to what you know!!!!
4) If you feel good at 7 miles, do not give in to the urge of speeding up. If you feel good at 15 miles, do not give in to the urge of speeding up. At 20-22 miles if you still feel good then you can decide on whether you want to pick up the pace.
5) Although it can be tough, try and enjoy the last few miles. You will never get to run the London Marathon for the first time again so really try to take in the whole experience and what you have acheived up to this point. The crowd are amazing and will push you on - make sure you get your name printed on your running vest as it is a great motivator hearing people cheer you on....
Good luck to everyone!!!!
roundman, I really like that last one in particular - about never being able to run a marathon for the first time again, so just enjoy it! I'll have that thought with me a lot on the day I think!
Its all good though guys, thanks! So much useful stuff in here
keep it coming!
If you're one of those people (like me!) who like to analyse their splits after the race, then make sure you've got enough space left on your watch!
Did a marathon a couple of years ago to find I only had the first 10 miles saved.....
Do your utmost to ENJOY & FINISH SAFELY.
I had sips of water but drank all my LUCOZADE it was delish.
A little boy offered me a jelly baby and as l took it and thanked him he gave me the BIGGEST SMILE.
I high fived and low fived a lot of children and adults.
Wave and cheer at different charities along the route they are all WORTHY.
I stopped to chat to all my FAMILY & FRIENDS along the route, they had waited ages to see me.
Put your name on your running vest, everybody calls your name and you feel like a SUPERSTAR.
ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY
IT IS A FABULOUS EXPERIENCE, slightly painful but REWARDING.
Just keep putting one foot in fron of the other until someone gives you a medal. That's not meant to be flippant, but it's just the simplest thing, that's all you have to do!
When I get tired during a mara and start to fret about how many miles are left, and I already feel tired etc etc I find it's best to stop that train of thought, and remind myself that running is fun, I'm there because I chose to be and trained to be, and I'm there to enjoy the whole journey of the run, not just to get to the finish. I find that stops the worrying. Cheesy phrase alert - you don't dance to get to the other side of the floor, enjoy the dance, enjoy the run!
Thank you thank you thank you all for these fantastic words of advice, experience and wisdom. It really has got to the stage now where I need to be reminded of why i'm doing this and what an achievement it will (hopefully!) be.
I got my name printed on my charity running vest yesterday and now I'm really glad I did.
I'm SO incredibly nervous but the thought that others are going through the same is reassuring. I'll be smiling at EVERYONE on the day (well, maybe not bewteen around 20-26 miles!)
The one thing I wish I'd known before I ran my first marathon is:
That it would be so addictive! If I'd known how much time I would keep putting into training, imagining it would just be one big effort, only to find I'd begin to feel I could be a proper marathon runner and keep doing it, well ...
Well, frankly, I'd have done it anyway, loved it, kept coming back and hoped my OH kept believing it was a phase I would soon go through.
Perhaps I'm just one of those people for whom a PB is just a measurement of the time I failed to run quicker than, so I'll keep coming back to cut it shorter.
Oh, and that's the other thing. Whatever your PB is (and don't worry about setting it too quick on the first marathon, that way you can easily get a quicker PB on your second!), however you get to the finish line, you will have a PB next to your name that marks you out from almost the rest of the whole human race as a marathon runner. You can say 'I am a x hr xx min marathon runner!' and be rightly proud of yourself!
Haven't read back through all of this so sorry if its already been said...
I wish I'd known that you don't need to drink loads and loads before and during a marathon. I know everyone's different, but my first was on a drizzly cool day in 2004 and I just didn't need all the water I toook in. I had to pee FOUR TIMES on the course... well, not ON the course but it's amazing the number of bushes there are around, even on the Isle of Dogs!
i'm getting better at judging it - haven't needed to wee in my last few races
, but it's taken a bit of doing!
AAAAANNNNNNDDDDD
When you finish, you realise why it's worth doing tough things in life - it's great when they end and you just don't appreciate the good things unless you've had a bit of hardship first.
Now have read back - some great ideas.
Very interested in the caffeine debate. I'm a bit of a caffeine junkie and often have a coffee before the race if I can. I find Lucozade with caffeine helps if I carry one and sip away at it for the first 10/12 miles. However, I might change that this time... used SIS SMart 1 gels (they have caffeine) during a 15M race last w/e and had a fantastic run. So I'm thinking I'll just have normal gels until half way then have a bit of a boost by alternating caffeine gels and non caffeine gels after that.
Another thing that might be useful:
Pack something salty or at least savoury in your kit bag for after the race. I always find I'm completely sugared out and can't face anything sweet. I know you need to take on carbs PDQ afterwards, but I also want salty things so a marmite sarnie is the way to go for me. And a bag of crisps. Actually you might not know what you'll feel like eating - so pack a few different things, or get your support crew to bring stuff so that you can start getting something inside you asap. It'll help you recover.
Body-glide on toes and nipples
make sure you go for number 2 before the race.........its really uncomfortable you run needing one(some tissues in bum bag if you cant go-toilets never have any when you need them)
never run in trainers that havent done at least 1 long run already
set the video recorder at home (you never know you might be on it when you watch it)
never try any thing new on race day especially gels/drinks.You could get stomach cramps which will ruin your race
enjoy it........the time is not important but the medal is
Evening all something to think about all last week I been helping some very good friends of mine relay there drive and staying at these while doing it this when great till I was struck down with a mystery illness on Friday which basically poleaxed my and gave me a very bad tummy (you don't want to know the details lets just say it was both ends
). Have worked out the problem they are vegetarians I'm not and been eating what they normally eat all week. Which is basically the same as me only no meat with the pasta/chips/stir fry.
Most of you crazy kids will have read in some of the stuff you get every year not to suddenly change your diet and panic eat paste and not your normal chips believe what you read because after two days of mountains of bacon sandie's I'm only back up to normal/abnormal (delete depending on how well you known me
) fitness.
Some of these may have been before.. but here' s my few..
Run in old kit - the stuff you know doesn't rub, is comfy and you know where all the pockets are. Preferably the same kit that you've done your longest runs in. Don't buy new stuff for the day and make sure you run in your charity vest/top to find out where the rough bits are.
Don't worry if you don't sleep much the night before, its the night before that that's important. You WILL be nervous and you will be excited so it probably won't happen anyway.
Don't drink too much before the race - yes hydrate, but don't get too giddy or you'll spend the first hour peeing.
Don't think of the end of the race, break it down into shorter periods - whatever suits you.. go for landmarks, or 2 mile stretches and aim for them - they'll soon eat up, but just thinking of the end is demoralising at first.. its a very long way away.
Only drink and eat stuff your used too, including gels, sport drinks etc, if possible use what they are giving out in the race so you don't have to carry too much. Don't bother with gels after 20 miles, your tummy's probably feeling awful by then anyway and you should be near on finished by the time it kicks in.
Go off slow, its a marathon not a sprint.
Smile.
I also found that taking pro-plus on the way around REALLY helped to give you a lift when your feeling shattered, but it might not suit everyone.
Imodium before the race to avoid the trots.
It may feel like an anti-climax when you finish, it sometimes takes a while to dawn on you what you've done. Enjoy the feeling when it finally hits you.
Put your name on the front of your t-shirt - not the back.
You will probably get over taken by Scooby Doo, Elvis, three people dressed as a caterpiller, or someone that's blind with a lead - or all of them. Don't worry about it - its your race, just enjoy it.
And lastly - you CAN go further than you think was possible.
A few additions to what's on here.
If you have support get them to wear something really bright and distinct - no matter how stupid they look. Ideally have them holding a weird flag on a long pole, not some kids scrawled large paper banner. Its very difficult for them to spot you so you have to find them. If you really want them to find you then don't get them to go to places like Tower Bridge - its too crowded, ideally get them to go on the outside of a bend. If time, research it. Give them all you can think of to carry but don't expect them to know what you want. So say to them to take a photo and then just be prepared to ask them for what you need.
4 rendevous points is about the maximum a supporter can get to and that's someone who is comfortable getting themself around London and happy to sacrifice their day just supporting you. Reality is 2 or just one place is better for them, especially if you want to meet soon after you finish.
Even if its your first marathon you may want to try and run to a time. Be prepared for a major plan change for FLM - it is one of the worst starts of any major marathon because of conjestion. You can easily take 25 minutes for the first 2 miles, and say for instance you are on 4 hours at 9 min miling, your plan is instantly knackered. So adjust, but don't try and make up the time in the next 5 miles - spread it over much longer.
Agree with the comment about the loo queue - start early. But don't panic, although it doesn't look as though it is moving it does.
Don't be obsessed with stopping your watch at the finish line. Instead make sure you look up, arms aloft, smile, and even go through the line slowly, so you get a good official finish photo. So many are of people looking down at their wrist.
Unless you have agreed to run with someone it is likely you will experience one of the most emotional moments of your life as you cross the line with no one you know to celebrate or cry with. It just won't feel the same 15 mins later when you meet your friends. Don't be shy, the person you have been running alongside for the last 3 miles or so feels exactly the same - give them a hug.
Let the finish staff get your chip off your shoe - bending or squatting down at this point can induce cramp and fainting. Also I didn't trust the tie on thing I was given - I still threaded it through my laces.
If time go and visit the finish beforehand - it helps motivation on identifying your goal.
If travelling by train don't panic about the crush - you will get there - but do take care not to get trodden on. And this is where an extra bin liner can help ....if room, sit on the floor if no seat to save your legs.
If you are going to get your name printed on your shirt have a good think about where the number has to go. I have a low, body crossing arm action and my wrist catches on a number if it is pinned low down.
If you had a target and thngs don't go to plan remember your main target is to finish. Don't beat yourself up during the event, focus on finishing, no matter how. Oh, and try and enjoy yourself !
Great words of wisdom Simon, thanks
Thanks to everyone else who has posted their words of wisdom too. Hopefully I will have some to pass on next year.
ran my first marathon at london last year and here's a couple of thing's that helped me .
dont put too much pressure on yourself to get a good time , concentrate on HAVING a good time .
have your name printed on your shirt . this was possibly the best thing i done for the day as it made all the difference to have spectators pick you out from the crowd and give personal encouragement . hey , i even had 2 women tell me that they loved me !!!
take 2 immodium tablets an hour before you are due to run as the toilets can resembel the opening scene's off saving private ryan !
you are going to hit a rough patch so when it does happen you can tell yourself that you knew this was coming and you should be more prepared for it .
DONT BE ASHAMED TO CRY . you will not be the only person on the day to shed a tear , man or woman .
dont expect to be doing cartwheels after you have crossed the finishing line . i was shot to pieces not just physically , but also mentally after i finished . i rang up a mate after i finished to tell him how i had done and after speaking to his wife she said " god , i thought you would sound happy but you just sound tired ! " i had to remind her that I HAD JUST RUN 26.2 FRIGGING MILES !!!
be prepared for the low that follows in the following week's . you have completed something that took over your life and now you have a big void to fill .
finally , prepare to bore your friend's with numerous stories about the day as it will be one of the most memorable of your life .
enjoy !
Sky Blue Sam, were you in your mascot gear last year? We gave you a big cheer after the Blackfriars underpass.
Play up Sky Blues.
btw...love this thread, which is really exciting and making me emotional.
One thing about printing your name on your shirt, if you have an unusual name that's looks difficult to pronounce DON'T BOTHER!! I had my name printed on my shirt and NOT ONE person called it out.
It contributed to my late race paranoia as everyone else seemed to have their name called out - demoralising, but then I do have a silly name....