In Greek lore the marathan (26.3 miles) was born whan a soldier ran to his general with a message from the field of battle in hand. He gave the script to his leader, then collapsed. Odds are he never trained properly and wasn’t ready for race day. However, you know that I love to run. Let me say that differently, running is hard (you NEVER see a smile on runner) but I love what it does for me.
Here are a few tips for your marathon day.
Don’t overdress for your race, remember your body temperature will rise at least 18 degrees at peak. Be sure to stay focused on ease of run and let your mind wander to fun, food and friends. The trick is to fool your body. Think of a 26.3 mile run as pieces of runs, let your first chunk be the manageable 9 miles to start, then hunker down for the next 10 miles. At mile 19, tell yourself you’re running a 10K – so easy to do, you can do it. Keep your head up while running, find a runner who’s a little faster than your desired pace and stay with that runner – let them set the tone. Finally, follow the shortest course, don’t wander which adds more mileage. Remember, if you’ve trained properly you’ve already run 500 miles – so race day should be the easiest day of your journey.
And for heaven’s sake always be careful on a treadmill
