<p>My son is running his first marathon next week and I was hoping some of you might have some previous experience that can help him out. He is running without a friend. He has been long distance training for about 8 mo. but has no past experiences with long distance races. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>H ran the Richmond marathon yesterday. He says to have a goal and stick to your pace. Get something to drink every four miles and take the power gels at miles 14 and 20. Richmond has pace setters scattered throughout the race, so he might want to ask if this marathon has them. These are people with the goal, say 3:30, on their backs. H thinks it is important to run with someone, particularly on the last few miles. It is also important not to overdress. It was cold here, so people bought cheap hats and gloves and then discarded them at water stations where volunteers were picking up trash. Don’t wear anything new. Wear exactly what you have worn on at least one practice run–shorts, socks, shirt, shoes, etc. should all have been worn at least once before.</p>
<p>Thanks, TA. Do you carry your own power gels? I didn’t know about the pacesetters. That’s pretty cool.</p>
<p>They were handing out the gels at the 14 and 20 mile mark water stands, but a lot of runners bring their own. I watched a recent PBS special on marathon runners and these gels apparently do help keep the runners from hitting the wall due to a lack of something (calories?) Also, it is nice to write your name on your t-shirt so people can cheer for you as you run past.</p>
<p>It’s particularly important to drink at nearly every water station early in the race, so I’d recommend at least every 2.5 miles, but also depends on the weather. His adrenalin will be pumping when the gun goes off, so tell him to start SLOW, or much slower than he thinks. Too many first timers cruise thru the first ten miles too fast, then run out of steam at 18 miles. Mantra: The “Race” begins at the 20 mile mark, when there is ONLY a 10K left.</p>
<p>Pretty tough to get much of a handle on appropriate advice without knowing what his weekly mileage has been, what his average pace is, and what his normal longest run has been.</p>
<p>Most common mistake: Begninning the race at a pace that is too fast. Best strategy is to feel as though you are really holding yourself back until you at least get to the 12-14 mile mark. Common mistake is to restrain your pace until 5-6 miles and then let it flow naturally. If you do this, you’ll likely be “blown up” at about 20 - 22 miles. The big point here is that “too fast” doesn’t come home to roost until the last third of the race. At that point you will know you went to fast in the first 5-10 miles, but you won’t be able to do anything about it. </p>
<p>Drink early and often.</p>
<p>Do not overdress or you will sweat too much and need more water.</p>
<p>Especially if you have a low training base (anything under 45 miles per week) do not expect to race at a pace faster than your normal training pace. If your training has been 20-30 miles per week, I would add 30 seconds per mile to your normal training pace and do not run faster than that at any time.</p>
<p>There is a new school of thought promulgated by former world class runner Jeff Galloway that you’ll do better if you throw in some walking time, especially if you are an undertrained runner.</p>
<p>Cut your mileage down in the 4 days prior to the race, but do not stop training altogether.</p>
<p>Thanks dadx, blue and TA. I will have him read this thread when I can get ahold of him. I wish I knew more. All I know is that he is inexperienced and I am not sure that he is that attuned to his body to know if he needs to call it a day before he finishes.</p>
<p>There is a big difference between doing a marathon to “finish” (like the Gallowalkers) versus trying to achieve a certain time that your training supports. If he is just trying to finish, the walking breaks are a good idea. Run a mile or two at a very comfortable pace, and then walk for a minute. Take water at every aid station. Carry your own gel in a pouch that clips on your shorts or in pockets on your shorts. </p>
<p>Start slow- the first ten miles should feel very easy. If you don’t do this, you will pay at the end.</p>
<p>Expect that last 6 miles to hurt- a lot. Did I mention starting slow???</p>
<p>Put vaseline on your nipples (men) and under your armpits. Put vaseline on your feet between your toes. Don’t break in new shoes during the race.</p>
<p>Start slow.</p>
<p>I was talking to H this morning about pacing. He likes to keep a constant pace from start to finish (about 8 minute mile for him). He says there are some schools of thought to start slow to keep a kick for the end or conversely bank time early when fresh and slow down later, but he likes to keep it steady with the same pace at mile three as mile 23. He hates to stop. As I watched the race, there are definitely lots of different styles. He mentioned a marine who he was using as a pacer for awhile that stopped at a water station while H kept going. Then the marine blew by H a few minutes later.</p>
<p>H is an experienced runner, but this was only his second marathon, with the last one 17 years ago. He alternated 36 miles and 50 miles a week with two days off per week and big taper the week before the run. I think he did three 20 mile runs. He was pleased with his 3:31 time and is feeling great today–went to yoga and took our usual neighborhood walk. He plans to do his speedwork on Tuesday as normal. </p>
<p>The first American to finish the Richmond marathon (came in 5th place with 1-4 being Kenyan and Ethiopian runners) was reportedly running his first marathon. I think Dadx is correct that the real issue is how much training you have done going into the race. You mentioned 8 months, which sounds like plenty of time if he has been putting in the miles each week. He will need to find his own style as there isn’t one right way to do it.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the additional advice. I would feel much better if he had a running buddy but he has always preferred to run or workout alone. The problem with this is that he doesn’t get feedback from anyone else. I bought him two books on training when he became serious and really this is all he has for his “runner’s ed”. Just a very nervous mom :). Good grief, I’m already driving myself crazy. Good thing he doesn’t come home until the day before the race. Thank you for the input folks. Start slow…got it.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst- It would be a big mistake for your H to do his speedwork on Tuesday. If he is old enough to have kids the age relevant to this forum, he needs more recovery time. Jumping back into it is asking for injury. There are small tears in your muscles after ANY race, and you need a couple of weeks at least to recover from a marathon. He should be doing easy running- no speedwork. The rule of thumb (which I never followed, I’ll admit) is one day recovery (means no hard workouts) for every mile of the race. As we age, we need MORE recovery time.<br>
(I’ve run over 30 marathons, qualified for Boston back when it was hard to do so, and have also run 2 ultra-marathons, setting age records in the ultras- I have had good coaches…)</p>
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<p>I actually watched it a couple of times; even if the OP’s son won’t watch it, she might enjoy it. Watching the challenges some of these people face might make her feel better about her son running it. Here’s the link:</p>
<p>[NOVA</a> | Marathon Challenge | PBS](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/marathon/]NOVA”>Marathon Challenge | NOVA | PBS)</p>
<p>MOWC, I will tell H your recommendation. He is 48 years old and likes to work out every day, but nothing competitive. When he decided to run this marathon (for some unknown reason), he joined a sports backers group and used their training program. It was hard to convince him to follow the recommendation to take two rest days per week and to taper before the marathon. (His rest days were really just cross training in my opinion.) He gets into a routine and doesn’t like to change it much. I don’t want to see him get hurt as he would be very grouchy if injuries kept him from exercising. I think he just likes to exercise in groups and found the marathon training group the easiest way to find a bunch of running buddies.</p>
<p>My H likes a product called “Glide” better than plain vaseline to prevent chafing. </p>
<p>H did the NYC and then this past weekend twisted his ankle as we walked along Hollywood Blvd. and has a bad sprain. No running for him for a couple of weeks now. The timing was good though. He would have been sorely disappointed to miss his first NYC marathon.</p>
<p>Using the power gels is very important, as is eating breakfast before the race.</p>
<p>Be warned, marathon running is addictive. H told me he wanted to run just one. That was 9 years ago, and now there are 20 or so finisher medals hanging from his side of the headboard.</p>
<p>Do not wear cotton socks. Wear 100% synthetic running socks. Cotton promotes blisters.</p>
<p>Wow, great stuff folks. Keep it coming. He had mentioned possibly carrying a bottle of gatorade at the start since he carries one while he trains. Good idea? So where can I buy power gels and “Glide”? Is that better than using band-aids on his nipples? He has good socks and shoes are maybe two months old. Do most guys wear running shorts?</p>
<p>Liquids are heavy, so I would not recommend carrying a jug of gatorade around while running a race. A better approach would be to have a friend or two to act as a pit crew and pedal around the course on a bike and hand him gatorade to drink at drink stations or other strategic spots.</p>
<p>Injinji socks are the way to go. They have a place for each toe. No more blisters.</p>
<p>[BODYGLIDE</a> / Prevention Is Better Than A Cure](<a href=“http://www.bodyglide.com/]BODYGLIDE”>http://www.bodyglide.com/) the website lists retailers that carry thier product. A good running store will hve the body glide, gels and good running socks. Make sure he has been fitted with good quality running shoes by an expert too…not some kid in a black and white striped shirt.</p>
<p>Just a note to thank you all for your great advice!</p>
<p>Son ran today and it was a great experience for all of us. Thanks to your suggestions of glide and power gels and starting slow he was able to finish with a great time and injury free. </p>
<p>I was in awe of the range of ages and ability of runners. Many, many in their 50’s and 60’s having a great time and finishing the race. </p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>