Congratulations to all of you who have trained diligently over the past few months to run in the adidas Dublin Marathon. It's all downhill from here.
Over the next 12 days it is vital that you taper down and allow the body to restore as much energy as possible to be ready for marathon Monday. No matter what level you are at, the marathon is tough. This is what you trained for, and at the end, while tired and sore, you will gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction and self-fulfilment.
Rest is best: All the work has been done now. These last two weeks are all about allowing the muscles to repair. Final preparation cannot be approached like a school examination. If you have not done the work up to now, you can't cram it in and hope to gain something out of it on the day. If your training has been at a minimum recently, keep it that way, otherwise you'll pay for it half way through the event and fail to complete the distance.
Tapering down: The hardest part about tapering or easing up is maintaining your confidence. Just because you got to a high level of fitness you might think by doing less you are getting out of shape. You may begin to feel guilty because you're not doing the high mileage you're used to. Relax, rest is best now.
The last week: Rest, rest, rest as much as possible and keep your mind off the marathon. You'll get excited thinking about the event and you'll even fear the event, as the final days approach. Follow the training guide below. If you are tired, miss a day or run/walk less than recommended.
Diet: Do not make any dramatic changes to your diet. Some people get all sorts of advice from so-called experts leading up to the marathon about what to eat. If you change now, it could be a detriment. Simply focus on eating as much carbohydrates as possible. For example, pasta, mashed potatoes, bread, cereals and fruit. Even a few sweets and cakes will help. Carbohydrates help store up the glycogen or fuel you'll need, especially, when you approach the 18-mile mark.
Water: Drink plenty of water over the remaining days. It's important to stay hydrated leading into the event. Reduce alcohol, tea and coffee.
Sleep: Because of the excitement it can be hard to get some good sleep the night before the race. So the best advice is to get to bed early during the final days. That way the likely lack of sleep the night before will not take its toll on you.
The night before: Eat a good meal full of carbohydrates. Do not stuff yourself. Get your gear ready. Pin the number to your vest. Lace your champion chip (personal time chip which will be given to you at registration) onto your shoe. Pack a light bag with a change of gear and towel for after the race. Cut your toe nails. Put €20 into your running shorts pocket in case you have serious problems and need a taxi back to the finish. No joke!
Marathon monday: With a start time of 9 a.m. for the race, it would be a good idea to get up at 6 a.m. and have a light breakfast. For example, cereal, toast, scrambled egg, bananas. Do not eat a fry. Be careful about orange juice, it can cause stomach problems. Tea or coffee are fine. Just make sure you drink water regularly.
The start: Get to the start early. Relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Do some light stretching, walking or jogging.
Gear: Do not wear new shoes or socks. Do not tie your shoe laces too tight. Your feet will swell. Tightly tied shoes will cause problems later on in the marathon.
Keep warm: If the morning is cold, it is a good idea to wear a long sleeve T-shirt over your vest. Cut out the front portion to expose your race number. As the race progresses and you feel a lot warmer, you can then discard the shirt. When you leave your gear at the baggage holding area you will walk a short distance to the start line. Wear an old sweat shirt or even a plastic rubbish bag with a hole cut out of the bottom and wear over the body. You can throw them away at the start.
Grease up: Blistering and chaffing is a problem for all marathoners. A good tip is to rub Vaseline into the arm pits, groin and nipples. Maybe a little on the feet.
The marathon: No matter what your objective is; be patient. Make sure you have a plan or two in mind. Do not just take off at the start flying out of the blocks all eager to beat the elite runners. The problem with the start is that most people get caught up with the emotion and adrenalin pumping around in their minds. While you may plan to go at say, nine minute miles, you end up doing seven minute miles and it will come so easy. Be careful. Stick to the time plan you have and even hold back more over the first half. Too fast too soon will kill you in the end.
Feeding stations: Make sure you drink water at all feeding stations which will be about every three miles. Do not accept drink from unofficial sources. Do not eat oranges. The citric acid will make you sick.
Bum bags: If your predicted finish time is beyond five hours I advice you to wear a bum bag and take food with you.
Energy drinks: Personally, I would drink water only. Energy drinks can upset your stomach during the marathon if you are not used to them. While there will be Gatorade available at feeding stations on the course I'd suggest you try it over the next week and decide if it suits you. During the marathon, drink water at all feeding stations to stay hydrated and just sip a little Gatorade from the half-way stage.
Glucose tablets: Buy some glucose tabs in your local chemist. Not sweets, but tabs. From the half-way mark you can place one under your tongue every few miles. Let the tab dissolve rather than eat it as the effect will reach the blood stream much quicker. This will help increase sugar level in the body and prevent you hitting the wall too early. Eat some energy bars.
Problems: If you intend running all the way and get into difficulty, have another plan in mind. I suggest you slow up, walk for say one mile and jog for a mile. Or it can be walk five minutes, then jog 10. It doesn't matter, as long as you suit yourself.
Staying focused: One of the big problems doing a marathon is keeping your focus. When feeling bad all your attention centres on bad thoughts of aches, distance to go, etc. When you feel bad, talk to other marathoners, draw inspiration from them. Find a friend and develop a "buddy system". He or she may be planning to achieve the same finish time target as you. If so, work together. Try look at the sights along the route. Enjoy the crowd, remember the reason (for charity) why you originally decided to do a marathon. Think of the less fortunate who'd love to be able to do what you are attempting. The bottom line is to do anything to keep positive all the way.
Cramps: Over the 26 miles your run/walking stride is in a constant almost monotonous rhythm. This can cause cramps as you get well into the distance. You need to break the rhythm as if massaging and stretching the muscles and tendons. Try at times to extent or kick your stride forward, high and easy stretching the hamstrings and calves.
The end: You will be overwhelmed with emotions at the finish. The thrill of victory and the agony of the feet. Make sure you shower or towel off as soon as possible. Have your dry gear ready to change into immediately. Drink water, eat food.
No doubt you will have lots of aches and pain for days to come. It is good pain and it will ease out soon enough. To help aid recovery, try taking cold baths. Sitting in a bath for five minutes or so every day for four days will do wonders.
Good luck: I look forward to running myself. I will have to practise what I preach too. It won't be easy, but we can make it fun. Best of luck to all participants. This is what you trained for. See you at the start.