Marathon Tips

[mahmoudhany]

Hello there Fitbit community!
I'm about to run my first marathon ever in a couple of days from now, I'm currently feeling very nervous and worried that I might get injured (I had previous ankle injuries and casual minor cramps during running).
I ran two half marathons before but never did the full one, I didn't train well yet I'm relying on my previous experience.
Any advice regarding what to eat, how to handle sudden pain or how to be less nervous and more calm would be highly appreciated.
Thank you. 

[yayuhz]

If you didn't train for the marathon, I'd suggest you start out at a very, very comfortable pace, because your body will not be used to enduring a run for such high mileage. When you hit mile 20-23, you're probably going to smack into that dreaded wall at full speed, so expect that.

As for the run itself, I'd say consume around 250-300 calories an hour to keep your body moving with energy so you don't hit the wall too hard, because if you do, it'll take 25-30 minutes for your body to turn whatever you eat at that point into energy to use to run. 

Before the run, the week of, start loading up on more carbs than you usually eat to get your body prepared. Two days before your run, eat your last "big" meal and then for the rest of the time, eat as normal and drink A LOT of water. Day leading up to/day of, just eat small, normaly, meals and continue drinking water. 

Morning of the race, if you're up 4+ hours prior to the race, eat a small breakfast and then nothing else until the race. I'd suggest you get some energy gels to eat periodically during the race to keep your energy levels up, as you will be burning a lot of calores throughout. 

Hope that helps, good luck on your first marathon. 

[Corney]

@mahmoudhany:  If you haven't trained well for your first marathon Good Luck!  I trained nine months for my first marathon and never had a problem.  If you haven't done at least a 20 mile run yet, Good luck!  Running is 80% mental and 20% physical.  As far as eating before a marathon, I ate nothing for breakfast.  I drank 2 cans of coke because caffeine helps the body mobilize fat out of fat cells so your muscles can use it as an energy source.  Remember if you get to the 20 mile mark, the race is half over.  The 20 mile make is known as the wall, because at that time you may have used up all your stored Gylcogen and you are running on empty, what's left is will power  Do stop at every water station and drink some water to stay hydrated.  Let us know how it went.

[emili]

@mahmoudhany well, I am in the camp that says if you haven't trained, don't run it. there is a reason why people train- it is to know what to expect, to know how to properly fuel the body and mind and to build up endurance so injuries don't happen due to fatigue both mental and physical. A big part of my day, every day is spent being active. I couldn't imagine risking injury and being sidelined. nothing would be worth it. I know it is a comradery and pride thing to do a marathon, but I would just pause and make sure it will be worth it...

[Ennay]

OK, I'll be in the "you'll probably be ok " camp.  FTR I have done several marathons.  Some quite well trained, some abysmally trained.  My first marathon was a charity marathon and I was injured the 2 months leading up but had already raised the money and booked the flights.  I lived.  It was not fun, but I survived and came away wanting to do it right next time which eventually led to Boston.  If you are prone to injuries you may want to reconsider. But if you are stubborn as most marathoners are...

Your biggest risk if you have not been training with fuel is that if you introduce it on race day you are more likely to have cramping, intestinal problems, etc.  Changing things up on race day is problematic, but you will need fuel.  And probably a bit more than someone well trained. 

Alternate water and whatever they have for energy drink at every water stop.  Check ahead to see if they have gels or you may want to bring your own fuel.  Make sure you are getting enough electrolytes.  If you have not been training with sweet stuff like gels and gatorade you may want to pack a little salt.  I always carried pretzles.  The stomach can get irritated from the sugar and you get tempted to not drink/eat or only drink water.  Both are bad. 

Go slow.  Slower than that.  No seriously slow down.  If you are struggling with slowing down as many do, then your best bet is to incorporate walk breaks early and often. Walk through the water stops at the very least.  Half Marathons and Full Marathons are not the same beasts, dont expect it to be fun.  

You might see some stuff that says if your HM time is X than your Full time is Y.  That doesnt count for undertrained or first marathons.  Try to get your pace at LEAST a full minute slower/mile than whatever "Y" is.

Respect the pain.  If you have the kind of pain that signals injury STOP.  Dont try to push through injury, bail.  If you are just miserable and want to die - that's marathons.

[mahmoudhany]

@yayuhz @Ennay @emili @Corney Thank you all for your advice and concerns, Contrary to what most of you had suggested, I went and now I can proudly say that I'm a marathoner. 🙂
I actually managed to break my personal record for my half marathon time, the only issue I faced was a some calf pain that was probably the result of too many inclines and declines, the route was really awful, I think that if it was somewhat more flat, that I would have managed to finish it without an injury and with a better time.
PS: To whomever might view this thread later, I would like to add a minor suggestion to be taken into your consideration: Take some shades and a cap/ hat with you, would be very beneficial in hot (and windy) weather.

[Berlintraveler]

Take time to hunt for a good pair of insoles made for running. I just purchased a pair of Dr. Scholls and hope that they will help.

[GershonSurge]

@mahmoudhany,

Congratulations for completing the marathon. It will be a memory you can cherish for the rest of your life. Good job on all the training you did along the way.

Sometimes when people tell you you're crazy go do it anyway. It's a great way to learn self-reliance.