Whats the one thing you wish you'd known before your first marathon... - Page 13 - Spring Marathon

alison cameron 3

07/03/2011 at 12:45

I have done 2 20mile runs thus far in training, a third one is planned either on the 18th, 21st or 27th of March, yesterdays 20 miler seemed fine and completed at easy pace in 3 hrs 27mins, would increasing the miles in the last 20 miler to say 21 or 22 be of benefit then?

Curly45

07/03/2011 at 12:59

It depends on many factors - for my first I wouldn't have been able to go to 22+, but some people can. If you are using fueling then I doubt if it makes any difference anyway since you wont be training your body for fat adaptation as much as if you are training on empty.

Also I wouldnt go super long with less than 4 weeks till M day.

Its like 20 mile races. Personally I would never race a 20 miler because its really exhausting, I would run one at MP though, but I think for beginners its best to run them at usual lsr pace.

There are so many nuances to good marathon training and the best way to discover what suits you is practice, which may well involve stuffing up a few times along the way

Clamshell

20/04/2011 at 15:27

My two top tips (having now completed my first Marathon!! ) would be:

If they supply an official kit bag (a la London/Silverstone) pack your stuff into a rucksack that will then fit inside the official kit bag. I didn't do this, and saw some who had, and thought what a brilliant idea, as those official bags arn't very easy to carry, especially at the end when you are cream crackered.

Second, if its a warm day, take your own drink, in a bottle you are happy to throw away after 3/5 miles or so. I did this. I had a £2.99 runners bottle, that i've had for ages, and it had developed a bit of a leak, so i didn't mind chucking it. I filled it with half n half water and lucozade before the start....and it meant that i could run through the bun-fight that was the first water station.

Liz EE

20/04/2011 at 19:22

Grab the oranges and not the jelly babies - they taste SO much better when you're hanging......

Crazy Diamond

20/04/2011 at 21:07

That I could run the full distance and I didn't need to stop and walk 100yds at mile 24 just because my body was knackered and my mind was telling me to quit

That I should have faith and belief in myself after 5 months of training on hills, in weather, around family/work/life and that if I can do that, a marathon's a piece of piss (relatively speaking)

That listening to my body is definitely the best way to look after myself in a marathon.

What little gem would I impart?

If you know you hate Lucozade sport drink, don't pick it up at mile 12 and make yourself ill up to mile 19 - wait until the next water station

Post marathon nookie is the best and most efficient way to minimise doms. Just find a room first please.

Cheerful Dave pirate

pirate

21/04/2011 at 09:10

Crazy Diamond wrote (see)

Post marathon nookie is the best and most efficient way to minimise doms. Just find a room first please.

Isn't that what the tents at the finish are for?

Hilden Bro

06/04/2012 at 14:20

Time for a bump, surely?

SwimsLikeAWalrus

08/04/2012 at 14:07

My top tip would be that when you are a month out and you've run no where near a sensible distance do not panic. Nor should you panic when you then sprain your foot two weeks away and cannot run.

Go along run your race conservatively and you'll realise that whilst you'll run ten minutes over what you'd hoped for you'll still feel better than about half the people around you and will feel you had better have another go at the distance as you underperformed!

Edited: 08/04/2012 at 14:10

reikirabbit

08/04/2012 at 17:09

My top tip is that if you tuck the loops of your tied laces under the taut cross-lacing a couple of eyelets down your shoes don't need to be as tight yet won't come undone.

The other top tip mentioned way back is to take a top for a small Nestle Water For Life bottle. Then you can run with it if it's hot, and maybe skip a water stop or two if time is short.

I also pin gels or whatever to the top of my tights Hawaiian skirt style.

Emma McGlynn

08/04/2012 at 17:15

Loved reading this thread for the first time, especially the arguments that were going on last year.
I am expecting to slowly run the beast in about 5-5.20 but run I will, and hopefully walk I won't.
Some great tips.
Someone told me to buy a scabby fleece from a charity shop, (not too scabby!) so you can chuck it at the start without being sad about losing your best fleecy.

PETER GRIEVESON 2

09/04/2012 at 11:15

I ran the Loch Ness Marathon a while back. Got drenched at one point then noticed watered down blood running down my right thigh. I had cut open under the tally wackers. Silly thing. Be accurate with your deodorant and vaseline around where your arms may / will rub. Plasters on the nipples for blokes. Put a load of vaseline on some toilet paper and gently wipe yer bum. Vaseline above the eyebrows to help stop the salt build up on your eye lids. Dont cut your nail just smooth the edges with a file. Walk at least a mile before the start so you have a proper dump. Relax when you are running and run upright. Dont panic when you feel knackered. Everyone else is also knackered. Run 6 so its only 20 left, then clock off a half-marathon, then run smooth to 20 and its only 6 left and 6 aint a lot.

Black And Tabby

10/04/2012 at 09:39

Bit confused about taking a water bottle lid? Do they give out bottles with the top taken right off? So no sippy top on it? (and if so, why???!!!)

Lots of great tips thank you - really helping to focus my mind (I'm in complete denial with how close this thing is...!)

SwimsLikeAWalrus

10/04/2012 at 11:05

Definitely vaseline your bum!

Nykie

10/04/2012 at 13:48

Black and Tabby, they do take the lids off but they're not the sippy top ones in the first place, they're just the normal flat ones.

Black And Tabby

10/04/2012 at 15:21

Nykie - thank you. That makes more sense! Will definitely look out for a lid. Trouble is, if its not a sippy top, I may well drown myself at each water stop anyway!

reikirabbit

10/04/2012 at 17:48

It IS a sippy lid, kind of!

Check out the Nestke Pure Life 339ml bottles and see what I mean, they have a flip top.

Now if I remember correctly you could get them intact st the start....

Black And Tabby

10/04/2012 at 21:59

Reikirabbit - thank you! It's a little thing, but I was planning on carrying the bottles with me so a lid is useful! I'll check out a bottle and see what you mean.

Nykie

11/04/2012 at 13:53

Sorry, I didn't realise that they supply the Nestle water. I've not run the VLM since they changed.

Nick Windsor 4

11/04/2012 at 14:32

I wish I'd known it was no big deal! I thought about running one from my 20s into my 40s and just wish I'd done it earlier, it's just a run, no big thing, just a run, and when you've finished you'll say to yourself either "well done, you've achieved your ambition" or you'll say, " I could have gone further, I wonder how far I could go?" I'm in the how far camp, and just sorry I waited this long to do it

kaffeeg

11/04/2012 at 18:46

vaseline your bottom? Am I too naive to understand what this means and what unimaginable things will happen to me if I don't?