Marathon time. The crisp, cool weather in the morning announces the end of summer, and the beginning of fall. For many, that can be kind of depressing as we prepare the transition to the frigid winter months. But for runners, there is be no better time. The past weekend provided perfect running weather, and I took full advantage.
A number of friends were running marathons in Milwaukee, or the Twin Cities, and they enjoyed great weather for those. But the big one for most runners in the area is now just days away.
You can tell it's marathon week in Chicago, because the runners are tapering, and apparently took it pretty easy over the weekend. my first clue was that I was able to park in the parking lot at Waterfall Glen for the first time in months Saturday. With all the training groups out there all summer, we were forced to park on the street about a half mile away from the entrance. But the crowds are gone, and the path was ours.
For marathoners, the work is done. The miles are logged, and now it's really a mental game until the horn goes off on Sunday morning. The race, for many, is the celebration of all the hard work that got you to the starting line. And it's usually a great celebration shared with a million or so of your friends along the route. But in anticipation of Sunday, as Tom Petty sings, "The waiting is the hardest part."
I know from plenty of experience what it's like race week. You are excited, nervous, and have lots of extra energy because you have cut back significantly on your running. And, if you're like me, you have nagging doubts about your fitness, or some little injury that has become amplified in your mind because of the task you are about to embark on Sunday. Trust me, it all goes away once you start the race.
If you'll allow me to act for a couple minutes as a coach, let me offer a few nuggets of advice. Those are universal feelings. Whether you are a first-timer, wondering whether you can finish the distance, or an elite athlete wondering whether you can hit your target splits, everyone seems to have too much thinking time on their hands in the final days leading up to a big marathon.
I think the best way to deal with it is to turn the energy into a positive, by mapping out your strategy. Set your goal, and think about how you want to accomplish it. If it's simply to finish, maybe you want to figure out the training pace you have been running, and map out a few of the mile splits (5, 10, half marathon, 20 miles) and put your goals on paper. If you are aiming for an ambitious time, you can do that math and maybe figure on a few different mile splits. Write them down, but then put it aside and try to relax.
You will have no trouble focusing on your goals come race day. And once you have figured them out, you should feel confident that you have done all you can and try to keep your routine as normal as possible. You want to do all the stuff you have read about, or tried in previous races. Hydrate, sleep, and load up with carbs. Those are all important, and others are much better experts on those subjects than I.
One other thing my former coach told me that has proven invaluable in marathons regards your splits. The ideal marathon pace is to run negative splits. That means running the second half faster than the first. In my nearly 20 marathons, I have accomplished that exactly once. But, the way to do it is to fight the temptation to go out fast. You've been tapering, and have all that extra energy stored up, so you're ready to explode at the start. Don't do it.
Go out easy. And keep it easy for a few miles. Don't worry, you will make up the time as the crowds thin out a few miles into the race. And don't panic about your early mile splits. You will find you naturally start to run a little faster 6 or 7 miles into the race as you loosen up anyway. Lots of elite marathoners like to say the race starts at 20 miles. That is very true. But getting to 20 miles in good shape should be your objective. So take it easy, and enjoy the crowds cheering you on.
Have a great race, and once you are feeling recovered, I'll see you on the roads......
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