Running Tip #18. Look forward to the Beast showing up during a hard training session or race. The Beast takes the form of a stitch, cramp, heavy legs, or a mental block. Get it under control and have a friendly fight to show who's boss. This is often both mental and physical. You can't hate the Beast and expect to conquer it: "The only way to truly conquer something is to love it." (Born to Run).
Patience
Running Tip #17. This is one I need to work on too. Marathons are about patience just as life is about patience. Don’t chase after the person who passed you, regardless of how good-looking the person is.
Race against yourself. Let your body warm up and do negative splits. You won’t achieve your goals in the first few miles of a race, but you can lose any chance of achieving them. I promise you the marathon is more enjoyable if you are patient.
Taper Time
Running Tip #16. A guest tip from Meb Keflezighi who was an Olympic silver medalist in the marathon in 2004 and won both the NYC marathon in 2009 and the Boston Marathon in 2014. I had the pleasure of meeting Meb twice in NYC, after the UAE Health & Kidney 10k race in Central Park as well as after the screening of the Boston Marathon documentary in Union Square.
Meb tapers 11 days before a race maintaining normal training until then. His last hard run is a 5 - 6 mile tempo run one week out, incorporating strides - fast 100m bursts - at the end of most easy runs . He also reminds us to get to the start healthy. Stay hydrated, take Vitamins and carry hand sanitizer.
Break it Down
Running Tip #15. Don’t get caught up counting each mile. Break down a long run or a marathon race distance into segments like every 4 miles when you have a gel. This will help you win the mental game.
For tough, shorter segments during a race, like the Queensborough Bridge or the 5th Avenue climb in the NYC marathon, break those down too and power through. They will go by in a flash!
Nutrition Plan
Running Tip #14. Gel + water + salt: have a nutrition plan and stick to it. Gel + water every 4-5 miles or 30-45 minutes. Sports drink every 2 miles after the first gel. Salt tablets at miles 13 & 20. Practice nutrition during training even if you feel like you don't need it. If you sweat a lot or it's over 70 degrees, be more liberal.
For Gels, try PowerGel as it has 3x sodium than Gu. SaltStick caps are good for electrolyte replacement and preventing cramping. Finally, avoid caffeine a few weeks before the race and then use it on race day for an extra boost!
Visualize Success
Running Tip #13. Train your brain to race your best. Picture yourself overcoming hard parts of the course and crossing the tape. Create positive mental images while training and before sleeping. These triggers will help you relax and feel incredible on race day!
Shoe Dog
Running Tip #12. Many runners buy shoes that are too light, small, or stylish. Distance running requires support. Use lighter shoes only after getting used to them. Feet swell when running so go 0.5 - 1 size up. Replace every 400 miles or based on wear & tear, and use a shoe with 50-100 miles for race day.
Pro tips: Use a parallel lacing technique to increase comfort. And try a pair of toe socks if you get blisters as they eliminate skin-to-skin friction. I always run my marathons in them!
Be Weather-Proof
Running Tip #11. You can’t control the weather so be prepared for anything from sun and heat to rain and thunderstorms or freezing conditions. If it's raining during a key training session, you may use the dread-mill or skip the run but make an effort to get out there so you have confidence if it rains on race day. Training in the heat with proper hydration is also great practice but avoid extreme winds or ice to prioritize safety above all else. And if you really want to guarantee perfect conditions, run an indoor marathon!
Have 2 Goals
Running Tip #10. Set an ambitious goal and a secondary one. It’s hard to predict race day temperature which affects your game plan. Your ambitious goal could be to qualify for Boston, set a personal best or break 4 hours. Your secondary one should keep you motivated during the last 6 miles. It can be just to finish and feel awesome! Or a more achievable time goal. If conditions are rough or you have a bad day, focus on the achievable one - there will be many more races.
Stretch and Roll
Running Tip #9. Stretching should be a big part of training. Ideally every run starts with easy running and dynamic stretching. But it's most important after running.
Here are some of the best static stretches for running and cycling:
-Standing quad stretch
-Seated Pigeon pose to open the hip
-Child pose and cat-cow for the back
-Use a foam roller to fully stretch the IT band, hamstrings, and calves
-Use a hard ball to roll out the glute & under your feet
Proper Form
Running Tip #8. Proper form results in efficient running and faster times. Rather than fixing everything, work on each of these separately:
Torso: Shoulders back & relaxed, arms swinging toward center from closer to waist position than chest, elbows creating 75-90 degree angle, very slight forward lean
Foot strike: Feet strike under your knee. Aim for mid-foot strike vs. toe or heel, landing on balls of feet is good if you've built up the foot strength.
Stride rate: Avoid long, loopy strides and increase your turnover, targeting 180 steps/min. Speed = stride rate x stride length. Higher cadence will naturally help your foot strike too.
Test Your Fitness
Running Tip # 7. Guest tip from Bill Rodgers, also known as "Boston Billy" who won the Boston & NYC marathons each 4 times and is a former American record holder. Bill is now 70 years old, and I had the honor of meeting him last year during the inaugural Shay marathon in Boise, Idaho. Bill says to do a 1/2 marathon about a month before to test your fitness. A good race provides a powerful mental lift.
In addition, with 3 weeks to go before the race, add progressive speed to your final long run, doing the last 7-10 miles slightly faster than your marathon pace . Learning how to increase effort when struggling is huge for the marathon.
Cross-Training
Running Tip #6. Avoid boredom in one sport (e.g. running) by cross-training (e.g. cycling, swimming, strength training). Cross-training improves total body strength and flexibility. At easy/moderate intensity, it can also prevent injury by correcting muscle imbalances caused by running or other activities that you're not aware of.
Cycling is complementary to running by strengthening quads to reduce the risk of knee pain, the most common running injury. But my favorite cross-training activity is swimming, a full-body workout with zero-impact. Swimming builds the cardiorespiratory system by forcing your body into an oxygen-deprived state. To quote Drake, "Michael Phelps with the swim moves!"
Train Faster to Run Faster
Running Tip #5. After building mileage, speedwork or interval training is key to setting a personal best time. My favorite marathon specific workouts are Yasso 800s and mile repeats. Shorter intervals like 400s are good early in the season and during taper.
Speed improves running economy, makes marathon pace feel easy peasy, and spices up your training routine. No pain, no gain!
Rest is Good
Running Tip #4. Running is high-impact and endurance training can be taxing both mentally and physically, so it's important to know when to let your body recover especially after hard workouts or races. In the last few weeks before a race, listening to your body and resting helps aid injury prevention and muscle regeneration. There is little incremental benefit a training session provides during a taper period. Finally, the more you train, the more sleep you need. Try sleeping early and waking up early more often, since that will be needed for race day!
Eat Right
Running Tip #3. Poor nutrition is the largest cause of "hitting the wall" or glycogen depletion. Focus on good foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and grass-fed meat and avoid refined grains, fatty meat, excess sweets or added sugar, and fried food that deplete glycogen faster and lead to weight gain. 1 extra lb = 1 extra second / mile! I love plenty of good carbs, but they should be proportional to training load, i.e less carbs with less miles during taper. Make sure to get protein within 30 minutes of finishing a hard workout or race.
Pace Yourself!
Running Tip #2. "Pace yourself" is easy to say but difficult to do! Set a realistic goal pace based on training, and start at least 5 seconds / mile slower. Force yourself to check your pace despite adrenaline and ability to run faster. Ease in to your goal pace after the first 10k, control through the next 20k, knowing you can pick it up the last 10k and finish strong.
I have learned to improve pacing both by trial and error as well as volunteering as a coach, guide, and pacer with Achilles International, where I have helped pace several of my athletes to beat their goal times at the NYC Marathon.
Know the Course
Running Tip #1. You should adapt your training based on the race course. If there are hills, eat hill repeats for breakfast with a side of gels. Increase your cadence and shorten your stride as you climb. Let your body loose on downhills while catching your breath. If there are turns, run tangents better than Pythagoras would.
The NYC marathon is deceptively hilly with 4 bridges and a gradual but grueling climb up 5th Ave before you hit Central Park. Make an effort to train the course for mental and physical confidence on race day!
15 Marathon Tips
Here's a list of many marathon tips I have shared with athletes. I will be elaborating on them during 26 days of running tips leading up to the NYC marathon this year!
- Don't overeat the day before. A big meal is a myth. Have simple food & avoid too much dairy and fiber.
- Stick to your nutrition plan. Water + Power Gel (more salt) / 4-5 miles. Use caffeine strategically.
- Use parallel lacing on shoes to reduce pressure & prevent stress fractures.
- Get your body and mind ready with a few "strides" or 100 meter pickups before the race.
- Have a phrase like "Easy, Light, Smooth" or "Smile :)" to recall each mile.
- Avoid long, loopy strides to prevent fatigue & injury. Improve your cadence to at least 180 steps/min.
- Pain is inevitable. Run to overcome pain & replace it with something wonderful. Suffering is optional.
- Start slow & finish strong. Easy to say but difficult to do!
- Exerting yourself to the fullest within individual limits: essence of running & metaphor for life.
- Keep moving after the race. Continue to hydrate and make sure to get some protein within 30min of finishing.
- Make running a habit- have a "reward" in mind (chocolate milkshake) and isolate the "cue" (time of day).
- Run a race in costume. For the fans & the challenge. A reminder not to take things too seriously.
- Rest is a good thing. Running is high-impact, know when to let your body recover, esp. after a big race.
- The only way to run faster is to train faster. Find a track & do 800s, w/ 400 easy jog after each.
- Run YOUR pace. Don't chase the person who passes you if it's not part of your plan.
23.5 Hours
I really like this video, cleverly illustrated with an important message.
This is something we all can incorporate in our day and should encourage others too as well, from as early an age as possible. Build it into school curriculums, in one form or another, from pre-K through college.
This is one thing we should all be required to do, just like reading & writing.
This has tremendous benefits, primarily for ourselves but also quite visibly for those we frequently interact with.
I'll let the video do the rest of the coaching!