OMG: Last-minute running-a-marathon tips

This is adapted from the North Brooklyn Runners workshop from the 24th of October, where we shared our ideas on how to prep for the marathon. As the Educational Member Program Coordinator, I provided framework and ideas; everyone also shared their own great tips. While this is geared towards the NYC Marathon, you can apply many of the tips to any marathon. Ultras break all the rules, so many of them won't apply...unless, of course, they do!

BEFORE THE MARATHON
Last minute tapering...

• You can't cram in all the last minute training. These last two weeks, it's about maintaining your fitness and resting. Don't try anything new, don't exhaust yourself in workouts.
• Add in a bit of speed if you can - but nothing you won't recover from.
• Your mileage should be cut way down - 1/3 of peak to even 1/4 of peak. Less is best.
• If you haven't trained properly, tell yourself that undertraining is better than overtraining, because with overtraining you risk injury. 

Nutrition

• Eat normal food, nothing out of control new.
• Old school carb deprive/carb load is out. 
• You don't want to carb load w too many carbs. Sorry, you really don't need to eat 18 bagels.
• Low fiber the day before. If you have stomach issues, pay attention to the fiber you eat. I know a runner who (no joke) does a liquid diet the day before races because of her stomach issues. (Sounds miserable to me, but she swears by it).
• No beets the day before. No. Just no.

Marathon Expo

• Try to go earlier so you don't tire yourself out.
• Buy new clothes/gear is okay; using it race day might not be a great idea.
• Usually cheap place to buy gels - but so is Amazon Pantry. You pay $6 for a box and you fill it w goods. But don't buy new snacks to try marathon day. No new clothing or shoes for race day!

The Night Before

• Remember - Daylight Savings - fall behind!
• Set as many alarms as you possibly can. 
• Try to get lots of sleep all week long - it will make up if you don't sleep well the night before the race.
• You should have been hydrating all day long (and all week long really) but stop drinking an hour or two before bedtime. You don't want to wake up to pee 12x.
• If you can't sleep, try to relax. Meditate, rest as well as you can, maybe even read (but nothing too stressful....like, don't read articles about the current state of politics in the US).

MARATHON DAY
Breakfast and Coffee

• Only have coffee if you know it works. (Coffee makes you poop.)
• Low fiber breakfast - no more than 9 grams of fiber.
• Hydrate - but maybe stop drinking an hour or so before you get on the bridge.
• Hydration and coffee make it easier to poop.
• A little bit of protein for breakfast w your carbs - some examples - peanut butter on toast or bagel; banana pancakes (Don't those sound delicious?); maybe even maple pecan oatmeal (small portion); smoothie.

At Fort Wadsworth

• Stay warm. Bring throw-away clothes to stay warm. Hideous is fine, as long as it's warm.
• Keep your bib on the bottom layer.
• They have tea, coffee, bagels, bars, but don't try anything you haven't had before.
• Keep a disposable water bottle to carry with you into your corral.

First Few Miles - Halfway

• Use a pace bracelet (available at the expo) to keep track of your pace.
• Try to stay even to your pace.
• Don't get too excited too early.
• High fives are fun, but don't waste time high fiving everyone.
• Tell spectators to wear bright clothing or carry a specific balloon or sign - it's HARD to see them, and for them to spot use.
• Tell friends and family to track you with the app.
• If someone love you, they can see you three times - by Atlantic Terminal, go onto 1st ave up in the 90s, then go to 5th ave to see you one more time before they meet you at the finish.
• Set mini-goals (vs. "I have to run 12 more miles, shoot me...."): the next water stop, the crowds at 1st Avenue; seeing my BFF at mile 20; that huge TV screen in the Bronx; etc.
• Grab your cup - pinch it twice if you can.
• If someone wants to cheer for you, tell them chances are, you might be choking on water right after the aid station, so they shouldn't wait right there.

The Wall

• Get your calories in early - 100-300 calories is recommended every hour. Most people take a gel every 45 minutes or so (and take it with water).
• Regular nutrition can help prevent the wall. If you start to bonk, liquid nutrition (gels are great bc they're more calories than Gatorade) will be absorbed faster - and thus help you climb out faster.
• Send a friend to the Bronx - helps to have someone to look forward to.
• Set a goal - running in honor of a family member or friend - it's easier to dig deep for someone else than yourself. (I ran in honor of my Uncle Jimmy who died of leukemia; seeing all of the TNT peeps meant a lot to me that year he died.)

The Finish

• Last mile feels like forever - but the crowds at the bottom of the park ROCK.
• Don't look at your watch at the finish - it will ruin your finishing photo (and how can you get your photo on the bus then??). The will have your exact time online by the time you're ready to look anyway.
• Have your family meet you in the family meeting area.
• If you have a drop bag, add some sandals, socks, complete change of clothes. Also add a tasty snack with some protein if you are picky or if you want something more delicious post race.
• Drink lots of water.
• Change your clothes if you can - or at least get that wet sports bra off.

AFTER THE MARATHON

• Go run the next day. You will hate me for saying it, and it can be the slowest run you've ever done - seriously, 16 minute miles is fine - just get out there and DO IT. You'll get some of that crap out of your muscles and feel better. Then, take off the next week if you really want.
• You will want to eat everything in sight - the next day too. Protein helps with muscle recovery. Try to eat 15-30 minutes after you're done - something w protein.
• Get lots of sleep. You just trashed your body, your immune system is shaky - get lots of sleep.
• The engraving on your medal the next day is pretty freaking cool.
• Pick out your next marathon!!!!

What I Learned at My First 24 Hour Race (aka Cherie's Running Secrets)

I thought that I would hate 24 hours, that I would be bored, that it would not be for me (I consider myself an in-the-woods trail gal...nice pretty not super technical trails, even hills, are my thing...) - but I ended up completely LOVING the race. They're SO much fun - normally, if you run two miles per hour faster - or slower - than me - I'll see you at the starting line and that's it. But in a 24 hour race, you pass them, they pass you, you chat each time, you see people when you pause to change your shoes, or whatever. So it's very social. You see the volunteers so often too - they get to know your name, what you eat, etc. My friend Phil ran the infamous Across the Years, and when the volunteers realized they ran out of the instant maple-flavoured oatmeal he was eating, they ran out and bought more. 

But I def wasted some time, and learned a few things...

• Organize. I didn't have things organized well, esp bc when it started raining I put my stuff under my neighbor's table. But I'd have to stop, sort through gels, figure out where certain things are. I was to a degree, but really, didn't have things organized into little plastic tupperware dressers like some people did.
• Have a chair. This would've made things SO much easier. I was constantly squatting down, going through my stuff, changing my socks and shoes, and when I got up, I would be completely cramped. A table would've helped too, but next year when I do Hinson, I'm going to see if my sister has a camping chair or if she doesn't, I'm going to buy one and leave it in her house. You know, for her...and to use every year at Hinson and other 24 Hour races in NC.... 
• Not wear that stupid purple-pink bra that looks oh-so-cute but cuts me up. (Enough said.)
• Don't spend so much time at aid stations. I did this a bunch, esp at the end when I was trying to figure what to eat that wouldn't make me vomit.
• Plan where you place your stuff. My stuff was with Shannon, nice for talking w her and Ray, but not so good for my planning. Sometimes, I'd get to an aid station, walk through drinking my orange gatorade, munching a cracker, then grab a gel a bit later - I wish my stuff had been closer to aid so I could've had water/gel on a walk through the aid station area. Better planning needs to happen.
• Music. I'm not a music person while running but it really helped.
• Don't have the cell phone on. I sent a quick text to Wayne, my sister, and my mom, telling them I was tied for first 13 hours in, but that was it. Even that cost time. A lot of people were texting, updating Facebook, checking email, calling...if you're down, I think that can be a HUGE help (Call your significant other and let them cheer you up...but maybe not your mom. My mom would tell me to stop and go home and go to sleep.) but don't get sucked in. Enjoy being unplugged for just a little while.
• Extras! Keep extra socks, sneakers, whatever...you have the space. Just organize it so you can find what you have.

Cherie's Running Secret: When You Find Shoes You Love, BUY THEM!

When you find a pair of sneakers you absolutely love, STOCK UP. Sneaker companies are constantly coming out w new models, and I find the newest models don't always match up. I had a pair of shoes I wore for a year - or rather, a model, I had several pairs of shoes.

Currently, I'm obsessed w my Saucony Grid Flex sneakers - in pink and black, naturally.

I fell in love instantly. However, I couldn't seem to find these except in a nasty color, but luckily, found them for even cheaper (Hello, $49 for running sneakers!!!) on a discount retail site, 6pm (NFI!). So despite the shoes being fairly new, I have a backup pair already. I would've bought more, but I bought the last in stock! I'm going to buy another pair or two because it's so nice to not have to think about what fits right and what feels good.

Oh Saucony Grid Flexes, how I do love you!

Cherie's Running Secrets: How to Navigate a Crowded Sidewalk

You're tired. There's some idiot in front of you, weaving and swaying, who won't move. Here's a few things to do:

1. Run in the street
2. Squish past them, running on the curb, grumbling and sighing and sprinting so they know you're annoyed
3. Say, "EXCUSE ME," multiple times until you almost hit then

But I found the best way - when people are running towards you, just open your arms as if you are going to give them a giant sweaty hug. They will part then for you.

Cherie's Running Secrets: How to Handle an Ice Bath

Ice baths SUCK. They are cold, miserable, cold, not fun, cold...But here's my little tip on how to actually survive one.

1. Gather reading material that you don't mind getting wet next to the bathtub. 
2. Get in the bathtub and turn the faucets on full blast cold. Oh, this is cold.
3. Once the water covers your legs and hips, you can turn the water off. Then add all the ice you have in your house. I like to add 1-2 bags plus  whatever other ice I have.
4. Sit. Read magazines. Try not to shiver.
5. When the ice is melted, or around 15-20 minutes, get out.

I found if you try to slide into an already full bath, it's incredibly hard to sit down. This sucks, but it sucks less.

Cherie’s Running Tips: Don’t Know How to Pop a Blister?

Gross, right? People always tell me it’s wrong to pop a blister, but if it’s hurting you, and done right, it will heal quickly and you’re much better off that way.

Note: I wouldn’t recommend doing this during a race. It can become further irritated. You can ask medics at your next ultra to help you, and at the Vermont 100, they did pop quite a few blisters at Bill’s Barn (Mile 88) which helped, but also hurt. Use your own judgement.

Needed:

Safety pin or other pin

Rubbing alcohol

Neosporin or some other medicine like that

Band-aid

1.      

1. Wash your hands.
2. Clean the painful blister with alcohol. Don’t be stingy with the alcohol.
3. Sterilize the needle. You may also wish to light the needle on fire before cleaning it with rubbing alcohol. Thoroughly clean it.
4. Push the needle into the blister. If it is a big blister, you may need to stick the needle in several sections. Make sure you leave a big enough hole so all the liquid drains and does not re-fill (in which case you have to pop again the next day, which I’ve done). Iliana has these great scissors for cutting open blisters.
5. After pushing out all the liquid (I push it out into a tissue), clean again with more alcohol.
6. Put Neosporin or something similar on the drained blister.
7. Cover with a bandaid.
8. Wash your hands (because you just got foot blister all over you!).

The Stink: Cherie's Running Tip

I like to think I smell like roses, but after running for a few hours, well, roses might wilt next to me. 


Even worse, your running clothes (yeah, the same ones that "wick" the sweat away from your skin) stink, even before running for hours. Even after you've just washed them.


You can do different things, like wash in WIN detergent, which is effective (though a little pricey). However, I'm Little Miss Environmentalist, so I try to use a more eco-friendly detergent on the regular. You could do a once-every-so-often WIN wash, which is effective.

During Wagathon 50k, a few hours in. I probably smelled bad.

What I've found is pretty effective AND easy is a pre-wash without the rinse, let it dry, then wash. If you have a washer in your home, you can always soak in there but I live in NYC and utilize the 24 hour laundromat on my corner. 

1. After a particularly sweaty stinky run (I do this for any long run or when it's really hot and humid in the summer; basically, if you're clothes are wet when you're done, this is a good idea.), fill your sink with cold water and detergent and your clothes. Let them soak for a while - sometimes I'll soak them for a few hours. That's fine.
2. Squeeze out the water and soap and let them dry.
3. Put them in your laundry bag once they're dry.
4. Wash as normal.
5. They should smell better!
   

 

Cherie's Running Secrets: Stay Hydrated

So you're back from a run. You come in, gulp some water, and hopefully, hop in the shower. And then you probably do your after-shower-routine, grab some food, and are back on the move.

So try my dorky tip - you won't get hydrated by osmosis, but if you drink in a sports-top water bottle into the shower with you, and drink while showering (This especially works for me as I have long hair and the shampoo and conditioner can take a while to rise out of my hair.). So once you're done showering, you should have drank the full bottle.

And then you're ready to conquer the world, and hydrated!

Cherie's Running Secrets

In the future, I'll offer some of my dorky running tricks. Here's the first:

Have really muddy socks and gaiters after a muddy trail run? Here's how to get them the cleanest. Take them IN the shower with you. No, this isn't a substitute for laundry, but it's a first step. Just let them chill at the bottom of the shower. While you rinse your hair, etc, use your tootsies to sway them around on the bottom of the shower, squeezing out layers of mud, whatever. By the end of your shower, they should be rinsing clean (though may still look muddy). If not, do a few rinse and squeezes. Soap isn't necessary, though it won't hurt. Let them dry, and then wash them normally. They should be as clean as can be!