Need Marathon Tips

msstatz

I'm training to run my first marathon in October. I'm not so concerned with the mileage as I can pretty easily run 15 miles now. I am starting to think about the actual race though. Do I need to use some sort of energy gel or sports bean? I'm fine on a 15 mile run but I'm pretty sure a 26.2 mile run will affect my body differently. Any suggestions? Temps will be between 39-59 degrees? What do I wear? Shorts and a sleeveless shirt?

Do you have any tips as to what to eat before/during/after my marathon, what to wear, training tips, etc?

Thanks so much. I am so excited!

scottb81

For the race wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt. You will be cold at first but will warm up quickly.

For the race you will probably need to eat some while running. You don't really need it in training but you need to do it on some of your training runs to find out what agrees with your stomach. Personally, I like the Sports Beans.

crista_b

Here's a thread I found with some great tips: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/279198-running-tip-so-you-are-about-to-do-your-first-race?

bluefox9er

weather you choose gels or sport beans etc, do NOT do anything different on race day...experiment on what you prefer in the safety of your training runs...race day is not a good day to try something new that might potentially upset your stomach or otherwise impair your performance. same applies to shoes and even clothing!

lporter229

weather you choose gels or sport beans etc, do NOT do anything different on race day...experiment on what you prefer in the safety of your training runs...race day is not a good day to try something new that might potentially upset your stomach or otherwise impair your performance. same applies to shoes and even clothing!

Agreed.

As far as energy boosters go, I like Welch's fruit chews. They seem to be easier on my stomach than the gels or blocks, but still give me that little pick me up. I ran my first marathon in May (Cincinnati Flying Pig) and the crowd support was unbelievable. There were random people on the course handing out everything from bagel pieces (ugh!) to bananas. My favorites were orange slices and Twizzlers. They always seemed to come at the right time too. Most races also have a designated stop for energy supplements somewhere around mile 20. I would advise you to find out what it is and try it in advance though.

SpleenThief

I'm training to run my first marathon in October. I'm not so concerned with the mileage as I can pretty easily run 15 miles now.

The work in a marathon STARTS at about 16 miles. you may want to be concerned about mileage.

1. What's your average weekly mileage?
2. What's your second longest run of the week?
3. What are the average temps for your training and what do you wear then?
4. How do you fuel (if at all) for your long runs.

AJ_G

Sprint the whole thing, works like a charm

arc918

That is a big range in temps - what I wear for 59 is very different than 39, but don't over dress = shorts for sure!

Bring an old sweatshirt as a throw away for the start. You can warm up and ditch it once you break a sweat in a couple miles.

Just keep rolling on your training and start figuring out what kinds of nutrition works best for YOU. All the gels and gus have very different tastes & textures, so it's a matter of figure out what tastes best for you. Same with bloks & beans. I love jelly beans, but I found the Sport Beans are too sugary for me while I'm running.

Good luck and have fun!

I'll also offer my top three marathon tips (free of charge):

1) Don't go out too fast
2) Don't go out too fast
3) Don't go out too fast

tappae

1) Don't go out too fast
2) Don't go out too fast
3) Don't go out too fast

This. I ran my first marathon last October. My goal pace was 10:00 per mile, which may have been ambitious. I ran the first half at faster than 9:00 per mile, and then absolutely crashed and burned. Miles 19 and 20 I could only manage around 20:00. The last 5 miles I was able to jog some, but it was still torture and I decided to give up running for good and take up knitting.

bluefox9er

I'll also offer my top three marathon tips (free of charge):

1) Don't go out too fast
2) Don't go out too fast
3) Don't go out too fast

I don't know if I ever told you this, but when you gave me that piece of advice, i printed it and laminated it and slipped it inside my gel pouch when I ran my marathon.

I * could* have finished faster, but for a first marathon, the sheer elation of finishing trumped being critical of what *could* have been...and I'm convinced id have hit the wall, crashed and burned and everything else if I hadn't embraced that one piece of advice.

msstatz

Wow! Thanks for all of the awesome advice! I usually don't eat anything before my runs as I run very early in the morning. I will start eating a little as my runs get longer. As of right now my long run varies around 10 but I often run more and I am running about 30-35 miles/week. When you talk about Welch's, do you mean regular fruit snacks? I've read before not to try anything new on race day so that is why I'm trying to get all of my habits in place now.

Have any if you counted calories while training for a marathon? Any suggestions as how to do it?

Once again, thanks for all of the input! I really appreciate it!