Common Marathon Pitfalls

CarsonRuns

This is a nice brief about what not to do for the marathon.

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/marathon-mistakes?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunningTimes-_-Content-Training-_-MarathonMistakes

vmclach

This is a nice brief about what not to do for the marathon.

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/marathon-mistakes?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunningTimes-_-Content-Training-_-MarathonMistakes

I thought for sure I had done all of these- I don't think I've done any of them.

Not tapering?- GUILTY
Not using the fuel on race day you train with?- GUILTY
running with new shoes?- GUILTY

good luck this weekend(?) or maybe it's next!

CarsonRuns

good luck this weekend(?) or maybe it's next!

Next weekend. Mother's Day (whooops!).

SonicDeathMonkey80

What about the biggest one... signing up for one and not realizing what you're really getting yourself into? Undertraining, etc.

vmclach

What about the biggest one... signing up for one and not realizing what you're really getting yourself into? Undertraining, etc.

Lol wait. This is me every time. Realization sets in at mile 3. lol

Better get in that trail & start looping around Mr!

davemunger

These are advanced marathon pitfalls. There are many more than three beginning marathon pitfalls, such as assuming you can run a fast marathon at 8,000 feet elevation five weeks after running your first marathon!

SonicDeathMonkey80

What about the biggest one... signing up for one and not realizing what you're really getting yourself into? Undertraining, etc.

Lol wait. This is me every time. Realization sets in at mile 3. lol

Better get in that trail & start looping around Mr!

I'm on top of it I'm doing a trail race 2 days after Pittsburgh, and then my friend and I are running the dam. Put this on my gravestone, but I swear I'm doing a run/walk and will be ok. Zero expectations is the name of my game

runfatmanrun

These are more like generic running pitfalls; not specific to the marathon distance. And yeah, there are so many more basic ones that trump these in my book.

mjpTennis

[/quote]
Next weekend. Mother's Day (whooops!).
[/quote]
Ditto on both accounts here too.
Have a nice race Carson. Thanks for the post.

sarahz5

Running even effort is such a good one, though. I have seen that twice now on the same most challenging hill in the two Philly halfs I have run - people keep their pace up the hill and then end up walking a good stretch at the top.

PrairieRunner2015

#3 is tough for me. I finally implemented even effort on my long run last week, and it turned out to be an awesome run. I slowed ~20 sec/mile heading into the 25 mph winds, but I wasn't exhausted come mile 12.

DavidMartinez2

running with new shoes?- GUILTY

Shoes are not like a baseball glove, you don't need to break them in. Running with a new TYPE of shoe you have never worn before can lead to problems, but breaking out a new set of what you normally run in is fine.

paxbfl

I'm running my first full marathon this year. I've run a bunch of halfs. I really respect the distance. I trained hard for my last half and set a PR. But for the marathon I plan to train smart (vs "hard") and just try to enjoy the experience. It will be a learning experience, and I'm not going to sweat my time too much. If all goes well, I'll come back for another and try to improve my time.

aldousmom

those were funny! I've only run trail marathons, and the terrain dictates your pace and speed, and I certainly couldn't imagine even splits! ha ha ha

also: I rarely taper for any races under 50 miles, I run races in brand new shoes (in my 50 miler before last, I started in pair that had touched the ground until race day!), I try new stuff during ultras (there's plenty of time to fix anything that goes wrong).

Obviously, I'm trouble looking for a place to happen!