Full Marathons

I did that one last year! Its a great run... I think they changed the course this year but your in sd so how bad could it be?! lol Good luck!!!!

~Leash

I don't know what kind of injuries, I'll assume legs (knees and hip flexors are common), but it sounds like you have the distance schedule set up. Don't be afraid to take 1-2 days of recovery each week. Sometimes when you try to keep up the pace schedule every day, you do more damage than good.

Also, don't make large leaps in your distances, since bone density takes longer to develop than lung power (you may feel like you can jump up another couple of miles per day, but it is recommended you only increase by around 10% per week to allow your bones to heal--i.e., avoiding shin splints and joint pain).

Refrain from strength training the week before the marathon, it just displaces energy.

As far as food, you can research that online--it's really different for everybody and you'll have to find what's comfortable for you. Just avoid heavy fats and oils those last few weeks.

During the race, there are aid stations for water and I think this year there is even a "gel" sponsor. However, I would still bring your own gels (and favorite flavors of course!). I take a 100 calorie gel every 35-40 minutes regardless if I feel I need it. They will be wickedly disgusting by the end of the race, but it should get you there. I drink only water, but some people will dillute water with gatorade or other electrolyte.

Make sure your shoes are solid and if you buy new ones before the race, make sure you run in them several miles before.

Most of all, have a great time. The weather is typically great. There is music along the entire race and plenty of goofy things to experience.

Good luck.

Thanks Leash! People keep telling me that it's going to be super hot! How did you feel about it?!
How many marathons have you run and did you have trouble with injuries while training??
I've been having trouble with my knees and hips - kinda wiggin me out!!! Runnin 15 this Sunday.
I'll let you know how that goes! EEEK! Do you train with a Nike+?? I'm addicted to it!

How funny!!! I'm big into volleyball too! Stopped coaching more recently though.
I just play doubles outdoor grass or indoor quads now! SOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Robyn

The day I did it the weather was perfect, sd usually isn't very hot, it was probably around 70 degrees with cloud cover so it couldn't have been much better than that! That was my first, I'm doing another this summer hopefully and I've done a few halfs... I did have some knee problems about 2 weeks before but I just took the whole week off before the race and I was fine... now I only run 3-4 days a week and cross train the other days which really helps with injuries, I lift weights and do other cardio or cycling....I did use the nike plus but now I use a garmin gps and its much more accurate but the nike plus worked great for me for a long time... keep me posted, good luck on your 15 miler!

~Leash

I know a few things about marathoning. I've run about 38 of them. The key is listening to your body and cross-training to ward off injuries. Feel free to message me with questions.