Marathon Week…the final stages

By Don Leeman

Well, this is it! The moment that you have worked so hard for since early last spring is about to arrive. You’ve worked hard, you’ve paid the price, and now you’re ready for the Challenge of a Lifetime…

Or are you?

Let’s run down a few things on the “old checklist”.

Did you do those hill workouts back in the early weeks? Sure, the MCM course is fairly flat. However, at mile 25.5, you turn onto Marshall Drive, and now it looks like Mount Matterhorn! YIKES!!!!

How about those speed workouts? After you built up your leg strength, did you practice running faster? Did you increase the number of reps each week?

How about those Long Runs? After gradually building up the length of the Long Run, did you get at least one of 20 miles or a bit longer? That’s where you get your endurance.

Have you learned to drink? Funny question, of course, but it’s extremely important! You MUST DRINK at every water stop along the MCM Course. Passing up a water stop without drinking can be one of the most foolish and idiotic things a marathon runner can do.  Additionally, have you become used to a “replacement” drink such as Gatorade, or Exceed, or whatever the MCM will use this year? You certainly don’t want to mess around with a “new” drink on the day of the Marathon, if you can possibly help it.

Okay, presuming that you’ve done all of that, and are now into your Tapering Off period. You are now “resting” so that you will go into the MCM as strong as you have ever been. This is the “Runner’s Peak” that all of us strive for: to arrive at the Starting line of our Target Race, ready to “let it all out”.

Okay, so you’re in Washington, DC., and you’ve just checked in on either Friday or Saturday. GREAT!

Now what?

Well, the first thing to remember is that you don’t want to do anything that can jeopardize your chances of success for the marathon. You’ve worked too hard and come too far to want to take any risks now. There is no way that you can improve your conditioning at this stage by doing any extra running. In short: the “work” is over, and it’s now time for the “fun of the run”.

Yet, there are many things that you can do while in DC that will make Marathon Day much easier for you.

First of all, let’s suppose that you are arriving at your hotel or motel on Friday. Check in at the Headquarters Hotel and get your stuff, including your Number. Make sure that you have at least 4 safety pins. If you can sneak an extra one, DO IT!

During the Marathon Weekend, there is usually a great Exposition at the Headquarters Hotel, with vendors from all over the Country. They’ll be selling all sorts of “stuff”, some of which you might want! In this case, do yourself one favor: Wait until after 4PM on Saturday before buying anything that might be “pricey”. By that time, the vendors are looking at stuff that they really don’t want to ship home, so they start cutting their prices to the bone. Marathon Jackets or Shirts are great examples of this, since they are all “dated” for this year’s event. In fact, anything that is “dated” would be a good buy…after 4PM on Saturday.

One problem with such Expositions, though, is that they are usually held on very hard floors. I suggest that you spend very little time on those floors, as you don’t want your feet to feel it later on. Instead, take in the great Seminars that are usually held at the same hotel. They are usually fun and very informative.

Now, for Saturday Night: Take part in the Pasta Feast that the better hotels put out for the runners. Most of them are “all-you-can-eat” affairs. Let’s face it: spaghetti is cheap! However, don’t overeat and wind up getting a stomach-ache. Your metabolism is sky high by now, though, so you can have more than just a “normal” dish without too much fear…if you feel the need for the extra carbs.

Another thing to do on Saturday night is to take your running outfit and prepare it for the next day. For example, take the shirt that you are going to wear, and place it over the back of a chair. In this case, the back of the chair will be “you”. Now, take your number, and pin it to the front of the shirt. With the chair back separating the front from the back, you won’t have to worry about pinning the front TO the back! (Seriously! I’ve seen it happen. People get to the Marathon site, take out their shirt, and find they can’t get it on because they pinned the front to the back. Then they have to “un-pin” it, and do it all over. Trust me: you don’t need any stress on Marathon morning!)

Also, place your running short on the seat, as if you were already in them. Place your running shoes on the floor in front of the chair, with a sock in each shoe. PLEASE! Make SURE that you put this on your checklist of “things to do”!

Another thing about Saturday: Drink water all day long. Keep drinking, until you are fully hydrated. How can you tell if you are fully hydrated? Simple. When the urine starts coming through “clear” instead of yellowish, you are hydrated. Then, keep drinking perhaps 4-6 ounces each hour until you go to bed. That will sustain you.

On Sunday morning, plan to get up VERY EARLY. About 4:30AM might be a good idea, believe it or not. Why? Well, you need time to shower, shave (for the men), get your running gear ready, perhaps with your equipment bag, and then…you’ve got to get to the marathon site! Trust me, that’s not the easiest thing in the world. Most hotels will have busses going to either Iwo Jima or to the Pentagon, where the Marine Corps has their own busses to transport you. However, in light of what happened on 9/11/01, can you be sure that the Marines want 13,000 people milling around at the Pentagon? Who knows?

A word to the wise is sufficient: get up early on Marathon morning.

Another thing to think about is the sleep that you get on Friday night. That may be even more important than the sleep you get on Saturday night. Many first-time marathoners get over-anxious or over-excited on Saturday night, and have trouble getting any sleep. Don’t worry. If you get a good night of sleep on Friday night, the important thing Saturday night is that you are in bed, laying down, with the lights out…AND DOING NOTHING ELSE! (Sorry, but marathon eve is not the best time for “whoopee”). As long as you are in bed, and you are doing nothing, then your body is resting, even if your mind won’t let you fall asleep.

Again, if you have done all of the things that you are supposed to do, you need not have any anxiety on Saturday night.

FANNY PACKS!

Yes, those cute little pouches that you have belted to you can be lifesavers. There are some things that you should definitely put in them. One would be your “survival rations” which may consist of bite-sized snickers bars, M & M’s, jelly beans…get the idea? Somewhere along the route, your legs might start to feel tired. Some concentrated sugar can give you a good “sugar-hit” that can pick you right back up and get you moving again. A friend did this one year at Boston, with Snickers bars. At about mile 16 he started to feel a bit weak, so he munched on a couple of Snickers bite-sized bars. In a minute he started to feel the effect, and he quickly felt about the same as he did back at Mile 10. This is not the best thing in the world, but it can and does work if you are not diabetic.

Also, in the fanny pack, you should include things such as some Kleenex or or other such tissues. You never know if or when you might need to blow your nose. A Kleenex, or even an old sock (washed, of course), would work well for this.

Another thing to include might be a Power Bar or Power Gel, or whatever sort of “energy-type” bar you ordinarily might use. The Marines don’t supply those, of course, so you have to bring your own.

One thing: If you have run with Fanny Packs before, you should be used to them, and they pose no problems at all. However, if you’ve never used one, you might want to take a precaution. Use some sort of Velcro strips so that the pack won’t keep bouncing against….your fanny! Keeping it secure will also keep it out of mind, as you won’t feel it slapping you every stride for 26.2 miles.

Be sure that you keep drinking water on Marathon morning, but stop about 2 hours before the run. Some of that water will reach your bladder, and needs to go through your system. However, about 10 minutes before the Start, drink another 4-6 ounces of water. That won’t reach your bladder. Instead, it will come out of you as sweat.

Additionally, bring one black plastic garbage bag with you, and poke a hole through the bottom for your head. If it’s chilly or (God forbid) rainy, that bag can be a lifesaver of sorts. It will help to keep you warmer by acting as a wind-brake. More  important, if it’s chilly and windy…and rainy, it will keep those cold raindrops off your skin. They will feel like icicles!

For the ladies, there is an additional reason for the BLACK garbage bag, plus bringing 2 plastic cups with you. One of those cups will contain your last drink of water before you run. The other………will be empty unless you need to fill it (how can I be “delicate” about this?). Often times, the portajohns have long lines, and you will feel that you’ve just got to get rid of that excess water…right now! With a black plastic bag over you, you can safely kneel down and……..you get the picture. Nobody will see what you’re doing under that bag! However, one small problem might develop: you have not yet drunk the water, and now you’re suddenly holding two cups, and you forgot which was which! SIMPLE! If it’s warm…DON’T DRINK IT!

Another item to bring with you is a baseball cap of sorts. If it’s raining, this will help to keep rain out of your eyes or off of your glasses. From experience, by doing that you will reduce the amount of fogging that may develop on your glasses.

Well, this has been a LONG article, and I hope it has not bored you to pieces. However, there are so many little things that can “go wrong”, and I don’t want that to happen to any of you. Of course, your personal coaches have probably covered some of these possibilities. Maybe they haven’t.  In any case, these little tips can help to make the weekend easier for you.

After the marathon, you should be both hungry and thirsty. GOOD! Go eat some more pasta! No, you might say, “But Don, I’m getting sick of pasta! I’ve had enough to last a lifetime just this past week!” Fine, however, you’ve used up ALL of your carbohydrates, and the body needs to replace those as quickly as possible. It will certainly aid in your recovery after the marathon. So, your first meal after the marathon should “look like” your last meal before the marathon. Chow down, and don’t worry about “gaining weight”. If you’ve “had it” with pasta, bring some baked potatoes to the marathon site, and eat them afterwards.

Also, drinking lots of water afterwards is vital. The first time you go to the bathroom after the run, the urine is likely to be darker than normal. Expect that! Consider doing this: weigh yourself the morning of the event, and then weigh yourself immediately afterwards. The difference is how much water you need to drink: in pounds.

Another tip: after the run, use a moist towel and wipe your face thoroughly. The sweat of the marathon will have caked up as a salt, and you will have “white spots” on your face, perhaps around your nose and eyes. It’s better to wipe that off before stepping into the shower. This way, you won’t get any salt in your eyes.

Well, let me wish all of you the best of luck on the Marathon. As I said before, this is the Challenge of a lifetime for most people. This is especially so for first-timers. The more enjoyable this experience is for you, the more likely you are to come back for more. However, the proudest moment of all for each of you will come as you approach and cross the Finish Line. At that point, you will realize that everything has fallen into place, and that you’ve done something that very few people ever do: You’ve conquered the Marathon. When the Marine drapes a Medallion around your neck, wear that Medallion with pride. Consider wearing it the next day at work, and let it be full testimony to what you have accomplished. As I said once before: Once you’ve run your first marathon, you will realize that you will be able to achieve any other goals that you set for yourself in life.

Good luck to all of you, and God Bless each of you.

As always, if any of you have any questions or comments, either write to “Don’s Mailbag, or email me directly at: dleeman03887@hotmail.com