After all the months of training, it’s normal to feel an emotional roller coaster before your first marathon. You’ve come this far, so hang in there—how you handle this part is key to your race day performance. Let’s go over your training, nutrition, and mental strategies so you’ll be ready to step up to the starting line with confidence and ease.
2 weeks out (14 to 7 days): Tame the Taper Crazies
With your training load decreasing, you’ll need to adjust how much you eat. Have smaller, more frequent meals, avoid calorie-heavy, nutrient-poor packaged foods, and cut back on sweets. By reducing your training volume and eating the right balance of nutrients, you'll refill your glycogen stores.
Training: Your last long run is your final chance to practice fueling and pacing for race day. Be sure to include short walk breaks to mimic slowing down at aid stations or managing your heart rate on hills. Walk breaks help reduce fatigue, reset your form, lower your heart rate, and give you time to fuel and hydrate.
Nutrition: With your training load decreasing, you’ll need to adjust your calorie intake. Eat smaller, more frequent meals, eliminate calorically dense, nutrient deficient pre-packaged foods, and cut out or decrease sweets. Simply by reducing your training volume and eating the right balance of nutrients, you will be filling your glycogen stores.
Mind/Body: Sleep is key for proper recovery, helping your body repair and boosting your mood and energy. If possible, try to get an extra hour of sleep each night during this time.
1 week out (7 to 4 days): Dial in the Specifics
The saying, 'the hay is in the barn,' is true at this point in your training. You can't gain any more fitness now, but you could undo your hard work if you're not careful. The goal is to show up at the starting line feeling fit and fresh – not tired and worn out.
Training: Less is more, so if you're unsure, it's okay to skip it. Take time to stretch and do range of motion exercises after each run. Foam roll, but don’t go too hard or deep, and be sure to roll your whole body, not just the tight leg. On one of your runs early this week, include a few short speed pickups (30 to 60 seconds) with faster foot turnover to stay fresh and remind your body of different efforts.
Nutrition: Stick to foods your body is used to, and don’t overeat carbs. Focus on nutrient-rich whole foods like fruits, veggies, lean meats, and healthy fats. Most of your starchy carbs should come before or after your tune-up runs, not late at night when your body doesn’t need them. Avoid caffeine after 10:00 a.m. to get better sleep.
Mind/Body: Stay calm and remind yourself that you’ve done the work. Focus on what you can control (your attitude, nutrition, sleep, stress, race-day outfit and shoes, fuel, etc.), and don’t worry about things you can’t control (weather, other competitors, course changes, aid stations, etc.). If you’re traveling for the event, pack now to reduce stress and avoid last-minute shopping trips.
The day before your first marathon
With just 24 hours until the race starts, be prepared—it might feel like the longest day of your life. You’ve picked up your race chip and number at the expo, and now there’s nothing left to do but sit and wait. Tick tock, tick tock…
Training: Early in the day, go for a short 15 to 25-minute run. Once you’re warmed up, do 3 to 4 pickups of 30 seconds with at least one minute of easy running in between to shake off any stiffness. Finish with a short walk to bring your heart rate down, then stretch or foam roll lightly (nothing too deep).
Nutrition: Increase your sodium intake (especially if the weather is expected to be warm or humid) by adding salt to your meals and eating salty foods like pretzels. (Test this during training to see which foods work best for you.) Lunch is the most important meal the day before the race. Don’t overhydrate. For dinner, keep your meal light.
Mind/Body: Imagine yourself at the start line, moving through aid stations, and pushing through fatigue near the end. Go over your race plan and think about how you’ll handle each part of the day. Remember, feeling nervous means, you care. You’ll burn off that nervous energy soon enough.
Final Prep Tips for Race Day
· Grab hydration (sports fuel and water) at each aid station along the race route.
- Consume gels early in the race, since the digestive system is less effective as fatigue sets in.
- If you feel good at the beginning, that’s great, but control your effort and keep it easy. You feel good because you tapered and are fully recovered. Don’t sabotage yourself by starting out too fast and trying to “bank” time.
- Run your own race, not the one of the person next to you—unless, of course, that was the plan from the start.
- Remember to smile and thank your body for its ability to go the distance.
- If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: Stay in the moment. Stick to your plan, make smart choices, and let the easy kilometers stay easy. This way, when the tough kilometers come later, you’ll be ready.
Now, eat up, rest well, and dream of the finish line!