You have four weeks to go, maybe three before the 30th running of the
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. At this point, you've put in most of your
miles, but your training's not done yet. Avoid these common mistakes
and let these last few weeks improve your chances of running a great
race-maybe even achieving a PR or qualifying for Boston this year.
Mistake #1: Panic training
You meant to get more long runs in, but you had to travel for work or got
sick. Now you're freaked, so you decide to run as much as possible.
That's what local marathoner standout Jenny Spangler, a running coach
with the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Running Club, calls "panic training."
"Maybe you feel like you missed one or two key long runs, or you don't
think you're getting in enough mileage, so then you try and do way too
much to overcompensate," says Spangler. "Everyone starts second-
guessing themselves, so they do too much and then end up going into
the marathon beat up or they hurt themselves."
"You can't cram your running in, especially as you get closer and
closer," agrees sports performance coach Tom Holland, author of The
Marathon Method: The 16-Week Training Program that Prepares you to
Finish a Full or Half Marathon in your Best Time (Fair Winds Press,
2007). "It's better to go in 10 percent under-trained than 1 percent over-
trained." Do your long run two or three weeks before the marathon, and
cut your mileage the last couple of weeks to help your legs feel fresh
and store the glycogen that you'll use during the race.
Mistake #2: Taking the taper too far
While some runners try to run too many miles at the last minute, some
new runners taper too drastically, says Bill Leach, CARA's coach. "Most
marathoners are only running 30 to 40 miles a week, so if you taper
much, you're not even running," says Leach. While a dramatic taper
makes more sense for high-end athletes, he suggests a less significant
taper for everyday runners, dropping your mileage by 10 percent in
each of the last three weeks.
Even so, you want to continue running regularly. "I knew a guy who
didn't run the whole week before his marathon!" says Spangler. "You've
got to do a little bit-not running can totally throw your body out of whack
... if you usually get up early in the morning to run 10 miles, you should
still get up early, but maybe just to walk. It's about keeping your body in
the same routine."
Mistake #3: Changing your gear
Your shoes are beaten down by miles on the road, so you pick up a new
pair for the marathon. That's a mistake unless you have time to run in
them and break them in. "Don't suddenly switch your sneakers around,
and avoid new clothing and gear," says Holland. Holland speaks from
experience-he suffered his own "wardrobe malfunction" when the elastic
broke on his brand-new shorts 25 miles into the Boston Marathon. He
finished the race-holding up his shorts with both hands. Stick with the
tried-and-true; your marathon gear should have been through at least
one 20-mile run.
Mistake #4: Cross-training to stay fit
You've cut your mileage and have energy to spare, so you decide to
take a Body Pump class at the gym. Bad idea. "Avoid anything new-and
that goes for workouts," says Holland. "Don't suddenly start taking take
yoga or Spinning class or something you're not accustomed to." If you've
been cross-training during the last several months, that's fine-but hold
off on new fitness options unless after the marathon. You don't want to
run the risk of straining a muscle or otherwise compromising your race.
Mistake #5: Changing your regular diet
As you cut your mileage, you may put on a pound or two. That's normal-
don't let it throw you into a radical diet or change in your eating habits.
"You don't want to change many things in the last few weeks," says
Leach. "We also don't want to see people changing their fluid and
refueling habits." Stick to your regular healthy, high-carb/low-fat diet and
drink plenty of water in the weeks before the race, no matter what the
scale says.
Mistake #6: Running through pain
Yeah, you've spent months training for this race. But if you have nagging
aches or are sick in the days before the race, you may want to bag it. "If
you're not able to run absolutely pain-free, with no evidence of limping,
within 10 days of marathon, I'd encourage you to look for another race,"
says Leach. "If you've put in two to three months of really good training
... it doesn't take long to recover the fitness that has been lost and
therefore have the chance to have a much, much better experience." If
you can't run Chicago, see our sidebar for other marathon possibilities.
Mistake #7: Tackling your to-do list
Yes, you'll have some extra time and energy, especially during the last
week or so before your race. That doesn't mean it's time to perform an
"Extreme Makeover" on your house. "A lot of people, when they taper
realize that they have a lot of extra time and energy. They look around
the house and realize that they might have ignored the cleaning during
their training, so suddenly they'll start doing things in excess-like
deciding that the kitchen floors need to be cleaned right away," says
Spangler. "Relax, just wait until after the marathon. I knew a friend who
broke her tailbone right before the marathon while she was
rollerblading, just because she had so much time on her hands."
Mistake #8: Listening to your friends
Your training program has gotten you this far. Don't ditch it just because
someone in your running club tells you to. "Don't listen to others," says
Holland. "You can really get freaked out. I have clients all the time who
listen to friends saying things like, 'I'm doing a 20-mile run this weekend,
and you should too.' You start to question your own training." Tune out
and stick to your plan-or simply thank your buddy for his advice and
ignore it.
Mistake #9: Ignoring the mental aspect
Your body has been trained and is ready to run. But is your mind ready
for the challenge? Holland suggests that runners spend some time
visualizing the marathon in the weeks before the race. "Picture yourself
having that perfect race," he says. "Picture yourself from the moment you
get up in the morning, feeling great to the gun going off. Picture yourself
holding your pace, running the race, and your body will have run the
race before you get there."
Mistake #10: Worrying too much
At this point, the race is so close you can taste it. Chill out. Remember
that the taper isn't going to hurt your fitness, but get you ready to race.
"I've got friends who feel like if they taper, they're going to lose
everything they've trained and worked for. I just tell them that you have
to taper in order to repair yourself physically, emotionally and mentally,"
says Spangler. "If you don't, you go into the marathon tired, and you
don't do what you expected you'd do. I once had a coach who told me,
'Jenny, the hay is in the barn-just rest a little.'"
That rest, combined with your months of training, will make for a great
race this fall!
Health and fitness writer Kelly James-Enger ran the LaSalle Bank
Chicago Marathon in 1997 and 2001; this year, she's nursing a sore
hamstring but will be cheering runners on!
