6 Tips I wish I had known before Racing a Marathon

The lessons we learn in life! You really cannot race a perfect "first marathon", very few nail that first 26.2. I definitely learned many lessons in the Amsterdam Marathon and the New York City Marathon, which I'm excited to share with all of you today. I do hope that these marathon tips come in handy as you chase down your own marathon goals moving forward. Let us know down in the comments if you're racing your first marathon in 2020, or any of the tips that you wish you had known before your first marathon.

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[BertLagaisse]

QD: My main tip would be: don’t let the rush, the stress, and the adrenaline during the first 10k let you run faster than you planned! There will be crazy fast starters among the other runners. Let them go. Even if you think they aim for the same time as you. Your body is in complete top condition and full of energy after your training and taper weeks. You will think you can do that 10 or 20 seconds per km faster than you planned ... DON’T. The Wall is real.

[anand]

My learning: To not mentally give up post hitting the wall. Take control of the mind
Its ok to hit the wall,
Its ok to feel a bit tired,
Its ok to feel some pain in the legs
Its ok to go slow
Its ok to use a run-walk-run strategy
But, its not ok to rest before crossing the finishing line

Biggest learning for me.

[allengalaxy]

I ran my 1st. Marathon in Houston on Jan. 19, 2020 Finish Time was 3:33:22 Trained for 6 months, watched a lot of your videos, listened to your running advises. Thank you Seth.

[Alex-edjt]

My tip: try to simulate race day. So get up at the same time, eat your breakfast you intend to eat on raceday and do your long run at the same time the marathon starts. Also use the same gels/bars. I also have the same dinner the day before. Another tip, try to experiment with when to take your last drink before the race, so that you can go to the toilet just before the race and avoid having to go to a toilet just a few km in the race. Then just take a drink at every aid station.

[bernardwhitmore]

After a dozen or so marathons I've learned:
- Long training runs matter, at least 22 miles, up to 27. Train your body to be familiar with the distance.
- don't lose weight training, use salt tabs to prevent cramping after long runs and protein supplements every day.
- on race day focus, follow your plan with minor adjustments based on weather. This means proper pacing; don't bank minutes.
- but take heart, few people heed advice. Most of us have to learn by trial and (lots of) error. Persist.

[runbyron]

I will turn 65 this year and plan on running my first marathon, Seven Bridges in Chattanooga, TN on Oct 18. I started running in my 30’s and started running half marathons 3 years ago. I hope to run under 4 hours.

[alanreid]

I ran my first Marathon in August of 2019. At the time I had only been running for about 9 1/2 months. There is a philosophy here in my home town that you run your long run at a 10 min run 1 min walk tempo, and you run your race the same way. As a complete newbie I followed this protocol throughout all of my training. Then the Tuesday before the big day I went out with a different group. I ended up talking for hours with a guy that was actually one of the elite local athletes in the race. His last words to me were "you dont know what your in for or capable of run it straight for as long as you can. I did that but when I got to km 37 (I think that's about mile 23) I got in my own head. I was pacing about 4 mins ahead off my "A" goal so I decided "you dont want to crash at km 41 and not finish, just walk 1 min and finish the race". I didn't need to walk but the fear of not finishing in the last 5 km (as this was the farthest and fastest I had ever run without stopping) I thought this to be logical. As soon as I walked everything froze up in my legs....hamstrings seized right up and I slowed down 30 sec/km from what I was averaging throughout the entire 37 km prior. I didnt bonk, I didnt hit "the wall", I stopped running and it hurt me big time. I still finished under the "A" goal but only by 25 seconds....with that long winded story for context my #1 tip: DONT STOP RUNNING IF YOU DONT HAVE TO!

[cookinginpawleys]

I wish I would have known about Post-Marathon Blues before my first big race. My race didn't go well, even though I finished. But that wasn't what sent me down the tubes. It was the hole where training used to be, and the realization that the elation of accomplishing something very few people attempt turns into the feeling of alienation because most of the people around you can't relate to the accomplishment. By the second marathon I was mentally stronger and prepared for the post-race life. I planned recovery and base training out to six weeks post race, and the race went really well as did the weeks following the marathon.

[mikedickerson]

2 tips:
1) DO NOT “bank” time. No No No
2) Pick up your effort the last 6 miles of your long runs.

[DWNY]

QD2. Great tips, Seth. My key tips for marathon success are: Trust your training, manage your pace, and avoid injury. I’m a veteran of 5 marathons. I hit the wall in only one of them (Boston 2018) which was my second and the only one where I didn’t BQ. As for training, I believe keeping to a solid training program that includes tempo runs, speed training, some hill work, recovery runs and progression long runs has been key. Regarding pacing, in my last 2 marathons in 2019, I stayed with the official pacers (with signs in the US and balloons in Dublin) and got to the finish with relative ease. They kept me from going out too fast at the start, which is incredibly easy to do. I think if you’re a middle of the pack runner like me, arranging pacing with other amateurs is risky. Finally, I feel thankful and blessed that I’ve been able to run and train without pain or injury, especially considering I’m age 60. I don’t do much except post-run stretching and foam rolling. I hope all of this holds for my current training for Boston in April.

[wunderlichdrive]

QD: For my first marathon, I wish that I had put in more time building core strength so that I could have better posture late in the race. As I started to slump and lean forward, it changed the load on my legs and gave me a real bad muscle cramp in my calf. So, despite tiredness and the tendency to slump, it is so important to keep good posture late in the race.

[jimoconnor]

Did my first marathon in late 2018, I was very thorough in my preparation with fueling and hydration. I practiced every long run for the 14 week block. Never hit a wall and negative split quite well. I think the wall is related to proper fueling and hydration more than anything, get that right and your golden. I still think there is a big distinction to be made from running a marathon and racing a marathon too. Just going out there to finish is one thing and you probably can get away with far less preparation. For a BQ attempt or faster, the devil is in the details.

[jarrodcrano]

QOD: racing my 5th marathon in April.
My tip is to recover properly. In my first marathon cycle I didn’t prioritize how much rest is needed to recover from big and long workouts. If you do a 20+mile LR. Try to hit 9 hours of sleep the following night

[crod]

What I wish I knew before my first marathon is how bad you are going to feel at times beyond mile 20. I don’t know how to prepare for it and I can never go back to number 1, but after the second marathon I realized mentally I could push through so much discomfort just from fatigue, and I could have pushed through more the first time around. The distance really hits you at the first go, so just prepare for discomfort and be ready to fight.

[BernieRom]

QD: Tip from first marathon: long runs are more important than easy, interval, and other days. Get those LSDs in.

[michieldebuck]

I'm going to run my first marathon in Rotterdam on the 5th of april 2020. I got diagnosed with MS, 6 years ago but luckily, aside from tiredness, I did not yet really experience any other negative consequences. Hoping to finish my race under 4 hours.

[treyrutherford]

QotD: I am running my first marathon ever this year! March 1st at the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, TX. Aiming for a 3:10:05 or better!

[karenjones]

11th marathon coming up. Biggest lesson is no matter how good you feel the first 10k, hold your pace or go slightly under. Otherwise you will pay dearly last 10k! Good luck everyone!

[alexlee]

QD: I signed up for my first marathon this coming November. Rock N’ Roll Savannah! Super excited to do this! I’ve done 3 halves and a 10 miler before so I feel confident I can do it. Just trying to stay injury free as volume increases.

[donniehuffman]

Thank you Seth!!!! So very glad you're back. We all missed your daily encouragement😊