Follow These Do’s and Don’ts of Marathon Race Week for a Successful Performance
Covering the marathon distance has become relatively routine for me in training, but racing 26.2 miles for a specific time goal requires a different kind of focus. When I am committed to a performance goal, it becomes easier to question my preparation and lose sight of what I need to do during race week.
Circumstances outside my control, such as bad weather, sudden illness or travel delays, can create unnecessary anxiety. I cannot solve those possibilities by training harder during the final days. I can focus on the parts of my preparation that remain within my control, which gives me peace of mind and prepares me to respond to whatever race day brings.
The taper is the wider period of reduced training volume before the marathon. This post covers the final week. If you are racing a 5K, 10K or half marathon instead, use the race week guidance written for those distances.
Marathon Race Week: Do
1. Maintain Your Routine
It’s essential to try to maintain your routine up to race day. This includes the time of day you wake up and go to bed, when you train and when you eat. Your body and mind work best with consistency, so don’t disrupt that routine before a big race.
If you regularly run 4 days before your long run, maintain that number of running days before race day. The distances and efforts should be shorter, but the familiar pattern can help your legs and mind feel ready. Race week is not the time to replace your normal schedule with several days of complete inactivity unless your plan calls for it.
You may need to make adjustments because of work, family responsibilities or travel. Make those decisions early. Moving a short run or changing when you eat is easier when you plan it in advance than when it becomes another source of stress during an already busy week.
2. Rest and Relax
Are you experiencing worries before a big race? Often, those worries center on doubts about the training you completed. You may start thinking about a missed workout, a long run that did not go well or a week that looked different from the original schedule. None of that can be changed during marathon race week.
Take your mind off the race by reading a new book, meditating, going for walks or starting a new television or movie series. Don’t waste time and energy worrying about things you cannot control. Focus on the positives of having more time available with less training during your race taper.
For example, 2 weeks before the San Francisco Marathon race week in 2018, I took a weeklong trip as a leader for a high school church conference at the University of Tennessee. I could have worried about only running 9 miles that week, dealing with the humidity or getting very little sleep each night. Instead, I focused on the positives, including helping our youth transform their lives. I also walked 80 miles up and down the hills around campus and enjoyed some time away from work.
3. Wake Up Early
If you are not already an early bird, use the end of your race taper to transition toward the schedule you will follow on race day. Many marathons start between 5:00 and 7:00 AM. I like to be awake at least 90 minutes before my long runs, which means setting an even earlier alarm when travel to the starting area is involved.
Is your body used to being awake at that hour, let alone ready to run 26.2 miles? Give yourself plenty of time to wake up, eat breakfast, hydrate, get dressed and reach the start. The final week is not enough time to rebuild your entire sleep schedule, but you can move your bedtime and wake-up time closer to what race morning requires.
If your marathon begins later than you normally run, prepare for that schedule as well. You may have practiced later starts during training. Race week is the time to follow the pre-run routine you developed, including when you wake up, eat and begin drinking fluids.
4. Hydrate and Eat Normally
Eating a large meal the night before the race or chugging a gallon of water on race morning will not improve your performance. Your race-day fueling and hydration plan should be set earlier in the week. As a long-distance runner, you should already have a routine for eating and drinking before an important run.
Keep a water bottle with you if your schedule is busy. Drink steadily instead of trying to catch up all at once. Prepare familiar meals and eat on your normal schedule when travel allows it. Marathon race week is not the time for an aggressive diet change, an unfamiliar supplement or a large meal that leaves you uncomfortable.
Follow the nutrition routine you practiced in training. That includes the breakfast you plan to eat before the race and the fuel you will carry during it. Your stomach has trained alongside your legs. Give it the familiar food it has already handled during long runs.
5. Make a List and Pack Early
Start making your packing list and bringing everything together in one place before marathon race week becomes busy. I’ve been guilty before of leaving town without gels or the right socks. The stress of finding where to buy these items is not worth it once you are on the road to your race. You know from your training what you will need, so get it organized ahead of time.
Include your shoes, socks, race clothing, nutrition, anti-chafing product, watch, chargers and anything you need before or after the race. If you are traveling by plane and need to check a bag, put your running essentials in your carry-on. A delayed suitcase should not take your race shoes or practiced nutrition plan with it.
Pack something dry and comfortable for afterward. Getting out of your race clothes can make post-race celebrations more enjoyable. If you like keeping something from the day, you can also commemorate the distance with a marathon sticker after you finish.
Marathon Race Week: Don’t
1. Experiment With New Gear or Nutrition
I’ve witnessed many runners buy new shoes during marathon race week, change something in their diets or switch the brand of anti-chafing cream they use because of a good review. Race expos make these choices especially tempting because new products are directly in front of you. Resist the urge to improve your setup at the last minute.
Your training was the time to determine what worked and what did not. This applies to shoes, shorts, socks, gels, sports drinks, shirts, anti-chafing products, bottles, watches and everything else you plan to use during the race.
If you did not settle every detail during training, stay with the most familiar option for this race. You can test something different during your next training cycle. An imperfect choice you have practiced is usually safer than a promising choice your body has never experienced.
2. Start a New Project or Type of Exercise
Sometimes a new project at work or home is unavoidable. If something appears during marathon race week, don’t panic. Take a moment to collect your thoughts and make the best plan with the circumstances you have. If travel means something will not get done, tell the people involved ahead of time.
If training for the marathon has been a major part of your life, your family, friends and coworkers probably know when the race is taking place. Make sure they understand your limitations during the final week, especially if you are traveling or need to protect an early bedtime.
Just as you should not experiment with new gear or food, don’t start a new type of exercise during marathon race week. The taper phase can leave you feeling anxious or unusually energetic, but that extra energy does not need to be spent on a new strength class, a difficult hike or another activity likely to create soreness. A destination race may also make you want to explore as soon as you arrive. Save longer walks, tours and other sightseeing for after you finish when possible, giving yourself time to enjoy the destination and celebrate without reaching race day on tired legs.
3. Enjoy the Expo Too Much
A large marathon expo can become an event of its own. Sponsors offer samples, vendors display new gear and well-known athletes may appear for talks or signings. The experience can be enjoyable, but spending several hours standing and walking the day before the marathon is not the best use of your legs.
If the expo runs for several days, collect your race packet on the first or second day instead of waiting until the day before the race. Look around, enjoy the experience and then leave the race environment for somewhere quieter.
If the day before the marathon is your only packet pickup option, set a short time limit. Get your bib, confirm the final details and get off your feet. You do not have to avoid the expo. You only need to keep it from becoming another source of fatigue.
Protect the Training Cycle You Finished
You cannot add meaningful fitness during marathon race week, but you can arrive tired by doing too much. Maintain the routines that served you, control the details you can and leave unfamiliar gear, food and exercise for another time. Your job is to reach the starting line with the training cycle still available to you.
A structured marathon training plan carries that work through the final week with the running, rest and preparation already decided. Race week protects the training you have finished rather than trying to add something at the last minute.
Title tag: Marathon Race Week | Do’s and Don’ts for a Successful Race
Meta description: Marathon race week comes after a long and dedicated training cycle. Follow these Do’s and Don’ts to not let your hard work go to waste.
