So your marathon is coming up!
First of all, congrats on taking on a feat most other people would never dream of. Secondly, you probably have a lot of questions on what you should be doing going into the big day. I’ve run 10 marathons over the last 10 years, and while many others have run far more marathons than I have, I’ve learned a lot during these 10 races and the days leading up to them. So here are some things to take into consideration when the countdown is on to your next marathon.
The week going into your marathon is all about conserving energy for race day. That’s why the runs are much shorter, you should try to stay off your feet as much as possible, it might even be helpful to sneak in a nap or two with the extra time you find yourself with, and you’ll want to eat some extra carbs to stock up those glycogen stores.
Nutrition
For the most part, I would recommend keeping your diet pretty much the same. Don’t experiment with any new diets, try a cleanse, or simply change too much about your normal diet.
With that said, some people will cut back on the higher-fiber foods like vegetables the couple days leading up to the race to avoid any GI distress. I often will still keep some of that fiber in my diet in order to stay regular, but I do find the extra carbohydrates I eat often replaces many of those vegetables.
The biggest part of your diet that should change is going to be increasing your carb intake the 2-3 (even 3-4) days leading up to the marathon. You can certainly calculate how many carboydrates to aim for those few days going into the race, but I’d say don’t stress too much about it (since that will take away from conserving energy) and just try to make about 2/3rds to 3/4 of your plate carbs.
I have done a carb deplete followed by a carb load for one marathon (which you can read about HERE), but even just doing the carb load portion of it for the few days leading up to the marathon can really help to store extra glycogen for race day.
Hydration
To go along with nutrition, hydration is also something to keep in mind leading up to the marathon. You should aim to drink enough water that your pee is a light yellow color–clear pee is not necessary and dark yellow urine means you’re not drinking enough.
If it is going to be a warm/hot marathon, then be sure to stay on top of the liquids as well as extra electrolytes the days leading up to the marathon.
Finally, avoid drinking too much and risking hyponatremia–especially right after the race!
Alcohol Intake
As far as alcohol intake the last week before the marathon, this will probably be highly depend upon the person. Some may choose to keep some alcohol in their diet as part of their normal routine, others may cut it out entirely. I have definitely heard of pro runners have a glass of wine the night before their race, so it isn’t that it has to be avoided altogether. I won’t give much guidance on this other than most probably will do better without it, but it may also make sense to keep it in.
I personally drink so infrequently, I obviously don’t change anything the week before my marathon.
Stress
This is a big one and arguable maybe even the most important one–keep that stress low and under control. You don’t want your body devoting energy to mental stress when you’re trying to conserve your physical energy for race day.
Maybe I say this is the most important thing because stress has contributed to my performance suffering on race day in the past a couple of times. For example, going into the 2017 Twin Cities Marathon, I had put a lot of pressure on myself to go sub-3. I knew it would be close, and I would need a perfect day to make it happen, so I was doing everything in my power to make it happen. This meant all of my energy (specifically mental energy) was being wasted instead of conserved for race day. This, in turn, lead to poor sleeping and so much anxiety leading up to the race.
Ideally, your stress stays low and you can channel any thoughts about race day into positive thoughts and visualizations for the race.
Recovery
Foam rolling, massage, stretching, and keeping everything loose is great leading into race day. However, avoid breaking down muscle tissue too much as you don’t want your body to put energy into rebuilding muscle when you need it to be conserving energy for race day.
I tell my athletes to foam roll as much or maybe a little more than they are used to, but don’t overdo it. Avoid getting a deep tissue massage the week of the race even though it might feel relaxing. Instead you can do an Epsom salt bath and/or ice bath if you find those help you feel better.
Sleep
Stay on top of your sleep. Maybe you can sneak in a nap or two with less mileage. Anything you can do to help your body recover and conserve energy for race day is only going to help you!
If you do have trouble sleeping the days leading up to a marathon or big race, you could try taking a sleep aid (melatonin, Unisom, Tylenol PM, etc.). Of course this should be practiced several weeks before the race to see how you feel the next morning waking up. (For example, if you wake up feeling groggy the next morning after taking something, then obviously that is not ideal for race day.)
And don’t stress if you sleep poorly the night before the race. Usually people say two nights before the race is the most important.
Lower Mileage
Any good marathon training plan is going to have you taper your mileage and intensity. Some people really struggle with this while others enjoy the extra time (me!). Use this extra time to sleep, visualize the race, journal, watch running movies, or whatever it may be to get your head in the game.
The Night Before the Race
The night before the race, lay out every single thing you will need for race morning so you aren’t scrambling to find anything in the morning: clothes, shoes, fuel for the race, bib + pins, warm-ups that you will toss or check, etc. You should have transportation planned to the start and back from the finish line area as well.
The ‘taper crazies’ are a thing for some people. Some people dread the taper and go crazy with the extra time. I, on the other hand, finally have a chance to relax more than usual, which I love! I’ve also definitely had niggles and random things pop up on a run that had NEVER bothered me before that week going into the race. I don’t know why/what causes it, but I just know to expect it now.
Hopefully this was helpful, and if I did miss anything, leave it in the comments below. I am optimistic with the right mindset and good planning, race day will be successful for you!
