What to break in before race day
Me during the Munich Marathon in October 2014
Marathon training can be an all-consuming, quite daunting challenge. There are so many elements to think about, and that thought process starts a good three to six months before race day. Any of you who are approaching your big Spring races should be feeling reasonably prepared by now and also have clocked in your longest runs, but you’re probably starting to feel the nerves build up as you edge closer to D-Day. A big smile and some PMA (positive mental attitude) and staying organised will hopefully help you push past these barriers. However, getting your training diary into shape isn’t the only part of this journey which requires some breaking in. Everything that you do on the day of race needs breaking in to your life, your routine and your body.
Firstly, the SHOES.
During your training, you will travel a long way; the miles you cover before you toe the start line could be more than you’ve ever run before. Therefore, the shoes that adorn your feet for this journey must be ones which you feel support you and you feel comfortable in. Now this does not just mean they support your feet to their biomechanics issues; they also need to feel molded to your feet and to a certain extent you like the way they look! They’re going to help you run 26.2 miles after all! At the start of your marathon training journey you may not have immediately purchased a new pair of kicks, however if you’re starting to notice some niggles or some black toenails in your current, slightly battered, old pair, I would suggest heading to a dedicated running store near you and trying some new shoes out on their treadmill. Do this sooner rather than later (later being too close to the race) as you need to break these shoes in so that they feel like old friends, supporting you every step of the way on race day. Remember running trainers will last around 400–600 miles depending on the length of your runs, intensity and the terrain you train on. Sometimes just a quick look at the sole of your shoes will tell you all you need to know!
Next, your NUTRITION.
There are so many schools of thought on what runners should and shouldn’t eat. Should you do ‘fasted cardio’, should you ‘carb load’ before a race, should you always chow down on gels during races. In my professional opinion and personal experience, the training journey should also be a nutritional journey. If you have come into this having never run, nor trained for a marathon, so many elements of your lifestyle will change. What you put into your body is certainly top of this list. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet, then the odd fasted morning workout at a moderate intensity will do you no harm. However, for endurance training your body needs the fuel to sustain you for those long miles. If you fast too often before long runs it encourages your body into a dangerous, highly stressed state, and pushing yourself to function without fuel at any time can lead to mistakes and bad judgement. In run training, carbohydrates are always a good idea for long distances as they provide us with slow releasing energy, but that is not a green card for pizza everyday. Think more unrefined carbs, like sweet potato, butternut squash and quinoa or brown rice. Eat these things in a balanced diet and you should be fuelling well. When it comes to eating while you run, this should be tried out on your long runs in training. Some people respond well to gels, others not so much (check my previous blog). Others prefer an espresso or some jelly sweets to give them that sugar or caffeine hit when they need it most. The best way to keep track of what works for you is to keep a food and drink diary throughout a month of training — record how you felt energy-wise before during and after runs and you’ll be on track to breaking this in before race day.
WARDROBE check.
Having a brand new kit layout may look awesome and pretty on your Instagram post however in reality that off-the-shelf, freshly detailed kit may cause you some discomfort on race day. For most London Marathon runners in the UK, we have the pleasure of upping the training run distances during bleak winter months. We need durable kit, and layers. Come race day the weather may be significantly warmer and less clothing required however don’t switch it up totally. It is honestly in your best interest to wear kit you have already run in, and washed, at least once before race day. This is because you then know how the fabric breathes — or doesn’t, how it sits against your skin, any annoying tags or chaffing spots. Knowing that the kit you lay out the night before the marathon is supportive, smooth, and comfortable for you is way more important than it being the absolute latest and coolest. Honestly, nobody cares what your kit looks like on the day — and by the end of the race it will be soaked with sweat and smeared with energy gels anyway! The extra layer you’ll probably wear between bag drop and start of the race should be an item of clothing or a pair of gloves that you don’t mind never seeing again as they’re normally flung off to the roadside quite soon after you cross that start line! (and then swept up by the race team and donated to charity FYI).
MUSIC…check, one, two.
I for one always rely on music during my long runs; otherwise the monotony of the long miles drives me a little bit crazy when I’m out on my own. If that’s your bag, then do stick to listening to music on race day. However, be warned, because on marathon day (especially in London) you more than likely will not need music. The course is populated with the most insane energy from rows of people cheering you on, offering you sweets, handing you water, playing music, and singing. The vibe is infectious and more motivating than any playlist I have ever come across. By mile 19 I had ripped my earphones out as the crowds had already drowned out my music! However I know that we all have a safety song, or two, which no matter how much you want to stop it will make you carry on until you cross the finish line. So if you are heading out with the intention of listening to some tunes, even briefly, organise a playlist well in advance and make sure you’re happy with the tracks so you are not distracted by trying to select a certain song.
ACCESSORISE right.
Anything else you take with you on race day needs to be as strictly monitored and vetted as hand luggage at UK airports. This includes your nutrition, phone, your headphones, hats and gloves. Getting a small running pack is imperative if you need to carry items with you for the race. A small belted pack is my accessory of choice, as I like to carry my own water with me in small bottles on the sides. In the zipper compartment I carry my phone and my gels. If you decide to carry some sort of belt or bag on you then please practice wearing this beforehand! Refer back to the ‘kit check’ above and all the same problems of chaffing and irritation can occur again. Also, the smaller the better, as you don’t want to be carrying any extra ‘load’ weighing you down. Headphones or earphones are another item to check. There is nothing worse than wanting to hear those power songs and your headphones slipping out of your ears or the cord flapping around you. And always double-check your battery life!
Finally, one other serious element you don’t want to break in is your skin — in the literal terms here. Running is a repetitive action and sometimes, no matter what clothes we wear, after hours of running our skin, combined with salty sweat and clothing material, begins to rub. To avoid this in training runs, and on race day, invest in something like a Glide stick or a tub of vaseline and use it. There are key areas all human bodies tend to chaff so to be safe use it liberally to avoid any rubbing, and you should keep baby soft skin from day one of training until the finish line.
The other protective element for your skin? Sunscreen! Even when you think the sun isn’t out and it doesn’t feel that warm, the UV rays are extremely damaging so do be cautious. Also to save you the embarrassment of those fetching knee high sock tan lines that I was sporting for a couple of months after the race!