Top Tips for Marathon Runners

The week before:

1. Don’t try and cram in any last minute training, you can’t do anything now to make yourself go faster but there are things you can do to make yourself go slower…..

2. Don’t completely stop….a ‘taper’ is designed for a purpose simply stopping and doing nothing for 5 days may well make you feel heavy and sluggish. Do something light and short, even running for 10 minutes with a few stretches to follow will keep you feeling in great shape.

3. Adjust your work schedule and don’t book things into your diary! The stress of work and other lift activities can leave you feeling more drained than a 60 minute run, exercise isn’t the only thing which zaps your energy so don’t overload with stress.

4. Eat and drink well… this is not the time to experiment with carbohydrate loading unless it’s tried and tested. Eat your normal diet and stay hydrated.

5. Get some extra sleep ….. speaks for itself.

6. Check all travel arrangements and race details so you have no nasty surprises awaiting you. Take a look at the course and how to get to the start, what are the travel arrangements beforehand and how will you meet friends or get back after the event?

7. If you don’t have something and you need it, sort it out at the start of the week rather than the end. The last thing you need is to be rushing around the day prior to the race!

8. Take you mind off the event ….. if you are constantly thinking about the race you will be tired of the whole thing before you have reached the line and your motivation may well dip!


24 hours before:

1. Double check the arrangements for travelling to registration, travelling to the start and all other race details.

2. Pack your bag to save yourself the hassle in the morning, if you leave your bag packing until the morning of the race it’s likely you will forget something!

3. Eat sensible 24 hours before, don’t eat too much as this will not help you, it will simply bloat you. Drink often and little, drinking too much water can also leave you feeling bloated and heavy.

4. Stay off your feet, if you need to register don’t hang around all day and walk from stall to stall, collect your number and then go and relax with your feet up.

5. Visualise the event, what is your plant (don’t get too stressed about this) and how will you feel if things go wrong? Go through different situations in your head and how you would deal with them.

6. Find out what time the hotel serves breakfast and make sure it suits you, how and when can you checkout? Can you pay the night before to avoid any need to do so in the morning?

7. Leave your clothes handy for the morning and pack your bag to save time.

8. You may find it difficult to sleep but don’t get too worried, lots of people sleep badly the night before. Go to bed and read a book, you are resting and will fall asleep when you are ready.


The morning of the event:

1. Get up with time to spare.

2. If you intend to eat breakfast it should be several hours beforehand, as soon as you wake go and get breakfast and then come back to your room.

3. Eat something tried and tested or use energy drinks if you can’t eat beforehand, never refuse either, you can’t make it through 26 miles without them!

4. Double check you have everything you need before leaving.

5. Sip water or energy drinks to hydrate you but don’t guzzle down litres of fluid which can have a negative effect.

6. Go though your plan for the day one more time in your head and then relax and stop thinking about the race.

7. Don’t get changed too early as you don’t want to stand around getting cold, make a clear judgement regarding when to get ready.

8. At the start ignore everyone else and initiate your planned race, don’t get dragged along by all the other runners. The majority of people start too fast and struggle to finish so make sure you are not one of them.


About the author of this training article
Marc Laithwaite, is Sports Science & Coaching Director, at The Endurance Coach. Mark has a Bsc (Hons) sports science and is working towards his Phd sports science. He is a member of the British Association of Sports and Exercise Scientists (BASES), a British Cycling Federation Blood Analyst, BTF Level 3 Coach & Coach Educator, UKA Level 3 Coach and ABCC Level 3 Coach.

The Endurance coach, provides sports science and coaching support services for endurance athletes. Their services include VO2 max testing, lactate profiling and metabolic assessment for endurance athletes of all standards in their own sports testing lab. The Endurance Coach also runs a range of training camps throughout the year and offers physiotherapy and rehabilitation services. For more information or if you are looking for world leading coaches to assist you, e-mail The Endurance Coach.

© The Endurance Coach