Boston Marathon Countdown

Vitamin ZZZZZZ, The Sequel

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:58:57 GMT

A few days ago, I posted a piece about the importance of getting your ZZZ's in in the days prior to the race. One reader asked a good question: is there any benefit in sleeping extra, or is there a 'groggy risk?'

I put that question to 1976 Boston Marathon Champion Jack Fultz, who coaches runners on the Dana-Farber team. Here's his response: "Interesting question. Probably not. (That is, no risk.) Better to wake up early Monday morning very well rested – the adrenalin will start flowing automatically and I’d much prefer to be over rested than under rested."

Now, with cold, windy weather predicted for Marathon Monday, the right gear is crucial. Says Jack, "Runners need to be prepared for any/everything (hat, gloves, long sleeve shirt, maybe light/thin running jacket, etc.)" He's working on a more detailed response, which I will post as soon as I receive it.

Have any of you run a marathon in cold weather? It's different than a cold training run because you're out there for miles longer, and the cold seems colder in those late miles.

Get Off Your Feet...

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:08:42 GMT

... that is, until you have get on your feet.

On five Marathon Mondays, the enormity of the physical challenge I was about to embrace always struck me on the bus ride to Hopkinton.

"This is a really long bus ride," I would think. "And I'm returning to Boston on my own two feet."

Once in Hopkinton, you have a lot of time to kill. Try to kill it in one place, off your feet.

1976 Boston Marathon Champion Jack Fultz, who coaches the Dana Farber Marathon team, says the only physical activity you need is a little jogging to loosen up in the half hour before the gun. So, you might jog from the Athletes' Village to your starting corral.

Until that point, find a nice spot, lounge around with your running pals, listen to inspirational music. But don't expend too much energy exploring Hopkinton (and nothing against Hopkinton-- the folks there do a marvelous job.). You'll need most of what you've got if you want to celebrate in Boston.

Don't Forget Vitamin ZZZZZZZ

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:48:43 GMT

The night before a marathon can be a sleepless one for many runners. You're keyed up, worried or excited about the race, wondering what key item you might forget to bring to Hopkinton. You're sleepless for worry... and then worried about not sleeping.

RELAX.

1976 Boston Marathon Champion Jack Fultz, who coaches the Dana Farber Marathon team, says the most important night to sleep is actually the night BEFORE the night before the marathon.

"Actually, the whole week before the marathon, it's important to get to bed early," says Fultz. And, sorry nightowls, but Fultz says sleeping in isn't as recuperative as turning in early. "Think of rest as preparation for the next day. By going to bed earlier, you're better prepared when the alarm goes off."

If you've had a week of good rest, a little sleeplessness the night before the marathon is no big deal.

In case you're wondering, Jack slept "just fine" the night before he won the big race in 1976.

R-E-L-A-X

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 03:00:00 GMT

"Our bodies are at their strongest and most loose when we are free from tension," says sports psychologist Dave Czesniuk. "Get plenty of rest leading up to the race, and on the day of the race, make a deliberate effort to RELAX. Breathe deeply, keep your muscles loose and warm, and remind yourself of things that bring you a sense of calm – the feeling of accomplishment you will have upon completing the race, all the friends and family that support you, etc. During the race, continue to plan for relaxation. Dedicate certain intervals to deeper breathing. Dedicate other time to telling yourself how loose and fluid your muscles feel. Your mind will react to these statements by sending the appropriate signals to the body to relax and feel the flow."

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: My man Dave knows what he's talking about. The old saying holds the marathon is 10% physical and 90% mental. While that's simplistic, it is amazing what you can talk yourself into believing over 26.2 miles. "My muscles are loose and fluid? Hey wait... they are loose and fluid!"

So, how do you relax?

Pacing Yourself

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:09:02 GMT

The key to a successful marathon is a good pace plan. Seasoned marathoners have a good sense of what their pace should be, of what kind of minutes per mile speed they need to maintain to reach their goal.

It's not uncommon to see runners with wristband printouts listing what their goal time should be at each mile. Personally, I like to do the time calculation mentally - it gives me a nice distraction along the way.

1976 Boston Marathon Champion Jack Fultz, who coaches the Dana Farber Marathon team, says those mile time wristbands - at least ones that break down the mile times by dividing the goal time by 26.2 - don't always work in Boston.

"The hills, and the positioning of the hills on the course make it difficult to repeat the same speed mile after mile. You don't want runners feeling pressure to go too fast on the downhills to compensate for the speed they lose on the uphills."

Fultz says a better idea is to figure out a goal pace and "sit on it as long as you can. Don't change that pace to compensate for time you might lose at the start or on hills." By sitting on that pace, you may find you have enough left in the tank late in the race to get the time back then.

If you're a first time marathoner, how do you figure out how fast to run? Use your long run pace as a gauge... and remember this bit of advice from Jack Fultz. In the first ten miles of the race, "if it doesn't feel too slow, you're going too fast."

So, what’s your goal pace?

The Ultimate Distraction

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:50:10 GMT

It's a long road, and, according to sports psychologist Dave Czesniuk, "The fact is, distractions of all kind WILL creep in on race day. Outside factors including unexpected terrain, weather, and other racers performance, will stand in your path. Internal factors such as pain, worry, and dehydration may also stand in your way.

“To try and wish these things away or hope that they don’t happen is useless. Something will come up, what are you going to do about it? Have a plan ready for any distractions that confront you during your race. Preset an image or statement in your head that you can refer to as a “reset” button to get you back on track.

“If you know you will come across certain landmarks during the race, use them for support as well. For example, “Stop signs = ‘Relax, re-focus, run your best race’”. After all of your training, your body will pretty much be on autopilot for your marathon. Spend some time planning for how you will control your mind."

MY TWO CENTS: How's this for an unanticipated distraction? In my first marathon (New York, in case you're wondering) I found myself in the company of a runner wearing a large foam cheesehead... and Dutch wooden shoes. Imagine... CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP...EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. I would pull way ahead (because who wants to finish behind a guy with wooden shoes?) only to be haunted miles down the road with CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP gaining on me. It still haunts me. I could have used Dave's plan.

If you’ve encountered a bigger distraction than that, I’d love to hear about it.

Plan For Pain

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:53:10 GMT

Two certainties about the marathon:

1) The finish is exactly 26.2 miles from the start.
2) You'll experience some degree of pain along the way.

"Be prepared for the inevitable pain that will ensue and acknowledge that you wouldn’t be doing it if you didn’t expect some pain!" says sports psychologist Dave Czesniuk, who is director of operations at Sport in Society. "To try and “avoid” pain will not work, for one thing, but for another it will cause you to expend more energy that could be dedicated to speed, strength and relaxation."

On marathon day, you'll likely run farther than you ran while training, and, yes, experience a different level of pain or fatigue. Czesniuk suggests you focus on the rhythm of your breathing, and imagine your muscles being relaxed, or surrounded by something that would soothe a sore muscle, like ice chips or a whirlpool.

FYI: Czesniuk is advising marathoners running to raise money for community services. To check out their effort, visit their web site.

Hooray For The Taper!!

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:21:41 GMT

Congratulations! By now, more than likely, you've completed all those long training runs and the tough workouts are history. You've started your taper, which means you're dialing back your mileage each week to give your body a chance to repair and refresh before Marathon Monday.

1976 Boston Marathon Champion Jack Fultz, who coaches the Dana Farber Marathon team, has this tip for your taper.

"Every run from now on should be exhilarating, as opposed to exhausting. You want to finish every run feeling like you could keep going, even if that means shortening your run."

This is not the time to try to make up for missed training, as tempting as that may seem.

"Everyone goes to the starting line wishing they had more time to prepare," Fultz says.

So, would you change anything about your training?

Trust Your Training

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:37:22 GMT

"Compared to the mileage and time you will actually put in on race day, your training represents probably 95% of the effort required to complete the marathon," says sport psychologist Dave Czesniuk. "That is a VAST majority and needs to be valued as such. You’ve taken your hits, had your highs, felt the pain, learned your lessons and increased your strength exponentially. Now trust it, believe it.

"There is no better preparation than experience. Let it work for you on race day.

"Review all the progress you made. I repeat – review all the PROGRESS! There is no need to focus on anything that did not go right when so much has gone right. The ultimate benefit of preparation through experience should be a supreme confidence that you are ready. And on race morning, the training is over and it’s time to execute. Let yourself know that whatever training you’ve done up until that point is exactly the amount of training you needed to do. You are ready, trust it, and run a great marathon!"

MY THOUGHTS: Amen to this. In the final weeks before my first few marathons, plenty of little worries worked their way into my psyche. Essentially, they were all about the same thing—fearing I was somehow not ready. Then I’d pull out the training logs and look at all the work I’d done. Training trumps everything.

So, at this point, do you feel ready?

Welcome And Way To Go!

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:23:04 GMT

So... how does it feel to be one of the fittest people in a city where many folks are only now coming out of hibernation? Be proud of this: you've trained through one tough winter. That's no small accomplishment, even with your larger goal still 26 days away.

Most of you will tackle your last long training run this weekend. If you can, try to log the miles on the course. It pays dividends in both physical and mental preparation. Plus, it’s social—if you choose the Hopkinton to BC route, you’ll have a lot of company. It’s a popular final long run and a big confidence booster.

With your toughest training behind you—and your marathon still to come, it’s a great time to fine tune your mental preparation, sharpen your race strategy, and put your nutritional house in order.

In this space, from tomorrow until race day, you’ll find a tip a day from this panel of experts:

Jack Fultz is the 1976 Boston Marathon Champion. He coaches the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team, and for good reason—he has amazing advice on how to run strong, and how to tackle Boston’s beast of a course.

Nancy Clark is a board certified specialist in sports nutrition. She has a private practice at Healthworks Chestnut Hill, and has written Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions. (available on nancyclarkrd.com)

Dave Czesniuk is a sports psychologist who comes to us from Northeastern University’s Sport in Society. If you’ve heard the old saying that the marathon is 90% mental, then you’ll want to read the very valuable tips Dave has to offer.

I myself claim no expertise… but I’ve qualified for and run five Boston Marathons and five additional marathons. I’ll occasionally add my thoughts to our gurus’ tips… but I’m really interested in your thoughts and experiences as you get ready for Boston. So please, check in, read, and by all means, respond!