Thursday, October 14, 2010
Coach Mike's Marathon Lessons from Down Under
Hello my fellow F4 mates! As most of you know, I recently ran the Sydney Australia Marathon and wanted to share my thoughts regarding the race. My "comfort zone" distance is the half marathon and I'm still trying to better understand and prepare for the rigors of a 26.2 mile endeavor. As we trained for this season, I did follow the walk/run methodology and this was my second race that I've used the interval running plan. I must admit that it's taking some time to get used to but I'm still a believer that if done correctly, can yield very positive results. Anyway, I wanted to pass along some observations and thoughts from my race. In no particular order, they are:
1) I quickly found out that you need to be thinking about "where" you'll be taking your walk intervals. Early in the race the course is packed with people, and you can't or shouldn't just stop in the middle of the road to walk. I found myself needing to work towards the side of the road to ensure I wasn't stopping in front of other runners.
2) I found it mentally difficult early in the race to stop and walk as the competitive side of me wanted to keep pace with the people around me. But, you have to trust our training and race methods, and hopefully you’ll be passing the same people at mile 23.
3) Not knowing the course well in Sydney, I found myself just finishing a walk break and one minute later coming upon a water station where many others were walking and drinking. I did find this frustrating a few times as it would have been easier just to incorporate my walk break with the water station. I would study the Denver course and have a good idea of where the water stations are positioned. Also, don’t get too worried if you need to adjust your interval times to coincide with the water/nutrition stations.
4) For a good part of the race, I had been running with the 4:00 pace group, but at mile 21 I started to really get fatigued. I found it a bit disheartening to hit my interval walk break and to slowly see my pace group pulling away from me. However, I’m pretty sure they would have left me much earlier, if I hadn’t been using our interval method. Ultimately I finished in 4:07, not my goal, but I enjoyed the race experience.
5) I did find that the walk breaks were refreshing and allowed me to keep a good pace without feeling like I was running out of energy. I do believe the walk/run intervals work and had nothing to do with my fatigue and cramping towards the end of the race.
6) I did notice that taking water and nutrition on my walk breaks was easier and I had far less of an upset stomach than in past races.
Some general advice for the more novice runners:
1) Fight the urge to go out too fast. We all know you'll feel great the first 10-15 miles.
2) I know it's sounds silly, but the statement that has been the most accurate for me is "the halfway point in a marathon is at mile 20." I've found the last 6.2 miles to be as difficult as the first 20.
3) You're going to question yourself several times throughout the race and wonder what you've gotten yourself into. I would try and find a mantra to repeat such as "I'm a fighter, I won't give up." I know it sounds silly, but it can really help when you're mentally struggling.
4) Know the difference between pain caused by fatigue verses a potential injury. At mile 23, the outside of my knees were aching, the top of my left foot felt bruised and things just hurt in general. For many of us, that's normal. It's generally a mental challenge/game to deal with these aches and pains the last 5 miles.
5) If you plan to run with someone, talk about what may happen before you begin the race. Most of the time, your running partner may run ahead or fall behind. Run your own pace... if you're running too fast and trying to keep up with someone, you may burn out far before you finish.
My last words of advice are these... Have confidence that you've done the work and you're ready to run. Enjoy the moment, wave at spectators and soak in the experience and SMILE. A positive attitude is key to a successful run. And no matter how tough things get late in the race, each of you will find a way to get through it… Enjoy the journey.
Mike Larson