Things I learned from actual marathon runners

By total chance, I ended up talking with two completely separate people this past weekend, both of whom have run marathons before. Here's the best advice I can remember:


Eat a shedload of carbs the night before


I was vaguely aware that certain foods were better than others for running, but this definitely pointed me in the right direction. Apparently I'll need to fuel up the night before in order to get my body in the right place for releasing energy over a long distance.


This prompted me to have a look online, where I found this amazing article, all about the right way to load your body for maximum distance running. Stuff like this makes my head spin. I always thought that running was about, you know, running, but no. There's so much more to it that I need to learn and absorb and remember.


Don't get too excited on the start line


When the big day comes, I'll be among thousands of other runners, surrounded by crowds of cheering people. It will be very easy to let this atmosphere and excitement get to my head and bolt off the starting line at Mach 10. I have to be prepared for this and remind myself not to get swept up in the excitement. This seems to be the part that hobbles many runners early on - giving too much too soon because the crowds spur them onward.

Run faster, they're watching!

Don't worry about keeping a specific pace


I mentioned my current goal of running 10K in roughly seventy minutes and received a derisive scoff in response. 'Don't worry about pacing yourself,' he said. 'It's your first time, just focus on reaching the finish line.'


The man has a point. Maybe I'm aiming too high on my first attempt. My personal goal of finishing in less than six hours is perfectly reasonable, but anything beyond that is crazy. (For the record, one former runner I spoke with managed to complete a marathon in three hours fifty nine minutes, while the other has a personal best of two hours fifty minutes). They both advised me to focus on finishing. Time doesn't matter. Pace is irrelevant. Just get to the end.


You can only train up to twenty miles


This is fascinating because I didn't know what the limits were, but apparently the human body can only be trained to endure so much. After twenty miles, it's all on you. All on your own. All off your own back. Reaching twenty miles sounds a hell of a lot more feasible than running for twenty six. In fact, if my goal is to train to hit that magic two-zero mark, then I'm almost halfway there already! That's pretty damn good news.


...all of this means that, sometime in the long ago, somebody ran for twenty miles and said, 'You know what? Let's add another six and call it a sport.' That sadistic arse-monkey.


Most of it is mental


Your legs are pistons. You control the muscles. All you have to do is keep telling yourself to run. Keep moving. Don't stop.

So long as I don't end up like this, I'm fine...

I also got to ask a few more questions that have been on my mind, such as, 'How frequent are the water stations?' (every couple of miles, with extra people handing out bottles in between) and, 'How does it feel to cross the finish line?' (indescribable). I've been doing plenty of reading about the science of running and the best ways to prepare, but the truth is that all this will most likely become irrelevant once the day comes. After that, it's all on me. Just hope I don't sprint the first mile like a fool and blow all my energy too soon.