Marathon Weekend

 It was so nice to finally return home yesterday from North Carolina and Virginia.  After driving home from Providence to see Macie Jo return from kindergarten, I headed immediately into the expo.  It is always exciting to reconnect with so many of my friends from the running community that I only see once a year during this event.  It’s also important to see if there are any new and innovative products or techniques that are worthy of incorporating into my training or coaching.

I did see 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi.  He is extremely personable and so tiny…I seemed like a giant next to him.  He recently qualified for this year’s Olympic Marathon in London and I have no doubt he will surprise everyone once again.  He was completely written off by so many running experts after a serious injury several years ago and came back to win the New York City marathon and qualify for the Olympic Marathon.  I love his spirit and that he’s so dedicated to his family!

  The Marathon Coalition pasta dinner is this evening and we have over 300 people attending…I am so excited to meet the family and friends of all the runners and to personally thank them for all their support.  Nothing in life is ever accomplished alone!

So now for the marathon:

There’s a strong likelihood the temperature will be in the high 70’s to low 80’s.  While these are certainly not ideal running conditions, particularly since you haven’t had time to acclimate; there are precautions that you can take.  I recommend that you consider the following in an effort to avoid overheating and dehydration:

• Wear light colored clothing
• Wear sunglasses
• Apply sunscreen to all exposed body parts-nothing is more painful than sunburn on the back of your knees
• Wear a white mesh hat
• Run in any available shade on the course
• Stay hydrated throughout the weekend
• Take Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes throughout the marathon (I take 1-3 every 5 miles) as you will lose sodium through excessive sweat
• Cut your pace back as the temperature increases
• If you have support along the course try to encourage them to have baggies of ice for you-you have a thermostat on the underside of your wrist and the back of your neck-apply ice to these areas will reduce your core temperature
• Drink 4-8 ounces of fluid every 15-20 minutes

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of not worrying too much about the weather.  You have plenty of other things, entirely within your control, that you can focus on.  Remember not to try anything new at the Expo and don’t wear anything new during the marathon.  DO NOT WEAR JEWELRY ON YOUR FINGERS OR TOES!  Your fingers and toes can swell considerably during the marathon and this will not be pleasant.

I look forward to seeing you at the pasta dinner later today and meeting you in the athlete’s village on Monday morning!