How you will not run a faster marathon

Some real life experiences of mine mixed with some data to give you an overview what you should not do if your aim is to run a faster marathon. I ran three so far and my first was the fastest so I might know a thing or two about what not to do.

Skipping your long runs

In my preparation for the Frankfurt marathon I skipped some of my long runs which yielded a time of 4:06 hours against my best of 3:58 at the Dublin marathon in 2013. Skipping your long runs is the single best way to undermine your overall mileage goal in your marathon preparation. Here some maths on the topic on how it effects your running schedule based on one of Hal Higdon's freely available templates.

Let's pick week seventeen of this program as an example. If you cut out the long run in this week you will drop your weekly mileage from 30 to 10 miles for this example. That is two thirds or 66% percent. Now do this for 6 out of these 24 weeks, which will happen quicker than you think and you have basically ruined the preparation for your marathon, even though skipping that"one run" on the weekend due to family commitments seems not to be that big of a deal. It is ! Long runs are not meant to skipped when preparing for a long race like the marathon and doing so will put you further away from reachong your goal time.

Furthermore it is common knowledge that the runners with more miles will run the better times as following graphic shows 

Having no plan for your hydration

This is something I did very wrong in my first marathon in Dublin. I did not drink at any station until the last half an hour of the race. This manifested in salt crystals building on my skin. If you experience this during a run it is a serious sign of dehydration and either get water as soon as possible by stopping at the next restaurant or make it to the next water station on the course and take your time there. Most serious injuries and life threatening conditions during marathons apart from cardiovascular problems derive from being hyper- oder dehydrated. Yes, there is also a thing such as drinking too much during a marathon.

Traveling to a different country

I have done two marathons away from my training grounds. Both times I was slower in my home turf. Coming to think of it, even if it is a fast course, the travel and the climate change will still take its toll on your body. Bare that in mind when oyu plan to race your best. As mother said wisely when I was a child "Pascal, if you want to do it extra cool, don't doit, you'll hurt yourself."

Eat breakfast you are not used too

Both times when I was abroad I opted for breakfast in the hotel which I was not used to because their was no porridge available. I went for jogurt and oranges and some kind of roll both times around. Did not work too well for me. Both times I had to use the Port a loos quite heavily on the track. I am glad that this October I can have the breakfast at home which I am used to before I'll make my way to the starting line.

Having no proper gear for the time before the start

With most marathons you will have to stand around for quite some time until you actually do and do what you came for. While keeping the jacket on for the entire 21.2 miles is not really an option it is also a bad idead to stand around in the cold for 30 minutes to one and a half hours (I have been told NYC marathon can be up to three hours) after you handed over your bag. Have a old sweater or platicbag ready to keep you warm until you can make your way to meet your hopefully new PR at the finish.

Thinking you are the greatest runner in the world

In Frankfurt i got pretty stoked as my running times in the preparation were very good. Same happened in Vienna, even though I learned from my mistake and stuck to the planned pace. Do not get carried away and think you can all of a sudden start one box better than your last marathon time. Overpacing is something that will literally hurt you in the long run. A LOT! Please refrain from this foolishness. 

Giving in to bad diet habits like alcohol or too much sugar

For the Frankfurt marathon I got proper drunk two weeks beforehand as I had a weak moment on a party of some of our friends. Did not necessary help my taper phase and showed in the marathon performance, even though my last run went well. In Vienna nad in the run up to it I had more fast food and cake in my intake. These effects usually take a week to settle in, so do not think that during taper it is already ok to sin with alcohol or sugar.

Having nobody around to support you

In all of the runs races I did I was glad that someone was there to take care of me afterwards. Only exception was my fastest 10K to date with 39:52. On that date my girlfriend pulled out of taking me to the race due to having drinks the night before. I just wanted to get home that day quick. Seemed to have helped my case.

Use shoes that look well but do not fit your running style

I got myself the nike lunar id shoes which i thought looked very cool and sounded like they would do the trick for the marathon. I was wrong. I should've stayed with the mizunos that I had gotten in a running shop in Munich or at least with a similar follow up product (as these got old and worn). I still used my Mizunos for a tough mudder after putting a 1000 miles on them and a sub four hour marathon. unbelievable shoe.

Conclusion

Do your home work and stick to what is known to work for you. No last minute changes or new equipment .practice, practice, practice and repeat on race day seems to be all there is to it.