A successful marathon comes down to three things: sleep, nutrition, and pacing A marathon is an extraordinary feat. Case in point, only 0.01 percent of the world’s population have ever done one.
While this might seem like a daunting task, running 42 kilometers (or 42.125 kilometers to be exact) is not as unreachable as some might assume. The end of the year is when a lot of local marathons take place.
Of course, at this point, the assumption is that you’ve done your homework: You’ve covered the weekly mileage, done the long runs, and prepared your body as best as you could. With this in mind, here are a few tips to help you conquer the event from start to finish: A post shared by Don Velasco (@flyingdonv) Sleep The race begins even before the gun goes off. Sleep during taper week is your best bet to finish strong.
A lot of people worry about not being able to sleep the night before a race. Understandably so, this bout of insomnia comes from the anticipation, anxiety, and excitement of participating in such a huge undertaking. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran, from my own experience, it doesn’t change.
The nerves, although more controlled, still bother me despite my close to two decades’ worth of experience. These emotions coupled with the fact that most local marathons take place close to midnight, don’t cooperate well with our desire to get some decent, quality sleep. My advice is simple: Sleep a lot during taper week and don’t worry about sleep the nig.