Expert Advice to Run Your Best Marathon

Knowing that there’s more than one way to gear up for a marathon, we asked some of Canada’s marathoning experts for some of the tips they tell others to follow. While we got a variety of suggestions, one thing quickly became apparent: you won’t have a successful 42.2K race unless you’ve logged some consistent training, planned accordingly and remained smart on race day.

Consistency is Key:

“Respect the distance, do the training required,” says Linda Rainville Wagar, author of Canadian Marathon Stories. “Pacing comes with experience in all weather conditions.”
“For me the recipe was simple, I stayed consistent,” says Dave Edge, one of Canada’s premier marathon runners during the 70s and 80s. “I would run the same course all of the time, my intervals were always on the same course at the same time – that my body got used to the workout and the times. Also, I would make sure that I did one long run a week in the buildup phase that would be around 30 miles [48K] and we (Mike Dyon and I) would set a time target so as not to kill ourselves.”

“The typical Sunday morning long run at an easy, conversational pace is a staple in most runners’ marathon preparations,” says Dylan Wykes, one of Canada’s top marathon runners. “I do a bit of a variation on this workout that I find helps prepare me to be my fittest on race day and I think everyone could benefit from a similar workout. I like to incorporate running at my marathon goal pace for 60-90 minutes during the middle of the long run. I think it’s very important to train your body and mind to get used to the pace you hope to run on race day. Completing a workout like this can be tough, so I only do it every other week and take a couple of days of easy jogging afterwards. But, if done properly, it can give you a big boost on race day.”

Racing:

“Run the first 30K with your head, not your heart,” says running coach Steve Boyd, who is also one of Canada’s top masters runners. “When it comes to early pacing, stick strictly with what you’ve been able to manage comfortably in training, regardless of what your race-day emotions might be telling you. Save your passion and competitive drive for the final 10-12K, where you’ll need it most.”
“Respect Mother Nature, she is often the one in charge and makes the whole experience humbling,” says Rainville Wagar. “Choose not to get negative. Allow that you might be hurting and know that the pain is temporary. I start counting down in the last hour of my marathon. The last hour, I take it in bites. I keep telling myself it’s just one hour in my life; it’s just 15 minutes in my whole day. The reward is I conquered the distance; the rest is of no consequence.”

“During race week, remember the training is over,” Dave Edge warns. “It is not what you do but what you don’t do that matters. You do not over train or overeat. Focus on rest and recovery in the last week.”

Plan Accordingly:

“Although I have run many marathons, most were last-minute decisions or were compromised by getting too excited and jumping in other races that messed up the buildup,” says Jason Loutitt from runningthroughmountains.com. “I’ve learned through many extremely tough racing miles at the end of those races that the more important the result, the more important the long-term development and planning.”

Loutitt has one other planning tip: Practise both longer goal-marathon-pace training runs and Bikram yoga to fully prepare yourself to let go of your thinking and stay relaxed during trying times.
The University of Toronto Track Club’s Ross Ristuccia also feels that planning and paced runs are a key ingredient to a successful marathon. “I have big reservations about even a beginner attempting a marathon without having done some kind of marathon pace run of even 10 miles [16K] to get the feel for what they will have to do,” Ristuccia says. He suggests a marathon pace run of up to 24K during a 12-14-week build-up before a marathon, “sometimes a little longer, up to about 30K, as we often do in preparation for Ottawa with the Around the Bay 30K. I’ve found over the years that this is a reasonable predictor for goal time in Ottawa and it comes almost two months ahead of the Ottawa race,” Ristuccia says. “Depending on the athlete, we might do two marathon pace runs, but a lot of people can only do one because they can be quite taxing. If you’re only doing one, I would position it around four or five weeks before the race. Only an experienced marathoner who is in excellent shape would do one five weeks into the buildup and another three or four weeks later, depending on recovery.”

“Plan for the event to maximize the experience,” Robert Moore, one of Canada’s most experienced marathon runners, suggests. “Perhaps an exotic location or a run with friends or rivals to give it some spice. Know the course as thoroughly as you can. Run other distances before the race to see what pace you can take. This must include at least a half-marathon.”

Be Flexible

“Probably the most important general tip for someone training for their next marathon is to be flexible,” says Dylan Wykes. “Most people training for a marathon these days are getting advice from somewhere; whether it be a personal coach or a training program adapted from a running magazine. But you are the only one who knows how your body feels on a day-to-day basis. It’s nice to be able to stay on schedule and put a check mark next to every workout you planned to do, but sometimes it’s smarter to adapt your training schedule to how you’re feeling and what is going on in your life. If your Sunday morning long run was particularly tough and you feel very tired and sore for several days afterward, don’t be afraid to take an extra day of easy running and push your midweek workout back a day, or skip it completely. It’s important to strike a balance between taking risks in your training and being smart about it. And being flexible with your training schedule is probably the most important component of this.”