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A few members of the New Balance Twin Cities Pace Team at a recent race.
You’ve trained for weeks. The marathon is less than a week away. What do you do now? Some say taper, some say relax and believe in your training, some say run to stay loose. One consistent piece of advice is not to over-do it this week. You’ve worked hard, be proud and treat yourself right. Read on as the New Balance Twin Cities Pace Team shares what they do the final days leading up to a big race.
Lead Pacer Sam
I suggest light running with lots of rest leading into the week of a long race. I do not suggest any workouts over 5 miles the week of a full marathon as you want to save your miles for the actual race. It is always best to show up on race day UNDER trained versus OVER trained.
Pacer Brandon
You always want to scale back on your mileage the final week leading up to a marathon. I always like to get in at least one run at my goal race pace though, just so that I don't forget what kind of pace I plan to run. If you travel for the marathon having your travel day as an off day is generally a good idea. If you're racing near home, getting in a couple easy miles the day before the marathon can help loosen up your legs too.
Pacer Steve
Leading up to a marathon I would suggest a lot of rest and less training miles. Also, very important to eat well, most marathon plans "taper" in preparation for the marathon.
Pacer Jeff
The goal is to get to the line as healthy and rested as possible. One key is freshening the legs
and getting them use to the desired pace for the marathon. I usually do some easy running to stay loose with some stretching and running form drills. Three to four days out I'll do 3-4 mile repeats at marathon goal pace followed by a few 200's to freshen up the speed and form. I also remain cognizant of my diet to ensure my weight is appropriate for the race. Get to line fresh and feeling fast!
Pacer Tina
The week leading up to the marathon can be the toughest. Most likely you're ending a 3 week taper and are going mad second guessing yourself that you're ready to handle the distance. The most important thing is to listen to your body. The bulk of the training is long over so you can't really under train in the last week, but you can try to do too much. If you're not feeling up for a run, then don't. If you want to cut something short, go ahead. Do a couple 3 milers just to keep loose. Overall, take it easy on yourself and trust in your training.
Pacer Seth
If you're anything like me then your training has been really intense and at some moments you've wondered if it will all pay off, trust me it will. My suggestion for the week leading up to the race is start tough and back down so that the day before the race you either don’t run, just cross-train, or run a short and easy run. Every person is different and you have to find out what works for you, so try some smaller races first and try different things leading up to those races and you'll find what works best for you. And my other suggestion has to do with the day before the marathon. Go easy on the fiber and high on carbs (bagels work well for me).
Pacer Allan
I usually have two or three marathon training schedules/plans that are relatively close in weekly mileage that I reference when planning my weekly runs. I try and find the middle ground and use that to guide for my training. I try and taper the last two weeks.
Pacer Scott G.
Do not try to make up for missed runs or workouts. Stay loose with short easy runs. Stay hydrated and fed. The best advice I ever received was that it is better to "toe the line" 10% undertrained than 10% over-trained.
Pacer Scott B.
Reduce total mileage to about 30% of your highest mileage week. Keep the same rhythm as you have, just reduce the mileage (if your hard days are Wednesday and off days are Thursday and Saturday, do that.) 5 days before, I do a few miles at tempo pace (with a good warm-up and cool down) to keep that focus sharp. 2 days before is a few miles close to race pace (should feel somewhat easy). The day before the marathon, rest or run an easy mile or two to stay loose.
Pacer Juli
I think it is most important to relax and let the taper work. Some running is good to keep you fresh, but resist the urge to do "just one more long run". Trust the taper!
Pacer Tim
The week leading up to running a marathon I would suggest rest being the most important and eating right for best performance.
Pacer Mike
Lighten the pace and the miles for the week prior to the race. This will let your muscles heal and repair, and be at their peak on race day. Also, pay attention to what you are eating and drinking, and remember that the meal two days prior to your marathon is more important than the popular carbo loading pasta feast the night before. Make sure and get plenty of rest as well.
Pacer Brady
Make sure you're not being lazy. I'm not a big believer in the magical feeling you get from a taper. Try to back off on your miles, but that doesn't mean stop running. Don't over-do it on marathon week.
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