Health Options Alan Titchenal  & Joannie Dobbs                    Saturday , December 2, 2006

What to expect when you’re expecting the Marathon

Are you planning to run, walk, or shuffle a 26.2 mile marathon? Then, you likely invested several months of training, but the last week before the marathon can be the most difficult mentally and physically.

Most guidelines for marathon preparation are based on research on competitive runners. However, the majority of marathon entrants are participants rather than competitors and the demands on their bodies are a bit different. Here is a list of tips for those taking the slower path.

1) During the week leading up to the marathon it is too late to get any benefit from training. Let the body recover from the demands of prior training by taking it very easy. Especially during the last two days before the marathon, the smart participant will engage only in couch potato activities.

2) Fill up the high-octane fuel tank. All marathoners know that carbohydrate is their body's fuel of choice for peak performance and carbo-loading is a long established tradition. Filling up the carbohydrate fuel tank before the event should help the slower runners as much as the faster ones.

3) Expect to gain weight during the week before the marathon. Successful carbo-loading typically results in a three to four pound weight gain. When carbohydrate is stored up in a form called glycogen, it binds about three times its weight in water and essentially helps the body to "water load."

The Honolulu Marathon is a week from tomorrow. Your body won't benefit much from training this week, so let it rest and recover. Spend time on the couch, for instance. Eat properly. Fill up on carbohydrate-rich food, but don't forget some protein. Keep yourself hydrated before and during the race.

4) Training recovery requires a good balance of all essential nutrients. Keep a wide variety of foods in your diet and consume adequate protein to support repair of muscle damage. In other words, don't eat just high carb foods.

5) Don't avoid salt during the week before the marathon unless you must for medical reasons.

6) In addition to eating well, it is equally important to greatly reduce training and other physical activities during the week leading up to the marathon. This helps the muscle use less carbohydrate and accumulate more.

7) On marathon day, do what has worked well for you before your long training runs. If that means drinking a morning coffee, then do that. It is usually best to not try something you have never done before.

8) Drink enough fluids, but not too much. That is easier said than done because it depends on the weather and your personal sweat rate. But either extreme is dangerous. If you need to stop to urinate during the second half of the event, you may be drinking too much.

9) Carry a water bottle to fill at aid stations and sip as you go.

10) Take time to have fun!