Just a few more days and it's Milo Marathon Day. My heart's pumping like crazy in excitement and anticipation. I'm often day dreaming of that tremendous feeling of satisfaction upon reaching the finish line after 42.195 kilometers of exhausting effort on the road.
A few more training runs. A lot more carbo to load. A few invitations to family and friends for support. Just finishing those all important list of must-haves and must-dos leading to the marathon.
On my very little marathon experience, I need to remind myself of these things about the marathon. Just a few things that should be easy for me to remember. (For I am pretty much a baby marathoner that must always be reminded of the little important things..)
M - mental toughness.
A - attire.
R - rules and reminders.
A - acclimatization.
T - training.
H - hydration.
O - others.
N - nutrition.
Mental Toughness. It's a must-have. It's gonna be rough. It's gonna be tough. It's gonna be hell for the body. When the going gets tough, a marathoner needs to be prepared mentally and still run forward. I have to prepare myself mentally for the worst case possible and be ready for it.
Attire. From the running shoes and socks that must be soft, durable and comfortable.. to knee support only if I need it (my marathon knee injury from last year was already gone).. to running shorts which must be dry-fit for those long hours of sweating, comfortable, does not limit/affect/influence my leg movements, preferably with a pocket or two for keys, money, little chocolates (pocket was torn but it was already fixed).. to singlets or shirts that must also be dry-fit and comfortable and does not limit my arm swings (test run the fabric and the fit on my armpits always watching out for that irritating chafing) .. to hydration belts and music gadgets (I won't be using any).
Rule of thumb: Do not wear anything new on marathon day. Everything must have been tested prior to race day. I just don't want nasty surprises to bother and bog me down on race day.
Rules and reminders. I have to read the rules and reminders on the registration forms, notices printed on race envelopes, print outs given on the race packets. Jayson! Do not fail to bring your bib number and pins on the race!!! Know how to use the timing chips! Know the rules of the race, road guidelines and be reminded of everything else. Almost like being a mother to my running self.
Acclimatization. I must familiarize my body on the tropical climate of the Philippines. I have stayed here for 27 years so it must not be a problem, right? Hehe. At 7am, the sun is already bothering me with a little bit of heat. And together with fatigue and thirst, it becomes a big deal. From 8am onwards, the heat multiplies, intensifies and punishes me for still being on the road. So I just have to be ready for it. It might also rain on race day. Be prepared for the race-day weather!
Training. I can be mentally tough as I could be, but without a trained body capable of running 42 kilometers in 4-5 hours.. Forget about it. It's just the same as standing in the middle of EDSA and waiting for a car (if not a bus) to hit me head on believing there is no way it could possibly hurt me.
Training is an important aspect of marathoning Jayson! Work your as_ off! And enjoy your reward at the finish line. After all those weeks of training, those kilometers, those physical pains and mental tortures on the road.. I would kiss my Milo marathon medal a hundred times, I swear!
Hydration. I have to understand that my body needs a lot of water to stay sane and efficient. But I also have to remind myself that too much of it could make it actually harder for me to run. Finding the right balance between not being dehydrated and not being bloated is the key for me. That is why I need to run and race over long distances and keep observing when is the right time for me to drink and when is it just fine not to.
Others. Remember what made the previous marathon almost a disaster and what made it almost perfect. Again, the little things.
When the medical assistant was wrapping an ice pack around my right knee right after my very first marathon.. she had one basic question.. Did you stretch your legs before the run? I nodded. But I knew the stretching I did was not enough. I just lifted my knees a few times.. jumped up and down until the marathon gun was fired. Hehehe. Next time, I will make it a point to stretch my legs, arms and body sufficiently. Stretch and warm up Jayson! Stretch and warm up properly. Others I can think of includes pacing, pacer support, support crew for motivation and assistance, hill training for flyovers, bridges and hills, etc.. etc.
Nutrition. So much have been said about carbo loading and storing sufficient energy on the body to last the full marathon distance. Just reminding myself to be aware of what I eat close to race day and on the race day itself. I don't want to get an upset stomach. vomiting, mad rush to the toilet, etc for eating foods I am not familiar with.
Again, don't try anything new on race day.
See you at the marathon. At age 27, I need a 3:45-hour finish time to qualify for the finals. But that's just a bonus, priority is to finish my second marathon. How long it would take me to do that? That's the marathon test, thrill and surprise that I am all too excited about.
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