Nobody’s perfect, myself included, and for all running is a “simple” sport, our performance is hugely influenced by a myriad of factors. Over the distance of a marathon, and with our self-imposed targets to achieve, these factors can cause enormous variation in both how we perform and how much we enjoy the experience.
Here I’ll detail 3 of the most common mistakes I see people make.
Lack of adequate nutrition
I’m cheating a little here with an umbrella statement to cover a couple of topics which can be considered different and each an area for improvement.
Specifically the mistake I see is a lack of a good carb-loading period before the marathon, and not enough fuel and/or hydration taken in during the race.
It’s only been the last 3-4 marathons that I’ve done what I now consider to be a good carb-load, so I understand the temptation to skip it and just have a big bowl of pasta the night before, especially with some protocols encouraging a depletion prior to loading which can be unpleasant as well as being yet another thing to think about in our busy lives. I keep it simple with 2 days of increased carb intake and have written lists for the last few races so I don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time, but can tweak it as I like.
Carb intake during the race however, is something that is so, so easy to do. Whether you use drinks, gels, bars or any of the other products available, this is an easy way to improve your performance with no effort and minimal outlay of money. Ideally practice lots in training as well on your long runs to gradually increase the amount you can consume when running at marathon pace, whilst avoiding stomach upsets. In training don’t be tempted to stop or slow down to fuel.
Slow long runs
Whilst we’re on the topic of long runs, this is one of the other mistakes I see a lot of. Whilst I won’t deny that there’s a wide range of appropriate speeds for this depending on an even greater range of variables, too often long runs are performed too slowly. Yes they will inherently be one of your slower runs each week, they don’t have to always be as slow as they are.
Pausing for drinks, stopping at every road crossing instead of running safely around traffic, toilet stops 2-3 times in a run or just sticking to an easy pace for the entirety of every long run absolutely kills the effectiveness of the run. Come race day, a lot of people have run all of their long runs at 30-60 seconds per mile slower than their target pace and stand a far lower chance of achieving their target as a result.
I won’t pretend that it doesn’t matter if you’re slower or faster when it comes to planning your long runs, your fitness has to be accounted for. Many 4:30+ marathon runners can hold their marathon pace for significant periods of time/distance in training since their speed limits are often highly related to strength and mobility issues more than just cardiovascular fitness.
Not enough physical preparation
This leads nicely onto physical prep, a term that encompasses all the non-running activities we do, or more likely don’t do, as runners such as stretching, foam rolling, strength training etc.
Speak to anyone who’s run a marathon and they’ll tell you their legs hurt but if they think about it they weren’t actually that out of breath. Cardiovascular endurance is key in marathon running of course, but for so many people what will put the brakes on their performance is the condition of the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments and tendons). We can improve the function of these enormously with just a little work.
Whilst we accumulate lactate because our heart and lungs aren’t getting enough oxygen to the muscles to produce energy aerobically, if we increase the tolerance muscles have for lactate either through specific running sessions (which has some potential downsides in marathon training) or strength work (which has no downside), we can keep working more easily with the same level of lactate. Consider that running at target pace would also be easier because of the improved function of your tissues, and you then experience less fatigue in the legs in the first place.
If you recognise that even one of these elements could be improved in your training, then I implore you to focus on that before simply increasing the number of miles you run each week in preparation for your next marathon. Running more means more effort, time constraints and higher risk of injury. The suggestions I’ve made might take a little more time and effort but with virtually no risk, whilst still providing incredible results.
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk