mcmillan’s marathon freak out survival guide€¦ · surviving the marathon freak-out a guide to...

Survivingthe

MARATHONFREAK-OUT

AGuidetoRunningYourBestMarathon

GREGMcMILLAN,M.S.

SurvivingtheMarathonFreakOut

©GregMcMillan,McMillanRunningLLCwww.McMillanRunning.com 2

GettheLatestandGreatest!Withthepurchaseofthisbook,younowhaveanotherperson(me)onyoursupportteamasyouhead intoyourmarathon. I’mverymuch looking forward toworkingwithyouforthebestmarathonofyourlife.In order tohelp you get themost out of thisGuide, stepone is to “register” yourbook,whichsoundsmoreglamorousthanitis.Justsendanemailtocoachgreg@mcmillanrunning.comtoletmeknowyouhavethebook.IcanthenkeepyouupdatedasIaddtothebookandhavemoretipsandadvicetoshare.Simpleasthat.



TableofContentsMyPromise…3CongratulateYourself…5TheMarathonFreakOut…6PeakingfortheMarathon…8McMillanMarathonPeakingPlans…14MarathonPeakingWorkouts…22Greg’sPre-RaceRules…28RaceDay!..33Post-RaceCelebrations…40CoachGreg’sPre-RacePepTalk…42HighFiveandFistBump…45FrequentlyAskedQuestions…47AbouttheAuthor…55



MyPromise

Don’tworry.It’sgoingtobeokay.Ipromise.Iknowyou’vebeentrainingforthebig

day(a.k.a.marathonday) forawhilenowso it’snormal togetanxiousas theday

approaches.I’vebeentheretoo.Asarunner,I’vedealtwiththerigorsofmarathon

trainingandthenervousnessastheracenears,nonemoresothanbeforemyfirst

marathon,theNewYorkCityMarathonorbeforeIwontheNationalMastersTrail

MarathonChampionshipsafewyearsago.

Asacoach,I’vetrainedthousandsofrunnersjustlikeyouformarathonsaroundthe

globe,ineveryweatherconditionandoveralltypesofcrazyterrain.Trustme.We

got this.Letmewalkyouthroughmysurvivalguide to these lastcoupleofweeks

beforeyourracesoyougointothebigdaywithmoreconfidence,leavingnostone

unturnedandreadyforapeakperformanceinwhatIguaranteewillbeoneofthe

greatestaccomplishmentsofyourlife.

What you are about to read iswhat I usewithmy athletes nomatter their goal:

gettingtothefinishlineinonepiece,settinganewPersonalBest,qualifyingforthe

BostonMarathonorevenpreparingfortheOlympicGames.I’vehelpedrunnersdo

allof theseandmypeakingplanswillhelpyouget to thestart line fit, restedand

ready. As you’ll quickly see, race day is simply a celebration of all the hardwork

you’vecompletedandachancetoletyourperformanceshine!

(Andsoonenough,you’llbeplanningyournextmarathon.)



“Idareyoutotrainforamarathonandnothaveitchangeyourlife.”–SusanSidoriak



FirstThingsFirst!

First,patyourselfontheback.Training foramarathon isnoteasyandoftendoes

not go smoothly but getting to the starting line shows your dedication and

determination. The race is the icing on the cake. As race week approaches,

nervousnesscanseemoverwhelming. Taketimetoremembertothankthosewho

have supported you in yourmarathonquest. Youknowwho they are and they’ll

appreciatethatyourecognizeallthey’vedonetohelpyou.

Also,takesometimetocongratulateYOU.Ibetyoulearnedalotaboutyourselfover

thelastfewweeks.Youlaced‘emupandwentforrunswhenyoureallydidn’twant

to.Youmadebetterfoodchoices(attimesreluctantly).Youstretched(occasionally)

andtriedeverytrickinthebooktokeepyourmuscleshappy(eventhedreadedice

bath).Youbravedgoodweatherandbadweather.Yousqueezedrunsinwhenyou

hadto.Youexperimented(successfullyandunsuccessfully)withdifferentfoodsto

keepyourdigestivesystemhappyandtofindyourperfectmarathondietplan.You

talkedmoreaboutchaffing,runningshoes,pace,distance,GPS,fartleksandenergy

gelsthanyoueverthoughtpossible.Intheend,youlearnedthatwhenyousetyour

mindtosomething,youcandoit.Andhere’salittlesneakpeak:Themarathonwill

benodifferent.Youcandoit.

Ok.Let’sgetdowntobusiness.



Help!I’mFreakingOut!

ThetwoweekspriortothemarathoniswhatIcallthe ‘greatmarathonfreakout’.

Questions abound. Self-doubt creeps in. Fear is ever-present. The marathon

becomesmonumental.Don’tworry.Everyonefeelsthisway.

Weputsomuchintotrainingandwantdesperatelyfortheracetogowell.Usethis

peakingtimetoreflectonallyoursuccessesduringtraining.Thinkgoodthoughts.

Run strong in the remaining workouts and focus on relaxing the body/mind.

Negativethoughtswillcreepinbutjustpushthemasideandfocusonthepositive.

Don’toverrestorovereatbutjustrelaxandsmile.

In this guide, I’m going to show you how to do all of these so you “peak” for

marathonday.Peakingmeansbringingyourmindandyourbodytoapointwhere

youcangettheabsolutemostfromyourselfonraceday.You’llfollowmytriedand

true peaking training plans and I’llwalk you throughwhat you should do before,

duringandaftertherace.Theresult?You’llgiveyourselfthebestshotatsuccesson

raceday.Youwillhavecontrolledallthatyoucancontrolandthen,it’sjustamatter

ofdoingyourabsolutebestontheday.

I’velivedthroughthismarathonfreakoutwiththousandsofrunners,overthelast

20years,manyjustlikeyou.Thefreakoutstrikessomerunnersmoreseverelythan

othersbutnomatterhowmuchyouarefreakingout,theseguidelinesoffercomfort

andconfidence.



“Don’tworry.Everythingisgoingtobeamazing.”-Unknown



HowtoPeakfortheMarathon

Ifiguredthispeakingthingout.Ittookawhilebecause,likemanycoaches,Ifellinto

thestandard"tapering"modelwe'veallbeentaught.Problemwas, taperingdidn't

workconsistently.Theresultswerejustashit-or-missasnottaperingatall.

So,Ithrew"tapering"outofmyvocabulary.Ireplaceditwith"peaking."Semantics?

Maybe.Butbystudyingpeakperformanceresearch-bothphysiologicalaswellas

psychological-asopposedtojustthetaperingresearch,I'vebeenabletodialinhow

to trulypeakonmarathonday. Itworks forallathletesnomatterwhereyou find

yourselfinthepackcomeraceday.

Here are my guidelines for your peaking phase - the last 14 days before your

marathon–andtheseideasformthebasisofmypeakingtrainingplansinthisbook

as well as my guidance for what you should do before, during and after the

marathon:

#1:Don'tchangeyourweeklyrunningroutine

Ourbodiesandminds likeroutine. Ifyourunthreedaysperweek,thenrunthree

daysperweekduringyourpeakingphase. Ifyourun five, thenrun five.Your legs

will feelheavyand“flat” ifyousuddenlyrun less frequentlythannormal.Here’sa

quickstorytoprovethepoint:

A few years ago, I coached a new runner program here in San Diego. Amasters

female runner (who ran 4 days per week) was prepped and ready for a great

marathon. On race day, however, she ran horribly andwas nowhere close to her

goaltime.Whenwemetupafewdaysaftertherace,Iaskedherwhatwentwrong.

“Idon’tknowGreg.ThetrainingwasgreatandIfeelyourworkoutsreallyprepared

mefortherace,”shesaidshrugginghershoulders.Afteralittlemoreinvestigation,

Ifoundtheproblem.Iaskedheraboutraceweek,atimewhenthingscangowrong



ifyouaren’tcareful. “Raceweekwasgreat.BecauseIwantedtoreallyrestupfor

themarathon, I tookWednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday off. I wanted to

saveallmyenergyforthemarathononSunday,”sherevealed.Bingo!Thereitwas.

Herbodywasusedtorunningfourtimesperweekandsuddenlysherestedforfour

straight days. Every runner knows how awful you feel if youmiss a few days of

running.Youfeellikeyou’veneverrunbeforeinyourlife! And,that’sexactlyhow

shefelt.Shewascompletelyflatonraceday.Shelearnedthisrulethehardwayand

itwasagreatreminderformeandnowyou.Sticktoyourrunningrhythmduring

thepeakingphase.

Thatsaid,thereisoneexceptiontothisrule:Runnerswhofeeltheyareontheedge

ofovertrainingorarenursingasoremuscleornigglinginjurymaytakeanextraday

off eachweekduring thepeakingphase.But, don't take it thedaybefore the last

longrunortheraceifyoudon'tnormallyrestthedaybeforeyourlongruns.This

risksfeelingflatonracemorning.

#2:Reduceweeklytrainingvolume,butnottoomuch

Over the last 10-14 days before your race, you should progressively reduce the

volume of your running. Twoweeks out from the race, I like to reduce the daily

volumeby10-20minutesorso.Formostrunners,that’snobigdeal.But,whatifyou

onlyrun30minutesperdaynormally?Stillfollowtheplan.Reduceyourrunto10-

20minutes(30minutesminus10-20minutes).Itwillfeellikeyouspentmoretime

gettingreadyfortherunthangoingfortherunbutyourbodywillbenefitevenfrom

veryshortruns.

The week of the race, reduce your normal daily volume approximately 20-30

minutes. (Again, thismaymean lowmileagerunnersmayonlyrun10-20minutes

butthat’sokay.)This,alongwiththenormalreductioninyourlongrunlengthasthe

racenears,willdropyouroverallrunningvolumeinlinewithwhatweknowfrom



research(and,moreimportantly,frompracticalexperience)tothelevelthatallows

the body to get prepared for a peak performance (~20-40% total reduction in

trainingvolumedependingontheathlete).

The extent of your volume reduction during the peaking phase depends on your

normaltrainingvolumeandhowtiredyoufeelfromthetraining.Lowermileageand

restedathleteswillreducevolumelessthanhighmileagerunnerswhoarefatigued

fromtraining.

Thatsaid,don'tmakethecommonmistakeofdroppingyourvolumetoomuch.This

takesyourbodyoutofitsroutineandcanleaveyoustaleonraceday.Myopinionis

thatmorerunnersfailbecauseoftaperingtoomuch(see#1above)ratherthannot

enough.

#3:Keeptheenginerevved

Whilewemaywanttoreducethevolumeofrunning,wedonotwanttoreducethe

intensityofourworkouts.Infact,wemaywanttheintensitytoincrease.Youwant

to keep your engine revved, the pumps primed. Never race your workouts, but

during thepeakingphase, don't backoff fromall faster running either. I've found

thatsomefastrunning inthepeakingphasehelpsbringthebodyandthemindto

tiptop condition on race day. (See my Peaking Plans in the next section for the

workoutsIrecommend.)

Whiletheseworkoutsaren’t“pushittothemax”workouts,theyshouldhelpbuild

yourrunningeconomy(thinkofitasbettergasmileage)anddialinyourgoalpace.

Done correctly, the peakingworkouts stress the body less but leave youwith an

enginethatisprimedandreadytodeliveronraceday.

#4:Planyourstrategyandstickwithit



Mostmarathonershavethesameracestrategy-startconservative,buildintorace

pace,runasefficientlyaspossibleandgetasdeepintheraceaspossiblebeforeyou

have to pull out your super powers to get you to the finish line. Yoursmay vary,

depending on your strength and preferences, but no matter what your strategy,

stickwithit.

Formostrunners,theirpre-racestrategyisthebeststrategy.Beopentochangeif

theconditionsrequire,butforthemostpart,youknowwhatyouneedtodoso,just

getoutofyourownwayandlettheraceunfoldasplanned.

Ofcourse,thebiggesterrorisfeelinggreatinthefirstfewmiles(whichshouldfeel

easy anyway) anddeciding, “I think I’ll put some time in thebank in case I slow

downlater.”Bignono.Yourfasterpacemayfeeleasybutyouareburningessential

storedcarbohydratesandstressingyourmuscletissuestoomuch,toosoon.Laterin

therace,you’llpayforitandcaneasilyloseseveralminutespermilecomparedto

thefewsecondspermileyou“banked”earlyintherace.

(Laterinthebook,Iprovidemypacechartforrunningyourbestevenornegative

splitrace.)

#5:Reflectontrainingtobuildconfidence

I likeathletestoreflectontrainingintwoways.First, thinkbackonaparticularly

tough workout, one where you didn't feel great but you gutted it out. You were

tough. This shows that you can do it. You are tough. You can handle the ups and

downsofrunningandgettothefinishline.Thiswillberequiredinyourmarathon,

soinsteadofthinkingofthatrunasa“bad”workout,seeitasrevealingyourinner

strength.

Now, thinkbacktoyourbestworkoutsorraces.Reallyre-livetheminyourmind.

Bolsteryourconfidenceknowingthatyouarefit,fastandready.Bringontherace!



Get excited to go out there and perform like you know you can! Your training

successesshouldbuildyourconfidenceandconfidenceisakeypartofthepeaking

process.

In fact, your homework is to review your training plan and highlight 2-3

runs/workouts/raceswhere you felt great, really awesome. Put pen to paper (or

fingerstokeyboard)andwritedowneverythingyourememberabouttheday.Come

atit fromallyoursensesandreally“feel”therun. Then,starttoreadaboutthese

great runsevery fewdaysas the racenears.You’llbe surprisedhow thisongoing

positivementalstimuluscancarryoverintotherace.

#6:Havefunandsmile

Let'sfaceit.Mostofusaren'tgoingforanOlympicgoldmedalhere.Wearesimply

enjoyingthechallengeofdoingourbest.Thereisnorealpressure,soquitputtingso

much on yourself. We run for fun, and you should remember that. Have fun! I

encouragerunnerstosmilealotinthefinaldaysbeforearace.Smilingputsyouina

bettermood,reducesanxietyandthatcanplayabigroleonraceday.

It'sonlywithapositive,happymindsetfocusedondoingyourbest,combinedwitha

well-trainedbodythat isrestedbutrevved, fueledandhydratedthatyoucanrace

yourbest.



“Thewilltowinmeansnothingwithoutthewilltoprepare.”–JumaIkangaa



McMillanMarathonPeakingPlans

Onthenextfewpagesaremyprovenmarathonpeakingplanstohelpyoubefully

preparedforyourbestmarathonperformance.Youmayneedtoaltertheplantofit

theexactdaysoftheweek(thoughI’veincludedlotsofdailyoptionsforyou)that

yourunbutthebottomlineisthatthesepeakingplanswork.Youcanreallytrustin

them. And, the confidence that youaredoing training thathasproven itself over

andovercangoalongwaytoreducingyourstressduringthisfreakoutphase.

ImportantNotes:

Asyoubrowsethroughthepeakingplans,keepafewthingsinmind.First,theplans

arelistedbythenumberofdaysyourunperweek.Forexample,thefirstsetofplans

isfortherunnerwhoruns2-3timesperweek.Thenextsetisforrunnerswhorun

4-5timesperweekandthelastsetisfortherunnerwhogetsin6-7runsperweek.

Choosewhateverbestfitstheroutineyou’vebeenusing.

Second,twoversionsofeachplanareprovided.Thefirstversionisthe“Endurance

Monster”version.Thisschedule isbest forrunnerswhofindtheyaresignificantly

betteratthelongerdistancesthanattheshorterdistances.Theendurancemonster

istypicallytherunnerwhoexcelsatlongrunsandsteadyeffortrunsbutstruggles

with speedwork and shorter races. If this sounds like you, then choose the

EnduranceMonsterversion.

ThealternativeversionistheSpeedsterversion.Asyouwouldguess,theserunners

aretheoppositeoftheEnduranceMonster.They’rebetterattheshorterracesand

speed trainingbutdon’tperformaswell in longer trainingsessionsandraces. In

other words, the marathon is an event that doesn’t come as naturally to the

Speedster as it does the Endurance Monster. Choose this version if you are a

Speedster.

(GetmybookYOU(OnlyFaster)ifyouarehavingtroubledeterminingyourtype.Igo

intodetailabouthowIdeterminetherunnertypeintheathletesIcoach.)



Readthisverycarefullyasthisisanimportantnote:earlyinyourtrainingplan,you

hadtopushhardinworkoutsinordertobuildyourfitness.That’snotwhatwe’re

doing in thepeakingphase.The fitnesshasbeenbuilt so in these last twoweeks,

we’reworkingonrefiningyourfitness.Inotherwords,wewanttorunquicklyand

withintherecommendedpacerangesfromtheMcMillanRunningCalculatorbutwe

wanttodoitasrelaxedandeasilyaspossible.Makesense?Don’tleaveyourracein

training by going too hard in the last two weeks. Keep it challenging but under

control.Thinkpeak,notpush.

Lastly, use commonsense when incorporating the peaking plans. If you’ve never

donefasterrepeats, thenskipthemandjust focusongoalpace/temporunning. If,

however,youhavesomeexperiencewithfasterrunning,thenenjoytheseeconomy

building fasterworkouts.Again,youaren’t trying tobuild fitnessherebut instead

are simply trying to get your body and mind primed for a peak marathon

performance.Andifyoucan’tfigureoutifyou’reaspeedsterorendurancemonster,

choosetheprogramthatlooksthemostfuntoyou.Bothworkwellsoyoucan’tgo

wrongeitherway.

NOTE:Ereaders(Kindle,Nook,etc.)displaytrainingplansverypoorly.Ifyouwould

likea copyofyourpeakingplan inamore readable format, just emailmeand I’ll

sendyouaPDFofyourplan.

There is a “workout decoder” after the training plans, which explains all the

workoutacronyms(ER,TR,CI,FFLR,etc.)thatyou’llseeinthetrainingplans.

Theplansarelistedinthefollowingorder:

2-3daysrunningperweek(EnduranceMonsterVersion)

2-3daysperweek(SpeedsterVersion)

4-5daysperweek(EnduranceMonsterVersion)




6-7daysperweek(EnduranceMonsterVersion)




McMillanRunning2-3daysperweekMarathonPeakingPlan(EnduranceMonsterVersion)

14 ProgressionLongRun:90min(30minLRpace,30minGoalMarathonPace,30minFAST!)

PreviousLRsforendurance.Thisoneforeffortprogression.Last30minshouldfeellikea10Krace.Testgear&nutrition.Visualizestrongmarathonfinish!Usemcmillanrunning.comtocalculatepaces

13 OFF-Completerecovery;rechargementally;allowfuelstorestobuild;vegout

Restisoftenneglected.Duringrestyourbodybecomesstronger&readyforapeakperformance.Todayiscompletedayofffromallactivity.Justrest,eatwell&forgetaboutthemarathon.

12 20-40minEasyRunorOFF Pleasantroute.Nice&gentle.Visithttps://run.mcmillanrunning.com/learn/

11 30-45minEasyRunORCross-Train

Runeasyortakethisdayoff.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Checkracedayweather.Researchracesiterestaurants.Re-livebestLR.

10 TempoRun:20-30min Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Thesemedium-effortcontinuousrunworkwellforendurance-orientedrunners.Testshoes&gear.Thinksmooth&relaxedwhilerunning.Visualizebeautifulrunningform.Reviewpacesatwww.mcmillanrunning.com

9 OFF-Completerecovery Takethisdayoff.Allowthebody&mindtorest.


Runeasyortakethisdayoff.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Checkracedayweather.Reviewcoursemap&raceplan.

7 12milestotal:6milesEasyRun+6MilesatGoalMarathonPace

ThisisyourfinalmarathonLR.Testshoes,gear&nutritionplan.Howrelaxedcanyourunatmarathonpace?

6 OFF-Completerecovery Scheduleadiversionsoyoudon’tthinkaboutthemarathon.

5 ERw/PaceChange:4-5x30secat~10Kpacew/1mineasyjog

Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Fasterrepeatsimproverunningeconomy&rampupreadinessforthemarathon.Alternatefast,relaxedrunningw/easyjogging.Don’tpushtoohard.

4 TempoRun:10-20min Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.MoreMedium-effortrunningtogrooverelaxedrhythm.Finaltestofmarathonshoes&gear.Re-liveprevious



awesomeruns.Reviewraceplan.

3 20-40minEasyRunorOFF Nice&gentle.Goodfuel.Checkraceweather.Makefinalpackinglist.

2 OFForCross-Train Oftentravelday,takedayofforjustcross-trainateasyeffortfornomorethan30min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Goodnutrition.

1 30minEasyRunORCross-Train

Iliketojogforaneasyjogthedaybefore.Helpscalmthenerves&makethedaygobyfaster.Repeat,“Iamready”throughoutday.

0 RaceDay!Smile&enjoy Can’twaittohearhowitgoes–[email protected]

©McMillanRunning,LLCAllrightsreserved.www.mcmillanrunning.com



McMillanRunning2-3daysperweekMarathonPeakingPlan(SpeedsterVersion)

14 ProgressionLongRun:90min(30minLRpace,30minGoalMarathonPace,30minFAST!)

PreviousLRsforendurance.Thisoneforeffortprogression.Last30minshouldfeellikea10Krace.Testgear&nutrition.Visualizestrongmarathonfinish!Usemcmillanrunning.comtocalculatepaces

13 OFF-Completerecovery;rechargementally;allowfuelstorestobuild;vegout

Restisoftenneglected.Duringrestyourbodybecomesstronger&readyforapeakperformance.Todayiscompletedayofffromallactivity.Justrest,eatwell&forgetaboutthemarathon.

12 20-30minEasyRunorOFF Pleasantroute.Nice&gentle.Visithttps://run.mcmillanrunning.com/learn/


Runeasyortakethisdayoff.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Checkracedayweather.Researchracesiterestaurants.Re-livebestLR.

10 TempoIntervals:3x2000metersw/2mineasyjogbetween

Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Thesemedium-effortrepeatsworkwellforspeedsterrunners.Testshoes&gear.Thinksmooth&relaxedwhilerunning.Visualizebeautifulrunningform.Reviewpacesatwww.mcmillanrunning.com

9 OFF-Completerecovery Takethisdayoff.Allowthebody&mindtorest.


Runeasyortakethisdayoff.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Checkracedayweather.Reviewcoursemap&raceplan.



6 OFF-Completerecovery Scheduleadiversionsoyoudon’tthinkaboutthemarathon.

5 ERw/PaceChange:4-5x1minat~5Kpacew/1mineasyjog


4 CruiseIntervals:4-5x1000metersw/1mineasyjog

Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Moremedium-effortrepeatstogrooverhythm.Finaltestofmarathon



shoes&gear.Re-livepreviousawesomeruns.Reviewraceplan.


Nice&gentle.Goodfuel.Checkraceweather.Makefinalpackinglist.

2 OFForCross-Train Oftentravelday,takedayofforjustcross-trainateasyeffortfornomorethan30min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Goodnutrition.







McMillanRunning4-5daysperweekrunnerMarathonPeakingPlan(EnduranceMonsterVersion)

14 FastFinishLongRun:14-18totalmilesw/last6-8miles@marathonpaceorfaster

PreviousLRsforendurance.Thisoneforeffortprogression.Last6-8milesaveragegoalpacebutlast2milesshouldfeellikea5Krace.Testgear&nutrition.Visualizestrongmarathonfinish!Usemcmillanrunning.comtocalculatepaces

13 OFForCross-Train Restisoftenneglected.Duringrestyourbodybecomesstronger&readyforapeakperformance.Todayiscompletedayofffromallactivity.Justrest,eatwell&forgetaboutthemarathon.



11 40minEasyRun Pleasantroute.Nice&gentle.Visithttps://run.mcmillanrunning.com/learn/Checkraceweather.Researchracesiterestaurants.Re-livebestLR.

10 TempoRun:20-30min Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Medium-effortcontinuousrunworkwellforendurance-orientedrunners.Testshoes&gear.Thinksmooth&relaxedwhilerunning.Visualizebeautifulrunningform.Reviewpacesatwww.mcmillanrunning.com


Runeasyorjustcross-trainataneasyeffort&fornomorethan45min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.


Runeasyorjustcross-trainataneasyeffort&fornomorethan50min.Checkracedayweather.Reviewcoursemap&raceplan.



6 OFForCross-Train Scheduleadiversionsoyoudon’tthinkaboutthemarathon.

5 40-50minEasyRun Nice&easyrunonyourfavoriterunningroute.



4 TempoRun:15-20min Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.MoreMedium-effortrunningtogrooverelaxedrhythm.Finaltestofmarathonshoes&gear.Re-livepreviousawesomeruns.Reviewraceplan.

3 30-40minEasyRun Nice&gentle.Goodfuel.Checkraceweather.Makefinalpackinglist.

2 30-40minEasyRunorOFF Oftentravelday,takedayofforjustrunateasyeffortfornomorethan40min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.Goodnutrition.














10 TempoIntervals:3-4x2000metersw/2mineasyjog

Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Medium-effortrepetitionsworkwellforspeed-orientedrunners.Testshoes&gear.Thinksmooth&relaxedwhilerunning.Visualizebeautifulrunningform.Reviewpacesatwww.mcmillanrunning.com


Runeasyorjustcross-trainataneasyeffort&fornomorethan45min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.





6 OFForCross-Train Scheduleadiversionsoyoudon’tthinkaboutthemarathon.

5 LegSpeed:8-10x25secw/1mineasyjog

Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.“Strides”likethesehelpactivateyourneuromuscularsystem.




Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Moremedium-effortrepeatstogrooverhythm.Finaltestofmarathonshoes&gear.Re-livepreviousawesomeruns.Reviewraceplan.







McMillanRunning6-7daysperweekMarathonPeakingPlan(EnduranceMonsterVersion)









10 TempoRun:20-30min Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Medium-effortcontinuousrunworkwellforendurance-orientedrunners.Testshoes&gear.Thinksmooth&relaxedwhilerunning.Visualizebeautifulrunningform.Reviewpacesatwww.mcmillanrunning.com

9 40-50minEasyRun Runeasyorjustcross-trainataneasyeffort&fornomorethan50min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.





6 OFForCross-Train(30min)

Scheduleadiversionsoyoudon’tthinkaboutthemarathon.



4 TempoRun:15-20min Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.MoreMedium-effortrunningtogrooverelaxedrhythm.Finaltestofmarathonshoes&gear.Re-livepreviousawesomeruns.Reviewraceplan.
















10 TempoIntervals:3-4x2000metersw/2mineasyjog

Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Medium-effortrepetitionsworkwellforspeed-orientedrunners.Testshoes&gear.Thinksmooth&relaxedwhilerunning.Visualizebeautifulrunningform.Reviewpacesatwww.mcmillanrunning.com

9 40-50minEasyRun Runeasyorjustcross-trainataneasyeffort&fornomorethan50min.Allowthebody&mindtorest.





6 OFForCross-Train(30min)

Scheduleadiversionsoyoudon’tthinkaboutthemarathon.






Warmup&cooldownw/10-15mineasyrunning.Moremedium-effortrepeatstogrooverhythm.Finaltestofmarathonshoes&gear.Re-livepreviousawesomeruns.Reviewraceplan.









McMillanPeakingWorkouts

Belowaredescriptionsforeachoftheworkoutsincludedinyourpeakingplan.You

can always visit https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/learn/ to read about each in

moredetail.

Whilethefocusofthisbookhasbeenonthepeakingphase,I’mavailabletobuilda

full marathon training plan for you if you like. Just email me or visit

https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/andsignup.

I’vealsowrittenabook,YOU(OnlyFaster),whichisagreatcomplementtothisbook

andcontainsmore informationon trainingnotonly for themarathonbutalso for

the5K,10Kandhalf-marathon.

Lastly,youneedtousetheMcMillanRunningCalculator tocalculateyour training

paces(andheartratezonesifyouprefer)foryourruns.Icreatedthiscalculatorto

taketheguessworkoutoftraining.Justhitthepacerangeslistedandyouwillknow

thatyouaretrainingoptimally.Youcanalsoseeequivalenttimesforotherdistances

toseeiftheypredictyourmarathontime.Plus,therearealotofotherresourcesto

helpyourunyourbest.



WorkoutDecoder

EasyRun(ER)=Continuousrunsataneasyeffort.

Themajorityofyourtrainingislikelytobecomprisedofeasyrunsandthepurpose

istofullydevelopyouraerobicfitnessandthenmaintainit.Easyrunslastanywhere

between15minutesto90minutes.Again,oneofthecommonmistakeswemakeis

runningoureasy runs too fast.Keep themsteadybutdon'tget intoapacewhere

yourbreathingbecomesnoticeablyfaster.

LongRun(LR)=Continuousrunsataneasyeffortbutforlongdistances.

Long runs need no introduction formarathoners. The purpose is simply time on

yourfeet.Challengingyourabilitytokeeprunningimprovesyourenduranceandis

a cornerstoneof distance training. Long runs last at least anhour andup to over

three.Theyareslowrunswiththechallengeofsimplyrunningasteadypaceforthe

entiredurationoftherun.Keeptheefforteasyandresistthetemptationtoincrease

thepacejusttogethomesooner.Givethebodytimetoreallyfeelthestimulusofa

longrun.Itwillrewardyouwithgreaterenduranceadaptationsthatwillserveyou

wellinlaterworkoutsandraces.

ProgressionLongRun(PLR)=Continuousrunwherethepacegetsfasteracrossthe

run.

Aprogressionrunisacontinuousrunthatprogressesfromonetrainingzonetoa

fasterzone.Forexample,youcanstartarunatlongrunpacefor1/3thenmoveto

marathongoalpaceforthemiddle1/3thenfinishfasterlike10Kraceeffortforthe

final1/3. Again, thespecificsaren’t thekey ingredient; it’s theprocessofmoving

fromzonetozone.

Fast Finish Long Run (FFLR) = Continuous run where last few miles are

progressivelyfasterandthelast2milesarenearallouteffort.

Inthefastfinishlongrun,yourunthefirstpartoftherunatyournormallongrun

pacebutthenoverthefinalportionoftherun,youbegintopickupthepacesothat



thelast30minutestoonehourisatahardeffort.I’vehadparticularlygoodresults

with fast finish long runs, and they really help fix the fade that can occur in the

marathon.

Note:Thesearetoughworkoutssomakesuretoreallyfocusonrecoveryinthefew

daysaftereach.

TempoRun(TR)=Continuousrunsatamediumefforttobuildstamina.

Temporunsaredesignedtoincreaseyourstamina.Asthenamesuggests,youreally

improveyourrunningtempoorrhythmwiththeseworkouts.Theylastbetween15

and30minutesandaremeanttobe"comfortablyhard"sodon'tpushthepacebut

findthatperfectbalancebetweeneasyandhard.

Tempo runs are continuous efforts but you must preface them with a thorough

warm-up.

TempoIntervals(TI)=Repeatsatamediumeffortwithrecoveryjogsbetween.

TempoIntervalsarelikefastTempoRunsbrokenintorepeatswithrelativelyshort

recoveryjogs.Unlikethepreviousworkouts,TempoIntervalsarethefirstworkouts

toallowforarecoveryjogbetweenhardefforts.

CruiseIntervals(CI)=Repeatsatamedium-hardeffortwithrecoveryjogsbetween.

The Cruise Intervalworkoutwas popularized by the running coach, Jack Daniels.

They,liketheotherStaminaworkouts,aremeanttoincreaseyourlactatethreshold

pace. Cruise Intervals are a shorter and slightly more intense version of Tempo

Intervals. Like Tempo Intervals, they are followed by short recovery jogs. You'll

probably find that it'seasy toruntoo faston these.Thetendency is to treat them

likeregular long intervals.However,keep itundercontrolandworkonasmooth,

fastrhythm.Controlintrainingiskeytoimprovement.

Pace Change (PC) = Alternating repetitions at 5K-10K effort with recovery jogs

between.



Pace Change workouts (often called Fartlek runs, fartlek means speed play in

Swedish)areafavoriteofminebecausetheyareeffort-basedandtakethepressure

offofhittingexactsplitsonthetrackoramarkedcourse. Insteadofanorganized

distance-basedworkouton the track (like10 times400meterswith a200meter

recovery jog), a pace change run is time-based (like 10 times 1 minute with 1

minute recovery jog) and runmoreby effort than a specific pace. When athletes

can’t (or don’twant to) run on a track ormarked course, they often perform the

workout as a pace change by converting the track workout with its distance

orientationtoapacechangeworkoutwithitstimeorientation.

Pacechangeworkoutsinvolverepetitionswithrecoveryjogsinbetween.Theeffort

for the repetitions is around 5K-10K race effortwith slower running as recovery

between.

LegSpeed(LS):Alternatingrepetitionsat<5Kspeedwithrecoveryjogsbetween.

You're probably familiar with "Strides" though you may call them windsprints,

pickups,stridersorstrideouts.They'renotunlikethefastaccelerationsthatyoudo

rightbeforea race. Strideswork to improveyour sprinting techniqueby teaching

thelegstoturnoverquickly.It'sreallytheneuromuscularsystemthatwe'retrying

todevelopherewhichiswhytheyareshortandwon’tcauseyourbreathetogetout

ofcontrol.Wedon'twantlacticacidtobuildupduringeachstride.Thisinhibitsthe

nervous systemand interfereswith theneuromuscular adaptations thatwewant.

Accordingly,aftereachstride,youmustjogeasilyforaminimumof30secondsand

uptoaminuteandahalftomakesurethemusclesarereadyforthenextone.Not

allowing for sufficient recovery after each stride is a common mistake. Take

advantageofthelongerrecovery.Itwillallowyoutoputmoreeffortintoeachstride

whichreallyhelpsdevelopyourspeed.

Notethatthisisnotall-outsprinting.Runfastbutalwaysstayundercontrol.These

arequickeffortswhereyoupracticegoodform.You'llbeamazedathowmuchyour

finishingkickimproveswiththeseworkouts.



Cross-Train(XT):OtherfitnessbuildingactivitieslikeElliptiGO,cycling,swimming,

etc.Effortmatchesrunningeffort.

What is thebestcross-trainingactivity forrunners?Thatcomesdowntopersonal

preferencebutanyactivity thatbuildsyour fitness,whether thatbeyour training

fitness (like ElliptiGO running, swimming, cycling), your injury-proofing (like

resistancetraining,balancetraining,coreworkouts)oryourrecovery-enhancement

(likeyoga)isgreat.Findsomethingthatworksforyou.

The key in your marathon peaking phase is that you keep the intensity of these

activitiesvery low.Youwant toexercisebutyoualsowant to remember thatyou

aregraduallylesseningthetrainingstresssoyourbodywillcometoapeakonrace

day.

GoalMarathonPace(GMP):Yourgoalpaceforyourupcomingmarathon.

Thisworkoutneedsnointroductionasitissimplyrunningasrelaxedaspossibleat

yourgoalmarathonpace.



“Ifyoucandreamit,youcandoit.”–WaltDisney



Pre-RaceRules

Now that youarepeakedand ready for the race,herearemy rules touseas you

head to the race site andget settled in.These foolproof strategieswillmakeyour

pre-racemoreenjoyableandlessstressful.You’llhaveallyourbasescoveredandif

somethingcomesup,it’llbeeasytoaddressbecauseyou’vedonesuchagreatjobof

planningaheadforeverythingelse.

Rule#1:BeSelfish

Asawhole,runnerstendtonotbeselfish.Infact,themarathonhasbecomeoneof

thegreatestwayscharities raise funds.Marathonersare conscientiousandgiving.

Thepeakingphase,however,isatimewhenyouneedtobealittleselfish.Youhave

abigracecomingupsousethe fewdaysbeforetheraceasyourdays.Dowhat is

best forYOU. It’ll feelweirdbut trustme, youdeserve a fewdaysof self focus to

ensureyouperformyourbest.

Rule#2:Packyourracegearinyourcarry-onbaggage.

Youcanalwaysbuynewcasualclothesbutyoudon’twanttohavetobuynewshoes

andraceclothesfortherace.Layallyourgearoutonthebed(Ioncehearditcalled

“Dressingtheinvisibleman”)andmakesureyoupackeverythingyouneedinyour

carry-on bag. Don’t forget Band-Aids, chafing prevention, nutrition, etc. And

remember, new TSA security requirements can sometimes limit gels, rehab tools

likeTheStickand foamrollers incarry-onbaggage,soyoumayhave toput those

itemsinyourcheckedbaggageorbuythemattheracesite.

Rule#3:Carryfoodwithyouatalltimes.

Inthepeakingphase,youneverwanttogethungry(especiallythelast3daysbefore

therace).Again,don’tovereatbut justbepreparedincaseameetinggoes longor

you’relateforameal.Alwayshaveanutritioussnackavailable.Inadditiontoyour

racegear,packsomegoodfood inyourcarry-onbag.Youmaywantsomethingto

eat on theplane/train/car. The finalweekbefore the race is also a goodweek to



have fluids with you at all times as well. Don’t over drink but just be prepared.

Varietyinbeveragesisgoodaswell-water,sportsdrinks,juices,etc.

Rule#4:Bookyourpre-racedinnerBEFOREleavinghome.

Youwillnotbealoneinwantingaprovenpre-racemealthenightbeforetherace.

Planaheadbymakingareservationbeforeyouevenleavehome.Theconciergeat

yourhotelcanrecommendrestaurantsnearyourhoteloryoucandosomeresearch

onlinetocheckmenus,etc.Nothingisworsethanarrivingattheracesiteandallof

thedesiredrestaurantsarebookedsodon’tleaveyourmealtochance.

Findarelaxingplaceandenjoyanice,quietdinner.Iusuallytrytoeatclosetomy

hotelsoIcantakealeisurely10-15minutewalkafterdinner.Don’teattooearlyor

too late.And,ofcourse,don’t tryameal thatyouhaven’talreadytried intraining.

Nothing isworse thananupsetstomach thenightbeforeandcertainlyduring the

marathon!

Side note on Carbo-loading: You’ve probably heard that you need to “carbo-load”

before yourmarathon. The reason is that your body stores carbohydrate in your

muscles (ina formcalledglycogen). Theseglycogenstoresare limited,however,

andwhen the stores begin to run low, yourpacemust slow. The training you’ve

beendoinghelps increase theamountofglycogenstored inyourmusclesbutyou

canalsoincreaseyourstoresbyeatingmorecarbohydratesinyourmeals,especially

inthelast3daysbeforealongracelikeamarathon.

I’ma fanofadjustingtheproportionofcaloriescomingfromcarbohydrates inthe

last2-3daysbeforeyourracebutcautionrunners tonotgooverboard.Youdon’t

eatmore.Letmesaythisagain,youdon’teatmorecaloriesbutyousimplyincludea

bitmorecarbohydratesinyourmealsthanyoumightotherwise. Remember,your

training volume has reduced so your stores are already less compromised than

usual and I’ve found just a slight increase in carbohydrate intakeworkswell (i.e.,

youdon’tneedtopigoutonthecarbodinnerthenightbefore;justbereasonable.).

Mostimportantly,eatwhathasworkedforyouintrainingandyou’llbefine.



Rule#5:The first thingyoushoulddoafter settling intoyourhotel is finda

grocerystore.

Ask the front desk for the nearest one or call/research ahead to expedite the

process.Go immediately to thegrocerystoreandstockup.Buy the foodsyou like

and you know will prepare you for successful running. I buy bananas, trail mix,

water, sportsdrink,yogurt, instantoatmeal (thoughusuallybrought fromhome),

boiledeggs, smokedsalmon,avocados,bagelsandspread,peanutbutterand jelly,

energybars, etc.Again, youneverwant toget thirstyorhungryprior to the race.

Beingstockedwillhelpavoidthis.Don’tjusteatoutofnervousness(anotherno-no)

buthavefoodavailableifyouneedasnack.ItypicallyoverbuybutI’dratherhave

whatIwantavailablethantowantsomethingandnothaveit.

Rule#6:Enjoytheexpobutdon’tspendalldaythere.

You’lllikelyneedtovisittheexpotopickupyourracenumber,chip,etc.Enjoyitbut

don’tbecomeanexpoadventurer.It’stoomuchtimeonyourfeet.Browsethrough

it, pick up what you need and get out. The expo is where many runners get

dehydrated and hungry, so carry fluids and fuel with you to keep this from

happening.Again,theexpoispartofthemarathonritualsoyoushouldenjoyitbut

ifotherrunnersthinkyouareworkingabooth,you’vebeentheretoolong!

Rule7:Re-LiveAwesome

Rememberabovewhereyouwrotedownyourbestrunsfromthelast fewweeks?

It’stimetopulloutyourmemoirsofawesomeness.Onceperdayforthelastthree

days,spendsometimereadingaboutyourmostsuccessfulworkouts.Live inyour

ownawesomeness. I guarantee that you’ll be inundatedwithdoubt andnegative

thoughtsduringthelastfewdaysbeforetherace.It’sperfectlynatural.Reminding

yourselfofyourcapabilitiescanhelpreducethenegativeandput thespotlighton

thepositive.



McMillan’sMarathonDailyToDoList

14 Reviewflightandhotelreservations.

13 Locateentryconfirmationandputinsafespotwhereyouwillrememberitonyourtraveltorace.

12 Makeyourinitialpackinglistandbuysuppliesyouwillneed.Lube,Band-Aids,nutritionproducts,geararecommonpurchases.

11 Researchandmakepre-racedinnerreservations.

10 Begintowatchtheweatherforecastandadjustpackinglistaccordingly.Bettertooverpackandnotneedsomethingthantonothaveit.

9 Makealistofyourmostawesomerunsyoudidduringthemarathontraining.Remindyourselfofhowwellyoucanrunandhowmentallystrongyouare.

8 Reviewstartingcorralschematics,coursemapandelevationchart.WatchYouTubevideosofracetobegintovisualizetherace.

7 Finalizeshoesandgearselection.

6 Finalizenutritionplan–2-3daysbeforerace,daybeforerace,morningofrace,duringrace,postrace.

5 Re-readyourlistofawesomeworkouts.

4 Checkweatherforecast.

3 Spreadoutallyourgearandpacksystematically.Startwithskin(lube,Band-Aids)andmoveoutward.Packracegear/nutritionfirstthenwarm-upgearthenpost-racegearthencasualclothing.

2 Thinkabouthowgratefulyouaretoberunning.Tobeabletorace.Othersarenotsolucky.



1 Pickupbibnumber,visitexpo(notcampingout),carveouttimeforrelaxing,adddiversion(movieisgood)ifthinkingtoomuchaboutrace.

0 RaceDay!Smile&enjoy



“Riseandshineit’srunningtime!”–VinceO’Boyle



RaceDay!

Marathonmorningwillbeexcitingbutyouneedtoplanyourmorningaheadoftime

soyoucanjustfollowtheroutineandnotstressaboutanything.You’llbekeyedup

but you shouldn’t need to panic aboutwhat to dowhen. Plan yourwakeup time

(thoughInormallysleeppoorlythenightbeforethemarathonandwakeupseveral

timesworrying that I’m going to oversleep!) to allow for yourmorning breakfast

anddigestion.Yourmarathon-specific longrunshaveprovidedampleopportunity

tofigureoutyourpre-runroutinesojustfollowit.Itworks.

Breakfast:

Have your proven breakfast, get your bowels empty, get dressed and get to the

startingline.Planthisentireroutineoutfortiming.Countbackwardfromtherace

startanddocumenteachminuteupuntilracetime.Havebreakfastonhandorknow

where you are going to get it. Stay relaxed. Use your hotel bathroom asmuch as

possible because the portajohns always have a line. (Sample pre-race breakfast

plansareintheFrequentlyAskedQuestionssectionattheendofthisbook.)

GettingDressed:

Haveyourgearlaidoutthenightbefore(includingracebib/chip)soyoucanjustgo

throughthemotionsgettingdressedandready.Startwithyourskinandgetdressed

progressivelyoutward(anddon’tforgetyourracenumber).

LUBE!Themostcommonpre-raceerrorisforgettingtoprotectsensitiveareas.Iuse

smallcircularBand-Aidstoprotectmynipplesandlubeupunderarms,innerthighs

andanyotherareawhereIchaffedduringtrainingruns.

ElevatorMadness:

Youwon’tbetheonlyrunnerdepartingforthestartlinesoplanaheadforveryslow

elevatorservice.I’drathergettothelobbyearlyandhangoutthere(bathroomsare



usuallyavailable) than tostressoverdelayedor fullelevators. So,giveyourselfa

fewextraminutesonracemorning.

Alwaysprepared:

Keepfluidsandeasilydigestiblefoodscloseathandupuntilthestart.Rememberat

some marathons, you’ll have to head out to the starting line several hours in

advancesoplanaheadforfuel,fluids,warmclothes,evenablanketorcampingbed

rollforrelaxing.

Ialwayshavesomeportable,easilydigestiblefoodwithmeupuntilrightbeforethe

race.IfIeverfeelthatbreakfastis‘wearingoff’,Icanhaveafewbites.Ialsokeepa

fluidbottleinhandallthewayupthestart. IfI’mnotcarryingmyfluids(thoughI

highlyrecommendyoucarryyourownfluids)thenIchuckitwithinaminuteortwo

before the race. I don’t constantlydrinkbut just have it in case I feel theneed to

drinksomethingorwetmymouth.

Liningup:

Lining up for the race can be stressful so plan ahead. Know where your

corral/pacing area is and how to get to it. (You may want to scout this the day

beforetheraceifthestartiscloseby.)Don’tthinkyoucanarrive10minutesbefore

theraceandstepontheline.Planaheadandyou’llbefeelinggreatbecauseyougot

intoyourspotingoodtimeandhaveyournutritionalandfluidneedsmet.

Monitor theweather for raceweek soyouwill knowhow todress. I alwayshave

some‘throwaway’gearonhandincaseit’scold.Youshouldhaveahat,glovesand

t-shirtthatcanbepeeledoffandtossedasideifnotneededortotossafterwarming

up during the race. Youmaywant to have an old t-shirt available to wearwhile

waiting in your corral. Most races donate discarded gear to shelters. Again, the

betterplanningyoudoforracemorning,thelessstressfulitwillbe.

MarathonWarm-up:



Warmingupforamarathonisquitedifferentthana5Kor10K.Forthemarathon,

youactuallydon’twanttobetoowarmedupbeforethestart.Ifyouare,you’remore

likelytostarttoofast.So,Irecommendthatyoujustjogeasilyfor5-10minutesand

letthefirstfewmilesofthemarathonbecomeyourwarmup.You’ll,ofcourse,have

tomodifythisbasedonhowcrowdedthestartinglineis.

Ifyouareinasmallerrace,thenyoucandoashortjogthenlineupjustbeforethe

gungoesoff.At largerraces,yourwarmupwillbemoreof jogging inplace inthe

corral and the walk/jog as your corral advances to the starting line. Either way,

don’tworryabouttheextentofyourwarmup.Justusethefirst2-3milestogetinto

thegroove.You’llquicklysettleintomarathonpaceandyourfirst2-3milesplitswill

helpyoudialinyourpace.Butagain,don’tworryifyouareafewsecondsslowon

thefirstfewmiles.You’lleasilymakethisuplaterintherace.

ProperPacing(EvenorNegativeSplit):

Speaking of pacing, most runners onmost courses run best when they run even

splits (the first half-marathon and the second half-marathon are run in the same

time)orslightlynegativesplits(firsthalf-marathonslightlyslowerthanthesecond

half-marathon).Iliketostartoutalittleslowerthangoalpaceforthefirstfewmiles

towarmupbutthensettleintogoalpace.

AslongasIhitthehalf-marathonatorpreferablyupto2.5%slowerthanevenpace,

Irunwell.IfI’mfasterthangoalpaceatthehalf-marathon,Itypicallystrugglelatein

therace.So, letmerestate:Youshouldshoot forbeingeventoupto2.5%slower

thanevenpace.Thechartbelowshowstherangeforvariousgoalmarathontimes.



McMillanMarathonRaceSplitRangeChart

GoalFinishTime

IdealFirstHalf-MarathonSplitRange

2:00:00 1:00:00 to 1:01:30

2:15:00 1:07:30 to 1:09:11

2:30:00 1:15:00 to 1:16:52

2:45:00 1:22:30 to 1:24:34

3:00:00 1:30:00 to 1:32:15

3:15:00 1:37:30 to 1:39:56

3:30:00 1:45:00 to 1:47:37

3:45:00 1:52:30 to 1:55:19

4:00:00 2:00:00 to 2:03:00

4:15:00 2:07:30 to 2:10:41

4:30:00 2:15:00 to 2:18:22

4:45:00 2:22:30 to 2:26:04

5:00:00 2:30:00 to 2:33:45

5:15:00 2:37:30 to 2:41:26

5:30:00 2:45:00 to 2:49:07

5:45:00 2:52:30 to 2:56:49

6:00:00 3:00:00 to 3:04:30




Ofcourse,wearenotrobotssoyoumaynothitthesetimeperfectly,butthischart

givesyouanideaofhowmuchsloweryoucanbeinthefirsthalf-marathonandstill

be on track for your goal time. Many runners can be even more negative (even

slower in first half-marathon) but I find this chart to work for most runners,

includingmyself.

Alwaysthinkaboutrunningasefficientlyandrelaxedaspossibleanddon’tletyour

mindthinkaboutreallyracinguntil22milesinthemarathon.Remember,whatyou

are doing is not something new to you. You’ve done this time and time again in

training.Theraceissimplyafunlongrunwithabunchofotherfolksalongaroute

withcrowdscheeringforyou.Don’toverthinkthings.Justletyourbodydowhatit’s

trainedtodo.(Getoutofyourownway!)

Relaxinthebeginningandgetreadytorunfastlikeinyourfastfinishlongruns.Run

strong from22miles in themarathonto the finish just likeyouhavemimicked in

practice.Therewillbeplentyofpacinggroupssoyoushouldbeabletofindothers

whoarerunningyourpace.Formsomefriendshipsandworktogether.

RaceFueling:

Therewillbeplentyoffluidsonthecourse.You’vehadplentyoftimetoworkout

yournutrition/hydrationstrategyfortherace.Duringtherace,simplyimplementit.

I’m a big fan of carrying your own fluids for the race. That’s what I do and

recommend.

Hydration packs are so goodnow and getting in your preferred nutrition at your

ownintervals issoimportantthatIsayskipthefluidstationsandcarryyourown

fluids.

Ifyoudon’tcarry,thenatfluidstations,trytograbacupasyouentertheaidstation

andanotherasyouexitit.Thisway,yougettwoopportunitiesforfluidssincemost

of the drink gets spilled anyway. Take your time in the aid stations and get your

fluids.Think“SipandCarry”not“GrabandGulp”.Withthepapercups,squeezethe



rimtoavoidspillingandforeasierdrinkingthroughthe“spout”formed.

Monitoryourhydrationasyougo. Ifyoustarttofeel fullor ‘sloshy’,skipastation

andgetthenextone.Noproblem.Youknowyourschedulesojustdowhat’sbeen

workingforyou.Inallofthis,youneverwanttotrysomethingnew.Justdowhat’s

worked for you. It’s notmagic. It’s just doingwhat you have been trained to do,

whichiswhyIlikecarryingmyownfluids.

Bringin’it:

Atsomepointinthemarathon(hopefullylaterratherthansooner),youaregoingto

havetocalluponyourinnerSuperman/Superwoman.Nomatterhowwelltherace

isgoing,youwillgettired,your legswillhurtandyourbrainwillbescreamingat

youtoslowdown,tobackoff, tostopthismadness.This isperfectlynormal,even

forthepros,whenyouaretryingtodosomethingspeciallikethemarathon.

Runners err when they hope this doesn’t occur, when they hope they will feel

amazingonraceday.Thebottom line is that it’sgonnabe toughout there.That’s

whatyousignedup forandwhatall the trainingyou’vedonehasbeenabout. So

insteadofhopingitdoesn’thurt,planforittoo.Wishforittobeachallenge.Askfor

it.Don’tbesurprisedwhenithappens.Beprepared.Youhavemorestrengthinyou

thanyoueverknewbeforeandyou’llneedtobementallyreadytocalluponallyour

strengthforthelastfewmiles.Getmentallyreadyforthatbattle.

Smile:

Even though I just scared the heck out of you talking about the need for super

powers,thelastandmostimportantthingtorememberaboutrunningamarathon

istohaveFUN!Iassumethatyourunprimarilybecauseit’sfun.Theracemustbeas

well.Don’tstressaboutitorgettoocaughtupinit.Justgotheretohavefun.Smile

throughthepainasthisiswhatwillgiveyouthemostsatisfactionwhenyoucross

thefinishline.



“Yourbodywillarguethatthereisnojustifiablereasontocontinue.Youronlyrecourseistocallonyourspirit,whichfortunatelyfunctionsindependentlyoflogic.”–TimNoakes



PostRace–Let’sCelebrate!

You’llwanttocelebrateaftertheracesohereareafewtipstomakeyourpost-race

funmorefun.

1)Runnersalwaysthinkaboutwhattheyaregoingtoweartothestartinglinebut

rarely what they are going to wear when they finish. Far too often, I’ve seen

finishersfreezingcoldastheywalkbacktotheirhotels.Ifthereisabagdropatthe

start (where the racewill bring yourbag to the finish line), remember to include

somewarm,dryclothesforaftertherace.Ifthereisnobagdropbutfriends/family

willgreetyouaftertherace,givethemsomewarmclothestobringtoyou.Believe

me,you’llbesogladyoupreparedyourpost-raceclothing.Evenonwarmmarathon

days,you’llbesurprisedathowcoldyougetonceyoustoprunning.

2)Whileyoumaywanttohitthebarforacelebratorydrink,Irecommendyourfirst

drinks be your recovery drinks. Before leaving for the race start, place two

smoothies,shakesorotherrecoverydrinks inthehotel fridgeor icebucket.When

yougetbacktoyourroomaftertherace,downasmuchofitasyoucan.Sometimes

your stomach isn’t ready for ameal but these post-race drinks go a longway to

helping you recover and be ready for your celebratory drinks. As you unwind,

shower and rest, continue to drink as much sports drink as your stomach will

toleratetohelprehydrateyourself.Aswithtraining,yoururinefrequencyandcolor

willletyouknowwhenyou’rerehydrated.

3)Alsobefore youhead to the starting line, fill yourhotel roombathtubupwith

coldwater.Hangthesignonyourdoortonotcleanyourroom(becausetheymay

drainthewater).Then,whenyouarebackatyourroomaftertherace,headtothe

icemachineandfillabucketorplasticbagupwithice(maytakeafewtrips).Getin

thetubandaddtheice.Sitandrelaxfor15-20minutesintheicebath(perfecttime

todrinkyourrecoverydrink)andreflectonyourrace.Thisquickicebathcanreally

helpwithpost-racerecovery.You’llbestiff fromthebathwhenyoustandup(you

mightneedsomehelpstandingup)butthensimplydrainthebath,turnonthehot



waterandtakeanicehotshower.I’malwaysamazedathowfreshIfeelafterthisice

bath/hotshowercombopost-marathon.

4)Youneedtogetsomeproperfoodinyousoeitherheadtoarestaurantvery,very

closebyororderroomservice(myusualoption).I’musuallynotinterestedinabig

mealpost-marathonso Ipicksomething thatwillbesatisfyingandeasy todigest.

Relaxasyoueatandkeeprehydrating.

5)Nowthatyouarerefueled,movingtowardrecoverywiththeicebath/hotshower

and cleaned up, REST.I know the inclination is to go celebrate but trustme, rest

now and you’ll enjoy your celebration more. I recommend resting for 2-4 hours

post-racejusttomakesureyougetrefueledandrehydratedproperly.Yougiveyour

musclestimetorelaxandrecover.Youmaynotbeabletonap(thoughifyoucan,

evenbetter!)butIrecommendyoutakesometimetojustchilloutandletthebody

andmindrecover.You justranamarathonsorespect thatyourbodyneedssome

downtimebeforepartytime.

6)Nowthatyou’vedone#1-5,it’stimetogocelebrate.Ifindthatifyougiveyour

bodyafewhourstorecoverfromrunning26.2miles,youcanthenreallyenjoyyour

accomplishmentwith a goodmeal and fun timewith friends, fellow runners and

family. And,doingsome lightwalkingaroundon theeveningof the race furthers

yourrecoveryandthisgentlebloodflowhelpsthemusclesrecover.



CoachGreg’sPre-RacePepTalk

Stopreading.Beforeyoureadthissection,Ineedyoutobeinaquietspacewithno

distractions.Ineedyoutobeinacalmmoodwithnothingpressingonyourmind.

Okay.Ready?

Here ismy super secret sauce: The performance youwant is already inside you.

That’s right.Youcanalreadyachieveyourgoal. It ispossible.You’veproven it in

trainingandevenifyoudidn’thavethemostidealtrainingleadinginthemarathon,

youcanstillrunvery,verywell.I’veseenitoverandoverandover.

The key is to just get out of your own way. You are the one putting limits on

yourself. Everyone else thinks you are amazing for doing this marathon thing

anywaysowhynotyou? Timetobemorekindtoyourselfandbecomeyourown

cheerleaderinthelastcoupleofweeksbeforetherace.

It’s important to realize that youwill be the one controlling the dialogue in your

headthroughouttheracesolet’sstartscriptingapositiveresult.Timetofindyour

mantra tousewhen timesget tough to remindyou thatyouaremore than tough

enoughtohandlethechallenge.Mineisalways,“Ifit’stobe,it’suptome!”WhenI

say this, I simplyputmyheaddownandget the jobdone realizingnooneelse is

goingtodoitforme.

Willyougettired?Youbet!Yourlegswillache.Yourmindwillgetfuzzyandyou’ll

justwantthethingtobeover.But,youmustfight.Youmustkeepgoingjustlikeyou

didintrainingruns.Justgettothenextmilemarkerandthenthenextandsoon.I

guaranteeyouthatifyoucanjustkeepinggoingthefinishlinewillsurrender.Itwill

acknowledge your bravery and toughness and appear before your eyes. And, the

moreyoucanbeengagedwhileinthelattermilesofthemarathon,thesoonerthe

finishwillcome.



Assoonasyoustarthavingapityparty(andI’vehadmyfairshare),youwill lose

time.Myadviceistoacceptthatyouarehurting;knowthateveryoneelseishurting

tooandstopwhiningabout it. Iknow.Thatseemsharshbutyou’regonnahaveto

digdeep late in theraceand ifyou’ve learnednothingelse throughthismarathon

training thing it is that you can dig deep, that there is a strength in you that you

never knew existed. Remember that run you gutted out and learned something

aboutyourself.Thattoughnessisstillinyouandprobablyeventoagreaterextent

thanbefore.

Asfatiguesetsin,digdeep.Youhaveitinyouandthemoredeterminedyouarein

thelast10Kofthemarathon,thebetteryourfinishtimewillbeandthemoreproud

youwillbeofyourself–notjustatthefinishlinebutforweekstocome.

Imagine looking back at themarathon you are about to run and saying, “Wow! I

reallydidagreat job. I’msoproudofmyself.” Soundsgood,doesn’t it?Well, then

let’scommitrighthererightnowthatnomatterwhathappensinthemarathon,the

weatherstinks,yougetablisteroryou feel likeamillionbucks, youaregoingto

give the absolute best that you have to offer through every part of the race; the

beginning (holdingback and running smart), themiddle (dialing in goalpace and

continuing to fuel correctly) and especially the end (where you’ll call upon your

superman/superwomanpowers).Agreed?Good.Let’s(virtually)shakeonit.



PostScript:

Here’swhyI’msoconfidentthateveryrunnerhasthegoalperformanceinside:

When runners run well, achieving their goal, setting a new PR, qualifying for

Boston,toarunner,theystillsaytheycouldhavedonefourorfivethingsbetterto

runevenfaster.Thisshowsthatevenwithouteverystarinthegalaxyliningup,you

canhityourgoal.Othersdoitallthetime.Itjusttakesdetermination.

In fact, just go to a marathon finish line. You will see example after example of

ordinarypeopledoingextraordinarythings.That’swhyIbelieveinyou.That’swhy

I’mtellingyouthatyougotthis.

And for a last bit of inspiration, please watch this video of Dick and Ricky Hoyt.

Extraordinaryisallaroundusandinsideyouaswell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adubrj3yya8



“Neverunderestimatethepowerofdreamsandtheinfluenceofthehumanspirit.Weareallthesameinthisnotion:Thepotentialforgreatnesslieswithinallofus.”–WilmaRudolph



TheHighFive&FistBump

Ithankyouforreadingthisbookandforsharingyourrunningwithme.

We may not know each other personally but we are connected through the

marathonexperienceandasImentionedinthebeginning,youhaveanotherperson

in your corner as you embark upon the 26.2 mile journey to greatness. I’ll be

cheeringforyou.

IwishyouthebestandwillleaveyouwithaquoteIlearnedinhighschool,which

hadaprofoundeffectonmyrunningperformances.

“Tobelieveinyourselfandinwhatyoucandoistotakethefirststepontheroadtosuccess.”

Letmeknowhowitgoes:[email protected]



FrequentlyAskedQuestionsofMcMillanCoaches

Q:“ShouldIrunevensplits,negativesplitsorpositivesplitsformymarathon?"

A: Generally, even splits or aslight negative split is best. There is a common

misconceptionthatyoumust“bank”timebyrunningthefirsthalfdrasticallyfaster

(positivesplit)becauseofasupposedinevitableslowdowninthesecondhalf.Ifyou

are trainedproperly, then it ispossible to runevensplitsorevenanegative split

duringamarathon.Weadvisebeingevenorupto2.5%slowerthefirsthalfofthe

marathonthanthesecondhalf.

Q:“WhatshouldIeatthemorningoftheraceandwhen?”

A:Thebestanswertothisdependsonwhatyourstomachtoleratesbestandwhat

types of those foodswill provide optimal fuel for race day. Foods that are easily

digestibleareideal.Examplesincludebananas,bagelsandoatmeal.Stayawayfrom

processedsugarandtoomuchcaffeineandtea,whichtendtocausestomachissues.

Be sure to eat your lastmeal pre-marathon at least 2-4 hours before the race in

ordertogiveyourbodytimetoabsorbthenutrientsandmovethefoodoutofthe

stomach. Between that meal and the race, you can snack lightly to keep your

stomach from becoming hungry. Don’t forget to hydrate well with water and

electrolytes.Again, this is somethingyoushouldworkout inpractice to findyour

perfectpre-marathonmeal.Don’texperimentwithanythingnewonraceday.

Here are some real-world answers fromMcMillanRunning.com coaches. Note the

varietyinanswerswhichshowsthatthereisnooneuniversalpre-racemeal:

AndrewMiddleton–SeniorMcMillanRunningCoach:

3hoursbeforerace:RiceCrispieswithAlmondMilk,Powerbar,Smallcupofcoffee

andWater/Accelerade

75minutesbeforerace:SiponAcceleradeandWater;Banana



30minutesbeforerace:EnergyGelandWater

IanTorrence–veteranofover20marathons(andover180ultramarathons):

2hoursbeforerace:ChaitealattewithricemilkandaClifBar

AndrewLemoncello-Olympianand2:13marathoner:

4hoursbeforerace:Oatmeal,banana,toastandhoney,coffee,water

KatieMcGee–Three-TimeOlympicMarathonTrialsQualifier:

2hoursbeforerace:CliforPowerbarandcoffee.

WaterandGatoradetillracetime.

BenRosario–Two-timeOlympicTrialsQualifierand2:18Marathoner:

4hoursbeforerace:bigheartybagelwithatouchofpeanutbutter

Waterandasportsdrinkthroughoutmorning

2hoursbeforerace:energybar

EmilyHarrison–2:32Marathoner,US50KChampion:

2-3hoursbeforerace:2piecesofgluten-freetoastwithjamoroatmealwithpeanutbutter

Q:“Mylasttrainingweekinthepeakingplanincludesahardrunningsession. Do

youthinkthisistoomuchtooclosetomyrace?"

A:Manyrunnersthinkthat thePeakPhaseequatestoa fullrestphase.While it is

importanttobackoffoftrainingtoallowforthestorageofextraenergy,youdon’t

wanttocauseyour legstobecomeheavy.Thiscanoccur ifyouonlyperformeasy

runningornorunningatall.Theworkoutswelistinthefinalweekoftrainingare

meant tohelpsharpenyour fitness. Ifdoneproperly,youshouldcomeaway from

thisworkoutfeelingrefreshedandexcitedabouttherace.

Q:“Iboughtnewshoesthisweekformymarathon.CanIusethemintherace?”



A:Youneverwanttogointoaracewithanunknownaboutyourgear.Ifyouhave

notwornthispairofshoes fora longrunorworkout,youwillnotknowwhether

yourfeettolerateitwell.Thechanceforblisters,sorenessandhotspotsisincreased

whenyouraceinshoesthatyouhavenotwornbeforeintraining.Gowiththeshoes

thatyouknowhaveservedyouwellintrainingandtherewillbelessofachancefor

asurpriseonraceday.

Despitethis,IwillsaythatwehadacamperatoneofourRunningGetawaysandhe

said he always bought a new pair of shoes at the expo before every one of his

marathons. We were shocked but it was just something he liked to do. While I

wouldn’tadvisethis,Iwillconcedethattoday’sshoesdon’trequiresasmuchbreak

intimeaspreviousmodels,soaslongasyouhavearunortwointhemandtheyfeel

comfortable,youshouldbegood.

Q:WhatshouldIeat/drinkduringtherace?

A:That’sthe64milliondollarquestionisn’tit?!Whatweknowisthatforvirtually

allrunners,consumingcarbohydrates,electrolytesandwateralongthecourseleads

tofastertimes.Thetrick,ofcourse,isfiguringoutwhatamounttodrink,thetypeof

fuelandhowfrequentlytoingestit,butthat’swhattrainingisfor.Usetrainingruns,

particularlymarathon-preparationlongrunstoexperimentandseewhatworksfor

you.

Whilethereareexceptions,agoodgeneralruleofthumbthatI learnedfromultra

runninglegendIanTorrenceistoworktoward150-350caloriesofcarbohydrate

per hour of racing.Thatequates to30-60 grams per hour – theamount in two

energygelsor~24ouncesofsportsdrink.Speakingoffluids,runnersshouldget24-

32ouncesoffluidperhourcontaining400-800milligramsofsodium.

All of your fuel and fluid can come from a drink but many runners use a



combinationofdrinksaswellasmoreconcentratedformsofcarbohydrateslikethe

popularenergygel. Becausetaste, textureanddigestibilityareallvery individual,

youmustexperimentintrainingtofindtheproductsandtimingthatworksforyou.

Mostrunnersdon’t fuelenough,whichcontributestotheslowdownat theendof

the race. Avoid this by dialing in your plan and then executing it. (And I’ll again

suggestthatyoucarryyourownfluidssoyoucangetfueledonyourschedule.)

Q:“I’mreallyworriedthatIwillnothitmygoal,isthereanythingIcandothisweek

tobettermychances?”

A:Everyrunnerhasamomentofself-doubtbeforearaceatsomepointinhisorher

running career. But, these thoughts should be tempered by the results of your

trainingcycle.Takeamomentandlookbackatallthetrainingyou’vecompletedup

to thispoint.Eachandeveryworkout listed inyourplan is tailoredtowardgiving

you thebest chance at reaching your goal. Be confident in your fitness andknow

thatyouhavedonewhatittakestorunyourbest,whatevertimethatmaybe.You

should practice this same confident approach during the race, stay positive, be

excitedabouttheopportunitytorace,andtellyourselftogiveyourbesteffort.

Q:“ShouldIbackoffonmystrengthtraining?”

A:Yes.Asyou’vedonewithyourruntraining,youwanttocutbackonthesetsand

peakyourstrengthtrainingatthesametimeyoupeakyourrunning. Thisdoesn’t

meanyouhave to remove it completely if you feel it’s a keypartof your running

performancebutjusttaperitdownslightlyasracedayapproaches.

If you're accustomed to more dynamic strength training like plyometrics, you

shouldfocusonyourplyometricsoverthelasttwoweeksandcutbackontheheavy

strengthwork.

Q:“AmItaperingtoomuch/little?”



A:You’veprobablypracticedminitapersduringthetrainingwithtuneupracesso

youknowalittlereductionintrainingworks.What’sinterestingisthatyourmind

willbeplayingtricksonyouatthispointbecauseit’ssousedtogettingtheregular

endorphinrushfromthehardworkoutsthatyou’vescaledbackon.TrustthePeak!

Q:“WhydoIfeelsocrummy?”

A: It isnotuncommontofeela littlecrummyonafewrunsinthepeakingphase.

Some of this is the reduction in training volume as your body begins to rest and

someofitispsychologicalasyoubecomehypersensitivetohowyoufeel.Youmust

changeyourthinking.Realizethatthisisnormalandthatyourmusclesarehealing

and getting stronger with the reduced workload so that they will be in peak

conditiononraceday.ThisiscalledSupercompensation.Itmeansthatbypeakingin

thewaywe’re describing, your body actually builds to a higher fitness level than

before.Younotonlygetfitterbutyougetsuperfit.

Q:Anyadvicefortheportajohnlines?

A:Iwasonabuswithmyfriendwhowasrunninghisfirstlongrace.Itwasn’tquite

amarathonbutitdidclimbupandover13,000footpass.Wewerebeingbusedto

the start,which tookaboutanhour.Asweentered the townwhere the startwas

held,Ileanedoverandsaid,“I’mgoingtotellyoualittlesecret.”“Asyouapproach

thestartingareaofarace,youneedtohaveabathroomeagleeyebecauseassoon

asthisbusunloads,everyoneisgoingtobedashingtotheportajohns. And, there

arealreadyseveralhundredmorerunnerswhoaretryingtodothesamething.

My secret is that as I approach the starting area, I look for coffee shops and

constructionsites,preferablyjustoutofsightofthestartingline.OnceIgetoffthe

bus, I head straight to the coffee shop or construction site because they typically

haveabathroom(orportajohn)andtherewon’tbealine.Worksnearlyeverytime,”



Itoldhim.Sureenough,asthebuspulledintothestartingtown,Ispottedahouse

that was being remodeled 4-5 blocks from the starting corral area. I knew there

wouldbeaportajohnat thesite(theyareusuallyrequiredby lawatconstruction

sites) and simply got off the bus and headed straight there. No hassle. No stress.

Q:Ican’tsleepwellbeforekeyracessoI’mworriedIwon’tgetgoodsleepthenight

beforethemarathon.Thoughts?

A:Most runners, evenwily veterans, have trouble sleeping. I,myself, never sleep

well andwake up every hour or twoworried that I’m going tomissmy alarm. It

stinksbecauseyou’dpreferbettersleepbutthebottomlineisthatonenightofpoor

sleepwon’thurtyourperformance(andthere’sevensomethatsuggestthisrestless

nightkeepsyourbodymore“on”andreadyforabigperformanceonracemorning).

So, worry less about the night before but make sure the night before the night

beforeisgood.

Q:WhatifIoversleepandmisstherace?

A: Itwon’t happen. You’ll be too nervous and probablywon’t sleepwell anyway.

But,ifyou’relikeme,youwantsomesecuritysomyadviceistosetmultiplealarms.

IsettwoalarmsonmyphoneandifI’mreallyworried,Ievensetthehotelrooms

alarmclock.Onefinaloptionforthosestayinginhotelsistoscheduleawakeupcall

with the hotel. So, youwon’t oversleep.Not onlywill you be toowired but you’ll

haveplentyofbackup.

Q:Iheardyouliketopacktrashbagsformarathonmorning.What’sthatabout?

A:Oneof the easiest andmoreversatile itemsyou canpack inyour racebag is a

trashbag(ortwo).First,ifthegroundisdampormuddy,youcansitorlayonthe

trashbagtorestbeforetherace.Youcanuseitwhilechangingclothesortowrap



overyourshoestokeepthemfromgettingwet/muddybeforetherace. Second, if

yougetcoldor it rainsbeforea race,youcan just tearaneckholeand(optional)

armholesandwearitasaponcho.Oncetheracestartsandyounolongerneedit,

youcan toss it in the trashandnotworryabout throwingawaysomenicer likea

ponchoorrainjacket.

I coached a charity marathon group for the Honolulu Marathon one year. Race

morningwasmetwithasteadydownpour.Ourgrouphadtowalkahalf-mileorso

to get to the starting area (and then stand there till race time). I noticed that the

hotel had some taller trash cans so I simply asked the hotel custodian if I could

borrowafewtrashbags. HeobligedandIwasabouttooutfitourcrewwithknee

lengthtrashbagponchos.And,ifyoucanfindonesthatareaslongasyouarethen

youcanalsolessentherainonyourfeet.

Thelast(andattimesthemostimportant)useforthetrashbagisasyourpersonal

portajohn.Whileit’spreferabletouseapropertoilet(andwecanagreethatthere

aremany,many important reasons todo so), there are timeswhenyou just can’t

wait. Mostmen just find a bushor treewhereas ladies have to bemorediscrete

when urinating. If, however, you have a longish trash bag, you can find an

appropriate place and squat down to make your own trash bag tent/portajohn.

(And,I’mtalkinggoing#1herepeople.#2requiresapropertoilet/portajohn.)

Q:Theraceoffersmassagebeforetherace.ShouldIgetone?

A:Yourbodyisawell-tunedmachinebymarathonweekendsomyadviceistoavoid

anynewbodywork.Don’tgetamassagefromsomeonewhohasn’tworkedwithyou

before. Don’t test out every new therapy being promoted at the expo. Don’t do

anythingthatcanupsetyourpeakedcondition.

And, ifyouhaveanagging injury,youneedtobeverycareful.Ontheonehand, it

wouldbewonderful to findamiraclecurebutweknowthat’svery,veryunlikely.



And,gettingtoomuchworkdone(eitherbysomeoneelseorevenyourself)isasure

waytokeepthe injuryfiredup. Besmartanddoas littleaspossibletotakeyour

bodyoutofit’speakedstate.

Ioncecoachedarunnerwhowasingreatshapeforhisrace.Hishotelhadanicehot

tubsohethoughtasoakwouldbegoodleadingintothemarathon.Theproblemwas

thathedidn’ttakeaquicksoak(10-15minutes),hestayedinforover3hours!As

youmightguess,heranverypoorlyashislegswererubberfromallofthetimein

thehottub.

Q:ShouldIrunwithapacegroup?A: Pace groups are hit and miss, unfortunately. At times, the pacer hits splits

perfectlyandrunstheracesmoothlywhereasothertimes,thepacerisveryerratic

anditendsupmorestressfulthanhelpful.So,there'snothingwrongwithstarting

with a pace group to help reduce the stress and save somevaluable physical and

mental energy for the later stagesof the race,butultimatelyyou tobe theone in

chargeofyourownpace.Ifthegroupisdoingagoodjob,great,stickwiththem.But

if they're too fastor tooslowyouhave tobeaware, listen toyourbodyand trust

yourinstinctstobereadytodoyourownthing.

Manyraceshaveachanceforrunnerstomeetwithpacersbeforetherace.Ifso,doit

andasktwoimportantquestions.Havetheypacedamarathonbefore?Whatistheir

bestmarathontime?Iftheyhaven’tpacedbefore,thenbeveryattentiveandready

todoyourown thing.Andbeware if theyhaveamarathonbest that isvery,very

muchfasterthanyourgoaltime.



BonusContent

WhatWall?

Fatigue in themarathon canbe so severe that it’s like running into awall. That’s

howsuddenandextremetheslowdownis.It’snosurprisethenthatthelegendof

the“wall”strikesfearintoallmarathoners. It’sscary. So,let’stalkaboutthewall,

whatitisandhowtoavoidit.

Thistypeoffatiguewhereyourbodysuddenlyanddramaticallyslowsdownisthe

perfectstormofseveralfactors.Dependingontheindividualsituation,somefactors

mayplayalargerroleinhittingthewallthanothersbutinallcasestheresultisthe

same–youslowwaydownandwilllikelyneverseeyourgoalpaceagain.Itwillbea

slowandpainfulwalkor, atbest,walk/run to the finish. Youwill no longer care

aboutyourtime.Youwillonlywanttheagonytobeover.

TheWallDefined

Expertsbelievethewallisrelatedtoafewfactors:

First,yourmuscleshavebeencontractingandrelaxingoverandoverandoveragain

for many, many miles. The mechanism that produces those contractions simply

fatigues.

Second, the muscle fibers themselves can become damaged from the stress of

running. Once damaged, muscle contractions simply can’t occur correctly. The

structuralelementsarecompromised.Everseethoserunnersrunningawkwardlyat

theendof themarathonas theytry toget fatiguedanddamagedmuscles towork

correctly?



Aside from problems with the physical structure and function of the muscles

themselves, the wall is also related to your energy stores. You burn fat and

carbohydrateswhenyourunamarathon.Insideyourmuscles,youhaveasufficient

store of fat but a limited store of carbohydrate. This intramuscular carbohydrate

store is calledmuscleglycogen. Inanutshell if theseglycogenstoresget too low,

yourpacemustslowsoyoudon’trunthetankdry.Thinkofitlikewhenyouareon

the freewayandyounoticeyour fuel light isonandyouaren’tquitesureyoucan

make it to the next fueling station. You slow down to preserve fuel. Same thing

happens inresponse todroppingglycogenstores,youare forced toslowdownso

youaren’tburningcarbohydratesatsuchahighrate.

Another factor isyourbloodglucose (orsugar) level.Youprobablyknowthat the

bodyhasaverytightrangeforbloodglucoselevelsandaveryintricatesystemfor

keepingtheamountjustright.Ifthebloodglucosegetslow(whichcanhappenafter

running forover twohours), thebrain (whichusesbloodglucose forenergy)will

starttoreducebloodsugaruseinothertissues(i.e.,theworkingmuscles)inorder

tomakesureyouhaveenoughforbrainfunction.Itisobviouslyagoodstrategyfor

stayingalivebuttheresultisthatyourpaceslowsdown.

In addition to the physical causes of the wall, the brain plays a large role in the

radical slow downwhen hitting thewall. First, all humans can becomementally

fatigued.Thiscanhappenwithorwithoutphysicalexertion.Thinkhowfatiguedyou

canbewithlongairtraveleventhoughallyouaredoingissitting. Inamarathon,

yourbraincansimplygetfatiguedfromthedurationoftheeffortandtheworryand

the expectation of the “big day”. It’s just toomuch for too long and thismental

fatiguewillresultinaslowingofyourpace.

Another very interesting factor has been called the “central governor.” Similar to

how stability control systemswork in a car, the central governormodel suggests

thatthebrainisreceivingconstantfeedbackfromthebody.Ifthebrainsensesthat

somethingistoothreatening(e.g.,glycogenstoresaredroppingtooquickly),itwill



subconsciouslyreduceyourmuscularoutputandslowyourpace. Thisworks just

like the computer in your car,which increases or decreasespower to eachwheel

andcanevenengagethebrakeswhenitsensesthatthecarisoutofcontrol.

Takentogether,it’sacomplexinteractionbetweenthephysicalandmentalwhereif

the body and/or mind find that things are too far out of control (fatigued

contractions, damagedmuscle fibers, decliningglycogen stores, lowbloodglucose

and/ormentalfatigueorsubconsciousgoverningofpace),thebodyandmindcause

theexperiencewecallhittingthewall.

HowtoAvoidtheWall

It’sonethingtoknowwhatthewallisbutit’sevenmoreimportanttoknowhowto

avoidit.HereareafewstrategiesthatIusetohelpmarathonersavoidthewall.

Training

Akeyway toavoid thewall iswith training.Asyoupreparedover the last12-20

weeks,youwereslowlypreparingtotoleratethementalandphysicalstressofthe

marathon.Obviously,yourweeklytrainingvolumeandthelongrunhavebeenthe

corner stone of wall-avoidance training but there are two other training

opportunitiestohelpyouavoidthewallinthemarathon.

First,youcanchallengeyourmuscleglycogenandbloodglucoselevelsby“training

low.”Intheseruns,youpurposelyrunwithlowfuelstores,whichstimulatesyour

body to 1) preserve the limited glycogen stores by producingmore energy from

your fat stores, of which you have plenty for the marathon and 2) store more

glycogenaftertherunsothatyouhavealargerandmorefulltankforfutureruns

andmostimportantly,themarathon.



After you’ve used fueling to build the distance of your long runs to two hours or

more,youslowlybegintoweanyourselfoffofcarbohydrates.Youstartbyreducing

thecarbohydratesyoutakeduringyourlongruns(fewergels,lesssportsdrink)till

you are running carb-free. Then, you avoid a high carbohydrate meal the night

beforealongrun.Next,youbegintoavoidbreakfastbeforelongruns.Youcancheck

outtheLessonsonFuelingforRunnersarticleontheMcMillanRunningwebsitefor

completedetailsonhowto“train low”tohelpyouavoidthewall.Therearesome

importantconsiderationsandspecialinstructionsonhowtodoitcorrectlysoread

thisarticlecarefullybeforeyoutrylow/nocarbtrainingbutit’saconceptyoumight

considerforyournextmarathontrainingcycle.

Second,youcanimprovethedurabilityinyourrunningmuscles.Muscledamageis

high in themarathon. It’s no surprise, as the averagemarathonerwill take over

39,000strides inthemarathon!Ifyou’veeverseenrunnershobblingaroundfora

fewdaysaftertherace,you’veseentheproof.

Inmyopinion,theabsolutebestwaytoincreasethefatigueresistanceinyourlegsis

by running downhill. Downhill running exaggerates the running motion, putting

more eccentric stress (muscles lengthening while contracting) on the muscles,

whichhelpsthemgrowstrongerandmoreresistanttofiberdamage.Youhavetobe

careful, though, and implement downhill training very, very gradually (since it’s

higher stress than flat running). But, over a few weeks, you can significantly

improveyourabilitytoavoidmuscledamageinthemarathon.

There are three easy ways to implement downhill running before your next

marathon. First, you canbegin to increase thepace slightly ondownhills on your

normal runs. Don’t go crazywith the pace but lift it tomarathon pace or slightly

faster.Doneoverafewmonths,yourlegswillgrowresistanttothetypeofdamage

themarathoncauses.



Second,youcandosomeofyourkeyworkoutsondownhillcourses.Forexample,if

youaredoing a4-mileTempoRun, you can choose a route such that the last1-2

milesareonagentledownhill.Thiswillgiveyouexposuretoevenfasterdownhill

runningthanthefirststrategyandhelpbuildfatigueresistanceinyourlegs.Ihighly

recommendthisstrategyforrunnerswhosemarathonwillbeonadownhillcourse

liketheBostonMarathon.

Thelaststrategyistododownhillrepeats.Asthenamesuggests,yousimplyfinda

verygentlyslopeddownhillandrundownstronglythenjogbackupbeforerunning

downhillagain.Thesecanbeverystressfulsince thedownhill running is frequent

andoftenmoresevere than the first twostrategies. I typicallyadvise thisonly for

runnerswhoare running amarathon course that is steeplydownhill.Aswith the

low glycogen training, thismay be a strategy to consider for your nextmarathon

trainingprogram.Justmakesureyouincludeahealthydoseofcommonsensewhen

youtryit.

OptimizingPre-RaceCarbohydrateStores

Another strategy to avoid the wall is to make sure your glycogen stores are full

beforestartingtherace.Atonetime, therewasa lotof talkabout“carbo loading,”

butwhatweknownowisthataslongasyourdiethasadequatecarbohydrates,your

storeswillbe fullystocked forraceday.There isnoneed tosignificantly increase

theamountofcarbohydratesinyourdietattheexpenseoffatsandprotein.Aslight

increaseincarbohydratesisallyouneed.

Withyourreductionintrainingvolume(thetaperingofmileage),yourmuscleswill

beburning less carbohydrateanyway soyournormaldiet should fully stockyour

stores. Ifyouareworriedaboutthis, thenaslight increaseincarbohydrateis fine,

particularly for athleteswho are on a reduced carbohydrate diet (i.e., paleo, etc.).

Formost of us though,we can relax and just eat the foodswe like andwe know

workwellforusonraceday.



ProperPacing

Itcouldbearguedthattheprimaryreasonforhittingthewallispoorpacing.Ifyour

paceissimplytoofastforthemusclestotolerateforthedurationofthemarathon

or if the pace burns too much of your limited glycogen stores, then the wall is

inevitable. Likewise, if your pace is too fast and your mind gets concerned

(consciouslywithworryabouttheabilitytoaccomplishyourgoalorsubconsciously

with the central governor sensing thingswill goawry if thepace continues), then

thewallisinevitable.

So,oneofyourbestdefensesagainstthewallisproperpacing.Iusethreemethods

for determining an athlete’s best race pace for themarathon. As I write inmy 3

GreatMarathon PredictorWorkouts article, I use the result of a recent long race

plusthepaceyoucanachieveforthelasthalfofafastfinishlongrunplustheresults

ofaYasso800workout.Isuggestyouclickheretoreadthearticleandlearnabout

these3predictorsofmarathonpace.

Asanexample,let’ssaywehavearunnerwiththegoalofrunning3:45(8:35pace)

forthemarathon.Inarecentfastfinishlongrun,ourrunneraveraged8:32minutes

permile for the lasthalfofa recent fast finish longrun.And, let’s say this runner

averaged0:03:42for10Yasso800s,whichpredictsa3:42:00marathon(8:28pace).

OnceIhaveapace(orpacerange)fromthefastfinishlongrunandtheYasso800s

(8:28-8:32 for our example runner), I put the result of a recent long race (i.e.,

anythinglastinglongerthanonehour)intotheMcMillanRunningCalculator.Let’s

sayourrunnerjustran1:46:37(8:08pace)forahalf-marathon.

The1:46:37half-marathonpredictsa3:44:23(8:34pace)marathon.Thefastfinish

long run predicts a 3:43:34 (8:32 pace) and the Yasso 800s predicts a 3:42:00

(8:28).Inthiscase,Iwouldfeelgoodthattherunnerhasagreatchanceofrunning



thegoal timeof3:45(8:35pace)so I’dsuggest thatwearerightontarget for the

goal.

IfIhadtorankorweightthesepredictors,I’dsaythepredictionfromthelongrace

is the most predictive (assuming normal conditions, similar terrain to the

marathon),thefastfinishlongrunresultsecondandtheYasso800sthird.

OncetherunnerandIfeelgoodaboutthepossiblepace,Isimplyusethesplitchart

fromearlierinthebooktoprovideapacerangeforthefirsthalfoftherace(usinga

0-2.5%foranegativesplitcourse).

ThepointofshowingyouthemethodIusewithathletesistocommunicatethatyou

can’tjustpickagoalpaceoutofthesky.Youmusthavesomereasonableindication

thatyoucanholditforthemarathon.Thissignificantlyreducesyourriskofhitting

thewall.

Ofcourse,onceyougetracepacedetermined,youmayneedtoadjust itbasedon

racedayweather.Ifitishotand/orhumid,you’llneedtoslowdown.Thebodyis

likeafurnacewhenweexercise,creatinglotsofheatthatmustbedissipated.Wedo

thisprimarilythroughevaporationofsweat.But,ifthetemperaturesarehotand/or

humid, your sweat mechanism gets overwhelmed. I created a Heat Adjustment

Calculatorthatyoucanusetoknowhowmuchtoadjustyourpacebasedonvarious

conditions.Thebottomlineisthat,again,ifyouwanttoavoidthewall,youneedto

pickaracepacethatisreasonablegivenyourfitnessandtheconditions.

RunSmooth

Tiedinwithproperpacingishowyouactuallyrunyourpace.Ifyou’veeverjoineda

pacegroupandfoundthat,eventhoughthepacerwashittingthesplitsontarget,he

wasveryherky-jerkyinhowhedidit,youknowthatthisisnotidealandcreatesa

lotofmentalstressandburnsalotmoreenergythanifyourunsmoothly.Thegoal



istodialinyourracepaceandthencruisealongrunningassmoothlyandgentlyas

you can. Try to put no undue pressure on your legs. Run over the ground, not

throughit.Lightandfreshisagreatmantraforjustglidingalong.

RaceFueling

Itwouldbewonderfulifwedidn’tneedtofuelduringamarathon.But,wemustand

Ibelievethatmanyofussimplyaren’tfuelingenoughandthat’swhydespitegreat

trainingandsmartpacingwestillhitthewall.

McMillan Ultra Coach Ian Torrence is a master at fueling. He should be. He’s

completedover20marathons and even as amasters runner, he continues to run

sub3onchallengingcourseslikeBoston.Plus,he’srunover180ultramarathons.

As was mentioned in the FAQ section, he suggests we need 30-60 grams of

carbohydrate every hour during themarathon. That’s 1.5 – 3 gels per hour or a

combinationofsportsdrinkandmoreconcentratedcarbslikegelsorblocks.

YoushouldcheckouthisLessonsonFuelingforRunnersarticleonthewebsitefor

completedetailsonhowtofuelinthemarathon.

Onceyouknowyourfuelinggoals,itiscriticalthatyoupracticeandrefinethemin

training.Andyoucan’tjustfuelonlong,easyrunsandthinkyouwillbegoodtogo

onraceday.Youneedtopracticefuelingonlong,hardrunsand/orlongraces.This

istheonlywaytoknowhowyourbodywillreacttoyourfuelingplaninrace-like

conditions.Becauseasweallknow,yourbodycanreactverydifferentlyonraceday

thanitdoesintraining.

Talkto100marathonersandyou’llget100differentfuelingmethodssoitallcomes

downtopersonaltaste,literally.I’veworkedwithrunnerswhocanjustusegelsand

waterthroughouttherace.Otherscan’tstandthetasteandtextureofgelssothey

useconcentratedsportsdrinkandwater.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatyouuseaslongas



youaregettinginthefuelyouneed. Withabitofexperimentation,you’ll findthe

productsandfrequencythatworkforyou.

Onelastthingworthmentioning:Youneedtofuelearlyandconsistently.Onceyour

bodygetsbehindonitsfueling,it’sverydifficultifnotimpossibleto“catchup.”And,

fueling early is more tolerable on your digestive system. As Ian discusses in his

LessonsonFuelingforRunnersarticle,absorptionintheGItractchangesacrossthe

raceandrequiresmoredilutefuelinglaterintherace.So,fuelearlywhenyourgutis

happyanddiluteyourfuellaterintheracetoavoidlateracenausea.

I mentioned it before and I’ll say it again, carrying your own fluids during the

marathonisagreatidea.Theprosgettoputtheirspecialfluidbottlesevery5Kand

cantelltheracevolunteerswhichbottlewithwhichconcoctiongoesateachspecific

5K.Then,theycangrabtheirbottles(notryingtodrinkoutofcupsforthem!)and

sipandcarry.Weshouldfollowtheirlead.

Hydrationpacksandcarriersareverycomfortablenowandofferplentyofoptions

foreveryrunner–fromonelargerbottletoseveralsmallerones.Theextraweight

isanon-issueasthebottle(s)willbegettinglighterastheraceprogressesandmay

evenkeepyoufromgoingouttoofastthefirstfewmiles.And,ifyouaregoingtobe

outthereforawhile,justchooseapackoptionwithseveralsmallerbottles.Youcan

alwaysrefillyourbottleatlateraidstations.Justremovethecapasyouareentering

the aid station and grab water and/or sports drink and refill your bottle(s). It’s

easiertodoontherunthantryingtodrinkfromthecups.Then,youcanrecapyour

bottleandsipawayasyoucontinuealongthecourse.

Withyourownfluids,youcancruisethroughaidstationswhileavoidingthetraffic

jamsandyoucanfuelonyourperfectedpattern.

MentalTrickery



Thefinalwaytoavoidthewallisthroughmentaltrickery.Aswasdiscussedearlier,

the wall is often influenced by the conscious and subconscious mind. While it’s

harderto influencethesubconsciouscentralgovernor,thereareseveralstrategies

thatkeeptheconsciousmindsoothedandthewallatbay.

First,youmustaccept that it’sgoing togetvery,veryhardandthat’snormal. Just

this simple recognition can help avoid the slow down that is caused by your

consciousmindwhenitsensesworryandpanic.Ifyoukeeptellingyourselfthisis

normalthenyourmindwon’treactasstronglyandthedialogueinyourheadwillbe

morepositiveandlessthreatening.

Thinkofthefatiguecurveinthemarathon.Forthefirst10milesorso,thepaceis

easy and fatigue is low. Then, in the middle and till around 18-22 miles, fatigue

starts to set in and increase andby the last3-6miles, fatigue is veryhigh. It’s an

exponentialcurve.Itiscriticalthatyourmentalintensitymustmatchthiscurve.

You candisassociate in the first 10miles. Enjoy the scenery. Connectwith others

runningatyoursamepaceandjust let themilesrollby. Inthemiddleof therace,

however, you must begin to engage. You must become more attentive because

fatigueisstartingtoincrease.Youmustmatchthisgentleriseinfatigue.Youdon’t

needallyourresourcesyetbutyoudefinitelyneedtostopthesightseeingandstart

focusingonthetaskathand.Asyougetto20milesandthefinalpushtowardthe

finish,youmustreallyengage.Youmustmatchthesharpriseinfatiguewithasharp

riseinmentalengagement.

Ifyoucanmatchthefatiguecurvewithyourmentalintensity,thenthemindgetson

boardandfeelslessthreatened.If,however,youexpectittofeeleasy,thenthemind

will sense this discrepancy between your expected fatigue (low) and your actual

fatigue (risinghigher andhigher).This causes concern andkicks in the conscious

factorsthatcanbringonthewall.



Second(anditmaysoundsilly),smile.Whenitstartstogethard,smile.Thereisa

lotof research that shows that evena forced smile can createpositive changes in

yourmentaloutlook.IrememberwhenIwontheMastersTrailMarathonNational

Championships.Iwentintotheraceexpectingittobehard,afterall,thefirst8miles

climbedcontinuallyuptoover5,000feetinelevation.But,Itoldmyselfbeforethe

racethatIwasgoingtoreallyenjoythismarathon.Iwasgoingto“smilethroughthe

pain.”And,itworked.Everytime,itgothard.Iforcedasmile.Ithoughtabouthow

muchIlovedrunningandhowIchosetoputmyselfinthisposition.Ithought,“This

isexactlywhatIwanted.It’ssupposedtobegettingharderandharderandIlikeit.”

Givesmilingthroughthepainatry.

Ultimately, ifyoucan justkeeprunning,moving forwardusinganyandallmental

tricksinyourarsenal,thefinishlinewillcome.Ipromisethattheywon’tmoveiton

you.Itwillbetherewaitingforyou.Justkeeppushing.



ResourcesandRecommendedReadingYOU(OnlyFaster):Trainingplanstohelpyoutrainsmarterandrunfaster

McMillanRunning.com

Don’tTaper.Peak!



AbouttheAuthor

GregMcMillanhasbeen called, “Oneof thebest and smartest distance coaches in

America” by Amby Burfoot of Runner’s World magazine. Through his website

www.mcmillanrunning.com he offers training tools, training plans and personal

coaching for new runners, BQ seekers and Olympic level athletes.

HeliveswithhiswifeandsoninEncinitas,California.



www.mcmillanrunning.com

mcmillan’s marathon freak out survival guide€¦ · surviving the marathon freak-out a guide to...

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