Race season is in full swing and we have a constant flow of runners coming into the Runners Choice store to share their racing success stories as well as a few horror stories! I hear a lot about runners’ experiences at races and it is one of my favourite parts of my job here (mostly due to the sheer entertainment value of your stories) but also because it allows me to learn a lot about what leads to success in races and also what leads to huge failures.
Often we are given a list of top things to do to run a successful marathon, but today, I wanted to share my top tips of what NOT to when you plan to run a marathon, all taken from your stories.
Top DON’Ts of Marathoning
OVERTRAINING – This is THE most common problem runners talk about when they have had a less than stellar race. Overtraining can lead to injuries, strains, aches and pains, burn out and low energy levels come race day and lead to severe bonking. It is easy to get caught up in training programs you find online but you have to know what works for your body.
TRYING NEW NUTRITION ON RACE DAY – This goes for everything from your dinner the night before the race, your breakfast the morning of the race and the gels/sports drinks you consume during the race. Stick to what you know and what your body is used to. Avoid anything too spicy or really high in fibre before your race that will have you running to the port-o-potties faster than your sprint to the finish line. Try all your gels and sports drinks on your long runs leading up to race day so you know that they sit well in your stomach. They may all seem to be the same but they are not and every runner needs to find what works for them. Don’t trust that what works for your training partner will work for you, it is rarely the case. Don’t even try new flavours of gels on race day!
CARING TOO MUCH ABOUT TIME – This takes all the fun out of the race. It is great to have a goal but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get the time you want. There are so many things that can go wrong in a race that it is amazing that anyone gets their goal time. Personal Bests are great but so is having a good time.
DRESSING WRONG – The same way you don’t want to try a new gel or sports bar the day of the race, you don’t want to wear a new pair of socks, a new bra, a new hat and worst of all a new pair of shoes on race day. Let me spell this out for you C-H-A-F-I-N-G and its evil twin B-L-I-S-T-E-R-S. These things occur from the most innocent of looking items, like a new pair of underwear or a new singlet.
Now this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of DON’Ts that go along with racing but let me discourage you from getting out there. The best way to avoid all of these things is by joining a training group that will guide you into making better decisions. The Runners’ Choice Marathon/Half Marathon Group is under the encouraging and experienced coaching of Michele Craddock who will help you get the mileage you need in for your race and offer advice on everything leading up to race day from getting a PB to taking a great finish line photo. The group starts Thursday July 3rd but you still have time to register. Visit our website for more info on this group 
and others.
Tiffany Winton is the Manager at Runners’ Choice and a regular contributor to the RunWaterloo Blog.
