Ready for CIM?

Is anyone looking ahead to the final big marathon in Northern California this year? The California International Marathon (CIM) is coming up in just over three weeks, on December 8th, so any runners in that race are probably getting ready for their final (and perhaps longest) long run of their training program. The CIM course is great - it starts in Folsom and runs down into downtown Sacramento, finishing right in front of the State Capitol building. They've been doing this one for a few decades, so it is extremely well organized, and sells out months in advance. It's where I ran my personal best time of a hair under 3:13 in 2004 (at age 43!). 

Marathon runners know to schedule their longest run, or at least their final "long" run of their training about now because if they do it any closer to the race, they might feel like their legs are sacks of concrete instead of actual legs. Not coincidentally, it's a rule of thumb in endurance sports that whatever training you do today will yield the benefits you want about three weeks from now.

Does this mean runners can just hang out on the couch and eat chips for the next few weeks? Nice try, but no. You have to continue running to maintain that fitness you've developed over the past months. But the good news is that you need to cut back on the miles - when you do, you'll start to feel light, energetic, and ready to go. For example, a runner who has been logging about 60 miles a week should run about 50 next week, 40 the week after, then 30 in the week leading up to the race. The goal is for those miles the last couple of weeks to feel really, really easy to complete. 

For runners who want to achieve a certain time and have been incorporating some type of faster running in their training, they will want to continue doing the same kind of speedwork, but just less of it. Say their typical speedwork session is a 30-minute tempo run at goal pace. They would probably do the same pace, but just limit it to about 20 minutes. That way, your body will still remember how to do it, but you won't feel tired on race day.

One issue that sometimes comes up for marathoners of all abilities is that they continue to eat the way they've been eating during the past couple of months, but the reduced exercise volume results in a slight weight gain. Oops! No one wants to carry an extra 2, 3, or 5 pounds for 26.2 miles, so it's a good idea to slightly reduce your food intake.

One element of preparation that is often overlooked is sleep. Sleep is one of the most important parts of preparation for any athletic endeavor. We can expect that almost no one will sleep well the night before the race, with all of the excitement. But if you get some extra sleep the night before that and the few nights before that night, your sleepless night the night before the race will not hurt you.

Finally, start thinking now about what you need to bring with you, including clothing, blister prevention materials, etc. I usually forget things, so I make lists and end up never leaving anything behind that I need. If you want some ideas of things to think about bringing with you, email me at marty@BeTheRunner.com - I'd be happy to share some of my lists.

What is your key ingredient to a successful marathon?