Always Be Prepared

The marathon requires preparation. Unlike the 5K, 10K, or even the half-marathon, all of which can generally be completed by a runner in reasonably good shape without much forethought, just getting through the marathon requires substantial preparation, both physically and mentally. Any oversight, no matter how small, can subject a marathoner to not just a few minutes of discomfort, but 3, 4, 5 hours of pain, injury, and even a dreaded DNF.

As with anything, the goal with the marathon is to make mistakes in practice, so they don't happen when they count.

Learn what pace to run, learn what it feels like to go out too fast, learn what it feels like to have too much in the can at the end.

Figure out if your shorts ride up, if your water belt bugs you, if your shirt chafes, if your socks give you blisters, if your sports drink makes you sick.

I discovered the wisdom of this philosophy during last year's Marine Corps Marathon, when a juicy orange which looked so good at 8 miles, forced me behind a tree at 10 miles, resulting in a 5 minute loss and the destruction of National Park land. (By the way, "stomach upsets" are the secret peril of long-distance running no one talks about. There will be more about such things in this post. For the faint of heart, or those eating lunch, stop reading now.)

So today was my day to test all of those accoutrements which seem as if they are unimportant, but which can make every step of 26.2 miles a living nightmare.

This was a rest week for me - a week where mileage is stepped back to give the body a break. I had a short 15 miler for my long run today. A shorter run would be an ideal time to test the sports drink which will be served on the course July 29, as well as my new race outfit. Long enough for something to potentially go wrong, but not long enough to be an "important" workout which would be ruined by Murphy's Law.

First off - I'll admit it. I have Flo Jo aspirations. Maybe its my early life as a sprinter. But I love to have a new outfit for each important race. I like to look like one bad mother. I like my fingernails to match my outfit. I like my hair to be "unique." It makes me feel fast. I won't apologize for that.

So yesterday I headed to the local sports superstore to pick out my outfit. This particular chain carried Under Armour, a brand which I love for its attention to detail such as flat seams. In a marathon, even something as small as the construction of a seam can have a life-altering impact. Too rough and after 50,000 steps you'll find yourself with a stinging abrasion like a hot pan laid on your inner thigh or armpit.

I have two things to get today: A new "bad mother" top, and a pair of shorts to replace the pair I have been so loyal to that I've worn a hole in them. The top I pick out is a fitted v-neck tank top with a mesh back, which I figure will be very cooling during the summer marathon I'm running. The reason I choose it is that the side seams have been rotated around to the back, which means there is nothing for my inner arms to brush against. It's also day-glo orange, which means if I get lost in the woods on my first trail marathon, search and rescue will be able to find me. Unfortunately, I can't find the exact pair of shorts I'm looking for. I try on several other pairs but all have piping along the bottom hem which I know will lead to chafing or bunching, and after my recent weight gain I no longer feel comfortable going with the compression shorts Under Armour is known for. Clenching my butt for 26.2 miles will certainly slow me down.

My next stop is the local triathlon store, Bonzai Sports, which carries the brand of sports drink and gel that will be served in the marathon - HEED (High Energy Electrolyte Drink) and Hammer Gel, by Hammer Nutrition. I've never heard of this before but its apparently popular in multi-sport circles and trail racing. The copy on the website promises limited stomach upset, a problem I always have with Gatorade, so I am looking forward to trying it.

Sunday morning dawns and my alarm goes off at 6:00. I am loathe to get up so early on a weekend but the forecast high for today is 94 degrees, and I need to get going. My plan fails, and I don't get out the door until 8:00, which means I won't be running until 8:30, as I am driving to the Mt. Vernon Trail. Given about 2:30 to run 15 miles, I'll be running until 11:00, well into the heat of the day. Already I've made a mistake I've made many times before.

I hit the trail with my HEED, two packets of Hammer Gel, and my new shirt. Since it's a short day, I'd like to hit most miles at near marathon pace, around 10:00 per mile. Two miles into the run, and the heat forces me to slow to just above shuffle pace. I can't believe how hot it is this early. But I figure slowing's ok, as its a rest week anyway. I'll just put in the miles. But its yet another mistake to assume I could hit marathon pace in heat like today. If I'd been bullheaded and kept going at that pace I'd never complete the workout.

2 miles later, and I'm overcome by wicked lower abdominal cramps. I have to stop and walk. My first instinct is to blame the HEED, and I start trying to decide if I should give it another chance or come up with a strategy to carry enough of my own Gatorade on the marathon course. 50/50 solution of gatorade is all my stomach has proven able to handle in the past. Even Gatorade Endurance Formula makes me sick.

I'm also trying to decide if I should turn back towards the start and the bathroom, or keep going. The cramps have subsided after a couple of minutes of walking, so I decide to keep going. I start shuffling, and feel ok. I decide I'll go to the next water fountain a mile and a half away and see how I feel. I may never have quit a workout, but I always like to have an intermediate "see how you feel" goal. By the time I get there, I never feel as bad as I did when I was pondering quitting.

I get close to the water fountain and I am convinced I need to stop at a bathroom, but by now, I'm closer to the bathroom I'll pass at my turnaround point near Mt. Vernon than the bathroom in the park I started at. So I keep moving. I've picked up a little speed, but not too much, as going too fast will often literally run the **** right out of me. I'm drinking nothing but water now.

I get to the bathroom and wait for relief. None comes. This is the second time this has happened to me in two weeks. As soon as I stop moving, my gastrointestinal distress stops. Maybe I should take that as a sign.

I can't decide what to do. Do I throw an extra two miles into my run by going all the way to Mt. Vernon and back, hoping that those two miles will induce an emergency by the time I pass this bathroom again? Or do I just head back to the start? I decide to head back. There's always the woods.

Sure enough, a mile and half later, I'm in a bad way again. I start eyeing the trees but this stretch of the trail is right on the Potomac, so there's not much cover and its swampy besides. Plus I'm pretty sure if I keep leaving presents in national parks I'm going to get arrested at some point. I'm about a quarter mile from Ft. Hunt park at this point, and I figure there must be another bathroom there, although I've never seen one right on the trail. I get there and look at a map of the park. Sure enough, there's a bathroom just up a side road. I am relieved.

As I ponder this situation in the bathroom, I gradually come to the conclusion that it's not the HEED that's doing this to me, since I've had nothing but water since my first bout of cramps, and I'm still sick. It must have been the cheesy southwest spring rolls and apple martini I had a Ruby Tuesday before a movie last night. In fact, as I sat at dinner, I thought to myself "I hope this doesn't screw up my run tomorrow" but dismissed it since it was "only" a 15 mile run. I've made another mistake I had no reason to make. I committed the sin of pride. 15 miles? Old hat. Go ahead and have that junk.

I'm back out on the trail now, and have picked up the pace substantially. 4 miles to the next water fountain at typical long-run pace. The sun's hot, but my new shirt is doing an excellent job of keeping me cool. I've soaked it down with cold water from the fountain and feel refreshed.

I'm in the shaded section of the trail now, with 2 miles to go to home, when another rookie mistake comes back to haunt me. Last week, for my 18 miler, in a rush to get out the door, I put on cotton socks with a heavy seam. I ended up with a dime-sized blister on my pinky toe. Today, even though I'm wearing my double-layered poly Wright Socks turned inside-out so the seam will not rub my toes, plus a fresh Hello Kitty Band-Aid, the Band-Aid has come loose, and my toe forces me to stop. I remove the shoe and sock and try to reaffix the Band-Aid, but it will not stick as my feet are soaked and white with trenchfoot from the drenching they've gotten as I've splashed water on myself at the water stops. Its time to start duct-taping my feet.

I do finish the workout. But at a price much higher than the simple act of running for 15 miles. Marathoning is a sport of discipline, and I've lost that. Its time to turn the screws. No dairy. Cut the fiber. No alcohol. No sugar. Carbo-load and rest before the long-runs. Apply duct-tape liberally.

Running a marathon is like many things you face in life then. But if you prepare yourself this way, there's nothing you can't get through. Eat well, rest a lot, and use duct-tape to hold the rest together.