Biggest Mistake To Avoid In A Marathon/Long Run

This sounds simple. It sounds like something that after months of training you should know how to avoid. But the simple truth is, it's probably the one thing every runner is guilty of doing at one point or another.

Starting out of the gate too quickly.

I asked five of my running friends on Twitter what was one or two of the worst mistakes they've made during a marathon or long run. Not surprisingly they all said "starting too quickly". It's a really easy mistake to make, and one that can so costly. This is one of the reasons I don't listen to music. I get a sense of my own tempo and rhythm when I run. And I can usually tell on my own if I'm going too fast and can tell myself "Woah Scott, slow down" and I start to. If you are listening to music or aren't quite in tune with knowing your personal mile pace here's a few tips you can do to combat this.

1) Bring a timing watch. Time your first half mile/full mile. If you see you are running faster than your normal pace, obviously slow down. I actually think it's a good idea to run a bit slower than your normal pace in your first couple/few miles. Simply put you can always speed up later if you have the energy, but if you spend it too quickly out of the gate you won't be able to maintain your pace and your time will probably be slower.

2) If you forget your watch, look at the starting time when you get started then track your first mile. Again if you are going too fast you can adjust for it here, just do some simple calculations in your head to figure your mile time.

3) Phone apps Both the Iphone and the Palm Pre' have apps now for runners which tracks your time, distance and course. So you can always default to these as well.

4) Follow your instinct. If you at all feel you are going too fast on a gut instinct, slow down. As I said earlier you can always speed up later but the first three to five miles are going to be key to the last portion of the race.

Remember these longer runs are not about how you start. As my coach says "If you misbehave early you will pay for it later" There's nothing worse than running along and realizing half way that you have to stop or slow way down because you don't have the legs to keep going. I've seen it happen at marathons all the time.

So why does this happen? After months of hard work and training, how on Earth could one start out too quickly?? Simple: Adrenaline. There's nothing more exciting than getting to race day. The nerves are rocking you, you're excited and you want to do well. If you can channel this energy it can help you in the first 5-7 miles, if not longer. However if you let it over take you it can crash the marathon/long run party and who likes a party crasher?

As a rule I always tell myself to slow down no matter what I see my mile time is when I first get started. I'd rather conserve as much as I can early then when I need to dig deep I have the reserves to pull out the energy I need to finish my event and not be totally dead at the finish line. Also your finish line photo will look fantastic because you'll have a big smile, arms over your head and your head held high in the air. It's a great feeling, one you deserve to feel so in the words of my coach "BEHAVE!" Misbehaving comes *AFTER* the event (he he he)


Happy running!

(Thanks to @limespark @boulderrunner @MarathonMaritza @TalkingEyes on Twitter for answering my question posed on Twitter this past week and you should follow them!)