Something yesterday reminded me that after my Dublin Marathon 2016 fiasco, I made a bullet pointed list of things to remember for next time. I had a dig in my computer and found the following in a Word file entitled “Things I Learned From My First Marathon”:
- Four gels is plenty. Any more will just become annoying to carry and make you feel sick
- Leave gels, painkillers, plasters and Vaseline with spectator for emergency use
- Take sunglasses, even if forecast is for snow. Don’t chance it.
- Carry one lot of painkillers, two blister plasters, money for emergency cab, ipod and four gels NOTHING ELSE
- Don’t start out too fast but don’t start out too slowly thinking you will make up the time on the “easy bits” as you will be too tired to run fast near the end.
- If you have not done the full training (or almost the full training) DO NOT DO IT DEFER YOUR PLACE
- Remember to look out for photographers and CLOSE MOUTH for photos
- Remember arms, do not let them swing around randomly just because you can’t feel them
- Clif Bar – good idea if walking, not great if running, if used have before water station as leaves bits in mouth. But won’t be walking next time so not applicable.
- Feet will hurt
- Everything will hurt
- Don’t high five anyone however nice they look, you will fall over with the exertion
- Long shallow slopes are far worse than short steep ones
I will follow this up with “Things I Learned From My Second Marathon” in approximately three weeks – I’ve got a few in my head already from just doing the training.
7:07 