With just six weeks to go until the London Marathon, ‘maranoia’ is probably well and truly setting in. For those of you who don’t know, ‘maranoia’ is a state of marathon paranoia. You’re dreaming that you sleep through your alarm, forget your number or you somehow manage to trip over your own shoelace and don’t make it across the start line. Your mind goes into overdrive and every imaginable scenario that could ruin your day has entered your head at one stage or another.
If it’s your first marathon you’re probably feeling a mixture of excitement, nervous and understandably, a little bit scared. If this isn’t your first marathon, you’re probably feeling excitement, nervous and still a bit scared! It doesn’t matter if you’re making your marathon debut or if you’re a seasoned runner, 26.2 miles is never an ‘easy’ race!
I’ll be taking on the Virgin Money London Marathon for the second time this year. Despite claiming that I wouldn’t do it again, I’d ticked it off the bucket list and finished in a time I was happy with, I still somehow found myself putting my name down again. With six weeks to go (Argh!) the same paranoia I felt last year about not being good enough/training hard enough/potential to fail miserably, has all come flooding back again.
Around this time is when you can start to unravel and forget some simple tips..
- Eat smart. Work out when you need to start carb loading and prepare well for your longer runs. You should have a good idea of what works best for you in preparation for the run and also what is your best energy source during the course.
- Keep a water bottle on you at all times – keep sipping away and keep your fluid intake up, especially on the week leading up to the race! But remember, it may count as fluid but stick to non-alcoholic drinks!
- Resist the urge to make up for missed workouts. Your training in the last few weeks of your programme will finesse your fitness, not necessarily make you stronger. Don’t overdo it and try and catch up on any session you may have missed when life got in the way – it’s not worth the injury risk.
- Don’t compare your training with others. It can be great motivation but can also lead to you feeling like you’re ill prepared resulting in negative thoughts rather than positive, motivational ones.
- Prepare mentally. Decide on your mantra, remember your goals and why you’re doing it. Think of what you’ve achieved so far and don’t focus on what hasn’t gone so well.
If things aren’t going your way, have a rest day and reassess tomorrow. Don’t second guess yourself or your goals. Sometimes you may have a run that wasn’t what you were hoping for, but remember that sometimes successful training can be more difficult than the race itself. Don’t let the thought of not completing your goals even enter your head – it won’t happen, you can do this. Take it from me, despite everyone telling me that it’ll be easier the second time round I’ve still hit a wall this week and I’ll be taking a day today to get over, through or maybe tunnel under it– whatever it takes to get to the other side!
If you've got any advice, tips or questions about training, do leave a comment below!
