Three runs of consequence left

At this point in my training, I view only three remaining runs as being of consequence to my fitness on race day. Further, the truth is that they are as important to me mentally as physically; if I nail them, then my confidence going into the race soars.

You have to stick with your own training plan, if you have one. But if not, then know that may experience shows that a decent 13 miles this Sunday - two weeks before the race - sets you up nicely for the remaining runs. I'd suggest doing it about 30 seconds per mile slower than what you plan to run your first half of the race in; so, for instance, if you plan to run the first half in 2:10, then you want to run this half in about 2:17. This is hard enough to make you pay attention, but not so hard that it is a great mental strain or leaves you physically sore.

The next big run comes next Wednesday night, about 8 miles at race pace to 15 seconds per mile slower than race pace. Again, this is as much about getting mentally ready; as you finish the 8th mile, hopefully in a comfortable stride, visualize yourself repeating the same run 2.2 more times.

Finally, a week before the race, I run a ten-miler, again at about race pace + 15 seconds per mile. It tells you that, one week before the race, you are ready to go.

In between, my runs are 3-5 miles at a relaxed pace. In the final days before the marathon, they are no more than 3.

Where to Meet Family and Friends After the NYC Marathon

This topic has become popular since the family reunion area was eliminated in 2010.  You can't meet "by the fountains at Columbus Circle" - the area will be mobbed, and, since it is quite likely one of you will wait awhile for the other, the fact that the weather may be frightful and no one will feel like standing very long makes an outdoor meeting place impractical.

Most runners exit the park between 77th and 85th and Central Park West. NY Road Runners has advised that all runners will be guided to Columbus Ave, and that family will not be able to walk east of Columbus Ave. There are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops nearby where you can wait indoors, and perhaps by some food or drink, while waiting for the other party to show. Possibilities include:

The areas closest to the exit streets & Columbus will be an utter madhouse for most of the day. I would STRONGLY urge you to walk several blocks or avenues-which is good for you after the race anyway- to meet up with loved ones.

Outdoor locations are iffy if the support group shows up well after the runner and it's cold or rainy. There are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops nearby where you can wait indoors, and perhaps by some food or drink, while waiting for the other party to show.


Possibilities include:

Starbucks has stores on Columbus Avenue, at 67th, 73rd, 76th, and 81st Streets.

Cosi Sandwich Shop is at 2186 Broadway (77th St.)

Lenny's is at 74th and Columbus. 

Ray Bari Pizza, City Pie, 72nd St. Bagel (a huge place) and Subway are on 72nd btw Columbus and Amsterdam

New York Sports Club: If you belong to a gym with a nearby facility, consider whether you can walk there, shower, then meet your family in the entrance area. New York Sports Club has a club on 73rd St., a half block from the park, and one 62nd St., about two blocks from the park.

If you end up winging it, the ING New York City Marathon Mobile Spectator App includes a GPS option for runners; this allows fans to follow your progress throughout the race and through the post-finish area. Friends can also call the Runner Information Hotline number: 800.496.6193 on marathon day and key in your race (bib) number to track your whereabouts both during and after the race. Because this is a new service, you should fully expect it to be buggy, so don't panic if, two hours into the race, it says your runner is still on Staten Island.

Celebration- After you recuperate and re-hydrate and begin to feel human, you will not want to go home to sleep - you will want to eat and to celebrate your achievement. Get away from the area of the park, as all restaurants near it will be utterly packed and most have flights of stairs that are painful to walk down.  Instead, book a table at a place a few subway stops away, for a time that is 60-90 minutes after you expect to finish the race. This gives you enough time to exit the park, regale your family and friends, rehydrate and replace essential nutrients, and get to your destination.

I recommend these four places, all clients who are rolling out the welcome mat for marathon runners:

The first two places are near Times Square - perfect for those staying in hotels in the Times Square/ Madison Square Garden/Penn Station area or leaving the city through Penn Station, the Midtown Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel or Port Authority. Take the C train downtown from 81st St  or the 1 train downtown from 79th or 72nd, each to 42nd St. Each place is about 3 minutes away from that stop.

• Tir na nog Times Square at 315 W. 39th St., just west of 8th Ave. - is a terrific upscale Irish pub with terrific food and beers. It is an utterly spectacular space that accommodates groups very well, and has no stairs. Call (212) 760-0072 to reserve your spot or reserve on Open Table.

• Beer Authority at 40th and 8th is a four-level (with an elevator!) restaurant with 101 craft beer taps, outstanding pub food, plenty of space for groups, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Times Square, and a (heated) rooftop Beer Garden Patio. Call (212) 510-8415 to reserve your table.

The Brickyard Gastropub is at 52^nd and Ninth – about a kilometer from the finish line.  It has great food, terrific craft beers, and a great ambience. They had a blowout bash last year, full of runners and their families all day and night. Call them at 212-767-0077 to reserve, or email them at Info@BrickyardNYC.com

Closer to Penn Station (take the 1 train downtown from 79th or 72nd to 28th St) is Mustang Harry's, a large facility that will be showing all your favorite sports teams, has an excellent line-up of drinks and a solid menu of comfort food. Call them at (212) 268-8930 or reserve on Open Table. A block away is sister restaurant Mustang Sallys; call them at 212-695-3806.

Tapering for the NYC Marathon

Almost all training programs provide for a final long run about three weeks before the race, which is nearly upon ys. You then begin to train less each week, or “taper.” The final week usually calls for a few jogs of moderate speed and distance, with several days off.

If I’m not nursing an injury, I tend to run a little further than most plans suggest; two weeks before the race, I do a final 13 mile run, and a week before, I do a 10 mile run, both at roughly the pace I plan to run on race day.  I've run as far as 6 miles 4 days before the race, but only because I wasn't sore at all; for most races, my longest run in the final week was about 4 miles, with the last two exactly 2.622 miles, at race pace; I then stop the treadmill and imagine doing that 9 more times, and it seems easy enough.

If you are nursing an injury, it’s all the more important to limit your activity. I’ve known many runners who rested due to injury the full final three weeks, and did well on race day, and I’ve also known some runners who tried to train through an injury and missed the race.

While the prospect of taking it easy after months of hard training sounds great, when the time comes, it will be maddening. You’ll think you are ruining all your training by easing off these last few weeks.  Heavy training puts you in a relaxed state, and as you cut back, you come down off this high. You want to run the race today, to prove to yourself you’re still fit and get back that high. 

Relax, continue to recover, and know that the race will come soon enough, and your legs will be ready. 

I have tapered too much, and I have tapered too little. Tapering too much meant that I didn’t feel quite as sharp as I’d like. Tapering too little meant my legs were sore and tired much earlier in the race than expected, and was far more difficult to deal with.

What should you wear in the NYC marathon?

RUNNING SHOES

First off: what running shoes are you wearing on race day? Hopefully this is not the first time you've thought about this question. If it is, then 3 1/2 weeks is just enough time to do something about it.

You want to wear the same brand and type of shoe you've been wearing throughout your training, but you should wear a fairly new pair. Further, you need to break-in the new pair by running in it 5-7 times, including at least one run of 13 miles or more, then packing it away in your race day bag.

If this topic catches you by surprise, go buy the new pair as soon as you can; do not immediately wear it on a long run, as you should wear it for 4-5 shorter runs before a longer run.

CLOTHING

The most important thing is what you wear closest to your skin. Avoiding chafing is the top priority. You should wear on your body whatever you wore during your successful long runs. Not merely the same type of outfit, the VERY SAME OUTFIT. The only way you can be sure the t-shirt/shorts/socks/jock/underwear/bra is suitable for you to run 26 miles in is if you have worn the exact pieces on an 18+ mile run before.

With your primary outfit chosen, now you need to figure out the outer layers, to deal with the weather; I'll update this post a few days before the race, when the weather picture is clearer.

It it near certain that the early morning wait on Staten Island and on the Verrazano Bridge before the start will be very cold -  windy, you not moving much for several hours, on the waterfront. You have to turn in your post-race bag about an hour before the start. It must contain at least one heavy layer - think heavy sweatshirt - that you can put on shortly after you finish. You might also pack a favorite blanket or jacket to keep you warm on Staten Island.

But once you give that bag up, you are left with (i) the outfit you plan to run most of the race in, (ii) additional layers that will accompany you for parts of the journey, and (ii) throwaway clothes.

Think of yourself as the Space Shuttle, fully laden at launch and jettisoning superfluous parts as you go.

In addition to your running shorts, you may decide to add a pair of tight sweats/capris for your whole journey. My personal choice is an Under Armour bottom you wear under your shorts that extends half way down your thigh; you can buy these in NYC at Modell's on 32nd & 6th or Paragon Sports on 18th and Broadway or at JackRabbit on 14th St or in Brooklyn. You'll be taking a chance on wearing something new close to your skin, but I can't imagine them causing you a problem; perhaps wash and dry them once first.

But everyone who is not an elite runner should plan to have a pair of throwaway sweats/long underwear / pajama pants / Tylek pants (on sale at the Expo) to wear after you dump your post-race bag, up on to the Bridge, and even for the first 2-3 miles, till you warm up - at the apex of the Verrazano, you will be 230 feet in the air, with harbor winds blowing, and you'll not be warmed up at all. You will definitely need something similar for the upper body.

Then comes the more analytical layering question, which will depend a lot on race day weather. Even if you think you can run most of the way with a single t-shirt on, you'll need at least one more - and possibly two more - layers at the start. You can always toss them. I often find myself wearing four shirts on to the bridge, losing one at the start, a second at mile 3, and wrapping the third around my waist at mile 6, wearing just one the rest of the way. For this race, I would bet that I'd keep at least two shirts on the whole time, and maybe a third. I also always meet family along the way, and they have a change of shirt, or extra shirts, for me just in case.

Same with head covering and gloves. It won't be so cold that you need a ski-cap, but a head band covering your ears will likely be treasured. I don't wear gloves - I wear white sweat socks on my hand, so my fingers can touch each other. Whatever you wear, you will need something for at least the first 3 miles.

Now comes the most critical part of my advice.

The weather may warm up by mid-race, causing you to toss your hat, gloves and extra shirt – and then clouds or wind may very well cause temps may plunge in the later miles, leaving you unbearably freezing. Keep at least an extra pair of gloves and a head warmer in your pocket, or have a spectator available to meet you with them in the later miles. A friend gave me this advice based on his run in NYC, when he thought he might drop out because he tossed his gloves and his hands nearly froze. A month later, I ran Philly, and it was 26 at the start, warmed up nicely, and I tossed everything, only to find myself running along the river with fingers that felt like they may crack - only to realize I had heeded his advice and had a spare pair of socks in my back pocket, saving the day. In a worst case scenario, ask someone in the crowd to give you gloves or a hat – believe it or not, someone will.


ALL YOUR BAGS ARE PACKED, YOU'RE READY TO GO

Speaking of the race day bag, that is also something you should be thinking about, NOW. 

Include every single thing you’ll need on race morning, and add your race number and chip once you pick those up. Your race day running shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, jackets, hats, gloves, body glide, gel packets, EVERYTHING you need on race morning, goes into one bag, now. You think you’re losing your mind now? Just wait till race morning – you will be in no mental condition to remember everything you need, much less find it.

Five Weeks Away - This is the Hardest Part

The Long Runs - This stretch of your training plan likely calls for 3-4 runs of 3-6 miles, a mid-week run of 8-10 miles, and a long run of 15-22 miles. These weeks are the hardest part of the experience, even harder than the race itself. The first time you run 15 miles is exhilarating. The sixth time you run 15 miles or more, it’s just draining. You give up your Saturday to run 18 miles, a week after you ran 16 miles and two weeks after you ran 14 miles, knowing that you have to run 20 miles next week. 

This is where you find out whether you have what it takes to run the marathon.

The Mid-week Runs - The mid-week runs are easy to overlook – they are critically important to maintaining your fitness in between the long runs. A solid 8 mile-run on Wednesday can make a slower 18-mile run on the weekend seem more manageable.

Contentment is Your Biggest Enemy - By now, you’ve now broken through physically and mentally. You feel great, look great, and the world is your oyster. Smug self-satisfaction feels good – even deserved. It is also your enemy. Perhaps, you complacently think, you can replace your run at the gym with a late-night run to Ben & Jerry’s. Now is exactly when you have to work harder. Can you imagine how disappointing it will be if you blow it now?

Don’t Let Small Setbacks Cause Total Failure - You’re human. In this, the hardest part of the training program, you will bend. Don’t break. You may go for a 16-mile run and not be able to go past 6 miles. Go back out there two days later and run the full 16. You will have days where you are busy, hurt and tired and don’t run. Don’t let three days off became ten. Draw a line in the sand.

Interval Training - Start running one-mile intervals once per week. Instead of a moderate 4-mile run, run one mile at a good pace, then rest two minutes; run a second mile slightly faster; then rest two minutes; run a third mile even faster; then rest again for two minutes, before running the final mile almost all-out. You will be running these individuals miles a good bit faster than your long run pace; it will exercise your legs in a different way, and make slower runs seem easier.