Think of a pre-event practice race as the dress rehearsal for your big event -- the marathon.
Run Plans author Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mark Cucuzzella explains that this run should be a race simulation done at a comfortably hard pace. A quality practice run will help you develop rhythm and relaxation while running faster.
But keep in mind: This practice race isn't your goal race. Don't fall victim to common rookie mistakes and run your best miles before you get to the real starting line.
Do: Give yourself enough time to recover
Dr. Mark recommends signing up for a race that's four to six weeks out from your marathon. This will give you plenty of time to recover from the harder-than-usual effort and to tweak your training based on how the race goes.
I chose the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon on Sept. 14 -- six weeks before the Marine Corps Marathon -- as my practice race. The timing of the half was great, but the added bonus was that it shared a lot of pavement with the MCM course, so I got a chance to preview what I'd be running in October. If you can't find a race that's actually on your marathon course, try to pick one that will have similar terrain and hills.
Don't: Run too hard
Again, this is not the race you've been training toward for the past 10 weeks. Dr. Mark suggests running easier than you think you should. "Try 95 percent instead," he says, so you can "finish strong and save your best for event day."
Do: Start out conservatively
Run your marathon race plan.
Instead of running my half-marathon pace, I knew I wanted to start out as if I were running the marathon. For me, this meant running 30 to 45 seconds slower than my goal marathon pace for the first few miles. Did I? No. I ran a mile at 9:30 (on plan!) and then immediately got sucked into the race craze and dropped down to 8:30s for the next few miles (off plan!). I was feeling the effects of the fast start and slowing down by Mile 5.
Come marathon day, I know I'll have to be extra careful to start out comfortably and gradually speed up to finish strong.
Do: Wear what you'll wear in your marathon
You might have to adjust this a bit based on the warmer weather, but you should be able to wear most of what you'll want to go with on race day. I don't normally wear compression socks unless I'm running really long, but because I wanted to test out my race-day kit, I threw them on for the half.
Wearing the shoes, socks and clothes you'll race in will take some of the unknowns out of your race, which should help you feel more confident.
Do: Test your nutrition
This is a big one. Eat the same thing for dinner that you plan to eat on race eve, and eat your normal breakfast. Then during the race, follow your marathon fueling plan.
I plan to take a gel each hour during the marathon, so that's exactly what I did in the half. I filled my water bottle with Tailwind endurance fuel and carried a Louis Garneau gel. If you have to try something new, now is the time. Otherwise you'll be risking some unwanted surprises on race day.
Do: Turn your practice race into your long run
Swap your aerobic long run for the practice race -- don't try to do both. I was lucky and could run to the start line of the Navy-Air Force Half. The two miles to the start line were a great warmup, and the same home were an easy cool-down, adding up to 17 miles for the morning, or a little more than two-and-a-half hours.
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Don't: Try to run multiple test races
If your practice race didn't go well, learn from it and move on. Trying to run too many events like this will wear you out and could lead to injury.
The goal of the practice event is to continue building good habits and to identify issues so you can adjust before race day. It's also a great way to see how your training is paying off and to build your confidence.
My goal at the MCM is to run a sub-4 marathon. This has been pretty elusive so far, and my test-race time of 2:08 doesn't bode well for an even faster marathon. But my goal isn't too ambitious (I hope). I blame those extra 10 minutes on the awful allergy attack I had this weekend and hope that come race day my lungs will be operating at full capacity instead of the wheezing mess I was on Saturday.
But this practice race has also given me a wake-up call for my training: I need to focus these next four weeks on speed and power and spend less time running through the woods.
You can reap the benefits of the practice run even if you don't do an official race. Map out a course -- ideally with little traffic -- on base or near your home and get moving. Chart your progress and make any adjustments as needed.
Happy miles, friends.
