Hello Everyone,
This weekend’s run will be 19 miles and is the next to last long run of the training season. We just have the 21 miler scheduled for March 23rd before we begin the 3 week tapering phase prior to the marathon.
The tapering phase can be extremely counterintuitive. It requires a significant reduction in mileage at a time when the temptation to continue training increases. But following the recommended mileage on the training schedule will ensure you’re fully recovered when you arrive at the starting line of the Boston Marathon.
Refueling will be critical to your marathon success so you should develop your nutritional plan during the upcoming long runs. I recommend ingesting 300 calories per hour. My preference is to mix gels with water as I feel it’s less likely to upset my stomach and enters my bloodstream quicker.
You should consider replacing your current running shoes if you have more than 300 miles on them. I recommend staying with the same model if you’ve not had any problems. You should run several shorter runs and the 21 miler in them so you have complete confidence they’ll be fine during the marathon.
Here is a link for the course of our 19 miler.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/178937188
I look forward to seeing you Saturday.
Rick
Rick Muhr
Boston Marathon Running Coach
True greatness is not what we accomplish ourselves, but what greatness we inspire in others!