Leading into my secondBoston Marathon, I developed a pain in my lower leg I assumed wasshin splints.
I ran the race and finished, but logged a time far off my goal.
Afterward, I learned those shin splints were actually a stress fracture in my tibia.
sportpoint/Adobe Stock/Amanda K Bailey
Of course, Im far from the only runner to have endured such an unwelcome pre-race tutorial.
Dont cram your fluid intake.
In 2009, I was about to run my first half-marathon: the Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon.
People always say tohydrate, but Id ignored that advice throughout my training.
Twelve hours out from race time, though, seemed like the time to start heeding it.
I drank eighteight!bottles of water.
Just one after the other, like a frat boy at his first keg party.
Cool, I thought, as dinner ended.
Except thats not really how it works, and instead I spent the entire night getting up to pee.
I probably didnt get more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep because my bladder was so full.
Dont forget to set the right alarm.
So the time I chose was set for every weekday, but not for Sundaythe day of the race.
My advice: check that that you have your alarm set for the correct time and day.
Also, having a supporter around who will verify youre up in time is a great gift as well.
Dont switch up your race fuel.
I use UCAN [hydration powders and energy gels] before and during my long runs and races.
They didnt have UCAN at the expo or anywhere else nearby, so I bought a different product instead.
Come race day, I was fine until about mile 15 or 16.
Then I started to have a bloated feeling.
Which I didbut Ill never make the mistake of forgetting my gels again!
Dont share a hotel room with your entire family.
I ran my first half marathon in October 2014 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
I had been running for about a year and had no clue what I was getting into.
My dad booked a hotel room for him, myself, my mom, and my sister.
All the walking and that rich dinner paled in comparison to what was waiting for me overnight, though.
At the hotel room, my sister and I shared a pull-out couch bed.
Bad moveshe snores loud and stretches out like a starfish.
My parents were not quiet breathers either.
There was no sleep to be had between my stomach and the snoring.
Dont stay too far away from the start.
Another option is to investigate official transportation options from the race, which may offer shuttles to important locations.
Dont overdose on fiber.
That was a mistake.
I had stomach issues for 12 miles until I finally had to stop at a porta-potty.
Dont get locked out.
Before Pennsylvanias Steamtown Marathon, I borrowed a car from a friend.
It had one key for locks and one key for ignition.
Since I didnt have the other key, I had to keep it open.
Dont waste hours and valuable energy sight-seeing.
I racked up a lot of steps.
Race day morning, my legs were NOT feeling fresh at all.
I had a rough patch where I felt hot and my legs felt heavy about halfway through the race.
By mile 14, I was in tears.
Now I know not to spend too much time walking around the day or two before the race.
Dont take in too much caffeine.
Then, the caffeine crash sucked my energy and my focus.
That was really hard.
I was wildly off my time goal that day, and I still have some regrets about the race.
What I salvaged was the experience of running through a city that I love.
Practice on training runs with how much caffeine youll be using.
Dont cut out carbs.
I really like to research and experiment with different philosophies of training.
I felt like I had no energy.
Experimenting with nutrition is okay, but ensure you learn from your experiences, Rojas says.
Dont forget to tend to your wounds.
Around mile 10, I looked down and I was gushing blood.
I had to stop at the first aid tent.
Dont forget your drivers license.
But when I got to the airport, I realized I forgot my bag with my ID.
I had to drive all the way back to get it.
But I still wasnt quick enough, so I couldnt fly out until the next day.
I had nothing to lose but everything to gain by seeing the city while running my first World Major.
So I suited up, buckled up, and finished marathon number 28 in 3:10.
Dont leave your outer layers at home.
Nope: I was freezing.
It was my worst race ever.
Dont forget your all-important inner layers.
I realized I forgot to pack mysports bra.
Dont put your essentials in the cargo hold.
I flew in the day before my race and checked luggage with all my gear.
My flight was delayed and I missed the connection.
I got to the hotel around 12:30 a.m. with a 6:30 a.m. race start.
The good news is that the race still went really well!
Same goes for other race-day essentials, like your fuel or fitness tracker.
Dont overdo the festivities.
I went to a party the day before the Marine Corps Marathon and had a few too many drinks.
I spent the night trying to hydrate and flush my system.
Then there was a whole snafu with security at the race that meant I started late.
Then at mile 10, I decided I didnt come all that way to fail.
So I kicked into gear and made it to my goal by four seconds.
In the end, it gave me more confidence about overcoming obstacles.
