The hay is ALMOST in the barn. Your job is NOT to set it on fire. Yet.

Four to six weeks out, you have logged the miles, retired a pair of shoes or two, and told everyone at work about your long runs. Fitness is mostly built. What’s left is sharpening it and dialing in your race day effort. I have never met a runner who PR’d because of a crazy hard session eight days before the race. I have, however, met plenty of folks who limped to the start line because they panicked and trained too hard.

Training: One Last Push, Then Back Off

Weeks six through three are your final real block. Aim for long runs between 16 and 20 miles, with most of them finishing at goal marathon pace. Your longest run should land about three weeks out. Most runners gain little beyond 20 miles, and those who insist on more are usually trying to prove something to someone. Advanced runners do multiple runs of two and a half to three hours and build time at their goal marathon pace.

Add one, and only one, quality session a week, either a tempo run or more steady-state marathon pace miles, and keep everything else easy. Easy means you could hold a conversation. If you can’t, that’s a different workout, and it’s just adding fatigue you don’t need. For most people, the longest run is three weeks out, and after that, the total volume starts coming down.

Fueling and Hydration: Rehearse Everything

Treat every long run as a dress rehearsal: same breakfast, same gels, same shorts. Race morning is a terrible time to learn what your stomach thinks of a new sports drink.

Aim for 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour during your long runs. Some can push toward 90 grams if you’ve trained your gut for it. We recommend finding a sports gel that works for you, or starting with what they will have on course for convenience. Otherwise, you’ll need to carry what you need on race day. For hydration, drink to thirst, but keep electrolytes in your fluids; water alone doesn’t cut it for most people. Again, check what they’ll have on course and work with that first, or figure out a supplemental sodium source like salt capsules. Your sodium needs are largely genetic and can be tested with specialized equipment. However, the average person we’ve done testing on runs a sweat sodium concentration around 1000mg/L. So, worst case, mix your fluids around that mark, or hit the easy button and get tested.

As race day approaches, you can eat more carbs the week of, but overconsuming food the night before a race does you no good. That is a recipe for a morning gut bomb. But eating more carbs daily for about a week can increase your stored muscle glycogen. However, this works better for folks who generally eat low carb.

Recovery: The Part Nobody Wants to Do

Over the last six weeks, include at least one light week dedicated to shedding fatigue from the previous big block of training.

In general, get seven to eight hours of sleep, as often as you can. Sleep is your number one recovery tool. Not those expensive air boots, not that human tenderizer, sleep. The night before the race will probably be lousy, and that’s fine if the week before was solid.

Keep one full rest day per week. Keep strength work, but lighten the loads so it’s more active stretching and mobility work. Focus on full range of motion, not moving big weight.

The Taper: Who Needs One and What Race Week Looks Like

Almost everyone needs some version of one. Runners above 35-40 miles a week do best with two weeks, and high-mileage runners (50 or more miles a week) do best with three. Cut volume about 20 to 25 percent in the first week and 40 to 60 percent in the final week, but keep a little intensity so your legs don’t forget how to go fast. We’re not talking 400 reps; we’re talking a few 30s pickups. You can, however, keep some time at marathon pace in one session per week until race week.

Who can skip the full taper? Runners under 20 miles a week, or anyone treating the race as a long training run, can get by with a light trim over the last week. There is less fatigue to shed.

Our Most Common Final Three Weeks Look Like This:

  • Week 3 – Final long run with lots of race pace
  • Week 2 – Taper begins, 25% drop in volume. Only intensity is marathon pace. Maybe some stride outs.
  • Week 1 – Race week, roughly:
    • Monday: easy or off
    • Tuesday: easy 45 minutes with a few strides
    • Wednesday: short run, 20-30 minutes at marathon pace, stretch
    • Thursday: 20-30 minutes easy, foam roll
    • Friday: 15-20 min shakeout. Lay out your gear and fueling items.
    • Saturday: GO TIME! Active dynamic warm-up. A few strides. And find your corral.

Last Tips:

  • Pick up your race packet as early as you can. Logistical stress is the easiest to control.

  • Wear your race shoes exclusively the last two weeks. Nothing new race week.

  • Have an early race pace or heart rate limiter set based on past training.

  • Don’t waste your finish line photo.

Dale Sanford is the co-founder of BPC Performance, Inc. and has been coaching individuals and athletes all over the world since 2009. You can catch up with Dale @bpcperformance on IG, or listen to the Coaches on Couches Podcast. If you’d like to start your health or sports performance journey with BPC, visit Buildpeakcompete.com.

 

By Dale Sanford, Performance Coach