I'm running a marathon soon, any pointers you can toss my way?

It's that time of year where many of your running friends are either prepping for the final few weeks/days before their spring marathon. Those that aren't prepping for a marathon are providing you with advice, solicited or not. They all mean well, even when they tell you things that defy even conventional wisdom. While I try not to provide any advice unsolicited sometimes I fall into the social media trap of seeing FAQs posted by lesser experienced runners in group forums, and a myriad of responses that may have worked as a matter of coincidence for the respondent. Sometimes I just want to point out that anecdotal evidence isn't the blanket answer, different things work for different people. Sometimes solutions don't work, but the problem has somehow been resolved so the person incorrectly assumes causality, in other words we witness the fallacy "Affirming the consequent". More often than not, I read the advice, take it with a grain of salt, and move along with my day. They mean well. As do I. At work I maintain a policy where if one person asks me for clarification on guidance already provided I respond directly in a manner best suited for that person. A second person asks the same question, I make a note that a trend may be developing, but still respond directly in a way that is best suited for them. A third person asks the same question and I know my communications need to be a bit more global. That in essence is what I'm attempting to do here, for those in the running community. I have detected a trend, if you will, and will attempt to share my thoughts and experiences. Don't worry, this introduction won't happen on each and every post. Thanks for making it this far, I hope you enjoy reading it, and that you walk away having gained something of value.

 Specific to the question title question, let's focus on just a few basic ideas. You've put in a lot of work over the last few months. Maybe you chose a plan you downloaded from the internet or you hired a coach to adjust things for you on a daily basis, or just ran whenever you felt like it. The point is you put in the time and now you're RUNNING A MARATHON. You're asking yourself and all your friends what you're supposed to do in the week(s) leading up to the big day.

 Here are a few of the things you may have already thought of but just need a checklist. I'll go through some of my thought processes for BOSTON as if I were getting myself ready one week out:

TRANSPORTATION:

1. How am I getting to Boston? (flying, make sure I confirm that the flight is properly booked for the right dates...yes)
2. How am I getting to the airport? (My own car, best route according to google is...., it will take 1.25 hours to get there)
3. Where am I parking? (Big Blue, in my usual location, remember to use the same card in/out of the lot)
4. Carry on or checking a bag? (both)
5. How am I getting from the airport to my hotel? (Charlie Card, take the T to Back Bay ORANGE) How early can I check in? (confirmed status will allow noon if available)
6. What time do I need to get up to get to the bus on time for the start?

ACCOMMODATIONS

1. How many keys do I need? Ask for two extra. One for post race, one for anyone looking to crash
2. King or TWO QUEENS? (always 2Q, never know who's going to crash, one bed = awkward)
3. Check online for sudden "special rates" that always pop up
4. Check email for special offers based on chain "status", last year was FREE!
5. How close is it to the Expo? Map it out
6. How FAR is it to the Bus? Map it out
7. What time does my bus LEAVE for the START AREA?
8. IF I get on a charter bus LAST, how often will people be going to the bathroom? Where will my seat be?
9. How much time will I be waiting?
10. How FAR is it FROM the Finish chute exit, map it out based on gear check or family reunion.
11. Any other conventions going on at the hotel? FIND OUT. Cheerleading conventions happen, in the hallways. Plan ahead.
12. Where's the ICE machine? FIND IT.
13. Do I have a fridge? Microwave? Where am I eating? When I do eat, am I bringing back snacks to the room? Can I?
14. Are there any perks I don't know about? "Concierge Level?"

  PACKING - CARRY ON BAG

1. The "Bound For Boston" Passport 
2. A book to read Phone Charger, extra long (10ft), the plug too (if not, look for the HDMI plug behind the TV) 
3. Portable power supply for phone (for after the marathon when the celebrations might go too long) The shoes I intend to wear while running the marathon 
4. Race Singlet 
5. Race Shorts 
6. Compression socks - long Compression socks - short socks just in case too
7. Commercial Grade trash bag (cut out an arch on the bottom.) 
8.  My Nano and headphones(and charger) 
9. My Garmin charger (Garmin better be on my arm lol) 
10. Sunglasses, "lucky hat" 
11. Spare outfit 
12. Deodorant, Toothbrush, floss, toothpaste 
13. Earplugs 
14. snacks 
15. empty water bottle and electrolyte packets 
16. Salt Tabs 
17. laptop and charger? (a big maybe) 
18. medium sized clear plastic bag, preferably with handles

  PACKING - CHECKED BAG

1. How many days am I there? (#Days = #T-shirts, pairs of socks) 
2. Check the weather for the non race days? Windy? Cold? Rain? 
3.  Rain poncho, lightweight windjackets, small umbrella 
4.  Pair of Jeans, a few pair of shorts 
5. Maybe a decent outfit if there are plans to go out. (Sandbagger Style) 
6. How many times will I run once there? A running outfit for each time, pair of running socks for each time 
7. Plastic bag for all the running outfits worn during the trip (lightly washed in the sink, hung to dry) Leave space for the all the stuff that will be purchased (try to resist purchasing)

  RUNNING GEAR (some previously mentioned)

1. Race Singlet (any snags that will cause irritations?) 
2. Race Shorts (any rubbing points?) 
3. Race Socks (moisture wicking? compression, long? short?) 
4. Back-up Race Outfit LUBRICATION....bring plenty of it. Lather up in all the areas where during training you noticed irritation, rubbing, full on shredded cabbage, bleeding, etc... 
5. Bring 5x more than you think you'll need. Do it when getting dressed, then put some on when you're lined up ready to rock. 
6.  GELs (GU/STINGER/HAMMER/ETC) You should have been practicing these all along, especially during the long runs. Bring more than just the number of gels you need for the actual race. 
7.  You're supposed to be carbo-loading for more than just the day before. Bring along your race supplements as a way to get your body to increase its glycogen levels, to avoid snacking on random EXPO supplements you've never had before, and to stabilize your blood sugar levels throughout the days leading up to the big day.

  CARBO LOADING

The theory USED TO BE that if you starved your body of carbs for awhile that your body would crave them more, and therefore absorb them in higher capacity if you gorged yourself with the PASTA dinner the night before the race. Studies show that the reintroduction of carbohydrates in a more controlled fashion over a slightly longer period of time will produce better performance results. Without citing any sources, I recall those performance improvements were somewhere in the 2-5% range. For a marathon, that can mean MINUTES shaved off your "less than ideal" time. I'm not saying if you trained for a 3:30 that you're going to run 3:27. More like if you trained for 3:30 you'll avoid running a 3:33 due to glycogen depletion. Those are just ballpark figures to be considered just as an example, not precise measurements for YOU. 

 For me, I try to avoid glycogen depletion the week before my marathon and focus on increasing my carbohydrate intake on a steady basis. Basic tables out suggest that you gradually increase your carbs over the 3-4 days leading up to marathon. The obvious huge assumption being that you are properly tapering without sneaking in extra miles or workouts that deplete you. (You aren't going to lose any fitness if you taper properly, and your metabolism isn't going to magically shut off) 

  Try to consume the following: 

 5-7 grams of carbohydrates for every kilogram of body mass on Day 4 

 7-8 grams of carbohydrates for every kilogram of body mass on Day 3 

8-10 grams of carbs for every Kg of body mass on Day 2 

10-12 grams of carbs for every Kg of body mass on the DAY BEFORE THE MARATHON 

Try to get MOST of your last day carbo-loading in at Brunch, and have a sensibly-sized meal for dinner You won't feel so bloated, you won't have to "go" a million times the next morning. 

 Take your weight, DIVIDE BY 2.2 and calculate your specific ranges. 

  In the numbers above, a 180lb male would consume: 

 410-574 grams of carbs on Day 4 

574-656 grams of carbs on Day 3 

656-820 grams of carbs on Day 2 

820-984 grams of carbs on Day 1 (DAY BEFORE MARATHON) 

•  Don't try to consume all of that in two to three meals. Maybe eat 4-5 smaller meals and carry around sports drinks with you. 
•  Sports drinks range from 10-50grams of carbs. 
•  A banana has 27grams of carbs. 
•  A HONEY GINSTING has 27grams of carbs. (I typically will bring 4 Honey GINSTINGS for each of the days leading up to the marathon. Buy them in groups of 12 or more from REI and you get a discount.) 

 Get to the GROCERY store when you arrive and buy fruits and sports drinks, get some hawaiian rolls. Spread it out throughout the day. Animal Crackers. Vegetables.... find the carbs and eat them. You might worry that you're going to gain all the weight in the world. Nope. Your metabolism is still on fire. Some of the weight you gain while carbo-loading is just water weight. It will come off when it needs to, don't worry about a pound here or there.

  Other Tips and Tricks

1. Drink Water with electrolytes in them. Work with whatever works for you. I like Electromix.(makers of EmergenC) 
2. Make sure your running watch is fully charged. Plug it in two days BEFORE, then unplug it and wear it, and plug it back in the night before to top it off. 
3. Get to the Expo as EARLY as possible. Get your bib, see a few things. GO sit down. GO LAY DOWN. 
4.  Get OFF YOUR FEET. (laying is better than sitting, your hip flexors will thank you). 
5.  You don't have to be an invalid, just don't sign up for the Walking Tour of America. 
6.  Coming into town with family that isn't running? Buy them a CityPass and tell them you'll join them for one location. 
7. Lay out your race outfit the night before, pin the bib on. 
8. Pack your medium sized clear plastic bag with the food/drinks/snacks you'll need while waiting to go to the corrals. 
9. Lay out all the band aids you'll need, bring extras (you will be a hero), bring the lubrication in that plastic bag 
10. Pull out that garbage bag you brought the morning of the marathon. If it's cold out, and wet, or windy, or cold windy and wet.... you'll wear this and stay warm and dry. 
11. If you're listening to music, make sure your play list is queued up and you're fully charged. Nothing worse than wearing headphones, getting to hear ONE song that you didn't want to hear, and then the device going dead. 
12. Gels: Morning of, store them where you normally would. I can fit 4 in the pockets of my shorts. 
13.  Salt Tabs: If it's going to be hot, get out those salt tabs. Too hot and you need to adjust your goal for that day from setting records to crossing the finish line upright. Salt tabs and water will help prevent cramping. 
14. Did I mention proper lubrication? Check to make sure you did it right. Check again. 
15. What time do I need to leave the hotel in the morning to get to where I need to be? 
16. Who am I going with? Do they know what time THEY need to leave? Where are we meeting? 

 So there you have it. Those are my basic thoughts on being "ready" for the marathon. There's a lot more to it than that, but you get the basic idea. Come in to the race prepared and hopefully properly trained, KNOW YOUR RACE PLAN, and STICK TO THE PLAN. 

 If you planned to run 8:00/mile pace, then make sure you're at 8:00, 16:00, 24:00, 32:00.......It might be amazing to look at your first 20 miles split and say you were at 2:30:00 but that something happened and you finished in 3:40 (that's a 70 minute last 10K). What happened? You didn't stick to the plan.

Lastly, DO NOT ADJUST YOUR PLAN. DO NOT GO BY HOW YOU FEEL IN THE FIRST FEW MILES. STICK TO THE PLAN.

 The best of luck to all of you. If you have any questions feel free to reach out.