Long Beach Marathon is coming up in just 6 weeks. What are the last minute preparations? About 3 weeks before the marathon, you want to begin tapering. It is important not to run too many miles leading up to the marathon. While it is true that endurance is important, your body still needs to recover from long runs before you take your next one.
If this is your first marathon, or even the first time you have run a particular marathon, you may want to familiarize yourself with the course. This doesn’t necessarily mean run the course, but at least drive it or map out all the elevation changes and turns. This will provide you with a bit of distraction while you are running.
Imagine being isolated for 3 or 4 hours with nothing but yourself to keep you company. A marathon is very similar. A distraction like remembering parts of the course or a song that matches up with your pace or counting your steps helps the time go by better. Once you have passed 3/4 of the distance, you can concentrate on what you have left, both in distance and stamina. Remember that a marathon is 10% ability, 90% mentality.
If you need any additional advice or a last minute training partner, feel free to contact me or any other AREC marathoning veterans!