Experts give advice on how to handle the last few days before marathon day
THE MARATHON RUNNER
Gary Crossan is the four times leading Irish finisher in the Dublin marathon and trainer of the Adidas "virgins" - a selected group who are running this year's marathon for the first time
"At this stage you've done the physical work (well, hopefully) and the biggest challenge for most first timers over the last week is psychological.
"Everybody's the same when they suddenly find they have a lot more time to think about it all. I end up wondering 'what have I put myself through all this again for?'
"Other people wonder whether they did enough, whether they should have done another long run, whether they should have gotten different shoes, what that pain in their knee is going to feel like after 20 miles. So, the most important piece of advice I can offer is to relax.
"If you've followed a programme and feel that it's gone alright then you should be fine. Don't do too much this week, you need to let your body rest ahead of the race, so just keep things ticking over with a couple of short, easy runs."
THE COACH
Lindie Naughton is a coach and author, whose latest book, Let's Run, A Handbook for Irish Runners, has just been published by the Ashfield Press
"The biggest problem faced by people arriving on the start line for a marathon is that they haven't recovered from their training. So the main thing to remember at this stage is it's better to do too little than too much.
"If you had the choice of having a run or a lie down over the few days before the race, my advice would be to go to bed. If you are going out it really shouldn't be for more than 40 minutes or so.
"What is worth doing, though, is a run of up to 40 minutes at your target marathon pace. It'll give you an idea of what's in store and boost your confidence but do it by Thursday at the latest.
"The other thing is to avoid being on your feet too much over the weekend. If you go along to the Expo and meet 20 of your friends, try to sit down while you chat. It'll make a difference on Monday."
THE PHYSIOTHERAPIST
Catherine Cradock is a chartered physiotherapist based at the Portobello Physiotherapy Clinic
"Well done! By getting to this stage, you have already won much of the physical battle but in the week leading up to the race, people can find themselves with a lot of spare time on their hands, which can lead to over focusing and becoming anxious.
"It can also lead to the temptation to overtrain but this is a recipe for injury!
"By the same token, don't overly rest, as your muscles will stiffen. Find things to do that distract you while keeping you relatively active - go for a stroll, go to the cinema, go shopping!
"Stretch a few times a day to keep your muscles mobile. On race day, don't make any major changes to your running gear, underwear, race plan, or diet.
"Use Vaseline or some lubricant to ensure you don't blister or chafe on spots that will repetitively rub against your gear.
"Finally, if you cramp up during the race, don't be afraid to slow your pace or stop and stretch."
THE NUTRITIONIST
Aoife Hearne is a nutritionist whose consultancy, Nutrition Solutions, is based in Waterford
"Apart from rest, which is probably the most important thing for you at this stage, it would be good to use these last few days to practise the eating and drinking schedule you're going to use on the day of the race. If you haven't used gels while running before then it's advisable that you try a couple to make sure they don't disagree with you.
"Also, try to up your fluid intake slightly in the days before the race and if you haven't been drinking while on the move in training then give that a go between now and Monday too.
"Some extra carbs will benefit you, i.e. an extra piece of brown bread at breakfast, two pieces of fruit with lunch instead of one, that sort of thing. The important thing is that you rest because if not, you won't store anything.
"On the night before, have a good solid meal with pasta, potatoes or rice filling half your plate as well as vegetable and a lean meat, chicken or fish."