With just under three weeks to go, the hope is that you're happy with everything you're going to use on race day. If not, you'd better get moving. Here, we compile a sort of 20-day checklist . . .
• SHOES:Unless there's a clear problem, it's probably best to stick with what you know at this stage. Wearing shoes that haven't been properly broken in for the race itself would be a major gamble for a novice and if you have already completed your longest training run, there's little scope for checking out new ones, to see how they feel on your feet over an extended distance.
"At this stage, you wouldn't normally change something as important as your shoe unless you really have to," says Damien McKeever at Bray-based retailer Amphibian King, "but every year we do get people in the week before they do their marathon saying: 'These are hurting me and I need to get into something else'." If that's the case, then you will have to try to do something and then it's just a case of the sooner, the better.
If, on the other hand, you're happy with the shoes you have but feel they may be approaching the end of their usefulness (usually between 300 and 500 miles), then there's still time to make a straight swap for a new pair (as long as precisely the same ones are still available) and break the replacements in for race day.
• CLOTHING:Just about everything in this department is very important so hopefully you've already gotten it right. Requests for recommendations from readers have only tended to back up what most people say, which is that different brands and different items within a particular company's ranges will suit different people, so it's important to cast your net and find gear that you're comfortable with. Needless to say, a knowledgeable retailer would be a very good starting point.
If you are still running in a cotton T-shirt or old football shirts, then there is still time to change but you should move quickly. A technical top, far more efficient at getting moisture away from your skin and much more comfortable, therefore, over longer distances, should feel like a major step forward. Perhaps even higher on the list, if you're still in cotton, though, should be a pair of running socks.
In the case of women still trying to track down the right sports bra (the first one, charmingly, was made from two jock straps sewn together) the range of brands is huge. This month's Running and Fitness magazine rates the Lowe and Alpine Dry Flo as the best of a selection tested but an idea of what's available can be obtained by visiting specialist websites such as www.lessbounce.com or girlsruntoo.co.uk.
• ACCESSORIES:For most of us, MP3 players of one kind or another or radios have been a key tool over the past few months, providing an important distraction while we steadily rack up the miles. If you have been using one and intend to do so during the race itself, then fine, although many people feel that they would miss out on a great deal of the unique experience of the day if they pass the entire journey listening to music.
Anyway, if you intend to leave the iPod at home but are unused to the sound of silence (or more specifically, anguished panting all around and rubber hitting tar) then it might be an idea to do a spot of acclimatisation.
Chafing, meanwhile, remains a major issue for many people as they get into their longer runs and several people finished the recent half-marathon in the Phoenix Park with blood streaming from their nipples.
Reader Dermot Ryan enthusiastically recommends Nip Guards ( www.nipguards.com), while regular readers will know I'm a Body Glide ( www.bodyglide.com) man myself. Whatever your preference, if you're already experiencing some problems, then it might be good to get hold of something, because it's only likely to get worse.
• FOOD/DRINK:Improving your diet and cutting out, or at least down, on alcohol over the next three weeks should still bring noticeable benefits when you run the race itself, while (far more reasonably) if you're not already using them, it might be worth thinking about getting your hands on some energy gels to help you get through the 26 miles.
About half the water stations in Dublin are just that, water stations, and having greater access to energy drinks or gels should help you to avoid hitting "the wall" by replenishing your carbohydrate stores. Getting access to drinks is going to require either carrying a bottle a very long way, a belt or family members/friends to hang out at prearranged points on the course which, with the best will in the world, can go wrong.
Products such as Go Gels, which can be carried fairly easily while running, are available at better sports shops, while good health shops should stock at least one brand. As with just about everything else, though, try them out before the big day, because 15 miles into your debut marathon when your legs feel like they're about to go, is not a good time to discover that you don't like them or, worse, they make you feel sick.
Comments or queries can be sent to marathon@irish-times.ie
For further information on the marathon and previously published material in the HealthSupplement, log onto http://www.ireland.com/focus/marathonfocus/