My Ten Biggest Marathon Mistakes
“Show me a [hu]man who has never made a mistake, and I’ll show you a [hu]man who has never tried anything new.”
Running, as with almost anything in life, is truly a game of trial and error. There is never any guarantees in this sport, and there are so many different factors to be taken into account during training, taper, and on race day, that oftentimes runners fall short on certain elements while focusing on bigger things.
For instance, a runner may be so focused on getting to the start line on time that they forget half of their gels at the hotel (guilty). Or, a runner may be so worried about packing for a race that they bring two different shoes (also guilty). I wish there was a step-by-step checklist for every runner for every part of race preparation, but even that truly wouldn’t cover everything. Surpise rainstorm on race day? Been there. Race directors run out of water/cups toward the end of a race? Also been there. However, there are some critical mistakes that I have made that can really only be made and learned from through experience, and while I wish I could say I learned my lesson on many of these the first time, some are repeat errors that have cost me goal times and the joy of the race. Hopefully you as a reader can learn from my mistakes, and maybe one day I’ll stop repeating some of them ;)
MISTAKE 1: NOT FOLLOWING TAPER
As someone who is constantly moving (for work and for play), the marathon taper has never been my strong suit. Now that my running goals have shifted from fast paces to slower, longer distances this doesn’t necessarily apply the same way, but I am thinking back to races past in which I failed to lower my mileage and my weights and even ran 6 miles and took a Barry’s class the day before a race because it was what I was used to.
I learned the hard way that the taper is an incredibly important and necessary part of marathon training. After months of hard work, pulling back in intensity and allowing the body to recover and get stronger after the stress of workouts and long runs. Not following taper protocol has made me feel tired and run down on race day, and in multiple instances, have even gotten sick the week of a race.
Take it from me as a runner and run coach: PULL BACK the two weeks before the race and prioritize self-care!
MISTAKE 2: NOT TRUSTING THE PROCESS
This one goes in hand in hand with the mistake of not following taper, but has also extended to not only training, but also race day. There have been multiple early race trainings for me in which I thought I knew better than my coach or my own body, and added extra miles or extra workouts to my training. This absolutely caught up with me, as the added stress of extra strength work and speed work coupled with high mileage led to me feeling run down or burned out by the time I made it to the start line.
This also has applied to race day: While I know very well the importance of having a strategic plan in place for race day, on the days in which I bonked out, it was usually because I completely blew up my own race plan. I would start the race too fast, I would have overconfidence in my ability to hold a pace that was too fast for me, I would pass pace groups, etc.
On the contrary, I have also had doubt in the process in which I gave up mentally before I did physically because I told myself I wouldn’t be able to finish in my goal time. One thing about your body: your mind will give up long before your body will. The second you doubt your own ability, the second it becomes easier to quit.
MISTAKE 3: NOT FUELING PROPERLY BEFORE THE RACE
Fueling has never been my strong suit, and to be honest, before recent years, education about pre-race and during race nutrition was not as readily available as it is now. The mindset among the majority of runners was that running long distance gave you freedom to gorge on as many carbs as your little heart desired, which is not necessarily true. Yes, carb-loading is a thing, but HOW and WHEN and WHAT you carb-load with is so crucial. My early marathon years were filled with lots of donuts, bagels, cupcakes, and pizza—and the pre-race pasta party.
What I didn’t do was make sure I was hydrating properly (hello beers the nights before the race), I failed to include enough protein with my meals, and didn’t do enough “healthy” carbs—I absolutely could have traded many of those bagels with cream cheese for oatmeal with bananas and peanut butter. The empty carbs (and usually not enough of them) often led to an early crash-out and feeling of being weak and hungry toward the end of my long runs and races.
MISTAKE 4: NOT FUELING PROPERLY DURING THE RACE
Again, this goes hand in hand with my last mistake! Before I found my gels of choice, my early years of running were filled with the only option available: chocolate GU, which was essentially like sucking down a packet of warm chocolate pudding—barf 🤢. Because I was usually so hopped up on adrenaline and coffee before the race, I wouldn’t feel hungry or thirsty, and didn’t want to risk upsetting my stomach by taking gels “too early” or lose precious seconds making my way to the water stops - which meant my early races usually consisted of me not drinking a single sip of water until at least mile 6 or 7, and I usually only took one gel (if that) at the halfway point. This means my body was completely lacking carbs and relying solely on glycogen stores, which led to digestive issues and crash city!
Once I really started researching how important fueling is, I started practicing taking my gels and water/electrolytes on long runs. It’s amazing what a difference actually giving your body the fuel it needs to perform for such a long time can do!
TL;DR: I usually recommend taking a gel every 30-40 minutes or every 3-4 miles on race day, and water every mile!
MISTAKE 5: NOT TESTING RACE DAY GEAR BEFORE RACE DAY
This one sounds so incredibly obvious, but unfortunately, I am guilty of wearing something brand new on race day (or close to brand new).
Two specific instances come to mind: during one Marine Corps Marathon early on in my running career, I wore a sports bra that was the exact same kind that I had been training in, but was brand new and had a very unfortunate inner tag that I failed to remove, so the entire race it was chafing underneath my armpit and ended up breaking the skin—so I was dealing with an uncomfortable, itchy, bloody rash for the second half of the race… and as someone who has sensory sensitivity, it was literally all I could think about for the last ten miles of the race. I have a scar from that incident to this day!
The second instance happened in Chicago a couple years ago, which is embarrassingly recent. I had been training in Nike sneakers for the two months leading up to the race, but decided to get a new pair of VaporFly the week before the race. I wore them for one, yes ONE, three mile run the week of the race and decided they were broken in enough. To my horror, I had gotten a half size too small by accident, and the end of the race was a nightmare for me and my feet. In the heat of the day, my feet swelled and were practically bursting out of the seams of the shoes by the last 10k. I spent those last miles hobbling in agony, my socks were covered in blood and my feet covered in blisters, and many toenails were lost that day.
Moral of the story: wear test everything you’ll have on your body on race day!
MISTAKE 6: COMING OUT WAY TOO HOT
Ahhhh, a classic mistake that I wish I could say I learned from, but sadly have not. The combination of nerves, adrenaline and excitement on race day, along with all the pent up energy of waiting for the race to start, usually ends up in me starting the race like I was shot out of a cannon.
There have been a myriad of races in which I ran the first half of the race at blazing speed, leaving pace groups and my goal pace in the dust. This always, always, always ends in disaster—usually in misery and pain and completely bonking out by the last quarter (sometimes half) of the race. Do not come out too hot on race day! Let yourself roll with the crowd, stick with a pace group, and be conservative with your pace. Don’t zigzag through slower crowds and expend extra energy. You are ALWAYS going to feel good in the beginning of a race. You need to remember that the day is long and there are a lot of miles ahead of you!
MISTAKE 7: STARING AT MY WATCH INSTEAD OF TAKING IN THE EXPERIENCE
The beauty of running in different locations is to take in the sights and the experience, which is absolutely not what I have done on many occasions. One that comes to mind in particular is Berlin in 2017. I had a big goal of PR’ing (this was during my era of trying to PR every single race I ran and failing epically every time). I was so excited to run in Germany—I couldn’t wait to run my first overseas international marathon. However, on race day, I spent the entire time looking at my watch and staring at the ground in front of me—I couldn’t tell you ONE sight from the entire race. I had to wait six years before going back to Berlin for my redemption tour and actually getting to enjoy the magic of the race, and for many, having another opportunity to travel to run may never come.
This is a reminder to not just stare at your watch face the entire race—don’t forget to take in the sights, sounds, and the joy of the day.
MISTAKE 8: NOT STOPPING TO HUG FRIENDS AND FAMILY
I often think of the Boston Marathon in 2023 as my most transformative race when it comes to stopping to say hi to friends and family. Before this race, I was so focused on hitting my goal splits that I couldn’t spare 10-20 seconds to stop and say hi to my loved ones, which was a huge mistake. Blowing by my biggest supporters to hit a number on a clock that, in reality, I usually never hit anyway, was a huge regret of mine. In 2023, I committed to running Boston for fun and to stop and hug everyone I knew within reach. I stayed true to my word, and this race was so incredibly special to me. At the end of the day, giving your loved ones a sweaty hug and getting a boost of love from this moment is so much more important than losing a few seconds on the clock.
MISTAKE 9: FORGETTING THAT THE RACE STARTS AT MILE 20
Circling back to coming out too hot—one of the most important lessons I learned in recent years that a marathon truly doesn’t start until mile 20. In fact, there is the only marathoner’s adage: “A marathon is really a 20 mile warmup for a 10k race.”
I know I am not alone in assuming as a new runner that I would be able to “pick up the pace” during the last 10k of a race, but that is absolutely not the case. You are tired, sore, and any number of things, and relying on negative splits at the end of a long race is an incredibly poor idea. Save some room in the tank for the end of the race. You’re going to need it!
MISTAKE 10: BEING MAD AT MYSELF FOR NOT HITTING MY GOAL BUT FORGETTING TO BE PROUD OF MYSELF FOR DOING SOMETHING VERY HARD!
This one doesn’t even need much explanation, but there were so many missed goal times in my marathon career that I beat myself up for. I would set a huge goal for myself, miss it by a long shot, ruminate and cry in my hotel room, contemplate giving up running for good, and then emerge with a vengeance a couple hours later, frantically googling the next race I could start training for. But what was lost in all of that? The fact that no matter what the time on the clock said, I put myself out there, I set a big goal for myself, and at the end of the day, did something really hard. And that’s what running is really all about. Setting goals, enjoying the process, and celebrating ourselves and our bodies on race day. Strip away the time clocks and the qualifying times, and bask in the glory of being something really, really cool: you’re a runner and you do really challenging things for fun. And that’s very badass, and that’s what keeps us coming back for more.
Xo