Tips for a better Boston Experience

Good Luck to everybody who will run that little race on Patriots' Day. You may want to check out this excellent post on fueling for race day by Nancy Clark "Don't make any drastic dietary changes that might upset your intestinal tract."

In the 100th, I learned this the hard way. I spent too much time at a crowded expo trying to get all the cool gear. I didn't make plans for dinner and settled for a really lousy meal that I would normally never eat. I shared a hotel room with non-runners who insisted on staying up late. Needless to say, I woke up tired and ran a poor race with GI issues.

Remember to go out easier than you would in a different race. I wish would have gone out slower in the first half of the 1983, 1984 and the 1996 Boston Marathon! The first several miles are cumulatively downhill, it is easy to get tricked into a pace that is faster than you would normally attempt. At Boston, this is a much more costly mistake. The wall could hit much earlier which makes for a miserable last 6-8 miles.