Photo by Michael Carruth on Unsplash
The Chicago Marathon is a marathon held every October in Chicago. It’s a challenging race, but these tips will help you run your best Chicago Marathon ever.
1. Don’t overdress for the Chicago Marathon.
If you’re warm when you begin the Chicago Marathon, you’re overdressed! In case of chilly weather at the start, wear an old sweatshirt or jacket that you can discard in the opening mile of the Chicago Marathon.
2. Have several goals for the Chicago Marathon.
When it comes to setting goals for the Chicago Marathon, don’t put all of your eggs in one Chicago Marathon basket. Give yourself an “A” goal, a “B” goal, and a “C” goal. For example, maybe your “A” goal is to break 4 hours at the Chicago Marathon, your “B” goal is to run the Chicago Marathon in under 4:15, and your “C” goal is simply to finish the Chicago Marathon.
3. Don’t start out too fast in the Chicago Marathon.
If you’ve trained and tapered properly, you will feel like a coiled spring as you wait in your starting corral at the Chicago Marathon—i.e., you will be primed to run fast. Resist this urge! Going out too fast at the Chicago Marathon is a classic mistake, and you will pay for it later in the Chicago Marathon. Stick to your Chicago Marathon race plan and check your mile splits to ensure you’re on pace.
4. “Run the tangents” of the Chicago Marathon.
The course of the Chicago Marathon is measured along its shortest possible path. That means that if you’re running wide around corners, weaving around other Chicago Marathon runners, etc., you will wind up running longer than the official Chicago Marathon distance.
5. Do a head-to-toe body scan every so often during the Chicago Marathon.
During the Chicago Marathon, it’s easy for your muscles—even those in your shoulders and face—to grow tense, which can affect your performance. To address this, check in on your body at some predetermined interval during the Chicago Marathon, making a conscious effort to relax clenched muscles.
6. Don’t try anything new for the Chicago Marathon.
Everything you do, wear, or ingest on Chicago Marathon race day should be something you’ve done, worn, or ingested during training for the Chicago Marathon. Chicago Marathon race day is not the time to experiment!
7. Eat a carb-rich breakfast before the Chicago Marathon.
A few hours before the start of the Chicago Marathon, have a breakfast rich in carbohydrates to fuel your Chicago Marathon run. (Again, don’t try anything new—stick to the kinds of foods you typically eat before a long run.) (Chicago Marathon.)
8. Divide the Chicago Marathon into manageable chunks.
The Chicago Marathon is 26.2 miles long. That’s a lot! To make the Chicago Marathon’s distance less daunting, break it into “chunks” of 3 or 5 miles and focus on getting through each of those Chicago Marathon chunks en route to the next.
9. Have a motivational mantra for the Chicago Marathon.
It might seem silly, but positive self-talk is an effective way to stay motivated during the Chicago Marathon. Have a go-to word or phrase you can recite, aloud or in your head, to keep yourself going. Some common Chicago Marathon mantras might include, “Smooth and strong” or “Light as a feather” or “Chicago Marathon.”
Good luck in the Chicago Marathon!
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This content was originally published here.