Don’t go out too fast. You will be tempted. Resist. Don’t do it.
You will. Almost every marathoner does it — especially in New York.
In that first mile of the race, they charge unsuspectingly up the steep incline of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, powered by the adrenaline that had been churning in chilled anticipation over the last three or four hours while waiting in Fort Wadsworth.
Liz Robbins
Induced by the siren call of Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York,” they do not notice they have climbed 160 feet in eight-tenths of a mile, charging to the highest point on the course, 260 feet above sea level. They are entranced by the spectacular postcard view of the New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty and the bobbing sea of humanity. And before they know it, they are storming down the hill in the second mile and off the bridge into Bay Ridge. By then, their marathon could be over.
“I see people huffing and puffing off the bridge,” said Jeff Rochford, a coach for Fred’s Team, who is running his 13th straight New York City Marathon. “‘Don’t go out too fast’ — it was the best advice I got, and of course I didn’t heed it. You always think, ‘I’ve got a lot in the tank now, I’d better run now while I still got it.’
“You crash and burn. The only way people are going to learn is by doing it.”
Just days before Sunday’s 40th anniversary race, Mr. Rochford and other coaches in the New York shared some crucial advice, and lesser-known tips, for running the five boroughs – whether for the first time or the 15th.
“Absolutely control yourself the first two miles,” said Frank Handelman, a coach for Team for Kids. “Even though it’s uphill, the excitement, the crowds, all the anticipation is going to make you want to fly up it. That’s when you’re really in danger. I tell runners that if they hit the two-mile mark at their race pace or even 10 seconds slower, they’ve scored a big victory.”
“The trick,” he added, “is not to use what you can.”
The Central Park Track Club coach Tony Ruiz and Mr. Handelman (one of the founders of that club in 1972) preach the “10-10-10” method of compartmentalizing the marathon. Run the first 10 miles below your predetermined race pace. Run the second at race pace. And then go all out (with whatever you have left) in the final 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
“The whole key to this style of racing is that it will allow you to conserve energy for the latter stages,” Mr. Ruiz said.
“Many of my athletes have bought into it and as a result, a higher number of them are able to execute a race plan that includes negative splits,” he added, referring to running the second half of the race faster than the first.
“Most of them never experience ‘the wall’ because they do not deplete their glycogen stores early in the race,” he said, referring to the point around the 20-mile mark when runners deplete the 2,000 or so calories of glycogen stored in their liver and muscles (runners generally burn 100 calories a mile, depending on their speed). At “the wall,” the body must start converting fat to energy, a slower process that — until the fat gets converted — can turn the mind and body to jelly.
Toby Tanser, the founder and coach of Shoe4Africa, tells runners not to look at their watch until past Mile 2, and think of the first three miles as a warm-up. But Mr. Tanser also cautions runners to hold back their energy in the next four miles on the straight, open road that is Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn.
Mr. Rochford, though, thinks runners should enjoy those little bursts of joy in that stretch, when children standing on the sidewalks hold out their hands for runners to high-five. Run near the side of the road to raise the adrenaline.
Every coach and every runner knows the biggest boost of fan energy comes from the irrepressible roar on First Avenue, beginning at Mile 16. No matter how many times they run, they are still bowled over and spurred on by the decibel level of the stacked crowd.
But Mr. Handelman reminds people that a similar sensation awaits runners in the final mile, too. When they exit out of Central Park for the wide-open stretch (again, a little uphill) on Central Park South, he said, “you’ve got huge buildings on the left, the park wall on the right, it feels like you’re running in a tunnel.”
“It’s work there, it’s a very focused straightaway,” Mr. Handelman said. “But whatever senses you have left at that point, if you’re a New Yorker, it’s a special place.”
Here are some other quick tips:
- Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour Saturday night, as daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday.
- Remember you will have another treacherous incline near the end of the race, gaining about 75 feet in the 23rd mile and part of the 24th on Fifth Avenue.
- Don’t wear, eat or drink anything new on race day.
- Don’t wear headphones. “The magic of the marathon is the enjoyment of all five senses,” Mr. Tanser said. “Don’t deprive yourself.”
- Write your name on your shirt, or anything you want to hear over and over again for 26.2 miles. Hearing a stranger connect with you will keep you going.
- Diaper ointment tends to work best on your body’s sensitive areas to prevent bad chafing.
- Have friends or family at designated spots later in the race with a change of shirt, socks and maybe even shoes, if it’s a rainy day.
- Remember to look around and enjoy the experience.
And once more, for good measure: don’t go out too fast.
