Goal 10 - Improve Your Adaptability

When you are running or racing a marathon, conditions are constantly changing. To successfully meet your marathon goal you will need to adapt to these changes. Race conditions can be external, internal or competition based.

External conditions are course and weather related and include:

•  Terrain

• Course Conditions

• Temperature

• Weather

• Wind

   

Terrain, course conditions, temperature and weather are all something that you can plan for in advance. Find out what type of terrain you will be running over during your marathon. Is the course hilly? Are you running on concrete, asphalt, trails, grass or a combination? Check the normal weather conditions for the time of year you will be running. Is is usually hot or cold? Is wind a problem at that time of year.

Do your homework and find out that information early in your training. One of the most important rules of training is the rule of specificity. That rule states that you should train specifically for your goal. If hot weather is expected during your race, do a good part of your training in hot weather. If you are doing a cold weather race, try to do some of your training in cold temperatures. If much of your race is uphill or on a hilly course, hill training becomes a much higher priority. Is most of your marathon on asphalt or concrete roads? In that case you should do at least some of your training runs on similar hard surfaces.

The terrain and course conditions will not change. You can adjust your training early to meet these demands. Weather conditions are another matter. You can plan and train for expected weather conditions, but those could change before or even during the race. You may be expecting warm weather and run into an unexpected cold snap. An area with normally dry conditions may have an unexpected downpour. Plan ahead for the unexpected. Take some warmer running clothing even if you are anticipating warm weather. If you expected cool or cold weather and run into hot conditions you will need to adapt on the run. Slow your pace slightly to accommodate the high heat conditions. Always remember that all of the other runners are in the same boat you are. They also must adapt to changing conditions. Stay positive and go with the flow. Your due diligence here will make meeting your marathon goal an easier task.

Internal conditions are more concerned with your physical and mental state:

• Level of fatigue

• Confidence

• Mental Toughness

• Positive or negative attitude

• Determination

   

You have more control over these race conditions that either external or competitive condition. Your brain controls your body but you are in control of your mind. If you follow the training suggestions in this book you have already been improving your mental toughness, positive attitude and determination. There will probably be times during your race in which you begin to lose confidence or negative thoughts begin to creep into your mind. Don’t worry - that is a normal part of marathon fatigue. When and if that happens keep reminding yourself that you have done the required training and you are physically and mentally prepared to meet your goal. Focus on changing your negative thoughts to positive ones. Trust your training.

Your level of fatigue is something that you have less control over. With proper marathon training you can decrease the impact that fatigue has on your race, but it will always rear it’s ugly head at some point. When you begin to feel the effects of fatigue it is important to stay positive, confident and mentally focused. Part of marathon fatigue is a decrease in your mental focus, concentration and determination. Try to remain highly focused on your stride and in control of your emotions. Think only about the next step or the next mile. Don’t think about the finish line, just concentrate on maintaining a quality stride, a positive attitude and mental toughness. You are practicing and training for these conditions during the final miles of your progressively longer runs in your training program.

Competitive conditions change throughout the race and include:

• Number of competitors

• Your position in the race

• Distance until the finish

   

If one of your goals is to compete against other runners or the clock, this is an important race condition for you. When you are competing for overall position or within your age group you will need to have some idea of where your competition is in the race. You should always run your race at the pace you have trained to run, but you also will need to slightly adjust your pace if you are going to compete. A good way to adjust your pace to changing competitive conditions is by surging. Surging is a temporary increase in your pace. In a marathon the most common and effect times to surge are in the middle, last 75% and final 2 miles of the race.

You may need to increase your pace to keep up with a surging competitor or you may throw in a surge yourself to lose a competitor. For either type of surge, the preparation is the same. During your long training runs throw in some surges to mimic race conditions. Practice surging in the middle of your long run and also during the final 1 to 2 miles of your long run.

Another good strategy is to practice sprinting or “striding” in the final 800 meters to mile of your long runs and the final 400 to 800 meters of your shorter training runs. Practicing surges will teach your body and mind to run at very fast paces when you are already highly fatigued.

Continue to Your Training Zones

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