Nick's Running Tips: Marathon Prep

I am racing the U.S. Olympic Trials for the marathon on February 3rd! This is the biggest and deepest race I’ll have ever stepped to in my career so far. With that, I felt it would be great to give you guys some of my tips for the things I focus on in the race to keep me present, and full of energy throughout a very competitive marathon.

Fluids and Carbs!

I am lucky enough to get my own personal bottles while on the course with my specific hydration that I like to have on race day. For the trials I will get a specific bottle every 4 miles on the course. This means roughly every 20 minutes of the race I will go to the side and get my bottle and take fluids while racing. I love this portion of the race as it is a moment where I get to take my mind off of the race itself and focus on something else entirely. I find it proves to be a nice distraction from running hard, keeping good form, breathing smooth, etc. While not everyone gets this perk while racing, I urge you guys to enjoy the fueling part of a marathon. Whether that’s every 20 or 30 minutes take that time to take down your gel, get a sip of water from the aid station and enjoy the feeling it provides of refreshment and distraction from the race.

Crowd Noise!

One of my favorite pieces of race day is the crowd. Hearing the shouts of “you can do it”, “you’ve got this” and the occasional “Yeah Nick!” fills me full of energy. I try my best in these moments to smile at the crowd. Give a thumbs up, point or even wave to a few people here and there. Again this always proves to be a nice distraction from the racing side itself. And this energy it provides is good, happy energy. The more of that I have the more I simply enjoy the moment I am in. I again urge you guys to lean into this as well. We’ve all seen Kipchoge smile during his races, and then point to the crowd when he wins. There’s something to that. And shoot, if the best in the world is doing it why can’t we?

Strong Steps, Smooth Breaths!

It’s so easy for us to get fixated on the watch. Obsessing over the last mile split, we constantly ask, am I on pace? I’m not here to say that piece isn’t important, because it is! I look at the watch often and check in with how I am doing on a regular basis to ensure I am doing what I set out to do. But a piece I like to focus on that is a bit more process oriented, is my form and my breathing. First I check in with how I am striking the ground. Am I putting (literally) my best foot forward? Am I using my whole foot and activating my glutes? Yes. Check. Am I upright, not hunched and using my arm drive to have good knee drive? Yes. Check. Now to my breathing. Am I taking strong and smooth belly breaths? Yep. We are on. These check ins serve as small reminders that I am in fact moving in a manner that will ensure success on the day. This also again, serves as a quick mental distraction from pacing and how I am feeling in that moment. In effect I actually get more present in that moment and can go back to a focus on the racing side.

All in all, there are so many ways to get ourselves to perform the best we possibly can on race day. For me it’s all about being present. Gauging exactly how I am moving and getting really honest with my effort in those moments keeps me focused, relaxed and ready to tackle any challenge ahead. So I urge you guys to brainstorm a few ways you can tackle your next race in a different way outside of aiming for a specific split each mile. Ask yourself what will keep you calm, focused and smooth as you progress your way through that next big race coming up.

Good luck and enjoy!!

About the Author:

Nick Hauger is a two time All American from the University of Portland. He has been running professionally for NAZ Elite sponsored by HOKA for 3 years. His PR’s consist of 13:55 in the 5k, 28:43 in the 10k, 1:03:48 in the half marathon and 2:12:59 in the marathon, and he holds the American Record for 10 miles run on the track. Nick likes to place an emphasis on assigning a variety of workout types so that runners can toe the line with confidence knowing they have felt all sorts of pacing types in training.

“Running is a discovery of finding out just how far you can go, and that begins with confidence in yourself.”

If you’d like to work with Nick, contact us to learn more about our virtual running training programs.