10 Tips to Thrive the Last 4 Weeks of Boston Training

You can see the race on the horizon, and along with the excitement in participating in the iconic race alongside dozens of teammates, you may have some other emotions popping up as well. If you are feeling race anxiety, little injuries, or  exhaustion, here are some things you can keep in mind:

1. Trust your training. It may not be perfect, but you’ve been doing the work, and the plan is coming together.
2. Stay positive. Picture yourself in Boston, on the starting line, in your race kit, soaking up all the energy of the crowds and all the hard work you earned to get there.
3. Prepare to be flexible. Part of the anxiety leading up to races is not knowing what will happen. Will the weather be bad? Will I sh*t my pants? What if race pace feels hard? Acknowledge those uncertainties and say to yourself “it’s fine, because I can handle anything that comes my way.”
4. Keep grinding. You have two more tough weeks of training. And after that, it’s taper time. If you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, you can remind yourself that this brutiful part of training will be over soon. With that said, if any niggles are popping up, do what you need to get yourself healthy.
5. Stay present. While looking ahead toward taper, stay present. Sometimes we look at a hard workout and psyche ourselves out before we’ve even started. I encourage you to stay present in whatever it is today – a rest day a hard day or anything – and take it one mile at a time. When you’re in it, you can do anything.
6. When it’s time to taper, taper well. Instead of my usual favorite 3 week taper, we’re doing a 16-day taper since Boston is on a Monday. So when it’s time, get ready to cutback and own it. No extra miles or new workouts or weird diets. Stick to the plan.
7. Do the final touches that make you feel good. Do the things – massage, meditate, visualize, etc – that will make you FEEL good- mentally and physically. If you’re in a good mental space, you’ll be ready to roll.
8. Plan your race strategy. Plan your race in a way that is open for flexibility. Add in goal paces, how you’ll run strong on hills, how you’ll feel, mantras, fueling plan, and an image of you at the finish line being absolutely stoked.
9. Write down your best workout from the training cycle and meditate on that. What did you do to stay strong and what did you do when it felt tough? Bring that strength with you race morning.
10. Practice gratitude. Remind yourself that you’re about to embark on an experience of a lifetime, something others would kill to be a part of, so you might as well make it epic!

We’re with you these next few weeks, and all the way to the legendary finish line. Keep showing up and we’ll see you out there!