What To Do In The Week Before Your Marathon

You’re seven days away from your marathon. The training is complete, you’re well into your taper, and now’s the time to take it easy and make sure you’re ready to race at the weekend. 

The final week is one of the most important weeks of your marathon training block, but also one of the most challenging, and you’re going to have a lot of questions… 

How much should I be running?

How much should I be resting?

How much should I be eating?

We’ve put together a guide of how to approach the final week before a marathon (we’ve also covered what to do in the week before a half marathon), with top tips to have you feeling physically and mentally ready for your marathon. 

We’ve made a video all about what to do in the week before your marathon. You can jump to the end to see Jess talking about how she’s preparing to run in the Berlin Marathon. 

TOP TIPS FOR THE FINAL WEEK BEFORE YOUR MARATHON

Listen to your body. It’s good to keep on moving this week with some easy running or some cross-training, but don’t try to do too much (you can’t cram fitness in the final week!), and if you’re feeling tired or any tightness, then take extra rest. 

Embrace change. This week will feel a lot different to the previous 10-15 weeks of your training block. You’ll be running a lot less, and your running routine will be completely shifted. This might feel strange, but embrace it, and embrace the extra time you have away from running to focus on activities which help you feel rested and relaxed. 

Prioritise rest. The peak weeks of marathon training put a lot of strain, stress and fatigue on our bodies. Tapering in the final two or three weeks allows the muscles to repair, recover and adapt, reducing soreness and fatigue. Rest as much as possible this week. It’s an excuse to be lazy after weeks or months of training!

Be mindful of the Maranoia, and watch out for the Taper Tantrums! Yes, these are real things. The combination of running less and any stress, anxiety and excitement you feel ahead of the race can do weird things to you. You’ll feel phantom niggles, your legs will be heavy, you worry that you aren’t ready, you don’t get your usual dopamine hit from the longer runs so you feel grumpy… But don’t worry and know that this is all normal and it’s how everyone else also feels this week. Stay positive and trust that you’re ready for your race. Of course, if you feel genuine pain or more serious discomfort then be careful and speak to a sports physio or doctor for advice or treatment.

Here’s a day to day guide for what to do in the week before your marathon. 

MONDAY

Start the week with an easy run. Based on how you’re feeling and what a ‘normal’ easy run is for you, then 15-45 minutes at a slow pace is about right. The key is to keep your legs moving without tiring them out. This also includes avoiding additional stress like weight workouts, so skip the gym this week. 

Today is a good opportunity to plan ahead for the rest of the week. Plan the meals you want to eat when the carb loading begins, think about race day breakfasts, snacks, race nutrition and gels, and make sure you’ve got everything that you might need for your race experience. 

TUESDAY

Tuesday can feel both really close and really far from the marathon.

Lots of people choose to have a complete rest day here, but if you feel like you want to move then a short run (up to 30 minutes) or some light cross-training (cycling, swimming, walking) is fine. 

This week is all about getting as prepared as possible for the race – physically and mentally. The priority is to feel rested. Work on things like mobility, stretching and foam rolling, if you like to do that, otherwise do activities which help you to feel relaxed: read, cook, do yoga, take a bath, watch some movies. 

Start to think more about eating the right foods for you and focus on hydration. 

Otherwise try and switch off from the race. Rest your mind and rest your body.

WEDNESDAY

Today is a good day to practise running at your marathon pace. Don’t think of this like a workout or interval session, it should be controlled and steady and it’s there to help you feel confident for race day. 

A good example run would be: 10-15 minute easy warm up then 3 x 1.5km/1mile at goal marathon pace with a 2-3 minute jog in between. Don’t push these paces as they should feel easy (and if they don’t then perhaps it’s time to set different race goals). 

If you aren’t aiming for a time or pace on race day, then just run this one at a similar effort to what you expect to run during your marathon. 

If you like to have a massage for a run then today’s the day to get one booked. 

THURSDAY

Take Thursday as either a very easy run (or cross-training) of 10-30 minutes, or have a rest day. 

Now’s the day to think about carb loading for your marathon, which is very important to build up an energy reserve in your body to help you avoid hitting the wall. 

You should eat as normal on Thursday (the real carb loading begins 48-60 hours from your marathon), but can also begin to add more carbs. 

Just because you need to focus on carbs to fill your muscles with energy, it doesn’t mean you need to eat significantly more than normal. You shouldn’t feel like you’re stuffing yourself with extra food or a huge number of extra calories. Instead, think about the balance of protein, fat, carbs and vegetables/fruits. You should aim for around half of your plate to be carbohydrates, reducing the fat and protein to make space. 

You can also add a portion of carbs to meals, so add a sweet potato, some rice, a slice of toast or a glass or fruit juice or energy drink.

And avoid foods which you know might not agree with you on race day (too much fibre, lots of spicy food).

FRIDAY

Now the nerves and excitement really begin to build up!

Have a rest day today because unless you’re doing a local race, you’ll likely be travelling or getting ready to travel to your marathon. 

Today is your chance to do the final preparations for the race. Look into everything you need to know about the full race experience: bib collection, where you want to eat dinner, race rules, how to get to the start line, bag drop, plan where to meet friends and family after the race. 

Pack your bag ready for the race. Make sure you’ve got your shoes and your lucky socks (we’ve all got lucky race socks, right?), pack the race kit you plan on wearing (and take some spare kit, just in case). Get your nutrition sorted, pack your gels and any snacks you want, electrolytes. Pack a top to wear to the start which you discard before running, and something warm to put on after the race.  

Prioritise rest and relaxation as much as possible today, and have an early night to get as much sleep as possible. 

SATURDAY

It’s the day before the race day and nerves are inevitable now, and you may also be feeling anxious, irritable, full of energy or sluggish – the marathon nerves and excitement affect us all in different ways. 

Go for a short shakeout run today. Just keep it very easy and short – just 10-20 minutes is enough. You can add some drills and strides as this run is to activate and move your muscles ahead of tomorrow’s race, and to shakeout some of the nerves. 

Before bed, pack your kit bag, lay out your breakfast, do a flat lay of your kit (take a photo for social media, obviously), and try to get a good sleep – oh, and make sure your alarm is set for the morning! 

SUNDAY

Good luck! 

Here’s Jess going through her final week leading into the Berlin Marathon.

***

Is there anything you do in the final week before a marathon?