Guest Post: Cork Marathon Advice ...by Pat Walsh

 ** Cork Marathon Advice **

Folks it will be warm on Sunday. Heat is relative to what we are used to and the vast majority of runners will be participating in temperatures well above what they are used to training in. The cold of March and April to be replaced by the heat of June.

Hydrate well in advance. Loads of water Friday and Saturday and get to the start line fully hydrated. That way you are only trying to replace what is lost and gives you a better chance of success. Drink early, drink often. Keep sipping away regardless of what event you are doing. Drinking when you are thirsty late in a run is futile as it takes a while to replenish the reserves, so start full and keep topping up.

Rest on Saturday and stay out of the sun. It can be energy sapping.

Loose light clothing, glasses if you want to give the eyes a break and maybe a hat if you think you will still be running toward midday.

Stay off your feet and in the shade as much as possible before you start. Keeping cool and keeping the core body temperature as low as possible is the goal. Pick the shady side of the road to run if there is an option. 

Hard one to accept but maybe this is not PB day. It is difficult to perform in those temperatures if you are not used to it. 

First rule of any race of any distance is to finish it. Leave home in the morning and get home that evening and do nothing to put yourself or others in any danger. There will be other days. Taking a chance to see how far you can get before you blow up is only a recipe for a long slow struggling finish. 

For all distances, start slowly, give yourself a chance to grow into the run and get used to the heat. It isn’t possible to cool down while you are still competing so bring the pace and the body temperature up slowly and acclimatise yourself to the conditions.

I’m sorry to be so blunt but this is experience talking. I wouldn’t have written or listened to this advice 20 years ago. 

Folks I am an optimist but a realist. Be careful and enjoy the day. You will get a medal when you cross the finish line. It won’t have your time stamped on it. Cork is a fantastic day out.  So just relax, you have the training done, and be a hero.

#pwr