The Marathon Race-Day Guide
Everything you have to sort out between race week and four weeks after the finish, in one printable plan. You make the decisions at home, so on race morning there is nothing left to decide.
- 34 pages
- km and miles
- Goal times 2:45 to 5:00
- Print-ready pace bands
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What's inside
- A goal time you can actually run: start from a recent race result and see what that predicts for the marathon, and why most runners should add a few percent. (Every table in the guide starts from this number, so it comes first.)
- Splits per km and per mile for ten goal times, from 2:45 to 5:00. (Big races mark kilometres, US and UK races mark miles. Both are in.)
- Pace bands at real wrist size: cut out, wrap around your wrist, glue the tab. Each band has a 5 cm line so you can check the print scale. (The pictures on this page are cut from those exact pages.)
- Race week, day by day: what to run, eat and pack from Monday to race morning, plus a timeline you count back from your start time.
- Carb loading and breakfast, with grams per kilo of body weight and example meals.
- Your gel plan per hour: how many grams of carbohydrate, so how many gels and when, and what the sugar ratios on the label mean.
- What gel brands claim, next to what studies show. (Some popular claims are not backed by published research. The guide says which.)
- Salt, caffeine and training your stomach, so race day is not the first time you eat at pace.
- Heat: how much to slow down when it is warm and humid, and what to wear for each temperature range, in °C and °F.
- Shoes and carbon plates: what a carbon shoe does, what it does not do, and when your current shoe is the better choice.
- Your head, and when it goes wrong: the race in three parts, and what to do when the day does not go to plan.
- Packing list, 20 small race-day tips, a worksheet for your own plan, a page for racing abroad, and four weeks of recovery after the finish.
- Every source listed: studies, coaches and manufacturer data, so you can check anything yourself.
For you if
- You have a marathon on the calendar, first or fifth.
- You want a plan on paper instead of 40 open browser tabs.
- You run with a goal time between 2:45 and 5:00.
Not for you if
- You want a training plan for the months before. This starts in race week.
- You need medical advice. This is general information, not a doctor.
- You want one brand told to you as the answer.
Questions
What do I get?
One PDF of 34 pages, A4, ready to print. You download it straight after paying.
Does it work in miles?
Yes. Splits, pace bands and distances are given in both kilometres and miles, temperatures in °C and °F.
Is this medical or nutrition advice?
No. It explains what research and coaches say and turns that into ranges you can plan with. Check anything about your own health with a doctor or sports dietitian.
Who handles the payment?
Stripe processes the payment and the sales tax for your country. You see the final price, including any tax, before you pay.
Can I use it with the free race plan on this site?
Yes. The race plan works out your own numbers. The guide explains them and gives you everything around them.
Race morning, already decided.
The Marathon Race-Day Guide · $19
This guide is educational. Results depend on your training, health and the conditions on the day. Nothing in it is a guarantee of a time or a result.