The 7th Lisbon Eco Marathon (Portugal) is taking place next Sunday and I am going to race in it. I'll share with you my training plan, nutrition strategy, and equipment. Keep reading!
Introduction
Don’t be mistaken. This is not the “World Athletics Elite Label” Lisbon Marathon. The Lisbon Eco Marathon is a mixed-terrain marathon and is the only one that takes place entirely inside Lisbon City.
If you know Lisbon, then you might also know that it’s known as the city of 7 hills so, if you are doing a marathon entirely inside Lisbon, it will be hilly!
The race starts and ends in the center of Lisbon but the majority of the course is inside Monsanto Forest Park, a large urban forest, and I am expecting a mixed terrain with tarmac, gravel, and dirt roads.
Regarding the inclination, it should be D+1000m. It sure isn’t the typical road marathon!
Training plan
I am always in marathon training, and I usually follow a 12-week plan. I raced the Sevilla Marathon in February and after the deserved rest, I did not have the time to comply entirely with the plan, but because I am always in marathon training, missing a couple of weeks will do no harm.
Worse than missing some weeks, is not being able to follow the plan for an entire month because my family has grown! I had to rearrange my priorities and missed several training sessions. I was, and still am, with sleep deprivation and this affects my training and racing performance.
I was planning to do 80 km (50 mi) per week and in April I only managed to do 200 km (125 mi) for the whole month.
Despite the setbacks, that several of us usually have while training for a specific race, I followed the usual plan:
- 5 sessions per week
- 2 or 3 easy runs up to 12K / 7.5 mi
- 1 or 2 speed sessions up to 8K plus 4K easy (12K total / 7.5 mi)
- 1 or 2 long run sessions (some were workouts) up to 30K / 18.5 mi
- 1 very long run each month, between up to 38K / 23.5 mi.
Pacing Strategy
My typical training includes hills, but I am a road runner and I am not used to racing in D+1000m routes. So, I am unable to determine what my pace should be for this race. Adding my faulty training to the mix results in me going to this race merely to have fun and forget about the pace.
So, I’ll race at my easy run pace and I’ll be running by effort and not by pace (as I usually do for my easy runs). In the end, I just want to enjoy the race, the views, the forest, have fun, and try to finish it in under 4 hours (am I being too ambitious for a D+1000m marathon? Let's see…).
Nutrition Strategy
After Seville, I tried different products, but in the end, I decided to keep the same strategy that I used for Seville.
I will target a minimum of 60g of carbs per hour and I’ll achieve those 60g with gels, chews, and isotonic.
I will also target a total of 300mg of sodium and 300mg of caffeine. The sodium is to compensate for the one lost while sweating during the race and it’s crucial for my hydration strategy and the caffeine is for the mental boost and fatigue perception.
I’ll take 6 gels and 2 jellies, and hopefully, I’ll grab some isotonic along the way. My stomach has proven to be resilient so I don’t mind taking an isotonic different from the one(s) that I’m used to. I am always well hydrated and I only drink to thirst so this means that I am not going to drink a lot of fluids. Besides, I am taking isotonic gels that don’t need to be drunk with water, and they are liquid so they also count as fluids.
I choose isotonic gels because I feel that they work faster and I appreciate the fact that I don’t need water to take with them so I don’t need to worry about the water stations' positioning. I also appreciate the fact that my mouth stays fresh and not sticky after taking these gels. On the downside, they are heavier and I can definitely feel that at the beginning of the race when I have my pockets full of gels.
The gels will be from SIS and the jellies will be from Decathlon. The SIS gels have proven their value to me and are great value for money. The same thing goes for Decathlon’s jellies. They are less expensive than the other known brands and have a good amount of sodium in them.
I’ll take a gel each 6 km (3.7 mi), but the gels have different compositions.
- I’ll start with the SIS Go Caf with 22g of carbs and 75mg of caffeine to get the first caffeine dose pumping.
- The fruit jelly at km 9 (5.5 mi) serves i2 purposes: 21g of carbs and more sodium.
- The SIS Go Electrolyte, instead of the regular SIS Go will give me a sodium boost, and more carbs of course.
- Next, it’s time to start prepping the ladder to climb the wall.
- First, one more SIS Go Caf with 75mg of caffeine.
- The SIS Beta is a different breed. This one has 40 carbs and I am taking it at km 24 (15 mi) to prepare my body for the wall and also to help maintain the 60g of carbs per hour.
- At km 30 (18.5 mi) it’s time for an extra caffeine shot with 150mg of it. This really gives me a mental boost and with that comes the physical boost.
- Lastly, one more fruit jelly to keep the carbs and sodium in and also to give something solid to my stomach, and the final gel for the final miles.
I will not take gels or solids from the race organizations, only water or isotonic.
This formulation was perfect for me in Seville and I felt that I could push it to finish below the 3:30 mark, but… we can only be sure if we try it. As I wrote previously, the Lisbon Eco Marathon is not a race for PB chasing so I will not try to get a PB.
These are the links for the gels and jellies that I am taking with me:
Equipment
The choice was easy.
The race will be held outside the best months for races in Portugal so it will be hot. Fortunately, not that hot. At the start, the temperature should be 18ºC (65º F) and 22ºC (72º F) in the end, and we should expect a sunny day with some clouds.
So, I am taking my hat and my sleeveless t-shirt, and the shorts will be my marathon shorts with a lot of pockets to take my gels, chews, and action camera (perhaps).
The socks will be my regular training socks (summer socks), and for the racing shoes, the choice relies on the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite (review here).
I will use my old pair with 200 km (125 mi) on them and because this race will be in a mixed terrain, I don’t mind if I wreck them during the race because they are at the end of their life anyways.
The watch I use is the Garmin Venu.
I’ll leave some links to the equipment that I choose for the marathon:
Last days preparation
The week before the race I only do two 10K (6 mi) sessions and one 5K (3 mi) session 1 or 2 days before the race.
Regarding nutrition and hydration, I keep my normal daily hydration and I am already starting carb loading, opting for pasta in the majority of my meals. In the last 2 days before the race, I will add more salt to the food because I am going to lose a lot of it in the race. But beware. I have no blood issues and I can deal with too much salt for a couple of days. Be sure that you can do it before trying.
Regarding the meals, I keep them healthy without consuming anything that could mess with the intestines…
Before the race
On the night before the race, I drink 500ml of isotonic (Decathlon Iso +) to top up the carbs and sodium.
In the morning before the race, I will wake up 3 hours before the start time, drink another 500ml of isotonic, and have a simple breakfast: bread with peanut butter and coffee. It’s always important to free your body from excess weight if you know what I mean! Of course, weight is not the issue here. Nobody wants to do a pit stop for #2 in the middle of the race…
Between 15 to 30 minutes before the race I’ll eat a banana, go the toilet one last time, and that’s it.
Let’s race!
After the race
As soon as I finish the marathon, and after resting for a few minutes, I’ll have my protein snack and do my usual stretching routine. If the race organization offers it, I also take 500ml of isotonic.
Some races in Portugal (especially in the north) offer beer to all finishers. That’s my favorite recovery drink!
The next couple of days after the race will tell how much rest I need but usually, I do some very easy runs 3 or 4 days after the race.
Hope that this plan gives you some valuable hints for your strategy and let me know if you have any questions. Just drop me a line in the comments below.
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2 Comments
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome 😉Enjoy the race!
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