Luggage vans in front of Verazzona bridge at start of New York City marathon

I’m very disappointed that due to injury I have had to cancel my entry this week for the ING New York City marathon on Sunday. Whilst I probably could make it round, I haven’t trained properly  for almost  5 weeks and I wouldn’t be able to put in a good performance, so I’d rather save myself for a different marathon in the new year.

As I have helped before at both the start and finish of the race, as well as running myself last year, I have a few tips to pass on to anyone else racing on Sunday.  There are many people giving advice on running a marathon, New York Road Runners give their own advice on completing the race along with their race etiquette suggestions, which I have touched on in a previous post. Marathons also put a lot of stress on the body. If you have been suffering from any recent illnesses or have not been able to train as planned it is always acceptable to withdraw from the race and enter another later on. No matter what your experience make sure you rehydrate efficiently and don’t push yourself too hard.

Paula Radcliffe has also given her own tips to first timers running the New York City Marathon and surprisingly some of her observations apply to both the elite and mass participation runners. Observations such as the Jewish Rabbis, who obliviously walk straight in front of the runners with no concern for anyone else, whether they are leading the race or as I experienced when you are part of the mass pack. Can’t give any advice here except watch out especially as you run through Brooklyn around miles 9-10.

To allow time to arrive at the 5am coach pick up I had to leave before 4am, which was over 6hrs before the race starts, so I recommend you take food with you to eat at the start area. There is food available at the start but personally I found bagels too heavy to digest before a race so I prefer to take my own bananas and dried toast. When I volunteered at the start food stands I was surprised how many people were taking energy bars they had never tried before and eating them before the race or asking my advice on what they should eat before the race. The day of the race is not the time to be trying out new products and you should have already established your pre race breakfast. By all means take the free samples but save them to try during future training sessions.

Runners wait in start corral as others run across Verazzona bridge.

As the marathon starts on Staten Island which can only be assessed by official transportation you end up having to arrive very early in the morning. Aside from the very long wait allowing your nerves to develop and boredom to set in, it is also very cold at 5am on a November morning. I recommend taking a book or magazine with you for entertainment, something to sit on such as a plastic bag and the side of a packing box as insulation from the cold wet floor, or even a blow up pillow. In spite of wearing three layers of clothing I was freezing whilst waiting 5 hours for the start and I noticed a few people were sitting inside sleeping bags, which I would recommend. I don’t know if they are accepted in the luggage trucks as you need to use the clear plastic bags provided so it may be necessary to try to find a cheap one you won’t mind if you have to leave it behind.  Also you have to drop off your bags and move to the start corrals over 1 hour before the race starts so it’s a good idea to wear old clothes over your race kit that you can remove just before the start. After the start volunteers collect the clothes to be donated to charity.

For those of you who haven’t raced a large marathon before you may not be aware of the blue line on the course. Whilst it is mainly of use for the elite runners, it indicates the route to run exactly 26.2miles. I’m not suggesting you religiously try to follow the line especially at the beginning but it can give you an indication where the turns in the course are as the line crosses over the road. According to my GPS I often run more than 1 mile extra during a marathon, something it would be good to avoid when you are already covering 26.2miles. It actually only equates to around 60meters extra per mile which isn’t much when you consider how much you move weaving between the crowds or crossing over towards the drink stations. Whilst every metre adds up, following the blue line will help to reduce your extra miles.

Finally make sure you remember to turn your clocks back on Saturday night before you go to bed so you take advantage of the extra hour of sleep.

Good luck to everyone running on Sunday.

I’m sure if you’ve been in a specialist sports shop, you would have overheard a conversation between a customer purchasing a pair of trainers for their first 5k race and the assistant patiently trying to find them the most appropriate shoe. A shoe with the correct cushioning, fit and support for the customer’s wide feet and over pronation. Only for the customer to ask if it comes in any other colours, to the exasperation of the poor shop assistant.

Those of us who get through a few pairs of trainers a year know that each season a new version of an existing style comes out with the most significant change being the colour. I know that within a few outdoor runs my clean new shoes will soon be a muddy dirty grey but I still baulk at having to buy powder pink trainers as if being seen in them I’d not be taken seriously by my fellow runners.

Many of us also walk to work, then change to appropriate office footwear when we arrive. But a pair of florescent orange trainers on our feet is not the most stylish things to wear with a suit even if they are the most comfortable and practical.

But now Nike has extended their iD range where you can customise your footwear. NIKEiD is the best way to get your Nike gear, just the way you want it. You pick the colours, select the materials and add personal iDs to make them your own. NIKEiD also offers special performance options such as different widths, outsoles and sizes to create the perfect fit. It’s not only running footwear you can choose from but also rugby, basketball and football boots as well as Mary Jane 2 shoes which have Nike Free soles for comfort and a range of fabrics and colours that you can customise to match your outfits on your daily commutes.

Nike has made a new video on YouTube to show you how easy it is to customise your shoes, which you can also see here. But you don’t have to stop at shoes, the range includes T shirts and technical tops, bags and watches, all which you can customise with words, colours and logos for your team. My running club’s colours are red and grey, the same as Strenua’s World website, so I have customised some of my own designs using these colours with a convenient grey upper to hide the splashes from dirty rain.

Your custom designs are made to order and shipped directly to you within 4-6 weeks. If you hurry now you can get free delivery using the code ID966. Nike is also offering free delivery on all other items on their website until 29th November 2009. All you need to do is enter the voucher code, NS966, at the point of checkout to activate this offer.

So it’s time to show off your creative side, whilst being perfectly comfortable in your one-of-a-kind design.