marathon advice

running my first marathon in 8 days. i'm really nervous. trying to figure out what to wear, and just a lot of race day jitters. i have been training for 6 months, and have logged the necessary distances. but still...

so if anyone has any advice, the weather is meant to be a high of 42 but the "real feel"  is 33....i also am a cold person, i have raynauds which is a circulation problem where when my fingers and toes get cold they go completely numb and actually turn white.

went to a running store and the guy suggested to wear shorts and not pants, cause i will really warm up and then the sweat will end up making me colder in the end even with the wicking material...i know it's all personal but i also have had to do my runs inside on the treadmill lately due to certain circumstances so i'm not sure about weather. i hear you should dress for 15˚ warmer than what it really is.

thanks for any advice, please no horror stories, only if it's relevant. congrats to those who have done it. you have my complete admiration. 

Congrats on everything you have so far to prepare for you first marathon. In the past twelve months I have completed two marathons and one 50K race, with another marathon coming up in three weeks, so I know how you feel. All of these jitters and concerns are perfectly normally and to be expected.

One thing to keep in mind with the forecasted temperature that you posted is that it is the expected HIGH temp, which you will most likely encounter by the time you have completed the race. Try to look for the expected low temp for that morning--the temperature at the time the race starts will be closer to that. My biggest concern for you is figuring out how to stay warm while you wait for the race to begin, as once you start moving, you will definitely warm up.

The key point to remember is to wear layers, and if at all possible, consider wearning or buying an inexpensive or old jacket or sleeveless vest as your outermost piece of clothing. If it's something that was extremely inexpensive or something so old that you don't care about, then you can easily ditch it during the race. But given the expected high temp, my guess is that you won't be needing to get rid of it.

I can't speak for how to account for Raynaud's disease, but as someone whose hands get cold easily, gloves play a crucial role in my cold weather gear (I wear gloves anytime the temps are lower than 50 degrees). I also make it a point to wear a wool cap, since a lot of our heat escapes through the head. Do whatever it takes to keep your extremities (head, toes, hands/fingers) as warm as possible, while keeping into account the rule that you should dress for conditions 15-20 degrees warmer.

One final suggestion is to do a short run outside during the middle of the week (maybe Tuesday or Wednesday) in the clothes that you plan to wear on race day. Please don't wear something on race day that you haven't worn on a previous run. Hopefully the temps on the day of your "dress rehearsal" will be close to what you will encounter next weekend, which will allow you to see whether you dressed warmly enough or not. You can then make adjustments based on how things went that day.

The following link will give you a guide to how you should be dressing up. Enter the expected weather conditions, and it gives you some suggestions as to how to dress:

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/whattowear/0,,s6-240-325-330-0-0-0-0-0,00. html

Good luck!

Nothing new on race day! This goes for clothing, food, everything. Wear the stuff you've been wearing, that's worked for you on your long runs. Eat what you've been eating, drink what you've been drinking. You'll do great. It will be hard. Remember that it's a 20 mile race followed by a 10K of pure hell.

Good luck!

If you're racing out of town, take everything you think you might possibly want to wear with you.

Bring an extra pair of socks and nice, warm clothes with you to have at the finish line.  Give them to your support crew or check them with the baggage folks.

Start off even slower than you think you should start off.

Get some cheap ski-liner gloves (at a minimum) to wear for the race.  Those should help your hands.

thanks everyone, and that website is sure to be helpful. i have run in cold weather before, just not a marathon, and i just did a 10k in pretty cold weather and then a half marathon next to the beach in oct. but i think that i have come to the conclusion to wear pants instead of shorts (since i am that type of girl all around, even in normal day wear) and wear a long sleeve shirt over my arm sleeves and gloves and a hat.

my main concern is the clothing, and as one of my friends pointed out, at some point whether i am wearing pants, shorts, vest, whatever, i am going to get uncomfortable. it's just a lot to wrap my head around. i don't want to by a good tech shirt for the cold weather only to get warm and have to tie it or chuck it.

i know not to change any routine before a run, and unfortunately the week will be unseasonable mild (today is 65˚) so checking out a cold run will be difficult.

thanks again, and congrats to all of you who have already achieved this goal. you are a true inspiration.