Columbus · Guide

Training on flat ground and racing on flat ground is its own problem

Columbus turns out a big field for its autumn marathon, and the course is known for being flat and fast. Flat sounds like the easy version. It is a different problem rather than a smaller one.

Flat means no variation

On a rolling course your stride changes constantly, which spreads the load around. On a flat course you repeat the same stride, at the same angle, with the same muscles, for the entire distance. Nothing gets a break because nothing ever changes.

That is why a flat marathon can leave people with a very specific single sore spot rather than general fatigue.

• Vary the surface in training even if the race is flat. Grass, track, a little camber, some hills.
• Watch the camber on road shoulders. A slight slope run repeatedly in the same direction is a one sided load.
• Change direction on out and back routes so the camber swaps sides.

Autumn racing means cold starts

An October start line means standing still and cold for a long time before a hard effort. Muscles that have cooled are less forgiving of the first fast miles. Keep moving in the corral and keep the layer on until late.

The week after

Most people plan the race and not the recovery. Walk on the day after rather than sitting still, expect day two to be worse than day one, and go back to easy running when easy running feels easy rather than on a date you picked in advance.

When it is worth talking to somebody

General soreness improving a little each day is the ordinary story. Worth a conversation with a qualified provider: pain that is sharp rather than achy, pain clearly on one side only that is not improving after a week, anything that changes how you walk, or any numbness or tingling.

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