After more than 30 years of competing, I've made my share of mistakes while training and competing in a marathon.  Athletes that I have coached have often been slow to heed some of my advice but usually discovered that I was fairly accurate in my assessment of the best way to prepare and compete.

Break in all your equipment.

The Boston Marathon of 1974 was my first and it was filled with mistakes.  As a college student I didn't have a lot of money for a good pair of shoes so I decided to put on an extra thick pair of socks to make up for the thinning soles.  At ten miles, I had blisters so bad that I had to take off my shoes. After a half mile of running in my socks I had to try something else.  I found a little country drugstore and was fortunate to find a sympathetic owner who popped my blisters, taped my feet and inserted a pair of Doctor Scholl's pads.  I threw away the socks and was able to finish. 

Bill Rodgers stopped numerous times to retie his shoe laces during his first Boston marathon victory.  Had he tested his equipment before hand he could have saved minutes off his time. I often show runners the trick of tucking the bows of the laces under the front laces and they never come undone during a race.

The marathon is an endurance event.

Without enough miles in your training it's likely that you will pay a price, either during or after the race. Again at Boston, I didn't have nearly enough miles in my training to race at the level I chose.  I limped through the final miles and laid on a stretcher for two hours before I could head back to my hotel room.  There are few short cuts when it comes to running a marathon.  If you don't have a solid base of miles and some consistency you better set your expectations lower.

Consider the weather.

So often, I have watched runners show little regard for the weather.  I've found this true for the slowest to the fastest runners.  Heat and humidity are the most unkind conditions. It isn't easy making the adjustment. You feel great in the beginning and you want to stay with the goals you've created for yourself.  Plus you watch competitors or friends seeming to be unaffected and you don't want to let them think you can't handle the pace.  If you play it smart and start off at a much slower pace you'll have the mental edge late in the race as you move easily past the hares. One of the best examples of this was the 1984 New York City Marathon. Italian, Orlando Pizzolato stopped or laid down eight times to relieve the heat discomfort.  Many of the top runners gave up and walked off the course but his perseverance paid off and he eventually won the race. 

Cutting the tangents.

Runners who forget to cut the tangents (the shortest route) of a course always surprise me.  It usually adds significant time their final time and place.  Geoff Smith of England lost the 1983 New York City Marathon to Rod Dixon when he stayed on the blue line that marked the course rather than cut the tangents.  The mistake cost him thousands of dollars.

Bad Patches.

As Yogi Berra would say, "It ain't over until it�s over".   Most marathoners struggle through a bad patch somewhere in the marathon.  It can happen at any time.  The trick is to remember that you can overcome the rough spot, recuperate and bring yourself back to feeling good again. 

Mistakes:

Why wait until the marathon to make mistakes?  Pick out a few longer races beforehand and discover what works or doesn't work for you.  It will make your major accomplishment a much better experience.