11: Last Minute Advice

Everybody has a ton of last minute advice for me. A blind man told me to run on the lower level of the Verrazano. He said the sound of the feet overhead would be something I'd never forget. Tonight I heard, whatever you do, do not run on the lower level of the Verrazano because everyone on the upper level whips it out and pees over the edge, and the people on the lower level get bombed with urine.

I just heard a story about a guy who got pushed, not even a mile into the race, and fell and knocked all his teeth out on the metal bridge floor. The moral of the story was, from this person's perspective, "You're a New Yorker. Push ahead of people. Don't let them push you." OK... I can't quite imagine myself pushing another runner out of the way! Not my style!

Today I heard about how I should starve myself, "Don't eat ANYTHING the week before the marathon. Like, a cracker is fine." This is up until a few days before the race. This person said every pound is 5 minutes faster. Dropping 10 lbs is recommended. Oh boy... I've heard this before and had a fantasy that I'd be wafer thin by the time the marathon happened but that hasn't happened. Could I really drop 5 lbs before next Wednesday? Maybe... I'm going to try!

I've had a few hydration lectures. And in fact, though it's all still 11 days away, I've been over-hydrating already, drinking Gatorade when I wake up, water all day long. I'm told the week before the marathon I should heavy-up and drink until I feel like I'm going to explode. Water and Gatorade. Coconut water. Excel something or other, a brand I don't know... I can't keep up!

And then there's the doozie that's really got me stumped. A 6-time marathoner told me tonight that I should plan to take about 10 Tylenol or Advil during the race. I thought this person was kidding! 10? Everything I've read says to abstain from any pain killers for 24 hours before the race, and 6 hours after, to protect your liver and kidneys. But this guy was insistent. 10. Take 2 an hour before you run, and then keep popping them. They prevent inflammation (and pain, of course) and this helps you run faster, better, longer. He said your body's burning everything up so fast while you run that there aren't any negative effects. Hmm...

I guess like with everything, you want take people's advice with a grain of (Hymalayan) salt. New information can be alluring, though. Is this the tidbit I need to make my run the best it can be? Is this what I've been missing all along, what would push me over the edge and make me faster? I suppose I will keep growing and learning right to the very moment the gun goes off... and even on race day. Hopefully, whatever I learn on Nov 7, 2010, I can put to good use as I train for marathon 2011.