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Boston Marathon – Preparation, Training and Race Day Tips

The Boston Marathon is the oldest annual marathon event in the world and one of the six major marathons. We’ve put together preparation, training and race day tips to help you run the Boston Marathon to your full potential.

Topic overview

Entry criteria

Every year, approximately 30,000 runners start the Boston Marathon. Most of them (about 80%) get their starting place by qualifying time. These depend on age group and gender.

1. Qualification by time (extremely demanding)

Age Group MEN WOMEN
18-34 3hrs 00min 00sec 3hrs 30min 00sec
35-39 3hrs 05min 00sec 3hrs 35min 00sec
40-44 3hrs 10min 00sec 3hrs 40min 00sec
45-49 3hrs 20min 00sec 3hrs 50min 00sec
50-54 3hrs 25min 00sec 3hrs 55min 00sec
55-59 3hrs 35min 00sec 4hrs 05min 00sec
60-64 3hrs 50min 00sec 4hrs 20min 00sec
65-69 4hrs 05min 00sec 4hrs 35min 00sec
70-74 4hrs 20min 00sec 4hrs 50min 00sec
75-79 4hrs 35min 00sec 5hrs 05min 00sec
80 and over 4hrs 50min 00sec 5hrs 20min 00sec

The time limit does not guarantee a starting place, but increases the chances of getting one.

More information

2. Charity runners
To register for the Boston Marathon in this way a minimum donation of $5000 must be made.

Registration

Preparation and training

WHEN SHOULD YOU START SPECIFIC TRAINING?

Training experience, fitness level and ambition are key factors in determining when you should start specific preparation for the Boston Marathon. At running.COACH we recommend a specific build-up of at least 16-20 weeks.

You can read more about this here:
How many weeks of training it takes for a running race.

HOW MANY WORKOUTS PER WEEK SHOULD YOU DO?

Again, this depends on a number of factors, such as how much training you’ve done so far, your running goals, your ambitions and anything else going on in your life. However, it is important to keep a healthy balance between training and recovery.

The following table can help you determine how many workouts you should do each week:

Beginner Jogger Intermediate Ambitious Professional
Improve performance 4 4 5 8 12
Maintain performance 3 3 4 5 7
Just for fun 2 2 2 3 3

Be careful about increasing the amount of training you do from one day to the next. We recommend increasing the number of workouts by no more than one session per week per six months. This will give your body time to adapt to the new training load and minimise the risk of overtraining.

WHICH UNITS SHOULD NOT BE MISSING IN THE PREPARATION FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON?

Vary your training and especially its intensity during the week. For example, regularly include intensive runs in your weekly schedule (from 5 units per week, you can also do two intensive workouts). In addition, a long run should not be missing. The remaining sessions are filled with endurance runs and recovery runs.

The duration of the long jogs should be between 75 min and 180 min for marathon preparation. Try to cycle your training by varying the amount and intensity from week to week.

Example: Week 1: 75min, Week 2: 120min, Week 3: 140min, Week 4: 160min, Week 5: 180min – restart the cycle afterwards. The intensity should be slightly lower than for an endurance run.

HOW SHOULD THE WORKOUTS BE DISTRIBUTED OVER THE WEEK?

The intense and long runs are treated as key units by running.COACH. In order to ensure the quality of the training, at least one day with a break / endurance run / recovery run should be built in between two key units.

It is best to let running.COACH calculate your training plan automatically. In this way, you will also receive a suggestion for the optimal training pace.

PREPARATION RUNS FOR THE BOSTON MARATHON

Test races can be an important tool in your training preparation to check the training effect and to gain a certain pace. These can be selected as follows:

  • 3-4 preparation races spread over the last 20 weeks of preparation.
  • Half marathon as a “compulsory element”, ideally four weeks before the main competition.
  • Last race 14 days before the main competition, maximum 10 km.
  • Competition distances increase towards the competition, final competition shorter. E.g. 10 km, 15 km, half marathon, 10 km and main race.

You can find a calendar with interesting races here.

Create with running.COACH a tailor-made and dynamic running training plan that prepares you optimally for your running goals, based on your current fitness level. Try running.COACH for free for two weeks after your first login!

Pacing strategy for the Boston Marathon

If you have been able to jump the time qualification hurdle for the Boston Marathon, you have already completed one of the most difficult steps. The Boston Marathon course runs from Hopkinton to Boston and may not be considered for a world record because the net gradient is too great. The course has a starting elevation of 140 metres, but the regulations of the World Athletics Association allow a maximum of 42 metres.

The downhill sections occur directly after the start and shortly before the finish. So it makes sense to plan this into your pacing strategy. Our running.COACH calculator can be a great help here, as it calculates the marching table based on the course profile and gives you the corresponding time for each kilometre.

Check your kilometre times at regular intervals during the run – especially at the beginning of the run you tend to start a little faster than planned due to the increased adrenaline level and the course profile.

Nutrition

THE FOLLOWING POINTS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN EATING BEFORE TRAINING:
  • Have your last meal 3 hours before training. In order to use as little energy as possible for digestion, easily digestible carbohydrates are recommended and fresh and unprocessed foods such as vegetables and whole grains are discouraged.
  • 1-2 hours before exercise: If you only eat in the last 2 hours before exercise, lighter meals such as a small low-fat sandwich with white bread, sports bars, rice cakes or a small ripe banana are suitable.

You can find more on this topic here.

TIPS FOR THE RUNNING DAY:
  • Breakfast: Again, this should ideally be eaten 3 hours before the start and without “surprises”. The focus should be on carbohydrates. Fats and proteins should play a distinctly secondary role whenever possible, as they can lead to gastrointestinal problems due to slower digestibility during the race.
  • During the race: During the marathon it is advisable to replenish the micronutrients lost during the race (especially the carbohydrate reserves). This can be achieved through gels, solid food, energy bars or chewable tablets. The goal is to provide immediate energy (we recommend maltodextrin-based products). Be sure to test your food intake during the training sessions!

Further details and tips can be found here.

If you are worried about stomach problems negatively affecting your race, see our article on stomach problems during the run.

Hydration during the run

Fluid intake becomes more important after an hour’s run. On the one hand, because dehydration can be directly dangerous, but on the other hand, a lack of fluids also leads to oxygen transport becoming less efficient and thus to a reduction in muscle performance.

BEFORE THE RUN:

Try to fill your stores without overdoing it. We recommend drinking 500ml of sports drink (6-8% carbohydrate) 1-2 hours before the start – preferably in portions.

You can have another 3 dl or so during the warm-up (the activation of the body means that the fluid does not go directly into the bladder).

DURING THE MARATHON:

The additional fluid requirement generated during the marathon can be calculated like this:

KG body weight x KM distance = ML fluid

A person weighing 70 kilograms will consume almost 3 litres of additional fluid (above normal consumption) during the Boston Marathon. The longer the run, the greater the amount of fluid that should be replenished during the race. It is important to remember that the body can absorb a maximum of 2dl of fluid every 15 minutes. Anything drunk in excess of this is carried along “unnecessarily”.

It makes sense to consume drinks containing electrolytes and carbohydrates.

Further details and tips can be found here.

Packing list and choice of running clothes

To make sure you don’t forget anything, we recommend you take a look at our packing list.

You can see from our table which clothes we recommend for which conditions.

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