Coopah How To: Survive The Final Week Before The Marathon

Introduction

We’ve made it. After months of hard work, training through those dark winter mornings and evenings, and logging hundreds of miles (or kilometres if you prefer), we’re you’re just one week away from the race day.

This week is not about smashing final workouts or reinventing your training. It’s about trusting the process, calming your mind, prepping the essentials, and getting your body into race mode.

Let’s break down exactly how to survive and thrive during this final week.

Trust The Taper

You’ve probably heard me harp on about this enough already, but now more than ever, it’s time to take a step back. This week is all about reducing your mileage and intensity, conserving energy so you arrive on that start line refreshed, recharged and raring to go.There’s nothing more you can do training wise that will positively impact race day. So, resist the urge to squeeze in one last long run or smash a sneaky interval session. Trust me – less is more right now.It is also totally normal if you feel a bit slugglish and twitchy at the start of the week, that’s all part of the process. But by race day, you want to feel like a coiled spring – itching to go, full of adrenaline and ready to run.

Carb Loading (without the overload)

Ah, carb loading – the part of marathon prep we all secretly look forward to. But (sorry to be that coach), it’s not just an excuse to inhale mountains of pasta or eat whatever you fancy (save that for post-race celebrations).

Proper carb loading means making small, smart changes to your diet in the days leading up to the race to gradually increase your carbohydrate intake. That way, your glycogen stores will be stocked and ready to fuel you through all 26.2 miles.

Here’s how to do it right: Start 2–3 Days Before – Begin upping your carbs around 48–72 hours before the race. So ideally, start on Thursday. Keep it simple – there is no need to overcomplicate it, stick to foods you know and trust. White rice, pasta, bread, bagels, porridge – now is not the time to be trying something new. Don’t eat more, eat smarter – It’s not about huge portions and drastically increasing your calorie intake. So instead of just adding more food, look to make smarter swaps. A little less protein and fat, a little more carbs. For example, reduce the chicken and add extra rice and vegetables to your plate. Stay hydrated – while not strictly part of carb loading, hydration is key. Sip water regularly throughout the day, and add electrolytes to help with absorption and replace the salts you’ll lose on race day.

Final preparations

Finally, some homework for you this week. Block out 30 minutes and plan out your week in as much detail as you can.

From when you’re heading to the expo, to what you’ll eat the night before, to the exact time you’re leaving on race morning – get it all down. The more you can plan ahead, the less stress you’ll feel later. And that frees up mental space for the important stuff… like running a marathon.

You should also have received your Event Guide from London Marathon Events by now. Take the time to read it – chances are, any last-minute worries or questions you have will be answered there.

Remember: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. You’ve put in the hard work over these last few months – don’t trip at the final hurdle.

So gang, this is it – the final blog entry for marathon series. I feel like we have been on a real journey together over the last weeks (and just a reminder that you can visit our training guide page here) and catch up on anything you might have missed) and I just want to say a massive thank you to every single one of you who has read, shared and commented on these blogs.

But don’t worry – we’re not going anywhere just yet.

You’ve got this. And we’ve got you.

Let’s go

Coach Jordan x