Is anyone else going to be running this race? I did my long run this morning. Its my first marathon and I'm starting to get a little nervous.

Congratulations on your pursuit! I did the Houston (then it was the Houston Tenneco) Marathon twice in the 90's. It is such a major undertaking to prepare for a marathon that I have wimped out of attempting Washington, Baltimore, or Richmond since I moved up here. The first time I ran one, I could barely sleep the night before. I know many people that have done the White Rock. Take it easy. The sheer emotions of running this are going to take you through the crowded first mile or so. Keep yourself as hydrated as possible filling up with a little Gatorade or water per stop to avoid hitting that wall between miles 16-21. That has always been my mistake with any race greater than 10 miles. Good luck!

MikeyNtx, good luck on your first marathon. I actually did my first this year in Chicago even though I have been running for 8 years and have done numerous half marathons.

It does take more preparation unlike the shorter distances. Mile 20 -23 usually is where you start to feel like you are fighting an uphill battle. I would reccomend starting out slowly and once you get into a comfortable pace to try to maintain it. You don't want to expend alot of energy in the first half because you will need it in the end. Try to get something at most if not all the water stops, preferably Gatorade if it is warm out.

Let us know how you make out.

first, my cv so i don't seem like an over-inflated, pompous windbag. the veteran of 16 marathons here, my fastest is 2:39. and in a former life, i was an editor of runner's world magazine.

i have two pieces of advice:
1. mimic race day.
the body hates surprises, so if possible try to schedule your runs for the next few weeks as close as possible to the start time of the race (8 a.m.). if you have been running in the afternoon, switch to morning runs for the next few weeks.
as for hydration, it is a good idea, but be careful with sports drinks. the best idea is to drink whatever you have been drinking on your training runs. if you have been drinking only water, then drink water on race day. if you've been drinking a sports drink, then it is okay to take in SMALL amounts of a sports drink along with generous amounts of water. You can further improve your chances of a successful day if you switch to drinking the sports drink that will be served at the aid stations during the race -- powerade according to the dwrm web site.
do NOT wear new shoes on race day. do NOT wear a cotton shirt. eat whatever you would normally eat before your longest weekly run. get blister resistant socks.
if you do these things your body will think its out for its weekly long run, and you'll breeze through the race like a pressure-free training run.

2. make a plan.
this is one of the biggest projects you are likely to undertake, perhaps in your life. you've been training for months (i hope!) and following some sort of training program to maximize your chances for success. so, why, on race day leave anything to chance. before you even toe the starting line, pick a realistic time goal (every marathoner's first goal is simply to finish), and calculate a schedule of mile splits. if someone should ask you on the way to the start, "how fast will your 15th mile be?" you should be able to answer to the (planned) second. and once you have a plan for getting through the race, FOLLOW IT! if you plan to run 10 minute miles for the first 14 miles, then run 10 minute miles. if your first, second, third mile splits are 9:30, don't tell yourself how good you feel and congratulate yourself on how well you're running, SLOW DOWN! elite racers will tell you the race starts at 20 miles. this is true for amateurs as well. run the first 20 miles according to a predefined schedule (it must be realistic), then take inventory, see how much you've got left, and go all out!

Finally, relax, enjoy the day, and let us all know how you do! Best of luck.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm shooting for under 4:30 but I'll be happy with just finishing! I'll let you know how I do.

I did'nt make my goal of 4:30 but I did finish in just over 5 hrs. More importantly I did not have any blisters or injuries and after a 3 hour nap I was as good as new. (almost) Again thanks for the advice. I'm looking to see where I'll do my next Marathon. Maybe Chicago or San Diego. I like the big crowded races. This race only had about 3100 finishers. Any suggestions?

Great job! Try the Marine Corps Marathon here in DC. I'm training for my first triathlon (next year) and may go longer in 2005 or so.

san diego has organizational issues.

chicago is a great course.

but nothing compares to new york. the experience of coming off the queensboro bridge onto first avenue cannot be put into words.

Congrats Mike, now you can go out and try one of the big marathons like New York, Chicago etc.
Happy running!