Two Days Before Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2016

Tateyama Wakashio Marathon 2016 takes place in Tateyama City

in the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula.

There are two official races: 10 K and full.

I'm running the full.

Last Sunday I ran a half marathon, and finished at a pretty good time.

It was meant as a stepping stone to the coming race,

and I believe the event added to my leg as well as cardio-vascular strength.

With just two days remaining including today

there isn't much I can do

except eating well, sleeping well, and doing some stretching.

Drinking alcohol is of course a big no-no.

But there is one thing that is pretty important,

as far as maximizing your output in the race.

That is image training.

In my left hand is the course map.

It is marked at every 5 K point from start,

and all eight aid stations are printed on it, too.

There is a graph to show altitude fluctuation, also.

They all help me visualize how I should run the race.

Right now I'm trying to decide what to take at each aid station.

I was originally taking my own snacks and sports gel packs with me,

but I decided not to.

Two reasons.

One, I hate to carry things on my waist.

Two, there are enough aid stations, and they all serve food 

except for the first one.

I will probably grab some bread at 15 K before I feel hungry.

They say it's too late if you eat something after you feel hungry

because it takes time for the food to turn into energy.

I will also take in sports drink before and after hill climbs

to fuel as well as supplement my systems.

In the last ten I will probably not take anything 

except water.

Elite runner Mr. Imai said that's what he does.

According to him, if you take in too much sugar in the final phase of a marathon,

it triggers insulin and blood sugar level drops.

I don't want that to happen.

Tomorrow I will decide what to wear for the race.

I've already decided which shoes to wear..

I'm going to wear the pair of adidas zero that I wore in the half marathon this past Sunday.

But I'm not sure about the top and bottom, and also whether to wear a cap or not.

Strong winds are expected, so maybe I should avoid wearing one...