Throughout my training process, fellow runners have given me some tips and advice for what to expect from my first marathon. Below are some that I found helpful. Please comment with your tips or tricks.

Get up early and give yourself time to eat before the race. I plan on eating a bagel with peanut butter and having a cup of coffee. Then leave plenty of time for breakfast to digest.

Get to the course early to find your starting coral. I like to be early for everything so this should not be a problem.

Pace yourself at the beginning. I know my adrenaline will be pumping. I will have to keep an eye on my Garmin to monitor my pace.

Don’t forget to hydrate. Everyone has reminded me of this and I have debated back and forth between just using the water stations along the course or carrying my own water.

Don’t over-hydrate. Ok. Moderation. Not one of my strong suits. I will do my best to be smart about it.

Take in calories while running. I don’t want to hit the wall at mile 20, so I plan on having a Hammer Gel each hour. I may grab a banana or pretzels at the water stations as well.

Don’t poop your pants. Thanks for the tip ….

Your nipples may bleed. Wait … what? Seriously? I guess I will pack bandaids.

Run the last 10k hard. Hopefully I still have some juice left.

Any other pointers?