gellerche wrote:
This is from a mental standpoint but not from a form one. There are some marathons that have a half and a full at the same time. Usually, the last couple of miles of each course overlaps. If your marathon is like this, you can make this overlap point your "get-to" mile marker. Because if you can get to that point, you'll be going faster than the half-marathoners who are still on the course. By passing them, you get a lot of frequent positive reinforcement that keeps you from slowing down.
so.... assuming that, as in all of the major US marathons I've done with both a half and a full, the half is basically the first half of the full, then there are actually two things worth thinking about at the half-way point: 1) don't get caught up in a half-marathoner's finishing kick; and 2) do NOT NOT NOT go off of the course for the full marathon. The most important thing to think about at that point of the race is navigation.
(Hong Kong marathon - half- and full-marathons have the same starting and ending points, marathoners add in a 13.1 mile extra loop. *total* clusterf*ck at the meeting point, hoping to not go through that again).
to the OP, more generally: marathons are long. they're even kinda boring. assuming you're a mere mortal, you'll be on the course at least 2:45, if not more like 4 hours (I've no idea what your fitness level, etc., is). You can't spend that whole time thinking about form. Expect to spend some time thinking about things you like, things you don't like, people you've had sex with, people you wish you'd had sex with, problems at work, etc. I mean, it's a little bit like a normal day except that you keep running the whole time. Keep an eye on your watch and your pace, and keep things relaxed. Not to be mean, but if you're 45 minutes into a marathon and you're worried about your form, you're doing something wrong. But it is worth thinking from time to time, 'am i wasting any energy?' Don't grit your teeth, relax your shoulders, etc.
you should have a strategy in mind for your pace, hydration, and nutrition, and stick to that as much as you can. but have that written on your wrist, or completely memorized, so that when it's the race you're just following it, not thinking things through.
AS the race goes on, and fatigue starts to set in, then you do need to focus in a little more. When I'm tired, I tend to start stomping my feet more than I should, so I keep an eye out for that. Also, kind of a weird habit, but I'll go through a sort of mental scroll through things that piss me off - really, this can be anything from ISIS to some guy who cut in front of me at the grocery line to sports teams I don't like, it's not a particularly rational list - and when i find that one is really getting under my skin i stick with it. In tough races I often run better when I run angry. But that's just me.