Well.  My "taper" was five weeks long and I barely ran during those weeks, which helped me finish on an injured knee, but it also helped me miss my goal time, so… depends if you're a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full kind of person.

You, no-underwear runners, simply have no decorum. 

Do most consider thong an underwear or do thongs have their own category because when someone talks about undies and panties I think of hipsters, bikini style, granny panties while placing thongs in their own category.

Speaking of which, either tomorrow or Wednesday (tomorrow is showing tons of storms ) I am going to try out the lululemon shorts, I'll let you guys know.

Who cares about a camel toe?  Pffftt.

I care about a camel toe sighting damn it, when it's mine 

Andrea. I think it's a great idea that you made a list of what you will bring. I do the same. Then, I test different outfits, shoes, etc... and I either remove, or add, some items on the list. And I try to have my bag ready a few days before the race. For taper, I should run about 30-35 miles before race day, according to my plans, but I usually only run about 20-24 miles and I skip the Saturday run. Your miles will depend on what your weekly average was in the last weeks.

Looking back on your first marathon, do you think that your taper helped you or hurt you, do you think you could have done things smarter or less, or more?

I want to hear it all - The Good, The Bad and yes, THE UGLY 

 

Also, does anybody else make a list of everything they need when going out of town for a race, normally something like 13.1 or longer?

Taper - My first was a trainwreck leading towards a Chernobyl meltdown.  I only ran on 6 of 14 days.  Much better is to keep the spirit of your normal training intact -- run the same number of days, do the same paces, just do considerably *less*, especially 4-5 days out.

Also bad -  walking around doing tourist shit the day before.  I was on my feet all day at the expo, the zoo, a brewpub.  Now, the day before is a "hole up" day.  Expo if necessary (packet and GTFO for me), perhaps a short shakeout jog, and nothing else.  I focus on relaxing in my room, stuffing my face with carbs and liquids, and mentally preparing.

If a list makes you be organized, do it.  I've also learned to avoid things that will cause undue stress, even if minor.  For example, decide on which shoes you're racing in and do not bring a "maybe" pair.  Bring your own pillow if you hate hotel pillows.  Don't eat anything "new" or unusual the day before.  Most of all, try not to be nervous.  You are just running, something you've been doing extra lots of for the past few months.

You've got this. 

I ran my first marathon purely due to peer pressure.  I had no business tackling the "training", the taper, or the race.  I trained for an entire 8 weeks, averaging 34 mpw.  But hey, I was READY!  

The marathon went pretty much as you'd expect it to go, going from not being a runner to doing a marathon in eight months with little training.  I was fine for 13 miles, got very tired miles 13-18, and death marched miles 18-26 while depleted and dehydrated.  I positive split by like 30 minutes or something.  Still a 4:15 finish was pretty damn respectable, all things considered.

I have no regrets and I am glad I was too stupid to know any better.  As painful as it was, it hooked me.

  

If a list makes you be organized, do it.  I've also learned to avoid things that will cause undue stress, even if minor.  For example, decide on which shoes you're racing in and do not bring a "maybe" pair.  Bring your own pillow if you hate hotel pillows.  Don't eat anything "new" or unusual the day before.  Most of all, try not to be nervous.  You are just running, something you've been doing extra lots of for the past few months.

 

You've got this. 

My first marathon was probably typical. I went out a little fast, faded at the end but learned a lot. I did BQ but it could have been a better executed race. It was pouring rain the first 9 miles so that sucked as well. I think every race is a learning experience and I always debate with myself on what I could have done differently, or "smarter".

Good advice from Jay above. I'll add...along with the shoes, pack what you want to race in and don't bring extras. Plan for cool and warm but really you just need one pair of shoes, one pair of socks, shorts (or capri's/skirt/etc), one warm weather top, one cool weather top....and so on. Take away the stress of "what do I wear" by only having one thing to wear. Granted you need to allow for weather but don't pack your closet.

One odd bit of advice that I now follow and learned the hard way....clip your toenails at least a couple days ahead of time. Why? To keep sharp things away from your body as any little accidental cut may become very uncomfortable at some point in a race.

Do not go nuts warming up before the race. Use the first mile or two to ease into MP. An article I passed along to a marathon class I coached this fall:

http://www.runnersworld.com/racing/what-the-elites-do-marathon-warm-up?cid=socRac_20140926_32282476

Stay off your feet as much as possible the day before. Doesn't mean you shouldn't go to the expo but the time for sightseeing is after the marathon. Like Jay wrote, eat what you normally eat. I like to start going heavier on the carbs 2-3 days before but other than that, nothing out of the norm.

As for tapering, I thought three weeks got to be too long after my third marathon and I have since adjusted. But for my first marathon I think it was about right and I was ready to go come race day. I had been battling some ITB soreness and the taper helped.

Stick with your plan and don't go out too fast. This is easier said than done and if you read enough race reports it happens more than you believe. Everyone knows it yet something happens to the brain and away they go. There will be people passing you in the first few miles that you will see later if you run a well-paced race. I guarantee it.