GO! St. Louis 2010 is this Sunday and with so many of our customers running the race we figured it might be helpful to read an interview with Karl Gilpin who is a member of the Big River Racing Team and has won two of the last three GO! St. Louis Marathon. Karl has been running marathons since his college days and has lots of great insight into how to run a marathon....especially this one! Read his thoughts below...maybe some of his advice will help you this weekend!!
BR: First things first how are you feeling with just a few days to go until the big race?
KG: I'm feeling good. My taper is going as planned and don't feel as banged up going in as I have in year's past.
BR: You have won this race two times before (2007 and 2008) and you were second last year. Compare how fit you are right now to the past three years.
KG: I would say my fitness this year is better than 2007, but not as good as 2008 and 2009. My mileage was a little lower this year and I've been training solo for the past six months. The quality of workouts is definitely a bit lower. But, hey, I should have fresh legs.
BR: The GO! St. Louis course certainly has its challenges. What is your advice to the thousands of folks who will be running those hills on Sunday?
KG: Go out slower than you think you need to. The race doesn't really start until Clayton and then Delmar. You will definitely leave it all out there; just don't leave it all too early.
BR: When you go into a marathon or a half marathon do you have a very specific plan or is it more of like a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C type of deal?
KG: I'm a big picture person, so details aren't of great importance to me. I have a general outline of how I want to race and then I make adjustments from there. If you get locked in to a very specific race strategy, it's easy to fall apart if things don't go your way; I just react to what happens as the race progresses.
BR: I think a lot of folks that come into the stores would love to hear your advice on the little things like when will you wake up on Sunday? What will you eat the night before? What will you eat the morning of the race? Do you take energy gels during the race?
KG: Good question. I've found that the night before doesn't matter much. In 2008, I had an entire Imo's lasagna by myself. Last year, it was Rigazzi's. Sometimes it's a salad and not much else. I just listen to what my body wants and give it that.
The morning of is a little trickier. I tend to overhydrate and then have to hold it for the first half of the race, so now I generally have a cup of coffee and a banana. I might have a gel pack. On a hot day, I will avoid sugar on the morning of to reduce my risk of cramping.
I generally rely on my glycogen stores and don't take much in nutrition or hydration during a race. I'll take a gel and a little water at roughly halfway. I tend to swallow air when I drink on the run, so if possible I hydrate only on the hottest days. On the other hand, if I was going to be out for four, five, or six hours I would drink much more because of cumulative time out.
BR: You are someone who has been running at a pretty high level for a long time now (no offense!). What keeps you motivated?
KG: My main motivation is to continue to set P.R.s. I'm trying to continue to build on my base because moving up to ultras in a few years is something that really motivates me. I would like to set personal records in every distance, and feel that that is still in me. Although some might say I'm just chasing the dragon at 31, it keeps me going to set time goals.
BR: Back to this Sunday, the weather looks pretty darn good. Right now I think they are calling for a sunny day with a low of 51 and a high of 71. What do you think about that and what would your advice be to everyone running on Sunday as it relates to the temperatures.
KG: Again, run conservatively. Seventy-one doesn't sound that bad, but your core temperature is already going to be higher than normal. Adjust your race plan accordingly and throw the proverbial watch away. When it's hot, don't forget to take eloctrolytes instead of just water due to increased risk for hyponatremia.
BR: Finally, what is your goal for Sunday's race?
KG: Putting one in the "W" column would be nice...
Thanks for a great interview Karl. We'll be cheering you home on Sunday!!
photo courtesy of www.gostlouis.org
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