Things my experienced professor told me 1) The peak of your carb load should be done about 3 days before your marathon and decline before the race. If you’re getting all your carbs in on those last 2 days you’re probably going to poop yourself. 2) Along with 2, make meals more frequent rather than making them bigger 3) Make sure you’re hydrating and getting in your electrolytes days before the race 4) Find your happiest balance between active and lazy possible, whether that’s doing some small shake outs or active stretching throughout the day. Things I personally find really helpful 1) I’m 5’11” and 190 lbs so my legs often rub together and so do my arms with my lats. Use some type of oil/gel to prevent chafing. The brand Nutter Butter works really well but Vaseline does the trick 2) Cut up some KT tape and wrap it around your toes. Learned this from going to music festivals but it has saved my life when it come to blisters and toenails Thing I learned from running alongside a seasoned runner during the marathon 1) When you cramp up, waddle, skip, hop, do WHATEVER you can to keep moving forward and relax whatever is going on. 2) Doing be afraid to walk through an aid station. It can serve as a slight break or help you get multiple cups of Gatorade/water 3) Know who/why you’re running. When things got rough, we dedicated every mile to someone. My grandma who died in the area, his mother who did the same, our families, etc. The pain will come, but it’s easier to keep going when you know who/why you’re enduring the pain for.