Boston Marathon tips from Lisa Rainsberger

In 1985, a former three-sport All-American from the University of Michigan was the first woman to break the tape at the Boston Marathon. Her name was Lisa Larsen Weidenbach, now Lisa Larsen Rainsberger.

The 23-year old finished in 2:34:06, more than eight minutes ahead of Lynne Huntington. Lisa is the last American woman to win the Boston Marathon.

Below you’ll find Lisa’s tips on running Boston . Thank you Lisa. Tomorrow I’ll post one of her favorite Boston memories. So check back.

1. Make sure that you have designed your training to include hill work - up hill training and downhill training. Most people forget to train for the severe down hills at Boston so running hill intervals in training where you run up and down the hill hard can be helpful to you during the race.

2. Learn to run mid-day. Because the race starts so late in the day I suggest running a few of your long runs mid-day so that you can get a sense of what how your body will react to the late start. Knowing what to eat and when before a noon start is very important.

3. Test run your shoes…because of the downhill and uphill nature of the race course you will want to be sure that your shoes are right for the course. I can't tell you how many blisters are formed at Boston because people wear shoes that have never been worn in such conditions. Test your race shoes on a hilly long run before you wear them race day.

Lisa now offers coaching and personalized training in Colorado. Check out her website www.traininggoals.com. Go to the “Articles” section for a few more stories on the Boston Marathon.