Marathon Foddering II

Two weeks to Madison.  I am looking forward to getting out there and qualifying.  I have hedged a little and will be satisfied with just qualifying.  No sense going to the mattresses and risk hurting my chances.  Boston 2016 sounds so far away.  This process has peaked my interest in trying to turn a good marathon again.  I read enough blogs to see this is a common thread.  Training, improving, and getting into the fray...pretty standard stuff.  I kept the past week fairly simple:

Sun: AM 6.3 easy.  Minooka trails w/ Clem & Dean.
Mon: AM 4.5 easy
Mon: PM  4.5 easy
Tue:  Off
Wed: PM 10.0.  Lapham/Ice Age w/ Joel, Bero, Grubby
Thu: AM 4.0 easy
Fri:  AM 10.0
Sat: AM 12.0 = w/u 1.0 (8:26), 9.0 (7:05), c/d 2.0 (8:17)

I thought about banging out another 6-7 miles at marathon pace today, but it makes far better sense to head out to Minooka and enjoy the trails before the skiers claim Manifest Destiny.  No matter.  I have accepted this is their supreme right. 

Marathon stuff:

Coffee - with extreme prejudice.
Race shoes - best to have run long pace runs and long runs in them for assurance.
Pre-race eating/drinking - no eating/drinking for 2 hours prior to race start.  Drink 12-16 ounces 5 minutes before start.  I am not in the camp where you drink a lot of sport drink the night before and in the morning.
Electrolytes - 2 to 3 per hour for me.
Water tables - get it in...I will stop to make sure I get enough...especially early.
Fueling - never did much in past, but if they hand them out I will consume a couple.  I don't obsess over this at all.  I rarely eat before a run...though I will for a marathon or ultra because I am up at the crack of nuts.
Miles 13 - 20 - as you start to tire the brain tells you to increase effort.  Resist this and rely on your training/taper to carry you to 20, or you risk being totally shot.
Kentucky windage - at 20 miles make an assessment on how to negotiate the last 10k.
Racing - sure...race all you want after 23 miles.  Usually by then your so shot you have to crawl up inside your brain and operate all the existing working parts from there.