RUNNING: Planning can improve marathon

With less than four weeks until the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon, you still have time to help make your experience a great one.

•Travel tips: A good race requires adequate rest. Too often runners give themselves too short a lead time for travel. They cut corners on travel expenses and vacation time. Why spend six or more months preparing for a big event then skimp at the end? My rule of thumb is to arrive two days before an event if your drive time is more than four hours or your flight time is more than two hours. This will give you a whole day to relax.

•Course tips: Take time to, at a minimum, drive the last six miles of the course. It will help you visualize the finish banner and take some of the fear out of finishing. The more familiar you are with the course, the more relaxed you will be, especially when your mind and body start to tire.

•Course tips II: Break the race down in a positive way. Think in stages, such as your first 10 kilometers (this year there will be kilometer markers on the course) or your first 10 miles. After halfway, use the word ONLY. I only have X amount of miles to go. Imagine running one of your other 10K races when you pass the 20-mile mark. Rather than getting wrapped up in split times every mile, check your watch every five miles and at half way to judge your pace.

•Bad patches: Your body has great recuperative powers. When you start feeling bad at some point in the race just call it a bad patch and remember that it is only temporary. You will start feeling strong again.

•Confidence and expectations: Confidence comes from doing your homework and gaining experience from running shorter races, long runs and, most important, putting in the miles. Set realistic and attainable expectations. Don't worry about what others might think of your time. Your toughest critic is usually yourself. Most people are impressed that you could complete a marathon.

•Motivation: There are many ways to motivate yourself. Post your intentions (or at least the entry form) on your refrigerator. Tell your friends and family about your plans to complete a marathon. Sign up to raise pledges for a charity and run for someone other than yourself. Look in the mirror and say out loud that you can do what you've set out to accomplish.

•Weather: Rather than worry about what the weather will be like, worry about what you will do based on the conditions. If it is warm, do you have light clothing? If it's humid, plan to start out slow and save energy so that you are passing people in the last miles instead of them passing you. If it is cold in the morning, wear something you can shed once your body temperature rises.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.