You have been training for months, clocking in countless miles on your shoes, counting each calorie in-take; eating religiously – “Green is God” and drinking all kinds of energy-filling, toxin-freeing juices to get this marathon right. Finally, it’s here.
Are you all set to runa marathon? Have you made sure you have done everything, and did it right? Findthese helpful tips to get this run right!
Full on Carbo diet
Start your carbo diet48 hours before your marathon. Research shows, 22 grams of carbohydrate perhour is best to achieve a performance benefit. This cannot be done in onenight, so start your diet early by consuming carbs loaded foods like:
● Bagels
● Banana
● Yogurt
● Oatmeal
● Orange Juice
● Sports Drink
● Granola Bars
● Baked Potato
● Chocolate Milk
● Rice & Beans
With sufficient Carbsin your body, muscle glycogen stores enough energy for you to run, jog, run,walk, jog, run and finish.
Sleep like there’s no tomorrow
If you’re too nervousabout the race, get 8-10 hours’ sleep for 3 nights in a row. With adequate sleep, your body is all ready to endure the upcoming miles.
Research shows that,few hours’ sleep loss, is a few miles short. We wouldn’t want that now, do we? Get your pyjamas on, and off to bed.
Get your gear on
There’s nothing worsethan standing in the start line and realizing you missed out on your knee beltor some other gear. To avoid this horrendous experience, get your gears inorder the night before. Everything you need would be:
● Music player
● Running shoes
● Banana
● Sipper with waterand/or electrolyte
● Dry fit socks
● Dry fit outfit
● Calf Support belt ifneeded
● Speed tracker
● Sunscreen lotion
● A cap if you’re lookingat a sunny day
● Of course, a good sportsmanship
Make sure you get everything you need and keep it in place the night before.
Eat. Run. Eat
Eat your pre-race meal, about 100 grams of carbs and 3 hours beforehand. Nutrition will make it orbreak it for you in the 1st mile. Make sure you don’t fill up just before your run. Try a banana and an electrolyte to keep you going.
Jog, Stretch, Lunge
Arrive early at the venue with your gear on. Start your warm ups, so that your body is pre-energized for the long miles to come. These should help you:
● 10 sets of sit-ups
● Jogging 200 mts and back
● Bending and stretching your body sideways
● Deep breaths while you exercise
Refill Energy
During the run, when you feel like you’re drained, make sure you sip on electrolyte or water, even a banana would do. They help in instantly revitalizing your body with more energy.
Try to remember:
● Never use new clothes for a run – friction causes rashes and burns
● Never use a new shoefor a run – worn out shoes moulds to your feet giving you high level ofc omfort.
● Don’t eat 30 min before a race – Food will not be broken down to provide energy, instead makes you feel full.
● Avoid alcohol the night before – it causes dehydration, in turn draining you physically.
And finally, don’t run to win; run to enjoy. After all, we are hundreds of people running on the same path for the same cause.