Getting ready for the
Dam-tot-Damloop 2012
Running
is perhaps the sport we all believe to know naturally (finally, everybody can
run!), but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement of the experience,
mostly if you’re preparing for a race.
These
are some hints that can help you prepare for your first one, avoiding the
classical mistakes that can turn a pleasant experience into a painful one.
Traning sessions
1.
Find your pace (marked pathways, sports watch,
gps…)
2.
Analyse your run:
-
How does your body react with increasing speed,
thirst, stress, food, weather conditions?
-
How comfortably you run?
-
How often do you experience pain, and where?
3.
Plan the route accordingly to your average
speed.
4.
Try to do some runs in similar conditions as the
expected for the race (distance, route, hydration, time).
5.
When the date is approaching, do not overtrain,
you may suffer injures or run into a burnout.
6.
Stop doing long distances (> 12 km) at least
10 days before the race; rather work on your speed and rhythm changes.
7.
Complementary exercise to strengthen your
muscles is always welcome. Good routines can be found in runnersworld.com and
elsewhere.
A few days before the race
Three days
before.
10 miles merit some rest. Run no more than 8 km at reasonable pace, as a hint, while
running you should be able to maintain (simple!) conversations.
Two days
before. Rest
or go for 6 km or go for a swim. Give a break to your legs. A savvy dinner
(carbs, proteins) will do good to start loading some power.
The day
before. No
more than 5 km at a very easy pace, just to stretch your legs. Get a good
dinner and avoid heavy food (no complex fats, spicy food and alcohol, no
experiments!). Prepare your stuff and check the weather forecast, act
accordingly.
The D-day
1.
Light breakfast (tea, an apple without
skin/banana, one or two bolletjes, no experiments, eat the stuff you’re used
to).
2.
Running is always better with a light stomach.
Take time to alleviate your body before leaving home, drinking water helps!
3.
Arrive at least 45’–1 h before, this is to avoid
stress prior departure.
4.
Hydrate your body, but do not drink too much
(half a liter of water/electrolytes is normally more than enough).
5.
The race starts; by default everybody around you
will run faster than they usually do. Keep faithful to your pace and planning (this
is difficult, but try it).
6.
Set your running pace, feel comfortable, let
yourself marvel by the cheering people and the euphoria of this running party.
Concentrate in keeping your pace, be attentive to your hydration, specially if
it’s hot.
7.
This is a good day to beat your personal best
mark. Remember everything has to do with how well you prepared for it.
After the race
1.
Stretch your muscles; every minute spent doing
so is worth it.
2.
Recover, drink electrolites and try to get some
proteins as soon as possible (recovery drinks, a nice tuna egg salad…)
3. It is
reasonable to rest the day after, a better full recovery is going for an easy
swim, one hour will do you very good to dissipate muscular pain.
4. From two to
three days after the race, you’re ready to start adding up kilometres for the
next challenge, which will it be? A marathon, perhaps?
Enjoy the race!
1 comentario:
Heel erg bedankt voor de tips.
Geluk!
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