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Health & Fitness

Proper preparation leads to success at your first big race!

Personal Trainer Erica Roselius shares her favorite tips for race preparation, from training programs to nutrition advice and music selection.

From hydration to training programs and my favorite music, clients frequently ask me how to prepare for various races.  I thought I would compile some tips that have helped me through the years.

Training programs ~ Pick a program and stick with it!  There are lots of programs from which to choose depending on your individual race.  There are organized training groups that provide detailed programs, group workouts and even help with apparel and nutrition.  Team in Training is a popular group that offers programs for a variety of races.  Beat by a Girl is a great local running group to which I belong that offers informal group runs on a weekly basis as well as tips and advice for running races of varying distances.  Meetup.com also offers free or discounted programs for all kinds of events.  Simply search the type of race for which you want to train.  If you want to train on your own, you can find suitable programs online for races of almost any length from 5ks, to marathons and triathlons.  Some are free and some require a fee.  If you have a trusted fitness professional in your life, print out the program and let her take a look and make recommendations based on your abilities.  I frequently create custom training programs for clients who want to train for a race.

 

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Nutrition ~ Experiment Early: People ask me all of the time what they should eat before a race.  I don’t believe there is one fit for everyone -  different meals work for different people.  The most important thing to remember?  Race day is NOT the day to experiment with what you are eating.  You may have to try different pre and post workout meals before finding what works for you.  As you approach your longer training runs/rides during your prep days, experiment with different meals so you have it worked out by race day.  I recommend your race day breakfast include both carbs and protein.  It shouldn’t be any larger than your regular breakfast.  If you need an additional snack prior to your race, take it with you and eat it as you approach the race location.  I generally eat the same thing before every race: oatmeal with almond milk and unflavored protein powder.   I pack my homemade Lara protein balls with me and pop a few of those into my mouth when I get to the race.

What’s up with Carb loading? Some people find carb loading beneficial for longer races.  I am talking about half marathons, marathons and triathlons, generally races that will take longer than 1.5-2hours.  Carbs are stored as glycogen in your body and can be utilized for energy during exertion.  Carb loading is a system whereby athletes slowly increase their carb intake in order to store extra glycogen in their muscles, which can be then utilized.  There are many different ways you will read about carb loading.  What I do NOT recommend is stuffing a huge pasta meal into your mouth the night before the race.  Not only will it leave you feeling heavy and bloated, but your body cannot store all of that glycogen in your muscles all at once.  It takes time to slowly increase your glycogen stores so that your body can utilize them during your race.  If you want to “carb load” I recommend making slight increases in carbs the 3-5 days prior to your race.  For instance, before my triathlon I added at least one multi-grain bagel to my diet each day.   Again, I recommend eating a dinner similar to what you would normally eat mixing healthy proteins, fats and carbs.  You might want to add potatoes, sweet potatoes or rice to your meal for extra carbs.  Read more about how to effectively carb load in this article on RunnersWorld.com: “Fill ‘er up.”

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Hydration ~ Experiment with this early too!  Hydration is extremely important and again not something to mess with mid-race.  If you are running a 5k – 10k water will probably be sufficient.  If the weather is hot and you are not accustomed to running in the heat you may want to replenish with an electrolyte drink post-race.  If you are doing a 10k and the weather is hot, or if you’re running your first 10k, you might need electrolytes mid-race.  For anything longer than 10k, or for a triathlon, I highly recommend electrolyte replacement.  There are a variety of choices on the market, from drinks to gels, jelly beans and chews.  You just have to try multiple types, brands and flavors until you find what works for you.  Some brands can cause upset stomach or you might just not like them.  For example, I can’t stand the gels.  It’s a consistency thing.  So I prefer to utilize Gu chews or Clif Shot Blocs.  I carry them in a small race belt I wear during training and then during my event.  Most chews and goos should be taken with water so try to time them with the course’s water stations.  If your race provides hydration stations along the course, the brand is usually listed on their website.  If not, you can email the race organizers to find out.  If you plan to use what they provide I recommend using it throughout training so you become accustomed to it.  It may take a few races for you to figure out when you need to replenish your electrolytes.  Generally, I drink water up until mile 6 of a half marathon.  At mile 6 I take my first chews.  I then take more at mile 9 or 10.  At the last hydration stations on the course I usually opt for the electrolyte drink instead of water.

Injury Prevention ~Listen to your body: Endurance training takes a toll on your body.  You need to train smart, not necessarily hard.  That means sticking to a solid training calendar that includes adequate rest days.  Yes, exercise days are important but rest days are even more important and theBeachStretchology time when your body repairs itself.  Make sure you give yourself enough time to train adequately for your race and include regular flexibility training like Stretchology.

Music ~ Get your groove on:  I am one of those people that needs to run with music.  If I absolutely have to, I can survive without it, but my fave tunes really help motivate and push me when I’m tired.  Some races prohibit iPods and headphones, although to be honest I have never seen anyone get kicked off a course for wearing them.  If you aren’t an elite runner and you aren’t worried about being disqualified I say go for it.  Just make sure you keep the volume at a level low enough you can still hear what is going on around you.  The same goes with your training runs.  Keep in mind that there are other runners as well as bikers and cars using your same roads and trails and you should be able to hear someone if they want to communicate with you.  Plus, you don’t want to become prematurely deaf!  The only place I say an absolute “no” to headphones is on trail runs.  Trail runs are more dangerous and often include single track trails that require you to hear another runner or a mountain biker approaching.  Just enjoy nature minus the tunes!  What do I listen to?  Well, it depends on my route.  If am doing a long, flat run near the beach I might listen to music that is mellow and relaxing.  A hill run?  Well, that requires something more aggresssive.  Some of my favorite artists on my playlist include Eminem, chris Brown, Jay-Z, and Miranda Lambert.

Day of race prep ~Prep the night before: I never sleep the night before a big race.  I am excited and nervous and worried that I’ll sleep through my alarm.  You might experience the same issue.  Therefore, it is important to get a good night’s sleep two nights before the race.  You’ll be better rested for the race when adrenaline can take over.  I like to pack everything the night before so it’s ready to go.  Races usually start at the crack of dawn – who wants to be running around the morning of the race trying to remember everything you need to take with you?

Recruit a pacer ~ Recruit friends for motivation: Are you training for your first half marathon or marathon?  Do you know other runners who aren’t participating in the same race?  Recruit them to join you for a portion of the route.  Having someone who is fresh and ready to cheer you on during the last 3-4 miles of a race can make a huge difference when you are tired and ready to walk.  I usually arrange to “pick up a racer” at a specific mile marker along the route.  I stand along the sidelines and when I see them run by I jump onto the route and finish up with them.  Most large races will post the mile markers and hydration stations on their route maps.

There you have my top tips for your first big race.  Need more help?  Advice?  Questions?  Help with training?  Contact me at DrivenFitnessNow.com and we will work together so you can reach your goal.  Now get out there and race!

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