Did you read Saturday's Sports Section of the Straits Times? There's this article on fitness, well more on marathon running which is pretty good. It's an article from the New York Times but reproduced by the lovely people from Singapore Press Holdings. Here's a little summary of what it's about.
Constant Pace
It is important to maintain your pace in your runs. You don't really want to start off at a blistering pace but end up without ending the race yet suffer plenty of blisters. Haha. Though it gets really exciting at the start of races, always keep in mind the distance that you are trying to complete. If you are aiming to do like a 5km race, then maybe a good start off the block is essential. But for a marathon, you probably have to think twice. I have seen friends who are very very good at running long distance but coming back slower than me because they start off really quickly. There's this quote from a board I keep seeing at the StanChart Marathon. "Run Your Own Race". I think of all its quotes, this is amongst its best.
Cut down on running before the race
The second point raised was not to train so intensively just before the race. Obviously you would not want to run a 21km training the day before the Marathon would you? You will not recover for the Marathon. But then again I know of people who have done 7 Marathons in 7 Days. But that's another story. Well the point is, you do not want to exhaust yourself before your race day. So what's the guideline? I'm not too sure myself. I know of a friend who is stopping his training 10 days before his race day itself. For myself, I stop training a week before the event. Maybe within that one week I will do like a 3km really really really slow run but that's about it. My rationale is that it helps to circulate blood in my legs. Haha. But what the hell, to each his own eh. I'm weird. Haha. But in all seriousness, I stop all training at least 5 days before the event.
Personal Mantra
Having a personal mantra, or slogan if you will, is very helpful in races. This is to remind you to keep fighting hard. Remind yourself what you are training so hard for. It helped me a lot during my previous events as well as my 2.4km run. It may sound weird but self-talk and such slogans have been proven scientifically to improve athletes' performances. I read it somewhere in an Organizational Behaviour Textbook. So how do you come up with a personal mantra/slogan? Think of your own past or someone you really admire. Have you ever been in a school team that was known to win numerous trophies? Or maybe you admire some athlete? Some inspirational ones include Mr Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan.
Drinking
Another tip given in the article is to drink water. Drink early before the race so that you do not feel bloated when you are at the starting line. And drink along the way. I like this tip a lot and I feel it is something that many runners ignore nowadays. I know of some runners who don't drink water at the earlier water points and only look for water only when they are really thirsty and dehydrated. I think that's not such a good plan. I feel that one should drink water right from the first water point. The trick is not to drink so much at a go. There's no point in running on a bloated stomach right? The tip given in this article is to fold one end of the cup into a funnel and just let it into your mouth. It doesn't matter if much of the water is not drunk. What matters is you get a little water into you. By the time you start feeling thirsty, that is already a little late to start looking for water.
Change Halfway
The last tip given in the article is to 'plant' a new set of running top along the way. It is said that it feels much better to have dry clothes that do not stick to your body during the run. Haha. I don't know what to think of this one as I have not done it. I personally feel it's too troublesome to be implemented. But hey, to each his own eh?
Hope you find these tips helpful because I did as well.
Cheers!
Constant Pace
It is important to maintain your pace in your runs. You don't really want to start off at a blistering pace but end up without ending the race yet suffer plenty of blisters. Haha. Though it gets really exciting at the start of races, always keep in mind the distance that you are trying to complete. If you are aiming to do like a 5km race, then maybe a good start off the block is essential. But for a marathon, you probably have to think twice. I have seen friends who are very very good at running long distance but coming back slower than me because they start off really quickly. There's this quote from a board I keep seeing at the StanChart Marathon. "Run Your Own Race". I think of all its quotes, this is amongst its best.
Cut down on running before the race
The second point raised was not to train so intensively just before the race. Obviously you would not want to run a 21km training the day before the Marathon would you? You will not recover for the Marathon. But then again I know of people who have done 7 Marathons in 7 Days. But that's another story. Well the point is, you do not want to exhaust yourself before your race day. So what's the guideline? I'm not too sure myself. I know of a friend who is stopping his training 10 days before his race day itself. For myself, I stop training a week before the event. Maybe within that one week I will do like a 3km really really really slow run but that's about it. My rationale is that it helps to circulate blood in my legs. Haha. But what the hell, to each his own eh. I'm weird. Haha. But in all seriousness, I stop all training at least 5 days before the event.
Personal Mantra
Having a personal mantra, or slogan if you will, is very helpful in races. This is to remind you to keep fighting hard. Remind yourself what you are training so hard for. It helped me a lot during my previous events as well as my 2.4km run. It may sound weird but self-talk and such slogans have been proven scientifically to improve athletes' performances. I read it somewhere in an Organizational Behaviour Textbook. So how do you come up with a personal mantra/slogan? Think of your own past or someone you really admire. Have you ever been in a school team that was known to win numerous trophies? Or maybe you admire some athlete? Some inspirational ones include Mr Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan.
Drinking
Another tip given in the article is to drink water. Drink early before the race so that you do not feel bloated when you are at the starting line. And drink along the way. I like this tip a lot and I feel it is something that many runners ignore nowadays. I know of some runners who don't drink water at the earlier water points and only look for water only when they are really thirsty and dehydrated. I think that's not such a good plan. I feel that one should drink water right from the first water point. The trick is not to drink so much at a go. There's no point in running on a bloated stomach right? The tip given in this article is to fold one end of the cup into a funnel and just let it into your mouth. It doesn't matter if much of the water is not drunk. What matters is you get a little water into you. By the time you start feeling thirsty, that is already a little late to start looking for water.
Change Halfway
The last tip given in the article is to 'plant' a new set of running top along the way. It is said that it feels much better to have dry clothes that do not stick to your body during the run. Haha. I don't know what to think of this one as I have not done it. I personally feel it's too troublesome to be implemented. But hey, to each his own eh?
Hope you find these tips helpful because I did as well.
Cheers!
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