By Neil Russell, Exercise Physiologist and owner of Atleta Fitness
Running season is just around the corner which means that it is time for those of us who are planning on participating to start preparing!
There are a number of key running events each year including the Sydney Running Festival and City to Surf that see all kinds of runners, from advanced competitors to beginners.
Here are my top tips on how to prepare yourself to get the most out of your run.
1. Training
Many beginners will make the mistake of showing up on race day without having prepared at all. This isn’t the worst thing in the world if you are running less than 10 km, although you will probably be very sore afterwards. However, if you are running a half marathon or more, you will want to train and have your posture and technique sorted prior to race day.
The reasoning for this is to make your run as comfortable as possible, to reduce the risk of injury, help you finish the distance, and maximise your enjoyment on the day.
When you start planning your training sessions, there are a number of things that you should consider. These include your strengths and weaknesses, any conditions or injuries that you may have, and of course, your fitness level.
When you start training, remember that progression is the key. If you go into your first session with the intention of running 21 km, you are most likely going to end up very sore and possibly injured.
In a typical training week, consider adding the following training sessions:
- Interval Training. Run for 1km, then rest for half the time that it took you to run. Start with 4 x intervals on your first two weeks, gradually build up to six intervals, then dial in on your running speed for each interval.
- Hill Sprints. 5 x 1 minute Hill Sprints, with a slow jog/ walk back to the bottom of the hill. This is a shorter training day, but it is a tough one
- Weights room day. Focus on strengthening your legs, hips and core, but I want to emphasise that strengthening your whole body is important as you want to maintain good posture throughout your run to help prevent any injuries.
- Long run day. Run for 40-60 minutes the first week, then add 10 minutes to your long run every week until the event. Take note of your distance to get an idea of the running time and perceived effort that you will experience on race day.
2. Strength and Power
The weights room is often completely neglected by runners, but strength and power training significantly increases your maximal power output, which is why runners should include it into their weekly training program.
The higher the power you can potentially produce per stride, the lower the percentage of maximal effort required per stride, thus improving running efficiency and speed.
All strength and power programs should begin with general conditioning exercises, and then progress to more running specific power based exercises. A general conditioning exercise could be a body weight squat or lunge, for example.
3. Nutrition
Nutrition and supplementation including protein, simple carbohydrates, hydration and electrolytes are important for any athlete, not only to assist in recovery, but to help maintain constant energy levels throughout the race.
Remember that your body utilises carbohydrates first for energy, and they are essential for someone running a long distance or exerting a lot of energy. Look to slow releasing carbohydrates such as sourdough, oats and whole grains.
Protein is also essential, especially for recovery post training session and post event. When training for an event, try to include protein in every meal as it helps with building muscle mass and sustaining energy levels. Some good snacks include nuts, seeds, eggs, lean meats or a protein shake.
Also, try to maximise the nutrients that you are eating in every meal as they will need to be replenished due to the amount of energy that you are using.
If you decide to try new supplements or new types of food, do it well in advance of the race. The last thing that you want to do is eat something new on race day, only to find that you don’t feel well.
4. Rest and Recovery
There’s no room for being a hero and skipping a recovery period. Rest days allow your muscles and endocrine system to bounce back, additionally every four to six weeks you should have a light week to allow your body to adapt and improve, otherwise you will keep fatiguing and actually start to see a decline in your performance in training and racing.
Recovery sessions are a great idea on the day following big training sessions or races. This can include pool or ocean work, or light walking and mobilisation (try wearing compression gear) to help increase blood flow to the areas with causing further fatigue, helping you get back to training harder, sooner.
Tapering should be factored into your program, depending on your training load and the race distance. You should usually step back the training volume a week out from the race, performing a few speed sessions and short runs. Also make sure you are getting at least eight hours sleep a night for maximal physical recovery.
When used well these rest days, recovery sessions and techniques, as well as tapering will mean you recover better from every session and race, allowing you to train harder and avoid injury. Now, don’t hold back!
Neil Russell has over 10 years experience in Personal Training, Strength and Conditioning coaching and exercise rehabilitation. He has been a strength and conditioning coach for Australian and NZ representative athletes and a PT for internationally acclaimed actors, models and media personalities.
