Running a marathon

IF YOU are really serious about exercise and about running in particular, you may decide to train to run a marathon. Here are a few sensible and practical tips for those who want to go that extra distance.

Top marathon runners seem to follow training routines in which they run around 100 to 200 kilometers a week and some go beyond. This does not constitute normal training. If the average runner attempted this kind of regimen, it would probably end up totally wrecking his or her body.

The best way to train for a marathon is to do it gradually. Start with a 4 or 5 kilometers, 5 days a week for the first month. Increase it with 1.6 kilometers a day for the next 3 months, take off one day and add a longer run on Sunday. Increase until you are able to do 9 to 10 kilometers a day, let’s say Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then rest on Saturday and do 20 kilometers on Sunday. The total will be 60 kilometers for the week. Continue to increase your distance in this manner until you reach your goal. If one of the days during the week is for interval training (faster training), you will enhance both speed and endurance.

In every training I have with my students or clients, I always emphasize discipline. You will never fail if you have discipline in doing everything you do. So consistency is important when you train. Also your commitment that even in rain or shine you will do it. So is getting enough rest. If you run 7 days a week, your body never gets a chance to recuperate. If, on the other hand, you do a 32 kilometers run on Sunday, rest on Monday, loosen up with 6.4 kilometers on Tuesday, do 12.8 kilometers on Wednesday, skip Thursday, run 16 kilometers on Friday, and skip Saturday, you would be doing the same distance with 3 days rest. You should definitely rest the day before a marathon. Remember you will also need about one day of rest for every after race. It is also important to keep a diary while you train. There are many factors that will impact your performance, including your body condition after the race, during training. Keeping track of the way you feel can help you understand these subtle cycles.

Pacing

Try to focus your pacing. Keep a stopwatch so that you know, within 2 or 3 seconds every kilometer, how well you’re doing. Shifting ace throughout a long race can be very stressful on the body. If you start out slower and get faster in 9.2 kilometer increments you will be doing much better. Because of changes in blood and brain chemistry, proper pacing will improve the way you feel during a long run.

A marathon is tricky. You may feel like you have energy right up to the 36th km and then suddenly it’s gone. Your muscles are tight and you feel lucky even to be able to walk. Suddenly at the 38 km mark your legs quit and you find yourself with thousands of others, starting to walk. It happens because these people, in all likelihood didn’t pace themselves in their training, or didn’t build up their exercise program gradually. Another problem may be that they peaked weeks before the race.

Carbohydrate loading

Carbohydrate loading is an eating regimen followed by some athletes in preparation for a long competition such as a running marathon. A typical schedule for a runner begins 7 days before the event with an exhausting bout of exercise depleting the stores of glycogen in the body. To further aid the glycogen depletion, the runner eat a low-carbohydrate, high-protein and high-fat diet. Three days before the event, he packs in as many carbohydrates as possible to replenish the glycogen, keeping protein and fat at moderate levels. The body is stressed by this deprivation of carbohydrate fuel and it responds to that stress by overcompensating and storing extra supplies of glycogen in the muscles. Thus, the marathon runner has more energy and can run longer before tiring.

One modification of this classic loading technique is to substitute tapered rest for the exhaustive bout of exercise during the week preceding the event. Also, the last week might feature a high complex carbohydrate diet: A further modification sometimes suggested is for the runner, to rest and eat a high complex carbohydrate diet 4 to 72 hours before the event.

Supplements

In general, people who eat well-balanced diets do not need vitamin or mineral supplements for their exercise needs. However, people with poor diets, food sensitivities, poor absorption, chemical imbalances, and other problems may need supplements to maintain good health. Exercise stresses he body, with B complex vitamins in particular burned off by stress. B complex vitamins as well as vitamin A, which help stimulate the immune system, may be recommended in conjunction with an exercise regimen. The antioxidants, vitamin C and E, and selenium, also may be recommended before and after exercise. Calcium and magnesium, in 1:1 ratio, are commonly used to benefits the muscles.

A common misconception is that your body loses salt perspiration during and after exercise. In fact, it loses only water leaving the body’s salt in higher concentrations than before. You need more water after exercise, not more salt to help prevent fatigue, irritability and exhaustion. Salt pills are not recommended.

During exercise, you use water and fuel. You need to replenish them in that order. Water, the recommended beverage helps alleviate feelings of exhaustion. Give your body an opportunity to return to normal before eating. Even if you are not consciously thirsty, drink an 8 to 1 ounce glass of water after exercising, and again at 20 minute intervals for the next hour. You cannot restore the water you lost in exercise simply by drinking a lot at one time. Your body’s tissues after all, can only absorb water at a certain rate and the rest is eliminated. The average water consumption per day for a healthy adult who exercises is 8 to 10 ounce glasses. What you do not use, the body will eliminate.

If you are ravenous after exercising, it may mean you have run out of fuel. You have depleted your supply of glucose and/or glycogen and your body wants to start replenishing it immediately. In this case, pay attention to eating more as a part of your regular diet to build up glycogen levels.

While pre-exercise nutrition should consist of high complex carbohydrate diet like pasta, brown rice, sweet potato, post exercise nutrition should include protein as well, since you will need protein to rebuild or repair muscles and other tissues.

Diet

Diet plays a very important role especially if you want to join a marathon. Here is a guidelines to follow if you want to sustain your body for the big event. On the sixth, fifth, and fourth days before a marathon, you should eat only protein, three times a day. Animal protein like chicken’s breast (without skin), lean beef or pork, hi-protein powder or tofu is allowed. See to it that these meat are very lean without visible fat. Grilled or steamed them not fried. On the 3rd day immediately prior to the race, you should have no protein, just complex carbohydrate. On the day before the race, cut out fruits and salads. Try to eat something that will be only partially through your intestines during the race. That night eat something about an hour before you go to sleep. Try to retire early or before midnight. This will be a major meal because you want to really saturate your body with glycogen. You could have pasta or brown rice or whole grain bread. Avoid greasy, highly seasoned and sugary foods.

In the morning, if you can wake up early four hours before the run, you could blend two bananas with grape juice. This will give you additional carbohydrates that will help you through the race. Do not eat any solid food before the race. Your body’s system will be too nervous. When you’re nervous and anxious, your body doesn’t digest food normally. Electrolytes replacers are very important. Try to have two of the electrolytes (like potassium or magnesium) prior to a marathon, one every 6km during the race and two at the end.

When you’ve finished your race, take at least 12 minutes to cool down by going from your running pace to a jog, a slower jog, and then brisk walk. Never go directly into a sauna, hot tub, hot bath or hot shower.