You are so close! You’ve survived the half-way doldrums and completed your long-day endurance training with flair. Now the main event is a matter of weeks away. Here are some tips for how to be at your best on the day.
1. Cut back on your training. According to distance coach Pete Pfitzinger, you need to reduce exercise to rebuild peak strength and allow your muscles to repair. Tapering for an event such as a marathon takes around three weeks, but Pfitzinger recognises that an endurance athlete is likely to go through withdrawal symptoms without regular workouts. He suggests following a pattern of a hard day, then two easy days; and decreasing the volume of training as you get closer to the main event.
2. Pay attention to fluid and nutrition. If you have been training hard for a period of months, you may be moderately dehydrated. Start now to sip water and caffeine-free drinks frequently throughout the day. In terms of nutrition, there is no question that you will want to go to the start line with your liver and muscles charged with glycogen, to guard against the “wall” on the day (when you could suddenly run out of energy). You should consider gradually shifting to more complex carbohydrate foods, (such as oats and potatoes, although nothing too high-fibre), especially in the three days before the race.
3. Be confident that you are organised. Make sure travel and accommodation arrangements are sorted out. If your event is technical, do the checks on your bike, or ensure the indoor rowing machine has a fresh battery, well in advance of the day. Figure out what you will wear (preferably nothing brand new, which could chafe) and how you will eat and drink. Your practices during long-day training should have given you a pretty good idea of what your race day requirements will be. If you have a support crew, make sure they know what is expected of them.
4. Don’t compensate for reduced training by increasing other activities. In his book Marathon, (Emmaus: Rodale Books, 1993), Hal Higdon reports on a tapering runner who used the time to rebuild his barn. Increased trips to the refrigerator are also a popular but probably not recommended activity.
5. In the last 24 hours, chill. According to Higdon, “if you have prepared properly, nothing much you do on this day—except what you eat and drink—will have much effect on your race.” Make your last minute preparations, such as firming up your race-morning routine and ensuring you wake up on time. Have your pre-race meal, but don’t eat too much or anything unusual. Don’t party hard or spend too much time on your feet. Relax. Try and get some sleep, but don’t worry if it doesn’t come easily. You are still resting by being horizontal.
Above all, remember how hard you have trained. By this point you have done all that you can. Now, all you have to do is get to the start line and start to reap your reward.
 |
