Tips for your final weeks of training.
With less than 3 weeks to go until the SMH Half Marathon I thought it would be a good time to discuss what you should be doing in order to get to the start line fit, healthy and injury free!!!
- Rest Up:
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is to panic train at this stage. Most of the hard work is done now. You should aim to taper down your training by the end of this week – do not increase your mileage. Let your body rest and be confident in the training you have done. If you do too much training now you will head into the race fatigued and this will reduce performance on race day.
- Get any niggles looked at:
If you have been nursing an injury or a niggle and haven’t had it looked at by a Physio yet – go and get that sorted out. There is a lot we can do to help in the lead up to the race.
- Get a sports massage:
Now is the time to get a massage to loosen up all of those tight and tired muscles. I would recommend fitting in 2 massages between now and race day.
- Stretching and self massage:
You should be focusing on recovery at home – completing regular stretching and self-massage at home will ensure that your body is ready to fire on all cylinders on race day.
- Eat Well:
Ensure you are eating well during these last couple of weeks for a couple of reasons 1. To ensure that your body is fueled appropriately and 2. To ensure that you don’t get sick during these final weeks. Eating a well balanced diet full of fresh fruit and veg with good quality protein is essential for optimal performance.
- Visualisation:
Sit down and do some visualisation about the race. Start to visualise yourself racing and dealing with situations that may arise. How are you going to get yourself through the periods of the race when it really starts to hurt? What strategies are you going to use.
Good Luck to everyone racing. If you need any assistance in the lead up to the race don’t hesitate to contact us.
Stay tuned for our tip on recovering post race.
