Whether you’ve signed up for a short race, or have bravely decided that this is the year that you take part in a half marathon, some preparation certainly is needed. Here Wayne Allen from Juniva.com – South Africa’s specialist health, wellness and fitness retailer – shares his top tips to get you across the finish line.
Shift the gears
Training to run longer distances is all about slowly increasing your training load. The key is adding enough volume so that your body can adapt to the increase, but not too much so that you incur injury. “The general rule of thumb is to add 10% per week for three weeks and the fourth week is a recovery week,” explains Allen.
View food as fuel
With all this additional running, you’ll be burning an impressive amount of kilojoules, and will have developed a much larger appetite. “Choose foods that are nutrient dense and give your body what it needs – without the unwanted calories. Consider what you will eat before, during and after your sessions, as you can never out train a bad diet. Not only so that you get through your sessions but so that you can recover in time for your next one too,” says Wayne.
Rest up
Rest days are vital and when you’re training hard, you’ll long for them. “It’s during this period that your muscles recover and when you actually get fitter and stronger. Without rest days you’ll see little improvement and over time will battle fatigue and eventually burn out, so don’t be tempted to fit your missed sessions in here,” warns Wayne. A sports massage is also a good way to help your muscles recover.
Exercise to complement running
Core work is the best non-running exercise you can do. If you can do 15 minutes, three evenings a week, you should start to see results in three to four weeks. If you struggle to do this on your own, Wayne suggests a Pilates or yoga class once or twice a week. “Functional exercises – such as forward lunges, jumping lunges and single leg squats − improve strength and address different aspects of the running movement. The intention of these exercises is to reduce the risk of injury and improve running efficiency. And don’t forget to warm up before you start,” advises Wayne.
Know your multivitamins and supplements
A healthy diet is the best way to meet your nutritional needs, in terms of energy, protein and fats, vitamins and minerals. But as our Western diets are high in unhealthy sugars, salt and fats, supplementation can help. “As an athlete, your need for certain vitamins and minerals increases. In terms of a multivitamin, stick to a well-balanced, one-a-day type multivitamin and mineral supplement,” suggests Wayne.
To browse Juniva’s range of recommended sports supplements visit www.juniva.com.
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