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Marathons | Half Marathons | 5K | 10K |
Times | Pre-Race Prep: | Food | Warm-up | Post-race recovery | Strength Training | Books | Gear |
Times:
Note: According to a NY Times Article "Plodders Have a Place, but Is It in a Marathon?" "In 1980, the median finishing time for male runners in United States marathons was 3:32, a pace of about eight minutes per mile. In 2008, the median finishing time was 4:16, a pace of 9:46." Note: The CIM is mainly downhill and gets a lot of runners trying to establish good qualifying times for the big races, so has a faster median than most races. I used it because my son ran in it. See Running USA's Annual Marathon Report | Running USA for more.
Relative Times for Distances
Your 5K time will be about 1.07 time your mile pace and a marathon will be 1.22 x your mile pace. Source: Race Times Predictor | Runner's World Jeff Galloway.com says a marathon will be 1.3 times your mile pace with a run-walk strategy. See also Race Predictor | About.com Pre-Race Prep: Energy and oxygen availability are two of the most important requirements for quality racing performances. Energy should not be a problem for a 5K assuming you've been eating normal amounts of carbs you should have enough glycogen energy in the muscles and liver to run hard for 10-13 miles before "hitting" the wall.
Food:
At Five Prerace Nutrition Mistakes | Runner's World, Beth Jauquet, R.D. recommends drinking 16 ounces of water two to three hours before the start, giving your body time to process extra fluid; drink another one to two cups right before the gun goes off. Do Not Eat simple carbohydrates, like honey or sugar, shortly before the race for a quick boost of energy; They can lead to dehydration: your cells need excess water to absorb the sugar. The sugar spike will also lead to an insulin reaction, which will cause your blood sugar to drop sharply later on, leaving you tired and sluggish. Experts at the Colorado State University Extension recommend eating a light meal three to four hours before your race so your body has ample time to properly break down the necessary nutrients. This will also give your stomach time to settle. The meal should feature starches from complex carbohydrates, which break down more quickly and easily than proteins and fats. Avoid foods that are high in fat and simple sugars. Good examples of appropriate foods are whole wheat or multigrain bread, cold cereal, pasta, fruits and vegetables. Unlike the carbo-loading approach, these should be eaten in moderation, with the entire meal totaling only around 500 calories. Small amounts of caffeine may help improve your athletic performance, according to several studies. "On average, endurance athletes who ingest a moderate amount of caffeine prior to exercise see a 1 to 3 percent improvement in performance. ... A primary effect is believed to be psychological: Your caffeine-stimulated mind is simply less aware of fatigue. "Caffeine makes athletic exercise seem easier. ... The standard recommendation is 1 to 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight (roughly 0.5 to 1.5 milligrams per pound). If you weigh 150 pounds, this translates to 75 to 225 milligrams, the rough equivalent of 1 to 3 cups of coffee. "Each person has such a different tolerance," Nancy Clark [ MS, RD, and author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook] says. "Experiment during training and figure out which amount works best for you. There is a widespread belief that caffeine has a diuretic effect that results in dehydration. "This is one of the main myths about caffeine," Clark notes. "The Army has done extensive research on this and found that caffeine does not have a dehydrating effect." Source: AMC Magazine What to Eat before a 5K Race | LIVESTRONG Fitness Blog
Mike Redlich's notes: Pre-race - Three hours (or so) before the start of the race, I usually have a decent breakfast of a bagel with some kind of protein - peanut butter or cheese - along with two cups of coffee. This will help take care of #2 bathroom issues before the race. During the race - I always carry water regardless of the distance. For runs longer than, say 9-10 miles, I carry GU or CLIF gels. I plan on consuming a gel approximately every 45 minutes. For a marathon, I bring along a CLIF bar or two for added nutrition where I will alternate between a gel and a bar. I use this nutrition regimen on long training runs as well. With regards to Gatorade, I only drink that stuff (50/50 mix with water) in the summer or during a race if it's available at the water stop. There was an active.com article cautioning how to consume sports drinks. I'll see if I can dig it up and pass it along. Warm-up: Starting a race cold can lead to severe lactic acid buildup, running out of oxygen is a big concern. 45 min before the start: Opt 1: Go for a 20 min slow jog. * Opt 2: Jog easily for 10 minutes. Run 2-3 one minute build-ups into your 5K pace* At Competitor.com they say "Elite runners typically jog for 20-25 minutes before races. That's too much for many age-group runners"
10 min before the start, report to the starting line and begin a series of 50-75 yard strides with a jog back recovery. Keep doing these so you can re-warm your muscles and elevate your HR and breathing.
Stretching:
Instead do dynamic warm-ups. Save the stretches for after the race. Some good dynamic warm-ups - High-knee skips - Forward/backward arms swings - Side-to-side trunk rotations with arms extended outward - Walking lunges - Forward/backward leg swings - Side-to-side leg swings - Hopping in place with locked knees - Jogging forward while rotating hips from left to right - Jogging in place with high knees - Jogging in place with butt kicks Do each of these movements for 20 seconds.See The Perfect Warmup For Running Workouts - Competitor.com and Dynamic Warm-up at the Fitness Program - Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Once ordered on to the starting line, keep your heart and respiratory rates up by jogging in place, hopping from one foot to the other and/or bouncing up and down.
Post-race recovery: Larissa Creglow Muchnick post on Run 4 V: Team V (Facebook) on April 9, 2014: What to do for recovery - post race! Here is what the experts say from the finish line to the week after...
Strength Training: Strength training is a supplement to a runner's roadwork because it strengthens muscles and joints, which can improve race times and decrease injury risk. Source: Strength Training | Runner's World
Cathy Vasto, a three-time Olympic Trials qualifier says, "Strength helps at the end of a race when your form starts deteriorating," advises Vasto. "The faster you can move your arms at the end, the faster you can move your legs and the higher you can lift your knees, propelling yourself toward the finish line."
The 4 Best Strength Training Exercises For Runners:
10 Essential Strength Exercises for Runners Ten Reasons Why Runners Should Include Weight Training | Poliquin Article Gear: Compression shorts are claimed to reduce fatigue. Enough people believed these claims to make sales of compression gear jump 170 percent from 2008 to 2010, giving it a 5 percent share of the sports apparel market, according to a recent consumer-research report.
You can spend anywhere from $30 to $100 for CEP Dynamic+ Run Shorts
However the first two articles that came up in google (see below) were skeptical.
Jeremy Repanich, a Brooklyn-based writer says at deadspin.com - What compression gear will and won't mostly won't do for you.
CEP Compression Shorts Review | No Meat Athlete agreed.
Other gear:
Running Apparel | Runner's World Run-Walk Strategy: Many beginning and intermediate runners use a run-walk strategy instead of running the whole distance. This works for any distance running from a 5K up. Run-Walk Books: Runner's World Run Less, Run Faster: Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary FIRST Training Program: Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, Ray Moss: Amazon.com: Jeff galloway: Books Amazon.com: Hal Higdon: Books
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