2 WEEKS NOT ENOUGH

MBABANE – There is nothing you can do during the last two or three weeks that will make you faster on marathon day.

Rest, so that you will be ready to run fast marathon in the morning. Athletes who are heading for finish podium in the second edition of the Imbube Marathon are now done with training and they have to maintain their fitness.

According to the healthyliving.azcentral.com getting a good night’s sleep the night before the the race in essential. The Imbube Marathon will be held on Sunday October 8 at Somhlolo National Stadium. On the actual night before, you may be understandably nervous, and you will need to get up early to head to the starting line. What to do 2 weeks before race:

Decrease both the distance and intensity of your training runs in the two weeks before your marathon. A reduction of about 20 per cent per week gives your body time to rest and heal without you having to stop your training completely. Strength training and cross training exercises should be reduced in intensity as well as interval training, hill training and other training runs. Reduction is preferable to simply stopping training since it prevents your body from becoming used to inactivity prior to a marathon.

Long Runs
As with strength training and other training regimens, the distance of your long runs is tapered down to allow your body to rest and recover leading up to the marathon race. Tapering of the long run should include a 10 to 20 per cent reduction in distance two weeks and one week before the marathon. You should eliminate a long run entirely on the week of the race, allowing the marathon itself to serve as your long run for the week.

Nutrition

Proper nutrition is essential in the two weeks leading up to a marathon but doesn’t have to include carbohydrates loading the whole time. Carbohydrates should be eaten within the first 30 minutes after completing a training run, and in the three days before your marathon, you should shift your diet so that you get approximately 70 per cent of your daily calories from carbohydrates. Be sure to watch your caloric intake when shifting to a high-carbohydrate diet, however; if your caloric intake increases during your tapering period, you may end up gaining weight.

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