Today is

By: Ikedi Ani-okoye

Running

Mental preparation:

TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY FOR 26.2 MILES IS EXTREMELY TOUGH, SO MANY OF THE WORLD'S TOP SPORTSMEN AND WOMEN USE MENTAL TRAINING TECHNIQUES TO HELP THEM FOCUS AND GET THROUGH THE RACE

A lot of elite runners use techniques such as dissociation and association to help them run. Association involves focusing your mind on a bit of your body, for example, paying attention to how your arms are swinging. In contrast, dissociation involves taking your focus away from your body and mind.

For example, Paula Radcliffe reportedly counts up to 100 and back down to 0 as a form of disassociation (she also knows that this will take her about 1 mile to do) You could have a go thinking about a loved one, looking out for landmarks or paying attention to the costumes around you. In training have a go associating for a distance (e.g. 1 mile) and then spending the next distance disassociating." - Charlie Pedlar, Physiologist, English Institute of Sport

Food:

WHAT AND WHEN YOU EAT lS ESSENTIAL TO MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR BODY BOTH BEFORE AND DURING THE RACE

Carbohydrate is the key nutrient for energy supply. So make carbohydrate-rich foods the focus of your training diet. Although you need to allow two to four hours after a large meal before exercising, a high carbohydrate snack within 30 to 60 minutes before training is generally found to be beneficial, providing enough carbohydrate - at least 509 - is eaten. During intense exercise that lasts for longer than an hour, it is advisable to consume 30 - 50 g of carbohydrate per hour. This intake is best achieved by taking feedings every 10 - 20 minutes.

Collapsible sports pouches containing 330m1 of sports drinks are available about every five miles throughout the Flora London Marathon, containing roughly 21g carbohydrate. After training it's also useful to eat some carbohydrates within two hours of exercise to help restock those glucose stores."

- Dr. Sam Stem, Lead Nutritionist, English Institute of Sport

Heart rate:

ASSESSING YOUR IOEAL HEART RATE RANGE lS CRUCIAL FOR SUCCESSFUL AND EFFICIENT TRAINING, AND CAN PREVENT UNNECESSARY DAMAGE

"lf possible, contact an exercise physiologist for a lactate profile test. This measures your blood lactate response to exercise and will provide you with a detailed measure of your fitness and accurate heart rate zones for your training. Many university Sports Science departments will be able to offer this test "
- Charlie Pedlar, Physiologist, English Institute of Sport

What to wear:

BEFORE YOU RUSH OUT AND BUY THE LATEST IN SPORT DESIGNER GEAR, READ WHAT THE EXPERTS HAVE TO SAY

'You need to spend about £60 - £100 on a pair of trainers. Most shoes last about 300 to 400 miles of running before they lose significant compression. So, about six weeks before the marathon is the time to start thinking about your trainers for the big day. You should never wear new ones.
Ideally, on Marathon day your trainers should be about half way through their life, so about 150 miles in them. Look at buying a pair to run in now, or look at what you have got at home and how much running you are likely to do in the next 6 weeks "

Charlie Pedlar, Physiologist, English Institute of Sport

The routine:

INSTEAD OF RUNNING ENDLESSLY AT THE SAME PACE, IT lS IMPORTANT TO VARY YOUR ROUTINE

You need to use the RPE, the Rate of Perceived Exertion scale. This is an imaginary scale from 1 to 10 measuring how hard you are working, with 1 being very easy and 10 being very hard. Staying at the same level is actually detrimental . to your development. So, a sample 90-minute run training session should look minute run training session should look like this :

CONCLUSION

Always warm up for twenty minutes; this is a Rate of Perceived Exertion of 3. The main core of your run should be ten rounds ot' three minutes at an RPE of 7 - 8, with each round followed by two minutes at RPE 2. So, you are alternating between an RPE of 7 - 8 and an RPE of 2. After this, it is essential that you cool down for twenty minutes at RPE 3. It is also crucial that you vary your routine progression is only achievable through constantly challenging yourself in different ways. Mix your routine up by changing your route, pace or terrain. Equally, rest time is hugely important and will allow you to avoid overtiredness or overtraining. Don't try to pack several runs into a short space of time and, as a rule of thumb, take two days' rest for eyery 'hard' run."

- David Robertson, Personal Trainer, www.drptonline.com