9 tips for the day of the competition and the previous days

For everything to go well on D and H, there are a variety of factors that come into play, like a puzzle, all the pieces must be embedded and in place

Next, our collaborator Personal Running It leaves us a series of basic tips related to the most important areas surrounding the final set-up of a race.

So that everything goes well on D and H, there are a variety of factors that come into play, as a puzzle, all the pieces must be embedded and in place. It is up to us to remember and attend to each of them so as not to throw away all the time and sacrifice involved in preparing them during the previous months.

Feeding:

In the 2 days before the test you must make a good carbohydrate load (pasta, rice, cereals, bread ...) to properly fill the glycogen deposits that allow you to have this energy available for the day of the race.

For breakfast on the day of the competition do not innovate, have breakfast what feels good (For example, if you usually drink coffee with milk in the morning and it feels good you can take it without problems on the day of the race, but if you do not take it usually do not do it because they tell you that it is good to take caffeine on the day of the race or many other myths that you can listen to). Breakfast is very important and you should not do the race fasting although normally we are used to not having breakfast in the morning or having just a coffee. Ideally, 2h-2h30 'breakfast before the race and 1h-1h30' before you can take a piece of fruit and nuts to kill hunger since the digestion of breakfast will already be done.

Take a couple of toasts with jam or honey, cereals, a juice and a piece of fruit (banana) is a good breakfast that will make you have a high level of carbohydrates in blood very useful to use in the first part of the race .

Supplementation

A great help for long distance races like the marathon and even the half marathon are the energy gels. Ideally, take a gel of 25-30 g each 8-10 km, with what in a marathon you can use a maximum of 4-5 while that in a half marathon with 1-2 is more than enough. After taking the gel you should drink water to prevent the mouth from leaving you "pasty" (you have to avoid all the discomforts that may arise), so try to take them always taking advantage of the provisioning of the race.

To use gels on competition day It is highly recommended to have previously used them in long workouts to check that the body assimilates well and do not cause discomfort in the stomach, nausea or anything like that that can cause us to spoil the great day we have been preparing for so long.

In a 10 km race the energy gels are not necessary since the distance is not so great that your carbohydrate reserves are exhausted so substantially. During the marathon, taking some fruit or nuts is also a way to replenish the spent carbohydrates with the effort.

Hydration

One aspect to take into account both the previous days and especially the day of the competition is hydration.

In the previous days we must focus on being well hydrated to make sure we arrive in perfect conditions to the day D. For this we must drink a minimum of 2L per day. The best proof that your body is perfectly hydrated is that the urine is clear, if not, you should drink more water.

El race day you should drink in the previous hours, but without doing it in excess, it will not be that you play a trick on you and force you to stop in the middle of the race to "evacuate".

You have to try drink at all refreshments without skipping any even if you are not thirsty (thirst is a symptom of dehydration, so you should avoid it reaching this point) to replace the water lost through sweat and physical exercise. Dehydration causes the blood plasma to decrease in volume, causing the heart to beat more times to send the same amount of oxygen to the muscles, ultimately causing greater fatigue and, in extreme cases, risks to our body.

On very hot days the sweating will be greater and we will lose more mineral salts, a factor that can cause cramps, muscle pulls, etc. To avoid this, it is necessary to recover by taking isotonic drinks and / or mineral salts if there are any in the refreshments.

Career rhythm

Take the test with confidence, especially if it is the first. When you run a distance for the first time, motivation and emotion are in the clouds and adrenaline rises. Do not let the nerves play tricks on you or let the emotion make you run at a faster pace than you are prepared for.

Take it easy, get out at a comfortable pace, and if with the passage of the km if you are finding good there will be time to put a little more intensity.

Sneakers and clothing

It is important to dress with a clothing that has been previously used and that we have verified that it is comfortable for us and that it does not perform any type of scratching to avoid unpleasant surprises. Even so, it does not hurt, to spread petroleum jelly in delicate areas and prone to chafing like English, armpits, nipples and neck. Running with a chafing can be very annoying and suffered.

With the shoes that we use in the test, the matter is very similar. You must use some shoes that you have already used in training and with those that you have already done long distances, checking that they do not cause you any kind of foot problems (chafing, blisters ...). They should not be shoes that are too worn but shoes that your foot is already used.

Preparation of the material

The previous day leave everything that you are going to take to the race prepared to prevent you from forgetting anything. Especially put the number and the chip on the doorknob of the exit door of the house, this is key and will save unnecessary nerves!

Analyze the route

Study the course of the race during the week to see where these infernal climbs are, the descents, the possible technical zones, the refreshments, etc. Nothing should catch us by surprise, the less we have to improvise better.

Come to the exit in advance

Go to the race site with time and advance. You must foresee that today the popular races are filled with runners, thousands of runners, and you're all going to the same place. Streets are blocked, public transport is jammed and there are traffic jams. Go ahead and you'll avoid getting nervous before the start and you'll have time to do a good warm-up and get everything under control.

Motivation

Take advantage of the week of the race to find motivation through reading books, experiences in forums, calling an expert friend or watching Youtube videos. It's a good way to get to the D-day with overflowing motivation, so that in hard moments of the race you remember those things that you saw or told you and you come up again.

And that's all my friends. We hope that our advice, practical, simple and nothing further from logic and common sense will be useful in the final part of the preparation of your next careers.

A hug to everyone!

More information: http://personalrunning.com/

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