Survival tips for race day

Posted on 11 August 2015

One week before the 2019 Cape Town Marathon! Nervous? Don’t be. Whether you’re aiming to run the Fun Run or the full 42km, these tips will help you get to the finish line.

Get support from family and friends. Ask friends to nominate tunes to listen to while running. When their song plays you will find your feet feel lighter. Hook up with your running-club mates if this works for you.

Fuelling the machine. Runners differ; some prefer only liquids, others tend to munch more. Note suggestions of experienced runners, they know their stuff! Refuel soon after crossing the finish line and include protein in your mix as it aids muscle recovery.

The afterglow. Race day is a roller-coaster of emotions; exhilaration, despair, anxiety and despondency. Feel the Chariots of Fire moment 10 minutes before the gun goes off and then reality will hit … Race day is all about you. Revel in your personal journey and the person you are becoming.

1. Preparation

Before starting any exercise programme, especially this challenge, it’s a good to be examined by a physician. Start your training slowly with regular walking to build the aerobic capacity of your lungs, heart and circulatory system.

Graham Bentz, nine-times Comrades veteran, biokineticist and sport scientist, says, “Walking is a weight-bearing exercise and forms a solid foundation to your training as it aids in bone formation, strengthening of muscles, tendons and ligaments and will help to decrease injuries related to doing too much too soon.”

After four weeks, introduce moderate running and slowly increase your weekly distance by less than 10% per week to avoid injuries. You should be running a minimum of three days a week before embarking on your marathon training schedule. Three months of training is what you need to conquer the Cape Town Marathon.

2. Nutrition
Practise, test, test and test again. There’s no magic wand. Mimic race day conditions and pack the nutrition and hydration that is optimal for you personally. This will enable you to be confident with your individual mix.

3. Variation
The key to remaining motivated is to include variety into your running schedule. Once-a-week speed sessions keep the legs in shape and build muscle memory for quick leg turnover. Gentle recovery runs must follow speed sessions.

4. Types of training runs
A marathon is all about long runs. Do at least one 20-30km run at an easy pace six weeks prior to race day. Six weeks will ensure that your body is well recovered after this run before race day. Anything less will result in fatigue before even crossing the start line.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.