Spring races are just around the corner. As you increase your distance, it becomes even more important to take care of your body to avoid injury.
When training for a long distance race, the goal is to be able to perform your absolute best on race day. You’ve put in countless hours of training, so the last thing you want is to fall short of your goal because you didn’t take care of your body.
Here’s what you need to start doing right now to get the most out of your training and prevent getting sidelined by injury.
Prehab
If you are training for a half marathon, marathon, or ultra, sooner or later you're going to get injured. Running is a sport with a lot of repetitive movement and overuse injuries are very common. However, taking preventative steps can reduce the risk of an injury or at least lessen the severity.
The goal of prehab is to avoid injury by creating a resilient body through strengthening and mobility exercises to better handle stresses of training. By working with a Kinesiologist, they can personalize your prehab program to address muscle weaknesses or imbalances. As well as focus on strengthening areas that have the greatest susceptibility to injury. A prehab program should be part of any athlete's training routine.
Cross Training
Training for a long distance race is exhausting and time consuming, but adding a little bit of cross training into your routine can make a big difference. It allows you to still exercise while giving your body a break from running. Swimming and cycling are great options for runners who want to work on their cardio and endurance. Setting aside 30 mins a few times a week to focus on strength training will make you a stronger runner and reduce unnecessary injuries. Particular emphasis should be placed on strengthening the core, hips and hamstrings.
Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered core and glute exercises.
Health
When you are training for a long distance race, you are placing a lot of stress on your body. So it is really important that you take care of yourself. Unfortunately, that doesn’t just mean relaxing in a bath munching on some chips after a long run.
To make sure you body is working properly, you need to:
Consistently get enough sleep. Aim for about 8 hours of sleep each night.
Eat nutritious foods to fuel your body and help with recovery.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day and during exercise.
If you are struggling with your training and need some help, COAST offers a range of services from nutrition advice to prehab and injury rehabilitation.