With the Bristol Half Marathon only a few weeks away, your hard work has been well under way already. Whether its your first or 10th half marathon, the two to three weeks before your race are just as critical.
The physio’s at PhysioNet Bristol not only treat runners and their injuries but many are seasoned marathon and half marathon runner themselves. Here is some advice for the final weeks leading up to your race.
Training
- Tapering your training before race day should leave you feeling rested and energised. For half marathons, two weeks tapering is advisable. This will give your muscles a chance to recover and will help to reduce potential injuries, all to get your legs over the finish line.
- Your longest distance should be about two weeks before your race.
- In the following week, taper your training to 60% of your peak mileage. Keeping workouts shorter but still maintaining quality will help keep your legs fresh.
- The weekend before your race should be your final long run, between 6 to 10 miles.
- In the final week before your race, training should be 30 to 60 minutes each day or every other day. On non-running days, keep training light, so nothing that would cause your muscles to be sore.
- If you need a running coach or something doesn’t feel quite right when training, get in touch, we have running coaches that can support you and get you ready for race day.
Diet
You have most likely been eating a healthy diet in preparation for your race but like with tapering your training, here are a few tips to get the most out of your food.
- Eating carbs helps to provide energy for your muscles. This is converted to blood glucose and is stored as glycogen in your liver and muscles.
- You don’t need to carb load to get the best out of your run, an increase of 10% during the 4 days before your race is enough. With the tapered training, this slight increase in carbs will help you maximise the amount of glycogen in your body
- Stick to plain foods like oats, rice and pasta, high quality protein and plenty of fruit and vegetables. Nothing too fibrous to help prevent bloating.
- Remember to drink plenty to help stay hydrated before the race and during it.
Sleep and rest
Although this should be important for all of us and not just for training, quality sleep and rest are important for recovery not just of the body but also the mind.
- Getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep is preferable and getting this consistently will be a huge benefit.
- The best night sleep should be two days before your race.
- Don’t stress too much if you don’t sleep well the night before. This is normal to experience pre-race nerves. If you’ve been sleeping well the week before, you should feel rested and ready to run.
Race day and beyond
On the day, enjoy yourself and good luck!
Beyond race day, whether you live in Thornbury, North Bristol or Central Somerset, PhysioNet Bristol can connect you to sports masseurs to help with any stiff or sore muscles following your race.
