Day 28: Playing It Safe
I didn't get up early this morning to run, because I figured that would be the worst thing I could do for my calf. Let's see here - a run in the cold morning just after waking up when my muscles are completely tight and stiff and I've been suffering from a minor calf strain = BAD IDEA!
I'm going to go through my usual day's routine and see how it feels simply walking, going up stairs, etc. If I don't feel any pain, I'll go for a short, easy run tonight.
Yesterday, I wrote about how to choose a marathon that best suits you. Today, I'd like to talk a little about tune-up races. I highly suggest you sign up for some races in preparation for the marathon. In the past my tune-up race schedule looked something like this:
2 - 10Ks (6.2 miles)
1 - half marathon (13.1 miles)
1 - 25k or 30k (aprox. 15.5 or 19 miles) - If I could find one, if not I'd do a second half marathon.
There are several purpose behind tune up races:
1. They help you establish your pre-race routine: what to eat the night before and the morning of, when to go to bed, what socks & shoes feel best, etc.
2. They give you experience running with competition. Running a race with 100s or 1000s of others is a lot different than running alone or with a training partner or even a group. Adjusting your pace while experiencing race day adrenaline is crucial. I've known so many people (myself included) who've gotten so caught up in that early race excitment that they start too fast and burn themselves out. Having race experience is crucial to executing your race plan on the big day.
3. You can practice taking water at the aid stations and experiment with what type of engery drinks or Gu work best for you and when you want to take them.
4. They serve as both a great workout and a measuring stick to assess your fitness level and give you a realistic goal for your marathon.
5. They provide something to look forward to. Rather than staring down the road at 4 months of straight training runs, you can break up the training period into 3-4 weeks segments with these tune up races.
Because I've been down this marathon road many times before and because my weekends are pretty booked this summer, I'm only going to do one tune-up race, a half marathon in July. Ideally, I'd do more, but it is what it is.
