The toughest part about preparing for a half marathon is not the race but the training for the race as a large number of runners face an injury while preparing for the race.It’s a very common scene where People start their training and after a month or so, their knee starts to hurt, Runner stretches, takes a pain killer and keeps running and after some time is on the couch with an ice pack on the knee. Most of the injuries are due to doing too much or not doing it in a right manner, which means that with a right approach they can be avoided. Use the tips below to make sure you finish strong on your race day.
Progress gradually
The biggest problem is that everyone wants to accomplish a lot of things in a short span of time so they go out and push their bodies beyond the limits, without the body being ready for it. To progress in a proper manner follow FIT which is an acronym used to progress training in a scientific way where F stands for Frequency which denotes how many times you run in a week, I stands for Intensity which denotes the speed you are runningand T stand for Time duration which denotes how long you are running for. The general rule in running is to increase the weekly mileage by not more than 10% but make sure you listen to your body and if it’s not prepared for the 10% then increase it by 5 % or even 3 % and focus should be on increasing the frequency and time first and then the intensity.
Adding strength training
The focus is not to build muscle but to make sure your body has enough strength in your lower body and core to keep your pelvic and lower body extremity joints properly positioned. It’s very important to strengthen your weak muscles and in a long distance race it’s the weak muscles, which starts to give in first resulting in an improper posture. Strengthening the glutes, adductors and abductors is of upmost importance as they maintain the stability in the lower body.
Running on a level surface
Most of the runners run on the right side of the road to face the incoming traffic which is very important for safety but over a period of time creates an imbalance in the legs as your right foot hits the road differently compared to the left foot as mostly the road are a bit slanted on the sides. To balance this up you can cover the same distance on the left side of the road as the right side of the road or run on a balanced surface like a treadmill.
Taking proper rest
Your body becomes stronger and fitter during rest not while running so it’s very important to schedule rest days and rest weeks in your training plan. If your body lack recovery then you won’t be able to take out maximum from your training. Next day after a challenging run you can either go for an easy run or rest completely. It’s very important to take regular recovery weeks which can be after 3 to 5 weeks in which you can reduce your weekly mileage.
Warm up and Cool down
Most of the runners don’t like to warm up and cool down but it’s very important part of the training programs. A good warm up prepares your joints and muscles for the strenuous activity and can be done by preceding each run with an easy jog or brisk walk followed by some mobility work. Post your run Cool down will get your body and muscles safely back to normal temperature, maintaining range of motion and flexibility and can be done by holding stretches for the muscles involved for 20-30 seconds for 2 sets at a point where you feel mildly uncomfortable.
Cross training
Running continuously causes over use of the muscles as you are following the same movement over and over. Cross training can be done by Swimming, Cycling, Strength training etc. By implementing cross training into your routine you will strengthen your muscles and tendons, increase joint mobility, improve proprioception and balance, and avoid the damaging effects of doing the same thing over and over.
About The Author
He is an ACE certified personal trainer based in Delhi. He holds many other certifications like FMS Level 1, VIPR movement preparation, TRX suspension L-1 and Bosu balance. He i..
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