Marathon preparation check list

Marathon training demands a lot of time, effort, dedication, determination and preparation to be successful. The foundations for success need to be put down in the weeks and months preceding an event, however the week before a marathon is still a key time. Here is my guide to the final stages of marathon preparation based on my own personal experiences: 

Eat lots don't be hungry 

There is so much advice on pre-race nutrition and the importance of carb loading such as these great articles from Runners World and RealBuzz, 

Also you should also check out this video from Buzzfeed which gives you an entertaining yet informative guide to how the carb loading process works. 

But as well as eating more carbs its also important to just eat more. 

While preparing for a race it is common to cut down on your food intake to try and lose weight to be in the best shape for race day but in the final stages its all about fueling your body to be ready for the demands of the upcoming 26.2 miles.  

So I let myself go a bit and eat if I feel hungry as long as its good stuff I am eating. Regular readers will know I have enjoyed the carb loading phase from previous marathons as you can see here. 

I tend to snack a lot on dried fruit, Brazil nuts, almonds, peanut butter, flap jacks, tortilla wraps and that kind of thing as you might have seen in previous posts or seen on my twitter feed if you follow me on twitter @beoutrunning. 

My other advice is a common recommendation of eating familiar things, food you eat a lot, that you enjoy and that you know suits you fuels you correctly. 

I also try and stick to the mantra of eating little and often so that I am not overloading my body and I am providing a constant steady flow of calorific fuel for energy. 

Sleep lots don't be tired  

In the week or two post marathon I focus more on getting to bed that bit earlier as well as cutting down on the early morning training to perhaps once or twice a week.

Giving your body plenty of opportunity to rest and restore its self so it is in the best condition possible for race day is really important.  

Although relax if you don't end up getting as much sleep the night before a run because of pre-race nerves or a change of routine due to travelling for a race is fine and wont impact on your performance.  

Walk lots - well not lots but maybe a bit more than usual.  

As my training is cut down in the lead up to a marathon I try to replace this with a bit of extra walking. This is for a few reasons, to keep my legs ticking over all be it with a much less strenuous form of exercise and to keep burning off a few calories while not training so much. 

My other bit of walking related advice is to where running trainers as much as possible pre race. Your feet are important so its important to look after them and keep them as comfortable as possible. 

Roll and stretch 

If not already part of your daily routine it definitely should be in the build up to the big run. Keeping your legs nice and loose and getting rid of any stiffness and tightness is key to a great performance on race day, its amazing how brilliant and energetic your legs can feel through the week with a reduction in training but an increase in rolling and stretching. 

Hydration

Water water everywhere! 

There is an abundance of advice on staying hydrated so I wont bore you with that only reiterate its importance. Stay hydrated and drink loads in the days building up to your marathon! 

Along with lots of water I also enjoy drinking a variety of herbal teas to help hydrate and refresh me. As well as this they also provide a sweet touch that might be lacking from your diet as well as providing other digestion and health benefits. 

Nutrition 

As well as trying to eat a well balanced nutritious diet in the marathon build up heres a few personal specifics I throw into the mix. 

Vitamin C - Load up on some vitamin C, something that should already be plentiful in your diet but especially necessary in the final stages of a marathon training programme to ensure you can fight off any illnesses while you body is more susceptible to attack due to the strains of training and to ensure you are as fighting fit and healthy as can be come race day. 

Coupled with an increase in vitamin C i have also found taking a cold and flu remedy such as Beechams is a great way to top up your body's defences and keep you feeling tip top!  

Protein - In race week as well as stocking up on my carbohydrates I also try to increase my protein in take to help my muscles be fully repaired and raring to go!

Specifically I opt for plenty of protein shakes and chicken throughout the week along with a steak dinner a few days before interspersed with plenty of protein rich snacks like almonds.  

Good digestion - To help make sure my stomach is settled and can cope with the high amount of carbohydrates along with potential pre race nerves I make sure I have a couple of spoons of natural yogurt in the morning and evening just to be kind to my gut in the hope it is then kind to me! 

Preparation  

Along with all the training and nutrition advice the best piece of advice is to be prepared. Mentally prepared for the challenges that lie ahead as well as physically prepared taking care of the practical and logistical arrangements of; how am i going to get there? What time so i need to get up/leave? What am I going to wear? Etc, etc

Its good to have these arrangements clear in your mind a few days before so you can relax and just focus on the actual running. 

One last thing most importantly:  

Don't forget to enjoy yourself! Enjoy the run, the challenge, the atmosphere, the experience, the location and the scenery, embrace it all so you can remember it in the future. 

Good luck!

Robin Hood Marathon 2014 Preparation Evaluation

Robin Hood Marathon 2014

The robin hood marathon marked my 4th ever marathon and the second in my three in three months series.

I found the last few weeks in the build up to the run tough to say they least as you might have gathered from some of my previous posts, here and here. 

In the few days prior to the race I didn't feel ready to run mentally or physically and kind of stopped thinking about it in the hope that it somehow wouldn't happen. 

I was annoyed with myself for being so unorganised as well. Usually the few weeks prior to a big event I am very organised and focused on my preparations and rehearse my race build up and warm ups to replicate what will happen on race weekend. But due to a few other commitments the last two weeks didn't go to plan and I wasn't able to practice as I would have liked coupled with the fact I didn't feel well enough to run long and my preparations were far from ideal.  

I was also unorganized about a few other important factors including:

Pacing - In thinking about what kind of pace I was going to try and run, should I try and push for sub 4 even though I didn't feel like i was in the right shape to do so?

Trainers - I knew i needed new trainers prior to this race but left buying them too late and although I still had around 3 weeks to wear them in I didn't feel that this was enough. 

Race hydration & nutrition and logistics - I kept deliberating and procrastinating about what to do during the race. Should I wear my hydration pack? Should I bring energy gels or rely on the lucozades on the course? If I choose to carry gels should I then bring my hydration pack to carry them in or hold them in my waist strap? Should I carry my phone with me on the run and if so should I use my arm strap or pop it in my hydration pack? 

Toilet troubles - Over the last few runs prior to the marathon I was troubled by toilet troubles and needing to stop for both number ones and number twos! Not ideal preparation to leave you in a positive mindset! This issue was weighing heavy on my mind as no runner wants to have to factor in bladder and bowel complaints into their race strategy.

So basically I think I got a bit psyched out by the mental challenges that a marathon presented and I got too caught up in things without focusing on the basics of just running. 

Hopefully that's lesson learned and I wont fall into the same trap again! 

While thinking about marathon build up I wrote an article called Final Week Marathon Preparation for takitinyourstride.co.uk, please check out not only my article but also the site as an interesting and useful running resource.

Thanks for reading, I would love to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences, full race report to follow...........

Weekend run report 21st/22nd June

A busy weekend of running as is pretty much usual! Parkrun on Saturday and a long run on Sunday and both were successful and enjoyable.

Parkrun

My aim once again as it has been in the last few was to try and run a PB or close to PB time and to try and dip under the 22 minute barrier.

It was a beautiful summers morning but I thought it possibly too hot for a good time. 

This week I had decided on a different tactic, I thought I should be more conservative and cautious and not go out so fast.

My usual tactic is to blitz the first Km in around 4 minutes and then try to maintain as fast a pace as possible for the next 2kms, hang in there for the 4th then give whatever I have left on the 5th to try and finish strong.

This week I wanted to go off slower and try to target my efforts to running faster on the parts of the course that would give most benefit namely the sections on concrete or downhill. I also wanted to run stronger through one of the middle sections from 3.5-4Km which is a mentally draining straight path along a grass field. I am usually tiring in this section and find it difficult having this long straight, flat section laid out in front of me  without having the stamina to run it fast.

My race plan worked out pretty well I was more conservative and saved my energy for faster bursts on the concrete paved parts of the course. The dreaded section at 3.5Km was easier too as I managed to pass a few runners in front of me as well and worked hard at keeping in touch with another group of runners just ahead. 

I finished in 22.01 which i think is my 2nd fastest time and certainly my fastest time this summer.

Looking at my splits they were quite typical as I still ran a sub 4 minute first Km and still faltered a bit in the 3rd and 4th Kms.

Perhaps running faster when trying not to is a great sign of me getting stronger and faster?!

Sundays long run

My aim was to cover around 25Km building on my last few runs of between 20&22Km, in the end I covered 26Km in 2 hours 23.

I opted this week to pound the pavements rather than head out into a country park and my route took me from Hornchurch, into Upminster, back to Hornchurch, to Emerson Park, Gidea Park, Romford, back through Gidea Park,  Hornchurch, Upminster then out to Cranham and back to Upminster and Hornchurch. Quite a little journey!

Again I wanted to work on my race strategy and wanted to concentrate on a steady slower pace through the first hour and then build on this to see what speed I could bring and how strong I could run for the remainder. 

Learning as I run 

I am trying to use every long run as a learning experience ahead of the marathon.

For this run I wanted to think about pacing, pre run nutrition, using energy gels and of course bedding in my new trainers for their first proper long run.

Pre run nutrition

I again ate a flapjack around 1.5 hours before running, a banana 30 minutes before as well as an energy drink. This option worked well and I didn't experience any digestive issues or feel like I ran out of energy during the run.

My good energy levels through the run were also helped by the fact I had eaten a good big meal the night before in the form of my wife's massaman curry. The rice and potatoes providing a good carb source while the chicken providing protein for my leg muscles to be in great shape. 

My muscles were further aided by the fact I had a protein shake before bed as well. I think I will be adding both of these factors to my usual pre race routine, that is if I can persuade my wife to cook for me on most Saturday nights! 

Pacing

As I said I wanted to head off at a good slower steady pace rather than push myself through the first hour. I achieved this by covering 12K in the first hour. I then wanted to try and push my pace to try to get close to 18K in hour and a half, I managed 16.5K in around 1 hour 22 before I popped back into the flat for a quick refuel and toilet stop. 

After taking on some water and an energy gel I was able to push on inject some good pace as I headed towards 2 hours with the aim of covering 21K+ in 2 hours, I was pleased with hitting this pretty dead on the head as I covered 21K in 1 hour 59.

My aim then was to hang on and cover the 25K in under 2.5 hours, I was impressed with my stamina and endurance levels of then being able to cover 26K in 2 hours 23.

I continued my recovery experiments by taking another cold water bath as soon as I got which again I found incredibly beneficial. This coupled with a good stretch and a hearty breakfast to refuel with meant I was able to have the energy to crack on with a afternoon of gardening cutting back some seriously overgrown grass in my mother in laws garden.

I did however start to feel the side affects of my long run later in the afternoon as I started to tire and ache. A bit if a stretch, a quick nap and a cracking roast beef dinner soon left me feeling much better though!

So to the week ahead; I plan to run seven days straight through this week as it will be a restful weekend running wise as I will be away.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I would love to hear any thoughts and comments you have, all the best with your own training and running plans.

Am I eating enough protein?

The last week or two I have been craving and subsequently eating a lot of ham. 



This has led to me wondering whether or not its a great thing for me to be eating as I try to clean out my diet ahead of my marathon in August and whether or not its a good source of protein for me as a runner. This then led me on to thinking about my protein consumption generally as well and if I consume enough. 

My diet

I have been trying to cut down on my carbohydrate consumption as a snack and looking for protein based alternatives. Ham seemed to git the bill as its cheap, easy to eat as a snack and low fat, not to mention a tasty treat.

When people talk about a good protein source to have as post workout or as a snack chicken is always towards the top of the list. Chicken has a few drawbacks though as it is more expensive and requires cooking and preparation if you choose to buy it uncooked. Ham then seemed like a decent alternative for someone like myself operating on a budget.

I know ham doesn't really fit in with a clean eating approach as it is processed and somewhat artificial especially in comparison to freshly cooked chicken straight off the bone. 

So how do they compare nutritionally?

Chicken as taken from myfitnesspal

A snapshot from the back of my packet of ham

Here is a breakdown of my usual sources of protein that I try to include in my diet to increase my protein intake, listed below in order of the amount of protein they provide.  

Per 100g:

Chicken:                                                             165 calories               31g protein

Whey protein shake (pro start):                       120 calories               20g protein

Ham:                                                                   124 calories               17g protein

Whey protein shake (Holland and Barrett):       83 calories               16.6g protein

Chickpeas:                                                         125 calories               6.4g protein

Pinto beans:                                                         86 calories               4.9g protein

Milk (semi Skimmed):                                         47 calories               3.6g protein

Peanut butter:                                                       90 calories               3.5g protein 
Nuts:                                                       approx 500 calories   approx 20g protein
Eggs:                                                                   155 calories            12.6g protein
Mackerel:                                                            206 calories             18.8g protein

All nutritional information in this article is taken from http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ either using a generic description for the mentioned food or the specific brand or type that I would regularly eat. 

which I use to track and monitor my diet when I fell like keeping a closer eye on what I am eating or when I want to make my self feel really bad about the large amounts of calories I have consumed. 

I would recommend using it especially in its app form as its a clever little resource that can provide a lot of useful information. 

As we all know protein is an important part of a runners diet as we need plenty of the stuff to repair our muscles and keep us strong and healthy through regular training. 

Research tells us that the best sources of protein are those that contain the best balance of amino acids the so called 'building blocks' of protein. Some of the top protein sources that fall into this category include: 

Almonds:                                               578 calories        21.3g protein
Tuna:                                                      126 calories           30g protein
Chocolate skimmed milk:                      76 calories          3.4g protein
Eggs:                                                     155 calories        12.6g protein
Beef:                                                    1200 calories        81.5g protein
Low fat yogurt:                                         63 calories          5.2g protein
Turkey:                                                   104 calories        17.1g protein
Soy Protein:                           approx   400 calories            90g protein
Whey protein:                         approx   400 calories            90g protein  
Salmon:                                                  200 calories            20g protein

Again these figures above are based on Per 100g:

Only three of these 'best' source are listed in my list of my regular sources of protein so I obviously need to change my diet a little to try and incorporate these better sources of protein.

As you can see some of these items are very rich in protein and certainly a lot higher in protein than most of the items on my list. 

How much protein should I be eating? 

Its all well and good knowing all this information but what affect does it have on me? How much protein should I be eating? 

A Runnersworld article suggests a regular runner will need 0.6g of protein per pound of weight. 

So I weight somewhere around 11 stone which works out as around 154 pounds which works out as around 92g per day as a minimum, maybe more when I am training more or on an intensive training day. 

What I need to work out now is how close do I come to meeting this require of 92g+ of protein per day? Unfortunately I haven't been keeping a food diary for ages and my diet is quite different to what it was last time I kept a record so I will try and figure out my protein intake myself. 

Looking at just food that is a good/high protein source my protein intake would look a bit like this if I was on a typical day to eat these protein sources: 

Milk on my cereal:                                                      3g protein

Whey protein shake after training:                         20g protein

Chickpeas with my lunch:                                     12.8g protein

Mackerel with my lunch:                                        17.4g protein

Some almonds as an afternoon snack:                    8g protein

Ham as an evening snack:                                      17g protein

Some peanut butter on toast for my tea:               1.3g protein

                                                                   Total = 79.5g protein

These figures are based on actual serving sizes of what I would actually eat. 

So looking at just the protein rich foods I am not very far off and am pretty impressed with the amount of protein my diet could contain. 

Conclusion 

Do I need to eat more protein? Strategies for eating more protein 

I think I need to be more conscious of always trying to include protein whenever possible into every meal. I already do this by including bean into my pasta or rice dishes for lunch and I need to keep this up as well as regularly snacking on protein rich foods like nuts. Buying and eating more chicken is a definite as well as treating myself to eggs for breakfast a lot more often. 

I definitely need to substitute some of my food choices for options higher in protein such as chicken and beef. This brings me back to my original question about the ham, ham seems to be all well and good but it isn't as protein rich as other meat sources and as discussed isn't that healthy as it is processed and not fresh. 

In an ideal world my perfect protein rich diet would look something like this and would provide me with more than enough protein;

Breakfast:
2 eggs                                                      156 calories     10.8g protein
200g baked beans                                 156 calories       9.6g protein
Mushrooms & tomatoes                           56 calories       7.8g protein

Lunch:
Brown rice                                               216 calories       5g protein
Chicken                                                   102 calories      22.1g protein 
Chickpeas                                              125 calories       6.4g protein
Peppers 39 1.5g protein 

Dinner: 
Homemade potato wedges                  414 calories      12.9g protein
Ham                                                           62 calories       8.5g protein
Salad                                                         16 calories       0.6g protein  

Snacks:
Almonds                                                  137 calories    5g protein
Bananas                                                  100 calories    1.2g protein
Whey protein shake                               120 calories     20g protein
Apple                                                         65 calories     0.3g protein 

                                                  Totals: 1725 calories      110.2g protein

Wow! That is a lot more protein than I was anticipating! This is far from a typical day but is potentially a 'normal' day if you like in terms that although I don't do this every day it is achievable on any given day. 

I know my diet is far from perfect and could be improved in a lot of areas and even the diet scenario outlined above could be improved a lot but I know I am moving in the right direction and my diet has steadily and consistently improved over the last few years. 

So going back to the start of my article I have certainly learnt a lot about protein and my own protein consumption just from thinking about the healthiness of a bit of ham! 

I hope this article was interesting and useful for you to think about your own diet and protein consumption. 

Prep diary for HM 31st May

My pre run diary for me to track my progress and how I felt and prepared in the run up. 

Wed

Exercise: Boot camp wednesday evening

Food diary: brown rice for lunch, flap jack as afternoon snack, small portion of potato wedges in evening.

Physical: 7/10 feeling strong but tired

Nutrition: 8/10 plenty of carbs

Hydration: 7/10 not enough water post bootcamp.

Thur

Exercise: 5K recovery run, stiff and sore but felt good. Not enough time for thorough stretch but did small roller & stretch session before bed.

Food diary: brown rice for lunch, ikea meatballs & mash in evening. Ate late and was stodgy. 

Physical: 8/10 aching and stiff in glutes, hams, hips and lower back but felt good during run and much better after.

Nutrition: 6/10 disappointed with eating stodge other than that good. 

Hydration: 8/10 doing OK but should be drinking more

Fri

Exercise: Gym in AM weights and abs/core, stretch. 

Food diary: Burrito for lunch

Physical: 8/10 felt good

Nutrition: 7/10 good other than 3 pints and a chicken burger on an impromptu night out.  

Hydration: 7/10 tried to drink plenty 

Sat

Post run I had a banana and a flapjack and had a bottle of iso sports drink

Felt good well fuelled and had plenty of energy.

Did 21K in 1 hour 55