When finishing The New York Marathon, the last 10k is the hardest part.  Anderson Peak Performance can help you to be ready to power through to the finish line.  Most of the  last 10k of the Marathon is in Central Park  with hills that look bigger than the Himalayas on race day.  How you run this last 10k of the Marathon is a true reflection on your overall training.  Have you put in the long runs?  Have you done the necessary speed work?  As my long time Coach from Warren Street, Rick Pascarella, always and still says: ” Runner’s start your watch after the first half because that is when the race begins.”

You will need to be in prime physical and mental shape to finish at your personal best.  Have you been diligent about your long training runs over the weekends?  This is now mandatory for you to be in shape for your big day.  I wrote a post on this last week…If you are a first-timer or a back of the packer, you should build up to 30 or 40 miles per week.  This can be done gradually with awareness of your gait and how you feel.  If you miss a run or two because of illness,  injury or a late night at work do not try to make up for lost time.  Just continue on your training program and have fun with it.  During the three weeks before the big race taper down to allow your body to build up energy.  Veteran Marathoners can build up to 40 to 70+ miles per week.

In between running days, it is important to do cross-training and speed work.  You may want to have a running Coach or Club.  I am a huge fan of both and highly recommend one or the other.  You have the accountability of having several running partners as well as being pushed to work harder by those that are faster. The camaraderie and friendships are for a lifetime.  Also, spending time with like-minded individuals that have a common goal in mind is priceless.  Another option is to follow a plan like a virtual training program like NikePlus.  Stay healthy by eating right, hydrating, stretching, icing and resting.  Once a week, allow time to rest and recover.

Many runners skip the warm up stretches, but I believe a quick series of stretches will allow your muscles to relax for your run.   Try to give yourself five or ten minutes to allow for muscle flexibility.   There is a great article in Runner’s World about Marathon stretching.  If you are tense before or during your run try to shake it off.  If you are holding tension in your muscles you are inadvertently making them work too hard.  This will effect your fatigue level at the end of the race.

Have you ever seen a fellow runner shuffling across the finish line?  This is because of quadriceps fatigue.  The quads lift your knees and provide speed and sometimes after a hard race they cannot lift your feet off the ground with efficiency.  Stretching your quads before a race can help to avoid this.  REMEMBER TO BEND YOUR KNEES AND PICK UP YOUR FEET…no Marathon shuffle…save that for the day after the Marathon!

When you start off, resist the urge to run too fast to make up time at the beginning.  I know the crowd is cheering you on,  however you should maintain a pace that expends your energy in a way that will enable you to have fuel stores for the grueling last miles of the race.  In last weeks post I wrote “It is important to understand the way your body burns carbohydrate and fat calories during these long runs.  If you maintain your bodies carbohydrate levels then you will burn your fat stores before burning and expending your carb stores  (known as glycogen stores).  If you get too excited and set off at the beginning of a long run at too fast a pace your body will skip the fat burning and go right for the carbohydrate burning – causing you to “hit the wall” when you run out of glycogen in the muscle tissue in your legs.”   This is a mistake made by many first time Marathoners.

Are you carrying extra weight?  Think of this as carrying a sack (or a few) of potatoes on your back.  Wouldn’t it be easier if you didn’t have that extra burden?  CoolRunning.com has a great post on the runner’s ideal diet. While training some runner’s like to run with Training Belts for their fluids and food.  You can depend on the local water supply, or plan the week’s route and hide your own water bottles along the course.  You can also participate in the long training runs sponsored by NYRR  in Central Park.

Post race remember to replenish your lost fuel by eating something within 45 minutes of your finish.  Once again, I recommend chocolate milk.  It has the perfect ratio of carbs:protiens.  Have you noticed fellow racers squatting after a race?  A squat can be a quick and effective way to loosen up.  It is important to keep your knees and ankles in line, and ideally hold onto something or someone while squatting to avoid tipping.   Squatting is good for your back, legs and hips and is a great way to introduce fresh blood flow into your tired muscles.  Stretch out gently and avoid bouncing.   Taking care of yourself before and after the Big Day will make your experience even better.

If you have questions on our recommendations or for enhanced performance and injury prevention through Chiropractic please do not hesitate to call our office at 212-581-9317. Check out our facebook page and my Twitter account.

I am on your team,

Dr. A