Great Lake Relay – Are You Ready?

So you’ve entered as part of a team for the Great Lake Relay, Taupo, and with one week to go, the nerves have settled in and you’re wondering if you are actually prepared for this? Don’t panic, here are a few tips to make sure you get prepared for the event and enjoy it too.

Training

At this late stage the training should have been done and you should be winding things down to rest your body for Race Day. You don’t want to be squeezing in a few extra sessions last minute because starting an event tired is no way to enjoy it. You want to be refreshed and ready to go.

Race Day Warm-Up

You should have a warm-up routine already in place and it should involve 3 phases:

1. Walk before you run – start with some easy walking or jogging to warm your muscles and increase blood flow.

2. Point Massage – if you have any niggling or tight muscles try some self massage with short. light strokes to ease the tension.

3. Be dynamic – finish with some dynamic exercises to ensure your joints are ready to go. Examples are: hip circles, walking lunges, butt kicks or leg swings.

Shoes

These days there are many different types of running shoes from Traditional runners to Minimalist (Vibrams) and Extra Cushioned (Hoka). Choosing the right shoe for you can be a minefield, minimalists can take time to adapt to, Hokas are great for older runners. It’s best to visit your local sports shoe store to get assessment and advice from the professionals. They will measure your feet to get the right fit and watch you walking/running to assess your arch movement to determine the degree of support your foot needs.

The right running shoes can make a huge difference in comfort, performance and reducing the risk of injury. Your shoes need to be in healthy condition, not too worn out from all the training. It’s also not a great idea to try out a new pair of shoes on Event Day either, even if you are buying the same model make sure you have a few training runs in them first to ensure no new blisters on Event Day.

Apparel

What you wear can affect your enjoyment of the event. Here are a few tips:

1. Comfort is paramount – whether it’s tight or baggy you need to feel comfortable and ensure clothing doesn’t rub and cause discomfort. Wear clothing you have run in before, race day is not the time to try something new.

2. It’s important to stay dry as possible, especially at night. There are some great modern synthetic and wool fabrics that ‘wick’ the sweat away from your skin. When you get sweaty you get wet and then cold, not good.

3. Thin layers are handy as you can take them off or put them on according to the temperature, helpful when it gets cold at night or hot during the day. You may also need a beanie and gloves at night as it is getting much cooler at night now.

4. Other things to consider may be some kind of reflective tape/clothing and a head torch if you are doing one of the night legs.

Nutrition

What you eat and drink before, during and after the event is important and can have a big impact on your performance and recovery.

1. Eat a moderate carbohydrate and protein meal 2-3 hours before the event so your gut has time to digest.

2. Have a small, easily digestible snack (eg. banana) 30-60 minutes before the start.

3. Don’t eat too much fibre or protein during the event as it takes longer to digest and you don’t want to end up with cramps or other gut disturbances while participating.

4. During the event eat easily digestible foods such as fruit, protein bars or sports gels. Make sure you have tested them out before race day.

Fluids

1. Make sure you are well hydrated the day before your event, your urine should be clear.

2. Have some fluid 90 minutes and visit the toilet before you start. You don’t want to be searching for a portaloo after the first 5 minutes.

3. Water is not enough especially if it is hot and you are sweating, you need to replace minerals too. Use an electrolyte drink that you have already tested.

4. During the event have small, regular mouthfuls as they are more readily assimilated by the gut and less likely to end up in your bladder, resulting in fewer trips off the side of the course into the bush toilet.

5. When celebrating after a successful finish, remember to hydrate with water and eat first before hitting the after match function.

Recovery

The right recovery post-event will ensure you can get back into training for that next event you signed up for in the euphoria of the finish line.

The goals of a good recovery are to return the body to its natural resting state, flush out waste products and to maintain healthy muscle function.

1. Cool down – take an easy jog or walk for 10-20 minutes. This lowers the Heart Rate to resting state and removes lactic acid from your body by keeping blood flowing.

2. Hydrate/Refuel – eat a carbohydrate and protein meal 20-30 minutes post race to replenish fluids and muscle glycogen and to help repair muscle damage.

3. Flush it out – flush out metabolic waste with alternating hot and cold therapy (in the shower) or a lymphatic drainage massage.

4. Release and lengthen – the following day do some stretching and/or foam roller to release any lingering muscle tension.

Being prepared will ensure you feel confident, perform well and really enjoy the event, after all, that’s what it’s all about.

Have fun out there and celebrate well!