Training During and After A Marathon
Here are some training tips to consider during and following a marathon:
During a Race
Most coaches recommend maintaining as steady a running pace as possible.
Don’t overdrink. If you drink more water than you lose during a race, it’ll decrease the sodium concentration in your blood, which can lead to vomiting, seizures, coma, and in extreme cases, death. Eating salt packets is a tactic often used a race to alleviate this problem. Drinking sports drinks or eating salty snacks can also reduce this risk.
Other no nos include the taking of non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxyn, and also don’t ingest any new food or medicine just before or during a race.
After a Marathon
Take plenty of vitamin C after a race, which will decrease the risk of sinus infections which can sometimes occur following a marathon. Expect to experience muscle soreness during the week following a race – which can be alleviated with different types of mild exercise and / or massage.
Make sure to ingest plenty of carbs to replace glycogen and protein lost during a marathon. Another consideration is to soak your lower half of the body for approximately 20 minutes in cold or ice water, which can forces blood through the leg muscles and consequently speed up recovery.
Another Risk to Monitor
The risk of having a fatal heart attack during, or in the period 24 hours following a marathon, is approximately 1 in 50,000 across an runner’s racing career, according to one study. In 2006, a study comprised of 60 non-elite marathon participants put runners through their paces, testing them for certain proteins which indicate heart dysfunction or damage following a marathon, and also gave them ultrasound scans before and just following a race. This study revealed that runners who had done less than 35 miles per week training before the race were more inclined to display heart damage or dysfunction, whereas runners who had done more than 45 miles per week training before a race displayed fewer or no heart problems.
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