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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Ready for the marathon?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m getting hyped for Sunday’s marathon.
A year ago today was the inaugural ING. The pre-race excitement of hanging out at Woodruff Park with my family is coming back to me.
It was dark that morning as people gathered. The weather was already balmy. The Kenyan runners were doing practice runs around the park. And I was bouncing on my toes humming the theme to “Rocky.”
Are you ready for Sunday? When is your last run before race?
I have slight soreness and a small knot on my thigh and don’t plan to run again until the marathon. My brother, who’s my primary race adviser, has ordered me to get a massage, and for peace of mind have a doctor check out my leg. (Regular doses of Advil have already helped too.)
As we’ve said before, trainer Gayle Barron recommends two to three massages before marathons to release built-up lactic acid.
She’s also big on ice baths after long runs to relieve soreness.
“If you fill the tub with tap water and then take a bucket of ice from the fridge and gradually add it in; it will take all the soreness out of your muscles,” she says. “It’s hard to stay in there but you will be rejuvenated.”
You all will have to tell me about that one. I flee from extreme coldness.
Atlanta Chiropractor Dr. Norman Eng, who’s volunteered in medical tents at New York City marathons, advises ING Georgia runners to be mindful of common issues that kick in when they hit the “wall” late in the race.
He recommends at least 15 minutes of lower extremity stretches before and after long runs.
“Those are the areas where I worked on most during the race,” he says.
He also urges runners like me who lose a lot of sodium while running to carry salt packs and gels.
“In basic terms, If you are drinking too much water and sweating a considerable amount, your salt levels drop and you can get sick,” Eng says. [Or vomit like I did at the end of last year’s race.]
For more info click this link to the New England Journal of Medicine.
MORE: PEACHTREE ROAD RACE INFO. State of the Art Marathon Training. USA Fit/Team Spirit. Active Trainer. Atlanta Track Club. Road Rules. ING Georgia Marathon.
