If you are one of the 60,000 who plan to participate in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race, here are some training tips provided by Atlanta Track Club and Reebok Training spokeswoman Carrie Tollefson.
If you haven’t been training, it is not too late. Continue to build up your mileage until the week before the race. A week before the race, taper off and let your legs get refreshed to build up to the 10K.
Here are guidelines now that we are a little more than four weeks from the Fourth of July race.
Come up with a plan and stay active
If you have been training, the next two weeks are the time to push the envelope, and the last two weeks stay hydrated.
Push the intensity of your workouts by adding in hills, speed work and tempo runs (running at race pace).
If you are injured or hurt
It is time for cross training. Get off your feet and switch to some non-impact activities that still get a cardiovascular workout in. Some great options are bike, swim or elliptical.
Run in the heat
Get yourself acclimated to the heat by making sure to include at least two training runs outside. Plan your runs in the early morning or later in the evening to avoid the midday heat. Gradual exertion in the heat in the days leading to the event will help your body acclimate to the warmer temperatures.
Practice on the course
During June, Atlanta Track Club volunteers will provide a water station near the halfway point on the course, just past Peachtree Battle in front of Benihana. The water station will be available every Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m.-10 a.m.
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