24 hour pre marathon guide what should you do

Editor's Note:For many marathon beginners, what should be paid attention to in the preparation before the marathon? This article is written by @Xiaolei Jack from Codoon, who has rich offline competition experience, hoping to help more friends who want to participate in the marathon.

1About Diet 

The diet the day before the competition must pay attention to balanced nutrition, with as many varieties as possible, and a large amount of sugar supplementation, especially high-carbohydrate foods, such as various staple foods, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., to avoid loss of appetite caused by single ingredients. There are also various fruits and vegetables, jams, and peanut butter which also have good effects. Before the competition, try to choose easily digestible foods to avoid adding extra burden to the stomach and intestines. For example, breakfast can choose various easily absorbable porridge, with staple foods such as steamed buns, bread, etc., and then with jam and fruits.

Super compensation, full meal, and carbohydrates. Researchers have long discovered that if the human body does not get carbohydrates for a few days and then is given a large amount of carbohydrates, the glycogen produced by the muscles may increase by more than 30%, resulting in: 1. More energy production; 2. The state of energy exhaustion in the body can be delayed! The method is to supplement carbohydrates three days before the competition, such as bread, cakes, pasta, sweet potatoes. It does not mean that other protein foods are completely not eaten, but only the proportion of nutritional components of the food is changed! Lunch and dinner should also ensure balanced nutrition and a variety of types, but try to avoid greasy food.

In addition, many runners leave home to participate in competitions in other cities, and may attend some gatherings with friends or family dinners, which inevitably involve rich food or drinking. However, the pre-competition diet should be mainly balanced, economical, and practical, avoiding greasy food and alcohol. Greasy food will burden the stomach and intestines and affect the competition state. The types of food should be similar to those on the competition day to give the stomach and intestines time to adapt and avoid gastrointestinal problems.

  Recommended Diet

Assuming the competition day is June 6: June 1-3: ① Try to consume more protein and vegetables (fish, lean meat, eggs, and milk are good choices). ② Try to eat less carbohydrate foods such as rice, bread, noodles. ③ Ensure at least 2 bananas a day to supplement fructose.

6June 4-5: ① Eat more carbohydrate foods (such as rice, noodles, bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, wheat). ② Eat less meat, appropriately match with fresh vegetables. ③ From now on, it is best to avoid spicy and stimulating foods, reduce fat intake, and avoid social gatherings that require drinking. Key point: actively prepare for the competition and reserve energy.

Tips: Pre-competition glycogen storage method - 3+3 principle: that is, low-sugar diet for the first three days and high-sugar diet for the last three days, which can effectively increase glycogen reserves.

2About Sleep

Good rest is half the success. At least 8 hours of adequate sleep is needed the night before the competition to be energetic the next day and face the challenge. Almost all marathon events start at 7 or 8 in the morning, and the check-in starts two hours before the start. Adding the time for breakfast and departure from the hotel, runners need to reserve at least one extra hour. In other words, runners should get up three hours before the competition. Then, counting back 8 hours, runners should go to sleep around 9 pm the night before. Some runners, especially beginners, are easily excited and nervous, leading to insomnia. Besides relaxing, they can also take a hot bath before bed or take half a sleeping pill to ensure sleep.Or take half a sleeping pill to ensure sleep.

3About Equipment

① Shoes: Runners need a pair of professional running shoes. Do not take chances because the marathon is a long-distance running event, and any slight discomfort will be magnified by the long distance and time, causing injury and pain. However, it is not recommended for runners to wear new shoes for the competition because shoes have a break-in period. In principle, new shoes should be run at least 50 kilometers before being worn in the competition.

② Clothes: Runners need to understand the weather on the competition day in advance. Besides checking for extreme weather (rain, snow, smog, etc.), they should also pay attention to the temperature on that day. It is best to wear shorts and short sleeves on the competition day because the body will heat up when running, and too thick clothes are not conducive to heat dissipation. However, if it is rainy or snowy, you can add compression clothes and pants and prepare a disposable raincoat. A disposable raincoat is a very useful small item that can keep you warm and waterproof in rainy and snowy weather. If participating in a polar marathon in a very cold environment, you can add a windbreaker over the compression clothes.

③ Magic Scarf: A magic scarf is also a very useful small item. It can be wrapped around the wrist to wipe sweat at any time, and when the weather is too cold, it can be wrapped around the neck to avoid the cold wind attacking the throat.

④ Underwear: Whether male or female, close-fitting clothing must be carefully selected during the competition. Underwear and bras should not have wrinkles, labels, or threads, otherwise, nearly 40,000 times of friction in a marathon will cause skin abrasions and bleeding. To protect the chest, girls need professional sports bras, and boys need to prepare nipple patches. If there is a feeling of friction, you can prepare Vaseline to apply to the skin, which can also reduce some friction.

⑤ Glasses: In extreme rain, snow, or windy weather, many nearsighted runners will find their glasses either wet or foggy, making it difficult to see. At this time, protective glasses are crucial. Runners can prepare windproof or waterproof glasses to cope with such bad weather. Also, I do not recommend wearing contact lenses for the competition. Because whether it is rain, snow, or sweat entering the eyes, it will cause eye hygiene problems. Combined with rubbing the eyes with fingers, the eyes are likely to become inflamed. Contact lenses will aggravate inflammation and easily cause eye congestion.

⑥ Masks, gloves (sometimes ear muffs): Running in winter, keeping warm is crucial. Sprinting for four or five hours in the cold wind can easily cause frostbite, especially in areas with poor peripheral blood circulation such as the ears and hands. Preparing masks and gloves can also help transition from overly cold air and not overly stimulate the lungs.

⑦ Sunscreen, sun hat: If the weather is hot and sunny on the competition day, runners need to prepare sunscreen and a sun hat. After all, news of sunburns from running is not uncommon, and we need to take precautions in advance. If the sunlight is too dazzling, you can also prepare sunglasses.

⑧ Other equipment: Essential items such as number bibs and timing chips must be prepared before going to bed to avoid a rush the next morning. There are also sports watches and mobile phones for taking photos, which can be prepared in advance according to personal circumstances. Girls need to prepare hair ties or headbands because long and loose hair will increase wind resistance, which is not conducive to running.

4About Supplies

① Water: Drink more than 2 liters of water every day 3-4 days before the competition to keep your body hydrated. Although general marathon events have supply points, they are often every five kilometers. For amateur runners, following the main group often results in overcrowded supply points, wasting time and easily bumping into others or being bumped. Moreover, in the five kilometers without supply points, if you feel thirsty and want to drink water but do not have water or sports drinks, it will be troublesome. You can prepare water yourself - for example, Coach Ge himself will prepare a small 250ml bottle and pour out half of the water before starting. I do not recommend carrying a full bottle of water because for every 1kg increase in weight, the pace will decrease by 1%. Carrying a small amount of water is the best because if the supply point is crowded, you can skip it; if the supply point is not crowded, you can fill the small bottle with water, which is very flexible.

The principle of hydration is not to replenish pure water but to use sports drinks instead; small amounts multiple times, preferably not exceeding 100ml each time, and replenish about 500-800ml throughout the competition. Excessive hydration is not conducive to the competition and can easily cause water intoxication.

② Energy gels: Usually, carrying 3-4 energy gels is enough to complete the competition. People with poor physical strength can carry 4, supplementing at 10km, 20km, 30km, and 35km. Experienced runners can carry 3, supplementing at 15km, 25km, and 35km. Energy gels should not be supplemented too much because some energy gels contain nerve-stimulating ingredients such as caffeine, which is not conducive to post-competition rest if ingested too much. Moreover, some runners are allergic to caffeine and need to choose carefully.

③ Salt tablets: If the weather is hot on the competition day or if you sweat a lot, you need to carry salt tablets to supplement sodium ions. Generally, 2-3 tablets are enough. Runners who sweat a lot can supplement according to 10km, 20km, and 35km, while those who sweat less can supplement according to 15km and 30km.

④ Huoxiang Zhengqi Water: If the weather is too hot and you are afraid of heatstroke, you can drink a small bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water 20-30 minutes before the competition, which is very effective in preventing heatstroke.

⑤ Bananas or small bread: You can eat a banana or a small piece of bread 30 minutes before the competition to supplement energy because energy gels do not have a sense of fullness. Eating something can increase the sense of fullness and provide some psychological comfort. ⑥ Tissues: Since marathon competitions start early, combined with the time for warm-up and check-in, runners will inevitably be exposed to the cold morning air for a long time. If the warm-up is not sufficient, the cold air can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Bringing a few packs of tissues can prevent such sudden situations.

⑦ Money: It is best to carry some change during the marathon competition. If you encounter a situation where there is no supply or you are hungry, you can buy something at a convenience store along the way.

⑧ Special supplement Kijintan: Kijintan is a Japanese sports supplement tablet that can effectively prevent lactic acid accumulation and avoid delayed muscle soreness when supplemented before and during the competition.

5About Site Inspection

Site inspection before the competition is very important. If conditions permit, runners should go to the site to inspect. At least, they need to know the starting point, ending point, important supply points, and special locations (such as toilets, slopes, etc.) of the entire event to be well-prepared and calmly deal with possible emergencies.

6About Warm-up

On the competition day, sufficient warm-up before the competition is very important. Sufficient warm-up can help runners quickly enter the exercise state, reduce muscle viscosity, increase muscle elasticity, and reduce the occurrence of injuries.

7Others

It is best to go to the toilet before entering the competition venue because there are too many people during the competition. Although there are mobile toilets along the way, there will be long queues, so it is very important to solve 'personal problems' in advance.

1About diet, do not eat food that you have never seen or rarely eaten. Some runners may go to other places to participate in marathons and cannot help but try local famous snacks while traveling. However, these unfamiliar or rarely tried ingredients may bring some safety hazards.

2Reduce the intake of carbonated drinks and do not drink alcohol. Carbonated drinks may cause stomach bloating, which is not conducive to the competition state. Drinking alcohol before the competition will have a certain impact on mental and physical state, which is not conducive to creating an ideal PB.

3Avoid high-intensity training or heavy physical labor. Whether it is running training or strength training, the intensity should not be too high to avoid excessive fatigue or delayed muscle soreness, which will affect the competition state. However, you can do cross-relaxation training, such as swimming. The week before the competition is a key period for reducing volume and allowing muscle recovery. Do not train hard anymore. Overtraining this week will only make you tired during the competition and will not help improve your level. The competition results reflect the training of the previous quarter and the performance on the day, and have little to do with whether you worked hard in the last week. For runners participating in half marathons, the training volume in the week before the competition should not exceed 12km, and for full marathons, it should not exceed 25km. 4-5 days before the competition, half marathon participants can do a 3-5km race pace run, and full marathon participants can do an 8-10km race pace run.

Purpose: ①. Check your cardiopulmonary performance under high-intensity exercise and find some hidden dangers.

②. Test all the equipment and shoes you will wear on the competition day.

4In large competitions, there are many people and cars, which can easily cause congestion. Do not crowd with the group. In the middle of the competition, pay attention to your own pace. Do not blindly 'overtake' because of a strong sense of competitiveness, which will not only disrupt your own pace but also easily bring danger.

5Do what you can. If you feel any physical discomfort, do not force yourself. Immediately change running to walking slowly or seek help from volunteers. Why do marathon competitions or long-distance trail runs frequently have incidents, even life-threatening ones? Besides some event organization or natural climate conditions, more reasons come from oneself, from the participants' attitude towards the competition.

Amateur participants participate in the competition to enjoy the process and scenery along the way, not to challenge their physiological and psychological limits. Therefore, sufficient preparation is needed before the competition, and most of the time during the competition, you must be in a relatively comfortable state. The really intense and difficult stage usually appears after 35 kilometers. At this time, persistence under the premise of ensuring physical health is a different experience for yourself. This can ensure that the competition leaves almost all good memories for the runners.

6Do not stay up late, rest early. Adjust your psychological state, do not be overly nervous, and maintain a normal mindset to be your best self.

(This article is originally created by Codoon users. If you need to reprint it, please contact Codoon editor.)