I don’t know if any of the advice I’ve given in my previous journals has been helpful to anyone but I thought I would throw in a little more advice for anyone who wants it. Everyone always writes about training and workouts but equally important for me are all the “little things” that actually add up to quite a big thing in terms of performance. So here’s a list, in no particular order, of things I would consider important.
- Diet – I’ve been a vegetarian for years and it works for me. It may not be for you but you should at least avoid junk food. Before a lot of meets, I often see many runners eating chips, candy, or even a bacon sandwich. I actually think eating healthy food is the single most important thing you can do. Your weight will most certainly drop, which is always good for a distance runner.
- Pre-race meal – the night before a race I generally have the usual pasta dinner. The morning of a race I try to eat at least 3 hours before race time – no fatty foods. Oatmeal, a bagel, and a banana are good.
- Drink – I try to drink water most of the time and avoid soda.
- Recovery Drink – after a hard work out, I drink a glass of chocolate milk. This supposedly helps muscles repair more rapidly but it has to be done within 15 minutes of the end of the workout. And yes, I realize this sort of completely goes against what I said about diet.
- Running Log – I have kept a running log ever since 10th grade. It is a great way to go back and compare what you did with what you’re doing now so you can see what worked and what didn’t.
- GU – even though it tastes gross I always eat a GU 20 minutes before a race. I don’t really know if it works but I guess it doesn’t hurt. You can buy it at most running stores.
Okay, that’s all for now. For those of you who have post season races coming up, good luck and enjoy. For those of you who don’t, I’ll see you in spring on the track!
Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant.
~Billy.
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