How to prepare for a running competition

With these tips you make sure that your body is in the best possible shape when it´s time for you to run a race!

The week before your race it’s important to minimise stress and extra walking. Take it easy and enjoy throwing the legs up on the sofa after the working day and training sessions! No is not the time to go for a shopping spree. 
Also, make sure that you sleep enough during the whole week, consider adding extra naps.

7-4 days before a competition it´s still ok to do a light sports massage to help your muscles to relax. However, avoid deep tissue or vigorous massage. (Remember to stay hydrated and rest after the massage.) If massage is not a possibility, a mobility and stretching session also makes wonders.

During this period, it’s also good to add an easy strength training session. Use light to no weights whatsoever and some explosive movement patterns. Avoid making your muscles sore. Your aim is to activate the nervous system and muscle fibres and get the blood flowing.

3-1 days before the competition you put even more emphasis on relaxing and resting. The training sessions are short and easy. You want to keep the muscles active and ready but still fully recovered. It’s however still good to get your body and feet used to the competition speed. By adding short drills of your aimed competition speed you’ll find the pace on the race day more easily.

It’s also good to tune into your body. If you know you have problems with tight hip flexors or with rotating the upper body it´s good to do some stretching and mobilisation of those areas. Keep it light however, you don’t want to overstretch anything just before the race.

Make fun your priority!

Studies shown that people that find exercising fun eat less calories than those who don´t find exercising to be fun. This relates to the fact that active people and inactive people think of exercise in different ways.

People in general want to be happy and successful in life, right? And studies have shown that the things that make people happy has the same characteristics both in inactive and active people: The things that make them happy relaxes them, and makes them feel like they are achieving something in life.

However, inactive people tend to believe that exercising has to be “sweaty, hard and exhausting” and something that is a must. Meaning that they don’t find it relaxing and fun to do. Inactive people also usually see exercise as a way of losing weight. Those weight loss “projects” are often associated with stress and a feeling of not being enough, meaning it’s not relaxing and stress free.

Active people, however, see exercise more as something fun and relaxing to do that gives them enjoyment in life. They also don’t tend to stress over if they have to skip a training or two and are therefore more relaxed about exercising. They don’t exercise because it’s a must or because they want to lose weight. They simply do it because it’s fun.

Now what has this fun versus not fun to do with eating more calories? 

Well, we all knows what tends to happen if we have done something we don’t like, and that thing also has been exhausting. Yes, we treat ourselves with something nice. Perhaps with a good meal or ice-cream for desert? 

Active people tend to eat as normally after exercise because they don’t feel like they are in need of treating themselves for having done something fun.

So my message with these studies is simply: Stress less and do the things that make you happy.

I am absolutely positive that there is one exercise form that fits everyone. And exercise must certainly NOT be exhausting and sweat dripping. The important thing is that you move your body in some kind of form. That you make use of that fantastic body of yours that you got. May it be walking, pilates, dancing, running, boxing or weightlifting. There is something for everyone, you just have to try your way forward and find your calling.

Michelle Segar, Jennifer M. Taber, Heather Patrick, Chan L. Thai, April Oh. Rethinking physical activity communication: using focus groups to understand women’s goals, values, and beliefs to improve public health. BMC Public Health, 2017; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4361-1

Werle, C.O.C., Wansink, B. & Payne, C.R. Is it fun or exercise? The framing of physical activity biases subsequent snacking. Mark Lett (2015) 26: 691. doi:10.1007/s11002-014-9301-6