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.

Depending on the distance it might be a good idea to tweak your nutrition slightly the day before the race. Especially if the race is 10km or longer. Avoid fatty foods and stick to mostly carbohydrates and light proteins that you know your stomach likes. Good sources of carbs that don't upset most tummies are for example: rice, sweet potatoes, oats and fruits. On the competition day you need a proper breakfast with mostly carbs and some protein independent of the distance. During the race day you can add faster sources of carbs like dried fruit or banana up until 1,5h before the race. Staying well hydrated is also important but don´t drink too much just before the race.

Lastly, you need a proper warmup before the race. 15min light jogging to make the blood flow, 3 short sprint drills to activate the nervous system and some light jogging again to make sure that the heart rate goes down again. Finish it off with some light dynamic stretches and rotations. Remember to keep your body warm with small jumps, walks and shakes until the race begins. Good Luck!