What to do the week of a half marathon?

SailorSarah311

Hi everyone,

I'm running a half marathon in May, and it will be my first one. Go me! I have a few questions about what to do to prepare the week before the big day. What types of foods should I eat to help me? I know that carbs are good the night before, but should I eat them all week? I know to drink plenty of fluids. Should I train harder that week or take it easy? What types of foods should I eat on race day? I want to be well prepared, so any tips or suggestions would help a lot. Thanks!

HMVOL7409

The week before you should be tapering not training harder. Are you following a plan? You will only do 1-2 short tempo runs, 30 mins top. Some run the day before to loosen up their legs some walk. I walked bc I had to go to the expo the day before for packet pickup and its s circus so I spent a lot of time walking. Everyone is different and has different ideas on carbs and food intake. I increased my carbs 2 days prior so I wasn't loading up the day or night before as it leaves me sluggish. What you eat on race day should not be any different than what you currently eat for your long runs; don't experiment or try anything new this week food or training wise. Good luck!

SteveTries

Taper your running down. lower miles and lower intensity.

For 2 days before your run make sure you're eating a good volume of carbs to top off energy stores - probably not an issue if you aren't on a calorie restricted or low carb diet. You don't need more cals than normal, just a higher concentration of carbs.

Day before the race be sure and drink plenty of water and trim your toe nails.

On race day stop drinking 1 hour before the start, continue to go the toilet. About 10 mins before the race drink 100-200ml.

If it's raining, wear a cap with a peak to keep the rain off your face. Take a poncho or a big garbage bag you can use as a poncho.

Have a lot of fun. It's such a blast and the feeling as you hear the cheering at the finish line is amazing.

Enjoy

SailorSarah311

Thanks for these tips. I can't wait till race day. I'm not running competitively because it's my first time, so I plan on having fun.

sportzmom23

Love the answers, These were my biggest questions also! Running my first in May, and just want to be prepared. Used to run races in high school, oh so long ago, this will be my first competitive race in about 25 years YIKES!