BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A MARATHON

1) The week before the competition

A week prior to the race, the scope and the intensity of training should be reduced significantly, Runs at this point serve mainly to calm your nerves and conscience. Now there's only one mistake left to make: too much training! Just stick to your training plan and nothing can go wrong.

Diet during the week prior to the competition

Over the last 3-4 days before the race, "super carbo-loading" takes place: complex, wholesome carbohydrates and high fluid intake (3l daily). It's best to eat fresh carbohydrates (in the form of fruist spritzers, fruit, vegetables, salad, potatoes, pasta, etc.) and some protein (e.g. low-fat quark or two scrambled eggs).

Carbo-loading replenishes the carbohydrate stores in the muscles and liver. Whereas carbohydrate stores in the muscles are still filled to the brim the morning of the competition, night time heat production and brain activity deplete the carbohydrate stores in the liver over night. These live deposits have to be replenished the morning of the competition to prevent fatigue and poor performance.

The "pasta party" usually takes place the night before the race and also serves to replenish carbohydrate stores (glycogen), the size of which forms the basis of your performance in the marathon. Take care not to diminish the relative carbohydrate portion of the meal with a sauce high in fat content. Our tip: The ideal time for the pasta party is two days before the race. Over the last days avoid foods that could cause gas (e.g. beans, onions)!

Toenails and shoes

It is very important to cut your toenails two days before the run. And please make sure that your shoes are big enough. During the race, feet can expand a whole shoe size and there should still be enough space for push off. The wrong choice of shoes can lead to blisters and blue toes or even inflammations.

2) Competition day

Getting up

You should get up at least three or four hours before the start time. You need this time to get yourself in good form and to enjoy a stree-free breakfast. Often you'll also still have a few organisational details to take care of. A tip: A refreshing shower (alternating between warm and cold) stimulates circulation.

Breakfast

The marathon breakfast should be high in carbohydrates, not too rich and easy to digest. Finish eating breakfast at least 2 hours before the start of the race. A typical competition breakfast: white bread with jam or honey. It is better to avoid dairy products and fruit. Coffee and tea dehydrate, so you should always consume about the same quantity of water at the same time. Drink one litre of (still) mineral water up to two hours before start time. In the two hours before the race, limit your water intake to occasional sips. This will save you a trip to the bushes/toilets during the marathon.

Clothing and necessary material

Nipples can chafe, become inflamed or bleed when they come into contact with rough running shirts and sweat. If you have already experienced this intraining, you should definitely cover your nipples with tape. Rub chafing zones (airpits, inner thighs) with Vaseline. Caps protect from both the cold and intensive sunshine. If you're not sure about wearing a cap, you can still decide at the starting line and put the cap in your clothing pouch if you want. Socks should be neither new nor freshly washed. Wear the socks during warm-up the day before. Your socks should not have thick seams, should be a comfortable fit and should not slip. Your own personal sponge (for hygienic reasons), used to cool yourself down at every available water station, is very important!

Measuring time and pulse

If you attach a timing chip to your shoelaces the day before the race, test run your shoes one more time to ensure there are no pressure spots.

Timing

Timing doesn't begin until hyou have crossed the start line ("net time"). In bigger marathons, 10 minutes or more can go by after the guy has been fired before your actual start. Save your energy as long as you can! Don't forget your own stopwatch on competition day and wait until you've crossed the line to start it. It is your most important control element to ensure that you do not start off too quickly. Check your times for each of the first five kilometres and, if necessary, adjust your speed accordingly.

"Keep cool" for these first five kilometres and whatever you do, don't start off too fast. It's better to start off a little slower than your target marathon speed, keeping the fat burning zone as high as possible right from the start and saving glycogen (storage from of glucose) for the difficult last kilometres.

Heart rate monitor

Using a heart rate monitor in competition in problematic as the values are seldom objective. First of all, the normal pre-start condition changes the heart rate considerably. Later on in the race, usually at around 90 to 120 minutes, the heart rate increases due to increasing dehydration and increased core body temperature anyway, It's your decision whether or not you want to burden yourself with a heart rate monitor.

Warm-up

Warm-up serves partly to stimulate the organs, heart circulation, breathing and muscular metabolism, and partly to prevent injury. A long warm-up is not necessary. Warm-up prior to a marathon can be limited to five 100-150 m intervals. In addition, a short, toning stretch programme to prepare muscles for the competition is advisable. Perform each stretch for approx. 3-5 seconds and then release.

Drinking

On the morning of the competition, drink small amounts on a regular basis. Drink another 0.3 to 0.5 litres of a drink containing minerals about 20 to 30 minutes before the start. Unfortunately, water supply to runners is insufficient in nearly all marathongs. 95% of the time you will get pure tap water, which is not nearly enough to deliver a constant competitive performance. In addition to various minerals (especially natrium, magnesium and calcium), the ideal competition drink also contains carbohydrates (about 50 - 60g per litre). Most sports drinks contain all of these. When running a marathon you should begin drinking 30 minutes after starting the race. Four, 150-250 ml cups of a drink high in carbohydrates should be consumed per hour during the race.

Natrium (in the form of natrium bicarbonate or table salt) is important to maintain muscle function and to prevent cramps. The body can lose up to one gram of natrium per hour of exertion. Water, cola and apple juice contain practically no natrium and what's more, these low-natrium drinks (hypotonic) increase the urge to pass water. Good sports drinks contain at least 600 mg of natrium per litre. Additional doses of magnesium have no effect during sport and should always be taken afterwards.

Our tip: Waters with high mineral content are highly recommended. Isotonic sport drinks are also ideal, although expensive. If you'd rather mix your own drink, combine 250 ml fruit juice with 750 ml mineral water and add a pinch of salt (0.5 to 1g).

Nutrition during competition

Replenish all stores once more before the start of the race. A 0.5 to 1 g supply of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight is the rule of thumb in terms of food intake half an hour before race start. That will maintain your blood sugar level. An energy bar does well to fit the bill.

60 g of carbohydrates hould be consumed hourly during the race. That is the equivalent of approx. 2 gel packs or one energy bar. Some find it difficult to consume this much but, due to high consumption during the run, we strongly recommend that you do so in order hitting "the wall"! There are only sufficient glycogen stores (carbohydrates) to last a miximum of 60 to 120 minutes into the marathon! In case of inadequate nutrition, your performance will suffer or stop dead.

And if you want to reach these amounts purely by eating bananas you should be aware that you'd have to eat 5-6 bananas every hour! Our tip: Take along at least 3-4 gel packs. They are easy to carry in your hand. However, the intake of solid foods as well as gel packs should first be tested in training to avoid nasty surprises (stomach cramps, diarrhoea etc.).

At most bigger marathons, you can leave your food supplies at a collection station before the start. The organiser then leaves them on special tables for you at supply stations. If you choose this option, mark your supplies clearly. Please note: The competition is not the place to test out clothing, shoes or even food intake. Even experienced competitors sometimes make this "novice mistake", especially when it comes to food intake.

3) After the competition

After the competition, the focus is on the quickest possible recovery/regeneration of both body and mind. Put an end to fluid deficiency. Replacing lost water is the first priority in terms of food intake after training/competition. In spite of fluid loss, part of the liquid consumed is passed again with urine. That's why the amount of drink necessary, depending on the mark-up of the drink, is somewhat higher than the calculated deficit (by a facotr of 1.3 - 2.0, with pure water 2.0). Pure water is passed out of the body faster than drinks containing approx. 500 - 1000ml/l of natrium. As fluid loss can lower the stomach-intestine tract's receptivity to other foods, fluids should be replaced first.

Intake of solid foods should also take place soon after the competition, ideally within 2 hours of finishing. 1 to 1.5 g of carbohydrates and 0.5g of protein per kg of body weight are the optimal amounts. If you like, these amounts can be obtained from regenerative bars (protein bars). This is the simplest and most easily digestible way to consume carbohydrates and protein at the same time. Alternatives include potatoes with egg, granola with milk or a sandwich containing meat.

Following an exertion such as a marathon, the immune and hormone systems are weak. This phase is commonly called the "open window effect", in other words our body is almost helplessly susceptible to infectious diseases. It is especially important to build up these systems by quickly supplying them with vitamins and zinc after the race. A normal mixed diet guarantees the necessary intake of zinc.

In the week following the competition

The following food groups should be extensively represented: Grain products such as oat flakes and pasta, meat (port, beef and poultry), vegetables (broccolo, peas, corn) and dairy.

Active recovery

The time your body needs to regenerate after a marathon is considerably longer than that needed after shorter runs. The skeletal and locomotor systems undergo significant strain during the run. In addition to a weight loss of 1.5-3 kg following the marathon, a decrease in body height is also evident. This decrease amounts to an average of 1.5 cm and is a result of dehydration in the vertebral discs, which are subject to great strain in their function as shock absorbers. Specific regeneration training should be made up of gentle running or cycling in the lower basic endurance (BE) range. These extremely gentle running loads are independent training units which help with stress management and lead into normal BE 1 and BE 2 running training. The duration of exertion should not exceed 20 to 45 minutes. To guarantee optimal recovery, 30-45 minutes of light, alternative training (swimming, aqua jogging, cycling) on day 2 and day 6 (or 7) after the race are recommendable, as well as a 30-minute gentle trot on day 4.

Passive recovery: Massages

The classical muscular anti-fatigue massage, or sport massage, and partial massages of the leg muscles have lost none of their significance when it comes to recovery. Massages have a relaxing, loosening effect on muscles (detoning effect) and improve the feeling in muscles. Spoil yourself with a trip to a sport masseur - you've earned it!

After the competition is before the competition

Once you've accomplished the extraordinary physical feat of running a marathon, you should deal with it in a sensitive manner. Without a follow-up goal, many runners lapse into a state of absolute lethargy, from which some never recover! Whether you like it or not, you should start again in good time with light, varied training. This step comes easiest if you set your sights on another goal (not necessarily a marathon).