Cape Town Marathon Digimag Sanlam Cape Town Marathon | Page 10

Ace Your Race
ACE YOUR
RACE!
Fedhealth Dream Chasers
coach Marcel Viljoen from
Fitness From Africa (FFA)
shares his top tips for
ensuring that all your hard
work pays off on race day,
and that you enjoy a
stress-free Sanlam Cape
Town Marathon or trail run.
Good luck!
What to do on race day
• Plan your race, then race your plan! If your race
strategy is based on your fitness levels and current
training times, don’t run with someone fitter than
you.
• Conserve energy in the first half and ensure you
have something in the tank for the second half.
For every minute you go out too hard in the
first half, YOU WILL lose 3 - 4 minutes in the
second half.
• A run/walk strategy is very useful for conserving
glycogen (energy) and for delaying the onset of
muscle fatigue. The strategy will depend on your
levels of fitness and training, but could be anything
from a 1-minute walk every 19 minutes, or 30
seconds of every 29-minute run.
• Do a “body check” every 30 minutes or so to
determine if any part of your body is tightening up,
a blister is forming, you are getting headachy, etc.
Perhaps you need more liquids/carbohydrates or
you need to run on the other side of the road if the
camber is significant.
• Cramping could have a drastic effect on the
outcome of your event. Should you encounter
some cramping, it’s best to slow down and to allow
the tired muscles to settle. Ensure you are taking in
some electrolytes and don’t tense up, as it will just
amplify the effects of the painful spasms! Try to
stay relaxed and if you are forced to walk, then
trying to stretch the opposite muscle to the
cramping muscle could have a positive effect.
For example if your hamstrings are cramping,
stretch the quads or thighs. Gradually build up
pace again.
• For those who ran conservatively in the first half
and want to increase pace in the second half, do so
gradually to prevent a sudden surge from
depleting your energy reserves radically.
Tips for trail runners
• Trail running by nature (see what I did there!) is
harder than road running, so by the time you line
up, you will be well aware that your pace will be
a bit slower than some of your road training
sessions.
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Sanlam Cape Town Marathon | 14 th & 15 th September 2019