Mumbai marathon - 10 tips for mumbai marathon
The Mumbai Marathon is the largest marathon event in Asia. Mumbai marathon has always attracted a large number of participents from every part of Asia. Mumbai marathon offers five categories — 1)the full marathon (appriox 42 km), 2)half marathon (approx 21 km), 3)the dream run (6 km), 4)the senior citizens’ run (4.3) and 5)the wheelchair event (2.5km). Mumbai marathonthe race has something for everyone, across all age groups, fitness levels and capabilities.
So, if you’re planning to participate in Mumbai marathon and support a worthy cause, here are a 10 tips before you put on your running shoes.
1) You do need to practice for Mumbai marathon
While runners and walkers do complete Mumbai marathons with hardly any training, they suffer during and after the event. There are stories of stress fractures, pain, not being able to walk for a week and psychological burnout from people who have not trained well enough. An ideal training would be for at least a month with commitment to be able to complete Mumbai marathon.
2) Training only on cardio machines at the gym is not enough for a long run
It is always better to practice on the roads for two months or so to train your muscles. A workout for 90 minutes on various machines like treadmills, stationary bikes and stair climbers is not equivalent to half-marathon which would take almost the same time.
3) You can not be trained with shorter distances even if you train faster as you can slow down and go farther on race day.
The marathon takes a different physiology to provide the energy to go the 26.2 miles than that of shorter distance races. Those energy systems are best trained by running long and slow. It takes runs longer than 16 miles and slower than marathon race pace to get the physiology of endurance. Training short and fast or even up to 20 miles at too fast a pace guarantees that you will “run out of energy” on race day.
4) You must take time out in the marathon taking in water or other fluids or energy sources
The body needs water to work. Losing small amounts of fluids leads to devastating losses in work capacity. The exercising body needs a minimum of 236 mililitres of water every 20 minutes during exercise. This is true in training as well. The replacement can come from sports drinks such as Gatorade, energy bars, gels or candy. They need to be of the proper concentration to be absorbed, making it essential to drink water when using bars or gels.
5) To get faster in the marathon, you dont need more speedwork
Marathon performance is usually dictated by endurance, not speed. The endurance to maintain the desired speed is what most runners need. The body needs to be trained to burn more fat and spare glycogen to have enough energy to get to mile 26.2. Time spent doing short distance speed work takes away from the endurance work the body needs to go the distance. The speedwork that is essential for marathons is pace work or miles done at marathon pace.
6) Cold weather is not really better than warm weather for runners.
When you are running in cold weather, you breathe through your mouth, and the air that hits your lungs is colder and drier. The contrast between the warm air in the lungs and the cold inhaled air can trigger an attack of asthma. Runners generate their own warmth a few miles into a race.
7) Weight training is important for marathon training
Strengthening the muscles is important in order to avoid cramps and injury. Running in a marathon is not the same as running a short distance. It is much more demanding and calls for strong muscles which are the ammunition for completing the run. Weight training is vital to develop muscular strength and endurance.
8) Good running shoes are very important for a marathon
Good shoes are very important to complete a marathon. Good running shoes absorb the shock, ensuring that you do not get injured while running on rough / uneven surface thus protecting you from harm.
9) Carbs are major source of energy for long distance running. Indian food is not enought for energey. Pastas (Italian) and carbs are the best foods for long distance running. Pasta, which is packed with carbohydrates, is the most important fuel for energy. It’s stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen and if these stores run low it can often cause tiredness when you’re running.
10) A typical marathon training diet is one that is around 65 per cent carbohydrates, 25 per cent protein and 10 per cent fat. The idea behind a carefully designed eating plan is to ensure optimum hydration, nutrition and protein-building for a runner whose needs for muscle repair and building is much higher than usual.
Marathon Entry forms available : http://mumbaimarathon.indiatimes.com/entryform.html
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