THE WINGS FOR Life World Run (WFLWR) is just one week away now so the countdown is very much on.
It is being described as a race unlike any other with the slogan ‘running for those who can’t’ and with over 50,000 already signed up worldwide, here at The42 we are delighted to be associated with it.
Those of you who have signed up, while you better be training, it’s also important to remember not to overdo it in the next week.
As media partners for the event, here are another few things you must NOT do between now and Sunday May 3rd:
1. Train hard right up until the event
If you’ve been following a structured plan up until now you’ll be glad to know that an easy week is in store, or at least it should be.
The biggest mistake you can make is sabotaging a potentially good run by training hard right up until the race. As you start to get fitter and feel stronger you’ll be motivated to run even more and you’ll tell yourself ‘just one more long run’ but this isn’t wise.
After weeks or even months of training your body will need time to recover so the best thing you can do is half the amount of hours or miles you’ve run for the last month and add in some intensity instead.
This is known as ‘tapering’ and less is definitely more at this stage.
2. Buy a new set of runners or some new kit
You’ve been training hard and getting more and more motivated for the event and now feel it’s time to treat yourself by buying some new runners and a new sports bra… neither is a good idea.
NEVER try anything new the day of the race, or just days before it. Everything you use during the race should have been tried and tested by now; from race food and drink to clothing and, most importantly, footwear.
Blisters, chafing and knee pain are the last reasons you want for having to pull out early next Sunday.
3. Have no plan
Okay so we’re all for pushing ourselves to our limits but we need to be realistic too; if you start out too hard you’ll inevitably blow up and jeopardise a good performance.
To this end, we must set ourselves a target; be it to run 10 kilometres in an hour, five kilometres in half an hour, a marathon in four hours, whatever.
By having a plan for the race you can break the distance down into smaller, more manageable chunks. There’ll be distance markers to further help you gauge your effort – but it’s important to know what you want out of the race.
Check out the goal calculator on the WFLWR website to help you!
Originally published at 08.50