Q&A: OhioHealth Expert Shares Race Prep Tips Ahead of OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon

With just weeks to go until the OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon, participants are entering a critical phase of training where preparation, recovery and strategy matter more than ever. From tapering mileage to fine tuning race day plans, the final stretch can play a key role in performance and overall experience. To help participants feel confident and prepared, we connected with an OhioHealth expert to answer common questions and share practical guidance for the weeks leading up to race day and what to do when it’s over.

Q&A With Amy Harrison, MS, AT, CSCS, CES, PES, FMS, OhioHealth Senior Athletic Trainer and Leader of the Runner’s Clinic at OhioHealth

Q. As OhioHealth Capital City Half & Quarter Marathon participants enter the final few weeks before race day, what should their main focus be? (00.06)

A. As we look into the final stages of training, you really want to focus a lot on recovery, so allowing your body to heal between workouts, making sure you’re doing stretching, icing anything that’s sore and doing all those things to take care of yourself. You also want to kind of practice a little better nutrition, figure out what you’re going to eat on race day, so make sure you’re fueling with some of the similar foods you’re going to use on race day to see how they affect you. That way, you know if something doesn’t agree with you and you’re not eating it on race day. I would also increase your carbohydrates just a little bit to give you a little more fuel, and if you do that hydration and nutrition sooner, that will prep you for race day before you get there.

Q. Can you explain what tapering is and why it’s so important in the last few weeks before a marathon? (00:54)

A. The last week or two, you should be reducing your mileage. That’s what a taper is. You’re basically just bringing your mileage down by about 30 percent each week, and that allows your body to recover from all of the hard training you’ve been doing. I always tell people your body doesn’t actually get better during your workouts or during your running, you’re stressing your body then, but it gets better during that recovery. So that two weeks of taper is really allowing your body to recover from all the hard work you’ve done all season so that you’re well rested, fully fueled and ready to go on race day.

When you are tapering, it is your body’s way of recovering. During that taper, things to mix in are going to be your good nutrition, extra sleep and stretching. A lot of times we get a little jittering when we’re tapering because we’re not running as much as we’re used to, so doing some extra stretching, yoga and things like that can help give you something to do so you’re not overthinking the racing and the race day coming up, but you’re still being active without stressing your body.

Q. What are some common mistakes participants make in the final stretch leading up to race day? (1:57)

A. It can go two ways, you’re either doing too little or too much. If you take that taper to heart and you rest completely for two weeks, that’s not going to be good on race day. So you want to reduce your mileage, but you still want to get out and be active, get in a few runs, walk and do things like that. Extra stretching, as I said, is also good. The other mistake we commonly see is people who skip the taper altogether, and they’re continuing their high intensity, hard running right up to race day, so they’re starting their race not recovered. It’s going to feel like a hard run when you head out for your last long run and your legs are fatigued when you’re starting. You don’t want to start race day that way. Make sure you’re allowing yourself to back off of those miles a little bit, but not too much.

Q. How can participants tell the difference between normal soreness and a potential injury at this stage? (2:47)

A. That can be tricky at any stage, really, to tell the difference between soreness and an injury. The biggest thing with that is soreness generally gets better within a day or two. If that pain is lasting longer than a couple of days after the race or after a long run, then we start thinking injury. Soreness also generally improves with movement, so if you go out for a light jog or go out for a walk, usually you’ll feel sore and tight at the beginning, but as you get moving and your muscles get warm, a lot of that soreness will go away and you’ll feel really good. It will come back after you stop and sit and all those muscles tighten up again, but generally soreness improves with movement, whereas an injury is going to get worse as you continue any kind of aggravating movement. That’s another good sign. If you go out for a run, you give it 10 minutes and it’s not improving, that’s a sign it’s probably an injury versus soreness.

Q. If there’s still concern, what should they do next? (3:48)

A. First of all, I would start with some light stretching and icing. If that doesn’t improve it, call your family doctor, call a sports medicine doctor, get in and get checked out and just make sure. That peace of mind of having someone take a look at it and tell you, “hey, this is what it is and you can push through it,” is going to give you a lot of peace of mind as far as continuing to exercise and continuing to train for your race. There are lots of good options for that. You can, even if you have access to an athletic trainer or physical therapist, stop in and see one of them. They can do the same thing.

Q. How should participants approach their last long run before race day? (4:23)

A. Think of that last long run as a dress rehearsal. You want to try to do everything the same you’re going to do for race day, so get up a little bit earlier like you would on race day, fuel and eat the same foods you plan to eat on race day. If you’re going to do a sports drink or Gatorade or something like that on race day, have that beforehand. If you’re going to have a cup of coffee on race day, have that beforehand, so you know how all of those things will affect you. You may even want to get in the car and drive somewhere to run so you can feel what it’s like to get out of the car, be a little bit stiff and have to warm up outside and get moving. That’s what it’s going to be like on race day, so you just want to know how your body is going to react to that. You may find OK, I don’t need so much time, I do need a little bit more time, I don’t want to have a cup of coffee before I run because it doesn’t sit well with my stomach and I’m going to be at the porta potty in five minutes. I would also wear the clothes you’re going to wear. A lot of clothes, especially if you haven’t worn them before or if they haven’t been washed a lot, may chafe, and it’s good to know where you’re going to rub and maybe need some of that Aquaphor or anti chafing cream so you don’t have bruises and blisters and things from your clothing.

Q. On race day, what are your top tips for pacing, fueling and making it to the finish line feeling strong? (5:38)

A. On race day, like I said, make sure you’ve practiced what you’re going to have. Wear familiar clothes. A lot of times, if something is new, you may get some chafing, so make sure pre race you’re thinking about that. There are lots of different glides and creams and things that you can use. You want to make sure you’re covering all of the places that rub, so bottom of your arms where it’s going to rub along your shirt, sports bra line, shorts line, inside your legs, any place that’s going to be rubbing, make sure you’re covering that with some kind of anti chafing cream. Guys, you have to cover the nipples either with the anti chafing cream or some kind of Band Aid works pretty well for that as well.

Other things, make sure that you have practiced your nutrition. You know what you’re going to eat, familiar foods, things you know don’t upset your stomach. Even if they’ve not upset your stomach before, sometimes on race day, with the added nervousness and the changes in timing with running, things can bother you. Make sure you’re hydrating on race day as well as all week before. That will help you get to a good hydration level before you start, which will help keep you at a good hydration level as you finish. Also, practice what you’re going to eat and drink during the race in these last few weeks leading up to the race, and then do that same plan on race day. So ideally, you want to have some carbohydrates sooner rather than later. You’re going to be out more than an hour, so make sure about 45 minutes into the race you’re starting to add some fuel. Drink often, but don’t overdrink. There’s going to be a hydration station, I think about every two miles, during most races. You don’t have to stop at every single one, but every other works really well. Think about your strategy for drinking on your run. Are you going to stop and walk through the water station, or are you going to try to hit as you run? If so, be ready, you’re going to get wet. So just think through some of that and maybe practice it on your last few runs so you know what works and what doesn’t.

Q. What should participants prioritize in the hours and days after the race to recover properly and avoid injury? (7:50)

A. Post race, the biggest thing is to keep moving. You’re going to get done, you’re going to be tired and you’re going to want to just grab your margarita and sit at the finish line and listen to the music. The more you can be up and moving around, that kind of keeps the soreness at bay. It doesn’t have to be hardcore stretching, but light stretching or just general movement and walking around, getting up and down is going to help get some of that soreness out. The more you move, the better you’re going to feel. Don’t plop on the couch for the next eight hours after the race. Same thing in that week after, you’re not going to feel like running. You’ve done a lot of running up to this point, you don’t have to go out and run. But go for a walk, get on a bike, go bike up to the ice cream store with your kids, something where you’re moving. The more you do that, the better you’re going to feel. Stretching, yoga and things like that are also going to be your friend. Don’t hesitate. Instead of when you would normally run, sit down and do 20 minutes of nice, easy stretching. And don’t hesitate to get back at it. A couple of days of rest is good, maybe go out for a light run after that.