India had some fabulous middle and long distance runners inthe seventies and the eighties. Sadly that is not the case now. With the NRB Goa River Marathon drawingcloser by the day, the organisers, Vasco Sports Club want more Goans to take uprunning and participate in the GRM 2012 to be held on 9th December. While themain 21kms half-marathon event may be beyond the novices, the 5k fun walk-runor the 10k event could be an option by following a simple training tips.
"There are many myths surrounding the sport of running,a pasta party in the eve of the race is a bad practice. On the race day, oneneeds to have completely empty bowels. Hence it is undesirable to eat heavypasta dinner overnight. A light breakfast like a toast, upma or poha, will beenough on the morning of the race day. In case one needs to load the body withcarbohydrates, it has to be done over a week leading to the race. A little morecarbohydrate intake “ than regular “ will be enough to store the carbs in thebody," advised P Venkat Raman, a regular participant in half marathons.
Depending on the types of runs, there are fuel sources forthe body. A 2-hour marathon needs a lot of proteins as the muscles undergo wearand tear. While carbohydrates burn during fast runs, fats are consumed duringslow runs. The body must be trained to burn fat.
Certified Fitness Professional and seasoned marathontrainer, Daniel Vaz explained importance of scheduling a progressive trainingsession. "Base training is the initial step where the body is madeaccustomed to running at an easy pace. Six weeks of base training will worktowards developing the working muscles by capillarization. The capillarynetwork enhances oxygen supply, to the legs. Speed & Strength training for12 weeks, Sharpening for 6 weeks (race-specific training) and Taper for twoweeks, is a 26-week training programme.
