STEPS.
1. Be ready. Make sure you're hydrated, and also not full, but not starving. Running on an empty stomach can distracting and the lack of nutrients makes your body unable to perform at its peak.
2. Get Moving. A warm-up is always necessary. This should not be very hard, but should be enough to get the blood flowing to your muscles so you'll be able to stretch effectively.
3. Stretch. It is very important that you make sure your muscles are ready to run. Make sure to stretch your thighs, claves and hips. A good stretch to do involves walking about ten feet on your tip-toes and walking back on your heels. This strengthens your ankles so you have less chance of turning your ankle over on a rock, root etc.
4. Go for it. Do your workout.
5. Cool it off. Slowly jog 1/4 - 1 mile to let your heart rate and breathing return to normal.
6.Stretch. Stretch any muscles that might be sore or that were used excessively during the workout.
7. Ice. Although this step isn't typically necessary. It is good idea to have ice any sore parts of your body. For example : hip, calf, knee, ankle, shin, etc. To prevent/relive shin splints. Many runners soak their calves in ice water for 1 minute after running. The ice water cools off over heated muscles and relieves friction between the bone and muscles.
8. Recover. Eat a healty meal and get adequat rest after your workout.
TPIS.
= Eat pasta the night before a race. Pasta is packed with carbohydrates that are stored until you need energy.
= If you feel discouraged or on the verge of giving up in the race remind yourself that the race will soon be over and keep going. Everyone has their off-days. Carbohydrates are good however you need mostly proteins. XC runners are to have as little excess fat as possible.
= Sing an upbeat song in your head and count the number of people you are passing. This will boost your confidence and take your mind off of “pain, tired, losing” to “almost there, keep going, do your best”.
= Try to stay with someone from your team during a race. Support each other with positive thoughts and verbally keep track of the distance to go. “Halfway there, Angela, keep it up!” “400 meters left; let’s pick up the pace!” This makes time pass quicker.
= When you can see the finish line, put all your focus on it. You are almost there. Think to yourself: “I need to get there as soon as possible!”
= Pick one person every-cross country meet that you want to beat. Then the next meet pick a new faster person until you are in the top three or so.
= Remember that the person next to you at the end of a race is most likely just as tired as you. Push a little harder and you will have them beat.
WARNING.
If you are injured, take adequate time off. If you hurt your ankle on Tuesday and it starts to feel better but is still sore on race day (Saturday), chances are you will re-injure it during the race causing even more damage than before.
Never smoke! Smoking makes it much harder to get air into your lungs.
Do visit me every Wednesday morning at about 7am Macritchie Reservoir cafe. I will be there for my training and would you like to join me for the 25km run. SMS me at 81549100
