Training
Recommended Sports Medicine Clinics
Looking for a sports medicine doctor, RMT or chiropractor? Check our handy list of clinics in Toronto & the GTA!
Fit Tips
Brought to you by the expert Personal Trainers from CanFitPro
FIT-TIP#3: Hydration for Marathon Runners
You work so hard on conditioning your body and mind to endure long distance, grueling runs, but do you give your cells, your organs and your mind the quenching nourishment that they need to run at your most optimum level?
Getting the right amount of H2O can mean the difference between finishing the race with a record breaking time, or breaking down and not finishing the race at all. Hydration has to begin before the race. Making sure that your body is getting the proper amount of water on a daily basis will help with your training performance as well as the big race. Drinking 2 litres of water a day should be sufficient to keep the body working at its optimum level. On days where you are training you may want to drink another litre as dehydration will set in quicker with increased perspiration.
As well as staving away dehydration, keeping properly hydrated will help prevent early fatigue due to weakened muscle contractions from lack of glycogen that gets stored with water. Profuse sweating can result in not only dehydration, but also loss of valuable minerals. Small amounts of electrolyte-containing drinks during a race can accompany water to help keep your minerals balanced and your body the fine tuned machine that it is.
Hydration is just as important after training as well. Remember to get the clear fluids into your body to replace what your hard working body has just sweat out.
FIT-TIP#4: Dynamic stretching
Dynamic stretching is a form of stretching that uses movement and momentum to cause a muscular stretch. Don't confuse dynamic stretching with ballistic stretching, a key difference between the two being that dynamic stretching lacks the bouncy movements that are characteristic of ballistic stretching. As opposed to static stretching, in dynamic stretching the end position is also not held. Despite its popularity, recent studies have shows that dynamic stretching is more advantageous than static, for example in terms of increasing leg extension power.
Your dynamic stretching routine can vary to cater to your own personal needs, and focus on specific groups of muscles. Preceding your stretching routine should be a short (5 minute) aerobic exercise as a warm-up. The main thing to keep in mind is that you should not be forcing movements or feeling pain with dynamic stretching.
Here are a few dynamic stretching exercises:
To focus on the hamstrings:
- Walking lunge – Take a long stride forwards, bend down and bring your front knee at an angle of 90 degrees. Make sure that your back knee stays above the ground.
- Walking straight leg kicks – Walk forward, keep your leg straight, kick it up and touch your foot with your opposite hand. You can vary the force of the kick from less intense to more intense.
To focus on upper body (chest, shoulders, upper back, triceps, abdominals, and obliques):
- Arm swings – Swing arms forward so that they cross, then swing them back.
- Side bends – Stand straight, feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, with your knees slightly bent. Bend to one side and hold your opposite arm over your head, avoid bending either forwards or backwards. Reverse directions.
Check out Can-Fit-Pro's Consumer Fitness Education Workshop – Stretching Made Simple. Stretching is a vital, yet often forgotten, part of every workout. Leave this workshop understanding the value of flexibility and the tools to develop a stretching routine that works for you. For more information please visit www.canfitpro.com.
Can-Fit-Pro is the largest provider of education in the Canadian fitness industry and offers workshops designed exclusively for the general public. Check out Can-Fit-Pro's Consumer Fitness Education Workshop — Creating Exciting Cardio Workouts to get more tools to help you design your cardio training. For more information please visit www.canfitpro.com.
Other Training Programs and Tips
Training Programs
10-Week Walk/Jog Beginner Program
Start now and train for the Sporting Life 10k or ZooRun 10k.
Francois Lecot Beginner and Intermediate programs to get you
started:
Beginner 8 Week Program: English
/ Français
Intermediate 8 week Program: English
/ Français
Basic Marathon & Half Marathon
Training Program
Includes basic and intermediate schedules.
Training Tips
(Each tip opens in a new window.)
Fartlek Training
"Fartlek" is a Swedish word for "SPEED PLAY". In
the form of "ladders" it provides a FUN introduction to
speed work.
Endurance Training
Endurance training is one of five key elements to running a marathon.
20 Top Marathon and Half-Marathon
Tips
Learn from the best with 20 Top Marathon and Half Marathon training
tips from the pros.
Learn how to conquer those hills
Art Boileau's Running Tips
One of Canada's best lets you in on some running secrets.
Peter Butler's Training Tips
Where to run for the right workouts... peak conditioning, from the
founder of Vancouver's #1 running store: Forerunners.
Hot Weather Training Tips
- Slow down. Be prepared to do your regular daily training runs at least 1 minute per mile slower than usual. July and August is a good time to start or build-up your EASY base-mileage, in preparation for the Autumn season.
- Those of you with Heart Rate Monitors will know what this means: it will take you about an extra 10 beats per minute just to work on staying cool, so to train at your regular training EFFORT, you must slow down.
- Find shady areas to run.
- Get a good drink of water before you step out the door, and don't go more than 20 minutes without drinking more. Plan your routes accordingly.
- Consider a good electrolyte replacement sports drink after you get back from your run. You need to replace more than just H2O.
- Wear technical clothing that wicks the perspiration away from you, and helps with cooling.
- Don't forget the sunscreen.
WoW Power Walking
WoW Power Walking has trained hundreds of people to become marathon walking athletes. Lee Scott, WoW's founder, is a well-respected fitness and walking expert who created the DVD Simple Secrets for a Great Walking Workout. She has been a featured expert at conferences, marathon expos, in magazines, and on television. If power walking is in your future, training with WoW Power Walking is the way to go. www.wowpowerwalking.com
