How to Prepare for the San Diego Marathon 2017

So one of your New Year’s resolution was to train for the San Diego Marathon of 2017 (June 3rd and 4th). Well, you’re in luck, because we want to help you achieve your resolutions and not be one of those who quit before March comes by.
Now, you can’t just jump off the couch and do 5 miles on that first day; you have to slowly work up your miles. Have you heard of C25K? It’s couch to 5 kilometers (3.10 miles).
“I haven’t ran a day in my life, but I really want to do this!”
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, but you have to start small. You might be ready to do the 5k in March or the half marathon. It’s up to your level.

Consult a Doctor

If you have concerns about your health or whether or not you should jump into this challenge, make an appointment with your primary care physician. Once you’re cleared from the Doctor, start working. Cryotherapy helps a lot in conditioning the muscles for higher resistance. A lot of athletes are using Whole Body Cryotherapy to prepare their body for higher goals and to recover after.

Start Small

Before you sign up for the San Diego Marathon, start running 3-5 times per week and increase the mileage a bit every day. Let’s say you’re used to doing 2 miles, increase .5 mile every two days and do a long run every 7-10 to prepare your body for longer distances.

Include Cryotherapy for Conditioning and Recovery

After your first long run you will want to schedule a session of cryotherapy to give your muscles a reward for working hard and adjusting so well! Think about it as a spa day for your body. Your muscles will be sore and you’ll want to take a week off, but only 1 day is recommended as rest day, and that’s where WBC helps to decrease the recovery time.

Interval Speeds

The couch to 5k running plan outlines doing 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of running the first week after warm up, 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking, the second week and a gradual increase of speed based on intervals. For the whole program, you can get the pdf here.

Stock up on Foods High in Fiber and Protein

Fill your fridge with lean meats, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Try to cut down on sugar and processed fats because they will trick your body into a rush of energy only to give you a crush that will send you back to being a couch potato. Prepare meals that are green-based with a side of meat like red meat, poultry, fish. Nourish your body with complex carbohydrates that will take longer to break down, so your body has more energy for longer.

Don’t Forget the H20

Hydration is extremely important. Drink at least 64 oz of water every day, because as you train, you’ll lose body water and you need to replenish that so your blood can renew itself and generate more energy, more healthy cells and more resistance!

Scale Back Every Few Weeks

So if you’re doing a long run every 7-10 days with a session of whole body cryotherapy after, and you’re going 10, 11 and 12 miles, let’s say, on the fourth week you should scale back to 10 and back to 13 on the fifth week.

Stay Focused and Consistent

Run at least 3 times a week and do other types of workouts on the other 3 days with one rest day (you can go for a walk). Varying the exercises gives your body time to rest the specific muscles that you use to run but not let them get used to being underused again. It’s so easy to go back to the known routine! So for example, if you run 3 times a week, bike 2-3 times a week, go hiking, lift some weights, etc.

Engage a Friend who Already Ran the San Diego Marathon

If you have a marathonian friend, you know he won’t be prone to quitting. Challenge him or her to do this with you so you both can encourage each other, but if he or she start flaking, press on by yourself. You got this! Also, invite your friends to try cryotherapy; they will thank you and you will all be ready for the San Diego Marathon!

Ready. Set. Go!