If you aren’t training for a race, chances are you know someone who is. We have many members of our team who are running individual races or as part of a relay team in the upcoming Father’s Day Marathon. It’s jogging weather, marathon season; time to lace up your sneakers and hit the open road.
“Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days…I run, pound it out on the pavement, channel that energy into my legs, and when I’m done with my run, I’m done with it,” says runner and inspirational human Rob Haneisen.
Running for many is a form of stress release, it can be a time to think, a chance to hone your mental super powers. But long races, which require excess training, can be taxing on a body.
Here are some inside #teamkaizen tips to help you cross the finish line with ease:
1. Stretch within 25 – 30 minutes of finishing your run. Stretching can reduce muscle soreness, help to prevent cramps and increase flexibility.
2. Hydrate. On and off the course, be sure to replace your fluids. Staying hydrated is arguably one of the most important aspects of long runs. According to Owen Barder, author of “Running for Fitness,” the average person loses 17 oz. of sweat during an hour run.
3. Be sure to a eat balanced diet complete with enough protein, good fats and complex carbohydrates for extended energy. As we know, getting enough protein from food alone can be a challenge, so be sure to supplement with a shake in the two hours that follow your run or to keep you satisfied in between work and time spent in your sneakers.
4. Take a bath in Epsom salts. Adding one to two cups of Epsom salts in a bathtub filled with warm water can help to relax achey muscles. Not only will a warm bath feel amazing after a long run, absorbing magnesium sulphate ions is said to help ease muscle soreness.
5. Supplement your journey with BCAAs. Branched chain amino acids help to enhance and maintain intense activity. Made up of three essential amino acids, which your body does not produce on its own, supplementing with BCAAs means you can train more, recover more quickly, and go farther.
So plan your recovery as carefully as your do your routes. Here’s to a successful, pain-free race season. Here’s to logging miles and crossing finishing lines. And, here’s hoping you have someone at home who can rub your feet!