Candy Race Week Guide

THE LAST 2 DAYS

Remember to lay low, relax and stay off your feet. Don't spend hours at the expo. Your reward is race day itself and the culmination of your commitment and dedication to training.

Reduce distractions, don’t put pressure on yourself, stay off social media. Focus on yourself and your own self belief. Stay positive and focus on your race day plan - review the positive points from your training.

Write down the following things:

• What I'm proud of from training.

• What I'm aiming to feel during the race.

• One sentence I'll say to myself when it gets hard.

Stick to high-carb small & regular meals, grazing on carbohydrates throughout the day - but nothing new. (carb-loading guide below). Stay hydrated - clear pee is a good sign. Don't eat any large meals and last meal before 7pm.

RACE MORNING

• Wake early and have normal pre-long run breakfast (2-4 hrs out).

• Smaller snacks closer to the race. If you can stomach them, sip on sports drink.

• At some point prior to the race (45-60 minutes) stop drinking so you can empty your bladder before the start.

• It is important to refrain from over-consumption of water alone, as that will drain your body of needed electrolytes.

• Take a bottle of sports drink to the start line with you and right before the gun goes off drink 100-200ml. This is your first water stop.

RACE STRATEGY

• Start sensibly.

• 90% in the mind so believe in yourself and your training. Reflect on the great sessions you’ve smashed!

• The race is about fuel economy - run steady and no weaving.

• Glycogen conservation is key as you can’t rehydrate during a marathon.

• Drink early and often (100-200ml every 20 minutes). It is better to consume enough fluid early and sacrifice the later stops if necessary.

• Stick to your race fueling plan (see carb-loading guide).

• Be patient, control the first 10km, steady middle 20km, the race starts at 32km.

• Race the final 10km, chase the vest in front of you and forget the watch.

• But importantly - enjoy it and celebrate that we have the freedom and good health to do such things!!

The further you get in the race the more you need to focus on yourself, your goals and race strategy. Don’t let the fans and competitors into your zone.

Marathons always ebb and flow, athletes never feel terrific the entire way. We always hit little walls. If you hit one just focus on the next mile, don’t think about the end of the race. If you take each difficult moment one mile at a time you will usually feel better at some point. It always comes back because…

When normal, untrained people feel discomfort – they slow down and feel better. You are not a normal un-trained person...

YOU ARE A MARATHON MACHINE.

You will believe in the training you have dedicated yourself to in getting here… you will dig down and you will find the energy to deliver the performance you have worked for!

CARB LOADING GUIDE

7-3 Days prior

Eat normally, nothing new.

48 hours prior to start (storing muscle glycogen)

• Around 8g of carbohydrates per KG per 24 hours (e.g. for a 73kg athlete = 8g x 73kg = 584g per 24hr)

• Maintain hydration throughout (almost clear pee!)

• Low GI to prevent fat stores (e.g. wholemeal bread, oats, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, fruit, beans, boiled/mashed sweet potato not baked)

• Stick with familiar foods

• Avoid fatty & oily foods and keep fiber low (not too much fruit with skin on)

• Eat small, regular meals rather than large meals - graze on carbohydrates

• Final meal 12 hours out from start - not too heavy (most carb-loading achieved beforehand)

2-4 hours before start (storing liver glycogen)

• Hunger prevention, not too heavy as muscle stores now full

• Maintain hydration

• Normal pre-long-run breakfast: High Carbs, Low fat, Low Fiber, Low protein

• Oats, Wholemeal Bread, Bagel, Beans, Fruit Juice - but nothing new!

1 hour before start (Top-up blood sugar levels)

1g carbs per kg = e.g. 73kg athlete = 73g carbs before race (e.g. sports bar and/or sports drink) - ideally a sports bar/granola bar as you'll be taking a lot of fluid.

Finish drinking sports drink 1hr before race starts and empty your bladder before the race (to avoid needing a pee). Keep 200ml of sports drink and take before the gun goes off. (this is your first fluid stop).

During Race (Top-up blood sugar levels)

• 60-80g of carbs per hour via gels.

• Don’t down gels in one, take in intervals over a 10 min period.

• Take from 45 mins in to race onwards

• We recommend SIS Beta Fuel as they have 40g of carbs and we have found them to have few GI issues. One every 30 minutes gives you 80g per hour and is easy to remember mid-race.

After Race (Recovery)

• 500ml of water immediately after

• 1g carbs per KG within 2 hours, e.g. 73kg athlete = 73g of carbs

• Celebrate with beer….