“You can’t be great if you don’t feel great. Make exceptional health your number one priority” – Robin Sharma Leadership Guru (Life Lessons)
On track: Getting ready for a marathon
Preparing for and running a marathon motivates you to get fitter and healthier, along with enhancing your critical life and work skills. The whole experience is set to take you beyond your physical and mental comfort.
However, it is hard to know where to begin and what to expect on the journey to race day, and how to recover and celebrate after the big day. Not to worry, The Guardian got an exclusive opportunity to interview Dar es Salaam based wellness expert, Bhakti Shah, Managing Director at the corporate wellness firm ImpactAfya. She tells us of ImpacAfya’s “Movement to Fitness” programme designed to prepare you – physically and mentally – to reach the marathon finish line and in the process, adopt long-term health and fitness.
The program caters to all levels of walkers and runners from age 21 to 65+. Medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension should not be considered a bottleneck, since the program will actually help in better managing these conditions.
The marathon demands respect.
The physiological and psychological demands are extreme; therefore, you must plan your preparation intelligently and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, “intelligent” and “thorough” aren’t the two words that most readily come to mind when thinking about some marathon training programmes. Reaching the finish line requires specific physiological attributes, which can be cultivated through preparation and training.
The task at hand is to run a considerably long distance as fast as possible, for as long as possible. The requirements for this feat in terms of fuel use, oxygen consumption, biomechanical requirements, and even psychological attributes are highly predictable.
By understanding the marathon’s physiological demands, such as having a high lactate threshold and the ability to store large amounts of glycogen in your muscles and liver, we can research the types of training that are most effective for improving marathon performance and explain why. Then we can investigate how to structure a training programme so that it progresses logically to the desired end point.
Take Charge & Achieve
“The movement to fitness programme cycle from 30th July to 29th October starts with your fitness assessment so as to help determine your fitness level. You then receive your training program for self-training at your own pace, place and location with telephonic support and motivation from your personal coach. A total of 3 Fun Runs/walks at 3 weeks interval are part of the program, where you learn tips and techniques from our fitness experts and set your new milestones. The programme concludes with your post marathon fitness assessment and of course a celebration of your achievement,” says the expert. The programme cycle is aligned with the Rotary Half Marathon on 14th October, however the programme can easily be extended to participants preparing for alternate marathons as well.
“I succeed on my personal motivation, dedication and commitment. My mind set is: if I am not out there training, someone else is “ says Lynn Jennings, the well-known Long Distance Runner.
The “Movement to Fitness” programme provides you with your marathon training programme built from your fitness assessment and personal walking or running history. It covers both fresh starters and advanced walkers and runners.
The program consists of a pre- training fitness assessment for:
- Body Mass Index
- Waist circumference
- Body fat measurement
- Fitness tests using heart rate and a 6 min walk test
- Blood Pressure
- Blood Glucose
The personal training plan based on the above fitness assessment covers beginner, intermediate or advanced level for runners and walkers. Participants are given a 6 session telephonic behaviour change programme by certified coaches for all levels to provide individual support on the training plan, nutrition, rest, exercise, injury prevention and conditions such as diabetes, hypertension – or whenever you need some encouragement to stay motivated.
Further, there is a post marathon celebration and fitness assessment with tips on continuation of healthy lifestyle from the fitness experts. Setting new milestones is a key to any training programme and so participants enjoy a friendly environment where they meet other runners, experts and get to network and set new goals, or strategies to meet existing goals at the Fun Runs/Walks
Choose the right running Shoes
It is advised that you purchase running shoes from a specialty store or from someone knowledgeable about matching the correct type of running shoes based on your foot type and stride pattern.
Also, you should, try on shoes later in the day when your feet have swelled to their maximum size. In selecting the correct size of shoe you need, be sure that there is approximately a half-inch of space between the front of the shoe and your longest toe.
When going to buy the shoes, bring to the store where you plan to purchase your new running shoes the type of socks you normally run in. Also, do not base your need for new shoes by observing how much tread remains on the outer sole. It is important to keep in mind that running shoes provide the first line of defense against the potential of injury.
Consider purchasing two pairs of running shoes and alternating their use every other day to increase the life expectancy of each pair.
Purchase a new pair of shoes that you will use during the actual event approximately four to six weeks prior to the marathon. These shoes should be the same model that you’ve found works well for you during your training.
The key point here is to have sufficient time to break the new pair in prior to your race. That is, use the shoes so your feet get used to them and you become comfortable wearing and running in them. It is also important that you wear your running shoes only for running.
An expert approach
“The multi-dimensional program involves preparation to participate in a Marathon and in the process adopt long term healthy habits along with critical business and life skills. Furthermore, the program motivates participants to take charge of their own goals – be it – reaching the finish line, being healthier and fitter or picking up life and business skills using Marathon as a medium”, says the Wellness Expert.
Participants get fitness assessments conducted by Endocrinologist / Exercise Physiologist. Both Pre and Post Assessments are conducted on Saturday afternoons at the Dar es Salaam Golden Tulip Hotel.
The personal coaches are certified and deliver coaching sessions specific to preparing for and running a marathon while adopting healthy lifestyle and managing various medical conditions. Your personal coach initiates the goal based telephonic coaching sessions as per your preferred day/time, in English or Kiswahili which allows you to train at your own pace, place and time.
Each Run / Walk starts at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salaam, with tips, techniques and practical demonstration by the team of experts. The training routes are marked with motivating and informative messages. Referees monitor the runs and walks, which conclude with announcement of top 3 winners; light refreshments are also provided.
Getting ready for the Rotary Half Marathon slated for October, participants start off the programme In August with regular exercise, stretches, diet and nutrition guide. You will learn what should be on your exercise plan and how you should eat and drink before, during and after exercise so that your body is adequately fuelled, hydrated and ready to perform at its best.
Then in September, they move to endurance and strength training where they will learn how to boost stamina and proper injury prevention strategies. It is a well-known “secret” that most runners do not need to develop their speed, but they do need to develop their endurance to extend the amount of time they can run fast.
Then when October comes, just before the Rotary Half Marathon, participants experience the ‘power of relaxation and visualization to foresee, believe and achieve. “The Movement to Fitness Programme is put together after almost a year long research and consultations with medical practitioners, fitness experts and our partners in the USA” says Bhakti. “We have created a facebook page titled Movementofitness, with registration and program information. The page is updated regularly and very soon we will be uploading some webinars, exercises and apps to help prepare. We hope that Tanzanians will actively participate and achieve their goals in this very exciting program”