070 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK MAY 2019
YOU’VE TRAINED, tapered,
watched your diet and
done your stretching. All
the hard work. But you still
feel slow on race day. If you’re well
rested, shouldn’t you feel good? For
every athlete who doesn’t cut back
enough before a race, there are
others who rest too much and lose
the edge that had them feeling great
during their build-up. ‘I’ve tried many
approaches in the final two days,’
says elite marathoner Sarah Crouch,
who was the sixth woman to cross
the finish line in last year’s Chicago
Marathon, running a PB of 2:32:37.
‘Too little running and I feel stale, too
much and I don’t have that certain
“pop” in my legs, so I try to balance
those things.’The chief goal in the two days
before a race is to prime the body
to perform at its peak level. This
occurs when all the body’s systems
are functioning as efficiently and
effectively as possible. Your neuro-
muscular system is sending signals
back and forth quickly between
the muscles and brain, muscles
are able to activate the maximum
percentage of their fibres and fire
them forcefully, and your heart is
ready to pump oxygen-rich blood
where it’s needed.
In the days before a race, preparing
the body to perform doesn’t mean
training to get stronger or faster.
Gaining – or even maintaining –
metabolic fitness is not important
in the final 48 hours, because yourTHE FINAL
COUNTDOWN
Rest in the two days before a race is
important, but it also pays to keep
your mind and body primed
LOOK AHEAD
You’ve done the
training; you’re
ready to race