Improve Your Race Performance

Do you want to go faster in 5K? Wishing for a strong finish in marathon? Achieve those with these tips.

This time we will be discussing about ‘level up’ in race. Do notice, ‘level up’ in race doesn’t necessarily mean register for longer race distance. It can also mean level up your performance in the same category. And it can mean a lot, from running faster in 5K, achieve personal best di 10K, or ‘just’ finish strong di marathon. This article targeted for intermediate level runners, for those who joined a certain race category several times and wish to fix their performance.

Take Your 5K to the Next Level

For you who are looking to run better in your next 5K, try this training:
Run 12 x 400 m, with pace according to your target 5K pace, and 60 seconds recovery.

E.g.:  
5K target = 25 mins.
It means target race pace = 5:00 min/ km (1 km is covered in 5 mins)
Run 400 m with 5:00 pace, 60 seconds recovery, then continue run 400 m with 5:00 pace, 60 seconds recovery, etc, repeat until 12 times.

This is so effective because you are running at race pace but breaking the run down in to manageable bits. You can train in treadmill or 400 m course.

Prepare your training with a good pair of running shoes. Check our men’s running shoes collection and women’s running shoes collection .

Get Better in 10K

Want to improve your 10K? Use hill reps.

Benefits of hill training:
-Add resistance
-Less impact on your joints when you run uphill
-Strengthens the Achilles and calves
-Build aerobic endurance
-Builds muscular endurance

Note:
-Do train in a steep hill that is at least 2 minutes long to reach its top or on a treadmill that has an incline setting.
-When doing hill reps, use the downhill run as the recovery and try to keep recovery equal to the interval length. This will force you to keep a consistent intensity throughout the session.

Give these hill reps session a go.
6-10 reps x 2 mins hill reps or treadmill incline 10%; each with 2 min recovery.
8-12 reps x 90 second hill reps or treadmill incline 10%; each with 90 seconds recovery.
10-15 reps x 1 min hill reps or treadmill incline 10%; each with 1 min recovery.

No matter how hard your training, wear comfortable apparel from our collection: men’s jersey, men’s short, women’s jersey, and women’s short.

Increase Performance in Half Marathon with Interval Training

To do so, you need to do intervals at race pace, but keep the recovery between intervals short. Using intervals makes training at higher intensity physically and mentally easier. The key is to build up the sessions so you end up running 10K at your target HM race pace.

Try this 6 week block of training. Add 1 more set every week, till you’re running 40 mins at your target pace.

Week 1: 5 X (4 mins at HM pace with 1min recovery- walk/jog)
Week 2: 6 X (4 mins at HM pace with 1min recovery- walk/jog)
Week 3: 7 X (4 mins at HM pace with 1min recovery- walk/jog)
Week 4: 8 X (4 mins at HM pace with 1min recovery- walk/jog)
Week 5: 9 X (4 mins at HM pace with 1min recovery- walk/jog)
Week 6: 10 X (4 mins at HM pace with 1min recovery- walk/jog)

Don’t’ forget to drink after training. Check our sport water bottle collection

Increase Performance in Half Marathon with Strength Training

Running is often believed to be purely about endurance or aerobic fitness. But muscular strength also plays a major role. When you run, there is a lot of impact on your legs. Roughly 2.5 x bodyweight of impact is put on each leg. That means you need considerable leg strength to be able to run a strong half marathon.

This is why strength training is important. Strength training is important to avoid injury, to create good running form, especially towards the later stages of a half marathon, making you more efficient.

What to focus on: Mostly leg and core strength, with a little bit of upper body.

How to do it: Start with bodyweight exercises and progress by doing more reps or adding weighted resistance.

How often: Perform 2 to 3 times a week.

Make sure to bring all your belongings. Pack it on our collection of sport bags.

Tips for Going Faster in Full Marathon

The human body can only store up to 2 hours worth of glycogen in the body. FYI, the current marathon world record is 2:01:39 set by Eliud Kipchoge. This means that for most casual runner who like doing marathon –and has time record above 2 hours–has to use their body fat stores during the marathon.

To get to the next level in the FM, you need to become more efficient at burning fats as an energy source. Every 1 kg of body fat provides 7,000 calories worth of energy. Therefore it is impossible to get through your fat stores during a marathon.

How to become more efficient?
-Practice running in the morning without breakfast. Your body will be low in glycogen stores as you would have burned through them while sleeping.
-When you run with no glycogen stores, it forces your body to use fats as an energy source
The more you practice this, the more efficient your body becomes at doing it.

Go Faster in Full Marathon with the Right Nutrition

Besides training, nutrition is also an essential thing. Here are 3 main reasons you should practice eating/drinking during long runs, to prepare for a marathon.

1/ Understand which foods your body is good/bad at digesting.
Some people can easily digest a banana during a marathon, for others it will make them sick. You don’t want to take any chances on race day, make sure you know which foods are best for you!
2/ Practice makes perfect.
The more you practice eating/drinking while running, the better your body becomes at digesting it. As your body adapts, you are less likely to get stomach cramps.
3/ You will know exactly how many calories you need and how much fluid to drink:
-Feel drained of energy: need to eat more food
-Feeling bloated and heavy: need to eat a bit less
-Feeling faint, dizzy: need to drink a bit more
-Feel sick and nauseous: need to drink a bit less

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