"Pep talk" Pre-marathon jitters

Are you feeling anxious?

Try some stress reduction exercises:

• Diaphramatic breathing (slow deep controlled breathing)

• Movement - gentle stretching exercises, long and steady with good breathing or try moving through gentle motions. Great areas to focus on are the hips, chest, neck, and legs.

• Meditation may or may not be your thing but it is a great practice to calm and relax the body and the mind. If you do not have a class to go to, one of my favorite sites to get started at home is www.calm.com or there is always YouTube!

• Visualize your race! Create a relaxing environment, even if you are in bed, close your eyes and visualize your body going through the race, how you feel, your surroundings, things you will hear. If you are a competing athlete, it is often a great idea to visualize what you will do in cases of problems so you are more prepared to deal with them should they occur. Visualize the rest stops and how often you will stop for a drink. See your body moving through the motions.

• Remember to rest today! A soak in the ocean or an Epsom salt bath is a great way to care for your body

• Go to bed early - even if you cant sleep, this is a great time to practice your race in your head

• Get prepared the night before. There is nothing worse than waking up and being nervous and in a panic. Have your breakfast, fluids, clothing and your race day bag all together before you go to bed.

Nutrition:

At this point I am sure you are aware of the spaghetti night at Breezes, if you are not attending, carb load at home! Carbohydrates give us energy! It is the first form of energy our body goes to and has the least by-product left after it burns therefore less lactic acid buildup - unfortunately if not used, it is quickly stored as fat- but forget that for now, YOU NEED YOUR CARBS! A great pre-race dinner is spaghetti! I also recommend to start your morning with your normal routine, but do make sure you add some carbs in the morning too! My favorite to give me lasting energy is a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit. It is light for the morning and you can add whatever makes you happy. Personally, I need my coffee as well! It is a stimulant, so keep in mind with your nerves. Bananas are also great in the morning. It gives you potassium to help prevent any cramping and keeps your heart pumping! My advice is to stay away from apples or other fruits that may cause more acid and lead to cramping.

Hydration:

You need to prepare ahead of time. If you have not started hydrating yet, START NOW! It is also important to note that water is not enough. You need electrolytes (salt, sugar). A great electrolyte aid is NUUN or Gatorade. If you do get the NUUN be aware that some contain caffeine and sugar, so again, keep this in mind if you are good with caffeine or not. Now you do not want to be dancing on the start line because you have drank so much fluid and need to pee, so get that body hydrated ahead of time.

Massage therapy:

Now I want to touch on this briefly. Many of my athletes always ask when is the latest they should get a massage. It can vary depending on your regimen and the type of massage. If you have included massage through your training or just wanted to squeeze it in right before race day. Either way, with the Marathon tomorrow, keep it light if at all! Pre-event massage is more about stimulation and circulation, it is quicker movements and made more to stimulate the body and get blood flowing. This can be done right up to the start of the race if done correctly. Be careful to work anything too deep as your body needs to recover after deeper treatments, this includes foam roller use.

Morning of:

JUST BREATHE! You have done a great job getting here, try to enjoy it. Listen to your body, it is amazing what it can tell you. Remember your training strategy! It can be over stimulating to be surround by so many people. The energy and adrenaline high can make you quickly forget that you wanted to start off with a slower pace and all of a sudden you sprint out like its a 100m dash. What ever your strategy is, the visualization I spoke about earlier is a great way to be more prepared when you get there and allow you to feel more in control.

You know your body best, let your body wake up before you get to the start line. (especially for those non-morning people who have likely trained mostly in the evenings) Do a bit of warm up and some pre-race stretching. Be ready mentally.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - congratulations, be proud of yourself, don't be hard on yourself, don't compare yourself to those running or walking around you! Enjoy the support on the side of the roads, the beautiful scenery and the incredible atmosphere the Intertrust Cayman Islands Marathon creates. You have got this far, enjoy the race!