In fact, in 2014, there were 550,637 marathon finishers in the U.S., according to Running USA. With any long race, preparation is key.
Detroit Red Wings dietician Lisa McDowell says in every long run, there is a moment where your body cries ‘no more’ and you might be tempted to back off. She believes when that happens you can fall into one of three zones: comfort, stretch or survival.
Your comfort zone doesn’t make you uncomfortable and therefore offers you little gains. To successfully prepare yourself for a long race, she recommends training within the stretch and survival zones.
It is important to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, beyond what’s easy in order to reach your greatest running potential.
The Stretch Zone is a level of training that requires planning, nutritional knowledge and recovery. Nutrition is an athlete’s fuel; not having fuel leads the body to run out of gas, more specifically muscle glycogen which gives the body energy to perform physical activities. Training in the Stretch Zone should include activities like tempo runs, hills, steps, sprints, and even high-intensity interval training; such activities prepare the body for more challenging survival zone training.
In the Survival Zone, athletes can achieve their most significant gains. In this zone, muscles work harder and rebuild stronger. It is important to understand that training at this level pushes your body to the extreme, so you may not be able to sustain high intensity activities for long periods of time, regardless of what your goals may be.
To read the full story, visit the Detroit Red Wings Priority Health Wellness Blog.
