By Mark Fulford

Be on the start line fit and healthy… kept very simple, this is the main priority we need to remember when preparing for an event or events.

All too often I find athletes allow their training to compromise what should be their priority. Unfortunately, looking back over the years (and I'm not that old and haven't been around that long), I can identify a number of occasions when the number one priority went out the window in search of performance, or too often, that 'elusive' performance.

Too often we are willing to compromise our number one priority: to be on the start line fit and healthy, ready to race. What proportion of a field in a marathon is truly fit and healthy? 50%? Fewer? Or more? How many are nursing niggly injuries, how many are unwell with illness or have the symptoms of overtraining? Ask yourself these questions and it becomes apparent that there are a lot of athletes out there who could be doing things better. Unfortunately we let training sessions, weekly mileage totals, training times, distance covered in a session and so on, become the focus of our training.

Take for example a local 5km fun run series. These are held in a number of centres throughout the country. Is it better to race the whole series, complete each event within a few seconds of each other and perhaps win the series overall, or turn up and blow everyone away in one or two of the races but struggle to be on the start line for the rest of the races? Which scenario do you think you would enjoy more?

How about a marathon? Is it better to train so hard with the goal of being 100% fit and in the best shape of your life if you cope with the training and make the start line, or play the odds and train so that you are 95% fit but more or less guaranteed to be on the start line and in good enough shape to perhaps get a PB, but at least compete and complete?

Does it matter if you can belt out a set of kilometre intervals in less than three minutes if you can't back it up with some race results because you are injured or just plain burnt out? Far better to be able to say you won a local 10km or broke 31 minutes for the distance.

So let's look at what we can do to take care of priority number one, being fit and healthy on the start line:

Checking your health before you start

I wrote about this in a previous article (see Are you Fit to Train). Basically, make sure your body is healthy and functioning to a level that will allow you to start training. This includes body (blood etc), frame (muscles etc), and in some cases, mind.

Follow your training program

Science, knowledge and training methods are continually developing. Give yourself a chance of reaching your goal(s) by firstly getting, then following, a well-structured training program.

If you were meant to run for four hours three weeks prior to a marathon, your program would tell you to - if it doesn't, don't.

Let your coach or person who writes your program worry about what you are doing or have done, discuss things with them, but don't go doing anything drastic.

In saying this, there will be times when you have to make the call. It may be that you can't contact your coach or it may be part way through a session. Perhaps you aren't feeling too flash, maybe a bit sore or overtired. Is doing the last half an hour of your long run or last 1 kilometre or mile repetition going to help your performance or is it going to put you at risk of not being on the starting line? It shouldn't be a hard decision to make.

Eat and sleep well

Easily said, but most of us don't. The body needs rest (sleep) to recuperate, recover and adapt. Don't be afraid to have at least 8 hours sleep a night and the odd nap when you need it. A nap after a long or hard session does wonders!

Food and nutrition is often a limiting factor to not only the amount of exercise we can do but our recovery from it. Just like your car, we can only go for so long on an empty tank (Not far!). So eat, and eat well. Always try to get some sort of food into you within 20 minutes of finishing your training. This may be in the form of a special recovery drink or standard food. You may need to get professional or expert advice with your nutrition.

Avoid accidents and injury

Sometimes accidents happen, but often they don't need to. Sure, running along a certain track is scenic or convenient, but what are the chances of turning an ankle? Do you want to run that track a week before your event? Plan a little and avoid risks. Watch the surfaces you train on - running on soft surfaces lengthens your athletic life somewhat. Standing in a cold lake or running cold water on your legs immediately after exercise (hot and cold if you are really on the ball) can help recovery and prevent injury.

Keep control of your head

Try not to give in to insecurities that lead you to do one extra fitness test just to check whether you are fit or not two days before your event. Try and ignore what everyone else is doing to prepare for the same event as you. You will train harder than some, and not as hard as others. Be confident in what you are doing or have done and do nothing to sabotage your training program for the sake of building confidence or to satisfy your ego.

If we keep the number one priority in the back of our minds and use it to help us make decisions on how we go about our training and general preparation for an event or events the chances of us achieving our goals increase dramatically. Better to be out there doing it than watching.

See you on the start line!

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