Half marathon, marathon, Ironman, ultra distance: endurance races require a precise training plan to achieve your goals.
However, even in the case of a precisely anticipated sports and nutritional program, success is not always assured and the pitfalls are numerous.
From sodium intake to racing pace, including special organization, anticipation and regularity techniques, here are 6 endurance training tips that you absolutely must put in place to perform and above all have fun.
#1 Hydration: make sure you have sufficient sodium intake
If you are in the habit of eating only raw products, without salt or additional electrolyte powder, your body is certainly very (or even too) low in salt.
As an athlete, this sodium deficiency necessarily has an impact on performance.
Explanations and solutions.
Sweating and decreased performance
The phenomenon of sweating during exercise leads to progressive dehydration of the body. The blood is then redirected to the muscles and skin in order to cool them.
Result : blood volume decreases and performance plummets.
Also Read: Secrets of Sweat in Athletes: 9 Surprising Facts You Need to Know About Your Sweating
Why drinking too much water is not a good idea?
Sweat it out, but don’t forget to hydrate and replace!
To avoid this dehydration, the first solution that comes to mind is certainly to increase your intake of plain water.
Let it be said, this is not a good idea!
Indeed, drinking lots of water is the best way to turn your belly into a balloonwith results that are anything but productive.
Thus, poorly managed water consumption before, during and after an endurance session leads to:
A dilution of the sodium level in the blood, with a drop in blood volume as the body seeks to eliminate excess water; A dilution of electrolytes, which increases the body’s sensitivity to muscle spasms and cramps; Bloating, because the stomach is not able to handle as much water; Possible hyponatremia (drop in blood sodium levels), with risk of death during long distance races.
Sodium: the solution to staying hydrated during endurance exercise
Before training, a competition or a race, the trick is to increase blood volume to prevent the risk of dehydration.
To do this, you must above all provide your body with natural salt and sufficient electrolytes via food and supplement products.
Think in particular:
With natural salts in your daily culinary preparations: sea salt, Himalayan salt in particular; Electrolyte powders to consume in the form of a drink during and especially after exercise in order to replenish your reserves. Ensure that the product has a complete electrolyte profile.
You will thus benefit from a satisfactory blood volume to perform correctly.
#2 Workout tracking: invest in a smartwatch
Connected objects have revolutionized sports practice.
Investing in a connected watch linked to a fitness application is certainly the best idea you can have to follow your training program with precision and regularity.
Leader in the field, Garmin remains one of the bestif not the best reference in the field (other brands like Coros however follow closely).
The portable application allows you to program all your sessions, by entering the duration of each set, rest time, pace, distance, etc.
Once loaded on your watch, the program leaves no room for approximation. Ideal for carrying out a training plan for a specific endurance goal (half marathon, marathon, Ironman, etc.).
Once the race is over, you can then analyze the data collected by the watch and draw the necessary conclusions.
Top 5 connected watches:
Garmin Forerunner 955: the top of the range connected watch; Garmin Forerunner 245: comfort, excellent value for money; Garmin Fēnix 6X Pro: versatility, resistance; Garmin Forerunner 45: best entry-level watch; Coros APEX 2 Pro: light, functional.
#3 Regularity: prepare your things the day before training
Endurance training is long term. You will therefore have to find a way to reconcile sporting life, private life and professional life.
One technique is to always prepare your things the day before your tripdepending on your schedule for the next day.
If you have to train, meet and dine at a restaurant, it will be in your best interest to bring together everything you need in the evening: outfits, meals and snacks, supplement products, etc.
Anticipation and preparation are the keys to a successful training program carried out with serenity and regularity.
Even more so if your plan includes very specific sessions and a nutritional strategy.
#4 Organization: go for a run in the morning
The day is better once the run is validated!
In the morning, the mind is clearer.
You will therefore have better energy. Not to mention a good running session offers the guarantee of starting the day off on the right foot.
Above all, it is not uncommon for unpredictable events to be added to your schedule.
An impromptu meeting or family obligations can quickly relegate your end-of-day workout to the background.
By scheduling your outings in the morning, you have little chance of having to cancel due to a setback.
The tranquility of 6 a.m. is a precious commodity, especially for busy professionals.
By going for a run at dawn, no matter what happens the rest of your day, you will have done your training.
Also read: Discover the perfect time of day to run and increase your life expectancy, according to science
#5 Anticipation: draw several routes before starting your training plan
With this fifth training technique, we enter into the preparation of the preparation!
Last minute fans, hold on tight.
Before even starting your endurance training program, take the time to map out several routes, with different distances: 5 km, 6 km, 7 km, etc.
Depending on your session and your schedule, you can then very easily set off on the route corresponding to your needs, without asking you any more questions.
Perfect for optimizing every minute of your schedule, without sacrificing the quality of your outings.
#6 Endurance: Take it easy at first
Let’s move on to the last tip.
You just got up, you feel better than ever and you have decided to complete your journey in less time than it takes to say it?
At the risk of dampening your ardor, We still advise you to start slowly.
Whether for your long running outings or aerobic sessions, always prefer a gentle start, otherwise you risk burning out before the end.
If your training program includes four repeats of 1 km and three of 800 meters, run the first mile at a slightly slower speed than the following loops.
Same on a long run where the first kilometer must be traveled at a slower speed than your target pace.
Start slowly, let your muscles warm up, find your rhythm then gradually speed up.
You will thus put every chance on your side of being endurance over time.
Updated by Manon on: 09/17/2023
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