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Attention Runners: 5 Tips for Your 5K

5 Tips for Your 5K

1. Eat a light pre-race breakfast one to two hours before the race. This meal should be around 300 calories, focusing most of the calories on whole, unprocessed carbs. Fiber and fat take longer to digest, so keep the meal low in these nutritional areas. Try one of these options for your pre-race meal:

-Bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter and an apple
-English muffin with jam and a piece of fruit
-Whole-grain toast with peanut butter, a banana, and 8 oz. of a sport drink
-A bowl of oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar

2. Stay hydrated throughout the day. Sip water before, during, and after the race. Incorporate your favorite sports drinks in conjunction with water. Avoid drinking a ton of fluid right before the start of the race.

3. Arrive to the race early enough to get yourself ready. Use this time to warm-up, use the restroom, and to get comfortable with the set-up of the event. Take advantage of some of the fun things that the event has to offer!

4. Don’t try anything new. Keep your body happy and stick to your normal pre-run or pre-workout routine. With breakfast, eat foods that your body is used to consuming. Stick with your pre-workout routine during your warm-up. Avoid introducing your body to new foods, fluids, or warm-up exercises.

5. After the race, take time to celebrate your accomplishment! The race sponsors will have fun activities and photo opportunities to participate in when you finish. Take full advantage of all the post-run festivities. Also, don’t forget to take care of your body after the race while enjoying the fun. Make sure to cool-down after running and replenish your body’s glycogen stores by eating carbohydrates, protein, and drinking a sports drink within 30 minutes after the race. Enjoy your accomplishment and replenish/rehydrate!

Blog contributor:  Ally Brown, Performance and Wellness Program Coordinator

 

The Physical Therapists at Omaha Physical Therapy Institute enjoy treating patients with running related injuries!  Give Omaha Physical Therapy Institute a call to schedule an appointment today!

OPTI is an outpatient, orthopedic and sports physical therapy clinic in Omaha.  You are guaranteed one-on-one care with the same physical therapist every visit!

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