Before long distance running, first measure your readiness with these criteria

Currently, long distance running is no longer just a sport, but has become a lifestyle for urban people. However, don't just go along with it, you must know very well the condition of your own body. The reason is, running long distances or often referred to as a marathon is really physically demanding. Before running long distances, let's, first find out the signs that you are ready mentally and physically.

A sign that you are ready for a long distance run

The first thing that needs to be done before participating in a long distance run is to check the condition of the body. According to dr. Grace Joselini, doctor of the Indonesian women's football national team at the 2018 Asian Games, the main sign that you are ready is that you have run long distances before.

“Long distance running is not just jogging. Therefore, to know that you are ready is to have done an equivalent sport before, "said dr. Grace inside talkshow Sun Life Run Resolution 2019 in South Jakarta, Thursday (17/1).

According to him, when you have done a marathon or sports that are of equal weight and run smoothly, this is a sign that your body is able and able to adapt to these conditions.

What if you've never been in a long distance run before?

So, what if you haven't and just want to try it? How to find out by measuring your own abilities. This can be seen from the intensity of exercise and exercise that you usually do everyday.

For example, if you just sit there everyday without exercising and even panting for climbing stairs, that is a sign that you are not physically ready. Conversely, if everyday you are used to exercising and doing it regularly without problems, you can try this one sport.

"Running a marathon or long distance is good and there are benefits, especially for endurance. However, it still has to be in accordance with the ability, it cannot be forced, "said dr. Grace on the Hello Sehat team.

He also stated that for beginners you should try it from the closest distance. For a marathon, for example, you can try it starting from half the distance, which is 5 km. Once you've made it a half marathon you can upgrade to a true marathon of 10 km.

"Exercise is the same as medicine, it must be in accordance with the dosage. If it is not enough, it will not provide any benefits, but if it is excessive, it will also be dangerous, ”said dr. Grace met at a press conference for the 2019 Sun Life Resolution Run on January 17 at fX Sudirman, Central Jakarta.

Preparation before long distance running

When you feel ready to do this one sport, the next thing that needs to be done is to prepare it carefully. Before participating in long distance running, there are several things that need to be prepared, such as:

Regular exercise

You cannot do long distance running without careful preparation in advance. Regular training helps the body adapt to the actual conditions during the match. Quoted from the Cleveland Clinic, at least you need to train 3 weeks before the marathon.

However, do not forsir. During the week before the start of the race, you need to restore your muscles with adequate sleep. For that, you need about a month of preparation before a long distance run.

Drink lots of water

In the days before the game starts, you also need to drink lots of water. Make sure that the body is well hydrated. The Institute of Medicine states, in general men should drink 13 glasses and women 9 glasses per day or according to The National Athletic Trainers' Association you can divide drinking water into 500-600 ml 2 hours before exercise and 200-300 ml every 10-20 minute.

Complex carbohydrate foods

Try to eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as bread, rice, or pasta. Foods with complex carbohydrates help maximize energy stores in the body as provisions for future competitions. In addition, also meet other nutritional needs, namely eating foods with unsaturated fats such as avocado or olive oil and low-fat protein such as fish or nuts.

Choosing the right equipment

Choosing the right clothes and shoes is very important and cannot be underestimated before long distance running. According to dr. Grace, a mistake that is quite common is usually wearing new shoes in competition without trying them on first.

In fact, ideally you have tried it during training so that the shoes are flexible enough to minimize the risk of injury. In addition, use special running shoes that are not too tight or one size larger so that your feet have room to breathe.

Apart from shoes, the choice of clothes also needs to be considered. Do not wear clothes with materials that do not absorb sweat. The reason is, clothes or jackets that do not absorb sweat can retain heat and make body temperature increase dramatically. As a result, you can become severely dehydrated and cause a heat stroke.