Coach Jakson's Tips

Don't Forget the Warm-up
Doing too much too quickly will send your heart rate soaring and put unprepared muscles and joints at a risk for injury. For beginners, rapid increases in heart rates can lead to light headedness, nausea, dizziness, or fainting. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands placed on them during exercise. Before jumping into your regular workout or a race, you should take a few minutes to gently prepare the body for heavier activity by gently stretching and walking slowly, for example.

Hydration Safety
Drinking at frequent and regular intervals early in a workout or race allows for elevated energy levels later in the activity. On average, the equivalent of one bottle (20 oz) of fluid should be consumed per hour. Take into account that one should be drinking more when the humidity and heat index are high. Being dehydrated by as little as 2 percent can hinder performance by as much as 10 percent.

Train by Time, Not Distance
If you don't have to calculate distances, you can take the workout anywhere and focus exclusively on the effort. Also, you always know exactly how long your workout will take. To prepare for a longer than usual distance, build up gradually over the days and weeks before the event, working out 4-5 times per week, with one increasingly longer day each week.