Training Tips
From Tom Peterson, USA
Age 49
Finished Great Wall Marathon® in May of 2001 in 5:48.
Previous finishes include several marathons, lots of 10Ks, and 1999 Ironman Canada.
Training tips - Do some long runs in the afternoon in the heat of the day.
This will help you understand running in the heat and how your body will
react. Run on trails or rough terrain or even lumpy roads or gravel as much
as you can. Run all the hills you can find. If you don't have many hills, or
even if you do - here is a great training routine for this event :
1. Find the tallest hotel around - 10 to 20 stories is good.
2. Run for an hour at a medium pace - stop at the hotel.
3. Go up and down the stairs for an hour; don't use the handrails for balance, there aren't any on the Great Wall; on some flights
go up two stairs at a time. You don't have to "run" up the stairs, just go at a steady pace you can sustain for an hour.
4. Run for an hour after this.
5. Do this maybe three times in addition to your long slow runs.
6. You'll thank me on race day!
I am not a strong believer in stair climbing machines; I try to make the training as "real" as possible. But, if that is all you have, make it a partof your routine.
Be sure to take days off when you feel tired or beat. And the day before the race itself, stay in your hotel with a good book and read in bed for most of the day. Yes, I mean this. Your legs will thank you on race day.
Strength training - Leg presses and/or lunges are great. Several runners complained of cramping or fatigued calf muscles. A good exercise for this is to stand on the edge of a stair with the front 1/3 of your foot on the
stair. Then drop your heel as far as you can and then raise it up as far as you can. Do lots of these every few days.
Speed training - You won't need it for this event! But, I believe it's a good idea to enter two or three 10K races in the months before the race.
They force you to get out of bed and race on someone else's schedule. They force you to race an unfamiliar course. And, the speed training they provide will give you some headroom that helps make you stronger - even in a "slow" race.
Race day nutrition - My advice is to train with energy gels and water. On the Great Wall race course, you will receive bottled water every mile. If you supplement that with gels you carry, you will have race day nutrition
that is the same you have used on your long training runs. The goal - no surprises or new things on the day of the race.
Fanny pack - a small fanny pack will be handy to carry your gels, a small disposable camera, sunglasses, and toilet tissue or a couple paper towels.
How much to drink - Have you ever measured how much you sweat? It's easy.
First, weigh yourself without any clothes, shoes or socks on. Then go on a run of maybe 5 or 6 miles on a warm sunny day. Do not eat, drink or use the toilet during the run. Then, on arriving home, remove your wet, yucky shoes, socks and clothes. Then dry off and weigh yourself again. If you ran 6 miles and lost two pounds then you know you are sweating 32 ounces every six miles
or roughly five ounces per mile. I sweat a lot and lose about 10 ounces per mile on a hot day. That is a lot of fluid to replace.
Salt tablets - Bone up on hyponatremia. There is some controversy within the medical profession on hyponatremia but what follows is generally accepted as sound advice and has been checked over by my ultra marathon running medical doctor friend, Dan.
Hyponatremia is a condition where your body's salt level drops to a point that can make you sick and in extreme cases, make you very sick. It you have been sweating a lot, which causes you to lose salt, and all you do is drink water, you are not replacing the salt you lose, you are only replacing the
water.
In shorter events this is not a problem, but over a long race you need to replace your salt, and other minerals. Most people find that energy drinks and/or gels will contain enough salt, potassium and other minerals to
do this. Others, like me, also need to take salt tablets. I took 8 during the race. I use capsules called Endurolytes.
General tips for China:
A smile goes a long way.
Learn some Chinese history to help you understand the country.
Learn some Chinese - hello, goodbye, thank you, one to ten, water, toilet.
Respect the people, the Wall, their government, their customs.
E-mail: peterson-gunn@att.net
Web:
http://peterson-gunn.home.att.net/
Frequently asked Great Wall Marathon® questions
The CourseWhat is the running distance on the Wall, and what is the distance between each set of steps?
All runners (both full and half marathoners) will be running approximately 7 kilometres (4 miles) on the actual Great Wall of China. The 3700 steps going up and down like a roller coaster are more or less continuous all along the wall.
- What type of terrain?
The terrain is both flat and hilly. Though, the longest part in the valley is done on flat ground. The road and path going up to, across and back down the Great Wall is steep, and most runners will plan to do it by a combination of walking and running in order to avoid acidy leg muscles. On inspection day, every participant will receive advice on how to plan his race. It is very important to plan this race, and then race that plan. Be aware of getting too excited by the amazing sceneries and the sensation of actual being running the Great Wall Marathon®.
- What will the weather be like?
Probably sunny with temperatures ranging from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. On the Great Wall, the wind will make the air feel cool and refreshing whereas the valley gets quite hot and humid.Temperatures at start (7 am) are expected to be comfortable 15 degrees Celsius.
- What, and how often, will the runners be drinking?
As it is quite warm in the valley, all runners must remember to drink a lot of water (also in the weeks before the race, as their bodies has to get used to absorbing large amounts of water). Drinks are supplied at every 4 kilometres.
The type of drinks supplied is water and, at selected stations, electrolyte.
- What type of running gear should I bring?
Wear normal running shoes, shorts and a light coloured running singlet.
On your head, do not wear a baseball cap (as it builds up a lot heat on your head) but a shade is very recommendable.Wear sunscreen with high factors, as the Chinese sun is potent.
- What if I change my mind, and want to run the half marathon instead?
All runners can change their mind with respect to the distance. Deadline for such changes will be on inspection day (May 17th), after having walked the Great Wall section of the course.
- Will there be showers available afterwards?
There will be shower and change facilities available after the race.
- Food& Drinks Will the marathon runners get lunch (or anything to eat) after completing the event?
There will be a small lunch ready after the event. It is recommended to eat small and simple after an event like The Great Wall Marathon® as the stomach on most runners has stopped working properly due to the strenuous efforts during the race.
- Will there be bottled water during the race or some type of purified water?
At every 4 kilometres, bottled (and totally safe) water is served. Carbo drinks and bananas are served at selected drink stations, and it is possible to deposit personal provisions along the course.
