Here’s how to run the 8th Subotica Half Marathon as a beginner!
We are organising the Subotica Half Marathon, the 8th in a row, on 31 August, and we eagerly await you all, to run together through the history of the most beautiful city in northern Bačka! We know that some of you have never run a half marathon, so to encourage and motivate you to break the ice and come to Subotica, read on for tips on how to prepare as a beginner.
- Register for the race
Registering alone will give you motivation and driving energy for all the training sessions to come. If you are not a complete beginner and can run 5 kilometres, you can prepare for a half marathon with a 12-week programme of intensive training. As before, you can register in registration periods, and two remain. The Subotica Half Marathon organising team has decided that this year the prices of all the races (5 km, 10 km, 21 km) are the same, and they depend on the period in which you register. You can register on the website.
– Period 1 May – 31 July – REGULAR REGISTRATION – the race pack costs 3,500.00 RSD
– Period 1 August – 15 August, or right before the races at the Registration Centre – 4,000.00 RSD
- Find a training plan and stick to it
If you can’t find a good plan, consult an expert or a coach. You need a worked-out plan that specifies the intensity of training and the length of individual runs in the training process, as well as properly scheduled rest. It is usual to plan 3 running sessions during the week, each involving around thirty minutes of running. Then comes a longer run at the weekend, about 5 kilometres in the initial phase of half marathon preparation, and from week to week the long run gets longer. A day on which you run a longer distance must be followed by a rest day so that you can recover. The aim is to be able to run 16–17 kilometres just before the race, so that the 21 km can be run on race day without problems.
- Quality always before quantity
While preparing for a half marathon you must bear in mind your own health and safety. That is exactly why it is advisable to do shorter runs during the week and only at the weekend a session that includes a run of 5 km or more. Also, within each running session you should pay attention to your pace. The pace must not be too easy, because the aim is to increase the body’s ability to take in and use oxygen to produce energy and to move the lactate threshold (the point at which a runner feels a burning sensation in the legs). By achieving these goals you become a runner who uses their potential, which will also help reduce the feeling of fatigue.
- Buy quality gear
You can’t prepare for a half marathon in old shoes. The shoes must suit your activities, but also the way you run. Along with shoes and socks, your running clothes should be made of quality materials that keep you dry while running, which, besides reducing the risk of catching a cold, lets you focus fully on running rather than on uncomfortable or wet clothing. Once you are properly shod and dressed, you will need an accessory in the form of a belt bag or backpack in which you can carry water and other essentials, such as energy bars or gels.
- Prepare your food
As with other endurance sports, food is very important in running training and in the race itself. Food must provide energy for running, but on the other hand it must not weigh the runner down, and proper nutrition after training or a race must aid regeneration and recovery and prepare the runner for the next training unit. Before longer runs or a race, it is usual to take in measured amounts of carbohydrates for 1–2 days before the activity, to properly fill glycogen stores. Runners most often eat foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice or various cereals. The last meal before running should by no means be an hour before running or activity, to avoid digestive problems and allow the food to be digested and converted into glycogen and then into energy. After running, you need to replace the lost energy, but also vitamins and minerals. Suitable food in this meal helps the body absorb nutrients quickly and reduces the feeling of fatigue. Proper hydration before, during and after the race helps reduce fatigue and cramps while running, and prepares the muscles for exertion. During longer runs, try out all your nutrition and hydration options, so that you arrive at the race ready and with a plan, rather than the race being the time to test your nutrition plan.
- Enjoy the race
The evening before the race, complete all preparations, from the gear and clothes you will wear or take with you to the final preparations needed on the day before the race. Arrive on race day ready, both physically and mentally, enjoy the race that crowns your months of preparation, and don’t focus exclusively on the finish but on every segment of the race, because each is just as important as reaching the finish.