Lalith Perera Wickramaratne's trainer puts him through a gruelling routine in preparation for his participation in the Berlin marathon
Lalith Perera Wickramaratne (left) with Wajahat Iqbal |
A senior lifeguard and swimming coach at the Ajman Kempinski Hotel and Resort, Wickramaratne has been training under the supervision of Wajahat Iqbal, personal trainer and manager of Laguna Beach Club and Recreation Centre.
A gruelling regimen that requires strength and commitment of body, mind, heart and soul, Wickramaratne works out on a split programme to attain more flexibility and strength.
"Control and discipline in your diet, exercise regime and mind are essential for success. Lalith is a born athlete. Although he has never done it professionally before, we are monitoring his fitness ability on a six level fitness test," says Iqbal.
"It tests his stamina, strength, flexibility, body fat composition, lung capacity and general health," he says.
Iqbal shares some training tips for endurance runners.
Diet discipline
Marathon training demands a high glycogen reserve before the run. A marathon runner's overall training diet should be high in carbohydrates before the marathon and high in protein after.
The carbohydrates build up red muscle fibre, are responsible for more oxygen usage, lesser fatigue and lesser lactic acid build up. Protein is necessary in order to recover from the damage to the muscle fibre caused and the lactic acid build up during the run.
Have a balanced diet.
- Load on carbohydrates and fat during the last week before the marathon. Carbo-loading increases glycogen reserves. The body should have a very high composition of fat because when the glycogen is used up during the run, the body will rely completely on the fat reserve to propel you further.
- Eat six to eight meals a day so that they can be absorbed more effectively.
- Take multi-vitamin supplements and electrolytes which contain minerals such as potassium, sodium and magnesium to establish the re-hydration of the body.
- Drink a minimum of five litres and twice as much water as thirst dictates.
Mental Discipline
Of all the distance running events, the marathon presents the greatest challenges both physically and mentally.
Even after completing training, arriving at the starting line in less than the ideal state of mind can have a devastating effect on your performance.
- Motivation: The best marathon training programme in the world will not take you to the finish line if you are not motivated to undergo the training and complete the race.
When you reach the peak and have to push yourself further, it's the mind and the human spirit that push you.
- Self discipline: It requires a great deal of self-discipline to complete the long training runs, cope with work and personal responsibilities. That's why it's crucial that the runner be an effective manager of time.
- Set realistic and specific goals: Set a time frame for achieving them. Break them into short and long term goals so that you don't have colossal targets to meet each day.
- Preparation: Is the best strategy to eliminate stress and anxiety.
- Be realistic: Training will not always be easy.
Utilise mental strategies to cope with the physical and mental demands of completing the long training runs and the actual marathon when the going gets tough.
- Join a group whose members share your goals if possible.
- Relax! Remember it's normal to be tense or nervous before a marathon. Stay away from participants who are excessively stressed out or are negative.
- Think positive: If you've trained properly, nothing should stop you from achieving your goal. A positive mental attitude will go a long way in helping you finish.
- Mentally rehearse the race: It will ease your jitters.
- Enjoy it.
Injury Prevention
- Wear extra light anti-pronation shoes.
- Alternate training partly on pavement, sand and grass. In the case of running surfaces, softer is better - to a point. The harder the surface, the greater the chances of an injury.
- Take your training step by step. Don't overdo it.
- Warm up. This is critical to lengthen and warm up your muscles.
- Cool down. Coming to a dead halt quickly can jar your circulatory system.
- Bike, swim and row. The more muscles you involve in your training programme, the less likely you are to sustain an overuse injury.
- Be sensitive to your weak links, the places where you're most often injured.
- Stretch. Regular stretching may prevent injuries, but it can also cause them if you don't stretch properly or if your muscles are cold when you stretch. Do each stretch slowly and deliberately. Never stretch a muscle to the point of pain.
- Aim for a quick, smooth, rhythmic stride. Keep your feet low to the ground, and touch the surface lightly. Don't bounce, as this creates greater impact and slows down your forward momentum.
- Remember, no single training procedure suits everyone.
Dos & don'ts
- Do pack your race bag the day before.
- Do find out about the course.
- Do drink plenty of fluids.
- Do mentally rehearse your race plan.
- Do test your clothing in training.
- Don't tire yourself out with activities.
- Don't try unfamiliar foods.
- Don't tolerate negative thoughts about the race.
- Don't overeat on race morning.
- Don't overdress.
Personal details
- Age: 27
- Hails from: Kosgoda, Balapitiya, Sri Lanka.
- Achievements: Participated in many national events in Sri Lanka and the UAE.
- Berlin Marathon goal: Complete the marathon.
- Future aspirations: Become one of the best swimming instructors in the world.
- Advice to marathoners: When you undergo training forget everything else. Live for this.
