Ask an Expert: Certified athletic therapist Mandy Los gives her top tips on how to stay healthy before a big race.
In the Ask series, experts from across the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management will answer your questions about sports, recreation, kinesiology, community development and more.
A:
First of all, you want to make sure that you're prioritizing your recovery as much as you're prioritizing your training.
Make sure you're getting adequate sleep well before the marathon. Most people are going to be pretty nervous the day before a race, so you want to make sure you get your sleep leading into race day.
You also want to make sure that you're doing your mobilization exercises all the time. Work on your hips, your glutes, your low back, your thoracic spine, your ankles and your calves.
You want to think about your hydration and your nutrition leading up to the race. Even while you're doing your practice runs, thinking about what you're drinking and how much of it you're drinking while you're running is important. Also think about what are you eating before you're running.
Keep that routine as you're going into race day because you don't want to change anything up too close to your race. You also want to make sure that you're not trying anything new on race day so that don't you upset your stomach during the race.
And last but not least, one of my biggest tips is listening to your body.
If you're feeling unusually fatigued, you've got persistent pain that's not going away or your performance has decreased, chances are you're probably not recovering enough. Take that extra time to recover before the big day.
Mandy is a certified athletic therapist who is an instructor in the Bachelor of Kinesiology - Athletic Therapy. Los worked directly with Bison student-athletes from 2008-2025. She has also worked with athletes from Team Canada Volleyball, Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba and Hockey Manitoba as well as staff, students and members of the community of all age ranges.
Los holds certifications with the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association and the National Association of Speed and Explosion as a speed and explosion training specialist. She is also a certified acupuncturist.
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