Team CALICO Running Tips

Thank you for running with Team CALICO! We want all our runners to feel prepared and avoid injury in their runs. Here are a few tips from marathon runner Larissa Martin Ralph and her body builder husband, Rob Ralph:

Tip 1: A good warmup should include things like high kicks, air squats, and a light, easy pace first half mile to mile at less than 65% of your target pace to prevent injury. After your run be sure to stretch (not before).

Tip 2: Even experienced runners will benefit from a gait analysis at a running shoe store. Look for a shoe store that has a treadmill that encourages you to walk or run for a few minutes. This will identify your biomechanics and the staff will then be able to recommend a few shoe options that fit your gait and body size which will also help prevent injury.

Tip 3: In the last weeks before the race, experiment with any new items that you may want on race day - things like: socks, shorts, hat, or water belt. Once you have experimented, don't change anything on race day - the day of the Oakland Running Festival is not the time to slide on those new running shoes for the first time not matter how amazing they look!

Tip 4: Dress for Success! Runners want to dress about 15 degrees warmer than the temperature really is. As you run your body will warm up and dressing in lighter clothes will help keep you cool. Weather.com predicts that Sunday, April 2nd in Oakland will be partly cloudy with a high of 73 degrees and a low of 52 degrees.

Tip 5: Get those ZZZZs. Try to get a full night of sleep before the race. Don’t go to bed extra early (unless you have to leave early for the race) because you don’t want to wake up too early. Pre-race jitters keeping you awake? Don’t worry about it. If you usually get 8 – 10 hours of sleep a night, not sleeping the night before most likely won’t have any negative effects on your race.

Rob Ralph is a body builder who runs as a part of his daily routine and Larissa Martin Ralph is an expert runner who has partcipated in the Boston Marathon 5 times.